Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

Upon learning the truth of what had happened, Zhao Dong was flooded with a myriad of emotions. Knowing that Ding Lan had always loved him made him wish for nothing more than to take her into his arms. But I already have too many women in my life. After so many years, an indescribable gulf has formed between us. We shouldn't be together anymore. Zhao Dong understood this clearly.

Zhao Dong sighed. "It's getting late. I should be going."

Ding Lan wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and looked out the window, her voice faint. "Yes, I'd like to be alone for a while, too."

Ding Lan didn't look back at Zhao Dong, not even as the door clicked shut. At that moment, she didn't know how she could possibly face him.

After leaving the hotel, Zhao Dong was in a terribly gloomy mood. He wanted to find a place to have a few drinks, but then his phone rang. It was Su Yurou.

"Mr. Zhao, there's a huge auction in Provincial City today. Would you like to come and see?" Su Yurou's voice was respectful.

"An auction?" A glint of excitement flashed in Zhao Dong's eyes. "Will there be things like Spiritual Medicine?"

"There should be. This auction is a huge event, so all sorts of rare and curious treasures are likely to appear."

"Great! Send me the address. I'll head over right now."

After getting the address from Su Yurou, Zhao Dong hailed a cab and rushed over. Xu Yafei was taken away, and I was powerless to help. I'm desperate to improve my strength. Since there was an opportunity to obtain a supreme treasure, Zhao Dong naturally wouldn't refuse.

「Provincial City Convention and Exhibition Center.」

When Zhao Dong arrived, Su Yurou was already waiting for him at the entrance.

"Mr. Zhao!" Su Yurou's face flushed shyly as she ran to his side. "I really didn't expect you to agree to come," she exclaimed, pleasantly surprised.

"Of course, I had to come and see what all the excitement was about," Zhao Dong said calmly.

Just to see the excitement? An almost imperceptible flicker of disappointment crossed Su Yurou's eyes.

The two walked inside to a private room on the second floor. Given Su Yurou's high status, she naturally wouldn't be squeezing in with the common crowd.

Down in the first-floor hall, the auction on stage was already underway. A dense crowd sat below, buzzing with discussion about the treasures being presented.

Zhao Dong glanced around casually. Most of the treasures up for auction were antiques, paintings, and calligraphy. He had no interest in such things. What I need are treasures that can enhance my strength.

Su Yurou hadn't made a bid either; clearly, these items hadn't caught her eye.

After a dozen or so items had been auctioned off, Zhao Dong was already starting to doze off. Just then, the host brought out a black box. When it was opened, an unremarkable herb that looked like a broken piece of ginseng caught Zhao Dong's attention!

The host's tone was flat as he began his introduction. "The origin of this herb is unknown. It was acquired by chance by the consignor and is possibly a type of ginseng. The starting bid is 50,000."

The moment he finished speaking, the crowd erupted into a heated discussion.

"What is this thing? A broken piece of ginseng?"

"They dare to auction off a broken ginseng for a starting bid of 50,000? Do they take us for suckers?"

"This is hilarious! At this size, even an intact ginseng wouldn't be worth 50,000, would it?"

"Get it off the stage! Don't embarrass yourselves with this blatant ripoff!"

Following the outburst, people immediately began shouting for the host to take the item off the stage. The host looked embarrassed, but since it was already presented, he had to follow procedure.

In the second-floor private room, Su Yurou looked at Zhao Dong, embarrassed. "Mr. Zhao, I'm sure there will be better items later on. Please, don't be discouraged." I'm so embarrassed. I invited Mr. Zhao here to see some real treasures, but halfway through the auction, not only has there been nothing good, they even brought out this broken old herb! What if he gets angry and leaves? That would be a disaster!

But as Su Yurou finished speaking, she realized something was wrong. Zhao Dong was staring at the herb, his eyes filled with longing, and his breathing had become ragged with excitement!

Dragon Ginseng! It's actually Dragon Ginseng! This is a Spiritual Medicine that was thought to have been lost for a thousand years! Even though it's broken, if used properly, the residual medicinal power inside is an essential ingredient for refining Breakthrough Pills! This Dragon Ginseng is a supreme treasure that one might only see once in a century! I can't believe something this amazing would show up here!

The Breakthrough Pill, as its name implied, was used for breaking through major cultivation realms. Consuming one could increase the user's chance of success by thirty percent!

"100,000!" Recovering from his shock, Zhao Dong immediately raised his paddle.

Instantly, every eye in the room converged on him.

"What the hell! Who is that guy? Is he an idiot? Spending 100,000 on that piece of junk?"

"No, wait! Look who's next to him. Isn't that Miss Su?"

"Holy crap! It really is Miss Su! Don't tell me that guy is connected to her?"

"The Su Family is rich and powerful. 100,000 is nothing to them. They could buy it just to throw it away."

Beside him, Su Yurou was utterly puzzled. Just as she was about to ask Zhao Dong why he had bid, a discordant voice rang out from another private box!

"1,000,000!"

The crowd gasped collectively!

"One million? Who's this lunatic?"

"Damn! Is that... Miss Mo? It's Mo Qian from the first-rate Mo Family!"

"Miss Su and Miss Mo are arch-rivals. Is Miss Mo deliberately trying to cause trouble for the man with Miss Su?"

Su Yurou turned and saw Mo Qian staring at her with a smug expression.

Fury erupted in Su Yurou. "Mo Qian! Are you insane? Spending one million on this useless herb! Are you doing this just to spite me?"

Mo Qian shot Su Yurou a dismissive glance. "Are *you* the one who's insane? Sure, I'm against you, but why would I waste my own money to do it?"