Chapter 107 Gu Raising Vessel
Master Lu, seeing the rapturous expressions on everyone's faces, displayed a hint of pride and sarcasm.
With a wave of his hand, he turned and sat back down on his seat, and the black square cauldron ceased its trembling.
The potted plant, which had been growing, also stopped, but in that instant, it had grown ten centimeters, a terrifying feat.
In that moment, everyone felt a sense of loss, as if something beautiful had been taken away.
"Do you know what a Feng Shui master is now?" Fang Yaozu asked smugly.
The wealthy individuals present snapped out of their daze and nodded involuntarily. Looking at Master Lu now, their expressions held a newfound admiration, and they resolved to curry favor with this Feng Shui master in the future.
This was a true Feng Shui master; Master Yang was simply not in the same league.
Master Yang let out a wry smile and stood up, saying, "My apologies, I didn't realize Master Lu was a second-stage Feng Shui master. I was merely showing off my limited skills."
Master Lu shrugged dismissively and snorted, "That you can even discern I am a second-stage Feng Shui master means you haven't wasted decades cultivating the art of Feng Shui."
Master Yang could only force a few awkward laughs before slowly sitting down. Since he was outmatched, he could only keep quiet, for he was merely a first-stage Feng Shui master.
He sighed inwardly, realizing that his years of accumulated reputation had been utterly ruined today.
"Esteemed guests, the item has been authenticated. This is a genuine Feng Shui artifact, and it also possesses the effect of prolonging life. Such longevity-granting Feng Shui artifacts are extremely rare. May we proceed with the auction now?"
The stout Boss Fu stood up, scanned the crowd, and coughed twice.
As soon as he finished speaking, some wealthy patrons eagerly started bidding, their voices echoing one after another.
"Ten million!"
"Twenty million!"
...
"One hundred million!"
...
Everyone present was a top-tier magnate with considerable wealth. Tens of millions were within the reach of anyone. The crucial point was that this artifact was said to prolong life, making it exceptionally rare and precious.
Even though the price had surged to one hundred million, there was no sign of it stopping.
Zhou Tiancheng looked troubled, unsure whether to bid or not.
The artifact was indeed a good item, but he had no idea how to use it. If he were to win it and then have to ask Master Lu, who understood it, he would inevitably be ridiculed by his rival, Fang Yaozu.
But if he didn't bid, he couldn't bear to miss out on such a fine artifact.
He couldn't help but glance at Chen Xuan. Though he didn't hold much hope, he tentatively asked, "Do you know how to use this?"
Chen Xuan, guessing Zhou Tiancheng's thoughts, warned him, "If you want to die, go ahead and bid for it."
Zhou Tiancheng blinked and secretly shook his head, thinking Chen Xuan was just being proud and trying to scare him.
Chen Xuan's voice was very soft, but Fang Yaozu overheard it. He shot Chen Xuan a hostile glare, his eyes glinting with coldness.
"Wait!"
Just as the auction was in full swing, Fang Yaozu jumped out and interrupted it, pointing at Chen Xuan and saying, "I recall that our Young Master Zhou mentioned he invited a Feng Shui master as well. Both Master Yang and Master Lu have already demonstrated their skills. If he doesn't show anything, I don't think our Young Zhou is qualified to be sitting here, do you?"
All eyes turned to Chen Xuan and Zhou Tiancheng, with a hint of mockery in their gaze.
Zhou Tiancheng's face turned ashen, but he chose to stand with Chen Xuan and suddenly stood up, "Mr. Chen, let's go!"
Fang Yaozu was overjoyed to see Zhou Tiancheng being pushed out.
He and Zhou Tiancheng had had more than one conflict, but this was the first time he had managed to drive Zhou Tiancheng away on such a grand occasion. In the future, Zhou Tiancheng would likely not even dare to lift his head when he saw him.
Chen Xuan calmly stood up, stretched, and said indifferently, "Sure, let's go. Calling a broken thing a Feng Shui artifact, your brains must be rusted through."
"Kid, say that again if you dare!"
