Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 1283: Chapter 945: Beauty-preserving Pearl—This King Wants It!

”Ladies and gentlemen, you flatter me. I am truly overwhelmed, but how could I not know your eager desire for treasures? Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby announce the official start of the once in five years Border Pass Auction!”

As Shuang Jiang spoke, she waved her hand and said loudly, ”Come, hand out the paddles!”

”Yes!”

Immediately, several servant boys dressed for the auction, holding trays, walked out from backstage, came to the front rows, and handed a paddle to each participant.

Gu Changsheng counted and found that quite a few people were participating in this auction; roughly calculated, there were at least over two hundred people!

This number, even in modern times, would be considered a grand auction!

The pressure from the competition was immense!

Gu Changsheng looked at the paddle in his hand and sighed.

The more people, the more bids are placed, and the more bids, the higher the price will be driven up!

Fortunately, their ultimate goal here was the Geomancy Map Fragments of the Divine Demise Land; as for the rest, they would take it as it comes!

”Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you are all somewhat familiar with the rules of the Border Pass Auction, but I still have to mention them here.” Shuang Jiang stood straight on the stage, her seductive figure upright, speaking in a composed manner, ”As everyone knows, the Border Pass Auction never offers cheap or inferior treasures. Therefore, all the world’s rare wonders up for auction have a starting price of fifty thousand taels of silver, with each bid raising the price by one thousand taels. Please keep this in mind!”

”You don’t need to say it, Madam Shuang Jiang, we all know, just start quickly!”

”Yes, start quickly, we can’t wait to have a good drink with you, Madam Shuang Jiang!”

”...”

As Shuang Jiang finished, a chorus of urging voices rose from the audience.

Upon hearing these prompted voices, Gu Changsheng didn’t need to think to know that this was surely the work of hired shills!

Professional indeed!

Truly professional!

”Since everyone is so eager, I won’t delay. Let’s get right to the point and start the auction!” Shuang Jiang also smiled and beckoned to someone behind her.

Immediately, a maid as lovely as a flower in her teenage years walked forward holding a tray and stood beside Shuang Jiang.

In Shuang Jiang’s hand, unbeknownst to anyone, appeared a small bronze gong and hammer. She looked at the audience, chuckling coquettishly, ”Ladies and gentlemen, the first treasure to be auctioned is one I’ve insisted on bringing out first. To be honest, this treasure has stirred my heart so much that I almost wanted to keep it privately. I worry that without auctioning this treasure, I won’t be able to host this auction with peace of mind. Therefore, the first treasure is the Beauty-preserving Pearl!”

As soon as the audience heard ”Beauty-preserving Pearl,” many became intrigued and followed Shuang Jiang’s finger to look at the tray.

Amidst everyone’s gaze, Shuang Jiang reached out her delicate jade hand and deftly lifted the red cloth covering the tray with a flick!

In an instant, on the high platform, a radiant glow suffused the entire space, highlighted by a fist-sized pearl emitting a gentle, lustrous light!

”Transience of beauty, fair faces quickly turn to bones. Who can maintain their youthful visage forever, keeping the beauty eternal?” Shuang Jiang pointed to the Beauty-preserving Pearl in the tray and proclaimed loudly, ”To become immortal and transcend is too difficult, but only this pearl can preserve your youthful looks and keep the beauty everlasting!”

”I believe everyone present has someone dear to their hearts; for the sake of your beloved or cherished wife at home, how can you return without this pearl?” Shuang Jiang said, striking the small gong in her hand and looking at the crowd, ”Beauty-preserving Pearl, starting bid at fifty thousand taels of silver. Ladies and gentlemen, please place your bids!”

”I bid fifty thousand taels!”

”Fifty-one thousand taels!”

”Fifty-two thousand taels!”

”Fifty-five thousand taels!”

”...”

”Sixty-eight thousand taels!”

”Sixty-nine thousand taels!”

As soon as Shuang Jiang’s words landed, there was a rush of people standing up and raising their paddles.

The price swiftly climbed, rocketing directly to one hundred thousand taels!

A single pearl!

Even if it has beautifying effects, how could it be worth an entire Mountain of Gold and Silver?

Gu Changsheng couldn’t help but smirk!

Utterly impressed by Shuang Jiang’s eloquence!

Even more impressed, bowing respectfully, to the hidden wealthy figures of the world!

”These must be truly wealthy people. They spend in tens of thousands of taels; they’re really willing!” Gu Changsheng couldn’t help but say to the evildoer beside him.

How tempting!

If only she could shut the auction doors right now and rob everyone blind, wouldn’t the rewards be enormous?

If she weren’t the Southern Emperor, she definitely wouldn’t mind being a highway robber for once!

This truly is a perfect opportunity to get rich quickly!

It’s hard not to be tempted!

Such a pity! Such a pity! If only she weren’t the Southern Emperor, even if she loved wealth, she often doesn’t gain it through improper means, nor could she stoop to such lowly deeds!

Status, truly a burden!

For the sake of reputation, her silver, just like that, flew away before her very eyes! Flew away!

Her heart aches!

Gu Changsheng couldn’t help but raise her hand to her chest, looking heartbroken.

