The auction soon began.
In the center of the stage in the club's hall.
A beautiful woman in a qipao adorned with blue and white porcelain patterns walked onto the stage with a seductive gait.
She held a small fan, adding a touch of allure.
"Hello everyone, my name is Nian Ci, and I will be hosting today's auction," Nian Ci said with a sweet smile that captivated many.
"To not waste your time, let's get straight to business."
Nian Ci waved her small fan, and a lady in a qipao carrying a platter walked onto the stage. She then pulled off the cloth covering the item.
A somewhat worn dagger lay on the platter.
Nian Ci immediately introduced it,
"This is an antique dagger, recently unearthed. Because the tomb of this dagger's owner belonged to the ancestor of an ordinary person, this dagger does not need to be handed over to the state. This gentleman has consigned it for auction."
"This dagger is an accessory from the imperial family of the Great Qin dynasty, with significant collectible value. Due to some imperfections, the starting bid is only 1 million!"
As soon as Nian Ci finished speaking, people immediately began bidding, mostly from the first floor hall. From the nearly ten private rooms on the second floor, not a single bid was placed.
"1.1 million!"
"1.3 million!"
"1.8 million!"
...
"3 million!"
Seeing no further bids, Nian Ci asked,
"Is anyone else willing to bid? 3 million for the first time."
"3 million for the second time!"
"3 million for the third time!"
"Sold! Congratulations to Mr. Number 218 for acquiring the dagger!" Nian Ci's other hand, holding a gavel, came down decisively.
The qipao lady holding the platter then retreated backstage. Within a minute, she returned with a small box and presented it to a胖子 (pangzi) at seat 218.
Following this, the second auction item was quickly presented.
"The second item..."
For the next four or five items, they were mostly insignificant things, antiques, diamonds, and the like.
Meanwhile, Qin Xuan carefully observed the people in the other private rooms on the second floor.
Although each had a curtain, Qin Xuan could clearly see others.
However, others could not see Qin Xuan.
He didn't recognize any of these people.
A few years ago in the capital, while he might not have known everyone, he recognized over half of the younger generation from high society.
Using his keen hearing, Qin Xuan overheard conversations from several private rooms, mentioning families from the capital, yet he didn't know a single one.
This puzzled Qin Xuan. In just three or four years, had so many new families risen in the capital?
"Next, we have the seventh auction item!"
Nian Ci on stage waved her fan, and two men in suits pushed a small trolley forward, uncovering the red cloth.
It was a potted plant, about half a meter tall, or rather, a small tree.
Qin Xuan's attention was immediately drawn.
"Spiritual energy?!" Qin Xuan whispered.
He sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy from the potted plant.
Qin Xuan amplified his spiritual sense, scrutinizing it closely.
After a moment, a look of shock appeared on Qin Xuan's face.
"Could it really be a spirit tree?"
Spirit trees, they said, could only grow in places where the world's primordial spiritual energy was most abundant, nurtured over many years.
Such spirit trees could automatically condense spiritual energy.
This meant that cultivating near a spirit tree would provide an endless supply of spiritual energy for practice.
Qin Xuan became interested in this spirit tree and wanted to acquire it.
He thought that even if he didn't use it himself, taking it back to Jiangbei for Yu Yan would make her cultivation twice as effective.
With this thought, Qin Xuan said to Ling'er,
"I'm going out to make a call. Stay here obediently and don't move."
Ling'er made a face at Qin Xuan,
"You say I shouldn't move, so I shouldn't? I will move."
Saying this, she continuously swung her legs.
Qin Xuan shook his head helplessly and then walked out.