Chapter 561: "Heaven's End Cliff (8)"
Fan Zhuo raised an eyebrow and said: "If that's the case, count me in as well."
Qiao Chu's face broke into a wide smile.
"You mean it?"
"Of course." Fan Zhuo nodded and he turned to Jun Wu Xie. "Little Xie, you are not a lost orphan from the Twelve Palaces. Why are you involved in this?"
Jun Wu Xie raised her eyes and replied calmly: "To go home."
Fan Zhuo gave a look of utter confusion.
Jun Wu Xie suddenly raised her hand and a mist appeared before her fingers, gradually coalescing at a spot beside her, forming into the shape of a tiny figure.
"MEH!!" Lord Meh Meh who had plopped lazily at the side without making a single sound suddenly stood up upon seeing the figure start to form up, its eyes brilliantly lit up!
[So... FRAGRANT!]
"Argh! Don't bite me!" Little Lotus had just appeared and Lord Meh Meh had immediately pounced on him, pressing his soft chubby little body to the ground. They next saw the woolly ball that was Lord Meh Meh happily plopped upon Little Lotus, licking its little wet tongue incessantly upon Little Lotus' tiny chubby face.
At that moment, Little Lotus broke into tears from the sudden "attack".
He could feel the strong desire to chomp on him emanating strongly from Lord Meh Meh!
Plant type spirits were always highly sensitive to the desires of herbivores.
Fan Zhuo's eyes widened as he stared at Little Lotus who was being helplessly violated by Lord Meh Meh.
"Little Xie's ring spirit is a plant type spirit." Qiao Chu said helpfully.
It finally dawned on Fan Zhuo. Everyone in the Middle Realm knew exactly how much interest a plant spirit would attract from the Twelve Palaces. The innocent would be deemed criminal by the mere possession of a prized treasure others seeked. Jun Wu Xie's plant based spirit would undoubtedly bring her endless persecution.
If she wanted to live, she had to become stronger than the Twelve Palaces and make them fear to dare lust after her ring spirit.
Fan Zhuo genuinely laughed out loud, his eyes absolutely sparkled.
"After all that's been said, everyone in this room are enemies of the Twelve Palaces?"
"That's right." Hua Yao replied, nodding affirmatively.
"Since that's the case, let's all retrieve the Dark Emperor's treasures and put them to good use!" Upon saying that, Fan Zhuo took out a brocade bag from his hip and opened it up. A old and tattered map drawn on skin lay open on the table.
From what they saw was showing on that map, it really looked very similar to the map they had with them!
Fan Zhuo explained: "My parents had climbed down the Heaven's End Peak together at that time. A portion of the map of the Dark Emperor's tomb had been drawn on my mother's back as well. After my father returned to the Twelve Palaces, he did not come back for quite a time. My mother suspected something had gone wrong and had the map cut out off her back and handed it to me to have it hidden properly. So, the map of the Dark Emperor's tomb had never been complete from the beginning because the number of people who got to the Dark Emperor's tomb actually numbered eight, not seven."
And the last portion of the map to the Dark Emperor's tomb laid in the hands of Fan Zhuo, the only child who survived against all odds under the endless persecution of the Twelve Palaces.
With the knowledge of this newfound fact, Qiao Chu and the others found themselves in sudden shock.
"We had previously discovered that someone within the Zephyr Academy was in contact with the Twelve Palaces. The Twelve Palaces had given their own portions of the maps to the respective powers they were grooming in the Lower Realm. The piece you hold was not from the Twelve Palaces, so..... Does your father hold another one?" After their goals were aligned, Hua Yao saw no need to hold back their misgivings anymore.
Fan Zhuo shook his head.
"My adoptive father is not in contact with the Twelve Palaces. He knows my real identity and it is impossible that he will establish such a form of contact with them. So, if the information you received is true, then the person that has links with the Twelve Palaces will be someone else, and not my father."
If not Fan Qi, then who could it be?
Hua Yao and his companions found themselves suddenly having to rethink their options.
Chapter 562: "An Auction for the Filthy Rich (1)"
"Actually, if we really want to find out who it is, we do have a lead we can work on." Fei Yan said suddenly.
"You mean Mu Qian Fan?" Rong Ruo asked, her brows raised.
Fei Yan nodded. "Mu Qian Fan said that someone gave them money and told them to go to the Heaven's End Cliff. Moreover, Little Zhuo has already confirmed for us that the Dark Emperor's tomb is indeed at below the Heaven's End Cliff. That would mean that the person who commissioned Mu Qian Fan and his brothers to go there must be the same person who has links with the Twelve Palaces and he must have the map with him! Mu Qian Fan was more becoming a more valuable ally then they had expected. He was not only able to bring them to the Heaven's End Cliff but would be able to provide them with more clues to identify the person within the Zephyr Academy who held the map."
Fei Yan paused a moment before he turned to look at Jun Wu Xie and asked in a serious tone: "Little Xie, are you confident of curing Mu Qian Fan completely of his poison?"
Jun Wu Xie replied softly: "Yes."
