Stranger Danger

Chapter 622: I’m Not A Shill!

Was Ye Qing tempted? He would be lying if he said he wasn’t, but no, he didn’t succumb to the temptation.

Ye Qing knew very well that, even if the Wenliang Pearl truly possessed the mysterious power to transform an ordinary person into a dragon among men, it was ultimately just an item. In the end, it was up to the person to weave their own destiny.

He did not believe for a second that Wenliang, Wen Qianqiu, Tang Jingcai, Li Hentian and more’s achievements were solely thanks to the Wenliang Pearl. They had to be once-in-a-century geniuses in their own right, or else why was there only one Wenliang, one Wen Qianqiu, and one Dark Overlord for thousands of years?

If the Wenliang Pearl really was that miraculous, then there would be Dark Overlords and Sages everywhere already.

Besides, this was assuming that the Wenliang Pearl really did possess the mysterious power the legends claimed it had. If it didn’t, then what was the point?

In conclusion, Ye Qing was going to try to bid for it, but he certainly wasn’t going to wallow in abject misery and despair if he failed.

Despite the crowd’s eagerness, the Treasure Appreciation Auction continued in an organized fashion. By now, the bid price had risen to three thousand pearls or 1.5 million silver.

It was also around this time the number of bidders began to drop drastically. It was 1.5 million silver. To most people, that was a sum they might never earn in a lifetime.

“Three thousand and five hundred...”

It was at this moment Amorous Mother’s seductive voice entered the fray. “You’re all manly men. Surely you wouldn’t compete against a weak woman like me, right?”

“Cough, cough... I’m a gravely ill man with not much time to live, and I finally found something that might be able to stave off the inevitable. A manly man I may be, how can I give up this opportunity without a fight? Apologies, sister...”

Weak Old Man coughed twice before announcing, “Four thousand pearls.”

“If you’re sick, then you should take medicine. How on earth could the Wenliang Pearl help you? I heard that the Treasure Appreciation Auction would be auctioning a Root of Health that could treat all kinds of ailments. Rather than wasting your silver on the Wenliang Pearl, shouldn’t you be focusing your attention on what you truly need?” Ancestor Greenwood scoffed while fanning himself.

“Cough, cough... You say as if you don’t have one foot in the grave yourself. You might look young, but everyone knows that you’re nearing the end of your lifespan. The Wenliang Pearl is a waste in your hands as well.”

Weak Old Man said slowly, “Oh, right. I heard that the Treasure Appreciation Auction would be auctioning a Taisui Flesh that can extend one’s lifespan. I’m sure that is what you came for. If you spent all your silver on the Wenliang Pearl, how can you bid for the Taisui Flesh? It is unwise to pick up a sesame seed and drop a watermelon[1], you know?”

“Hmph! I’m rich, so what do you care? Four thousand and five hundred pearls!” Ancestor Greenwood got embarrassed and angry that his secret was revealed in public.

“Cough cough... unfortunately for you, I’ve saved up quite the sum of discretionary income throughout the years myself...” Weak Old Man declared, “Five thousand.”

“Five thousand eight hundred pearls!”

“Six thousand.”

The two men should be using the Psychic Gold Koi to announce their bid, but they didn’t. Xi Duoduo didn’t try to stop them either. The Psychic Gold Koi was just a safer, more reliable way to make a bid, and it was up to his customers whether they wanted to use it. If anything, he loved it when his customers dropped his guard and gave him opportunities to exploit.

Amorous Mother, Red Calabash Celestial and more tried to compete for a bit, but they all gave up after a while. The bidding price had grown too much to bear. In the end, only Ancestor Greenwood and Weak Old Man were still bidding against each other.

“Nine thousand pearls...”

When Ancestor Greenwood gritted his teeth and declared the price, Weak Old Man shook a little. A moment of silence later, he decided to let it stretch forever.

“Nine thousand pearls... is there anyone else?”

Seeing this, Xi Duoduo started fanning the flames. “This is the Wenliang Pearl. If you miss it, you might never get the chance to become a dragon among men like Wenliang, Wen Qianqiu, the Dark Overlord and more.”

