The Master Descends the Mountain: My Destined CEO

The manager's hand trembled in utter disbelief. "One million?"

'This much for a single pill?'

Never mind South City's wealthy population; you wouldn't see a price like this even in a major metropolis like the Imperial City!

But thinking of the Ma Family's fate, his lips twitched. He didn't dare to object, much less make any snide remarks.

"Sir, this price is a bit steep. It might not sell, but rest assured, I'll help promote it."

"That won't be necessary."

Xiao Ye refused coolly. "Whoever is fated to have it will get it. Just hurry up and have the others bring out their auction items."

He wanted to see if there was anything of interest.

The items currently on display were simply beneath his notice.

"Yes..."

Soon, more items began to fill the display cases, and a crowd gathered to watch the excitement.

Xiao Ye took a lap around the room and noticed an item in a side display case.

It was a very unassuming porcelain vase, but he recognized it. It belonged to the Xue Family, a renowned family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

The Xue Family was based in the Imperial City. Though their influence had waned, they were a true scholarly family with an incredibly powerful network of contacts. They were not to be trifled with.

The Xue Family ran their own pharmaceutical company and rarely let medicine like this out into the world.

'Could it be... someone from the Xue Family is here?'

Xiao Ye waved Assistant Huo over. "Go and ask who put this vase here."

"Okay."

A moment later, the manager himself hurried over.

He didn't dare cross Xiao Ye in the slightest now. "Sir," he said cautiously, "this... I'm not sure whose it is."

"It wasn't brought by one of the regular guests. It was a very ordinary-looking man who just said his master brought it."

"I thought someone was just trying to pad out the auction with a worthless item, so I didn't pay it any mind."

Not everyone came to these auctions to actually trade items; it was mainly about networking.

So, every year, people brought junk to fill out the displays. It was no big deal.

Xiao Ye nodded. "I see."

'It seems they're trying to hide their identity,' he thought.

He was quite interested in the Xue Family. He recalled his Master once mentioning an old man from the Xue Family whose mastery of traditional Chinese medicine was profound.

"I'll take this. One million."

Assistant Huo immediately stepped forward and entered the price.

The manager standing beside them frowned, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

'He really is loaded. Spending a million on a battered old vase containing a black pill that doesn't even have a medicinal scent.'

'Whatever. Better to keep my mouth shut.'

After entering the price, Xiao Ye didn't linger and moved on to look at the other items.

The manager hurried off to tend to the other guests.

Someone saw the price tag under the porcelain vase and gasped, immediately calling others over to gawk.

"A million for this piece of junk? Who bid that?"

"No idea. But I already asked around. It's just some worthless pill."

"Probably so old it's lost its scent. Whoever buys it is a fool!"

Assistant Huo overheard their chatter and was about to say something, but Xiao Ye stopped him. "Pay them no mind. They're just a bunch of provincials who've never seen the world."

'Not even recognizing an item from the Xue Family... It just shows how little they know.'

Aside from the porcelain vase, nothing else caught Xiao Ye's interest.

Once he confirmed the item was his, he turned to leave with Assistant Huo.

Meanwhile, Chu Yan had finished up her company business and was waiting at the entrance.

Dressed in a business suit, she looked incredibly sharp. "That Ma Xinyue from the Ma Family is really something else."

"I thought I'd have to step in and solve her problems, but I can't believe she handled everything in just a day."

"She's very clever. She's already teamed up with the other board members to oust the Ma Family's people from their high-level positions, letting the other directors' appointees take their place."

The Ma Family's company was a tangled web. Besides their own family, there were two other major shareholders.

The Ma Family practiced blatant nepotism, giving these two shareholders no opportunity to get ahead.

To gain enough support, Ma Xinyue simply brought these two into her corner.

But while this move ousted the Ma Family, it also meant she would now have to deal with these two shareholders.

It was a classic case of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. It remained to be seen how she would handle it.

Xiao Ye nodded. "You can teach her a few things when the time is right, but don't help too much. Let her grow on her own."

Chu Yan, of course, couldn't refuse. "Now that the auction is over, are you heading back?"

"Yeah. I've been away for three days. The one at home is probably starting to miss me."

The unintentional tenderness in Xiao Ye's eyes made Chu Yan's heart ache.

But she didn't dare say anything, doing her best to make him stay.

"Are you sure you can't stay a few more days? The Ma Family situation isn't fully resolved yet, after all."

"No, I'm going straight back to Jiangcheng," Xiao Ye said, shaking his head.

Chu Yan swallowed the bitter feeling in her heart. "Alright. I'll have someone drive you back."

'No matter how hard I try, he never sees me...'

'Is there really no hope for me?'

The car started, roaring down the road.

But nothing could stop the ache in Chu Yan's heart.

She glanced at the rearview mirror, secretly watching Xiao Ye in the back seat, the corners of her eyes turning red.

'I'm not so bad, either!'

'Why can't he see what's good about me!'

Just then, the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes.

The car screeched to a halt, and Chu Yan lurched forward, nearly hitting the windshield.

The sudden stop infuriated her. "What's going on?!" she snapped.

She quickly glanced back at Xiao Ye. Seeing he was fine, she breathed a small sigh of relief.

The driver explained hurriedly, "A car cut us off! We almost hit it."

Chu Yan sensed they had bad intentions. "I'll go take a look."

Xiao Ye didn't get out of the car. Instead, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Lin Chuyue, telling her he'd be back soon and not to miss him too much.

Two people got out of the car in front of them.

One was a man in his twenties, fiddling with a string of Buddha Beads.

The smooth, perfectly round Buddha Beads were made of high-quality amber, so polished they gleamed. They were of the finest quality and carried the distinct scent of temple incense.

His attitude was utterly arrogant. Though it was a request, his tone made it sound like a handout. "I hear you have Lingxiao Daoist's jade token. Hand it over."

Chu Yan scoffed. "We don't."

The man's face darkened instantly. "Isn't your Chu Family planning to expand into North City? Hand over the token, and I'll make things convenient for you."

Chu Yan's answer was the same. "We don't have it. Good dogs know not to block the path. Scram!"

"So you want to do this the hard way. Fine! Don't blame me for being rude!"

"Go! Grab the jade token from them!"

They were outnumbered. In the blink of an eye, the men swarmed the car.

With just her and Assistant Huo, they were completely outmatched.

A burly man yanked open the car door and reached for Xiao Ye. "Get out here, kid!"

Xiao Ye's gaze was glacial. He sent the man flying with a single kick and, to the sound of his pained scream, stepped arrogantly out of the car.

The Daoist Robe he wore swayed with his movement, giving him the transcendent air of an immortal.

The moment Chu Yan saw Xiao Ye move, she knew it was over.

'These idiots are no match for Xiao Ye. They're just asking for a death wish!'