With Jun Wu Xie single worded reply, Fei Yan was undoubtedly convinced.
"Before that, we had better make a trip to the Heaven's End Cliff and see what that place is all about. We still do not have a complete map of the place and although we would not be able to find the exact location of the Dark Emperor's tomb, a better understanding of the area would definitely help us." Hua Yao reasoned.
Everyone agreed with what Hua Yao said.
After their discussions came to a close, all of them parted and went about their own tasks.
There were two more days before the auction at the Chan Lin Auction House would be carried out and they would remain within Chan Lin Town during that period and Jun Wu Xie was intent on concocting the antidote for the poison within Mu Qian Fan's body.
The days passed quickly and the Chan Lin Auction House opened up its auction once more. And this time, before the auction itself, He Chang Le had hired people to spread the word throughout Chan Lin Town. The word was that in the upcoming auction, they would not only have the usual string of precious and unusual treasures, they also had a bunch of rare and priceless elixirs in their line up!
Many people who had not been really interested in the auction suddenly pricked their ears and rushed towards the auction house.
Rare and priceless elixirs, no matter the time, no matter the place, had always been in great demand. Although no details on what kind of elixirs they had were released, but based on the high standards of goods and items the Chan Lin Auction House had always managed to bring in for their auctions, it would not be common stuff.
This day, the Chan Lin Auction House was visibly more packed than usual. The auction had not even started and the ground floor was already filled to capacity, while all the private rooms on the second level were fully taken.
Fortunately Qiao Chu had come and spoken to He Chang Le the day before on their intention to attend and a room had been reserved for them.
When Jun Wu Xie and her companions reached the place, even the staircase leading up to the second level was filled with people. They had to squeeze past an immeasurable amount of people before they managed to get to the room reserved for them.
"Heavens! Does it need to be so crazy? The place is just too crowded today isn't it?" Qiao Chu was holding his shoes in his hands. While climbing up the steps earlier, both his shoes had been stepped and stomped by the surging crowd and he had almost lost them. His quick reflexes had saved him and the still new shoes that he had bought just not too long ago.
The smiling servant allocated to their room served them their tea. Knowing that these were He Chang Le's honoured guests, his attitude was especially attentive.
"My Young Masters, you might not know it, but the items we have lined up for today's auction are much more interesting than usual. Besides the usual bunch of spirit stones, we have a dazzling line of exquisite and priceless elixirs which had drawn almost the whole town's people here. The auction itself has not started yet and this is not when we are most crowded. Once the auction starts, the place would be bursting at the seams."
Chapter 563: "An Auction for the Filthy Rich (2)"
"Are elixirs really that popular with the people?" Qiao Chu asked while putting on his shoes, his eyes filling up with anticipation.
"You say! Under the skies, those able to concoct and cultivate good quality elixirs had only come from a few clans. Ever since the Qing Yun Clan suddenly disappeared, the supply of elixirs in the market had greatly diminished and those few other clans who had been overshadowed and their reputation as elixir producing places previously suppressed by the Qing Yun Clan had suddenly found their fortunes reversed, enjoying unsurpassed recognition and greatly revered. Even the common medical halls and shops selling herbs have seen the prices of elixirs increase in folds." The servant saw that Qiao Chu was intrigued by the topic and prattled on non-stop.
The Qing Yun Clan might have been corrupted and they committed heinous deeds, but it had been an enormous clan and they had nevertheless provided the people with huge quantities of elixirs every month. Besides the elixirs produced by the twelve elders, the disciples in the Inner House had supplied a large quantity of elixirs and medicines to the people throughout the lands.
Although those elixirs and medicines might not be top grade, but compared to the common herbs and medicines sold in the medical halls and herb shops, they were of a much better quality. And the Qing Yun Clan's reputation as the top clan throughout the lands had further made their supply of elixirs in high demand.
And thus, the disappearance of the Qing Yun Clan had suddenly caused a huge deficiency in the supply of elixirs.
Not only was the supply of top grade elixirs greatly reduced, but even elixirs one grade lower had their quantities greatly diminished.
The inadequate quantities of elixirs had caused the people to place greater significance on purchasing all the diminishing supply of elixirs they could find.
Many of the clans that produced elixirs had long been allied or joined with various powers and the best of the elixirs they produced were always supplied to their allies and only a small portion that was in excess or of inferior quality would be released to be sold externally.
Besides those few clans, even individuals who excelled in producing medicine were either from prominent families themselves or recruited by the major powers as well, and the amount they could produce was even less.
Once a person highly skilled in producing medicine was discovered, people from different powers would immediately rush in to recruit them.
Buying quality elixirs and medicine had become a highly arduous task.
And it was due to this very reason, that when the Chan Lin Auction House had released news that they had elixirs available in their line up, it had drawn the attention of so many people. Within the vast auction house, the place was beginning to show signs of being unable to accommodate the crowd who had come forth to take part in the auction.
