Chapter 528 — I Have a Way

Any other man, would he bid like that? Even if you have money, you don't throw it around that way, do you?

Kang Guifeng felt his blood come surging up. He was just about to call out a bid of eighty-five million when Kang Zhaolong stopped him! Kang Zhaolong's assignment for the day had originally been to keep Wang Xinyan company, but now that the Kang family's elevation to an aristocratic clan was a settled matter, he had no wish to go on entertaining Wang Xinyan; far better to come to the auction and see a little of the world.

"Zhaolong, what are you doing?" Kang Guifeng frowned. "Didn't you hear your grandfather say we must have it at any cost?"

"Dad, at any cost is right, but we still need some strategy," Kang Zhaolong said quickly. "Bidding blindly like this will only drive the price higher and higher, until it's out of control!"

"Oh?" Kang Guifeng was growing impatient. "If you have something to say, say it quickly. If we don't bid, won't someone else just buy it?"

"Guifeng! Listen to Zhaolong! Let him do the bidding!" After yesterday's long talk with Kang Zhaolong, and after witnessing his outstanding performance before Yu Haitian that morning, Divine Doctor Kang now thought very highly of him, even more highly than of his eldest son, Kang Guifeng.

Hearing his own father say so, Kang Guifeng could only shut his mouth.

"Eighty-six million!" Kang Zhaolong raised his bid paddle, and only then did he quickly explain to his father and grandfather: "Before, we were raising by five million at a time, which showed we still had plenty of money in hand. That way, if they were out to trap us, hearing our raises would only make them push the price higher still! So this time I raised by just one million, showing weakness to the enemy. If they really are trying to trap us, they'll have to wonder whether we've already reached our limit and have no more money to put up! Just like yesterday, when we couldn't go any higher, they gave up! And if they must have it at any cost, then one million or five million makes no difference to them. Let's see how they raise it."

Kang Guifeng actually understood this reasoning perfectly well; he had simply lost his head a moment ago. Hearing his son's explanation now, he realized he really had been a little rash.

Divine Doctor Kang, meanwhile, looked at his eldest grandson with deep gratification. The ability and composure Kang Zhaolong had displayed were beyond question greater than those of anyone else in the Kang family.

"One hundred million!" Fatty Lai called out his ultimate price.

"This..." Kang Zhaolong had not expected the other side to truly be so determined. He had already shown weakness; by rights, the man should not be raising the bid like that. If he, Kang Zhaolong, could no longer afford it, wouldn't the other man be forced to buy it? Did he really want to buy it?

Still, it was hard to say. Fatty Lai represented Doctor Guan Pharmaceuticals, and a top-grade medicinal ingredient like the thousand-year snow lotus was not something only the Kang family needed. Others might well need it too.

Kang Zhaolong wanted to raise the bid, but he could not, because the Kang family truly had no money left! Kang Zhaolong was not a man given to rashness or recklessness. Yesterday they had spent fifteen million on Wu Chengtian, and at this moment the Kang family's liquid funds amounted to only a little over eighty million. It was fair to say that the previous price had already reached the Kang family's limit.

"Grandfather, we have no money left!" Kang Zhaolong drew a deep breath and said, with no little reluctance.

"Then we buy it first and talk afterward! At a time like this, we absolutely cannot retreat!" Divine Doctor Kang ground his teeth. The thousand-year snow lotus had to be obtained, or the whole series of the Kang family's plans would come to nothing.

They had even put two presale lots of "Beauty-Nourishing Golden Wound Medicine" up for auction tonight! If they failed to get the thousand-year snow lotus, what would they deliver to the buyers?

Thinking that the Golden Wound Medicine and the Beauty-Nourishing Golden Wound Medicine were still to be auctioned later, and that some of the funds could be recovered, Divine Doctor Kang felt slightly reassured.

"One hundred and one million!" Kang Zhaolong stopped playing the big spender. Since they must have it at any cost, then he would raise the price little by little, and see whether Fatty Lai had the patience to grind it out with him.

Once the price passed a hundred million, Fatty Lai could not help turning to look at Wei Zhao. In his own view, the Kang family had essentially reached its limit, and to give up now would leave him rather unwilling.

"Boss, do we keep bidding?" Fatty Lai suggested in a low voice. "If that box is really so important, I think we ought to fight for it a little more."

"You can raise it a bit if you like. Just keep it under control." Wei Zhao nodded. With yesterday's earnings from the Life-Extending Detox Pills, he no longer felt quite so pained about the money.

"You want that box?" Feng Xiaoxiao had caught Fatty Lai's words, and she looked at Wei Zhao oddly. "You don't want the thousand-year snow lotus?"

Wei Zhao had not meant to explain, but afraid that Feng Xiaoxiao would make a scene and be overheard, he had to: "What I want is the box it comes in, not the thousand-year snow lotus!"

"Huh? What do you want the box for?" Feng Xiaoxiao asked curiously.

"Don't ask so many questions. I'll tell you when we get back." Wei Zhao did not want to say too much to Feng Xiaoxiao.

"Hmph, what kind of attitude is that!" Feng Xiaoxiao was rather displeased. "Hey, if I get that box for you, will you be my boyfriend?"

"You have a way?" Wei Zhao did not answer her question, but asked one of his own.

"Of course!" Feng Xiaoxiao nodded, her eyes darting about. "Well? Yes or no?"

"What do you plan to do?" Wei Zhao could hardly agree to such an absurd proposal.

"Never mind that. Anyway, if you agree, it's a deal." Feng Xiaoxiao winked at Wei Zhao.

"Then forget it." Wei Zhao shrugged. He could not bring himself to agree to something like that just for a box.

"Hmph!" Feng Xiaoxiao was furious, and she glared at him hatefully. "Then you're not allowed to ignore me from now on. That much is fine, isn't it?"

"Get the box first and we'll talk." This time Wei Zhao did not object. With his connection to Feng Tianlong now, he could hardly treat Feng Xiaoxiao as though she did not exist.

"Then you have to play along with me for a while. Whatever I say later, you can't contradict me!" Feng Xiaoxiao said.

"Fine." Wei Zhao nodded. Playing along for a short while was acceptable enough, as long as she could get him that box.

By now the price, under the bidding of Fatty Lai and Kang Zhaolong, had soared to a hundred and ten million! Neither was raising by large increments anymore; they climbed one million at a time, seeing who could hold out to the very last.

Kang Zhaolong had just called out a hundred and eleven million when Fatty Lai bid a hundred and twelve million.

"That's about enough." After hearing the price, Wei Zhao shook his head at Fatty Lai. He was not certain this thing was the "Ten-Thousand-Year Spring Wood" written of in the ancient books, so he was not set on having it.

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