Volume One: Days in the Shantytown - A Small Fortune (Part Two)

Sure enough, Luo Qian brought out the big gun next: the Massage Chair.

The moment the bulky contraption appeared, cries of surprise rose from the audience. Pleased with the reaction, Luo Qian waited with a smile for the noise to die down. "Some of you may not know what this is," he said, "so I'll let you try it for free." He invited a guest up, seated him in the Massage Chair, and switched it on. Before long, the man was so comfortable he didn't want to move. He lay there languidly until Luo Qian reminded him to get up—and even then, he refused. Opening his eyes, he thrust a handful of High-Grade Immortal Jade at Luo Qian. "Old Luo, I'm taking this. Twenty pieces of High-Grade Immortal Jade!"

"Hey, you can't do that!" "Get down already! We're all waiting for our turn." "Exactly! You think twenty million makes you special? As if no one else can afford it..." Shouts and protests erupted below. Luo Qian gave a helpless smile and spread his hands. "You see, this is an auction. We may be friends, but I can't break the rules of business..."

The man still refused to budge. Eager to enjoy it a little longer, he haggled with Luo Qian and squeezed a few more moments in the chair out of their conversation. At last he rose reluctantly, smacked his lips, and said, "Old Luo, this is good stuff. I'm getting it!" Luo Qian chuckled. "Next..."

The trial proved far more popular than Luo Qian had expected. Nearly everyone found some way to linger in the chair. Besides its comfort and its ability to ease ailments left by years of seated cultivation, there was another reason: the Immortal Realm's service industry was pitifully sparse. Immortals usually amused themselves with little more than tea. Foot-massage parlors were everywhere in the Mortal Realm, but nowhere to be found here. This Massage Chair was only the most basic model, and truthfully, its massage fell far short of what a masseuse could provide. But these wealthy young immortals had never experienced such a service. Their first taste of it felt as heavenly as eating a celestial peach.

As a result, an auction that should have ended quickly dragged on through the entire afternoon. By the time the last person finally got out of the Massage Chair, Luo Qian's face was stiff from holding his professional smile. He rubbed his cheeks helplessly and tapped his auction hammer. "All right, you've all experienced what this chair can do. Bidding starts now. The opening price is... twenty million standard Immortal Jade!"

Seeing how popular the Massage Chair was, Luo Qian raised the price on the spot, doubling the opening bid he had planned. Du Lengning, standing behind him, was startled. The brat was too bold. It was a wonderful toy, certainly, but it had come from the Lower Realm. With an opening bid of twenty million standard Immortal Jade, how many people would be willing to go higher?

The bidding took a turn Du Lengning never expected. As soon as Luo Qian finished speaking, the first man to try the chair raised his paddle. "Twenty-five million!" Good grief—he had added five pieces of High-Grade Immortal Jade in one stroke. Clearly, he had meant it when he said he was getting the chair.

But someone else was even more determined. A bidder in a row farther back raised his paddle and said evenly, "Thirty-five million." Du Lengning was one of the "rich young masters" himself, yet beside these people, he felt like a well-behaved child of Distant Hall. When had he ever spent money like this?

"Forty million!" "Forty-three million!" "Forty-five million..."

The price soared past fifty million. The bids showed no sign of slowing, climbing through sixty million and seventy million until they reached a staggering eighty million. By then, those without the means had lowered their banners and silenced their drums. Only three people were still bidding, and their increases were no longer as wild as before. They went up a million at a time. It seemed their resources were about equal; much higher, and the price would be beyond them.

"One hundred million!" The voice was calm, but Luo Qian's heart jolted. He looked toward it and saw a white paddle: Number Thirty-Five! Number Thirty-Five had not bid once before, leaving Luo Qian to wonder why he had come. Now he had charged in at the final moment and cut down every rival in one stroke.

One hundred million standard Immortal Jade—one hundred pieces of High-Grade Immortal Jade. The price was absurdly high. The other three looked helplessly at the raised paddle and shook their heads.

Luo Qian held back his excitement and raised the hammer. "One hundred million standard Immortal Jade. Any higher bids? One hundred million, first call. One hundred million, second call. One hundred million, third call. Sold!" The hammer fell, and Number Thirty-Five won the coveted Massage Chair.

From the audience, a voice said coolly, "Old Luo, you've thought this through. This thing feels wonderful, but it eats electricity. Whoever buys it will have to keep buying who knows how many batteries from you. You sly devil..."

Luo Qian chuckled and brought out the third lot. "Everyone, this item happens to solve the problem our friend just raised. I'd intended to announce its arrival today, but since he brought it up, I might as well put it up for auction too."

"Please take a look." Luo Qian began his demonstration. It wasn't long before someone recognized it. "Is that... a Generator?" Luo Qian smiled faintly. "That's right. One piece of standard Immortal Jade will keep it running for more than three days. This is the only one available for now, but we'll have plenty in stock before long. And it's a magical artifact, so the Immortal Apprehension Office won't detect it."

Number Thirty-Five raised his paddle. "Twenty million standard Immortal Jade!" No one competed with him. Luo Qian had already said the Generators would be mass-produced. Buying one now would cost an outrageous amount, and without a Massage Chair, none of them needed it urgently.

Luo Qian smiled. "Twenty million, third call!"

Du Lengning was the young master of Distant Hall, but his father had always controlled its purse strings. He had never seen this much money in his life. One hundred and twenty pieces of High-Grade Immortal Jade lay piled on the table, glittering with a captivating light. Du Lengning circled the table three times, too excited to know what to say.

Ling Xiaose invited Luo Qian into the room next door. After the auction ended and Ling Xiaose had settled the payments and handed over the goods, he pulled Luo Qian inside.

(Sorry this is late. Another four thousand words this afternoon.)

(Feeling guilty, so I'm asking for votes...)

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