"If the Young Masters here are interested in the batch of elixirs, you are most welcome to make a bid for it during the auction. The boss has informed us previously about these elixirs. Due to the request of the client, the auction house would not be able to offer our honoured guests special privileges on them." The servant noticed that Qiao Chu had seemed invariably interested in the elixirs and he explained apologetically.
If it had been something a little more common, He Chang Le might be able to use his position as the owner to open some doors of privilege for them, but not this time, and for such precious items.
Qiao Chu laughed and waved his hand at the servant, dismissing him from the room.
"If I was interested in them, you think I would need to buy them? I will only need to ask for them from Little Xie." Qiao Chu stole a peek at the unaffected and unmoving Jun Wu Xie, his eyes narrowed into two crescents from his smile.
"Little Xie, wouldn't you agree?"
Jun Wu Xie glanced briefly at him and turned away, refusing to grace such a dumb and senseless question with a reply.
Completely undeterred by Jun Wu Xie's cold treatment, Qiao Chu cozied up against Hua Yao and asked: "Brother Hua, how many elixirs did Little Xie give you to sell at this auction?"
Hua Yao replied: "Seven bottles."
"Seven bottles..... Hmm..... If one bottle sold for one hundred thousand taels, that will be seven hundred taels!!" Qiao Chu gulped at the figure, estimating the price based on the time they had "set up a con" in front of the Zephyr Academy gates previously.
Chapter 564: "An Auction for the Filthy Rich (3)"
"The elixirs this time are different from those before." Jun Wu Xie said calmly, throwing a whole bucket of cold water on Qiao Chu.
That time at the gates of the Zephyr Academy had left her with no other choice or she would not have taken out those elixirs that could develop and improve veins and arteries.
"But, they would still fetch a hefty price wouldn't they? Seven bottles should still at least fetch us a hundred thousand taels at least, wouldn't it?" Qiao Chu asked, scratching his head, feeling a little less sure.
Jun Wu Xie shot him a glance. "Who told you that I am selling them by the bottle?"
"Huh?" Qiao Chu was even more confused.
Hua Yao shook his head helplessly. He could not bear to see Qiao Chu display his stupidity a moment longer.
"Little Xie gave me seven bottles of elixirs this time and there are five elixirs in each bottle. I have already discussed it with He Chang Le and he has agreed that the elixirs in every bottle would be individually auctioned, with a single pill each time."
Qiao Chu nodded in confusion and after pondering on it for a long while, he only managed to ask one question.
"Will we earn a lot of money then?"
"....." Hua Yao shot Qiao Chu a look of utter contempt, and decided not to waste his breath on the intellectually lacking dumbo.
Qiao Chu shrank back mortified as he rubbed his nose, suddenly feeling like he needed a drink of water.
More and more people arrived at the auction house till finally, they could not even shut the doors as people continued to try to squeeze themselves in.
This unprecedented situation was never seen before and it greatly surprised Jun Wu Xie who sat in the private room on the second level.
She did not know that elixirs was in such high demand. Although the response had been very overwhelming before the gates of the Zephyr Academy before, but those elixirs she had taken out then had Heaven defying effects that was unheard of in the world. The elixirs she had given to Hua Yao this time, though were rather good as well, but their effects could not compare in the least to those they sold before.
He Chang Le had only spread the word to the people that the Chan Lin Auction House would have elixirs in their lineup and had not mentioned a word on their effects and it had already incited such an overwhelming response.
Jun Wu Xie decided that she would have to give her elixirs a little bit more consideration.
All along, she had only intended for her elixirs to be given to the people of the Lin Palace and the Rui Lin Army and other than that, she did not spend much more time into her elixirs.
She was not able to return to the Lin Palace at the moment and her dwindling finances was becoming a huge problem to her.
She did not in the least expect that Qiao Chu and the others, who had been lived half their lives in abject poverty, to suddenly gain riches and prosperity.
So, if elixirs were really so hugely popular, would this mean that she would be able to profit from it for their expenses?
Jun Wu Xie decided to observe a little bit more before she made her conclusion.
They had eagerly waited for the auction to commence and the whole place was fully packed. Many of the people did not have seats and they were lined up against the walls at the side and back.....
The sight before him made He Chang Le smile endlessly, unable to close his mouth in joy.
Although the Chan Lin Auction House had always enjoyed a rather good reputation and strong support, they had never put up elixirs in their auctions before as there were no prominent elixir producing clans in their vicinity. The once small tiny town had grown prosperous all due to the Zephyr Academy and a big part of the town visitors were the disciples from the Zephyr Academy itself.
Just like today, looking through the crowd packed within the auction house, many of them were youths dressed in the uniforms of the Zephyr Academy. They had seemingly gathered here in groups, having arrived early to get themselves the best seats. And from the eager expressions on their faces, one could see the high anticipation they held for today's auction.
He Chang Le was very excited. Even he had not expected that a bunch of elixirs would draw so many people to the Chan Lin Auction House.
This was the biggest crowd he had ever seen in the history of the Chan Lin Auction House!
"Boss, can we begin?" The auctioneer asked one final time for He Chang Le's opinion, as he straightened out his clothes and made sure everything was in order.
