Chapter Thirty-Five: The Auction Begins

Old Master Tang stood by the staircase, his hands clasped behind his back, surveying the entire assembly with a solemn gaze. He resembled a lion king perched upon a precipice, surveying his domain—silent, dignified, awe-inspiring without a hint of anger. Step by step, Old Master Tang descended the stairs, his eyes sweeping over the crowd that surrounded Lin Feng with provocation, yet he said nothing more, simply casting a quiet, commanding glance across the hall.

The moment these people saw Old Master Tang emerge, none dared utter another word. Each became as silent as if facing death itself. Liu Jian and Wang Jie, already fearful of Lin Feng, had initially thought him nothing but a country bumpkin with some fighting skills, a mere pretty face. Now, to their astonishment, even Old Master Tang had stepped forward on his behalf!

"Could Lin Feng really have such powerful connections?" Liu Jian shuddered in terror, spilling red wine all over his lap. Feng Jing was so startled her false eyelashes nearly fell off, and she didn’t even notice the cigarette slip from her fingers to the floor. Wang Lili and Yu Lin were even more frightened, letting out sharp cries, covering their mouths and noses, and casting Lin Feng a gaze that had changed entirely. Anyone who commanded such deference from Old Master Tang was clearly not someone they could afford to offend.

The entire hall was plunged into silence, Old Master Tang radiating authority without anger. His voice, raspy yet commanding, rang out: "Enough. I will handle this matter myself. All of you, disperse!"

With a wave of his hand, Old Master Tang dismissed the crowd. No one in the hall dared concern themselves with Qin Chao’s fate any longer; all fell mute and quietly dispersed. Long Yaoyang glared with venomous resentment—after all his scheming tonight, he had failed to harm Lin Feng even in the slightest. Now, with even Old Master Tang siding with his rival, his efforts tonight had come to naught.

"Xiaoyun, take Qin Chao and the bodyguard away for proper medical care. The auction in the outer hall will begin immediately; as for the inner hall, it will open in an hour."

"Mr. Lin, please feel free to browse the outer hall. I will have someone invite you into the inner hall in an hour. I trust you won’t mind the wait."

"You’re too kind, Old Master Tang. It’s no trouble for me to wait a little longer," Lin Feng replied calmly. Now, not a single person in the hall dared look down upon Lin Feng. After all, if even the most powerful figure in Binhai City, Old Master Tang, treated Lin Feng with such respect, then whatever his past might have been, here in Binhai, with Tang’s support, not even the heavens could stop him!

Tang Yunyun bid Lin Feng farewell and departed with the injured. Lin Feng, accompanied by Li Yating, made his way toward the auction hall.

...

Stepping into the exhibition area, they were greeted by famous paintings adorning the walls and treasures sealed within glass cases. Each display case was equipped with a tablet computer; by entering the password from their invitation, guests could log in and place anonymous bids. The entire auction would proceed in this paperless, anonymous manner, with the highest bidder ultimately claiming the prize.

Upon arriving at the exhibition area and presenting his invitation, Lin Feng was approached by a middle-aged man in a black tailcoat, who greeted him respectfully: "Good evening. As a VIP guest, you will enjoy personal accompaniment throughout the event. I am your guide, Tang Ke. May I ask which category of auction items you are most interested in?"

"Are there any spiritual artifacts here?"

"Spiritual artifacts?" Tang Ke frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "Those are the Tang family’s most prized possessions, each extremely precious, starting at over a hundred million. Where did this man, dressed in such cheap clothes, get a VIP invitation? His attire alone suggests he couldn’t possibly afford such prices. Is he just here to show off?"

He replied, "Sir, the spiritual artifacts are among the most valuable items tonight and are extremely expensive. Perhaps you’d like to start with something else?"

Tang Ke, making assumptions, didn’t believe for a moment that Lin Feng could afford a spiritual artifact, and so tried to steer him toward more modest lots. Lin Feng merely shook his head and said calmly, "Don’t concern yourself with the price—just take me to see them."

"Well... very well," Tang Ke responded, though inwardly he was irritated. Though only a peripheral employee of the Tang family, he had long moved in elite circles and thought he’d seen it all—until Lin Feng, dressed so shabbily, showed up trying to impress. He couldn’t help but think disdainfully, "You penniless upstart, how could you possibly afford this? Could you really produce a hundred million? If you want to show off for your pretty companion, at least pick the right place! The Tang family’s auction is hardly the place for your games. What a shame for such a beautiful girl."

