For a moment, Qin Buwen thought she had misheard.
Her lips parted as she stared at the stage in astonishment.
The auctioneer continued his enthusiastic introduction.
“‘Haiyan’ was the jade thumb ring Prince Chang’an, Qin Buwen, wore on the thumb of his left hand during his lifetime.”
“The craftsmanship is exquisite, and the jade itself is flawless. You won’t find another piece of this quality anywhere in all of Yaoyun.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you’ll take a closer look, you’ll notice the faint trace of blood within the jade. According to legend, it was splattered onto the ring when Prince Chang’an leapt from the walls of Xunyang City!”
The audience burst into excited murmurs.
Qin Buwen’s eyelashes trembled.
She looked at the jade thumb ring resting atop the handkerchief in the auctioneer’s hands. Bathed in lamplight, it gleamed with a pure, translucent luster.
Suddenly, she found it difficult to breathe.
Her thoughts were dragged back to that distant day.
She had stood alone atop the towering walls of Xunyang City, looking down upon the world below.
Then Li Yunmu’s arrow struck her.
Her strength failed.
She fell from the city wall.
The agony had been bone-deep, tearing through flesh and soul until she could scarcely draw breath.
She had no idea why her jade thumb ring had ended up here.
But the moment she saw it, grief welled up uncontrollably.
So after her death…
Not only had her body been taken.
Even her personal belongings had been stripped away.
Perhaps she truly had committed too many unforgivable sins.
Even Heaven had turned against her.
Qin Buwen lowered her eyes with a faint, self-mocking smile, suppressing the torrent of emotions threatening to spill over.
The auctioneer continued.
“I’m sure you’ve all heard that Prince Chang’an once commanded the three hundred thousand soldiers of the Chengping Army. They were undefeated in every campaign and known throughout the realm as the Heavenly Army.”
He paused before narrowing his eyes with a smile.
“And according to rumors…”
“…this very jade thumb ring, Haiyan, served as the tiger tally that commanded those three hundred thousand troops!”
The entire audience was stunned.
“Although the Chengping Army has long since been annihilated, Haiyan still symbolizes supreme authority and power!”
Before he had even finished speaking, someone in the audience shouted,
“I bid one hundred thousand cash!”
Adjusting the crystal spectacles perched on his nose, the auctioneer smiled.
“Please remain patient, everyone.”
“The opening bid for Haiyan…”
“…is five hundred thousand cash!”
What did it feel like to sit beneath a stage while your own keepsake was being auctioned off?
Qin Buwen was fairly certain no one else in the world had ever experienced anything quite like this.
At the moment, she didn’t have a single coin to her name.
Five hundred thousand cash was utterly beyond her reach.
That amount could buy nearly half a grand estate.
Resting her chin on one hand, Qin Buwen narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
As the largest auction house in all of Yaoyun, Wanwu Pavilion naturally possessed privileges others did not.
But Haiyan had once belonged to a member of the imperial family.
Without immensely powerful backing, no one would dare auction such an item publicly.
She had a pretty good idea who the true owner behind Wanwu Pavilion was.
While she was still thinking, Haiyan’s price had already climbed to one million cash.
Qin Buwen frowned, counting silently on her fingers.
That jade thumb ring had been a gift from an old Daoist priest.
She had simply liked it at first glance and worn it for years.
Who would have thought…
After she died, it would become even more valuable.
“Guest Number Twenty-Six bids one million five hundred thousand!”
Li Yunmu had bid again.
He was clearly determined to obtain the ring.
“Guest Number Five bids two million!”
The entire hall fell silent.
Even Qin Buwen couldn’t help turning toward the voice.
Yan Tang’s eyes had turned icy.
He stared fixedly at the jade thumb ring on the stage, his fingers tightening imperceptibly against the armrest.
It belonged to her.
No one else had the right to take it.
“Guest Number Twenty-Six bids two million one hundred thousand!”