Chapter 565: "An Auction for the Filthy Rich (4)"
He Chang Le turned and patted the man on the shoulder encouragingly to say: "This auction, would indefinitely influence the reputation of the Chan Lin Auction House. If with these elixirs, we are able to bring the Chan Lin Auction House up to the next level, it would be undeniably the best result for us. You must remember it well. You have to put up an outstanding performance today. The huge turnout today are all gunning straight for the elixirs. If we are able to satisfy them with our results today, when the client comes back to us, I will discuss it in detail with him to see if he can supply us with elixirs on a permanent basis. If everything goes well, our Chan Lin Auction House will not be constrained within just a tiny Chan Lin Town!"
"I will! I will most definitely put out my best tonight!" The man said confidently, as he pulled at his clothes once again in one final check.
"Go! The future of our auction house will be determined tonight!" He Chang Le stared with great anticipation at the crowd tightly packed together on the floor. Although the Chan Lin Auction House enjoyed a high reputation in this region, but they were inadvertently constrained here. If this time, their fame spread, then.....
He Chang Le was getting more excited the more he thought about it!
Once the auctioneer stepped onto the stage, a cheer erupted from the crowd. The intensity of the raucous cheer almost tore the roof off the Chan Lin Auction House.
Standing upon the stage, the auctioneer gulped. He was the leading auctioneer of the Chan Lin Auction House and he prided himself on his quick adaptability to changes. But upon seeing the boisterous and noisy crowd before him, he could not help but feel a little weakness creep into his legs.
Jun Wu Xie sat, high up on the second level in her private room, as she stared at the noisy scene below, her eyes calm.
"Firstly, let me welcome you to the Chan Lin Auction House today. I believe that our honoured guests have already heard the news. The Chan Lin Auction House today, hold in our hands, a batch of the most precious and exquisite elixirs! The batch of elixirs entrusted to us number a significant amount and the effects they provide would most definitely be more than satisfactory. Let's not hold you back with more chatter, I think all of you are more interested in what effects the elixirs hold for you! Without further delay, can we have the Chan Lin Auction House present to you the first elixir we have up for the auction? Bring it up!" The auctioneer announced in a deep voice, and the boisterous and rowdy crowd suddenly quietened.
All eyes were inexorably drawn to the stage in front and their sights fixed upon the item being brought up.
A adorable and alluring lady swayed her hips suggestively as she carried a brown tray and walked up onto the stage.
At that moment, the people on the floor were unconcerned on how alluring the beautiful lady was. Their eyes were glued to the small brocade box lying upon the tray!
"This is the Spirit Intensifying Elixir! Once ingested, it will enable the user to gain a temporary growth in their spiritual powers, achieving a breakthrough in the level of their spiritual powers! The effect lasts for one day and within that day, the user will experience might of the spirit power they had never attained before and can be used by the user to defeat powerful opponents they had never been able to take on before! Although its effects last only a day, but it is invaluable when used appropriately at the most critical times that will save your life!" The auctioneer generously explained, throwing them a friendly reminder on how its use would be most efficient.
And the generous introduction had made the crowd on the floor go wild!
As the levels of their spiritual powers go higher, their speed of their growth in spiritual power would inevitably slow significantly. Many people had been stuck in their current spirit levels for several years and for some, even more than a decade. Over the slow passing throughout the endless years, the snail paced progress gained in their spiritual powers had made many of them fall into despair. And the chance for them to experience power they had yearned for but never achieved was undoubtedly a great temptation.
The biggest draw about the elixir though, was what the auctioneer had helpfully told them..... To save their own life.
Irregardless whether it was in a battle, or while out on an expedition, an elixir that enabled the user to gain more power in an instant was an irreplaceable treasure indeed!
Chapter 566: "An Auction for the Filthy Rich (5)"
Elixirs like this, might not be that big a temptation to the common people.
But when placed before the disciples of the Zephyr Academy.....
It became an irresistible weapon for them to show off their powers!!
For a day, they would gain powers that had never experienced before and the elixir would enable them to get out any tight situations in future Spirit Hunts. Heaven knows, how much it would mean to the disciples who had just managed to claw their way through the last grueling Spirit Hunt, where they were tormented by the many powerful Spirit Beasts. How many times had they found their own powers inadequate and were forced to run away in fear from Spirit Beasts that had not been all that powerful in the first place? In addition to that, the disciples knew that many of their fellow disciples had even lost their lives in that Spirit Hunt due to the lack of spiritual powers as well.
The Spirit Intensifying Elixir would undoubtedly become an irreplaceable talisman that would saves their lives!
The instantaneous increase of their spiritual powers would give them the ultimate boost to their speed, agility and become much more nimble. When faced with danger, they would be able to gain extraordinary strength to escape and keep themselves alive!
Almost at the same moment that the auctioneer finished his introduction, the Zephyr Academy's disciples on the floor could not contain themselves and started to fidget, unable to remain in their seats properly.
