Inside the auction hall.
The attendees were mostly influential figures from several city districts.
Besides those in the main hall, there were individuals of even greater provincial standing in the private rooms on the second and third floors.
Wang Yuyan and Qin Xuan, however, went to a private room on the second floor.
The third floor was so exclusive that even if Wang Yuyan's grandfather were present, he wouldn't have the qualification to enter a private room there.
For this auction, only three private rooms on the third floor had their lights on.
One of these rooms belonged to Chu Shaofan, while the other two housed Wu Qianxi, the young master of Qianjue Jewelry, and Mo Jin, the person in charge of the Mo family's business in Dongyong City.
At this moment, Chu Shaofan, his arm in a sling and bandaged across his chest, glared fiercely at Qin Xuan and Wang Yuyan on the second-floor balcony.
Qin Xuan felt Chu Shaofan's gaze and looked up, meeting his eyes with a smile.
Chu Shaofan's teeth clenched in anger.
"Damn it, it must be that bastard Mo Tao again," Chu Shaofan slammed his hand on the wooden table before him, roaring.
"Back in the capital, this guy always liked to cross me. Don't let me get my hands on him one day, hmph."
A middle-aged man standing behind Chu Shaofan made a throat-slitting gesture and asked, "Young Master, do you want me to..."
Chu Shaofan shook his head, a cold smile appearing on his face.
"Forget it. My father told me to lie low for now. Things are a bit tight in the capital. Wait until after the auction, then you can..."
"Yes, Young Master." The middle-aged man nodded after receiving Chu Shaofan's instructions and turned to leave the private room.
The auction began shortly after.
A woman in a long white dress, with an exceptional figure and an elegant demeanor, walked onto the auction stage.
Her appearance instantly captured the attention of countless attendees.
This woman was Wang Hanzhi, the top auctioneer for Qianjue Jewelry.
It was rumored that the value of goods sold by this woman had already exceeded ten billion.
As soon as Wang Hanzhi stepped onto the stage, she smiled at the crowd.
"It is indeed a great fortune for this humble lady to gather here with all the distinguished guests again this year..."
Some of the auction guests were smitten by Wang Hanzhi's captivating smile.
"Wow! Is this Qianjue Jewelry's 'Auction Flower'! A goddess!"
"Ahem... Finally, I get to witness the beauty of Goddess Wang. She is truly breathtaking!"
...
Many newcomers to the event were there solely to catch a glimpse of Wang Hanzhi, Qianjue Jewelry's "Auction Flower."
Having seen her today, they felt their trip was worthwhile.
Qin Xuan understood why Wang Hanzhi had become Qianjue Jewelry's top auctioneer.
With such looks and figure, it would be hard not to be the best.
"Enough pleasantries. This year, Qianjue Jewelry has selected ten top-quality raw stones. These ten raw stones are guaranteed to yield jade."
"Next, we will begin the auction for the first raw stone of this event."
Wang Hanzhi waved her hand, and two beautiful women in qipaos pushed a small trolley laden with raw stones onto the stage.
Wang Hanzhi then began her introduction.
"This raw stone weighs forty-six jin. According to expert appraisal, its jade content is over sixty percent, and the quality is expected to be excellent. It's definitely worth acquiring!"
"Starting bid, five million! Each bid must not be less than one hundred thousand. The auction begins."
"Six million!" As soon as Wang Hanzhi finished speaking, someone began bidding, increasing the price by a million at once.
"Seven million!"
"Seven point five million!"
...
Soon, the price reached fifteen million.
From the moment the raw stone was wheeled onto the stage, Qin Xuan's gaze remained fixed on it.
Although this raw stone was not small, it exhibited no spiritual fluctuations. Qin Xuan, therefore, lost interest and asked Wang Yuyan beside him,
"Didn't your grandfather tell you to bring something back? Aren't you bidding?"
Wang Yuyan shook her head and murmured to herself,
"I'm not fond of these stones, why would I bid?"
"Then why are you here at this gambling stone auction?" Qin Xuan asked, puzzled.
Wang Yuyan rolled her eyes at Qin Xuan and replied,
"Do you think this gambling stone auction only sells raw stones?"
"Then what else?"
Qin Xuan shrugged. Wang Yuyan said with slight annoyance,
"Because there's only one auction per day, after these ten raw stones are auctioned, there will be other items. One of them is what my grandfather needs."
"What item?" Qin Xuan asked Wang Yuyan with some curiosity.
"I can't be bothered to tell you. You'll know soon enough." Wang Yuyan pouted.
On stage, the bidding price had already reached seventeen million.
"Seventeen million, are there any more bids?" Wang Hanzhi inquired of the crowd.
"Seventeen million, first call."
"Seventeen million, second call! Any more bids?"
...
On the third-floor balcony.
Wu Qianxi looked at Chu Shaofan on the adjacent balcony and said with a smile,
"Young Master Chu, aren't you bidding?"
Chu Shaofan raised the tea on the table with his functional hand and took a sip, saying indifferently,
"They're all junk. Useless to take back."
"Young Master Chu, that's not entirely true," Wu Qianxi chuckled.
"An auction is about creating excitement. If no one bids, what's the point? How about we bid for fun?"
Chu Shaofan's face remained cold. He thought to himself, 'A bunch of country bumpkins. If my family hadn't insisted, I wouldn't even come to this dump of a city like Dongyong. Dogs wouldn't even visit.'
Although he disdained Wu Qianxi, who was "digging for stones" in his heart, he still said,
"No need. These stones are of no use to me. I'll wait to see the later items."
"Alright then, as long as Young Master Chu is happy."
Wu Qianxi didn't press further, as Chu Shaofan was from the capital and had been personally invited by his grandfather.
"Twenty million, first call."
"Twenty million, second call! Any more bids?" Wang Hanzhi winked charmingly, captivating many.
However, no one bid further.
After all, this raw stone was already close to its value. Even if jade was found, it wouldn't fetch much more.
"Twenty million, third call! Sold!" Wang Hanzhi struck her hammer.
"The first raw stone was purchased by Guest number thirty-six in the hall. It will be delivered after the auction concludes."
The subsequent raw stones were mostly in the tens of millions, none exceeding one hundred million.
Qin Xuan had meticulously examined each one, and none possessed any spiritual energy.
This disappointed Qin Xuan somewhat. If he couldn't find any raw stones with spiritual energy, this trip would have been in vain.
Wang Yuyan, noticing Qin Xuan's sigh, asked with curiosity,
"What's wrong?"
Qin Xuan shook his head and said,
"Nothing, I just haven't encountered the raw stones I was looking for."
Wang Yuyan heard this and explained,
"The raw stones that appeared earlier were relatively inexpensive, so you didn't bid. The ones that appear later will only get more expensive. I recall the most expensive raw stone last year sold for a staggering four hundred million."