“Guest Number Five bids three million!”
This time, Yan Tang no longer increased the price by a single cash.
“Lord Yan!”
Behind Screen Twenty-Six, Li Yunmu finally snapped.
He stood abruptly and strode toward Yan Tang.
The attendant beside him instinctively tried to stop him, only to be halted by a subtle glance from the auctioneer.
Li Yunmu tore off his mask and walked straight to Yan Tang.
Every eye in the hall immediately shifted toward the two men.
Though furious, Li Yunmu still bent respectfully.
“This humble official, Li Yunmu, greets Lord Situ.”
Yan Tang seemed to have expected him.
His expression remained unchanged.
“Lord Li. It has been some time.”
Li Yunmu’s breathing was uneven, his voice edged with anger.
“You knew all along that Guest Number Twenty-Six was me, didn’t you? If so, why humiliate me like this?”
Yan Tang glanced at him.
Something seemed to cross his mind.
He let out a quiet laugh and looked away.
“What exactly do you mean by that, Lord Li? How I choose to bid has nothing to do with you.”
Yan Tang rarely displayed his emotions.
The Yan Tang Qin Buwen knew always wore a gentle smile, like a lazy cat—refined, elegant, and endlessly composed.
He almost never lost his temper.
He used to say that anger solved nothing.
No matter who stood before him, he always remained courteous and easygoing, calm enough that no one could ever fault his manners.
But because Qin Buwen knew him so well…
She knew.
Yan Tang was furious.
He was so irritated he could no longer be bothered hiding it from Li Yunmu.
Having his face publicly slapped by Yan Tang, Li Yunmu’s breathing grew heavier. Still, he forced down the rage boiling in his chest.
“If Lord Situ wishes for those earlier auction items, I can have them delivered to your residence another day.”
After a pause, he revealed his true purpose.
“But this jade thumb ring… would Lord Situ be willing to yield it to me?”
Yan Tang gave a contemptuous snort.
He suddenly raised his eyes.
The coldness in them made Li Yunmu’s heart skip a beat.
Li Yunmu had long heard that Lord Situ, Yan Tang, was an elegant scholar of impeccable character.
Yet for some reason…
This man alone treated him with naked hostility.
“Yield it to you?”
Yan Tang’s voice dripped with disdain.
“You certainly think highly of yourself, Lord Li.”
He couldn’t even be bothered pretending civility.
One arm rested casually on the wheelchair’s armrest as he regarded Li Yunmu with icy indifference.
“Continue bidding if you wish.”
“I’d very much like to see whether the Li family’s fortune is sufficient to purchase this jade thumb ring.”
“You—”
Li Yunmu’s eyes were bloodshot with rage.
He had reached his limit.
Facing the stage, he shouted,
“Three million five hundred thousand!”
Yan Tang lowered his gaze.
“Four million.”
“Four million two hundred thousand!”
“Five million.”
“Yan Tang, you—”
The rims of Li Yunmu’s eyes reddened.
He had truly been cornered.
If he mortgaged the Li family’s deeds to their houses and lands, perhaps he could continue competing with Yan Tang…
But…
After a long silence,
Li Yunmu shot Yan Tang one final venomous glare.
Without another word, he turned and stormed out of the auction hall.
The audience immediately erupted into whispers.
“So Lord Situ’s bid is the highest now?”
“Five million cash… that’s enough to buy an excellent residence in Chang’an. No ordinary person could afford that.”
“Looks like the jade thumb ring belongs to Lord Situ…”
On the stage, the auctioneer called out,
“Five million cash! Are there any higher bids?”
“Five million, going once!”
“Five million, going twice!”
“Five million—”
“Ten million.”
A cool, unhurried voice cut through the hall.
Qin Buwen thought she had heard wrong.
She jerked her head toward the speaker.
Ji Junjiao sat perfectly upright, his back straight as a pine.
Then, with calm composure, he repeated,
“Ten million.”