The following morning.
Qin Hanchu, accompanied by Suanmei, arrived at the Phoenix Grand Hotel.
The seller's "auction" was being held in the hotel's reception hall.
Upon entering the reception hall, they found over ten people already inside.
Of these ten people, only three were there to bid.
The others were merely the escorts of these three bidders.
Qin Hanchu ignored them and found a seat.
Suanmei, like the escorts of others, stood quietly to the side.
"What do they call you, young man? Which family are you from?" the middle-aged man, who was smoking a cigar, asked Qin Hanchu coldly.
As the middle-aged man spoke, the other two buyers also turned their gaze to Qin Hanchu.
"Does that have anything to do with the auction?" Qin Hanchu asked calmly.
"Can't I ask?" The middle-aged man held the cigar in his hand and sneered, "Listen up, I am the third boss of the Dragon Alliance in Guicheng."
"Oh." Qin Hanchu had never heard of it.
The Great Yan Nation was vast and populous, with countless forces. Qin Hanchu had no intention of learning about them.
Qin Hanchu's reaction made the third boss's expression look unpleasant.
Even the other two buyers looked at Qin Hanchu with surprise.
The Dragon Alliance was a top force in Guicheng, powerful in both finances and martial arts.
In response to the third boss's self-introduction, Qin Hanchu merely grunted "Oh." How contemptuous of the Dragon Alliance!
"Are you looking down on our Dragon Alliance, young man?" the third boss asked with a frown.
Qin Hanchu calmly replied, "I've never heard of it. What reaction do you expect from me?"
With that, the third boss slammed the table and stood up, "Arrogant! Who in Nanning Prefecture doesn't know of our Dragon Alliance? How dare you say you've never heard of it?"
Qin Hanchu chuckled, "I'm not from Nanning Prefecture. Isn't it normal that I haven't heard of it?"
"If you haven't heard of it, then inquire about it. Weigh your qualifications before you try to snatch medicinal herbs with my Dragon Alliance." The third boss's intention was to scare away his competitors.
The two buyers beside him were from major families in Nanning Prefecture. The third boss knew they were not afraid of him, so he didn't threaten them.
Seeing Qin Hanchu as a stranger, he decided to try and scare him away.
Qin Hanchu turned to Suanmei and asked, "Do you know about this Dragon Alliance?"
Suanmei nodded, "I have some understanding."
"Do I need to be afraid?" Qin Hanchu continued to ask.
Upon hearing this, Suanmei smiled and said, "No need."
Qin Hanchu nodded, "Then that's fine."
Their conversation was not kept quiet, and everyone in the room could hear it.
Anyone could see that Qin Hanchu was deliberately trying to embarrass the third boss.
"Such big talk! Tell me, who are you?"
"If you can make me scared, I'll shut up immediately," the third boss said angrily.
"The Xiao family of Luojing City!" Qin Hanchu replied.
Upon hearing the Xiao family of Luojing City, the expressions of the third boss and the others became wary.
As people in the martial arts world, they were well aware of families with Grandmasters.
The Xiao family of Luojing City was a hegemonic family possessing a mid-stage Grandmaster.
Compared to them, the Dragon Alliance's strength was inferior.
The Dragon Alliance's strongest martial artist was only at the peak of the Grandmaster realm.
"So you're the young master of the Xiao family. I've heard of you," the other two buyers greeted him with smiles.
The third boss of the Dragon Alliance coughed dryly and remained silent.
Although the Xiao family was powerful, the Dragon Alliance was not yet terrified.
Just then, the door was pushed open again.
This time, a beautiful woman in her early twenties walked in.
The beauty was wearing a red dress, giving her a rather enchanting aura.
Upon seeing this woman, the expressions of the third boss and the others showed apprehension.
"Miss Yang," the third boss said with a chuckle, "I didn't expect you to be here. How is Elder Yang?"
"Ancestor is very well," Yang Sanmei replied with a smile, then sat down next to Qin Hanchu.
Qin Hanchu glanced at Yang Sanmei and then withdrew his gaze.
"This young handsome man looks unfamiliar. You're probably not from Nanning Prefecture, are you?" Yang Sanmei asked Qin Hanchu.
"The Xiao family of Luojing City," Suanmei replied.
"So you're the young master from the Xiao family. Did your Xiao family produce a genius?"
"I heard she's in the same class as the Champion Marquis at the Military Martial Academy."
"Can you introduce me, young master? I also want to be friends with the Champion Marquis."
Yang Sanmei's eyes were captivating, making people feel a desire to obey her.
This woman's alluring gaze was soul-stirring.
"Is there any benefit?" Qin Hanchu asked.
"What benefit do you want?" Yang Sanmei asked with a smile.
Qin Hanchu pondered, "I don't seem to lack anything. How about you give yourself to me?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of coldness flashed in Yang Sanmei's eyes.
"Should I feel fortunate to be noticed by you, young master?"
"Unfortunately, I am already betrothed to the Champion Marquis," Yang Sanmei said with a light smile.
Hearing this, Suanmei couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Yang Sanmei's gaze fell on Suanmei, and she said coldly, "Is it that funny? Do you think I'm not good enough?"
Suanmei chuckled, "Do you know what the Champion Marquis looks like? Aren't you afraid he's an ugly monster?"
Qin Hanchu heard this and turned to glare at Suanmei.
Seeing Qin Hanchu glare at her, Suanmei chuckled, closed her mouth.
"It doesn't matter if he's a bit ugly, as long as he's strong enough," Yang Sanmei said.
"I don't think you have much of a chance," Qin Hanchu replied.
"As long as he sees me, he won't be able to escape," Yang Sanmei said with full confidence.
Qin Hanchu smiled and said nothing more.
A moment later, a middle-aged man entered with two escorts.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Suanmei whispered to Qin Hanchu, "This is the seller, Chen Sansheng!"
"I apologize for keeping the five of you waiting. Let's begin the auction now," Chen Sansheng said, getting straight to the point. "This Jade Marrow Ganoderma has a medicinal age of five hundred years and has not been picked yet, so it is absolutely fresh. You should all be very aware of the effects of Jade Marrow Ganoderma, so I won't elaborate further. The starting bid is 500 million, and each bid must not be less than 20 million."
"800 million!" The buyer to the right of the third boss bid first.
"900 million!" The buyer to the left of the third boss followed suit.
The third boss pondered for a moment and said coldly, "1.05 billion!"
Chen Sansheng looked at Yang Sanmei and asked with a smile, "Miss Yang, what about you?"
"1.2 billion!" Yang Sanmei said calmly.
Upon hearing this price, the expressions of the third boss and the other two buyers became solemn.
Yang Sanmei was determined to win!
"What about you, Mr. Qin?" Chen Sansheng asked Qin Hanchu.
Mr. Qin?
"Aren't you from the Xiao family?" Yang Sanmei asked with a frown.
The third boss and the others also looked at Qin Hanchu in confusion.
Qin Hanchu smiled and said, "Who says that if I represent the Xiao family, I must have the surname Xiao?"
While that made sense, Yang Sanmei and the others felt something was not quite right.
"Which family it is does not matter. I only recognize the price," Chen Sansheng said.
"1.5 billion," Qin Hanchu stated.
This price had already exceeded the psychological expectations of the third boss and the other two.
Even Yang Sanmei's expression showed some hesitation.