Chapter 491 — The Yu Family Makes Its Move

If it truly was as miraculous as the auctioneer claimed — if it could cleanse the marrow and remake the very bones — then might it not do the same for his daughter?

The root of Feng Xiaoxiao's illness lay in a defect in her blood. Doctor Lin had said so at the time, and in the years since, as medical science advanced, specialists in hereditary disease had said the same. All of them had been searching for some other way to compensate for the flaw in Feng Xiaoxiao's blood, and all of them had come up empty. If this Life-Extending Detox Pill really worked, Feng Tianlong would stop at nothing to get one for her — only the price made him shrink back.

He belonged to the most secretive of departments, and his yearly salary was a figure that would strike the ordinary man dumb with shock. Yet to buy a single Life-Extending Detox Pill, he would probably have to go without food or drink for the rest of his life, and even then it was doubtful he could manage it.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Feng Xiaoxiao asked, puzzled at the conflicted look on her father's face.

"Xiaoxiao, I was just wondering — could this Life-Extending Detox Pill work on you too?" Feng Tianlong hesitated a moment. "But I can't afford it..."

"Ha..." Feng Xiaoxiao laughed. "This thing sounds like one of those miracle pills peddled by street-corner quacks. How could it possibly be real? Dad, don't believe it — it's got to be a swindle!"

"But the two men bidding against each other are no fools." Feng Tianlong shook his head. "One of them is Lai Changshan, the youngest son of the chairman of the North's largest electronics industrial park. The family's rolling in money, but he's no wastrel — he's got a real head for business."

"Then why does he look like such a crybaby? He didn't get his pill, so he just stands there bawling?" Feng Xiaoxiao clicked her tongue. This fatty was no simpleton, so why was he crying?

"That's just how he is. He doesn't cry often — only over certain things." Feng Tianlong said, "The other one's identity is even more formidable. He's Liu Tianyi, first in line to succeed the head of the Liu family of Yanjing — he's even less likely to be a fool!"

"So what? Rich people buy weird and wonderful things all the time." Feng Xiaoxiao remained unconvinced that the pill really had such wondrous powers.

"Let's wait and see..." Feng Tianlong had already made up his mind. Afterward, he would pay Liu Tianyi a visit. If this Life-Extending Detox Pill truly worked, then no matter what it took, he would obtain one for his daughter!

"One hundred and fifty million!" Fatty Lai leapt up again and raised his paddle.

By now the crowd took it in stride, for Fatty Lai had already bid two hundred and fifty million earlier, so a hundred and fifty million now was only to be expected. By the look of it, he was determined to have it!

True, many people, seeing Fatty Lai and Liu Tianyi fighting over it, had roughly concluded that the Life-Extending Detox Pill must be something fine and effective. But even so, they lacked the nerve to fling out hundreds of millions at a stroke and carry it home!

What if the effect turned out to be unremarkable? What if it merely extended one's life by a short span? Then they would have gained nothing and lost much. With two hundred million or more, they could do a great many other things. There was no need to buy this Life-Extending Detox Pill!

"Two hundred million!" To everyone's surprise, Liu Tianyi raised his paddle again and named his price.

This time Fatty Lai was genuinely riled. "Liu Tianyi, are you deliberately set on opposing me? What's the meaning of this? Isn't one enough for you — you have to snatch this one too? You're really being a bit unreasonable!"

"Fair competition, highest bidder wins — that's only natural." Liu Tianyi glanced at Fatty Lai. He knew he was being a little excessive, but at a moment like this he could not yield. If two hundred million could win it, he would bid; beyond two hundred million, he would give up. After all, no family's money came blowing in on the wind, and Liu Tianyi was in fact already quite content to have obtained one Life-Extending Detox Pill.

"Two hundred and fifty million!" Fatty Lai raised his paddle again, but shot a faint smile at Wei Zhao in his seat.

Wei Zhao understood at once that Fatty Lai had jumped in to stir the pot, his aim being to drive the Life-Extending Detox Pill to a better price. So he did not stop him and let him bid as he pleased.

"Raise the paddle. Buy it." The middle-aged man beside Yu Haitian suddenly spoke, giving Yu Haitian his orders.

Yu Haitian was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "Yes, Second Uncle."

"Two hundred and eighty million!" Yu Haitian lifted the paddle in his hand. Though the Yu family were the hosts of the auction, they too were entitled to bid — it was merely that the things which caught the Yu family's eye were very few indeed.

Everyone present was somewhat surprised at Yu Haitian's sudden entry into the bidding. In recent years, at the Yu family's auctions, the family had scarcely ever raised a paddle, for everyone knew well that once the Yu family raised a paddle, no one dared compete.

This was not merely out of fear of the Yu family's vast wealth — more importantly, no one wished to make an enemy of them. Whatever the Yu family set its heart on, they would have it at any price. So once the Yu family raised a paddle, everyone else simply withdrew.

And the Yu family understood this as well, so they too would not raise their paddle lightly; doing so would be to smash the signboard of their own auction house. Only when there was something they were absolutely determined to have would they make an exception.

Just like now: the Yu family had actually bid for a Life-Extending Detox Pill, which showed that this time the Yu family was determined to have it, and that the Life-Extending Detox Pill had likewise been affirmed.

The Yu family, however, would not do anything that invited reproach. The price Yu Haitian named was exactly the final price of the previous Life-Extending Detox Pill, so it could not be counted as the strong bullying the weak. For the seller, too, this was entirely fair.

Once the Yu family had bid, naturally no one bid again, and so Yu Haitian smoothly won the second Life-Extending Detox Pill.

But as for the third pill, there was one person who meant to have it at all costs, and that was Divine Doctor Kang. He had not finished studying the earlier Life-Extending Detox Pill, and this time he would buy another at any price to take back and study. Even if he could not figure it out, at the very worst he could eat it himself at the end, and living a few more years would still be a fine thing.