Chapter 150: Not Taking It for Free

During his time in Jiuyang City, Xin Lang had refined a total of five Grade-7 Treasure-tier "Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pills." For marketing purposes, Fatty Gu’s father had gifted one to Lady Ling, the wife of City Lord Ouyang Tianfeng. At the auction, City Lord Ouyang Tianfeng successfully bid for another one at the price of seventy thousand gold coins. Xin Lang sold the remaining three entirely to Fatty Gu’s father.

Fatty Gu’s father originally intended to bring the three "Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pills" to the Summer Capital for auction, but unexpectedly, they were ambushed and plundered by bandits from the Azure Firmament Mountains along the way. To avenge Fatty Gu’s father, Xin Lang killed the three chieftains of the Azure Firmament Mountains, seized control of the stronghold, and became its hidden supreme leader. Ultimately, those three "Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pills" ended up back in Xin Lang's hands.

The "Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill" currently up for auction was none other than the one Ouyang Tianfeng had originally acquired. It had now been handed over to Ouyang Feiyun to be secretly auctioned off at the Jiuzhou Auction House to recover funds.

Huangfu Huijing glared unceremoniously at Xin Lang and said, "Didn't you say just a moment ago that whatever I took a fancy to, you would help me buy? I want this Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill right now!"

Xin Lang smiled faintly and replied, "This Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill is a cosmetic product for beauty and skin maintenance. Student Huangfu, you don't seem to have any use for it, do you?"

"Even if I don't need it right now, I still want it. Can't I keep it for future use?" Huangfu Huijing retorted.

"Hehe..." A lewd smile spread across Xin Lang's face as he said, "If you accept things from me, that means you acknowledge our relationship moving forward. Therefore, gifts cannot be taken for free—you have to let your big brother here steal a little kiss as payment!"

"You... shameless..." Huangfu Huijing was about to burst into angry curses at Xin Lang's shamelessness, but suddenly her pretty eyes rolled, and she smiled at him, "That depends on your performance. If you perform exceptionally well, I might just consider it!"

With that, Huangfu Huijing even batted her beautiful, large eyes seductively at Xin Lang.

"Holy crap!" Xin Lang felt as though his heart had been heavily struck by lightning, and he muttered internally, "This chick usually dresses like a man, but when she suddenly turns on the charm, she really packs a punch!"

The bidding for the Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill had already begun. The starting price was set at ten thousand gold coins, with each increment no less than one hundred gold coins!

In a corner of the auction hall, Ouyang Feiyun gazed at the "Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill" on the stage and thought with intense agitation, "The birthday of the Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty is fast approaching, and such Grade-7 Treasure-tier pills are extremely rare in the Great Xia Dynasty. With so many princes and high-ranking nobles attending the Jiuzhou Auction today, this Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill is bound to fetch a handsome price, and it can also solve my family's financial crisis!"

Ever since Xin Lang won the martial arts league among the nine major academies of Jiuyang City, the Ouyang family's academy business had plummeted. Coupled with Ouyang Feiyun's injuries and the exorbitant extortion he suffered from Xin Lang, their finances were currently extremely tight and they were walking on thin ice. Otherwise, they would never have brought out this "Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill," which was originally intended as a gift for the Ling family, to be auctioned off.

"Eleven thousand gold coins!" a wealthy merchant shouted out first.

"Thirteen thousand gold coins!" another noble bid.

"Fifteen thousand gold coins!"

"Sixteen thousand gold coins!"

"... "

"... "

The price of the Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill soared rapidly, sending waves of excitement through Ouyang Feiyun's heart.

Seeing that the bidding had already begun while Xin Lang showed zero reaction, Huangfu Huijing looked at him with contempt and said, "You were talking so big earlier, why aren't you reacting at all now?"

"No rush!" Xin Lang smiled.

Xin Lang had no intention of helping Ouyang Feiyun drive up the price, which was why he had refrained from participating in the bidding for the Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill.

"Twenty thousand gold coins!"

Since the start of the bidding, the price of the "Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill" had jumped from ten thousand gold coins to twenty thousand in the blink of an eye. Such a soaring trend thrilled Ouyang Feiyun to no end.

Right at that moment, a voice suddenly rang out from one of the VIP private rooms, "Thirty thousand gold coins!"

"Thirty thousand gold coins!" Everyone in the auction hall turned their gazes toward the private room that had called out "Thirty thousand gold coins," and the bidders began to whisper among themselves.