They were all craning their necks to see, ears pricked to hear the starting price, eager to place their bids for the amazing elixir.
With the Spirit Intensifying Elixir in hand, they would have to worry about getting themselves killed by Spirit Beasts in future Spirit Hunts and would be able to gain extraordinary powers beyond their fellow disciples at the most critical of times! Even if it was just for a day, they would be able to take on stronger Spirit Beasts that they would not dare face usually!
And the better quality spirit stones they would gain might allow them a better score in the Spirit Hunt which would ultimately win them a bigger part of the allocated resources of the Zephyr Academy making their lives in the academy in the future a whole lot easier!
"The quantity of Spirit Intensifying Elixirs we have available for this auction numbers a grand total of five. Every individual elixir has a set base price of fifty thousand taels. Now, let us the begin the bidding for the first elixir we have up for auction." Seeing the enthusiasm in the crowd on the floor, the auctioneer standing upon the stage was silently relieved. As he remembered He Chang Le's prior reminder to him, he suddenly felt endlessly motivated!
"Whoa, fifty thousand each. If we manage to sell them all, that would mean we would have at least two hundred and fifty thousand taels right?" Qiao Chu said, licking at his suddenly dry lips.
Fei Yan shot him a depreciating glance and said: "Two hundred and fifty thousand taels? You are really just too naive."
Qiao Chu blinked blankly at Fei Yan. Before he could even utter a word, the floor below suddenly exploded.
"Sixty thousand!"
"Seventy thousand!"
"One hundred thousand!"
The youths jumped up one after another. Without a single exception, they were all dressed in the uniform of the Zephyr Academy.
As a place that was reputed to have only the obscenely and filthy rich as their disciples, all those who were able to don themselves in the uniform of the Zephyr Academy wore upon themselves a undisputed symbol that showed off the vast riches and immense wealth of the families and powers behind them.
Money in the tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of taels was not that big a deal to them, especially if what they were purchasing would ultimately save their own lives, the money was deemed to be of scant concern.
In the blink of an eye, the first Spirit Intensifying Elixir's price had rocketed to a staggering one hundred and twenty thousand taels!
Qiao Chu's eye bulged and almost popped out of his head!
[Aren't these youths here in this house, being a little extreme?]
[Sweet Heavens, the bids jump in tens of thousands, are they talking about grains of sand here! ?]
Very soon, the first Spirit Intensifying Elixir was won by a disciple of the Zephyr Academy with a bid of one hundred and thirty thousand taels. After the oppressively throwing of such a staggering sum of money, the youth still stood up in glee and waved proudly to all the other Zephyr Academy's youths with the auction house.
His incorrigible actions taunted everyone there, stoking the fire within the hearts of all the other youths!
They were all from the same academy, they knew they must not lose again!
The level of their skills were dependant on how gifted they were and they could not change that fact. But when it came to comparing riches..... They were no easy pushovers either.....
After the first youth managed to win the first Spirit Intensifying Elixir, and his infuriating taunts, the auctions that were carried out after that went into a fierce and fiery bidding war among the countless filthy rich disciples.
From the second elixir onwards, the price of each and every Spirit Intensifying Elixir went beyond one hundred at fifty thousand taels. The staggering amounts made all the outsiders from other powers quickly decide the elixirs were greatly beyond them.
Chapter 567: "An Auction for the Filthy Rich (6)"
The Spirit Intensifying Elixir's effects might be rather amazing but it was limited to a single use. Splurging over a hundred thousand taels on something like that could only be achieved by the Zephyr Academy's filthy rich disciples, who had too much money for their own good.
In a short period of time, all five of the Spirit Intensifying Elixirs were swept up cleanly and all the winning bids were made by disciples from the Zephyr Academy, denying the opportunity to all the other people present.
Once again, the people of Chan Lin Town witnessed the bold and astounding spending power of the Zephyr Academy's disciples!
In a private room on the second level, Qiao Chu was doing the sums for the money gained from the sale of the Spirit Intensifying Elixirs, his eyes wide and he could not stop smiling.
"Little Xie, how long a period do you need to make those elixirs?" Qiao Chu asked Jun Wu Xie, his eyes sparkling with interest.
Jun Wu Xie thought a moment and replied: "One day."
Qiao Chu gasped, and then said with a laugh: "Haha! You are able to produce one elixir a day? Ha ha! Wouldn't that mean you would have one hundred and thirty thousand taels to spend every day?"
Jun Wu Xie calmed replied: "A stove bakes twenty pills a time."
"....." Qiao Chu's jaw hung open, and he could not close it.
Even Fei Yan sucked in a big gasp, standing at the side.
Soon, the Chan Lin Auction House brought out the second item they were going to put up for auction onto the stage. It was another type of elixir.
And the effects and function of this elixir was much better than the Spirit Intensifying Elixir.
Encouraged by the results they had achieved for the Spirit Intensifying Elixir, the auctioneer was feeling confident enough to exaggerate a little bit more.
