Chapter 09: A Small Fortune

"Brother Xiao, please do not stand on ceremony. Since we have offered it, how can we possibly take it back?" Du Lengning insisted, "It is only right that Xiao Xiangzi accepts it."

That fellow still refused to get up, eager to enjoy a little longer. While bargaining with Luo Qian, he took the opportunity to savor the moment again. Only then did he reluctantly stand up, smacked his lips, and said: "Old Luo, this is a good item, I’m going to take it!" Luo Qian chuckled and replied: "Next..."

Luo Qian smiled mysteriously: "Rest assured, I have my own clever plan. Just follow me..."

Transaction completed. I will notify you as soon as I have it ready

Even celestial bodies can experience "overwork damage"; after all, they are not machines. Although they are much more resilient than human bodies, they are still biological entities. Immortals often meditate for several days at a time; who among them does not have a bit of a "work-related ailment"?

Luo Qian chuckled to himself, realizing that his carrot-and-stick policy was taking effect

After six days of effort, Luo Qian and Du Lengning refined ten crimson-yellow medicinal pills from three pounds of Yunying rice, and ten sea-blue medicinal pills from three pounds of Canghai millet. Du Lengning took them to Du Bo'an for appraisal. The crimson-yellow medicinal pills were still classified as top-grade spiritual pills, but their efficacy was nearly doubled compared to those made with Yuying rice. Meanwhile, the sea-blue medicinal pills had already reached the standard of low-grade precious pills.

However, everyone understands that this is merely a "warm-up," an appetizer before the main course, and no one is in a hurry

Luo Qian chuckled and took out the third auction item: "Hello everyone, this item happens to address the question raised by that gentleman just now. Hehe, I originally intended to take this opportunity to announce the birth of this item, but since someone has brought it up, I will auction it as well."

Luo Qian was invited by Ling Xiaose into the adjacent room. After the auction concluded and Ling Xiaose had settled the financial transactions, he pulled Luo Qian into that room

However, there were others whose determination surpassed his. In the back row of seats, someone raised a placard and calmly stated: "Thirty-five million." Although Du Lengning was also one of the "wealthy young masters," compared to these individuals, he felt like a well-behaved child from a distant family. When had he ever indulged in such extravagance?

A hand reached out from the doorway and pulled Luo Qian over: "Brother Luo." Lifting his hat, it turned out to be the reclusive Shao Lingxiao. Behind Lingxiao stood another person, completely wrapped in black clothing, appearing even more fearful of having their identity exposed than those present in the conference room.

The two once again arrived at Xiao Xiangzi's residence in Xiushuiya, presenting the box. Xiao Xiangzi was indeed moved: "This is a high-quality spiritual elixir— and it appears to be approaching the standard of a precious elixir. Such a valuable gift, how can I accept it?" Although he verbally expressed his reluctance, he showed no intention of returning the box. Luo Qian smiled inwardly, realizing that his guess was indeed correct; Xiao Xiangzi was well aware of the value of these ten spiritual elixirs, which could save him from ten failures in crafting.

The prices soared rapidly, soon surpassing the 50 million mark. The momentum of bidding showed no signs of slowing down, climbing all the way to 60 million, then 70 million, and eventually reaching the high price of 80 million. At this point, those without the financial means had already withdrawn from the competition. Only three individuals remained in the bidding, but the increments had lost their initial frenzy, now increasing by one million at a time. It seemed that everyone's financial capacity was quite similar; any higher would exceed their limits.

Unexpectedly, the trend of the auction greatly exceeded Du Lengning's expectations. As soon as Luo Qian's voice fell, the first participant raised the sign in his hand: "Twenty-five million!" Goodness, he increased the bid by five pieces of high-grade celestial jade in one go, clearly indicating that his last statement was not made lightly.