Lin Feng sensed Tang Ke’s contempt but said nothing. People who judge by appearances are not worth his attention.

The three of them strolled to a display case, inside which was a yellowed piece of paper, its edges damaged with age, yet the script upon it remained neat and clear. At first glance, one felt as if surrounded by an endless glow, a profound serenity blooming in the heart, as though the soul ascended Mount Ling to pay homage to the Buddha. Li Yating was instantly enthralled, unable to tear herself away.

Tang Ke interjected at the right moment, introducing the item with professional poise: "This is a hand-copied scripture, the Heart Sutra of Prajna Paramita, written character by character by the Tripitaka Master who journeyed to the West during the Tang Dynasty. Legend holds that reading this scripture can open one’s spiritual wisdom and inspire a pure heart—an unparalleled treasure. The starting price is three hundred million yuan."

Tang Ke had deliberately brought Lin Feng to one of the most expensive items, hoping to see him embarrassed. Li Yating covered her mouth in shock, exclaiming, "Three hundred million! And that’s just the starting bid! Lin Feng, this is far too expensive!"

"It’s nothing—don’t be so surprised," Lin Feng replied. "They call it a spiritual artifact, but it’s really just a scripture that, over centuries, has absorbed the faith of countless Buddhist devotees, giving rise to an aura of holiness. Remove that accumulated spiritual power, and it’s just an ordinary book."

As he spoke, Lin Feng waved his right hand lightly, erasing the power of faith from the paper.

"Yating, try reading it again."

"All right," Li Yating replied, and read the scripture once more. This time, the enthralling sensation was gone; it was just a convoluted passage, tedious and uninspiring.

"Erasing the power? Why not claim you’re a deity? This is the Tang family’s most mysterious treasure, and yet you..." Tang Ke sneered inwardly, convinced Lin Feng was bluffing.

But to his shock, Li Yating cried out, "It’s true, Lin Feng! The scripture really has become ordinary—there’s no magic left in it!"

"What a naive girl," Tang Ke thought, shaking his head. "So pretty, yet so easily fooled." He glanced at the scripture himself to test it and, reading a few lines, realized to his horror that the scripture truly had lost its spiritual power. Three hundred million, gone!

Once he confirmed the scripture’s transformation into a mundane item, Tang Ke’s shock turned instantly into fear. He had assumed Lin Feng was just a braggart, but who could have imagined that with a mere gesture, he could strip the spiritual essence from a priceless scripture, reducing it to worthless paper? Was this something any ordinary person could do? This was a being of another realm!

Looking at Lin Feng now, Tang Ke no longer dared show the slightest contempt; his legs nearly gave way, and he almost fell to his knees in awe. From that moment on, he became utterly respectful, abandoning all previous arrogance.

Lin Feng shot him a sharp glance, snorting inwardly. Of course he had noticed Tang Ke’s attitude; he had only revealed a fraction of his abilities to teach this snob a lesson.

"Sir, which item would you like to view next? I will take you there immediately," Tang Ke said, bowing deeply, his tone deferential.

"There must be more than one spiritual artifact here. Take me to see the others," Lin Feng instructed.

"Of course, right this way," Tang Ke replied.

...

Soon, they arrived at another display. Inside the case was a jade skull, exquisitely carved and so lifelike that merely gazing upon it evoked a sense of soul-sucking dread—it was disturbingly eerie.

"This is an item on consignment from Chuzhou—a jade skull. Legend has it that a Tibetan Buddhist monk, after glimpsing the torments of Avici Hell, spent ten years carving the scenes of hell into this jade. Strangely, the monk took his own life upon completing the carving. Since then, every owner of this jade skull has, without exception, died mysteriously within a year. It is revered among ascetic monks."

Lin Feng examined the jade skull closely, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled. "This is merely an ordinary piece of jade stained with blood, imbued with a wisp of resentment that has been strengthened over centuries. If I’m not mistaken, every owner of this skull has died a violent death, without exception, correct?"

Tang Ke was stunned, bowing even more reverently. "Sir, your insight is uncanny. Indeed, every owner has died a gruesome and mysterious death within a year."

"Let’s move on. It’s just a stone of resentment, hardly worthy of being called a spiritual artifact," Lin Feng said, waving his hand dismissively and turning to leave.

Just then, as Lin Feng was about to depart, a middle-aged man in a black traditional suit approached, scolding angrily, "Young man! Don’t pretend to understand what you do not. I don’t care about the quality of Binhai’s auction items, but if you dare disparage the spiritual artifacts of Chuzhou, beware that your words may bring trouble upon yourself!"