After I stopped trying, a rich woman trained me into a demon emperor.

When Song Yunfei, who was in the corner, saw that it was Zhou Ran who made the bid, he immediately perked up.

He would definitely snatch anything Zhou Ran wanted!

"One million!"

Song Yunfei covered his bleeding cheek and shouted in a sarcastic tone.

Zhou Ran said expressionlessly, "Two million."

"Three million!"

Song Yunfei persisted, a look of vengeful pleasure on his face.

Zhou Ran turned her head and looked at him as if he were an idiot, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

Five million.

"Ten million!"

Song Yunfei doubled the amount immediately, looking at Zhou Ran provocatively.

"You poor wretch, if you don't have money, don't come out to play. I'll take it home and use it to start a fire!"

"Twenty million."

Zhou Ran raised the price again.

The entire audience gasped!

Twenty million for a piece of rotten wood?

Has this kid gone mad?

Xiao Hongli was getting anxious.

This is something Zhou Ran has her eye on, and she's willing to pay any price to get it.

"Thirty million!"

Song Yunfei stood up abruptly, slammed the sign heavily on the table, his face contorted in rage and his voice hoarse.

"You want to fight me?"

"I could bury you in money!"

However, just when everyone thought Zhou Ran would continue to bid,

He suddenly put down the sign, leaned back lazily in his chair, and put on a show-like expression.

"Young Master Song is indeed wealthy and generous. Since you like this fire poker so much, then I won't take what belongs to you."

"I admire you, I admire you."

The entire venue was deathly silent.

This was followed by a burst of laughter.

"Hahaha, this Young Master Song is such a sucker!"

"I've been tricked!"

This is clearly a trap!

Song Yunfei's smile froze.

He looked at the charred, rotten piece of wood on the stage, then at Zhou Ran's mocking expression, and felt a surge of heat rush to his head.

Thirty million!

Although the Song family is wealthy, 30 million doesn't come from thin air!

Most importantly, he was made a fool of by this kid again!

"You...you..."

Song Yunfei pointed at Zhou Ran, trembling with anger.

"Young Master Song, please make the payment."

A staff member walked over carrying a POS machine, a professional smile on his face.

The auction continues.

For the next few items, Song Yunfei learned his lesson and dared not bid easily again.

Until a very exquisite-looking official kiln blue and white porcelain vase was brought to the stage.

Zhou Ran showed great interest, frequently raising his paddle as if determined to win.

Song Yunfei thought to himself, "This time you can't escape, can you?"

He started raising prices wildly again.

Finally, the price was raised to fifty million.

Just when Song Yunfei thought Zhou Ran would continue to raise the price, Zhou Ran put down the paddle again.

"Young Master Song has a good eye. Although this bottle is a replica from the Republic of China era, it is still worth several hundred thousand. At fifty million, it is indeed very valuable for collection."

puff!

Someone couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Song Yunfei's vision went black, and he almost fainted.

Is it fake again?

Having been scammed twice in a row and losing 80 million of his pocket money, even the second young master of the Song family was feeling the pinch.

Just then, Zhou Ran took advantage of the moment when everyone's attention was on Song Yunfei.

He bid 500,000 for a seemingly unremarkable black stone.

The spiritual energy contained inside that stone was ten times more concentrated than the jade he had previously gambled on!

In Ye Futian's words, this is already considered a genuine low-grade spirit stone on Earth, where spiritual energy is depleted!

This is what a real bargain looks like!

As each item was sold, the auction drew to a close.

Finally, the grand finale begins.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the final item for tonight's auction is a rare and precious treasure—the Nine-Leaf Ice Lotus!"

Master Qin's voice rose a few decibels, clearly indicating that he also held this item in high regard.

Accompanied by Master Qin's loud voice, two maids dressed in cheongsams carried a jade tray onto the exhibition stage.

On the tray was a transparent, temperature-controlled glass dome, inside which a lotus flower, about seven inches tall and crystal clear like ice, floated quietly.

It has nine leaves, each one like a piece of the purest ice crystal, and the stamen at the center of the lotus platform exudes a visible white chill.

"Nine-Leaf Ice Lotus!"

"My God, it's actually true!"

Legend has it that this creature grows in ancient ice caves in the far north, taking a hundred years to grow one leaf, and nearly a thousand years to form nine leaves!

"This is a treasure for prolonging life and suppressing terminal illnesses!"

A commotion erupted in the arena, with countless burning gazes focused on the lotus flower, and even the air seemed to grow hotter.

Xiao Hongli's breathing became rapid, and her usually aloof phoenix eyes were now filled with longing and excitement.

This was her sole objective for this trip!

Starting bid: 30 million!

Each bid increase must be at least one million!

No sooner had Master Qin finished speaking than...

"Fifty million!"

A loud, boisterous voice immediately raised the price by twenty million.

The crowd looked in the direction of the voice and saw a coal mine owner from western Shanxi, with a thick gold chain around his neck and a look of determination on his face.

Xiao Hongli frowned slightly, about to raise her sign.

"Don't move."

Zhou Ran's voice rang in her ear, and a warm, large hand gently pressed down on her raised arm.

Why?

"Zhou Ran, this ice lotus is very important to me."

Xiao Hongli's voice carried a hint of pleading.

"Didn't you ask me to help you broaden your horizons? Trust me."

Zhou Ran grasped her cold little hand, his eyes serious and brooking no argument.

Xiao Hongli's heart trembled. Looking at Zhou Ran's determined profile, she finally slowly lowered her hand.

She didn't know when it started, but this man had become her pillar of support.

Under the penetrating vision of the Demon Eye, the crystal-clear exterior of the Nine-Leaf Ice Lotus was peeled away layer by layer.

The lotus itself does indeed contain a vast amount of pure, cold energy, making it a rare and precious medicinal herb.

However, deep within the lotus heart, within the lotus seed encased in the bud, lingered a wisp of black energy thinner than a strand of hair.

"Old Deng, what's this?"

Zhou Ran asked in his heart.

"Hehe, kid, this is the 'Mother-Child Heart-Connecting Gu'."

Ye Futian's voice carried a hint of schadenfreude.

"The person who casts the Gu plant this ice lotus on the mother Gu and uses the spiritual energy of the ice lotus to nourish the offspring Gu."

Whoever consumes this ice lotus will have a nascent gu hatch within their body, devouring their essence, blood, and soul, ultimately turning them into a mindless zombie controlled by the mother gu's master.

Zhou Ran felt a chill run down his spine; this sounded more like a method from the cultivation world.

"Sixty million!"

In the corner, Song Yunfei glanced at the nouveau riche from Jinxi and held up his number plate.

His official purpose in coming to Jiangcheng was to seek medicine for the old man.

However, he had his own ulterior motives.

"Seventy million!"

The coal mine owner was not to be outdone.

"Eighty million!"

A middle-aged man who had been silent all along held up a sign. He was dressed simply, and his baseball cap was pulled very low.

It was Wang Guocheng, the steward of the Wuji Sect in Jiangcheng.

This Nine-Leaf Ice Lotus was deliberately baited by him; the higher the price, the bigger the fish he could catch.