Du Lengning sat comfortably in the black massage chair, letting out soft moans of pleasure. Luo Qian impatiently urged him, "Hey, Du Shao, that's enough, I haven't had a chance to try this thing out yet. Hurry up and get up, let me have a go too." Du Lengning squinted his eyes and waved his hand dismissively, "Old Luo, this thing is yours anyway; you can use it whenever you want. Does it really matter if you wait a moment longer? Oh, my back! My father has been forcing me to practice all day, and sitting in meditation has made my lumbar spine feel like it's being pricked with needles..."

Du Lengning was pleasantly surprised, feeling that this time his "investment" was indeed the right decision

Luo Qian said again: "I have already sent invitations to all my clients, asking them to come to Busan Cave the day after tomorrow to participate in the auction of massage chairs. Think about it, do you know anyone over there who might be interested in this?" Du Lengning's eyes flickered, and with a sudden leap, he sprang up from the mountain of massage chairs: "I will notify everyone right away." He left in a hurry, creating a whirlwind as he exited the cave. Luo Qian quickly chased after him, loudly reminding: "Make sure to find someone reliable..." "Don't worry!"

Xiao Xiangzi, having taken the hand of another, softened his attitude considerably, retracting his displeased expression. With a pleasant demeanor, he inquired, "I wonder what brings you both here this time?" Du Lengning replied, "It is still regarding that item from last time. We hope to place a larger order for more - illustrations - books." After pondering for a moment, Xiao Xiangzi responded, "No problem. As we are old acquaintances, we can negotiate the price. I will only charge you three million standard celestial jade for each item. How does that sound?"

Although it is a precious elixir, its quality is average, merely a lower-grade elixir. The individuals present all come from distinguished backgrounds. While the elixir can be considered a decent item, it fails to stir their interest.

In the cave of Fushan, Luo Qian carefully used his celestial power to carve a flat jade box, inside which he chiseled out ten grooves to place ten Red Eye Pills one by one. After some discussion, they decided to name the azure-green pill made from Yuying rice as "Biluodan," the reddish-yellow pill made from Yunying rice as "Chitongdan," and the water-blue pill made from Canghai millet as "Yaoshuidan." The azure-green pill made from Yuying rice was named "Biluodan," the reddish-yellow pill made from Yunying rice was named "Chitongdan," and the water-blue pill made from Canghai millet was named "Yaoshuidan."

Although Du Lengning is the young master of the Remote Hall, the financial authority has always been held by his father. In his lifetime, he has never seen so much money—one hundred and twenty pieces of high-quality celestial jade, piled on the table, shimmering brilliantly, radiating captivating light. Du Lengning walked around the table three times, feeling so excited that he did not know what to say.

Putting down his hat, Ling Xiaose said, "Brother Luo, this is my cousin, the one I asked you to help buy a computer last time..." Luo Qian remembered and quickly nodded, "It's a pleasure to meet you..." However, the other party showed no intention of removing his hat. Luo Qian looked at Ling Xiaose in confusion, who smiled awkwardly and said, "My cousin has a bit of a peculiar temperament." Luo Qian cast a suspicious glance at him, pondering to himself, could he possibly be someone from the Imperial Censorate...

These six high-quality celestial jade pieces are indeed the capital for Luo Qian's wife. After struggling in the celestial realm for so many years, he has not saved much money.

The conference room of Roche Trading has been newly arranged, with the oval conference table removed and replaced by rows of spacious and comfortable stone chairs. More than half of the thirty stone chairs are already occupied. However, these individuals are all cloaked in long coats, their hats covering their faces. Although everyone is interested in what Luo Qian has to say, no one is willing to let others know that they are purchasing these prohibited items

"What are you doing?" Du Lengning asked curiously. "Isn't it just to take it to Xiao Xiangzi and have him refine some more power generation boxes for us? Why are you being so serious about it? Don't you usually dislike that guy?" Luo Qian replied, "It is precisely because I dislike that guy that I am packaging it this way. Do you understand packaging? In the lower realm, packaging is very important; the cost of packaging must be included in the product's cost. Do you understand packaging? In the lower realm, packaging is very important; the cost of packaging must be included in the product's cost. For example, those cigars, if they are not packed in crystal boxes, and not wrapped in silver tubes and *illustrations*, how would you know the expense of those cigars?"

