The Zombie King Returns ㈧～ People nowadays are too immoral. Although it's not original, it is still very hard work. Replying to the post.

Chapter 8: Crazy Auction

At the auction.
A young auctioneer was spitting and shouting incessantly. The auction started with some lower-end items—people who came here couldn't all be wealthy, so the atmosphere wasn't very lively yet. After buying their items, some people bid farewell to Miss Li.

Kuang Tianyou and others sat at the front—because the lady was a 'lucky star', they were treated as VIPs. People from the Li family, Si Xi, and other notable figures sat not far away, quietly waiting for **'s arrival. During this time, Kuang Tianyou casually glanced around and found four people who caught his interest:

Not far away, a lady was sitting. Blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin, with an imposing and dignified presence. Behind her stood a man with black hair, clearly Asian in build, very strong, radiating a fierce aura. What puzzled Kuang Tianyou was that there were many empty seats around him, yet he was standing. Was he a servant or bodyguard? Standing like that clearly signals to others that the lady beside him is important; but if he's not, why is he standing and not sitting, obviously blocking others? At first, many people had opinions, but after the man gave them a glance, they immediately fell silent and left quietly.

That was one. Another was the opposite: sitting but with no one around. Some people had sat nearby, but after a while, they left. This person wore dark glasses and a black suit, exuding a cold feeling.

Another could be considered handsome. Silver hair, big bright eyes, wearing silver clothes, moving gracefully like a woman. Handsome ladies sat all around him. They always spoke quietly and sometimes laughed, of course drawing protests from others, but they ignored everyone completely. After a while, others would also leave.

What intrigued Kuang Tianyou even more was: whenever he looked at them, it seemed they knew he was watching and politely nodded, though others also looked at them from time to time. Particularly the big beauty, who caught a lot of attention, yet she seemed unaware and gave Kuang Tianyou a direct glance and a smile.

Kuang Tianyou shook his head with a smile. Ma Xiaoling noticed and asked, 'What are you smiling at?'

'Nothing,' Kuang Tianyou replied.

'Stop pretending! You've been staring at that blonde beauty for quite a while.'“I don't know what they're planning in their hearts,” Ma Xiaoling said. Unexpectedly, her voice was a bit loud, and a few onlookers nearby heard it. Ma Xiaoling felt dozens of eyes turning toward her and instantly felt uneasy. Kuang Tianyou was also a little flustered. “Can you speak a bit quieter?”

“I'll settle this with you later.”

He appeared. An elderly man walked onto the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, this young man is my apprentice. Seeing him so worn out pains me! Please show some courtesy and let him rest for a bit. I will conduct the auction from here. I hope everyone will give their full support and not let my old bones fall apart right here on this stage.”

The old man's humor caused a burst of laughter. “Up next for auction is the Sunflower Ring. This ring weighs 0.67 carats, has a vibrant luster, and is of pure quality. Perfect for personal collection or as a gift, definitely worth the price. The starting price is 800,000, with increments of 100,000. Let's begin.”

Si Xi raised his hand. “This gentleman bids 900,000. 900,000, first call.”

A man raised his hand. “This gentleman bids 1,000,000. 1,000,000, first call.”

Si Xi, as if knowing someone would raise, directly bid, “1,200,000!”

“1,200,000! Any other bids? 1,200,000, first call.”

“1,500,000!” someone in the crowd shouted. Si Xi looked back in surprise; it was a young man, staring at Si Xi without fear.

“Someone bids 1,500,000. Any other bids?” The auctioneer became excited.

Before anyone could say a word, Si Xi bid, “2,000,000!”

“2,000,000! This gentleman bids 2,000,000! Any other bids? 2,000,000 first call, 2,000,000 second call, 2,000,000 third call. Sold!” With a hammer strike, the old auctioneer completed his first transaction.

Si Xi looked at the young man. The young man said, “Seeing that you like it so much, I can hardly bring myself to compete. A gentleman helps another succeed; I'll let you have this one.”

That single sentence left Si Xi speechless. Si Xi turned away without replying. Li Lingcai said, “So, did someone play a trick on you?”

“Young people these days are too shrewd! Who is he?” Si Xi asked.

“I don't know,” Li Lingcai said. “Of the young gentlemen I know, I don't think any of them are him.”“Brat, don't let me see you next time. Otherwise, you're dead.” said Si Xi.