”One hundred and thirty-eight thousand taels!”

”One hundred and forty thousand taels!”

”One hundred and forty-two thousand taels!”

”...”

On stage, Shuang Jiang watched the auction below growing increasingly fervent, her charming face with a deeper smile. As the bidding came to a halt, she pointed her jade hand at the last young bidder and loudly said, ”This hero bids 150,000 taels, is there anyone else willing to go higher?”

This price had already exceeded their original expectations!

The commission extracted by their auction house increased too!

This made Shuang Jiang incredibly happy!

Hearing Shuang Jiang’s question, the people participating in the auction below began whispering among themselves.

”The Beauty-preserving Pearl, 130,000 taels is already a sky-high price. Anything over 130,000 taels would be somewhat unworthy!”

”Yes, it’s just a women’s item. Even if it can delay aging, it can’t really preserve youth forever. 150,000 taels isn’t worth it to bid higher!”

”Indeed! What a pity...”

”...”

Listening to the discussions around, Gu Changsheng couldn’t help but nod, looking at the Beauty-preserving Pearl on stage, she muttered, ”What they say is right. Although it’s said treasures are priceless, one Beauty-preserving Pearl reaching 150,000 taels is already a high price! Certainly, no fool with money to burn would bid any higher...”

”200,000 taels!”

Before Gu Changsheng could finish speaking, an ice-cold and assured voice sounded beside her.

Upon hearing the voice, Gu Changsheng was stunned as if struck by lightning!

Like a mummy, her stiff neck slowly turned towards the person beside her, and the corners of Gu Changsheng’s mouth twitched uncontrollably...

Oh my god!

She hadn’t even finished speaking!

She had just said certainly no fool with money to burn would raise the bid, then someone raised it!

It’s one thing to raise the bid, but the key point is the ”fool” was sitting right next to her, holding her hand with one hand, and the other hand holding up a bidding paddle!

The one raising the bid wasn’t anyone else, it was her evildoer, Zhou Mu!

When Zhou Mu’s bid was heard, several undercover pawns hidden in the crowd, who had participated in the auction earlier, couldn’t help but twitch their mouths.

Godfather, why did the son-in-law make a bid?

If they had known the son-in-law would bid, why did they bother inflating the price earlier?

This was inviting trouble!

Cold sweat uncontrollably dripped down from their foreheads!

It’s over, it’s over! With their lord’s love for wealth, they’re definitely going to face retribution later!

God bless us, it’s truly not their fault!

They clearly observed their lord and son-in-law’s expressions, and couldn’t tell they were interested in the bidding!

No one awaits such unexpected final bids!

Scared them to death!

Wuu...

On stage, seeing the person in the front row make a higher bid, Shuang Jiang’s charming smile froze, feeling helpless inside...

Godfather, what kind of scene is the son-in-law joining? Who’s this gullible fool?

At this moment, the actual buyers have reached their limit, it’s truly inappropriate to inflate prices anymore!

This Beauty-preserving Pearl was for selling, but if the lord and son-in-law wanted it, they could have worked behind the scenes a bit, avoiding giving a good deal to sellers only getting a commission!

Before Shuang Jiang on stage could react, Gu Changsheng below had already snapped out of realizing her evildoer was the ”fool.” She couldn’t help but tug at her evildoer’s clothes, her face full of shock as she whispered, ”Evildoer, did a donkey kick your head?”

This moment, who’s acting like a fool?

The two of them don’t even look bad, what use is there getting this Beauty-preserving Pearl?

Wasting money, right?

Zhou Mu, hearing his little woman’s words, remained unmoved, raising the paddle again as if worried Shuang Jiang couldn’t hear, he spoke deeply, ”200,000 taels!”

”Evildoer!” Seeing this, Gu Changsheng became anxious, ”Getting this pearl really doesn’t have much use! All the pearls at home have been crushed to make face masks, why would we want a giant pearl to go back and rub on our face? I really don’t care about that Hongyan Qianqiu!”

Ridiculous Hongyan Qianqiu, just those making pleasantries, how could it be true?

If it’s truly about Hongyan Qianqiu, wouldn’t that turn into Tianshan Tongmu?

Thinking of the modern TV portrayal of Tianshan Tongmu, Gu Changsheng shuddered, her skin crawling.

No! No!

She absolutely doesn’t want to become Tianshan Tongmu! Too strange, too weird!

Listening to her woman’s anxious words, Zhou Mu finally tilted his head slightly, glancing at her, and quietly said, ”This king is not purchasing the Beauty-preserving Pearl for you! The Beauty-preserving Pearl, this king wants!”

”Huh?” Hearing this, Gu Changsheng froze, ”Not for me? Then for whom?”

Oh my god!

She’d mistakenly thought he was doing it for her?

However, her evildoer was cold and aloof, especially towards women. Frankly, though her evildoer attracted butterflies, the ones genuinely attracted weren’t many!

Her evildoer’s side, except herself, was basically isolated from peach blossom or women’s fate!

”Evildoer, don’t tell me you’ve gotten someone else behind my back?” Considering this possibility, Gu Changsheng’s eyes widened with horror...