The Arrogant Little Consort: Your Highness, Come Catch a Bug

Chapter 87: The Auction “This is today’s grand finale: the Spirit Source Fruit. I’m sure you’ve all heard of it, so I won’t dwell on it. The starting bid for this Spirit Source Fruit is two million Purple Gold Coins.” As soon as the price was announced, the hall erupted in an uproar. Even though Hua Lingqin had braced herself somewhat, she was still taken aback by such a figure. “I’ll bid two million and one thousand Purple Gold Coins,” someone called out tentatively. No one else spoke up. Just as the bidder began to regret his offer, Hua Lingqin spoke calmly: “Two million five hundred thousand Purple Gold Coins.” Raising the bid by 500,000 Purple Gold Coins right off the bat left everyone speechless. Immediately, heads turned toward the second floor, and upon seeing that stunningly beautiful woman, many found themselves transfixed. Helian Lihuo never expected to see Hua Lingqin here, especially since the other woman was seated in a spot clearly superior to her own. Clenching her silk handkerchiefs into tight fists, she glared fiercely at Hua Lingqin. Whatever she wanted, she would snatch it away! “Three million Purple Gold Coins,” Helian Lihuo declared. Hua Lingqin had already been certain of victory, but now someone had suddenly barged in. Glancing down at Helian Lihuo, who was grinning smugly on the first floor, Hua Lingqin narrowed her eyes dangerously. “Three million five hundred thousand Purple Gold Coins.” Hua Lingqin had no intention of giving up on this fruit. “Three hundred and ten thousand Purple Gold Coins,” Helian Lihuo continued to bid. An elder from the Helian family standing beside her tugged at her sleeve, signaling her not to bid any higher—after all, the fruit was of no use to them. But Helian Lihuo wouldn’t listen; she just wanted to see the look of disappointment on Hua Lingqin’s face. “Three million five hundred thousand Purple Gold Coins.” Hua Lingqin raised her bid again, though a faint, ominous glint flashed in her eyes. Her Purple Crystal Card didn’t hold much Purple Gold Coin left—only about four million or so. “Three million six hundred thousand Purple Gold Coins.” Ignoring the elder’s attempts to stop her, Helian Lihuo stubbornly raised the bid. A flash of murderous intent crossed Hua Lingqin’s eyes, and even Xiao Bai in her arms ground his teeth menacingly, clearly sensing that she was a villain. “Four million Purple Gold Coins,” Hua Lingqin said coolly. “Four million one hundred thousand Purple Gold Coins!” Helian Lihuo was already losing her mind. That bitch was deliberately thwarting her at every turn. What she failed to realize was that it was actually Hua Lingqin who had bid on the Spirit Source Fruit first. “May I ask if bartering is permitted here?” Hua Lingqin’s voice echoed through the auction hall. “Hahahaha, Hua Lingqin, if you don’t have the money, get lost! A hick like you couldn’t possibly have anything of value!” Helian Lihuo wouldn’t pass up any opportunity to mock Hua Lingqin. Hua Lingqin, however, ignored her, making Helian Lihuo look even more like a petty, unreasonable clown. “If the item is valuable enough, it’s possible,” the auctioneer replied respectfully to Hua Lingqin. “Hmm, junior sister, if you don’t have enough purple gold coins, just ask your senior brother. I have some here—take them.” Yun Yuchen also pulled out a purple crystal card and handed it to Hua Lingqin. Seeing the equally outstanding Yun Yuchen standing beside Hua Lingqin, Helian Lihuo’s eyes turned red with jealousy, but Hua Lingqin smiled and declined. “I’ve got some other good items here. Let’s see if we can win them at auction. If that doesn’t work, you can use yours.” Yun Yuchen shrugged. “Oh, all right then.” Hua Lingqin casually pulled out a treasure she’d obtained from the ruins of the Lingyue Secret Realm—a tiny golden lotus seed. “Hahaha, Hua Lingqin, you can’t be that broke, can you? It’s just a lotus seed made of gold—how could it possibly be worth over four million purple gold coins? If it were me, I wouldn’t even take a hundred purple gold coins for it.” Helian Lihuo mocked Hua Lingqin without a care, failing to notice the changing expressions of the elders beside him and the steward on the second floor. “Please wait a moment, Miss. I’ll take this to Master Luo Fang for his appraisal.” The steward bowed and respectfully carried the lotus seed to the appraisal room. Moments later, he returned, accompanied by an elderly man with a long white beard—none other than Luo Fang, the auction house’s appraiser. Luo Fang rushed excitedly over to Hua Lingqin: “Little girl, are you really going to trade the golden lotus seed for a Spirit Source Fruit?” Hua Lingqin furrowed her brow in confusion. “What’s wrong? Is that not allowed?” Luo Fang stroked his beard, his face beaming with excitement. “Of course you can! Absolutely! This Spirit Source Fruit is all yours, little girl.” With a flick of his hand, the Spirit Source Fruit on the auction podium landed in Luo Fang’s palm. He hurriedly handed it to Hua Lingqin, as if afraid she might change her mind. “Hey, old man, are you that broke? It’s just a lotus seed made of gold. I could give you hundreds of them. I’ll take this Spirit Source Fruit for five million Purple Gold Coins,” Helian Lihuo said with an air of arrogance. She didn’t notice the deathly pale expressions of the Helian clan elders standing beside her. Cold sweat poured down Elder Helian’s forehead; he wanted nothing more than to knock this fool unconscious. A cold gleam flashed in Luo Fang’s eyes. With a flick of his sleeves, Helian Lihuo was flung away by a powerful force, slamming violently into a pillar in the hall and spitting out a mouthful of blood. “Cough, cough. Damn it! Do you have any idea who I am? I am the eldest daughter of the Helian family!” Helian Lihuo coughed up another mouthful of blood as she spoke, pointing at Luo Fang with hatred. “Hmph, the Helian family? Even that old fool Helian Xu wouldn’t dare speak to this old man like that. Who do you think you are? As for this Spirit Source Fruit, if you can come up with ten million Purple Gold Coins, I’ll sell it to you.” Luo Fang Leng looked at Helian Lihuo. The Helian clan elders were petrified with fear. When they finally snapped out of it, they hurriedly bowed and said, “Master Luo, the young lady was unaware of your status and has offended you. Please be magnanimous and do not hold this against a junior.” Luo Fang curled his lips in derision. “If I hadn’t shown mercy, do you think this fool would still be alive right now? Get out. Don’t let me see you lot here again.” Only then did Helian Lihuo realize she had provoked the wrong person; her body trembled uncontrollably with fear. Elder Helian, exasperated by her foolishness, grabbed Helian Lihuo and dragged her out of the auction hall. The maid by Helian Lihuo’s side hurried after them, and the three of them looked like a pack of stray dogs. “Is there anything else? If not, we’ll be leaving now,” Hua Lingqin said to Luo Fang. “Do you still have any of those Golden Lotus Seeds, little girl? If you do, we’ll take them all—we’ll definitely give you a price you’ll be satisfied with,” Luo Fang said with a smile, though a shrewd gleam flashed in his eyes. Hua Lingqin shrugged her shoulders. “None left. This is the only one, and it was given to me by my maternal grandfather.” Luo Fang clearly had some idea who Hua Lingqin’s “grandfather” was. To Old Yun, a single Golden Lotus Seed wasn’t particularly valuable, so he didn’t suspect anything. Still, he felt a hint of regret—after all, if he’d secured a few more, it would not only have brought in a substantial sum at the auction but also further boosted his reputation.