Chapter 162: Warning

Mr. Huang's underling spoke in a nonchalant tone, but the threat behind his words was unmistakable.

The look in Mu Lin's eyes changed instantly.

He'd make anyone who dared to lay a hand on Elder Zhao and his granddaughter pay dearly.

"You," Mu Lin began, "were you sent by the man who bid one hundred million?"

'You knew, so why ask?' Mr. Huang's underling thought. His tone stiffened.

"Don't play dumb. It's dangerous to cross Huang Sheng. If you know what's good for you, give up this item now. Otherwise, you won't be able to bear the consequences."

Mu Lin had heard so many threats he'd grown numb to them. "Oh? More than I can bear? Says you?"

"Get lost. Go back and tell that dog Huang not to pick on Elder Zhao. If he's got a problem, he can come after me. I'll be happy to 'play' with him once we're outside this manor."

Zhao Yang opened his mouth to speak but hesitated. He truly wanted to talk some sense into Mu Lin, but he knew it would be useless. There was no way Mu Lin would listen, so it was better to say nothing at all.

When the underling heard Mu Lin call Mr. Huang "dog Huang," his expression twisted. "I've never seen anyone as vile as you. You'll regret this!"

Mu Lin chuckled. "We'll see who regrets it in the end!"

"Bring it on! I'm ready for whatever you've got!"

Mr. Huang's underling scurried away.

Only after the man had gone did Zhao Yang sigh. "To think it's something Master Ning wants... Mu Lin, do you have any idea what kind of trouble we're in now?"

Mu Lin said, "Elder Zhao, don't worry. I have this under control. I will not give up the Vermilion Fruit. I'll kill anyone who gets in my way."

He paused, then added, "I'm sorry for dragging you and Ling'Er into this risky business."

Zhao Yang knew Mu Lin was acting out of a sense of duty, so he wasn't angry in the slightest. In fact, he was quite touched.

"It's alright, it's alright. Don't mind me, just make sure you protect Ling'Er..."

'Elder Zhao is still worried about the Bai Family,' Mu Lin thought. 'Nothing I say will help.' He sighed softly. "Alright."

'Worse comes to worst, I'll just ask for forgiveness rather than permission. Divine Doctor Zhao is a good man; he won't hold it against me.'

Mu Lin ate some fruit from a platter, and the auction quickly resumed.

Jiang Lan swept her captivating gaze over everyone on the floor below.

"I trust everyone has had a nice break and has cooled down? Our auction will now recommence!"

"One hundred fifty million and five hundred thousand!"

The voice of Mr. Huang's underling boomed down from the upper floor, heavy with intimidation.

Mu Lin knew at once that the bid was aimed at him.

The small raise of just five hundred thousand was a clear warning.

"Mu Lin, are you sure you want to continue?" Zhao Yang was genuinely sweating with anxiety for him.

Mu Lin nodded. "There's no other choice. I have to press on against the odds."

Mu Lin called out, "One hundred and fifty-one million."

'I'll just keep outbidding you. Besides, no one else dares to join in now anyway.'

Inside the private room, Mr. Huang was chewing on the corner of his lip so hard it nearly drew blood.

"Didn't I tell you to warn him? Why was it completely useless?"

"I did warn him!" the underling replied, extremely nervous. "But the kid said he's not afraid of anything. He told us to bring it on after we leave the manor..."

A murderous light flashed in Mr. Huang's eyes. The implication was a blatant provocation, thrown right in his face.

"A real case of 'he who has nothing to lose fears nothing,' isn't it? He's not afraid of a damn thing, is he?"

Mr. Huang was fuming, the sound of his teeth grinding filling the air. GRIND. CRUNCH.

Just then, a sinister-looking young man smoothed his hair. "Forget it. If he wants it, let him have it. Let him enjoy his little victory. We can just take it back from him later, can't we?"

"You're the great Huang Fengnian. How can you have so little faith in yourself? Compared to wealth, our greatest strength is, of course, our force."

Huang Fengnian's expression changed, his features lighting up with excitement. "You mean..."

"We rob him! It's as simple as that. We don't have to kill him, just knock him out and we're done. He'll probably just chalk it up to bad luck. Making him pay for it and then killing him... I'm not capable of something like that."

The corner of Huang Fengnian's mouth twitched. "Zhao Yang is a famous figure in Nanjiang. He has all sorts of connections. Wouldn't doing this be... a bad idea?"

"A famous figure?" The youth sneered. "I told you, this is for Master Ning. Does he dare to resist? He wouldn't dare let out a peep. Master Ning is getting impatient. You'd better think carefully, Mr. Huang!"