"This is called the All Dispelling Elixir, it can counter hundreds of types of poison and toxins....." The auctioneer had not even finished his sentence when he was suddenly drowned out by the deafening noise that erupted out from the crowd on the floor.
[Counters most poisons!]
[That's a lot more useful than the Spirit Intensifying Elixir!]
It was extremely hard to guard against poison users and some ring spirits were naturally born equipped with poison. If they were attacked by such spirits, they would be put at a serious disadvantage in battle. Moreover, many Spirit Beasts were capable of poison attacks as well, especially those that belonged to the higher grades, and the poison's potency increases the higher the grades were.
If the Spirit Intensifying Elixir which gave them a temporary boost to their spiritual powers was an irresistible weapon to carry with them, then the All Dispelling Elixir would most definitely qualify to be a real and undisputed talisman that would keep them alive!
At that moment, not only the disciples of the Zephyr Academy were excitedly roused, but all the other people from different major powers who came to Chan Lin Town to try to recruit the Zephyr Academy's disciples could not contain themselves any longer!
An elixir with such incredible effects, no matter to who that person was, would be considered to be extremely hard to come by!
The starting bid for the All Dispelling Elixir was higher than the Spirit Intensifying Elixir. Every individual elixir would start at one hundred thousand taels.
And this time, not only the disciples of the Zephyr Academy were taking part in the bidding, anyone who had strong financial backing from the various powers behind them did not want to lose out on the chance to possess such a incredible elixir.
The price for the first All Dispelling Elixir was quickly pushed up to two hundred and fifty thousand taels very quickly!
The price being shouted out by the excited auctioneer almost made Qiao Chu jump up in joy. He soon discovered that the price achieved for the items put up for auction was greatly influenced by the auctioneer's skills in fanning the crowd. Every time when the bids seemed to stagnate for a while, the auctioneer would always step up to incite and rouse the crowd, exaggerating on the miraculous effects and never available before properties of the rarest of elixirs, and excite the crowd once again to a new level of fervour, and the price would instantaneously climb up another fold.
"Little Xie, I think the elixirs we sold in front of the Zephyr Academy's gates that time were given away too cheaply! If we had brought it here to the Chan Lin Auction House, we would most definitely have gotten ourselves at least twice that price! !" Qiao Chu said excitedly, his eyes wide, seemingly caught up in the auctioneer's incitement.
Although the Chan Lin Auction House wasn't really considered to be a big establishment, but this auctioneer they had with them was rather good at his job. His ability to sway and manipulate the crowd was a real eye opener to the companions watching from above.
Jun Wu Xie nodded slightly. She had not expected that the elixirs would be so well received. Although besides the fact that Jun Wu Xie's elixirs were of a high grade, a large part of its popularity was due to the gift of the gab of the auctioneer standing on the stage, and his ability to drum up the atmosphere, driving the crowd into a heated fervour, where they willingly raised up their bids, throwing their money to win the item their heart desired.
Chapter 568: "An Auction for the Filthy Rich (7)"
"Say, can the All Dispelling Elixir really dispel all poisons? Wouldn't it cure Mu Qian Fan if we just give him one?" Qiao Chu asked suddenly.
Jun Wu Xie shook her head. "The elixir I gave him the other day was the All Dispelling Elixir. The elixir is effective on common poisons but the poison that Mu Qian Fan is inflicted with came from the Middle Realm and the All Dispelling Elixir is not able to neutralize it."
Qiao Chu was quickly enlightened and nodded before he asked once more: "For the All Dispelling Elixir, how long do you take to make them?"
Jun Wu Xie was about to reply when Qiao Chu suddenly put up his hand and said: "No...wait! Don't tell me. It's better I do not know, or I don't think my heart can take it."
The price for the All Dispelling Elixir was higher than the Spirit Intensifying Elixir and for someone who was so used to not having a single copper on him, he was rather terrified of what Jun Wu Xie would say in reply, like producing tens of the elixirs in a day.
Jun Wu Xie gave up and decided to save her breath.
If Qiao Chu only knew, those Heaven defying elixirs that Jun Wu Xie had sold before the gates of the Zephyr Academy before, that she had made one hundred thousand of them in a month.....
Qiao Chu might very well have died on the spot from shock.
Jun Wu Xie's elixirs were brought out for auction batch after batch, and the prices grew higher and higher. As long as anyone who was present had money to splurge, all of them took part in the fierce bidding war. The fiery atmosphere within the auction house reached a new crescendo with every passing moment and the words from the auctioneer on stage roared, a endless torrential river, constantly stirring up the emotions, drawing the crowd to raise their bids, mindlessly throwing their money for the items on auction, faces contorted in excitement, as if possessed.
Backstage, He Chang Le's facial muscles were almost cramping up from smiling and he was already struggling to stand upright. But he could not make himself leave the scene, and hollered for the servants to bring him a chair, so he could watch the show, in a slightly more comfortable position.
Following the auction closely, the third and fourth batches of elixirs were soon completely cleaned out.
The last type of elixir was soon brought up onto the stage slowly, under the watchful eyes of the capacity crowd on the floor.
