Chapter 4854 — Bidding for the Cultivation Pill
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
The young woman was indeed struck dumb, her face shifting from green to white and back again. She shot Wei Zhao a venomous glare, struggled with herself for a long while, and at last sank back into her seat in sullen defeat.
Her family could certainly afford that many spirit jade, but given the price of a Nourishing Essence Pill, even if she won this stalk of grass she would undoubtedly be roundly scolded by her elders. Every last bit of her spirit jade came from her family, and she dared not squander it as wantonly as Wei Zhao did.
"Looks like no one's going to contest it with you now," Wang Xinyan said with a smile at the sight. Having followed the Divine Nun of the Eastern Sea, her breadth of experience far exceeded that of ordinary academy disciples. Four million two hundred thousand spirit jade could very well buy a ready-made Nourishing Essence Pill; apart from a magnate like Wei Zhao, who had more spirit jade than he knew what to do with, no one else would truly be willing to fight him for it.
"I don't think it'll be that simple," Wei Zhao said, shaking his head. Throughout the whole auction he had been watching one person—not Bao Zuoliang, whom Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao had mentioned, but the red-haired old man seated squarely in the middle of the hall, straddling his chair like a warlord.
Wei Zhao had thought that Qing Xuanzi, his bargain of a disciple, cut an odd enough figure, but today he had encountered an even stranger specimen. Not only were the man's hair and beard a uniform fiery red, even his complexion was an unnatural red. This was no longer merely a Cloud-Tier Island version of Lord Guan—this was the Fire-Virtue Star Lord himself descended into the mortal world!
Of course, Wei Zhao's attention to the red-haired old man was not merely due to his bizarre appearance. More than anything, it was because the man's aura and strength towered over everyone present. Even sitting there without a word, he possessed an overpowering presence—for this was a genuine Mountain-Opening stage giant, and he had never once reined in his aura.
Under normal circumstances, any Mountain-Opening stage giant ought to keep his distance of propriety, just as the academy's great figures like Ling Yuanqing did. After all, at their level, a private auction was unlikely to produce anything that could catch their eye. Moreover, a giant ought to carry himself with a giant's dignity; if he casually came out to compete with juniors, what prestige would he have left?
Just what the red-haired old man had in mind by appearing here, however, was impossible to say. He had not opened his mouth once through all the items offered before, but one thing was certain: since he had come, he must have some scheme afoot.
Before long, the red-haired old man noticed Wei Zhao stealing glances his way, deliberate or not, and turned to look back at him. His expression betrayed nothing in particular, yet the terrifying aura of a Mountain-Opening stage giant still set Wei Zhao's heart pounding.
Wei Zhao could not help cursing inwardly. Surely this fellow wasn't really the Fire-Virtue Star Lord? One look from him and it felt as though his whole body were about to burst into flame!
"That man is called Lu Dachang. He's not one of the academy's higher-ups, but a guest elder the city lord Bao Fala invited here at great expense. His strength is said to be at the early Mountain-Opening stage, and his standing in the city lord's mansion is second only to Bao Fala's by a hair—one of the top three giants," Wang Xinyan reported in a low voice, quick to read the situation.
"A Mountain-Opening stage giant from the city lord's mansion? Then what's he doing here?" The foreboding in Wei Zhao's heart instantly grew sharper.
"That I couldn't say..." Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao exchanged a look and shook their heads. They had only heard of the man and knew a few rumors; in truth they understood very little.