Fang Yaozu froze, then slammed his palm on the table, staring at Chen Xuan furiously.
Master Lu also suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Chen Xuan with a sharp intensity.
"Idiot!" Chen Xuan uttered two words.
Fang Yaozu was completely enraged. With a wave of his hand, two burly men standing behind him rushed forward, blocking Chen Xuan and Zhou Tiancheng's path, "Our young master didn't let you leave."
"Say that again to me!" Fang Yaozu's eyes blazed with fire, his voice filled with rage.
"Then I shall fulfill your peculiar request."
Chen Xuan smiled faintly and said to Fang Yaozu, "Idiot!"
Fang Yaozu almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
Was that what he meant?
The wealthy patrons wore strange expressions. Was this kid crazy? Young Master Zhou might not fear Fang Yaozu, but this brat was just an ordinary person. He only dared to provoke Young Master Fang, who was, after all, the nephew of the Yu family head.
"Today, I will kill you!" Fang Yaozu gritted his teeth, speaking word by word.
"Fang Yaozu, don't forget, this is my territory!" Zhou Tiancheng said coldly.
"Your territory? Heh, then I'll give you some face."
Fang Yaozu paused, then asked with a sinister smile, "Kid, that black artifact is a genuine artifact. Everyone has seen it. You actually called it a broken thing. Today, you must give me an explanation, or else, don't just talk about me; the wealthy patrons of Jiangbei present won't let you leave here."
"Yes! Absolutely cannot leave!"
Many wealthy patrons chimed in, clearly angered by Chen Xuan's words.
Zhou Tiancheng's expression was somewhat distressed. He quickly said, "Everyone, I'm truly sorry. My brother really didn't mean it. I'll take him away now."
Although Zhou Tiancheng had connections, he dared not incur the wrath of the crowd and could only quickly apologize.
However, Chen Xuan interrupted Zhou Tiancheng's words, "Yes, I said that."
"This Young Master Zhou is really something, actually inviting someone like this who talks big. In the future, if we have matters, we should interact less with Young Master Zhou."
"I think you're right. More than half of the antiques outside were borrowed from me by Young Master Zhou."
"Damn it, borrowing antiques, forget it, forget it, it's best to avoid dealing with such people."
Many wealthy patrons shook their heads.
Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Young Master Zhou's face darkened, and he felt like crying without tears. He said in a low voice, "My good brother-in-law, I beg you, if you don't know something, don't speak nonsense. If you continue like this, I won't be able to get by in the future."
Chen Xuan seemed not to hear, and said with a smile, "Since you want an explanation, I will give you one."
Saying that, Chen Xuan turned and walked to the Eight Immortals table. He pointed at the black square cauldron and said, "The Master Yang from before was actually correct. This black square cauldron is an antique from the southeastern region during the Song Dynasty."
Everyone glanced at Master Yang, who instinctively nodded.
"Hmph! Anyone with a little knowledge of antiques knows this is a Song Dynasty antique. I'm asking about the artifact!" the aloof Master Lu said dismissively and snorted.
"People who don't understand Feng Shui might not know, but those who do should know what was most popular in the southeastern region during the Song Dynasty," Chen Xuan said, looking at Master Yang.
Master Yang blinked, as if he had thought of something, and said, "During the Song Dynasty, the southeastern region was renowned for its cultivation of 'gu' worms. It is said that this practice has continued to the present day, and 'gu' cultivation is still prevalent in the southeastern region. There seems to be talk of three sects and five gates, with many 'gu' masters among them."
"Master Yang is correct," Chen Xuan nodded.
Everyone looked at Master Yang, admiring his profound knowledge.
Master Yang gave Chen Xuan a grateful look, knowing that Chen Xuan was letting him steal the spotlight.
"Stop rambling. What does that have to do with this black square cauldron?" Fang Yaozu's eyes flickered with a strange light, and he asked coldly.
"If I'm not mistaken, this black square cauldron was a vessel used by a Southwest 'gu' cultivation master to raise 'gu' worms," Chen Xuan stated.