Chapter 150: Frenzied Bidding!

Ling Qiu rubbed his temples.

Damn it...

This Wuchang was truly arrogant!

Ling Qiu had originally intended to stay out of such complicated matters.

He had planned that once he obtained the Ghost Buddha, he would no longer meddle in these messy affairs.

However...

Frankly speaking, if an arrogant Wuchang like this wasn't eliminated, what was he supposed to do, keep him for the New Year?

Ling Qiu waved his hand dismissively. "I couldn't care less about your schemes and plots. I will only ask you one thing: are you going to take orders from me, or from that Wuchang behind your back?"

"This..."

Chief Inspector Xing's face turned slightly pale...

Damn it, this was practically forcing the old man into a corner...

Death either way...

However...

One was a mere Wuchang, while the other was King Yama. Even a fool knew who to obey!

"Of course I take orders from you, Lord Yama!"

"Good."

Ling Qiu nodded. "Lately, I've been rather annoyed by these messy troubles, so this time, I intend to step in directly and cut through the Gordian knot with a sharp blade. You don't need to deal with the Northern Faction's King Ma Mountain anymore; they are just a folk sorcery sect, not something a ghostly official like you should care about. Right now, go to the auction officials immediately, demand the jade statue of Lord Ma back, and hand it over to me. As for the Wuchang above you, leave him to me to deal with."

"Er... This matter might be somewhat difficult to handle."

"What?"

Ling Qiu narrowed his eyes, saying coldly.

"No, no, Lord Yama, you misunderstand! This subordinate means... that the jade statue of Lord Ma has already been handed over to the auction house as an official lot. Even if this subordinate wishes to reacquire the item, I would have to bid and pay for it myself... Otherwise, it would be no different from highway robbery."

"You actually have quite a strong sense of law and obedience."

Ling Qiu smiled. "Forget it, leave this matter alone. When the item is auctioned shortly, just do not interfere."

"Understood, this subordinate obeys!"

Xing Mantang cupped his fists in salute, quickly put on his sunglasses and face mask, and silently departed.

Buzz!

Ling Qiu spun the Yama Ring, instantly dissolving the Yama domain, and everything around them returned to normal!

"Huh?"

Qin Siyao slowly snapped out of her daze and looked around in some bewilderment. "Where is that person from just now?"

In her lingering memory, it seemed there had been a mysterious person who had just patted her shoulder and uttered some strange words...

How could that person vanish in the blink of an eye?

"Ling Qiu..."

Qin Siyao turned her head in confusion. "Did you see a person just now?"

Ling Qiu hugged his arms and replied indifferently, "You mean the person wearing sunglasses and a mask? Didn't see them."

"Oh..."

Qin Siyao uttered a casual "oh," but immediately realized something was amiss. "Wait? No! If you didn't see him... how did you know what he was wearing?"

"I guessed."

Ling Qiu bluffed casually.

"You're lying!"

Qin Siyao widened her eyes. "You clearly..."

Right at that moment...

The master of ceremonies on the auction stage suddenly spoke in a clear voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's highlight has arrived. The next lot is a jade sculpture of [Lord Ma]!"

As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar broke out across the entire venue!

The previously somewhat dull atmosphere instantly livened up.

It seemed many people had come specifically for this jade sculpture of Lord Ma!

Qin Siyao's attention was instantly drawn away as she looked toward the stage at the auction lot, which appeared to be only about the size of a palm!

This was the exact item!

The treasure her grandfather had commanded her to win at all costs!

"Starting price at thirty million, with each increment being one million. The bidding now begins!"

The auctioneer picked up the small gavel, straightened his collar, and announced.

"Thirty-one million!"

"Thirty-three million!"

"Thirty-five million!"

"Forty million!"

...A crowd of people began bidding fiercely with heated enthusiasm.

Qin Siyao was not in a hurry; she knew that the earlier bids were purely meant to drive up the price. Today, her grandfather had given her a spending limit of up to three hundred million.

Although she did not know why her grandfather had such a special fondness for this object, three hundred million was, after all, a mere trifle to the Qin family...

Oh wait, calling it a mere trifle might be too arrogant. Let's call it a moderate amount.

"Seventy million!"

"Seventy-three million!"

"Eighty million!"

...The price climbed all the way up, and numerous wealthy merchants were bidding until their faces were flushed red!

A year ago, this auction lot had been sold for one hundred and thirty million.

Although everyone was puzzled as to why this item was suddenly being sold off cheaply and appeared at the auction with a starting price of thirty million, regardless of the reason... everyone had prepared themselves to bid up to one hundred million!

"Huh? Isn't that... Cheng Gong and Cheng Qiang, the father and son from the Cheng family?"

Before the price had even broken one hundred million, Qin Siyao casually scanned the room and spotted several prominent figures.

Cheng Gong and Cheng Qiang?

Ling Qiu raised his eyes and recognized Cheng Qiang, whose arm had previously been broken by Cheng Yushui.

The father and son both had flushed faces, seemingly determined to win the jade statue of Lord Ma at all costs.

"And this person... Wu Hantao, the young master of the Wu family, one of the three major families in the provincial capital."

Qin Siyao pointed toward the eastern direction at a middle-aged man in a tailored suit. He was rather handsome, and his brow carried an air of arrogance and aloofness.

For some unknown reason...

As she looked at Wu Futao, Qin Siyao's brows furrowed slightly, as if recalling some unpleasant matters.

Oh?

Ling Qiu followed the direction Qin Siyao was pointing.

He narrowed his eyes, recalling that Qin Haishan had previously mentioned in passing that when he had been plagued by evil spirits and his health was deteriorating day by day, this Wu Hantao from the Wu family had seemingly expressed romantic interest in Qin Siyao, and even offered to produce their family's ancestral "divine pill" to cure Qin Haishan and save his life, but... he had been rejected by Qin Siyao.

Recalling this anecdote, Ling Qiu smiled. At the very least, based on this point alone, Qin Siyao was a woman of strong backbone and integrity.

"It seems that there are indeed quite a few people interested in this item... However, three hundred million should be enough."

Qin Siyao took a deep breath, confident and assured as she thought of her spending limit.

"One hundred and twenty million!"

"One hundred and twenty-five million!"

"One hundred and forty million!"

The price kept rising, and many of those who had been fiercely bidding at the beginning gradually dropped out one by one.

When the price exceeded one hundred and fifty million, only four or five people remained in the competition across the entire hall...

Naturally, this included the father and son Cheng Gong and Cheng Qiang, as well as Wu Hantao.

"One hundred and seventy million!"

At this moment, Qin Siyao finally joined the fray and raised her bidding paddle.

Whoa!

An uproar swept through the venue as she increased the bid by a staggering thirty million in a single leap!

And that was under the condition that the price was already exceptionally high!

Everyone turned their heads to look...

However...

When the crowd caught sight of Qin Siyao's appearance, they erupted into an even louder commotion!

"Oho, what a beauty. Who is that?"

"You... don't you know? That's the young heiress of the Qin family."

"The Qin family's... heiress? You mean Qin Siyao?"

"Who is that next to her?... Looks unfamiliar."

"His clothes are too ordinary, probably just an accompanying valet or a driver."

However...

Amidst all these gazes...

There were two specific directions where people's eyes flashed noticeably.

One was the father and son Cheng Gong and Cheng Qiang.

And the other... was the young master of the Wu family, Wu Hantao!