Chapter 182: Acquiring the Rubbing

As soon as these words fell, they exploded across the entire venue like a thunderclap.

Everyone in the venue was left completely stunned and shell-shocked. In their respective private rooms, they dropped their jaws, and gasps of astonishment echoed from every direction.

They simply could not believe their ears.

One hundred million! That was a hundred million!

A worthless piece of paper had seen its value multiply tenfold in less than a single minute!

What kind of ridiculous rubbing, what kind of ridiculous medicinal herb could possibly be worth one hundred million? It was utterly unimaginable!

Hearing these words tumble from Ji Xiaorui's lips, Lin Le slumped like a deflated ball, completely helpless.

The very thing he feared had finally happened. This little girl Ji Xiaorui was truly capable of anything. With just a flick of her tongue, a hundred million had been spent!

Although Lin Le had been interested in the rubbing and the spiritual herbs, there was a limit. Forcing himself to gamble one hundred million on a rubbing with so many uncertain variables definitely exceeded his psychological expectations.

Had it been up to Lin Le, he would have stopped the moment the opponent bid sixty-one million. He never expected Ji Xiaorui to bump the price straight up to one hundred million.

Lin Le could not help but sigh inwardly. This girl really was completely carefree and reckless. It seemed that in any future occasions of this sort, he must keep her far away; otherwise, who knew when she might manage to bankrupt him entirely!

Beside him, Liang Qiuyang was completely petrified upon hearing Ji Xiaorui shout out one hundred million. The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably, and he was rendered speechless for a long time.

People always said Boss Wang liked to set a small goal for himself—to make a hundred million first. But this girl was something else: she set a small goal for herself—to spend a hundred million first! She truly had the potential to become the wealthiest person alive!

Meanwhile, over in Private Room 97 across the hall, the elders of the Divine Elixir Sect were completely dumbfounded.

Sect Master Lingji Zhenan also furrowed his brows deeply. Earlier, he had almost suspected that the bidder was a plant hired by the Earth Nine Pavilion, but now that seemed entirely out of the question. What kind of plant would be foolish enough to drive up the price like this? It appeared they had truly encountered a genuinely wealthy patron this time!

However, Lingji Zhenan remained extremely curious about the identity of the other party.

What on earth was their background, and what use did they have for this rubbing and these medicinal herbs?

At the same time, even Yu Danqing had reached the absolute peak of astonishment.

She had hosted countless auctions here at the Earth Nine Pavilion, but this was the first time she had ever witnessed such a wildly escalating bidding war.

After a long while, Yu Danqing finally snapped out of her shock.

"Uh, this guest has bid one hundred million. Are there any higher bids?" Yu Danqing asked.

Right then, a glimmer of hope sparked in Lin Le's heart. He prayed that the people in Private Room 97 would make a higher bid so they could offload this burning hot potato.

Of course, Lin Le was already prepared to knock Ji Xiaorui unconscious at a moment's notice to prevent her from shouting out an even higher price.

Meanwhile, in the opposite private room.

"Sect Master, should we... should we still raise the bid?" one of the elders behind him asked.

Lingji Zhenan turned his head, shot the elder a cold glare, and barked icily, "She's out of her mind, and so are you! Buying a piece of paper for one hundred million—have you lost your mind?!"

"Uh..." The elder was so frightened that he dared not utter another word.

Outside on the stage, Yu Danqing had already begun the countdown.

"One hundred million going once, one hundred million going twice..."

Lin Le looked over at Private Room 97. Seeing that the other side had made no move to raise the bid for a long time, disappointment settled in.

"One hundred million going thrice, sold!" Yu Danqing announced with a trace of joy on her face.

"Yay!" Ji Xiaorui let out a cheer.

"Master! We won the bid! That rubbing is ours!" Ji Xiaorui rushed forward, threw her arms around Lin Le, and shouted with radiant excitement.

Yet, Lin Le could not muster any joy.

Although Ji Xiaorui had mentioned beforehand that Lin Le wouldn't have to foot the bill, that was still one hundred million! Even if he didn't have to pay a single penny out of his own pocket, his heart still ached...

