At first, the crowd was curious, but after carefully examining the item, they all began to frown. No matter what angle or method they used to assess it, it was simply a black stone with faint spiritual energy fluctuations.
Its outer shell was of unknown material, and its interior couldn't be discerned.
Just as Su Rou had said it might be a treasure, but it was far more likely just a worthless rock.
If it had been priced at just one or two spirit stones, they might have bought it for research, but 1,000 spirit stones were no small amount.
For a while, the auction hall fell into an awkward silence.
Song Changsheng was certain this was the stone he was looking for, but he didn't rush to place a bid. Acting too eager now would only attract unwanted attention.
Su Rou wasn't surprised by the lack of interest. After all, the item had failed to sell multiple times before. If it suddenly sparked a bidding war, that would be strange.
"Any Daoist friends willing to bid? If not, this item will be…" Su Rou began to announce the lot unsold when Song Changsheng calmly raised his bidding paddle.
"1,001 spirit stones."
"Hm?"
Everyone's gaze instantly snapped to Song Changsheng. Even Su Rou was momentarily caught off guard. They all tried to glean some clue from his appearance but it was pointless. The black robe he wore concealed him completely.
"1,100 spirit stones," came an aged voice from one of the second-floor private rooms.
Song Changsheng's brow furrowed slightly, though he had anticipated this. It was one thing for no one to bid, but if someone did, it would signal to others that there might be hidden value and that was bound to draw attention.
Wealthy individuals might jump in just for fear of missing out, even if they saw no special traits in the item.
Fortunately, the senior who'd hired him had provided ample funds. Song Changsheng raised his paddle slowly.
"Add a hundred."
"2,000," the elder in the box immediately countered.
Naturally, Song Changsheng wouldn't give up. He deliberately put on a reckless facade and shouted:
"I'll go 2,500!"
The fierce bidding caught some people's interest. A few were tempted to join in.
But the elder in the private room quickly pushed the price to 3,000 spirit stones a number high enough to discourage most. Even the wealthier attendees were hesitant to keep bidding on an item whose nature remained a mystery, especially with the final, most valuable items still to come.
"You think I'm backing down? I'll go 3,500!" Song Changsheng shouted, full of swagger, playing the part of a rich fool determined to win.
As soon as the bid was called out, it drew the attention of everyone present after all, that was no small sum.
Su Rou was both surprised and delighted. She had thought this item was bound to be passed over again, but against all odds, a new opportunity had emerged, and it had even fetched such a high price.
She couldn't help but glance toward the private room on the second floor, secretly hoping the bidder would raise the stakes once more. The higher the final price, the greater her commission.
More importantly, successfully selling an item that had failed several times before was a clear testament to her ability. It might even catch the attention of the higher-ups, and with luck, she could be promoted to work at a more prestigious auction house.
In the private room upstairs, an elder in a fine robe sat frowning as he stared at the black stone. In the end, he chose not to raise his bid.
Though his eye technique had let him glimpse something unusual about the item, it wasn't his true goal for today. The final centerpiece of the auction was what he had come for he had to conserve his resources.
After a long silence from upstairs, Su Rou's hopeful heart sank a little. She raised the auction mallet high and announced:
"3,500 spirit stones, once...
Twice...
Three times sold!"
As the mallet fell, Song Changsheng finally relaxed. Thankfully, the price hadn't been driven too high, or it would've attracted far more attention than he wanted.
From the side, Zhu Yiqun discreetly gave him a thumbs-up.
Song Changsheng headed backstage, paid the spirit stones, and received the dark, heavy stone.
But the moment his fingers touched it, his brow furrowed deeply. He couldn't see anything special about the object, yet something in the depths of his consciousness recoiled from it a strong sense of repulsion he had never experienced before.
"Could this be some kind of cursed object?"
He stared at the stone in his hand, a storm of questions rising in his heart.
Ignoring the curious gazes from the crowd, he calmly returned to his seat and sent a voice transmission to Zhu Yiqun beside him:
"Who exactly is that senior you mentioned?"
Zhu Yiqun looked surprised.
"Didn't I say I'm not allowed to tell you?"
Song Changsheng immediately shared the strange sensation he had just experienced and said firmly:
"I need the Heart-Protection Pill, but I will never do anything that goes against my principles. If this is truly an evil object, I will not hand it over, no matter what."
Seeing how resolute he was, Zhu Yiqun gritted his teeth.
"Changsheng, I swear that Senior is not part of the demonic path. My old man hates demonic cultivators more than anything.
He needs this item to heal himself nothing more. That's all I can say. The rest is up to you."
Song Changsheng fell into silent contemplation. His instincts told him the stone was definitely not a good thing but he also trusted Zhu Yiqun's character.
Give it? Keep it?
"This item wasn't highlighted in the auction catalog, and it didn't receive any promotion. How did that person even know about it? And if even the expert appraisers at Bafang Pavilion couldn't identify it, how could he know it's useful for healing?"
Song Changsheng's mind was racing. Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him, and a bold hypothesis began to form.
What if… this item was planted there, specifically for that person?
According to Zhu Yiqun, the man was hiding from powerful enemies and had suffered a very specific kind of injury.
Putting all the pieces together, a theory emerged:
This stone might be a bait something released on purpose by that person's enemies. They knew he needed it to recover, so they used it to lure him into exposing himself.
And that repulsive aura he felt subconsciously? It could be a trap something embedded within the object, a hidden danger meant to harm its intended recipient.
If that were true, it would explain everything.
With that in mind, he turned to Zhu Yiqun.
"Brother Zhu, I have a favor to ask."
Zhu Yiqun sighed.
"You want to meet him, don't you?"
"Exactly."
"Ah… you're making this hard for me. Fine, I'll pass the message to the elder. But I can't promise he'll agree to see you."
"Of course. Just let him know: if I don't see him in person, I will not hand over the item."
Song Changsheng's tone was firm.
"Alright." Zhu Yiqun nodded helplessly, though he understood where Song Changsheng was coming from.
Song Changsheng didn't leave right away. He waited until the final auction item the true highlight of the event was unveiled, drawing the crowd's attention. Then, he quietly slipped out of the venue.
Once outside, the two of them split up, blending into the crowd and vanishing in different directions to shake off any potential followers.
But even so, a pair of unseen eyes remained locked on Song Changsheng the entire time…
-support me in Patreon for more chapter, 85+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader