Chapter Sixty-Five: The Four-Leaf Green Lotus! (Third Update)

The appearance of Ma Tianzong and Li Hao showed the Jiang family what a true gap looked like!

Jiang Lingxing felt powerless. Forget about becoming the richest man in Jiangbei; even to stand on equal footing with Li Hao from Yuncheng, the Jiang family would need at least twenty years to catch up.

Jiang Shaoqi’s bold words made everyone smile knowingly, but no one took them seriously. Even if the Jiang family spent their whole lives, they would never be able to catch up with the likes of Ma Tianzong.

“Shaoqi, I believe in you. Your youth is your asset, your talent is your trump card. One day, you will surely stand shoulder to shoulder with Ma Tianzong,” Zheng Xuan said, gripping Jiang Shaoqi’s slender fingers a bit tighter.

“Let’s go, it’s time to attend the auction on the top floor.”

Jiang Shaoqi sighed and said no more.

On the top deck of the yacht, inside a luxurious room.

Jiang Yu stood with his arms crossed, gazing out the window at the night view over Yujiang.

The door swung open, and Ma Tianzong, Lin Wangtian, and Li Hao entered together.

“Tianzong.”

“Wangtian.”

“Li Hao.”

“We greet you, Teacher!”

The three bowed in unison, their attitude reverent.

Young Master Liu was long accustomed to such scenes; he glanced over casually, then eagerly peeled a grape and handed it to Jiang Yu. “Boss Jiang, here you go.”

Du Yanran’s mouth fell open in shock. She had thought that knowing Liu Huaian was the trump card Jiang Yu relied on. Though she’d always overestimated Jiang Yu, witnessing this scene firsthand, she realized her guesses were nothing but wishful thinking.

At last, she understood why Young Master Liu was willing to be his loyal lackey.

“Feifei, what kind of man have you found? With his power, even without Huating Entertainment, he could ensure you stand at the very top of the entertainment world.”

Du Yanran was stunned, her palms slick with cold sweat. If she could receive even a sliver of his favor, would that mean soaring to the heavens herself?

Jiang Yu nodded. “You’re late.”

Ma Tianzong smiled wryly, “We ran into some trivial matters on the way, which delayed us a bit. I’ve already pooled most of my funds. Li Hao has three hundred million ready as well. Tonight, never mind this auction, we could buy this entire yacht we’re standing on if we wished.”

Lin Wangtian’s old face flushed with embarrassment. “I’ve transferred thirty million to my account, all set.”

Jiang Yu didn’t bother calculating the total. Tonight’s Snow Lotus from the Azure Rock was a prize he must obtain; if he couldn’t buy it, he would simply take it by force.

After a moment’s silence, Ma Tianzong glanced at Jiang Yu’s back. “Teacher, it seems your relations with the Jiang family aren’t too cordial. If you wish, a single word from me could change your status there.”

Li Hao curled his lip. “Teacher doesn't need you, Fatty Ma, to change his standing in the Jiang family.”

Jiang Yu waved his hand. “Enough, get ready. Tonight, we must obtain the Azure Rock Snow Lotus no matter what it takes.”

Such matters were nothing to the likes of Ma Tianzong, whose wealth was beyond measure.

As soon as the auction began, Ma Tianzong spent three million on a pair of jade bangles for Gu Feifei. They were called Double Happiness, but he didn’t even ask about the quality—it was like a child picking up a toy at a roadside stall, not caring if it was good or bad, tossing it aside if it broke.

Ma Tianzong’s move shocked everyone present.

Most of the auction attendees were millionaires and billionaires, but their wealth was tied up in assets; their actual liquid funds were limited.

There were treasures like large pieces of porcelain from Jingdezhen of the Tang Dynasty, calligraphy and paintings by the Sage of Calligraphy Wang Xizhi, and imperial brushes and inkstones of Emperor Qianlong from the Qing Dynasty—antiquities worth a fortune, which had appeared several times.

The imperial brush and inkstone of Qianlong, after rounds of bidding, were finally won by a tycoon from Hong Kong for forty million.

The head of the Sotheby’s organizing committee was alerted by the news.

After tabulation, there were seven tycoons present tonight each worth over five billion.

Jiang Yu sat in a secluded corner, eyes closed. Except for that Qing Dynasty inkstone which made him raise his brows, he didn’t look at anything else.

There was, however, a jade bead that caught his attention.

Mixed Thunder Turbid Jade, an essential material for crafting single-use magical artifacts. In the late Qing, this jade was common, but with time it had grown rare. Its waxy yellow color and rough appearance meant few were interested.

To most, Mixed Thunder Turbid Jade was just an ornament, of no real use.

