Chapter 602 - 583: Fierce Contention

"I’m being serious! The Miss’s birthday is in just three days. Young Master, you can’t go unprepared. You want to shatter everyone’s prejudice against you, and I support you!" Wan’Er was even more worked up about it than Wang Meng was.

"Zhe Wulei is the Young Master of the Zhe Family. Wu Yuan isn’t from Wang City; he’s a genius Pill Master from the Pill Immortal Alliance, and they say he’s a noble from Yanjing City."

Yanjing City was the Vice Capital of the Great Zhou Divine Dynasty, a place with special status. While it couldn’t compare to Haojing, for a border city like Wang City, its standing was almost unreachable. However, Wang City was a remote place where imperial authority was weak, and the Zhe Family was certainly no pushover.

"Anyway, at the Miss’s birthday banquet, you have to be careful of those two, Young Master... Ah, I can’t talk anymore! I still have to accompany the Miss to the boat party." After chattering on for some time, Wan’Er finally remembered the boat party Jiang Biyao had mentioned and scurried away in a flash.

Wang Meng just smiled and ate the food Wan’Er had brought. After a long day, everything tasted delicious. When he was done, he collapsed into bed and fell asleep. As for the Zhe Family’s Young Master, Zhe Wulei, or the genius Pill Master from Yanjing City, Wu Yuan... her words went in one ear and out the other, leaving not a single trace.

「While Wang Meng was cultivating...」 Ten li outside Wang City, by the bank of the Taibai River, a magnificent boat covered in seven-colored glass lanterns was docked. Its bow was carved into a dragon’s head, and its stern resembled a long tail soaring toward the sky. This was a Dragon Flying Boat. Not only could it travel on water and dive beneath the surface, but it could also float in the air if necessary.

"Miss, they’re starting to board! Let’s hurry over!" Despite having spent the entire day sightseeing, the sight of the Dragon Flying Boat instantly re-energized Wan’Er. Such was a child’s love for fun.

Jiang Biyao’s arrival was, without a doubt, a high point of the boat party.

"Miss Biyao, we’ve been waiting for our guest of honor. Welcome." The host of this boat party was an elegant, middle-aged woman. Though the years had taken her youth, they had left behind grace and maturity. She was Zhao Ya, the chief auctioneer of the Muhe Auction House and an influential figure in Wang City.

"You’re too kind, Sister Zhao," Jiang Biyao replied with an elegant courtesy. She was, however, quite pleased. In aristocratic circles, everything was a battle for face.

This kind of small-scale auction was, in truth, just a venue for the children of the nobility to show off and hunt for curiosities.

Without a doubt, with Muhe Xiaoyu absent, Jiang Biyao was the undisputed center of attention. She always drew a crowd of young nobles who would go wild for her. When men get hot-blooded, their minds get heated too, as does their spending.

Just then, an exceptionally handsome man strode forward to greet her. "Biyao, you’re here."

Gazing at Zhe Wulei, Jiang Biyao’s mood suddenly improved. Her Heart Spirit had been in turmoil all day because of that Wang Meng.

"Brother Zhe, you look to be in high spirits. It seems you’ve made some progress recently."

"Haha, I have to. I can’t let Sister Yao leave me in the dust."

Zhe Wulei of the Zhe Family was a famous figure in Wang City, a dashing and romantic young master who was the man of countless young women’s dreams. He came from a good family, was handsome and suave, powerful, and unfailingly polite.

He was also one of Jiang Biyao’s most ardent suitors.

Jiang Biyao had come this time specifically for the Water Wave Pill. A normal Water Wave Pill was not particularly rare, but a Top-grade Water Wave Pill was another matter entirely. It was undoubtedly a Master Level creation.

Pill Cultivation Masters rarely sold their work, and they crafted Pills like this even less frequently. Only the Muhe Family had the connections to acquire one.

Her Water Element True Essence Beast’s advancement was stuck at a critical juncture, and this was exactly what it needed. A normal Water Wave Pill would have sufficed, but for someone like Jiang Biyao who held herself to the highest standards, perfection was the only goal. The abilities of a True Essence Beast evolved with a Top-grade Water Wave Pill would surely be on a completely different level!

’Frankly, she had yet to meet anyone who truly made her heart race. She didn’t dislike Zhe Wulei or Wu Yuan, but a true fated connection was hard to find. Under the circumstances, a match that also protected her family’s interests was perfectly acceptable.’

The Dragon Flying Boat soon set sail, and the young nobles inevitably engaged in a round of mutual flattery. Once the mood was right, the small-scale auction began with Zhao Ya presiding.

The items at such a small-scale auction were not necessarily grand, but they were always exquisite and interesting. The Muhe Clan had led Wang City for generations; they had their standards.

It’s true what they say: it takes three generations to make a true noble.

"Our first item is an Emotion Spirit Ring, a creation of Master Yi. The bidding starts at one hundred thousand gold, with each raise being ten thousand."

The quality of Master Yi’s work was beyond question, but that wasn’t his most defining feature. As a renowned master of the Divine Artifact Pavilion, the Treasure Artifacts he crafted were filled with profound sentiment. Because Master Yi himself was a man of deep feeling, he was fondest of crafting ring-type Treasure Artifacts. Even in Haojing, it was considered a great honor to gift one of Master Yi’s creations to a loved one.

Instantly, the crowd of young nobles began bidding frantically, as if they were on fire. To put it bluntly, it was just an item for housing a True Essence Beast. This particular piece by Master Yi wasn’t even very high-grade and could easily be replaced by a common one, but that wasn’t the point.

The point was to stand out. These young nobles clearly didn’t lack for such things, but they absolutely had to be better than everyone else.

Zhao Ya maintained her elegant smile, skillfully hinting at just how special the ring was.

