Chapter 243: Live Auction, Mutated Martial Soul Specimen, A Young Girl!
Lin Qingmo: "Ten thousand gold soul coins!"
The moment those words fell, the entire venue instantly fell silent.
Every gaze turned toward him at once.
There was curiosity, shock, scrutiny, and caution…
Jumping directly from 5,000 gold soul coins to 10,000.
It was obvious he was determined to get it.
No one would offend a mysterious wealthy patron with unclear backing over a combat outfit.
Anyone capable of casually throwing out ten thousand gold soul coins probably had some terrifying force supporting them behind the scenes.
The venue remained quiet for several seconds, as though an entire century had passed.
No one raised a paddle to increase the bid.
The auctioneer froze for a moment before immediately reacting, a professional smile piling onto her face.
She raised the auction hammer high before bringing it down heavily with a crisp "Bang!" that echoed throughout the entire venue.
"Ten thousand gold soul coins! Sold! Congratulations to this distinguished guest!"
Sparse applause rang out across the venue.
A staff member quickly brought over the brocade box containing the combat outfit and respectfully handed it to Lin Qingmo, acting as though they were serving an ancestor.
Lin Qingmo accepted the brocade box and immediately handed it to Zhu Zhuqing beside him.
"This should suit you very well."
Zhu Zhuqing subconsciously reached out and accepted the box.
The moment her fingertips touched the cool edge of the brocade box, the tips of her ears instantly turned red, as though burned by fire.
Holding the brocade box tightly, a strange emotion flashed through her cold eyes.
She hadn't expected that she had only looked at it a few extra times, yet Lin Qingmo had actually noticed and directly bought it for her.
She opened her mouth, her voice as soft as a mosquito's, carrying a trace of shyness.
"Thank you."
"No need to be so polite."
Lin Qingmo smiled faintly, his tone casual as though it were some insignificant matter.
Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu watched the entire scene clearly from the side.
Ning Rongrong grinned mischievously and nudged Xiao Wu with her elbow, gesturing toward the two of them with an expression that practically screamed "I've seen through everything."
Xiao Wu also covered her mouth while giggling, giving Lin Qingmo a thumbs-up.
"Zhuqing, your eyes were practically glued to that outfit just now, yet you still stubbornly refused to admit it."
Ning Rongrong teased with a playful tone.
"Only Brother Qingmo could notice what you were thinking. If it were anyone else, who'd notice such tiny actions?"
Zhu Zhuqing glared at her as the blush on her ears spread to her cheeks like ripe apples.
She carefully stored away the brocade box.
The curve of her lips softened, and even the cold aura around her warmed considerably, like melting ice and snow.
The auction continued.
Not long afterward, a sapphire entirely azure blue was pushed onto the stage.
The gemstone was the size of a fist and refracted six rays of starlight beneath the lights. It was dazzlingly beautiful, almost unreal, as though a piece of the night sky had been condensed into solid form.
The auctioneer's voice rang out again, even several tones higher than before.
"The next auction item is this Starlight Sapphire. It naturally possesses starlight patterns capable of calming the mind. Starting bid: one thousand gold soul coins. Each increase must be no less than five hundred!"
"So pretty!"
Ning Rongrong's eyes instantly lit up like two shining stars.
Her gaze locked firmly onto the Starlight Sapphire.
She simply loved beautiful things, especially gemstones.
As for the calming effect, she didn't really care about that.
"One thousand!"
Ning Rongrong immediately raised her bidding paddle and crisply called out the price without the slightest hesitation.
"Fifteen hundred!"
"Two thousand!"
People nearby immediately followed with higher bids, clearly also interested in the gemstone.
However, there weren't many bidders.
After all, it was just a gemstone.
Ning Rongrong remained completely calm and raised the price decisively, as casually as if she were shopping at a vegetable market, eventually pushing the price up to five thousand gold soul coins.
At that point, no one continued bidding.
Five thousand gold soul coins for a gemstone had already exceeded most people's budgets.
Even rich people didn't burn money like that.
The auctioneer struck the hammer decisively.
"Five thousand gold soul coins! Sold! Congratulations to this distinguished guest!"
Very quickly, a staff member delivered the brocade box containing the Starlight Sapphire.
Ning Rongrong accepted it with a smile so wide her eyes curved into crescents.
She repeatedly examined the gemstone inside the box, loving it so much she muttered nonstop.
"The quality of this gemstone is really excellent."
Xiao Wu poked the gemstone curiously.
"It doesn't seem that special, though?"
Ning Rongrong giggled.
"Xiao Wu, then you don't understand. Girls liking beautiful things is perfectly natural~"
Seeing how happy she looked, Lin Qingmo smiled and said:
"As long as you like it. Why didn't you let me bid for you just now?"
"No need, Brother Qingmo!"
Ning Rongrong proudly lifted her chin.
"I've got tons of allowance money anyway. I can definitely afford this little amount!"
"Besides, if it's something I like, then buying it myself is more fun."
The group chatted and laughed together; the atmosphere was relaxed.
Several more auction items passed by, but none of them interested Lin Qingmo's group.
"The next auction item is very special."
Suddenly, the auctioneer's tone became ambiguous, carrying an indescribable implication.
The venue lights dimmed as she spoke, leaving only the brightest spotlight on the stage.
The atmosphere instantly became strange, and a suppressed restlessness filled the air.
Lin Qingmo's gaze sharpened as his fingertips lightly tapped the armrest.
Looks like the main event had finally arrived.
Under the lights, two black-clothed staff members slowly pushed a large iron cage covered with a heavy black cloth onto the stage.
The wheels of the cage scraped against the floor with creaking sounds that made people's hearts tighten.
The iron cage was placed on the stage.
A dull "Boom!" instantly woke up even the sleepy audience members.
The auctioneer stood beside the cage with a frivolous smile on his face.
"The next auction item is the special treasure of tonight's event, an absolutely rare mutated martial soul live specimen!"
"The Heaven Dou Auction House may not even receive goods like this once every six months!"
As soon as those words fell, laughter and hushed whispers immediately erupted from the audience below.
Greed appeared within the eyes of many people.
Those nobles stared fixedly at the iron cage covered by black cloth like hungry wolves eyeing a piece of meat.
Xiao Wu frowned and leaned closer toward Lin Qingmo as she quietly muttered:
"Live specimen? What kind of thing is that? Why make it so mysterious?"
Ning Rongrong also frowned, the smile on her face disappearing.
She had visited auction houses many times before, yet she had never seen an event like this.
A bad feeling faintly rose in her heart.
Zhu Zhuqing also vaguely sensed something wrong.
The auctioneer reached out and suddenly ripped away the black cloth covering the cage.
The movement was swift and clean, like unveiling the wrapping of a gift.
Under the bright lights, the scene inside the iron cage clearly appeared before everyone.
Curled up inside the cage was a 17 or 18-year-old girl!!!
End of Chapter
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