“Tianzong, help me win that turbid jade.”

On the other side, Ma Tianzong’s mind trembled as Jiang Yu’s voice sounded out of nowhere in his head.

“It seems Teacher’s cultivation has become even more terrifying than before.”

Without hesitation, Ma Tianzong bid several rounds and finally secured the turbid jade for half a million.

Everyone looked at Ma Tianzong as if he were mad. Had he gone crazy tonight? At the start of the auction, he’d spent three million on a pair of jade bangles, and now another half million on an unremarkable jade bead.

Even with the organizers’ guarantees, forgeries could not be ruled out at these auctions, especially with such strange curios. It all came down to personal acumen; mistakes happened often, and when they did, hundreds of thousands or even millions could vanish in an instant.

A short while later, when a curvaceous woman in a cheongsam presented a snow lotus, Jiang Yu’s eyes snapped open. “Make sure you win that snow lotus for me.”

Ma Tianzong, Li Hao, and Lin Wangtian all looked at the snow lotus. As Jiang Yu’s disciples, they knew his temperament well; he could ignore a trillion in wealth, but this seemingly ordinary lotus filled him with joy.

This time, Jiang Yu’s voice sounded in all of their minds at once.

Lin Wangtian frowned. “Transmitting voice with divine sense? That’s a power only an Earth Immortal possesses. Teacher, you…”

The auctioneer made only a brief introduction, saying the snow lotus was picked by a local herbalist from a giant azure rock in the Jiuling Qin Mountains. The herbalist had observed the lotus for a whole day and night, and it seemed almost sentient—closing its petals to sleep at sunrise, blooming like a narcissus at sunset.

Uncertain of its properties, the organizers focused on its extraordinary provenance.

Most people felt the story was exaggerated, like a fairy tale. Only Jiang Yu agreed, recognizing that growing on azure rock and feeding on sun and moon was exactly how the Azure Rock Snow Lotus thrived.

This lotus had only four petals, and was precisely four hundred years old.

The Azure Rock Snow Lotus was said to grow one leaf every hundred years, each leaf bestowing longevity and immunity to disease.

Jiang Yu had once seen a two-thousand-year-old lotus with twenty petals; its core was almost forming a lotus seat. If lotus seeds sprouted from that seat, it would rival half an immortal herb.

“One million!”

A collector began the bidding.

This snow lotus had no reserve price.

“Two million!”

Another voice joined in.

Several tycoons joined the fray, drawn by the lotus’s unique appearance.

Ma Tianzong spoke calmly, “Ten million.”

A commotion swept through the hall.

Someone glared at him. “Ma Tianzong, are you here to cause trouble?”

Ma Tianzong smiled. “Are there any rules at this auction saying I can’t bid?”

The organizers shook their heads. “No such rule.”

“Oh.”

Ma Tianzong mused, then raised his bid again. “Fifteen million.”

Jiang Yu chuckled softly. “If these tycoons knew the true value of this snow lotus, they’d fight to the death for it. There would be more than just a few scattered bids.”

The miracle of the Azure Rock Snow Lotus was that it could be consumed directly, with gentle effects and no harm. Eating four petals could extend one’s life by over fifty years.

At fifteen million, the crowd fell silent.

Among them, Jiang Shaoqi’s eyes widened. “He’s insane, spending fifteen million on a useless snow lotus?”

The Jiang family was dumbfounded by such extravagance—a single bid now equaled all their assets three months ago.

“Twenty million!”

A calm voice rose.

Ma Tianzong growled, “Who’s trying to spoil my fun?”

The voice laughed. “Why, can you be the only one to step in? It’s an auction—highest bid wins. Tonight, I want to see just how much the richest man in Jiangbei can bring out.”

Jiang Yu frowned; the speaker was an assassin.

The aura was just like Shadowkill’s; how could he be mistaken? Still, compared to Shen Wan’an, this presence was far weaker—just a half-step grandmaster.

Ma Tianzong snorted. “Who doesn’t know all I have left is money? If you want to keep bidding, I’ll keep you company. Thirty million.”

“Forty million.”

“Fifty million.”

“Sixty million.”

No one could tell any longer who was doing the bidding.

Ma Tianzong glanced at the impassive Jiang Yu and gritted his teeth. “One hundred million! Tonight, this snow lotus is mine!”

Jiang Shaoqi and the others were dumbstruck.

Zheng Xuan smiled at the corner of her lips. “At an auction, it’s always about pride.”

Jiang Lingxing sighed, “If we never left Yuncheng, we’d never know how vast the world truly is.”

“One hundred and ten million.”

The calm voice sounded again.