The auctioneer on stage was already bathed in sweat and his clothes were soaked. His face was flushed red with excitement and he did not feel the least bit tired or exhausted. When the fifth type of elixir was brought up on stage, he gathered himself together once again, to give it his best introduction.
"What we have here next, is also the last batch of elixirs we have today. The effects these elixirs give..... I guarantee it here, cross my heart, way exceeds anything we have ever procured! These elixirs are called..... Hibernation Elixirs! No matter how severely wounded one became, as long as they still breathe, swallow this elixir and it would enable the person to fall into a state of suspended animation for three days! The three days the elixir buys you, would be most invaluable and the most critical period to the severely wounded!"
The huge hall within the auction house fell deadly silent.
Every single pair of eyes were staring unwaveringly at the ultimate life saver on the tiny tray, the Hibernation Elixir!
Entering a state of suspended animation, would inadvertently gain one more time to seek treatment or rescue. Although they would not be healed by swallowing the elixir, but the elixir would allow them to cling on persistently and allow them another chance to live just before Death's door.
The world was filled with mishaps and unexpected circumstances. Confrontations were endless, and anyone could suddenly find themselves staring death in their face.
And the Hibernation Elixir, would pull them back and buy them three whole days to fight for their lives!
For those afflicted with long term chronic illnesses, and those severely wounded, these people would find themselves in graver need for the Hibernation Elixir than the average man!
"To be honest, I myself would very much like to bid for this Hibernation Elixir. It would be my last chip to protect the one and only life I possess. The starting bid for every single Hibernation Elixir is two hundred thousand taels. I will make just one exception this time. I will make a first bid of two hundred and ten thousand taels, and if everyone would allow me the honour, this very elixir, would be retained for myself." For the first time, the auctioneer had taken an unprecedented move, and his expression was almost seen to be in glee.
If only those very words had not been spoken out loud, once spoken, the crowd roared once again!
Usually, people from the auction house itself were not allowed to partake in the bidding for the items put up for auction. And as the leading auctioneer, he must have been already numbed with the countless rare and precious treasures he had seen. And now that the auctioneer himself had been tempted and placed a bid for the item, how could the crowd still sit back and not do anything?
The next moment, the crowd exploded and the auction reached a new climax!
Chapter 569: "A Killer Youth (1)"
The next moment, the crowd exploded and the auction reached a new climax!
Two hundred thousand was the starting bid and the price climbed up at a crazy speed!
The speed that the price was raised rocketed at a pace never seen before!
It was only when the price for the first Hibernation Elixir broke the five hundred thousand taels mark, that the pace began to slow.
Five hundred thousand taels for a single elixir had already reached the price reserved for the most premium of elixirs, and previously, only the Qing Yun Clan's elixirs had ever commanded that price range.
If it increased anymore, the price would be beyond the reach of many of the people here.
The auctioneer saw that the bids had stopped coming in and knew it had reached its peak. He shouted out the last bid three times in succession and was about to slam his hammer down to seal the deal when a clear voice suddenly rang out!
"One million taels!"
That voice, had come from one of the private rooms on the second level. At the same moment that that voice had sounded, everyone's head had raised up and looked at the source where the voice had come from!
Within that private room, four attractive and good looking men were seated, and they were well dressed in expensive clothes. The one that spoke was the youngest one among them and looked to be only about fifteen or sixteen years of age. He was a handsome looking youth with stunning features. However, his regal demeanor made people feel afraid to ever desecrate the ground he stood.
The attractive looking youth swept his disdainful gaze over the crowd on the first level. The utter contempt in his gaze for the mass of people below made everyone shiver as a urge to seek escape grew in their hearts.
The auctioneer on the stage stood speechless, completely shocked.
In his close to a decade of being an auctioneer with the Chan Lin Auction House, he had never sold an item for such an incredulous price!
One single elixir, for an astounding one million taels!?
The hand holding the auctioneer's hammer trembled visibly.
"Will there be any other bids?" The attractive looking youth asked as he cast his indifferent gaze at the massive crowd of people, his mouth turned up in a lazy and smug smirk.
The whole auction house fell deathly silent. After a while, the auctioneer suddenly hurried to call out three times for bids when he saw the impatient gaze of the attractive looking youth staring at him. When he was certain that no other bids were forthcoming, he raised his hammer and sealed the price for the first Hibernation Elixir.
After the hammer landed, the atmosphere in the auction house suddenly became a little queer.
Those within the crowd who saw the first Hibernation Elixir slip out of their grasp silently gritted their teeth and cast their eyes upwards, staring into the private room on the second level, feeling rather disgruntled about the whole situation.
[Was that little lad that dumb? That he would blow such a huge sum of money on a single elixir?]
[It must be true that the foolish were blessed with money. No matter, there are four more of those elixirs coming right up and they need not rush.]
However, all those people soon found their highly anticipated heart's desire was beyond their reach.
The auctioneer had just announced the starting bid for the second elixir when the youth in the same private room quickly made an unbelievable bid for one million taels once more!
