"Certainly."
Seeing Mei Yinxue's expression, Mu Jinyu sensed something was amiss and quickly agreed, then asked, "What's the matter with you?"
Mei Yinxue didn't intend to hide it from Mu Jinyu and pointed to a picture in the item list, explaining, "This sword, called the Blood-Drinking Sword, was a birthday gift from my adoptive father. It was lost due to unforeseen circumstances, and despite my efforts, I couldn't find it. To my surprise, it showed up at this auction."
Mu Jinyu followed Mei Yinxue's pointed finger to the sword in the picture, which was a three-foot blade shimmering with a cold light, hardly looking like an ordinary weapon.
The catalog described it as: Divine Weapon, Zichen Demon-Slaying Sword, forged from Meteorite Iron from Beyond, Ten Thousand Years Profound Iron, and North Pole Cold Iron, among other rare ores. Capable of slicing through iron as if it were mud and sharp enough to cut a hair blown across it, the starting bid, 1.3 billion!
Mu Jinyu inwardly clicked his tongue, unable to resist commenting, "Is this description true? It sounds so formidable!"
"Not really, it's not as incredible as the appraiser claims," Mei Yinxue shook her head and said, "Although it really can slice through iron and is sharp enough to cut hair, my adoptive father spent only three billion to forge it."
After speaking, Mei Yinxue looked up at Mu Jinyu, her beautiful eyes filled with hope and desire, and pleaded softly, "This sword is very meaningful to me, I need to buy it back."
"Hmm, I'll go with you tomorrow," Mu Jinyu nodded.
Originally, he wasn't interested in attending the auction since, although he was the nominal head, many major decisions still required his involvement.
But since the Blood-Drinking Sword held special significance to Mei Yinxue, he naturally made time to accompany her there to secure it.
"Hmm, thank you, husband…"
Mei Yinxue's expression was joyful and touched.
The next day.
Mu Jinyu, accompanied by Mei Yinxue and Su Zijin, set off for Jinling.
As for Gu Xiyan, Wen Rou, Yu Linglong, and a few others, they stayed behind to deal with some minor company matters and did not join them on the trip.
Upon reaching Jinling, Mu Jinyu, under the guidance of subordinates from Dragon King Hall stationed there, took Su Zijin and Mei Yinxue out for a whole day of fun.
Zhongshan Mausoleum, Jiming Temple, Yuejiang Tower, Xuanwu Lake, Confucius Temple, Purple Gold Mountain… they visited them all.
As evening approached and the auction was about to start.
Mu Jinyu and his companions finally got into the car and headed to a private club called "Listening to the Rain on Bamboo."
"Listening to the Rain on Bamboo" was an elite private club co-founded by the scions of several prominent families in Jinling, open only to those they deemed qualified enough to be members.
Newly rich individuals had no place here.
In their eyes, Mu Jinyu was also somewhat of a nouveau riche, but the explosive success of his Beauty Pill, by that one product alone, made him the richest person in Jiangnan Province within a month.
It was said that his company had several other products as effective as the Beauty Pill. If true, that was horrifying news, qualifying him to compete for the title of the richest person nationwide.
Thus, seeing Jinyu Group preparing to open a branch in Jinling, they finally extended an invitation to them.
As Mu Jinyu and Mei Yinxue approached the grand entrance of the club, they saw countless luxury cars parked at the entrance. A parade of wealthy, elite individuals, adorned in gold and jewels, alighted from cars worth millions to tens of millions and walked toward the clubhouse. At the entrance, they presented their invitations to the guards and then entered, smiling.
Mu Jinyu stepped out from a red flag sedan, immediately catching the attention of everyone present, instantly becoming the center of attention.
The Red Flag limousine was not something an ordinary person could ride in, especially given the license plate number on Mu Jinyu's car, which was exceptionally ostentatious, giving an ultimate sense of shock.
It made people instantly realize that Mu Jinyu was likely to be the most prestigious presence at tonight's auction!
Mu Jinyu had long been accustomed to the admiring gazes of the crowd, so he calmly led Su Zijin and Mei Yinxue towards the entrance of the club.
The crowd that had been lining up to enter parted to both sides upon seeing Mu Jinyu approaching, clearing a path for him.
Mu Jinyu nodded slightly to them without saying anything like, "You were here first, so let's follow the rules."
Instead, he went straight to the door with Su Zijin and Mei Yinxue, handed the invitation to the guard, and entered.
It wasn't arrogance, but rather, necessity.
If he were to do otherwise, not only would he not exhibit any privilege, but it would also make them feel intimidated and waste much time in unnecessary explanations.
Once they entered the already set up auction hall, many people were seated, all dressed vividly and poised elegantly, sitting in groups of threes and pairs, chatting about the items they were determined to get tonight.
When they saw Mu Jinyu, Su Zijin, and Mei Yinxue walk in, a few men's eyes immediately lit up, captivated by the beauty of the two women.
At the same time, they wondered which of Jinling's renowned ladies looked like them.
Could they be from out of town?
With that thought, their gazes toward Mei Yinxue and Su Zijin became much less bold.
Mu Jinyu glanced coldly at those men and then confidently walked towards his private room.
At that moment, a door to another private room opened, and a stunningly beautiful young madam in a purple dress, holding a glass of red wine, stepped out, leaned on the railing, and looked down at Mei Yinxue, smiling, "Sister Mei, what a coincidence!"
Mei Yinxue's expression changed slightly when she saw the purple-dressed woman, and squinting her eyes, she said, "Gu Youlan, I didn't expect to meet you here!"
This woman was none other than Gu Youlan, who Mei Yinxue had expelled from River City years ago.
And recently, she had even sent people to cause trouble in her casino, taking a good sum of money, but ultimately, under Mu Jinyu's interception, she had to cough it all back, and even suffered a loss of several hundred million.
Gu Youlan's flawless face carried a gentle and tranquil smile. She took a sip of red wine and softly said, "Yes, what a coincidence. Sister, we haven't seen each other for many years, and I didn't expect to meet you here at 'Listening to the Rain on Bamboo'. I originally thought that with your Jianghu status, you wouldn't qualify to enter here."
Her tone was soft and sweet, making her words superficially pleasant but filled with sarcasm, which made Mei Yinxue feel embarrassed.
"Oh, is this lady involved in Jianghu?!"
"No wonder, I always felt that her demeanor didn't quite match cold elegance; so that's the story."
"Indeed, she's more like a blood-stained rose, or a plum blooming in bloodshed—there's a certain allure..."
"..."
The attendees whispered to each other after hearing Gu Youlan's words.
No one doubted the truth of Gu Youlan's words; after all, she is now the young madam of Jinling's Su Family, a most distinguished identity. Would she need to fabricate stories?