Volume One: A Beauty’s Bane Chapter 25: Tit for Tat

"My heavens! Did I hear that correctly? This young man actually raised the bid?"

"What kind of background could this youth possibly have to dare compete with the Prince?"

"This young brother is truly a newborn calf that does not fear the tiger!"

"Could it be that his background is no less formidable than the Prince's?"

"I never expected to see such a spectacular show at today's auction!"

In an instant, the crowd beneath the auction stage began to whisper and chatter among themselves.

"Where did this blind fool come from, daring to contest the item with our Prince?" Before Murong Hai could even speak, Ge Tianlang stepped forward, barking with a fierce and menacing tone.

"Kid, are you tired of living?" Yang Dahu followed closely behind, pointing at Jiang Hao and beginning to threaten him.

"Hmph, Wild Wolf Gang, it won't be long before I personally come to your door to avenge Caiyun," Jiang Hao thought, his eyes cold as he stared them down.

"Stand down!" Murong Hai slowly raised his hand, commanding coldly before turning to Jiang Hao with a mocking smile. "Boy, do you realize that no one has ever dared to snatch something from my hands?"

"Oh? I am not competing with the Prince. Pavilion Master Qin has already made it clear: the rules of this auction are that the highest bidder wins. Therefore, I am simply following the rules of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion to bid for the technique I require."

"Or could it be that this auction house is the Prince's private estate?" Jiang Hao argued back, his composure unyielding.

"Hmph! You've got guts, kid!" Murong Hai was so furious his face turned pale.

"My Lady, the young master's words are truly sharp," Yan Tao whispered, covering her mouth as she giggled in Qin Yumei's ear.

"Xiao Tao, do not be rude," Qin Yumei cautioned softly, though a flicker of intense interest flashed in her eyes. "I never expected this Young Master Jiang Hao to be able to make Murong Hai suffer a loss."

Having never endured such humiliation, Murong Hai stood up, his voice booming like a bell. "Yumei, I add another one hundred thousand silver coins!"

In front of the woman he adored, Murong Hai could not afford to lose face; he added the one hundred thousand coins without a moment's hesitation.

"At this point, there is no turning back. If this 'Void-Piercing Slash' is bought by the Prince, retrieving it from his hands will be no easy task," Jiang Hao calculated quickly, glancing sideways at the middle-aged man standing beside Murong Hai.

Given the strength of that middle-aged man, even his master, Feng Ling'er, would have to be wary. Jiang Hao dared not harbor any illusions about trying to seize it after the auction.

If Jiang Hao could not win this technique at the auction, it would slip through his fingers forever.

Winning this technique fair and square at the auction and then finding a suitable opportunity to slip away was the only safe option.

With this in mind, Jiang Hao spoke up again: "Pavilion Master Qin, I add another one hundred thousand silver coins!"

"..." Qin Yumei was slightly stunned; she had not expected Jiang Hao to raise the bid again.

Based on Yan Tao's report earlier, Jiang Hao did not seem to have much money; otherwise, he would not have brought the rare Sky Spirit Fruit to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion to be sold.

However, since this auction settled transactions after the event, Qin Yumei had no way of knowing if Jiang Hao truly possessed sufficient funds.

"Prince, this young master has raised the price to eight hundred thousand silver coins. Does the Prince intend to..." Though she loathed Murong Hai, Qin Yumei asked him out of professional courtesy.

Before she could finish, Murong Hai shouted his bid once more: "Yumei, I add another one hundred thousand silver coins!"

"Is this Murong Hai truly that foolish and wealthy?" Qin Yumei sighed inwardly.

If she had previously needed to put effort into building the atmosphere, this current round of bidding was achieving it without her needing to say a word. Moreover, the buyers were raising the price in increments of one hundred thousand!

"Hmph! Blind fool, daring to go against me." Murong Hai sneered, not taking Jiang Hao seriously at all.

However, his arrogance did not last long before Jiang Hao’s firm and decisive voice rang out again: "Pavilion Master Qin, another one hundred thousand silver coins!"

These nine words struck the hearts of everyone present like a thunderclap.

"This young master seems completely unafraid of the Prince. Could he be from the Imperial City?"

"The Imperial City alone might not be enough to contend with the Prince. Could he be a royal relative from the palace?"

"But I have never heard of such a person!"

"Just because you haven't heard of him doesn't mean such a great figure doesn't exist!"

"This is insane! This auction has truly opened my eyes!"

Below the stage, the crowd continued to gossip and speculate...

"My Lady, could we be getting played by this young master?" Yan Tao could not help but walk forward and whisper to Qin Yumei.

"It is hard to say, but my intuition tells me this young man does not seem like the type to speak empty words," Qin Yumei replied, glancing at Jiang Hao and acknowledging Yan Tao's concern.