“Are you sure you want to give up?”

“Can you afford to surrender this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to another person?”

“Who knows, maybe a slightly bigger bid—just a little—is the last straw you need to break the camel’s back. Maybe you can be the one with the Wenliang Pearl. What are you waiting for?”

“Oh! The hero has answered! The hero has answered the call! And their bid is... is...”

Xi Duoduo was overjoyed when he saw a new bid, but his smile quickly froze on his face. “... Nine thousand and one pearl. Is there anyone else?”

“Nine thousand and one hundred.” Ancestor Greenwood narrowed his eyes and squeezed out the words.

“Ancestor Greenwood ups the bid with nine thousand and one hundred pearls. Would you like to beat that number, customer? Yes, I’m talking to you, my dear customer who bid earlier. You just need to up the bid by a single pearl again, and the Wenliang Pearl could be yours, you know?” Xi Duoduo ignored Ancestor Greenwood’s icy expression and said.

“Oh, here it comes! Let’s see... it’s nine thousand, one hundred and ONE PEARL! I knew they would answer my call!” Xi Duoduo’s grin widened.

“The current bid is now nine thousand, one hundred and one pearls! Is there anyone who would like to beat that number?”

He said “anyone”, but his eyes were firmly fixed on Ancestor Greenwood. Who else but the money bag with more money than sense was going to spend more money on the Wenliang Pearl?

“Nine thousand and five hundred.”

By now, Ancestor Greenwood was past caring about his appearances. A black storm brewing on his face, he snarled, “I’ll just say this right now. I want this pearl, and I’m going to get it. If you test my patience again, I will not take this lying down any longer!”

It sounded like he was warning the other bidders, but he was staring straight at Xi Duoduo as he said this. It was because he suspected that the bastard who kept upping the bid by one pearl was done by Xi Duoduo’s shill.

After all, what kind of idiot would up the bid by exactly one pearl per bid if they really wanted the Wenliang Pearl? Did they think this was a game?

Xi Duoduo understood Ancestor Greenwood’s meaning, of course. For the first time, he dropped his smile and said with complete seriousness, “Ahem... I must clarify this, but whoever is bidding against you, they are not my shill. We value impartialness and fairness above all else in our Treasure Appreciation Auction, and we would never try to scam our customers.”

“Hmph!”

Everyone scoffed at his declaration, of course. Everyone, except Ye Qing.

And why was that? Because he was the bidder who kept upping the bid with a single pearl. Naturally, he knew better than anyone that he was no shill.

His total wealth amounted to a little over four million silver only, and one pearl was equal to five hundred silver. That was why he had no choice but to up the bid by one pearl each time.

He was just trying to get lucky. He knew full well that the chances of him winning the bid was extremely low, but what if?

Who hadn’t enjoyed a bowl of jiaozi during the New Year[2]?

Alas, Ancestor Greenwood’s final declaration extinguished that hope completely. No, he wasn’t afraid of offending the pervert old man who was pretending to be young. He simply did not have the money to outbid nine thousand and five hundred pearls.

“Nine thousand and five hundred pearls, people! Is there anyone else?”

Xi Duoduo declared and waited for a moment, but this time, the shit stirrer did not stir up the shit any longer. Left with no choice, he finally launched into the end speech, “Nine thousand and five hundred pearls once... nine thousand and five hundred pearls twice... one thousand and five hundred pearls thrice... and done. Congratulations to Ancestor Greenwood for winning the Wenliang Pearl! Congratulations!”

Even as he said this, Xi Duoduo couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret. Had that shit stirrer hung on just a little longer, he might have been able to squeeze ten thousand pearls out of Ancestor Greenwood. That was five million silver!

Ye “Shit Stirrer” Qing wanted to protest his innocence when he sensed Xi Duoduo’s regret. I’m not a shill! I’m not!

1. Meaning focusing on the trivial and neglecting what’s truly important. The English equivalent is penny wise and pound foolish, but obviously I can’t use that here. ☜

2. Meaning that even the unluckiest person in the world can get lucky once in a while. ☜