The price continued rising.
“Have these people gone mad?”
Hearing the numbers being called out, Shen Lanzhou felt his heart pounding with anxiety.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford the money. He simply felt that if the price went any higher, it would no longer be worth it.
While he was still hesitating, Zhao Jingxing finally glanced at him.
“If you have even the slightest hesitation, it only proves that you don’t want it badly enough.”
His words left Shen Lanzhou speechless.
He muttered, “If I can’t have it, then it should go to someone worthy of owning it. But looking at how fiercely everyone is competing today, I’m afraid it won’t end up in Qu Jinshu’s hands.”
Compared to letting someone else take it, he would still prefer Qu Jinshu to win the spear.
Just then, one of his men returned and whispered something into his ear. Shen Lanzhou’s expression changed dramatically.
“How despicable! Our men saw Qu Zhao’s people approaching Elder Han. They announced their identity and claimed that they would surely make good use of the red tasseled spear. They even asked Elder Han to either give it to them or sell it to them at a low price.”
“How can anyone be so shameless? He claims he’ll put the spear to good use? With his abilities, he’d probably be panting after holding it for a little while!”
“I’m furious! The honor he enjoys was earned by his own half younger sister, yet he accepts it all without the slightest shame.”
“Besides, Elder Han must have poured countless hours and effort into forging that spear. And now Qu Zhao thinks a few simple words will be enough to get it for free?”
Too angry to remain seated, Shen Lanzhou stood up and paced back and forth.
He knew that Jingxing had once done Elder Han a great favor. At most, he had only wanted Jingxing to put in a good word for him and make things a little easier. He wasn’t anything like Qu Zhao!
“No, Jingxing. You can ignore other matters if you want, but you absolutely must intervene in this one.”
“You should know Elder Han’s current situation. He desperately needs money. We can’t let Qu Zhao take advantage of him.”
“Elder Han has his pride. He might actually give the spear to Qu Zhao because of what he said. Surely you don’t want to see an elderly man get cheated either? Just go and warn Elder Han. He can sell it to anyone he wants, but he mustn’t sell it to Qu Zhao!”
Shen Lanzhou was being so noisy that Zhao Jingxing finally shot him a cold glance.
“There’s no need for me to interfere. Someone else will take care of this.”
Someone else will take care of it?
Shen Lanzhou looked uneasy. Could he possibly mean Qu Jinshu?
Meanwhile, Qu Zhao and the others were sitting comfortably in their private room.
“Second Brother, will Elder Han really be willing to give us the red tasseled spear?” Qu Tong asked doubtfully.
Qu Zhao was extremely confident. “Of course! I’ve already had someone investigate him. He admires people who are skilled in martial arts, especially those whose abilities match the weapons he forges. When it comes to spears, who in all of Xiling has a greater reputation than me, Qu Zhao?”
“All I need to do is have someone inform him of my name. I’m sure we’ll get a good result soon enough. Just wait and see.”
Suddenly, a commotion broke out downstairs.
Someone shouted angrily, “What’s going on? Wasn’t this supposed to be an auction? I’ve already bid thirty three thousand two hundred coins! Why are you suddenly saying it’s no longer for sale?”
“Exactly! Is the Jubao Pavilion making fools of us?”
The staff of the Jubao Pavilion could only offer apologetic smiles.
“Please accept our sincerest apologies. It’s not that we don’t want to continue the auction. Elder Han has already found a suitable buyer and specifically chosen to sell the red tasseled spear to that person. There’s nothing we can do. The Jubao Pavilion’s rules require both parties to agree before a sale can be finalized.”
“Who is it? We’re all here. Just who is this person Elder Han has chosen?” Many of the guests were dissatisfied.
Qu Zhao dusted off his robe, straightened his collar, and only then rose leisurely to his feet and stood by the window of his private room.
The moment he appeared, everyone downstairs turned to look at him.
“Isn’t that… Lord Qu?”
“Could Lord Qu be the person Elder Han has chosen?”
“Of course! With so many people here, who else could possibly be more skilled with a spear than Lord Qu?”
“If we’d known Lord Qu wanted that red tasseled spear too, we wouldn’t have bothered competing. How could we possibly outbid him?”
“Exactly! We’re not even qualified to compete with him. We might as well have left earlier.”
Shen Lanzhou jumped to his feet and slammed his hand against the table, his expression anxious. “No way! Did the red tasseled spear really go to Qu Zhao?”
“Jingxing, wasn’t it you who told me not to worry? Just look at what’s happening now!”
Hearing this, Zhao Jingxing’s brows furrowed slightly beneath his mask, and his lips pressed into a tight line.
Had he misjudged her?
Just then, a voice from downstairs interrupted them.
“The person Elder Han mentioned may also be surnamed Qu, but it isn’t Lord Qu.”
The red tasseled spear was quickly carried away from the stage.
“Someone surnamed Qu, but not Lord Qu? Then who is it?”
“Oh heavens! Could it be someone from Lord Qu’s own family competing against him?”
“Lord Qu looks utterly shocked and displeased. Could it be that even he doesn’t know who this person is?”
“Now you’ve really made me curious! Who could be so remarkable that they managed to surpass Lord Qu and become the person Elder Han chose? What makes this person so special? Could their spear skills actually be better than Lord Qu’s?”
Seeing Qu Zhao lose face in front of everyone, Qu Ya hurriedly pulled him back from the window.
“It’s probably Qu Jinshu!” Qu Tong said angrily.
“Quick! She must be somewhere in the Jubao Pavilion. Find her!”
Qu Zhao ordered Qu Tong to search for her.
However, by the time they gathered their servants, Qu Jinshu and Yunshui had already received the spear through the back entrance.
“Thank you for granting my wish.”
The spear weighed more than thirty jin, yet Qu Jinshu held it with ease. She even offered Elder Han a respectful bow of gratitude.
Seeing how gracefully she handled the weapon and how carefully she treated it, Elder Han’s eyes grew moist.
“Miss, now that I’ve entrusted it to you, I can finally rest easy. But since we’re destined to meet, how can I possibly accept so much money from you?”
Elder Han looked at the stack of banknotes before him. They amounted to a full sixty thousand coins.
Even if the spear had been sold through the auction, it might not have fetched such a high price.
He still couldn’t understand what had happened.
Half an hour earlier, Qu Jinshu had contacted him through the Jubao Pavilion staff and found him in the rear courtyard. The moment she arrived, she had boldly introduced herself and offered to buy the spear.
It was the first time he had met such a decisive young woman, especially one so young.
That was why he had decided to give her a chance.
But why was she willing to pay so much?
“This money can be considered my contribution toward helping you pass down the art of weapon making. If Xiling wants to become a powerful nation and its people are to live in peace and prosperity, we cannot do without excellent weapons. And producing good weapons depends on people like you.”
Qu Jinshu’s words nearly brought Elder Han to tears.
His voice choked with emotion. “I never imagined that someone so young, and a woman at that, could possess such a broad mind.”
“I certainly haven’t entrusted this spear to the wrong person.”
“I’ll accept this money, then. Thank you for your generosity, Miss. If you ever need another weapon in the future, come to Xueyang Hall. My apprentices will be more than happy to assist you.”
Qu Jinshu cupped her hands in response.
She suspected that the Qu family would soon come looking for her, so she took the spear and prepared to leave.
But as she turned and hurried away, she failed to notice someone approaching and crashed straight into them.
She looked up, only to see the person’s tightly set jaw and a mask that gleamed with a cold metallic light.