As she had predicted, everyone in this auction house knew what a true Mengdie looked like, which was why the young man guarding the entrance had looked so shocked and terrified when she spoke earlier.
While pondering this, Qi Yu returned to her seat.
The auction was only halfway through.
Feng Mingxi lowered her voice and asked Qi Yu, "It seems like it's our turn to auction in about three or four items. Can you handle it alone? Do you want me to accompany you on stage?"
Yue Zhiyin and Sui You also looked at her with concern.
"No need, you all just stay seated here," Qi Yu said, looking at Si Qing. "You'll come up with me later. You can carry this cage and cooperate with me on stage."
Si Qing nodded.
After about the time it took for three incense sticks to burn, Qi Yu pulled Si Qing along and they went backstage.
At this point, the auction was nearing its end. Some people were already getting impatient and stood up, preparing to leave.
However, as they reached the halfway point, they were drawn back by Qi Yu's voice.
After everyone else had finished, Qi Yu pushed her cage forward, walking onto the stage with Si Qing. Her clear voice spoke slowly, "I apologize for keeping everyone waiting. It is my honor to participate in this auction. What I have brought to auction is not an item, but a dreamlike spirit beast that everyone desires – the true Mengdie."
Si Qing stood beside her, holding a cage covered with a white cloth, a smile on his face.
As Qi Yu spoke, she gently gripped the white cloth.
The audience below immediately began to murmur, "Mengdie? Did I hear that right? Is it that monster that appeared once before? Who would dare to want such a thing?"
"Wasn't the Mengdie auctioned last time a fake? She claims this one is real, so there must be a difference."
"What does a true Mengdie look like? They say it's incredibly dreamlike and can grant eternal life and youth, but such spirit beasts must be difficult to capture."
"I don't believe it's real, it's definitely fake. Who has ever seen a Mengdie in this world? It's most likely a fraud."
"I think it's fake too. They're probably trying to pass off some ordinary butterfly as the real thing. This has happened before, and anyone caught trying to cheat here would be kicked out."
"Hurry up and lift the cloth, let's see if it's real!"
Because Qi Yu refused to lift the white cloth, the discussion below grew louder, and the entire auction hall became noisy.
Qi Yu was waiting.
Only when their anticipation reached its peak did she suddenly yank off the white cloth.
Upon seeing what was covered by the cloth, everyone was stunned. The clamor in the hall instantly subsided, replaced by gasps of astonishment.
"What... what kind of butterfly is this? It doesn't look like one. If it's a butterfly, it's too big, and its antennae don't look quite right. What kind of spirit beast is this?"
"This must be the Mengdie! The color is absolutely stunning. I've never seen such a beautiful blue."
People pointed at the cage, discussing animatedly.
Qi Yu didn't start the bidding immediately. Instead, she asked the audience in a gentle tone, "This is the Mengdie. However, before we begin, I want to verify its authenticity for everyone. Is there anyone willing to come up on stage to help me prove this?"
She asked this question with a soft, pleasant voice.
The crowd below looked hesitant. Some wanted to go up and try, but were pulled back by their companions. "Why go up? What if this Mengdie is fake and dangerous? What if it's poisonous? It looks so beautiful, just like a mushroom. Anything that looks good is never trouble-free."
"Exactly, what if this thing is poisonous? Look at this blue, I've never seen anything like it, even prettier than the blue on my wife's clothes."
Hearing this, others nodded in agreement.
No one dared to go on stage.
Qi Yu wasn't in a hurry. Since no one was willing to help, she took out a dagger and made a cut on her own hand.
Crimson blood dripped down her hand.
The hall erupted in exclamations.
Si Qing looked at Qi Yu with surprise, seemingly not understanding why she was doing this.
But after cutting her hand, Qi Yu slowly brought it closer to the cage.
The Mengdie inside fluttered over and landed on Qi Yu's wound.
Soon, the wound began to heal at a visible rate.
The audience below immediately became excited.
Si Qing's expression shifted from confusion to sudden realization, and then to speechlessness.
This trick might fool the fools in the audience, but it wouldn't fool them.
The wound healing wasn't due to the Mengdie's help; it was Qi Yu healing herself with her divine power.
Qi Yu was now essentially attributing the credit for her self-healing wound to the Mengdie...
With this, how could anyone not be thrilled? The crowd below, seeing how beautiful and dreamlike the Mengdie looked, and possessing such a healing aura, were now about eighty percent convinced and were starting to go wild.
Qi Yu felt the timing was right. She then raised the plaque in her hand, "Starting bid, 100,000 gold coins."
"Five hundred thousand gold coins!"
"Five hundred and fifty thousand!"
"Six hundred and fifty thousand!"
"Eight hundred thousand!"
Qi Yu listened to the bids rising one after another, her expression calm. She smiled slightly and took out a Klein blue, giant butterfly pupa from her sleeve, placing it in her palm. "This is a Mengdie egg. If you win the bid, it will be included as a gift."
Upon hearing this, the crowd became even more fervent.
The bids, which had been in the hundreds of thousands, suddenly jumped to 2 million, and finally settled around 8 million.
"8.2 million gold coins!"
"8.5 million gold coins!"
No one bid further.
Qi Yu repeated "8.5 million gold coins" three times, finally bringing the hammer down.
The one who bid 8.5 million gold coins for the Mengdie was the owner behind the auction house.
Once the price was settled, people immediately brought out several boxes of gold coins to complete the transaction with Qi Yu.
Qi Yu received the money with one hand and handed over the goods with the other.
After giving the butterfly pupa and the cage to the buyer, she and the others each took a box and left.
They didn't stop until they were far away, then they used the power of the formation to return to the beach where they had been before.
"8.5 million gold coins is more than enough to solve all our problems." Back on the beach, Qi Yu lightly patted the stacked boxes and said to the others, "Everyone, take the gold coins according to your needs. First, ensure you meet the requirements to leave the secret realm. We'll use the remaining gold for other purposes."
Sui You nodded and helped Xiao Chang Ge transfer one million gold coins into her bamboo token. After seeing that Xiao Chang Ge had met the condition to leave the secret realm, he began to sort out his own share.
Si Qing looked at Qi Yu with confusion, "Sister, what do you plan to do with the remaining millions?"