Indeed, the enthusiasm for this item was quite low. After Luo Qian announced the reserve price of 500,000 standard celestial jade, only a few individuals raised their bids. Ultimately, it was sold for 1,200,000 standard celestial jade, which was only slightly higher than the normal price

Du Lengning admired, "Not bad, not bad, Lao Luo, you truly have it!"

"Alright, no problem." Luo Qian took out six pieces of high-quality celestial jade: "This is a deposit of six hundred thousand. I will reserve ten items first, and payment will be made upon delivery. How does that sound?"

Recently, I do not know what has happened, but I have been at odds with No. 35.

40 million

Du Lengning followed Luo Qian out of Xiushuiya and immediately said anxiously: "Old Luo, have you lost your mind? Ordering ten items at once costs thirty million standard immortal jade. I am currently broke, where are we going to find that much money? Those spiritual pills cannot just be sold at will."

Seeing Luo Qian's expression, the cousin guessed his thoughts and said: "Brother Luo, rest assured, I have come this time solely for the matter at hand." Luo Qian smiled in relief and nodded: "Please!" He gave the two of them a badge number, 35.

First, the first auction item is ten Yao Water Pills of the Bao Dan level. Please take a look. Inside the box carved from celestial jade, ten water-blue pills are neatly arranged.

In this regard, Du Lengning was completely clueless, merely listening to Luo Qian's grandiloquent discourse, nodding blankly. "... Therefore, what we need to smuggle is not only products from the lower realm, but also concepts from the lower realm!" He shook the jade box in his hand, gently opened it in front of Du Lengning, revealing ten Red Eye Pills arranged neatly in two rows within the box. As the box opened, a misty aura seemed to rise, and indeed, it looked distinctly different.

Seeing that this massage chair is so popular, Luo Qian raised the price on the spot, doubling the originally set auction reserve price! Du Lengning, who was behind, was taken aback; this kid is really too bold. Although this item is quite interesting, it is still something from the lower realm. To start with a price of 20 million standard, how many people would be willing to bid higher

The results of the trial exceeded Luo Qian's expectations, as nearly everyone sought ways to linger in the chairs a little longer. Besides the comfort of the chairs, which alleviated some ailments they had developed from long periods of meditation and cultivation, another reason was the lamentable scarcity of service industries in the celestial realm. Typically, celestial beings' leisure activities consisted of little more than drinking tea, and the foot massage parlors that were ubiquitous in the human world were nowhere to be found in the celestial realm. This massage chair was merely the most basic model; to be honest, its massage effects were not even close to those provided by the renowned massage girls depicted in *illustrations*. However, for the wealthy young masters of the celestial realm, who had never experienced such services before, the first time they enjoyed this massage, they naturally felt as comfortable as if they had consumed the heavenly peach fruit.

Luo Qian suppressed the excitement in his heart and raised the hammer: "One hundred million standard immortal jade, is there a higher bid? One hundred million for the first time, one hundred million for the second time, one hundred million for the third time. Sold!" As the hammer fell, number thirty-five obtained the coveted massage chair

Indeed, Luo Qian then produced a heavy bomb: a massage chair

100 million standard celestial jade, 100 pieces of high-grade celestial jade, this price is indeed somewhat outrageous, and the three of them helplessly glanced at the raised bidding paddle, shaking their heads

Number 35 raised the sign in his hand: "Twenty million standard fairy jade!" No one contested with him, as Luo Qian had already stated that it would be mass-produced in the future. Buying it now would certainly be exorbitantly priced. They did not have massage chairs and did not urgently need this item.

Ladies and gentlemen, please take a look. Luo Qian began the demonstration, and it didn't take long for someone to notice: "Is this a generator?" Luo Qian smiled slightly: "That's right, a standard fairy jade can power it for over three days. Hehe, there is currently only this one, but in the near future, there will be a large supply, and this is a precious item that will not be subject to inspection or monitoring."

