The next day, in the early morning, Chen Zheng withdrew from his Cultivation.
Today was the day the Body Tempering Liquid was to be auctioned.
After a quick breakfast, he dressed, feeling refreshed, and strode towards Qingge Auction House.
The three great Families had all received the news and rushed to Qingge Auction House early in the morning, along with many wealthy individuals and merchants.
Body Tempering Liquid was rare on the market; besides the Tian Family, Peng Family, and Shi Family, there were many smaller nobles in Yan City who also participated.
Obtaining a bottle offered a great opportunity for one's descendants to enter Xuanlin Garden to study and bring honor to their ancestors.
When Chen Zheng arrived, Qingge Auction House was already packed; he had underestimated the value of the Body Tempering Liquid.
He found a secluded spot to sit down, as most areas were already occupied, especially by the Tian Family, who had taken over a large section; due to the Tian Family's status, people dared not speak out despite their anger.
The Peng Family and Shi Family also occupied a section, leaving not much room for others.
Before it even began, waves of chatter surged from all directions.
“I heard that Qingge Auction House is putting three bottles of Body Tempering Liquid up for auction today. I remember the last auction was three months ago, right?”
Not far from Chen Zheng sat several young men, dressed in fine silk; they were not sons of kings or generals, but likely descendants of some merchants in Yan City. They lacked status but possessed large sums of gold coins.
“Exactly. If I can get one bottle, I can Breakthrough to Acquired Seventh Rank, strive for a spot in the Autumn Hunt, and become a Xuanlin Garden Disciple.”
The three talked animatedly, completely oblivious to Chen Zheng's arrival.
While Chen Zheng's name was known to everyone in Yan City, not many actually recognized him. He rarely went out, and dressed in coarse plain clothes, even if they met him, they would assume he was an ordinary person.
“It's too difficult. I heard the Tian Family has vowed to get it, they must buy at least one bottle.”
The man in the middle sighed. Although they weren't short on money, their status was far inferior to these great Families. If it came down to a bidding war, they would still be at a disadvantage.
“Let's see how it goes. There are only three bottles in total. The three Families will surely fight tooth and nail for them. We can just watch the show; it won't be a wasted trip.”
The young man on the right was quite open-minded; even if they couldn't buy the Body Tempering Liquid, it would still be good to join in the excitement.
Time passed by. The prominent figures of the Tian Family arrived one after another. Tian Jingyi, accompanied by Tian Tong and Tian Yilin, appeared in everyone's sight.
The moment he saw Tian Tong, Chen Zheng's eyes narrowed, and an inadvertent sliver of killing intent leaked out.
It was he who had struck Chen Zheng's back of the head on the arena that day, nearly killing him. This grudge must be repaid.
Then, the prominent figures of the Peng Family and Shi Family arrived. Peng Cheng came personally, with Peng Yu following behind him, which somewhat surprised Chen Zheng.
The most formidable figure in the Peng Family was precisely this Peng Cheng, whose strength was extremely high, reaching the Late Stage of Kai Mai Realm.
Peng Yu was his youngest son, who had come to the Chen Family that day and repeatedly humiliated them, only to be forcefully repelled by Chen Zheng.
The Shi Family's lineup was also strong. Shi Zhen, Shi Hao's father, came. He had lost ten thousand gold coins, was furious, and almost stormed the Chen Family.
Besides him, many other people from the Shi Family also came, all outstanding young talents, bringing out all their experts to obtain the Body Tempering Liquid.
The lights in the center gradually brightened. Ai Linna, dressed in a cheongsam, was like a cunning fox, exuding an extremely seductive aura.
The moment her two long, straight legs appeared, many people's breathing suddenly quickened, and the scene instantly fell silent.
Her looks were not that of a peerless beauty, but she was still one in a million. Her figure was definitely top-notch, as Chen Zheng had experienced last time.
Her fiery figure, dressed somewhat revealingly, and the way she brushed her hair, caused waves of swallowing sounds to erupt from all around.
“Welcome everyone to Qingge Auction House. It has been quite some time since we last opened. Today's auctioned items, as you all must know, include three bottles of Body Tempering Liquid, and some small items will also be auctioned. The auction now begins.”
Her gaze swept around. Several maidservants walked out from behind her, carrying trays displaying the items to be auctioned this time, among which were Chen Zheng's three bottles of Body Tempering Liquid.
“Without further ado, and to not waste your precious time, the auction officially begins now. The first item is a Spirit Medicine with one hundred and twenty years of maturity, starting price ten thousand gold coins.”
It wasn't expensive, and the price was very reasonable. A Spirit Medicine over a hundred years old was very precious, capable of strengthening bones and revitalizing flesh.
After some competition, it was ultimately Acquired by the Tian Family for twenty thousand gold coins.
The Peng Family and Shi Family's target was the Body Tempering Liquid; they were not lacking in century-old Spirit Medicine.
The second item was a short sword, presumably a top-grade Mortal Weapon, which was bought by a wealthy merchant who was overjoyed.
Weapons also had Ranks; most ordinary people used Mortal Weapons.
Upon reaching Kai Mai Realm, one could refine Sharp Weapons, capable of cutting hair and being sharp as a divine blade.
