The next few auction items, although all treasures, were of no further interest to Feng Lingze since he had already obtained what he wanted. As for Feng Jin Yue, she was even less concerned—she was solely waiting for the final lot, the peculiar iron ore.
Feng Lingze glanced around and said to Feng Jin Yue, “Little sister, have you noticed? This is already the tenth auction item, and Prince Regent Qi Bei Han hasn’t made a single bid since the beginning. Since he’s here, he must have something in mind. Could it be that he’s aiming for the final lot?”
From the start of the auction, Feng Jin Yue had assumed that with such a large venue, she wouldn’t run into Qi Bei Han. However, when she scanned the area with her spiritual sense, she found that Qi Bei Han wasn’t even present in the auction hall.
“Perhaps.”
Soon after, the eleventh item was sold, followed immediately by the final lot.
The attention of everyone in the auction hall was instantly captivated.
The auctioneer on stage removed the red silk covering the item and explained earnestly, “This object was excavated from an iron mine. After examination by appraisers and blacksmiths, it has been determined to be purer than refined iron. It is a natural concentrate formed over countless years from the accumulation of refined iron, which we call Iron Essence. Extremely hard, it is a top-tier forging material.”
Feng Jin Yue focused her spiritual sense to investigate and concluded that it was indeed a piece of Iron Essence. In terms of age and quality, it was premium material for crafting magical treasures. This piece appeared to weigh about ten jin. If it could be fed to the Rust Sword, the effects would undoubtedly be remarkable.
The auctioneer continued, “This Iron Essence weighs a full ten jin, more than enough to forge any weapon. Once successfully forged, the weapon is bound to rank among the top ten on the world’s weapon leaderboard. However, I must remind our esteemed guests that Iron Essence is not like ordinary iron ore. Forging it is extremely labor-intensive and is beyond the capability of ordinary blacksmiths. So, please consider your bids carefully.”
“The Iron Essence will be auctioned without a reserve price. The highest bidder wins.”
As soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately called out, “Fifty thousand taels of silver!”
“Ridiculous! For a weapon that could rank among the world’s top ten, you think fifty thousand taels is enough? One hundred thousand taels!”
“Your hundred thousand isn’t much better either. One hundred twenty thousand taels!”
Feng Lingze, noticing his little sister’s intent gaze, asked softly, “This Iron Essence can forge a weapon ranking in the world’s top ten—it truly is a remarkable object. Little sister, are you interested too?”
Hearing her second brother’s words, Feng Jin Yue replied directly, “Second brother, I am quite interested. Such fine Iron Essence—no matter what, we should secure it first. It’s not like we’re short on money anyway. What do you think, second brother?”
“Two hundred thousand taels!”
Upon hearing the bid, Feng Lingze said seriously to Feng Jin Yue, “Little sister, your treasury is indeed ample, but acquiring this will cost a fortune. Once we return to the estate, we won’t be able to hide anything from Father and Mother.”
Feng Jin Yue said with a laugh, “Second brother, are you afraid I’ll give some shocking answer and planning to cover for me in front of Father and Mother? Don’t worry, all the money I have is legitimately obtained. I’ve been meaning to find an opportunity to tell you all, but since it wasn’t much, I didn’t mention it. Now is a good chance—we can have a proper talk about it when we return.”
“Ahem, little sister, just the banknotes I have on me are already quite substantial.” As Feng Lingze spoke, he thought to himself that his well-behaved little sister would never do anything reckless.
“Two hundred fifty thousand taels!” The person who called out this bid was the same young man who had previously competed with Feng Lingze for the Golden Feather Fan.
“Fifty thousand taels of gold!” Feng Jin Yue called out her bid in one go.
The auction hall, which had been buzzing with continuous bids, suddenly fell silent as the offer abruptly doubled, leaving everyone stunned.
Ji Ying stood up from his seat and looked at Feng Jin Yue. “It’s you again.”
Feng Jin Yue said leisurely, “You prefer swift resolutions, and so do I. If you want to raise the bid, you’d better be quick about it.”
“Who says I’m not raising it? Five hundred and fifty thousand taels,” Ji Ying responded without hesitation.
However, most of the other guests had stopped bidding, with only a handful of two or three still trying their luck.
Feng Jin Yue cut straight to the point, “Ten thousand taels of gold.”
“…” Ji Ying gritted his teeth, thinking that as the fourth prince of the Chu Kingdom, he had been outdone twice in a row by this young woman.
For a moment, the auction hall fell completely silent, with no further bids.
The auctioneer’s voice rang out decisively, “Sold!”
With the final item sold, the auction concluded. The successful bidders were escorted by attendants to a private room, where dedicated staff delivered their purchases and settled the payment.
For Feng Jin Yue, there were two items: the Golden Feather Fan and the piece of Iron Essence.
Han Chen personally brought over the two items. “Second Young Master Feng, Miss Feng, these are the items you successfully bid for.”
Feng Lingze took the Golden Feather Fan in his hand. “Exquisite.”
“As for this piece of Iron Essence, I will arrange for it to be delivered to the General’s Manor. Would that be acceptable to you both?”
Feng Jin Yue said, “Then we’ll trouble the Deputy Tower Master.”
Han Chen smiled. “It’s our duty to do so.”
“Second Brother, let’s head home.”
“Alright.”
Watching Feng Jin Yue’s retreating figure, Han Chen thought to himself: Tonight, you splurged ten thousand taels of gold. Once the two of you are married, you’ll be the mistress of this place—isn’t that just moving money from one hand to the other?
Outside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
Feng Jin Yue and her second brother had just stepped out when they ran into someone—the young man she had “competed” with twice during the auction. Judging by his age, he seemed to be around fifteen or sixteen, about the same as her. She asked calmly, “Is there something you need?”
Ji Ying blocked Feng Jin Yue’s path. “Hmph, woman, you’ve successfully caught my attention.”
Pfft—Feng Jin Yue nearly burst out laughing at his words. Why did they sound so much like lines from a bygone era in her original world?
Suppressing her laughter, she was about to speak when a chorus of voices rang out almost simultaneously from the side.
“Greetings to the Regent King.”
Feng Lingze and Feng Jin Yue turned around and paid their respects accordingly.
Qi Bei Han raised his hand, signaling everyone to rise. He walked to Feng Jin Yue’s side and looked coldly at Ji Ying. “Although Tianquan and the Chu Kingdom have established friendly relations, and the Chu envoy is soon to arrive in Dongling City, as the fourth prince of Chu, you must abide by Tianquan’s rules while you are here. Do not think you can do as you please, as if you were still in Chu.”
“The Regent King already sent someone to warn me, and I have taken it to heart. Although she made me lose face twice at the auction, and I am quite annoyed, I didn’t come to her to cause trouble. In fact, I find her rather interesting.”
“I’m not familiar with you, I don’t know you, and I don’t find you interesting,” Feng Jin Yue said. She then turned to her second brother. “Second Brother, it’s getting late. Let’s hurry back to the manor.”
“This king will escort you.”
“My second brother and I are together. The route from the Drunken Immortal Pavilion to the General’s Manor and to the Regent King’s Manor are not the same. There’s no need to trouble Your Highness.”
“This prince is merely escorting his future princess consort back to her residence. It is only proper—how could it be considered any trouble?”
Feng Lingze: “…”
Feng Jin Yue: “…”