Chapter 54: Covert Observation
Initially, everyone present had some interest, but after a careful examination, they all frowned. Regardless of how they looked at it or what method they used, it was simply a black stone with spiritual energy fluctuations.
Its outer shell's material was unknown, and its internal condition was unclear.
As Su Rou had said, it might be a treasure, but it was far more likely to be just a useless rock.
If there were only one or two, they might take a chance and buy them for research, but a thousand spirit stones was no small sum.
For a moment, an awkward silence fell over the hall.
Song Changsheng was certain that this stone was what he wanted, but he was not in a hurry to bid. Being too eager at this point would only complicate matters.
Su Rou was not surprised by the situation. After all, it was an auction item that had failed to sell several times; it would be truly odd if it sold so easily.
"Does any fellow Daoist wish to bid? If not, this item shall..." Just as Su Rou was about to announce that the item would go unsold, Song Changsheng unhurriedly raised his bidding paddle.
"I bid one thousand and one spirit stones."
"Hmm?"
All eyes in the hall immediately converged on Song Changsheng, even Su Rou's. Everyone wanted to discern something about him, but they were destined to be disappointed. The black robe concealed Song Changsheng thoroughly; nothing could be seen.
"I bid one thousand one hundred spirit stones," an aged voice suddenly echoed from a private room on the second floor.
Song Changsheng's brows furrowed slightly, but he had long anticipated this situation. It was normal for this item to receive no bids, but if someone did bid, it would undoubtedly signal to everyone that they had discovered some hidden secret.
Under such circumstances, many wealthy individuals, even if they hadn't seen anything unusual, would join the bidding.
Fortunately, the funds the senior had provided him were ample. He slowly raised his paddle and said, "Add another hundred."
"I bid two thousand," the elder in the private room directly increased his bid to two thousand.
Song Changsheng naturally could not give up. He deliberately acted as if he was getting carried away, grandly exclaiming, "This lord bids two thousand five hundred!"
Seeing the two bid so enthusiastically, many people were tempted to join in.
But the elder in the private room quickly raised his bid to three thousand spirit stones. This price was enough to deter most people. Even the remaining small portion would generally not bid for something they couldn't discern the value of, especially since the grand finale item hadn't even appeared yet.
"This lord is not backing down today! I bid three thousand five hundred!" Song Changsheng roared, adopting the air of a nouveau riche.
This immediately drew sidelong glances from everyone present, as this was truly no small sum.
Su Rou was also both surprised and delighted. She had thought it would go unsold, but unexpectedly, it turned a corner and fetched such a high price.
She couldn't help but cast her gaze towards the private room on the second floor, secretly hoping the other party would continue to raise the bid, for the higher the final transaction price, the higher her commission.
Most importantly, selling an item that had failed to sell multiple times at such a high price was undoubtedly a testament to her personal ability. Perhaps she could use this to catch the eye of high-ranking officials and be transferred to a larger auction house in the future.
In the private room on the second floor sat an elder in a brocade robe. He frowned as he looked at the stone but ultimately gave up on the idea of continuing to bid.
Although he had discerned a few clues with his "Pupil Technique," his target for today was not this item, but the final, climactic auction piece. He had to conserve his strength.
After a long silence from upstairs, Su Rou's heart sank slightly. She raised the hammer in her hand, suspended in mid-air, and announced, "This fellow Daoist, three thousand five hundred spirit stones, first call.
Second call.
Third call, sold!"
As the hammer fell, the burden on Song Changsheng's mind finally lifted. At least the price hadn't been pushed to an outrageous level, which would have drawn far too much attention.
Zhu Yiqun subtly gave him a thumbs-up from the side.
He walked backstage, paid the spirit stones, and then received the dark, unremarkable stone.
The moment he touched it, Song Changsheng's brows immediately furrowed deeply. Although he couldn't discern anything specific, a profound sense of aversion radiated from the depths of his consciousness towards this object, a feeling he had never experienced before.
"Could this be some sort of evil object?"
He looked at the stone in his hand, his mind filled with doubt.
Ignoring the gazes of others, he calmly returned to his seat and sent a transmission to Zhu Yiqun beside him: "What exactly is the origin of that senior you mentioned?"
Zhu Yiqun was immediately somewhat surprised. "Didn't I say I couldn't tell you?"
Song Changsheng then recounted his recent feelings to him in full detail, stating directly, "Although I desperately need the Heart Protection Pill, I will never do anything against my principles. If this is an evil object, I will absolutely not hand it over to him."
Seeing his resolute stance, Zhu Yiqun gritted his teeth and said, "Changsheng, that senior is absolutely not of the demonic path. My old man despises those of the demonic path the most.
This item is for his healing; it won't be used for any other purpose. I've said all I can. You decide for yourself."
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng also fell into a dilemma. His intuition told him that the stone in his hand was probably not a good thing, but he also trusted Zhu Yiqun's character.
To give it, or to keep it?
"This item was unremarkable among the many auction items, and it wasn't even advertised. How did that person know about it? Moreover, the Eight Directions Pavilion's appraisers couldn't discern its origin, yet he can use it for healing..."
Song Changsheng's mind raced. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and a bold hypothesis immediately formed in his mind.
Could this item, perhaps, have been specifically prepared for that person?
According to Zhu Yiqun's account, that person was avoiding enemies and had suffered a peculiar injury.
Combining all this information, a deduction could be made.
This item was very likely a bait intentionally released by that person's enemy. They were certain that the other party had to use this item for healing, and they wanted to use it to force him to expose his whereabouts.
Furthermore, it was highly probable that the other party had tampered with this stone, which was why Song Changsheng's subconscious felt threatened and produced a sense of aversion.
If this were the case, it would explain everything.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but say to Zhu Yiqun, "Brother Zhu, I have an impolite request."
"You want to see him?" Zhu Yiqun seemed to have already guessed his thoughts.
"Precisely."
"Alas, there's no convincing you. I will tell that senior, but I can't guarantee whether he's willing to meet you."
"That's natural, but please convey to that senior that if I don't see him in person, I will not hand over the item," Song Changsheng said firmly.
"Alright," Zhu Yiqun nodded helplessly, but he could also understand Song Changsheng's reasoning...
Song Changsheng was not in a hurry to leave. He waited until the final, climactic item appeared, attracting most of the attention, before quietly exiting.
As soon as they left the auction house, the two split up and blended into the crowd, concealing their figures in different directions, shaking off many tailing individuals with ulterior motives.
But even so, one gaze remained fixed on Song Changsheng...
(Chapter End)