As for the Tiangang Realm, one needed to forge a Dao Weapon to withstand the outward release of Internal Energy.
Items were sold one by one, but Chen Zheng never made a move, because he had no money.
The twenty thousand gold coins he had won were all given to his mother, to be used for household expenses.
“Now, we begin the bidding for the Body Tempering Liquid. The starting price is twenty thousand gold coins, and each bid increment must not be less than one thousand!”
Ai Linna took out the Body Tempering Liquid and walked around the stage, her beautiful eyes captivating, drawing countless whistles.
“Thirty thousand!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Tian Jingyi casually announced a price, and a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Chen Zheng's mouth.
The higher the price, of course, the better, as he would receive more gold coins.
“Thirty-five thousand!”
Peng Cheng was equally nonchalant, adding five thousand gold coins. The annual income of the three great Families ranged from hundreds of thousands to millions, and after deducting expenses, a considerable amount remained.
“Forty thousand!”
Shi Zhen spoke. Acquiring the Body Tempering Liquid meant the Shi Family had a chance to contend for more spots, allowing their Family Disciples to enter Xuanlin Garden to study and distinguish themselves.
The three of them vied with each other, unwilling to concede. In just a few minutes, the price soared to sixty thousand, at which point the Peng Family withdrew, as it had already exceeded the Body Tempering Liquid's value.
Good Body Tempering Liquid typically ranged from thirty to fifty thousand. With the Autumn Hunt approaching, and to better secure spots for their Family Disciples to study in Xuanlin Garden, the competition was fierce, so selling for sixty thousand was understandable.
“I bid seventy thousand!”
Suddenly, a voice interrupted the bidding between Tian Jingyi and Shi Zhen.
“It's Yan City's richest man! He actually came too!”
The sudden voice caught everyone's attention, and the three young men sitting in front of Chen Zheng exclaimed in surprise.
“Jia Baiwan, I didn't expect you to also get involved.”
Tian Jingyi was somewhat displeased. Jia Baiwan was known as the wealthiest man in Yan City, and most of the city's industries were related to him.
His own Cultivation was not low, though he was not of noble birth. He employed many guards, and aside from his status being inferior to the three great Families, in terms of financial power, he was undoubtedly number one in Yan City.
“Brother Tian is joking. Since it's an auction, the highest bidder wins!”
Jia Baiwan was very fat, occupying two seats by himself, with two maidservants beside him feeding him fruit.
It was hard to imagine that such a fat man was actually in the Kai Mai Realm.
“Seventy-five thousand!”
Tian Jingyi glared fiercely, then continued to raise the price. It was already an exorbitant price, and Chen Zheng was inwardly beaming.
The auction continued, and ultimately the first bottle of Body Tempering Liquid was Acquired by Jia Baiwan, costing him one hundred thousand gold coins, truly living up to his reputation of being rich and powerful.
Next was the second bottle of Body Tempering Liquid. Having lost one opportunity, only two bottles remained, and the three great Families' eyes were red with desire.
Just like before, the starting bid was still twenty thousand.
“I bid fifty thousand!”
Tian Jingyi went all out, having boasted upon arrival that he would buy two bottles.
“Sixty thousand!”
The Peng Family also realized the preciousness of the Body Tempering Liquid. The Autumn Hunt could not afford any mishaps. In previous years, the Tian Family had the most spots, and this time they had to reclaim their honor.
“Seventy thousand!”
Shi Zhen spoke. The price rose again and again. Apart from Jia Baiwan, no one else bid; it was always the three of them fighting.
“Eighty thousand!”
Tian Jingyi continued to raise the price, nearing his bottom line.
“Eighty-one thousand!”
After all, gold coins didn't come easily. Shi Zhen added one thousand, drawing waves of disdain.
The Peng Family withdrew, unwilling to be taken advantage of.
Tian Jingyi suddenly gave up the competition, leaving many people puzzled. The second bottle of Body Tempering Liquid was bought by the Shi Family.
“Congratulations to the Shi Family for acquiring the second bottle of Body Tempering Liquid!”
Shi Zhen was very happy. The price of eighty-one thousand was much cheaper than the first bottle.
It was higher than the normal price, but cheaper than the first bottle, so he still felt like he had made a profit. This was human nature, human psychology.
If you lose, and I lose less than you, then I've gained.
“Now, we auction the third bottle of Body Tempering Liquid!”
The Shi Family had bought one bottle, so they withdrew from the competition for the third.
Only the Tian Family and Peng Family remained. Judging by the Peng Family's demeanor, their desire to buy was not very strong; they always withdrew halfway, so it was estimated that the last bottle would go to the Tian Family.
A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Tian Jingyi's mouth: “I bid thirty thousand!”
This time it was strange. Tian Jingyi raised the price by ten thousand, Shi Zhen withdrew, leaving only the Peng Family to bid against him.
“Brother Peng, I am determined to get this bottle. If you give up, I owe you a favor!”
As long as Peng Cheng withdrew, Tian Jingyi would buy a bottle of Body Tempering Liquid at the lowest price.
Only then did everyone realize why he had voluntarily given up on the second bottle; he had already seen that the Peng Family had no intention of buying.
“Truly worthy of being a Family Head, he's indeed cunning!”