For all four of the subsequent elixirs, he made a astounding bid of one million taels for each of them, forcing the people in the crowd to visibly gasp to catch their breaths.
All five Hibernation Elixirs had fallen into the hands of that single young youth!
Qiao Chu secretly admired the youth who had been so generously carefree with such an astounding amount of money and said to his companions, "I had thought that I had seen the most ludicrous and insane when Little Xie spent money before, and I never would have thought that I would meet someone more insane than her! Five million taels! Does money just flow down the river into his house!?"
Jun Wu Xie glared at Qiao Chu and said simply: "I am not in the least bit insane."
That chill from that glare reached Qiao Chu and he immediately sobered up. He hurriedly poured out a cup of water and solicitously offered it to Jun Wu Xie to say: "I wasn't really talking about you there, I was referring to that guy over there."
Jun Wu Xie accepted the proffered water and took a sip out of it.
Qiao Chu finally gave a big sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, on the floor in the auction house, the atmosphere was becoming rather weird.
The people from the various powers present had set their sights on acquiring one of the Hibernation Elixirs from the five available and they had not expected someone to dump such astronomical sums of money so carelessly to deprive them completely.
At that moment, their anger could distinctly be felt!
Chapter 570: "A Killer Youth (2)"
A few groups of people marched up to the second level aggressively and kicked open the doors leading into the private room the attractive looking youth was in. They said in an angry tone: "You brat! You're being too arrogant here! Five Hibernation Elixirs, can you finish them all!?"
The youth glanced casually at the group of people who had just rushed in and his lips curled up into a sneering smile. The other three men who were with the youth sat back quietly, sipping at their tea, not even bothering to look at the group of people who had just barged in.
"I can afford it, and was happy to bid for them, what can you do to me? If you really wanted them so much, you could have used your money and outbid me. You have my word, as long as any of you bid anything above one million taels, even if it is only by one tael, I will not raise my bid." The youth said, with his arms crossed, as he challenged the group of intruders.
"You think you're all that great just because you have money?" The men were driven speechless and were feeling their rage rise within their chests. Their fists were tightly clenched as they fumed. One million taels. How would they have so much money? Most of the people from the various powers present had only a few hundred thousand taels each with them, where were they going to get the money to outbid the youth?
"Not too shabby, at least compared to people who can't afford to pay and then resorts to anger and intimidation, I'm a little better." The youth said all these with a smirk, his tone highly arrogant.
In a moment, the eyes of the burly men in the group suddenly turned red at the youth's scorn and disdain!
All these happenings were plainly visible from another private room where Jun Wu Xie and her companions were in.
Seeing that the young youth had stirred up the wrath of the group of men, Qiao Chu asked a little eagerly: "Little Xie, people are trying to bully your best customer. Should I go help him out?" He rubbed at his fists as he asked, eager for a little bit of action.
Jun Wu Xie raised her eyes, and she turned her cold gaze to look at the four people in the other private room before she said: "That is the Chan Lin Auction House's customer."
They had nothing to do with her.
"I would advise you to stay out of other people's business." Fei Yan chided softly, placing a hand on Qiao Chu's shoulder as he pointed with his chin at the other private room.
Qiao Chu turned to look and saw a figure sail out over the railing from that private room, falling heavily onto the auctioneer's stage, his head broken open upon the steps from the impact and blood flowed down the steps like a river!
Qiao Chu's eyes widened in surprise and he raised his head to look into the other private room again. He had not seen when the youth had made his move, every single one of the men in the group who had barged into the room were thrown out over the railing one after another!
The private rooms were only on the second level and rightfully, people would not die from falling from that height. But all of it seemed to have been done on purpose by the youth when all the men's' limbs were first broken before being thrown over the railing and it seemed frighteningly too coincidental that all them men had fallen with the backs of their heads hitting the edges on the steps first which killed them all instantly!
In a blink of an eye, lives were being taken so carelessly and mercilessly!
In that series of happenings, the smile had not left the youth's face once and the smile had grown as he carried out the senseless massacre, becoming more and more intense, without showing a single morsel of remorse or sympathy. All of it was like nothing more than a game to the youth.
What he killed, were mere insects.
Qiao Chu suddenly sobered up. That youth's methods were really extraordinarily malicious!
In a quick flash, all the men who had barged into the private room had all been thrown downstairs, killed in an instant.
The bloody and gory scene immediately drove the crowd on the ground level into sudden horror and everyone screamed and tried to escape under the blood filled stench in the air. For those who had been sitting at the front row, they had found themselves suddenly covered in a gory mess from the bloody splatter when the men's heads had exploded. They were feeling very weak in their legs and they could not stop screaming as they crawled and scrambled out of the auction hall.
The atmosphere in the auction house which had just moments before been at the height of fervour was suddenly rudely interrupted by such senseless murder. The crowd were endlessly trying to escape and the auction house was soon empty. In a very short period of time, the fiery fervour was suddenly replaced by cold emptiness and the resounding laughter coming from the youth sounded unusually piercing.