"I hope so..." Yan Tao lowered her head and sighed. "But he has angered the Prince; surely the Prince will not let him go easily."

Hearing this, Qin Yumei did not respond, thinking to herself: "Since this young master knows Murong Hai's identity and still dares to stand toe-to-toe with him, he must have something to rely on."

Just as the crowd was stunned by Jiang Hao's latest bid, Murong Hai's expression on the other side of the hall was one of extreme rage.

"Kid, you've really pushed your luck!" Murong Hai felt a sudden urge to kill Jiang Hao on the spot.

Seeing that Murong Hai was about to raise the bid again, the middle-aged man beside him leaned in and cautioned him earnestly: "Your Highness, we left in a hurry, and we did not bring enough money."

Murong Hai frowned and asked, "Uncle Han, how much money do you have on you?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, I only brought a little over eight hundred thousand silver coins. I never expected you to participate in the bidding," the middle-aged man replied solemnly.

"I understand, Uncle Han." Murong Hai shook his head and sighed, showing no further anger. After all, he had snuck out of the capital to come to Yongan City without his father's knowledge.

He had never intended to participate in the bidding during this trip; his only goal was Qin Yumei.

He turned to the two men beside him and barked: "What about you two? How much money do you have? Hand over all your silver coins to me at once!"

"Huh?" Yang Dahu was taken aback, momentarily at a loss.

"Huh, your head!" Ge Tianlang slapped Yang Dahu’s head, then stepped forward with a fawning smile. "Reporting to the Prince, I have one hundred thousand silver coins here." As he spoke, Ge Tianlang handed over his storage pouch.

"One hundred thousand? I'm not saying this to be mean, but for the leader of the Wild Wolf Gang, your entire net worth is only one hundred thousand?" Murong Hai grabbed the pouch, weighed it in his hand, and wore an expression of disbelief.

"Hehe, I hope the Prince will forgive my poverty," Ge Tianlang said with an awkward smile.

"Hmph! Useless! What use do I have for you?" Murong Hai said with disdain.

Ge Tianlang's brow furrowed, but after a moment of thought, he fawningly whispered: "Reporting to the Prince, I have a plan to let you obtain this technique without spending a single cent."

"Oh? What is this brilliant plan? Tell me!" A glimmer of interest flashed in Murong Hai's eyes.

Ge Tianlang leaned close and whispered: "Reporting to the Prince, we can wait until after the auction ends..."

"Hahaha! Ge Tianlang, you really are ruthless!" Murong Hai laughed.

"It is my honor to relieve the Prince of his burdens! As long as you give the word, the entire Wild Wolf Gang will go through fire and water for you!" Ge Tianlang looked eager, as if he would have offered himself up to the Prince if he could.

"Good! I leave this matter to you!" Murong Hai was in high spirits.

"As you command! I will not fail your trust!" Ge Tianlang bowed respectfully.

"As expected of our boss, you managed to make the Prince so happy with just a few words," Yang Dahu said, looking at Ge Tianlang with pure admiration.

Meanwhile, Qin Yumei approached again: "Prince, this young master has raised the price to one million silver coins. Does the Prince..."

Just as before, before she could finish, Murong Hai's voice rang out. However, this time, he was not raising the bid.

"Yumei, I was merely joking with this little brother. A mere Tier 3 technique is not something I care about," Murong Hai said, feigning indifference.

Qin Yumei was slightly stunned and continued to ask: "Then, what is the Prince's intent?"

"Since this little brother is so eager for this technique, I shall do a good deed and let him have it," Murong Hai shrugged, smiling.

"This Murong Hai is definitely not being kind; he likely intends to rob and kill after the auction ends," Qin Yumei thought, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Pavilion Master Qin, since the Prince has given up, may you announce the winner of the technique?" Jiang Hao urged, not wanting any more accidents, as the "Void-Piercing Slash" was of critical importance to him.

Qin Yumei understood his intent and immediately announced in a clear, loud voice: "Everyone, I declare that the winner of this ninth treasure, the Void-Piercing Slash, is this young master!"

Hearing these words, Jiang Hao finally exhaled: "I've finally secured this technique!"

"My heavens! Did I hear that right? This young brother actually snatched the treasure from the Prince's hands?"

"Spending a full million silver coins on a Tier 3 technique—how extravagant!"

"Exactly! A price of one million silver coins is almost comparable to some rare Tier 4 techniques!"

"You're overthinking it. Everyone knows that precious things like techniques aren't always available even if you have the money."

At this moment, a ripple of hushed murmurs filled the auction house!

Jiang Hao felt countless burning gazes fixed firmly upon him.