"Luran, sit here."
After coming upstairs, Julia Du had already adjusted her mindset and looked at Rachel Liu with a gentle expression.
Rachel Liu nodded, not saying much.
"Luran, that classmate of yours—what does his family do?" As soon as she sat down, Julia Du looked at Rachel Liu, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Previously, Julia Du would never have paid any attention to Evan Lin, but after seeing him strike out at Warren Wu and then face off against Drake Huang, she couldn't help but take notice.
"He... I think he's from the countryside."
Rachel Liu seemed a bit uncertain. In fact, there were plenty of rumors at school that Evan Lin came from a rural area, but she wasn’t really sure herself.
But thinking back on Evan Lin’s behavior at school over the past two years, it was easy to accept that conclusion.
"From the countryside?"
Julia Du frowned.
Just then, all the lights in the room dimmed, and a single beam shone down from the ceiling onto the center of the hall.
There, the host in a black suit slowly walked onto the stage. He looked around and announced in a clear voice, "Welcome to the Jared Qian Auction. Let's get right to it—the first item up for bid."
The host clapped his hands, and a woman in a cheongsam came forward carrying a tray.
"The first item is a Qing Dynasty palace porcelain."
......
The auction continued, with the first few rounds all featuring porcelain. The highest price reached was 1.5 million.
But Evan Lin noticed that most of the bidding came from people on the first and second floors.
In the third-floor VIP rooms, no one made a move—clearly, they weren’t interested in these items.
"Next up, this item has quite a backstory." The host signaled to an assistant, who brought up a wooden tray covered with a red cloth.
"I’m sure you’ve all heard that this auction features some special underground items. This is one of them."
The host’s words instantly drew everyone’s attention.
The so-called underground items are just things dug up from the earth. That’s why so many people came to this auction.
The host reached out and lifted the red cloth.
"What is that thing?"
"No idea. Looks like some kind of token? But wait, why is it red? Could it be blood jade?"
On the tray was a clear glass dome. Inside, there was a blood-red, token-shaped object, surrounded by a layer of blood-red soil.
"What is that supposed to be?"
Many people frowned, unable to figure it out.
"What exactly is blood jade?" Beside Warren Wu, a fat man with a cleaver at his waist frowned, puzzled.
"Blood jade is jade that’s nurtured in human blood. The earliest legends say it wasn’t worn, but actually kept inside the body—put into a newborn, left there for sixteen years, then cut out when they come of age. After opening the body, the person’s essence would fuse into the jade, making it the purest blood jade. With certain mysterious techniques, it can even control yin spirits."
Warren Wu explained confidently.
"Are there really yin spirits in this world?" A middle-aged man frowned.
"I don’t know, I’ve never seen one myself. But there are some elders in the valley who have mysterious methods." Even Warren Wu sounded a bit uncertain.
"Our experts have examined this item, but they still can’t determine its true meaning. Still, it should at least improve one’s fortune and invigorate the blood. For today, let’s call it blood jade. May the right person obtain it! Bidding starts at five million!"
As soon as the host finished speaking, people in the audience began raising their paddles.
"Six million!"
"Seven million!"
"Seven and a half million!"
"Eight million!"
......
Down below, plenty of people were raising their paddles.
"What exactly is this thing? Can it cure illness?" Summer Mu muttered to himself, staring at the token inside the glass dome, torn between hesitation and hope.
But next to him, Evan Lin frowned slightly, secretly startled.
"That really is blood jade, but why can I sense such a towering yin-evil aura inside? And those blood-red soils—are they saturated with baleful energy?"
Evan Lin pondered silently, not saying a word.
The price had already climbed to ten million.
Summer Mu gritted his teeth and picked up his paddle.
"Eleven million!"
The host called out the bid, looking a little excited.
"Fifteen million."
At that moment, an old voice came from the room opposite Summer Mu.
Summer Mu’s face changed slightly, and Evan Lin glanced over. He saw an old man, perfectly calm, with someone standing beside him. That person saw Summer Mu and nodded at him.
"He’s here too!"
When Summer Mu saw who it was, he gritted his teeth. The person opposite was none other than Summer Jay.
Just as Summer Mu was about to raise his paddle again, Evan Lin pressed down his arm.
"Don’t bid. This thing is unlucky—bringing it home won’t do you any good."
Hearing Evan Lin’s words, Summer Mu managed to suppress his impulse.
"Fifteen million, once!"
"Fifteen million, twice!"
"Fifteen million, thr—"