A look of determination flashed in Huang Fengnian's eyes. "Fine! I understand! I'll find some capable experts in Anhua City to go and seize it! If there's no one here, I'll have them transferred from elsewhere."

The young man clapped. "Mr. Huang, your decisiveness is truly admirable! I knew I wasn't cut out for making these calls on the ground. We really need an expert like you!"

This shower of praise made Huang Fengnian squirm. It also solidified his resolve to obtain the Vermilion Fruit by even more ruthless means.

Otherwise, this informant of Master Ning's would surely report his "slacking" to the big man, embellishing the details. Then he would suffer, and a lot of other people would suffer along with him.

Having made his decision, Huang Fengnian stopped bidding and quietly waited for the hammer to fall.

Jiang Lan waited for ten-odd seconds. Seeing that no one else dared to contend for the item, she brought the hammer down decisively.

"Alright! After more than a dozen bids, the Vermilion Fruit has finally found its new owner!!"

Jiang Lan, ever the professional, continued to work the crowd:

"Will guest number 199 please proceed to the bursar's office with your paddle to settle the payment after the auction concludes!"

Mu Lin let out a long sigh of relief. The issue of the medicinal ingredient was finally resolved.

"With this, Uncle Li's life is saved." Mu Lin's voice was heavy with exhaustion.

Zhao Yang's heart ached with sympathy. Mu Lin had truly sacrificed so much. He hadn't slept at all the previous night, having only dozed off for a bit in the car.

At this rate, even a body of iron wouldn't be able to hold up.

Jiang Lan waved her hand, and a large, cloth-draped cabinet was wheeled onto the stage, sparking the crowd's curiosity about what could possibly be inside.

"This next treasure isn't in the catalogue, as it was only just acquired. So let's unveil the mystery together!"

The cloth was pulled away, revealing a massive stone.

"What is that?" someone asked in astonishment.

Jiang Lan pressed a finger to her lips, hushing them with a "Shhh."

Influenced by the flirtatious gesture, the crowd fell silent.

"What is it? That's a mystery. The Manor Master says that those who know, will know. And those who don't, have no need to buy it."

'What kind of crap is that?' many people thought, annoyed.

The Manor Master was being a real riddler. How infuriating.

Many people lost interest, but many experts in the crowd grew secretly excited, forcing themselves to remain calm so as not to give anything away and drive up the price.

Mu Lin's eyes swept over it, and he shot bolt upright. He murmured, "Now that's a treasure!"

Seeing Mu Lin's intense interest, Zhao Ling'Er scoffed, "Brother Mu, are you serious? It's just an ugly rock. What's so great about it?"

Mu Lin replied in a dead-serious tone, "This is a piece of raw ore. There's an extremely precious metal inside. Once it's extracted, it'll be a massive windfall, whether I use it myself or sell it."

Zhao Ling'Er pursed her lips. She couldn't see it at all. Even though she had great faith in Mu Lin—what he said was rarely wrong—she just couldn't imagine what could possibly be inside a big rock.

At that moment, Jiang Lan announced, "Attention, everyone! The starting bid for this item is one hundred million, with minimum increments of one million. Please, bid enthusiastically!"

One hundred million?! Many people backed down as soon as they heard the price.

But someone still forged ahead, calling out a stunning price:

"One hundred and ten million!"

The crowd gasped, frantically searching for the bidder.

They eventually realized the bid had come from one of the private rooms upstairs, which made the person impossible to pinpoint. It was impossible to tell which room it was from by the direction of the voice alone.

Mu Lin, however, glanced up.

'Isn't that Mr. Huang's private room?'

Immediately after, two other private rooms joined the bidding.

"One hundred and thirty million."

"One hundred and forty million!"

Mu Lin shot to his feet. "Two hundred million!"

Huang Fengnian's eyes went red. 'It's him again!'

'How does a no-name punk like that have so much money? He already spent over a hundred million, and he still has this much left?'

'Damn it. Fine, I'll let him bleed himself dry. I'll just take it all back from him later!'

"Two hundred and fifty million!" Huang Fengnian yelled. The price was already outrageous, and many of the other bidders instantly dropped out.

It was just a piece of raw ore, after all. Not worth spending so much effort and money on.

"Two hundred and seventy million!" Mu Lin announced. He'd lowered the size of his raise, but his tone was just as aggressive. "You still dare to compete with me?"

Huang Fengnian roared, "Two hundred and eighty million!"

Mu Lin tossed his paddle down and stopped bidding.