Cheng Wei’s face darkened. He neither raised the bid nor refused to raise it. Instead, he asked, “Auctioneer, what happens if someone wins the bid but can’t pay up?”
“Well, according to the rules of Five Treasures Hall, their Dantian will be destroyed, their legs broken, and they’ll be thrown out of the hall, never to step foot inside again.”
The old man stroked his beard as he answered.
“Good. I suspect the person bidding against me doesn’t have the money and is just maliciously competing.”
Cheng Wei snorted coldly.
“Young Master Cheng, please be patient. I will verify this immediately,” the old man said, walking over to Terra Su and politely asking, “Young Master, Young Master Cheng has raised a concern that you might be maliciously raising the bid without the means to pay. To avoid unnecessary trouble, could you please provide proof of your assets?”
In fact, some auctions do require bidders to provide proof of assets to prevent malicious competition and waste of resources. So, the old man’s request wasn’t unreasonable.
“What is this? Just because someone named Cheng says so, it must be true? Let me tell you, if Brother Dust says he has the money, then he has the money. There’s no need for you to verify!” Gu Qianxue said angrily. To her, the old man’s request was a great offense.
Besides, it’s just fifty thousand taels of silver. If worse comes to worst, she could help Brother Dust cover it… Hmm, Gu Qianxue thought, her pocket money might not be enough, but with her sister’s help, it should be more than sufficient.
Seeing Gu Qianxue’s expression, Gu Qianyin knew what her sister was thinking. She couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated, thinking, “Silly girl, does your Brother Dust need you to give him money? He’s quite capable.”
The other guests were all surprised to see Gu Qianxue defending Terra Su so fiercely. They wondered where Terra Su had found such a cute little girl who called him Brother Dust. If Gu Qianxue were a few years older, their surprise would likely turn to jealousy.
The old man coughed lightly and smiled, “Miss, we at Five Treasures Hall just need this Young Master to provide proof of assets. It’s our rule that if a competing bidder requests it, we must verify the proof. Please cooperate.”
“You people are unbelievable! I said there’s no need to verify, so there’s no need. Don’t you understand human language?” Gu Qianxue’s temper flared, and she stood with her hands on her hips, refusing to back down.
The old man smiled wryly, “Miss, if you don’t cooperate, I will have to ask you to leave the auction. It’s the rule of Five Treasures Hall. I hope you understand.”
“You…”
Gu Qianxue’s eyes widened in disbelief. She hadn’t expected the old man to insist on verification despite her words.
To the others, Gu Qianxue’s reaction seemed like a guilty conscience, reinforcing their suspicion that Terra Su didn’t have the money.
“Xue’er, it’s fine. Step aside,” Terra Su said calmly.
“Oh.” Gu Qianxue obediently stepped aside.
“You want proof of assets?” Terra Su looked at the old man and asked.
The old man nodded, still smiling, “Yes, it’s the rule of Five Treasures Hall. I hope you will cooperate.”
Not far away, Cheng Wei sneered. He didn’t believe Terra Su could produce fifty thousand taels of silver. How could a mere boy from Clear River City compete with him? He intended to teach Terra Su an unforgettable lesson.
All eyes were on Terra Su, waiting to see how he would handle the situation.
Terra Su remained unperturbed. He took a small object wrapped in black cloth from his pocket and handed it to the old man, saying, “Give this to Tao Jin, the person in charge of this auction. He will understand.”
The old man was surprised that Terra Su knew Tao Jin’s name. He took the object and quickly walked backstage.
In the back, Tao Jin was sipping tea when the auctioneer hurried in. “What’s the matter? Is there a problem with the auction?” Tao Jin asked.
“No,” the old man shook his head, “It’s just that during the bidding for the Fire Spirit Stone, one bidder requested verification of another bidder’s financial capability.”
“Oh, that’s common. You can handle it yourself. No need to report to me,” Tao Jin said dismissively.
“But the bidder being verified didn’t provide proof of assets. Instead, he gave me this and said you would understand,” the old man handed over the black cloth-wrapped object.
“What do you mean?” Tao Jin looked puzzled.
He unwrapped the cloth and his expression changed slightly.
“Who is the bidder who provided this?” Tao Jin asked immediately.
“A young man, about fifteen or sixteen, seems to be from Clear River City,” the old man replied.
A young man?
Tao Jin was puzzled. Wasn’t it supposed to be Master Dust?
But the item wrapped in the cloth was undoubtedly the token for consigning the Purple Flame Elixir, a unique token of Five Treasures Hall that couldn’t be faked.
Could the young man be related to Master Dust?
“What’s the young man’s name?” Tao Jin asked.
“His name is Terra Su,” the old man replied.
“Terra Su,” Tao Jin memorized the name and quickly instructed the old man, “Announce that I have verified the young man’s financial capability. He can indeed produce over fifty thousand taels of silver. Moreover, even if he doesn’t have a single copper coin on him, Five Treasures Hall is willing to extend him a credit line of at least one hundred thousand taels.”
“This…”
The old man gasped, “A credit line of one hundred thousand taels? Master Tao, are you sure?”
A credit line of one hundred thousand taels? Wasn’t that too exaggerated? What made this young man so special to warrant such a high credit line from Five Treasures Hall?
“Just do as I say. Hurry!” Tao Jin ordered. Anyone who could produce Master Dust’s token must have a close relationship with Master Dust and couldn’t be neglected.
“Understood.”
The old man hurried back to the auction hall.
All eyes were on the old man as he returned. Cheng Wei sneered, “Auctioneer, have you verified it? Don’t forget what you said earlier. If he can’t prove his financial capability, his cultivation will be destroyed, and he’ll be thrown out.”
The old man glanced solemnly at Cheng Wei before announcing, “Ladies and gentlemen, Young Master Su’s financial capability has been verified by our auction’s head, Master Tao. It has been confirmed that Young Master Su can indeed produce over fifty thousand taels of silver. Moreover, even if Young Master Su doesn’t have any silver on him, Five Treasures Hall is willing to extend him a credit line of at least one hundred thousand taels. So, Young Master Su can bid with confidence.”
Pfft…
As the old man’s words fell, many in the hall spat out their tea in disbelief.
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