"Thirty thousand gold coins!" Ouyang Feiyun murmured under his breath. "It's already at thirty thousand gold coins. At this rate, selling this Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill for over a hundred thousand gold coins won't be a problem!"

Murmurs filled the auction hall, but no one dared to place any further bids, causing the atmosphere to suddenly chill.

"Thirty thousand gold coins, going once!" the auctioneer reminded the buyers present from the stage.

"Huh? What's going on? Why has the bidding stopped?" Xin Lang asked, feeling somewhat puzzled as he turned to Huangfu Shaoqi beside him.

Huangfu Shaoqi gave an unnatural laugh and said, "The person who just bid thirty thousand gold coins is my eldest brother, Huangfu Shaoxiong. He is the Crown Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty. Who in their right mind would offend the future emperor just for a pill meant to beautify women?"

"Oh, so that's how it is!" Xin Lang nodded, understanding the reason behind it.

"Thirty thousand gold coins, going twice!" the auctioneer called out once more.

"What the hell is going on? Why isn't anyone bidding anymore?" Ouyang Feiyun leaped to his feet in panic and cursed.

The host of the Jiuzhou Auction House also knew that the recent bidder was Crown Prince Huangfu Shaoxiong, and realizing that absolutely no one else would dare to bid against him for the "Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill," he brought his hammer down and loudly proclaimed, "Thirty thousand gold coins, going three times! Congratulations to the distinguished guest in VIP Room Number One for successfully acquiring the Grade-7 Treasure-tier pill, the Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill, at the price of thirty thousand!"

Upon hearing this outcome, Ouyang Feiyun, standing in the corner of the auction hall, burst into tears! The "Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill" that their Ouyang family had acquired for seventy thousand gold coins had only sold for thirty thousand, failing to recover even half of its cost! Originally, their Ouyang family had been counting on this "Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill" to revive the clan, but now it seemed all their hopes had turned into mere bubbles.

Huangfu Huijing cast a disdainful glance at Xin Lang and said, "I remember someone acting like they feared neither heaven nor earth, yet the moment they ran into the Crown Prince, they didn't dare make a peep! You're no man!"

"Hehe!" Hearing Huangfu Huijing's taunts, Xin Lang smiled and said, "Who says I'm not a man? If you don't believe it, you're welcome to inspect it for yourself!"

"Hmph! And you claimed you'd help me buy whatever I had my eyes on. Why did you back down the moment you encountered the Crown Prince?" Huangfu Huijing pressed on relentlessly.

"Who said I backed down? I simply chose not to participate in the bidding in the first place!" Xin Lang retrieved two small porcelain bottles from his inner pocket, handed one each to Huangfu Huijing and Shangguan Ningyu, and said, "That Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill just now was one I sold previously back in Jiuyang City. If I were to spend money to buy it back, wouldn't I be out of my mind?"

Huangfu Huijing took the small porcelain bottle handed over by Xin Lang and examined it closely. It turned out to be an exact match to the one just auctioned off. Unable to believe her ears, she asked Xin Lang, "Could it be that that Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill was also refined by you?"

"What's so strange about that? I can even refine Grade-3 Saint-tier pills; what's so surprising about refining a Grade-7 Treasure-tier Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill?" Xin Lang remarked.

"Ah!" Huangfu Huijing genuinely wanted to slap herself across the face. Since he was capable of refining Saint-tier pills, Treasure-tier ones were obviously not a problem at all.

Seeing the stifled expression on Huangfu Huijing's face, Xin Lang felt immensely amused and said, "You've already accepted the gift, but you certainly can't take it for free!"

"Ah!" Hearing Xin Lang's words, Huangfu Huijing received another shock. She didn't know whether she should return the small porcelain bottle to Xin Lang or keep it.

Seeing Huangfu Huijing's dilemma, Shangguan Ningyu whispered to her, "Sister Huijing, should we keep this Seven-Revolution Rejuvenation Pill or not?"

Huangfu Huijing cast a stealthy glance at Xin Lang and, seeing the smug smile plastered across his face, said angrily, "Keep it, why shouldn't we keep it?"

"But... but... what if he makes some outrageous demand of us?" Shangguan Ningyu asked with an embarrassed expression.

"Hmph, whatever demands he makes are his business. We can just ignore him, can't we?" Huangfu Huijing fumed.

"Oh..." Shangguan Ningyu nodded, seeming to understand yet still somewhat confused.