The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Two bunny girls carried a cage, draped in red cloth, onto the stage!

Yunxing, without any preamble, pulled off the red cloth. Inside the cage was a small, snow-white fox. It was adorably tiny, its fur soft and lustrous, making one want to scoop it up for a hug. What's more, the fox had two tails, a clear sign of its uncommon nature.

Yunxing announced loudly, "Our first item up for auction is a juvenile Spirit Fox! This little one is far from ordinary. Though barely a month old, it already has the ability to breathe fire and spit water!"

As she spoke, Yunxing donned a glove and teased the young fox. The little creature immediately bristled, putting on a fierce display as it spat out a flicker of fire. The flame was as weak as one from a lighter, but the demonstration of this ability drew gasps from the entire hall.

The fox seemed exhausted after its effort. Seeing that the flame had done no harm to Yunxing, it lay back down. It was clear they wouldn't be seeing it spit water now, but that hardly dampened the crowd's enthusiasm.

Yunxing removed her glove and continued her introduction. "This fox is extremely young and has enormous potential. With proper care, it can be made to recognize a master. Once fully grown, it will be a companion on par with an Inner Realm expert! Look at its two tails—the seller even claims it's a Nine-tailed Fox cub. While we cannot verify this, its value is plain for all to see. The starting bid is ten million, with minimum increments of one million. Let the bidding begin!"

In their private room, Xiaoyu's eyes lit up the moment she saw the fox. She couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so cute! I want it so badly!" But her excitement instantly deflated when she heard the price. Ten million was not something a simple wage-earner like her could afford—and that was just the starting bid.

Li Huiran felt a stir of interest as well. She picked up the Celestial Measuring Ruler, which was wrapped in black brocade, and asked, "Grandma Qian Ruo, what do you make of this fox?"

Qian Ruo replied, "It's an Ice and Fire Yin Yang Fox cub. In its adult form, its power can reach the Profound Pill realm. Taming it into a spirit beast wouldn't be a bad idea, but it's completely useless to you. Without a Beast Taming Technique, it will take this fox at least two hundred years to mature. By that time, your grave will have been trampled flat. What would you even do with it!"

Li Huiran nodded. She had only been drawn to how cute the fox was. The thought of spending close to a hundred million on it, even with her considerable wealth, still made her wince.

Meanwhile, the price in the main hall had already climbed to fifty-seven million. The bidding was still fierce, with one call coming right after another...

"Eighty-six million!"

"Eighty-seven million!"

"One hundred million!" A voice dripping with arrogance rang out from private room number seven.

The main hall immediately erupted in whispers.

"Isn't private room seven the Luo Family from Qianzhou?"

"Yes, the Luo Family always takes that room. And that's definitely the voice of Eldest Young Master Luo!"

"Forget it. I can't afford to cross the Luo Family. I'm out."

"I heard the head of the Luo Family was cured of his illness by that miraculous red light in Jiangzhou. They've been unbearably arrogant ever since. I'm not bidding against them either!"

On stage, Yunxing showed a flicker of displeasure, but she still picked up her gavel, struck it once, and called out, "The honored guest in room seven bids one hundred million! Going once! Is there a higher bid?"

"Going twice!"

Just then, a clear, sweet female voice came from private room number eight: "One hundred and twenty million!"

The occupant of room seven immediately roared, "Cai Feiyu, you just have to fight me for it, don't you!"

"It's such a cute fox, what's wrong with a girl like me wanting it? You, on the other hand, Eldest Young Master Luo... with your... peculiar looks, holding this fox would be quite the clash of aesthetics, don't you think?"

Murong Qing couldn't help but giggle. "That's definitely Luo Hua's voice. The woman in room eight is bold, I'll give her that. Isn't she afraid the Luo Family will come after her?"

Li Huiran responded, "That Cai Feiyu must be from the Qianzhou Cai Family. It's no secret that the Cai Family and Luo Family don't get along in Qianzhou. But from the way she's speaking, it seems she's intentionally trying to provoke Luo Hua."

After the declaration from room eight, the auction hall fell silent. On stage, Yunxing had no choice but to raise her gavel and strike it. "The honored guest in room eight bids one hundred and twenty million, going once! Is there a higher bid?" 'Letting the atmosphere turn this cold is a failure on my part,' she thought.

All eyes were on private room number seven, but it remained silent, offering no response.

"One hundred and twenty million, going twice!"

"One hundred and twenty million, going three times! Sold! Congratulations to our honored guest in room eight for winning the Spirit Fox cub! And now, let's bring out our next auction item!"

On stage, Yunxing tried to regain her rhythm. While the final price for the Spirit Fox was close to what she'd expected, the atmosphere in the hall wasn't nearly as fervent as she had hoped.

Another bunny girl brought up a long, wooden case. This time, Yunxing didn't try to build suspense and opened it directly. Inside was a red umbrella.

Yunxing began her introduction with a solemn tone. "This umbrella is called the Floating Cloud Umbrella. It is a Divine Artifact that has only recently made its way here from overseas."

Upon hearing the two words "Divine Artifact," the room erupted like a pot of boiling water.

"It's actually a Divine Artifact!"

"Incredible! The Qi Yun Auction is bringing out a Divine Artifact as only the second item!"

"What a beautiful umbrella. I am determined to have it!"

"Get lost, you old coot! This little red umbrella is a much better match for a Fairy like me!"

Yunxing had to bang her gavel to quiet the crowd. "The umbrella is three feet long," she continued. "Its canopy is red and features an embroidered pattern of flowing clouds, which is how it got its name. The material of the canopy is unknown, but it is impervious to blades and invulnerable to both fire and water."

As she spoke, Yunxing opened the red umbrella. A bunny girl at her side handed her a sharp sword. Yunxing took it, holding the sword in one hand and the umbrella in the other, and brought the blade down hard on the canopy. A shower of sparks flew, but the umbrella's surface was completely unscathed, without so much as a scratch.

The crowd gasped in shock. Yunxing had infused that strike with True Qi at the level of a Grandmaster, yet the umbrella remained undamaged. It was clear the material of this red umbrella was anything but ordinary.