The Marshal’s Wife is Wild

Chapter 49: Chapter 48: Auction 4, Gong Yun’s Little Gold Vault Chapter 49: Chapter 48: Auction 4, Gong Yun’s Little Gold Vault “I don’t have any secret stash of gold,” Gong Yun glared angrily.

“Anyway, I must take one bottle back today, you’ll see to it,” the Empress huffed twice.

Lan Jianghong’s spiritual power was waning with age, and she feared that one day, even the Alchemist Association would be unable to produce Special-grade potions. What then of Yuting?

The auctioneer tantalized the audience then began the first round of bidding.

The starting bid was 5 million, with each increase no less than 100,000.

The bidding for this item was evidently more frequent than any other before, and everyone in the room was ecstatic.

“5.1 million.”

“5.2 million.”

“5.5 million.”

“6 million.”

…

“10 million.”

The price quickly hit 10 million, and nearly everyone in the main hall had ceased bidding.

Even when it soared past 15 million, there were still about a dozen people bidding.

The crowd in the hall held their breath in concentration, quietly watching the masters compete, awaiting the final result.

Even though they were no longer contenders, they were reluctant to leave just yet.

3025: “12 million.”

2134: “13 million.”

4005: “15 million.”

When the price hit 15 million, there was a brief silence as parties weighed the pros and cons.

Then, 3095 bid 16 million.

Almost immediately, 4005 followed up: “17 million.”

After another pause, 4009, who had never made a bid before, suddenly spoke up: “18 million.”

Inside room 4002, Qu Tong watched everyone scramble with great interest. The fiercer the competition, the happier she was.

At the moment room 4009 placed a bid, Qu Tong sharply detected a flicker of surprise on Yu Yao’s face.

Qu Tong looked over curiously, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Yu Yao shook her head quickly, regaining her composure.

She cursed inwardly; it seemed that no matter who it was, they all had to play by the rules if they wanted the potion.

Qu Tong didn’t inquire further, focusing intently on the bids outside, calculating how much money she’d have left after deducting the 5% commission and paying the taxes, and considering what else she needed to buy.

Inside room 3095, Lan Weiying looked to Lan Jianghong with an inquiring gaze, awaiting his decision.

18 million was already the highest price they were willing to accept.

Lan Jianghong’s expression was all irritation as he took a deep breath and said, “The next bottle.”

“Okay,” Lan Weiying responded and stopped bidding.

Shortly after, 4005 bid again: “19 million.”

In front of the one-way glass of room 4009 stood two men, one in front of the other. The man in front wore a long black coat adorned with dark gold patterns, the edges pieced together with deep blue satin through intricate craftsmanship, two obsidian studs at the collar connected by crossed chains, and under his light brown tousled hair, he wore gold-rimmed glasses that perfectly blended delicacy with luxury.

Behind him, with his hands clasped, stood the E12 Star Black Market leader Shen Jie.

“Who is in room 4005?” the man asked with a clear voice.

“It’s the Empress of the Canaan Empire and the commander of the Second Army Corps,” replied Shen Jie.

The man rested his chin on his hand, appearing to contemplate something.

Below them, the auctioneer had already started the countdown. Shen Jie asked, “Sir, shall we continue to bid?”

“No need.”

As the auctioneer repeated the amount three times, the first potion was acquired by room 4005 for 19 million.

Then came the second bottle.

It was still a bloodbath.

Everyone thought that after bidding on one bottle, room number 4005 would stop raising the price. With one less wealthy competitor, it seemed hopeful, but they kept raising the price as if they had endless money to spend.

Lan Jianghong almost crushed his teeth in frustration.

As the price soared again to 20 million, Gong Lingyu looked back and asked Gong Yun, “Father, do you still have money in your little treasury?”

Gong Yun glared at Gong Lingyu irritably, “Enough is enough, do you want to drain all the money I’ve saved for my coffin?”

Gong Lingyu sheepishly retracted his hand, “But this is a Special Grade Potion, the more the better, right?”

In the end, room 4009 won the potion for 21 million Star Coins.

For the last bottle, Gong Lingyu repeated his previous tactics.

Those who had failed to win the bids in previous rounds were infuriated to the point of spitting blood, cursing the newcomer for disrupting the auction without any sense of honor.

The third bottle still fetched a high price of 22 million, and it was won by a dark horse on the second floor who had not bid before.

Qu Tong was very pleased, she had to thank the person in room number 4005 for helping her earn several million more.

She called over a staff member and had them send a box of strawberries to that room.

Facing Yu Yao’s probing gaze, Qu Tong, in quite a good mood, offered her a box of cherry tomatoes.

“Try these, I snatched them from a streamer’s store; they taste quite good.”

“Thank you,” Yu Yao said politely, though she hadn’t been paying attention to the matter.

After tasting one, her thanks turned sincere, and she even asked Qu Tong for the streamer’s channel.

Qu Tong, without so much as a blush or falter, handed out her own live streaming channel, successfully netting a wealthy fan.

On the other side, Gong Lingyu brought in the strawberries from the door, puzzled, “The owner of the potion is thanking me? For what?”

“For wanting to buy up everything,” Gong Yun stated bluntly.

Gong Lingyu realized the situation and laughed, “If I could mobilize so much money, I would have bought it all.”

Gong Lingyu ate a strawberry and exclaimed in surprise.

“Energy Fruit from Tongtong’s family! So the master also likes to eat this.”

Then he pushed the box onto the table, “Your grand-daughter-in-law’s Energy Fruit, you haven’t tried it yet, right? It’s on par with those from the Agricultural Academy.”

There was a hint of pride in his voice, proud of having chosen a good daughter-in-law.

Gong Yun ate them graciously and gave a favorable review.

*
As the auction was about to end, Yu Yao left early.

So, Qu Tong didn’t have to wait long before Yu Yao came back, escorted by two bodyguards.

Qu Tong took the gold card Yu Yao brought back, swiped it lightly on her cyber-brain, and millions of assets were instantly transferred to her own account.

Qu Tong knew many would inquire into her identity, so she chose not to use the internal VIP channel recommended by Yu Yao. Instead, she had Yu Yao escort her through a secluded back alley of the black market.

Yu Yao understood completely. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to sincerely say, “I look forward to collaborating with Miss Jun again.”

Qu Tong smiled, neither rejecting nor promising anything.

Separated by just a wall, one side was the extravagantly decorated main thoroughfare, and the other a shadowy back alley, half-constructed yet abandoned.

Thanks to the neighboring lights, the path was barely visible.

After walking a considerable distance, Qu Tong suddenly stopped, her eyes cold as she silently spread her spiritual power.

Targeting her objective, Qu Tong looked towards the nearby corner of the wall, where she spotted a strand of golden hair on the ground.

The fluctuation of spiritual power was almost imperceptible; had the person’s breath not quickened for a moment, she might have overlooked it.

The other party didn’t move, and neither did Qu Tong.

It wasn’t until she heard the sound of disorderly footsteps coming from behind that Qu Tong resumed walking.

A group of about a dozen individuals approached, with several wearing the uniform of the black market, followed by three in ordinary clothes.

The leader was one of the individuals who had escorted Yu Yao earlier to deliver the card.

The others were about to move but were stopped by him. He stepped forward respectfully and inquired of Qu Tong, “Miss Jun, sorry to disturb you. On your way here, did you happen to see anyone else?”