The voice of the old auctioneer sounded, interrupting their conversation. “What we are displaying to everyone now is the Emperor's Hatred Ring. The diamond on the Emperor's Hatred Ring weighs 1.2 carats, has incredible hardness, and extremely high clarity. There is a legend about the Emperor's Hatred Ring. It is said that during the time of Yu the Great controlling the floods, he once split mountains, cleared paths, and dredged rivers. One day, upon splitting Mount Kunlun, he obtained this necklace. That night, Yu the Great had a dream: an immortal told him, 'This necklace seals an extremely evil object, originally locked beneath Mount Kunlun, but you have disturbed it by opening the mountain. Hurry and throw this ring into the Heavenly Lake in the snow mountains, or it will lead to endless disasters.' Yu awoke in shock. Later, Yu fell into a deep sleep again and dreamt that someone told him that he was the original spirit of the ring and that Yu should not heed the previous dream and was promised: as long as he did not throw the ring into the Heavenly Lake in the snow mountains, it would grant him power to unify the world. Yu then awoke. Yu was profoundly puzzled and unsure of what to do. At that time, Yao held a grudge over his father's death against him, and Yu also had ambitions to achieve great deeds, so he kept the ring. Later, Yu the Great fulfilled his wish: forcing Yao to abdicate and establishing the Xia Dynasty. But after obtaining the ring, his character gradually became strange—fierce and cruel. Before unifying the world, he had already killed other allied tribal leaders. After founding the Xia Dynasty, he was even more ruthless, and even his son Qi felt threatened. Later, with the help of ministers, Qi killed Yu and sealed the ring. Xia Jie ignored ancestral teachings and recklessly used the ring; although he was extremely strong, his kingdom ultimately fell. Similarly, Shang Zhou did the same. When King Wu of Zhou obtained the ring, he did not believe the warnings, thinking that as a righteous and benevolent king, nothing would go wrong, yet he died young from heartache, leaving a rebellion among seventeen states for his young son. Without the full efforts of elder ministers like Jiang Ziya, the kingdom would have nearly fallen. Later, during the Warring States period when Wu and Yue contended for dominance, King Fuchai of Wu obtained this necklace. Under his rule, Wu temporarily became a strong state: forcing Jin, Qi, and other states to sign agreements under duress, nearly destroying Chu, and reigning supreme for a time. But due to the king's cruelty and misuse of power, executing loyal ministers and favoring villains, the country eventually perished. In later generations, many heroes, either disregarding or disbelieving the warnings, relied on the ring to fight for the world, and the result was either premature death or a tragic end far from home.”Able to conquer the world but unable to sit on the throne, many people sighed in regret, and later generations thus called this ring the Ring of the Emperor's Regret. After hearing this story, it seems everyone is very interested in this ring! I will announce the starting price now: three million! Each bid increases by five hundred thousand. Believe me, it is definitely worth it. Everyone, bid boldly.”

After hearing the auctioneer's starting price, Kuang Tianyou felt quite regretful. If he had known, he would have just bought something earlier, but now, the starting price is three million—this is outrageous! He had promised someone to “perform well,” so what should he do? Never mind, with his daughter here, let her make a few moves first, just like that young man. Who will be the next unlucky spender? Hehe, accept your fate! When the auctioneer shouted, “Starting now!”, Kuang Tianyou hurriedly raised his hand, hoping to grab the first win.

This move made the old auctioneer's eyes light up—like a wolf spotting a sheep: “This gentleman bids five million five hundred thousand!”

With a roar, the people below began to discuss and tried to see who he was. Li Lingcai, Si Xi, and other distinguished guests were also staring at Kuang Tianyou in surprise, although Si Xi and Li Lingcai's expressions suggested it was as expected. Kuang Tianyou was at a loss—he had only intended to bid five hundred thousand, so when had it increased by two million?

“Tianyou, are you crazy? Why didn't you inform me before taking action? Who will pay this money?” Ma Xiaoling asked.

“Dad, one finger for each bid!” Ma Tianling reminded him. Ma Tianling felt sorry for him; the money being bid came from her. And now, without knowing the auction rules, the first bid was already two million more.

“Ahhh…” Kuang Tianyou was speechless. Luckily, his daughter's words reassured him: she would take care of the money.

