The female auctioneer brought down the hammer.
"Sold for 20,000 gold soul coins! Congratulations to VIP No. 113 in the Yellow Section for winning this Blood-Nourishing Herb."
Inside the private room, Dugu Bo pondered for a moment.
"I don't have any Blood-Nourishing Herb seeds. This one is still alive, so it can be cultivated."
He knew that if medicinal herbs were planted around the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, their growth cycle would be greatly shortened.
The Blood-Nourishing Herb was already a highly valuable medicinal plant. Once transplanted, it wouldn't take long before it could be grown in large quantities.
That meant a steady stream of income.
The Dugu family now consisted of only him and his granddaughter, and all of their former businesses had long since disappeared.
Now that the poison afflicting their martial spirits had been resolved, the family's future finally looked bright. Establishing new industries had naturally become a priority.
In Dugu Bo's eyes, the medicinal herb business was extremely profitable, especially with the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well at his disposal.
"Twenty-five thousand gold soul coins," Dugu Bo called out.
The auction house had no rule preventing further bids after the hammer had fallen.
As long as the next item had not yet been brought onto the stage, bidding could continue even after the sale had been announced.
Those who frequented auction houses understood this unwritten rule well.
Most of the other guests, however, rarely attended auctions and voiced their dissatisfaction.
Seeing the commotion, the female auctioneer quickly regained control of the room.
"Distinguished guests, please remain calm. VIP No. 3 in the Red Section is acting entirely within the auction house's rules. This is not a special privilege anyone may place a higher bid under the same circumstances."
"What is VIP No. 3 doing? Even scraps aren't beneath them?"
VIP No. 113 in the Yellow Section muttered in annoyance. Realizing he couldn't afford to keep bidding, he gave up.
In the end, the Blood-Nourishing Herb went to Dugu Bo.
"Old man, that's an excellent herb," Wu Qi said with a grin. "It promotes blood circulation, removes blood stasis, and can even replenish blood. It's a first-rate medicine for treating internal injuries."
The meaning behind his words was obvious.
Dugu Bo curled his lips.
"You won't be left out."
Spirit Masters were frequently injured, so keeping healing herbs on hand was always a wise habit.
After all, a healing-type Spirit Master wouldn't always be by your side. When seriously injured, prepared medicinal herbs could mean the difference between life and death.
The next several auction items were all antiques, paintings, and calligraphy.
Those only interested the nobility and held little value for Wu Qi and the others.
Gradually, they stopped bidding altogether.
Just as the atmosphere was beginning to grow dull, the female auctioneer stepped off the stage and the male auctioneer took her place.
"Distinguished guests, please wake your companions or any nearby guests. The next item is one of today's featured treasures."
His announcement instantly revived the entire auction hall.
The previously quiet crowd burst into lively discussion, everyone wondering what the next featured item would be.
As Red VIPs, Wu Qi's group had received the auction catalog in advance.
However, the order of the lots differed from the catalog, so even they had no idea what was about to appear.
The answer was soon revealed.
"Distinguished guests, before you is the Nine-Treasure Ruyi Soft Armor. It is said to have been crafted by the master of the current Divine Blacksmith, Lou Gao."
"It can block all physical attacks from any Spirit Master below Level 65."
"Of course, it cannot defend against mental attacks or elemental attacks such as fire and ice."
"The starting bid is 300,000 gold soul coins, with each increase no less than 20,000 gold soul coins. Interested guests, don't miss this opportunity."
Wu Qi immediately became interested.
He was familiar with Lou Gao's name, but he hadn't expected the man to have such an extraordinary master.
Whether the story was true or not was impossible to verify. Perhaps only Lou Gao himself knew.
The Eight-Treasure Ruyi Soft Armor had once started at 200,000 gold soul coins, so the Nine-Treasure version's starting price of 300,000 was certainly reasonable.
Lou Gao's reputation was well known, and many nobles had heard of him. Coupled with the item's legendary background, plenty of people were willing to pay for it.
In another private room, Gu Rong was also interested.
"Fengzhi, if Rongrong wore this, it would greatly improve her ability to protect herself."
Although that was true, it was designed for men, so it wouldn't be very comfortable for a woman to wear.
After a moment's thought, Ning Fengzhi shook his head.
"Forget it. If a version made for women appears later, we'll consider it. There are defensive soul tools coming up later as well, so there's no need to insist on this one."
On the other side, Wu Qi had no intention of letting it slip away.
"With this armor, it'll remain useful for a long time."
Although his offensive power and speed were exceptional, defense had always been the greatest weakness of flying-type Spirit Masters. Even after tempering his body at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, his physical defense was still limited.
With this armor, he would be able to fight far more freely against Spirit Masters at the Spirit Emperor level in the future.
Dugu Bo reminded him,
"At this rate, the final price won't be under 600,000 gold soul coins. Save your money, kid. I'll cover another 400,000 if you need it."
Changkong smiled.
"Brother Wu, I've still got plenty of money. Feel free to use mine."
Wu Qi shook his head.
"What kind of person do you think would put a defensive treasure like this up for auction?"
Every auction item was marked to indicate whether it belonged to the auction house or was being sold on consignment by a private owner.
The purpose of the label was simple, if an item failed to sell but someone later wanted to buy it, they would know how to contact the owner.
This Nine Treasures Ruyi Soft Armor was a private consignment.
Changkong smiled.
"Isn't that obvious? The seller must already be above Level 65, so they don't need armor like this anymore."
Dugu Bo immediately understood what he meant.
"You mean they're selling their armor because they urgently need resources?"
Wu Qi nodded.
"The only people who would sell their protective gear are either those who've obtained even better equipment or those who desperately need money."
"There aren't many situations that require money so urgently. The most likely reason is that they're trying to pay for medical treatment."
He stood up and raised his bidding paddle.
The auctioneer immediately looked over.
"Guest No. 3, please state your bid."
Wu Qi shook his head before speaking.
"I noticed that this item is being sold by a private owner. I'd like to offer high-grade medicinal herbs for healing injuries, along with high-grade pain-relieving herbs, in exchange for an equivalent value. Would the seller be willing to accept that?"
The auction house permitted barter transactions, and the herbs Wu Qi was offering were all highly sought-after commodities that would never be difficult to sell.
The auctioneer nodded seriously, and a staff member immediately hurried into the audience to negotiate with the seller.
A short while later, the auctioneer asked,
"Red VIP No. 3, may I ask what kinds of herbs you are offering?"
The herbs in Wu Qi's possession had all been given to him by Dugu Bo.
Wu Qi himself wasn't particularly knowledgeable about medicinal herbs. Some he knew only by name, but not their effects; others he understood the effects of but couldn't remember their names.
So Dugu Bo answered on his behalf.
"Qi Recovery Grass, Mutated Astragalus, Painflower..."
As soon as the names were spoken, the entire auction hall erupted in astonishment.
"My goodness! Those are all top-grade herbs that rarely appear in pharmacies, even after several years!"
"As expected of Poison Douluo. What a generous offer."
"Shows what you know. Experts in poison are usually exceptional herbalists as well."
"By the way, why is His Excellency Poison Douluo hanging around with a group of youngsters? Who exactly are they?"
The seller was extremely satisfied. They even ignored the current auction bids and agreed to the trade directly, valuing it at 550,000 gold soul coins.
In other words, the herbs would be exchanged at their market value, with at least one of each variety included.
Even Dugu Bo clicked his tongue in surprise.
"They're worth that much?"
He had planned to start a medicinal herb business, but he wasn't particularly familiar with the market prices of premium herbs.
After all, he had dozens of acres of them growing around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
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