The young men grew restless. A ring like this was more than enough to capture the heart of a young maiden from a prestigious family, and that was their true motivation.

Of course, someone of Zhe Wulei’s caliber wouldn’t be moved by such an item.

Most of the items sold at this small auction were exquisite pieces. Combined with the beautiful auctioneer Zhao Ya’s masterful grasp of psychology, the lots all sold for excellent prices. This auction was, without a doubt, proving to be a great success.

"And now for our final, feature item... a Top-grade Water Wave Pill. I don’t need to elaborate on its uses. The bidding starts at fifty thousand gold, with each raise being twenty thousand gold."

The room fell silent. Top-grade Water Wave Pills were extremely rare, but they were only useful for someone with a suitable Water Five Elements True Essence Beast. Moreover, that True Essence Beast had to be of a high enough quality, which was not a common sight in Wang City. There wouldn’t be many people who were truly interested.

However, the few people who *were* interested were all major figures in attendance. Because Jiang Biyao’s True Essence Beast was of the Water Five Elements!

This was practically tailor-made for her.

"I bid one hundred thousand gold!" a very arrogant voice called out.

There was nothing wrong with the bid itself; the issue was the speaker’s tone—a wave of overbearing arrogance washed over the room.

It was the Young Master of the Kun Family, Kun Yaoyang!

Kun Yaoyang made no effort to hide his interest in Jiang Biyao, his gaze seeming to strip her naked before ravaging her.

However, the triumphant words had barely left Kun Yaoyang’s lips when someone else countered.

"Two hundred thousand gold!"

It was Zhe Wulei. How could Young Master Zhe allow such a person to make a scene in front of the woman he admired?

Kun Yaoyang stared at Zhe Wulei, who simply waved his fan nonchalantly and met the glare with a smile.

"Zhe Wulei, you’ve got some nerve! You really want to fight me for it?"

A man should have a certain amount of class, but clearly, the word "class" was completely unrelated to Kun Yaoyang.

Zhe Wulei smiled and gave a helpless shrug. "Brother Kun, you have a strange sense of humor. This is an auction. The highest bidder wins. If you’re a little short on funds, I’d be happy to lend you some."

The Zhe and Kun families were clashing. The crowd grew excited at once—the real show was beginning. Those who couldn’t stand Kun Yaoyang immediately started to jeer.

The Kun Family’s rapid rise was entirely due to their backing from Haojing. Their methods were ruthless and domineering, and their swift expansion in Wang City had offended many. This Kun Yaoyang was a carbon copy of Wang Rencai, just on a smaller scale, having committed his fair share of bullying and womanizing.

Only this time, he had run into the Young Master of the Zhe Family.

"Zhe Wulei, are you full of shit? Me, Kun Yaoyang, short on money? Three hundred thousand!"

This so-called auction was also an opportunity to establish dominance. For all his arrogance, Kun Yaoyang wasn’t brainless. The Kun Family was a new power in the city; compromise was useless. They had to carve out their place in Wang City like a dagger’s sharp point, making everyone fear them while also intimidating the three old, established families.

Of course, the Kun Family wouldn’t make a move against the Muhe Clan for now—there was no need. But they had no such qualms about the Jiang and Zhe Families.

"Four hundred thousand," Zhe Wulei said calmly.

This was no longer just about winning a woman’s affection. If he, Zhe Wulei, were to back down here, by the next day, all of Wang City would know that the Zhe Family had lost a confrontation with the Kun Family.

A loss the Zhe Family couldn’t afford.

"Five hundred thousand!" Kun Yaoyang stared brazenly at Zhe Wulei, his eyes filled with killing intent.

"Six hundred thousand." Zhe Wulei’s expression remained as calm and unruffled as a clear sky, making it impossible to read him.

In truth, the Top-grade Water Wave Pill was worth four hundred thousand at most. The bidding had already far surpassed its actual value.

"Eight hundred thousand!" Kun Yaoyang raised the bid by two hundred thousand in one go, his expression turning savage. "This Water Wave Pill is mine! I’d like to see who dares to compete with me!"

His tone showed complete disregard for Zhe Wulei.

Meanwhile, Jiang Biyao, the intended recipient of the prize, could only watch. ’But she knew in her heart that among the four great families, the Jiang Family was the weakest. They simply didn’t have the same level of confidence or backing.’

"Nine hundred thousand." Zhe Wulei didn’t make a large jump, calmly adding another hundred thousand. The bid, however, put immense pressure back on Kun Yaoyang. The message was clear: ’Did he really think such a paltry sum could scare the Zhe Family? What a joke.’

Kun Yaoyang could tell. ’Normally, this Zhe Wulei fellow doesn’t go looking for trouble, but in front of Jiang Biyao, he would never back down.’

He was starting to regret his earlier tactic. Now he was riding a tiger and couldn’t get off.

"One million one hundred thousand!"

Kun Yaoyang said coldly. If the price went any higher, he would have to consider giving up. A truly great man knew when to be flexible.

Zhe Wulei appeared calm on the surface. ’But one million two hundred thousand for a Water Wave Pill to give as a gift... To be honest, even for the Zhe Family, that was too steep a price.’

The moment Zhe Wulei hesitated, a triumphant look spread across Kun Yaoyang’s face.

"Who else dares to bid against me!"

He completely ignored Zhe Wulei. Clearly, this Young Master of the Zhe Family was not yet its Patriarch.

"Two million!"

A voice rang out, instantly stunning the entire room. A wave of whispers immediately followed. The young women in attendance were practically seeing stars. Who on earth could be so extravagant?

They say you can measure the intensity of a man’s admiration for you by how extravagantly he’s willing to spend.

Two million gold. Who was this big spender?

A young man walked in. "My apologies for being late, but it seems I haven’t missed the most crucial part."