Liang Qiuyang wore a wry smile beside them. After all, spending one hundred million to secure that rubbing vastly exceeded his original expectations.

Liang Qiuyang didn't even dare tell Lin Le and the others that his initial expectation had actually been five million...

By now, the entire auction hall was in a complete uproar. Securing a worthless piece of paper for one hundred million allowed them to witness firsthand what true wealth looked like.

"Alright, today's auction concludes here. Guests who have won items may use the secret passage shortly to enter our treasury for the transaction."

Following Yu Danqing's announcement, the patrons in the private rooms began to disperse.

Suddenly, the floor of Lin Le's room automatically opened up to reveal an entrance with a flight of stairs leading downward. It seemed that beneath these steps lay the secret passage Yu Danqing had mentioned.

Lin Le could not help but marvel inwardly that the people at the Earth Nine Pavilion were truly thorough, considering even the transaction process so that patrons never had to show their faces to outsiders from start to finish.

Lin Le, Ji Xiaorui, and the others descended the stairs. Below lay a secret passage leading straight ahead to an inner chamber within the Earth Nine Pavilion.

Upon entering the chamber, they found a stunning figure waiting for them—none other than Yu Danqing.

"Welcome to the Earth Nine Pavilion," Yu Danqing said with a radiant smile.

She was still wearing the same form-fitting long dress from earlier, and her makeup remained alluring and charming.

"Congratulations on winning the rubbing of the *Compendium of Medicinal Ancestor's Hundred Herbs*. The bid was one hundred million. Is it convenient to transfer the funds now?" Yu Danqing asked with utmost politeness.

"Would a cheque be acceptable?" Ji Xiaorui asked.

"Of course," Yu Danqing replied.

Ji Xiaorui immediately produced a pre-prepared cheque from her person and filled in the sum of one hundred million.

Watching Ji Xiaorui write down that one hundred million, Lin Le felt a twinge of heartache on behalf of Ji Ronghao. Having such a free-spending daughter truly was a supreme blessing...

After Ji Xiaorui handed the cheque over, Yu Danqing glanced at the signature, and a flash of astonishment immediately crossed her face.

"So the honored guests are from the Ji Estate?" Yu Danqing asked, looking at Ji Xiaorui in surprise.

Having moved in upper-class circles for many years, how could Yu Danqing have never heard of the Ji Estate?

"That's right. Is there a problem?" Ji Xiaorui countered.

"No, none at all. As expected of honored guests from the Ji Estate, your spending is extraordinary," Yu Danqing said with a smile.

She then handed the cheque to an aide. The aide took the cheque and stepped away; obviously, they needed to verify its authenticity, as this was by no means a small sum.

Taking advantage of this interval, Yu Danqing retrieved three golden cards from her drawer.

"If I recall correctly, this should be the three of you's first time visiting our Earth Nine Pavilion. These are our golden letters of introduction. With these, the three of you may enter the Earth Nine Pavilion at any time and attend our auctions whenever you wish." Yu Danqing handed the three golden cards to Ji Xiaorui and the others respectively.

Lin Le smiled bitterly to himself. Yu Danqing really knew how to do business. Realizing they were from the Ji Estate and willing to spend a fortune, she immediately offered these golden letters.

"Thank you," Lin Le said as Yu Danqing handed his card over.

Hearing Lin Le speak, Yu Danqing's hand trembled slightly, and she froze in place for a moment.

She recognized that this young man's voice was strikingly similar to the one that had communicated with her via spiritual transmission earlier.

Yu Danqing could scarcely believe it. Could the master who had offered her guidance truly be this young man before her eyes?

Seeing her reaction, Lin Le offered a calm and casual smile.

"You... thank you for what happened earlier," Yu Danqing probed, uncertain of his identity, and thus phrasing it vaguely to test the waters.

"Hm, just a small matter," Lin Le replied with a faint, noncommittal smile at the corner of his lips.

At that, Yu Danqing was completely struck dumb. Although he hadn't given a direct answer, this was essentially a confirmation.

The young man standing right before her was indeed the master who had seen through the flaws of the Feng Shui sword and guided her!