Luo Qian stood on the platform, struck the auction hammer with a "bang," cleared his throat, and said in a loud voice: "Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the Luoshi Trading Company in Fushan. I believe you are all very curious about today's auction items. Well, without further ado, let us reveal the main attraction of today!"

Apart from Luo Qian, who knows the identity of each person, these individuals are unaware of each other's identities. More than twenty people sat together in silence, without whispering or engaging in casual conversation

These individuals possess profound backgrounds, incomparable to someone like Xiao Xiangzi, who is solitary by nature. In powerful sects, there are naturally immortals specifically responsible for alchemy. Although precious elixirs are rare, they would not go so far as to abandon their current affairs to travel a long distance to participate in an auction

The trial results indicate that what was originally a quick auction has consumed an entire afternoon without concluding. After a long wait for the last person to rise from the massage chair, Luo Qian's professional smile had begun to feel somewhat stiff. With a helpless gesture, Luo Qian rubbed his jaw and tapped the auction hammer: "Alright, everyone is aware of the benefits of this chair, so we will now begin the bidding. The starting price is... 20 million standard celestial jade!"

Just as the two brothers, Ling Xiaose, were sent in, a commotion arose outside as Du Lengning burst in with a group of people. Luo Qian quickly blocked him along with Tushu, tossing him a hood: "Aren't you afraid of being discovered in your current line of work?" Du Lengning was taken aback, pondering for a moment; after all, he had the formidable Yaoyuan Hall behind him, so he obediently put on the hood. There were about ten people behind him, and there weren't enough seats. Luo Qian hurriedly brought over some stone chairs from elsewhere. All the buyers had gathered, and the auction could begin

One hundred million! A calm voice rang out, causing Luo Qian's heart to tremble. Following the sound, he saw a white sign: Number 35! Number 35 had never been called before, and Luo Qian felt a twinge of doubt in his heart about what he was really doing here. Unexpectedly, he suddenly emerged at the last moment, decisively defeating everyone in his path.

Luo Qiandao said, "This item is not mine; the payment for those ten power boxes can be attributed to this item." Du Lengning opened her eyes and asked, "What do you mean?" "If we sell this item, how much do you think we can recover?" Upon hearing his words, Du Lengning's eyes lit up: "A good item, Lao Luo, I really admire your ingenuity. Well, in my opinion, we could at least make a profit of fifty million standard celestial jade."

From the audience, a voice said in a lukewarm tone: "Old Luo, you are quite cunning. Although this thing is comfortable to use, its power consumption is quite high. Whoever buys this will not know how many batteries they will have to purchase from you. You are truly sly..."

Luo Qian smiled faintly: "Twenty million, for the third time!"

As soon as this big fellow appeared, a wave of gasps erupted from the crowd. Luo Qian was very pleased with this effect, smiling as he looked at everyone. Once the noise subsided, he said: "Some of you may not recognize this item, but I can offer everyone a free trial." Luo Qian invited a guest to come up, had them sit in the massage chair, turned on the power, and the massage chair began to operate. Soon, the guest was so comfortable that they didn't want to move. Lying lazily in the massage chair, they remained there until Luo Qian reminded them to get up. They then opened their eyes and handed Luo Qian a handful of high-grade celestial jade, saying: "Old Luo, I want this item, twenty pieces of high-grade celestial jade!"

"Hey, how can you do this!" "Hurry up and come down, we are all waiting to try it out." "Exactly, twenty million is such a big deal, do you think others can't afford it..." Below, there was a chorus of curses. Luo Qian smiled helplessly and shrugged his shoulders: "You see, this is an auction. Although we have a good relationship, I can't break the rules of business..."

In two days, within the usually quiet Fushan, flashes of celestial light occasionally appeared, remnants left by the swiftly passing immortals. Luo Qian was busy attending to all the guests by himself.