Free Web NovelChapter 1448: Chapter 1534: Scheming in the Shadows
The room fell into a brief silence; no one seemed to be interested in this item. The woman thought for a moment and started to announce a number.
However, just at the last moment, a sudden voice rang out.
"One million five hundred thousand!"
Upon hearing this voice, many people looked over with curiosity, thinking how strange it was. They wondered who this idiot could be, offering one million five hundred thousand. Su Xuan was also a bit surprised; he felt that nobody was interested in the item just a moment ago. Yet unexpectedly, someone at the last second offered one million five hundred thousand. For a moment, he really had the urge to drag this person over for a beating. Su Xuan wasn’t a fool and could easily discern who might be genuinely interested and who was bidding just to provoke. At a glance, he saw it was a man seated in the back row on the far side, with a woman beside him. The woman looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen her before, but not someone he knew well.
Su Xuan was curious; who could this be? He had no grievances with them, so there was no reason for them to target him.
"One million six hundred thousand!"
Su Xuan said coldly, and as soon as he finished, the man quickly responded.
"One million seven hundred thousand!"
This man made those nearby want to strangle him. Damn, it seemed this guy wasn’t prepared to stop.
"One hundred thousand!"
Su Xuan remained calm. Honestly, he felt that as long as he could win this pill for under four million, he wouldn’t feel pressured. But if it exceeded four million, he would let it go and perhaps try to snatch it later. With this thought, a faint smile appeared on Su Xuan’s lips.
Indeed, this guy seemed determined to fight Su Xuan to the bitter end. As Su Xuan increased his bid, the guy followed suit, and many people began to realize he was deliberately provoking Su Xuan. The price skyrocketed, eventually reaching three million eight hundred thousand.
Beside him, Xuan was already sweating; this price was extraordinarily high—four million eight hundred thousand! Even in his wildest dreams, he couldn’t have imagined such a price. The pill his father needed had now soared to four million. Even if he sold himself, he couldn’t possibly repay the debt. Originally, he thought the item would peak at most at two million, but now it had suddenly jumped to such a scary price.
"Big Brother Su, let’s stop. This is too high!"
Xuan genuinely felt that he couldn’t bear this price for just a single pill. Four million was frighteningly high, and even if he paid until he died, he couldn’t pay off such debts.
"No worries!"
Su Xuan casually replied. Since the price had soared to three million eight hundred thousand, he decided that if the shameless man kept bidding, he would back off and let him win. However, the man didn’t continue bidding. He was likely scared, fearing that if the item was accidentally awarded to him and he refused to pay, he would be thrown out.
In this place, an unsold auction item results in being thrown out of the auction house, and it’s not just about losing face; the more crucial penalty is being barred from future auctions. That’s the real tragedy.
This man was none other than Tsunezo Taro, and the woman beside him was Ximen Changfeng’s granddaughter, Ximen Feng’er.
In fact, Su Xuan hadn’t noticed that in every auction session today, they were involved, yet didn’t win a single item.
As a result, every time there was a bidder who acquired an item, the prices tended to be higher than usual.
This was part of Ximen Feng’er’s strategy: drain everyone’s resources so that they’re weaker in the final competition. ƒreewebɳovel.com
Su Xuan ultimately won this pill, originally worth only one million two hundred thousand, at the cost of three million eight hundred thousand.
"Damn, it’s those two bastards again! What exactly are they trying to do?"
Fuming, Xia Chan spoke angrily as he looked at the two.
"Did they participate in every session?"
"Yes, those shameless guys raised the prices every time, yet never actually won anything!"
People like this were detested not only by Xia Chan but by everyone else too. Auction starting prices are often deliberately low, but when idiots hike up the price, it becomes something entirely different.
"Hmph, it looks like those two want to stir up trouble!"
Su Xuan smirked and whispered something to Xia Chan, who then smiled faintly.
"Madam, you’re truly Huaxia’s female Zhuge. You’re incredibly clever, consuming everyone’s resources throughout each session, hahaha!" freeweɓnøvel.com
Tsunezo Taro was thrilled, thinking his wife was extraordinarily smart.
"Hehe, this is just the beginning, Taro. We want them to fight it out so we can be the ultimate beneficiaries! The rule here at Taobao Pavilion is unique: once an auction starts, there’s no contacting the outside world or transferring money in. It’s like a gamble!"
Ximen Feng’er appeared wise, explaining that the biggest allure of the Taobao Pavilion was that it was like a blind bid—no one knew the base price or how much money their opponents had.
"Haha, madam, you’re really brilliant, like a fish in water!"
Taro proudly boasted.
"Hehe, just watch. These fools will tear each other apart!" Ximen Feng’er said confidently, feeling a strong sense of accomplishment as if she had everyone dancing in her palm. Perhaps she took herself a bit too seriously!
The auction began again, this time featuring a Jade Ruyi, whose appearance was rather ordinary. The starting price was low, only thirty thousand.
Several entrepreneurs bid initially, but the price only climbed to eighty thousand and seemed to stall.