“Five million five hundred thousand first bid…”

“Six million five hundred thousand.” The speaker was the blonde beauty, the first person Kuang Tianyou had noticed earlier.

This naturally caused a stir. Li Lingcai and Si Xi looked at each other: today there are many hidden talents! Earlier it was that boy named Kuang, and now it's this beauty… Before they could finish thinking, a voice suddenly called out, “Seven million.” Wow! Today is truly eye-opening.

Kuang Tianyou was also surprised, because this person was none other than the second person he had noticed earlier: the man in black.

“Eight million."The silver-haired handsome man spoke. He had long stopped laughing.

Once and again there were shocks, and the entire venue became somewhat chaotic. Bang, bang, bang, the old auctioneer struck the gavel hard: 'Please be mindful of your identity. This is an auction, not a marketplace!'

The whole scene immediately quieted down. 'This gentleman bids eight million. Is there anyone else bidding? Eight million, first round…'

'Nine million.' A female voice sounded next to Kuang Tianyou. Kuang Tianyou quickly looked over—it was Ma Tianling—with a mischievous smile on her face. Kuang Tianyou understood: the little rascal couldn't resist anymore and wanted to fish in troubled waters as well. Kuang Tianyou smiled; it seemed there were quite a few people with this kind of thought.

'What are you father and daughter doing?' Ma Xiaoling exclaimed. She also realized that the father and daughter were purely messing around, which could easily lead to trouble.

'Nine million, first round,' the old auctioneer deliberately paused, 'nine million, second round.' Kuang Tianyou's heart immediately sank: could this unlucky person be his daughter? Ma Tianling felt the same: just starting out and already encountering a ghost?

'Nine million five hundred thousand,' the silver-haired man spoke.

Immediately, Kuang Tianyou and his daughter breathed a sigh of relief. 'Nine million five hundred thousand, first round…'

'One hundred million!' the blonde woman said aloud. A super shockwave! The venue instantly descended into chaos. No one expected today's auction to reach such a huge transaction amount. The auctioneer was also surprised: calculating it, his commission would be quite substantial! But first, he needed to control the venue. Bang, bang, bang, the old auctioneer struck the gavel hard: 'Please be mindful of your identity. This is an auction, not a marketplace!'

The whole scene quieted down once again. 'One hundred million, first round; one hundred million, second round; one hundred million, third round. Sold.' With one final bang of the gavel, the old auctioneer concluded his second transaction.

'Da Peng, bring back the ring,' the blonde beauty said.

'Yes,' the man beside the beauty said. 'Sir, where should we complete the paperwork?'

'Leave it to this gentleman,' the old auctioneer pointed to someone.

'Please follow me,' said the attendant.

'Ladies and gentlemen, let us continue. The next auction item is Tang Dynasty porcelain. This porcelain is called a bowl. It is said that after Master Xuanzang returned from the Western Regions to acquire scriptures, Emperor Taizong, in recognition of his merits, specially had skilled artisans make this as a gift for Xuanzang.'This bowl is brightly colored, well-textured, and when struck, it produces a clear and pleasant sound, like the chant of Buddhist scriptures entwining the air. On the bowl's wall, there are illustrations of the pilgrimage for scriptures, based on the eight most typical and perilous experiences encountered by Master Xuanzang on his journey to obtain the scriptures. The starting price for this bowl is 1.2 million, and each bid increment is 200,000. Let's begin now.

“This gentleman bids 1.4 million,” an elderly man raised his hand.

Kuang Tianyou had learned his lesson and did not raise his hand; he directly shouted, “1.8 million.” Just now, the auction for Emperor's Ring had allowed Kuang Tianyou to “show his face,” but he was still a bit apprehensive. Moreover, he had initially intended to break his promise, but unexpectedly a new item popped up for auction—no matter what, he had to claim it.

“2 million,” a wealthy-looking woman said.

“2.4 million,” said Kuang Tianyou.

The elderly man and the woman looked at Kuang Tianyou, thinking this guy might be about to bid an astronomical price again. They both lowered their hands, unwilling to continue.

“2.4 million first call, 2.4 million second call, 2.4 million third call. Sold! Congratulations to this gentleman.” With a bang of the gavel, the old auctioneer sealed the deal.