Chapter Twenty-One: The Incomplete Feng Shui Stone

Lin Yi raised the paddle in his hand and announced a price in a casual tone: “One million and ten thousand.”

The moment Lin Yi spoke, two girls sitting in the last row were visibly shocked. They were none other than Li Zhihan and Yang Yujia, who had come to broaden their horizons.

Li Zhihan poked Yang Yujia and whispered in confusion, “Yujia, didn’t you say Lin Yi was your private tutor?”

A million wasn’t much for the Li family, but for an average household, it was an astronomical sum.

“I have no idea,” Yang Yujia replied, shaking her head. Suddenly, she noticed a girl sitting beside Lin Yi and finally understood.

“So you’ve managed to attach yourself to the Wang family. No wonder you weren’t afraid of Du Liang before,” Yang Yujia thought to herself.

...

Wang Ke couldn’t help but exclaim when she heard Lin Yi’s bid exceed a million, “Hey, are you crazy? Do you even have that much money?”

“Of course, otherwise why would I be here?” Lin Yi glanced at her.

“You... you...” Wang Ke was so furious she could barely speak.

At that moment, the woman who had bid earlier called out a new, higher price: “Two million. I’m from the Tong family and hope everyone will show some respect.”

The Tong family?

Many in the room immediately changed their expressions. The Tong family was a prominent one in Jiang Province; no one wanted to offend them over some unknown item.

Wang Ke’s heart skipped a beat as she finally realized who the bidder was—Tong Yu.

Although she was strikingly beautiful, she was also a formidable figure. She had once taken a failing company and, in a year, turned it into a thriving enterprise making hundreds of millions in profit each month. In three years, she had increased the Tong family’s assets by a full fifth—a figure that, given their total assets in the tens of billions, meant billions added to their fortune.

This alone made it clear how impressive Tong Yu was, and why she was idolized by countless scions as the “Queen of Commerce” in Jiang Province.

Wang Ke saw Lin Yi about to raise his paddle again and hurriedly tried to stop him. “Don’t bid anymore.”

“Why not?” Lin Yi looked into her eyes.

“Do you know who that woman is?” Wang Ke asked.

“No,” Lin Yi answered.

“No wonder,” Wang Ke sighed. Truly, ignorance is fearlessness. She continued, “That woman is called Tong Yu, from one of the top families in Jiang Province. Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you have my grandfather backing you. To be honest, our Wang family is no match for the Tong family.”

“Oh? And what of it?” Lin Yi smiled faintly.

With his own power, he had no need to rely on anyone else; he alone was a force to be reckoned with. Besides, he was determined to acquire this golden pellet—no one could stand in his way.

“You’re just...” Wang Ke hadn’t finished when Lin Yi calmly called out a bid of two million and ten thousand.

“It’s over. It’s really over now,” she thought with dread. If Tong Yu hadn’t announced her identity, a high bid might have been overlooked, but now this was a clear affront to the Tong family.

Tong Yu glanced back at Lin Yi, a cold glint flickering in her dark eyes. She hadn’t expected someone would dare openly challenge her.

But Lin Yi acted as though he hadn’t noticed, remaining perfectly composed.

Tong Yu leaned toward a middle-aged man beside her and asked quietly, “Master Ye, is this black sphere really, as you said, a peerless alchemical ingredient?”

“Of course. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the inner core of an ancient practitioner. With it, and a few supplementary herbs, my power will increase significantly. With my senior brother’s help, the Tong family will soon be the foremost in Jiang Province,” Master Ye assured her, his eyes lingering greedily on Tong Yu’s shapely figure.

Suppressing her disgust, Tong Yu replied, “Very well, Master Ye. When the Tong family becomes number one, I’ll be sure to reward you handsomely.”

“Glad to hear it, glad to hear it,” Master Ye chuckled.

Tong Yu, now determined, quintupled her bid, directly offering ten million.

Compared to the vast stakes of becoming Jiang Province’s top family, ten million was a trifling amount.

“I have a penchant for collecting oddities. I hope everyone will indulge me,” Tong Yu announced coolly, her anger evident to all.

But then—

“One million and ten thousand.”

That unhurried voice again. Tong Yu’s expression darkened visibly.

“Clearly, someone is deliberately opposing me,” Tong Yu thought, shooting Lin Yi a cold glare. She turned to the woman at her side, “Investigate their background at once.”

“Yes,” the woman nodded and slipped away.

“Miss, there’s no need for all this trouble. Just take it—there’s nothing they can do about it,” Master Ye said, grinning.

“All right,” Tong Yu replied, her eyes flashing.

After that, she stopped bidding, but everyone present knew it wasn’t because the Tong family was intimidated—they were incensed.

Tong Yu was the queen of commerce; all of Jiang Province’s elite gave her due respect. Being publicly slighted, everyone could guess the likely outcome.

With Tong Yu out of the bidding, Lin Yi easily secured the golden pellet.

“Are you satisfied now?” Wang Ke asked, her heart heavy. She regretted bringing Lin Yi with her—now they had thoroughly offended the Tong family.

Lin Yi seemed oblivious to her resentment, merely nodding. “It’s acceptable.”

With the golden pellet in hand, his purpose at the auction was halfway fulfilled. All that remained was to confirm if the Feng Shui Stone contained spiritual marrow. No matter the price, he would buy it.

In the subsequent auctions, Lin Yi made two more purchases—century-old medicinal herbs.

After the auction ended, Lin Yi collected the golden pellet and the herbs he had won. He probed the pellet with his spiritual sense and immediately felt a resistance emanating from within it.

“Hmph.” Lin Yi snorted softly, his spiritual sense like a blade, instantly shredding the resistance.

Next, he discovered that the interior of the golden pellet still contained nearly half its original energy.

“Not bad.” Lin Yi was quite pleased with the result.

“Lin Yi, you’ve made an enemy of the Tong family. We should leave quickly,” Wang Ke said anxiously.

“You go on ahead. I still want to look around,” Lin Yi replied.

“How can you think of that at a time like this?” Wang Ke was exasperated. Seeing Lin Yi unmoved, she had no choice but to leave first.

Lin Yi stood there, pondering the Feng Shui Stone, when Wang Yang called him. “Teacher, the auction downstairs is over, right? Did you find anything you like?”

“Yes,” Lin Yi replied.

“I’ll come get you. There are some exclusive lots on the seventh floor, including a priceless Feng Shui Stone. I’d like you to take a look,” Wang Yang said.

“No need. It’s not far,” Lin Yi answered, then made his way lightly to the elevator.

On the seventh floor, Wang Yang was already waiting for him.

This floor was much quieter than the lively auction below.

“Please, Teacher, this way,” Wang Yang said, leading him.

They entered a guest room over a hundred square meters in size, where a dozen or so people were gathered—anyone present would have recognized them as esteemed figures from various cities and provinces.

“Wang Yang, where did you find such a youngster?” an elderly man with a goatee asked.

Wang Yang’s expression changed, and he quickly replied, “Cui Cheng, don’t be disrespectful. This is Mr. Lin, a remarkable master.”

“A master? A mere kid dares call himself a master?” Cui Cheng sneered.

The others smirked as well, their eyes full of contempt.

Wang Yang was about to retort, but Lin Yi stopped him with a soft word: “One cannot cultivate with the wrong mindset.”

“Understood, Teacher,” Wang Yang lowered his head.

The minor commotion went unnoticed, as everyone’s attention was fixed on a stone in the center of the room.

The stone stood as tall as a man, and its surface eerily depicted the four seasons. Touching it would allow one to feel the heat of summer, the chill of winter, the warmth of spring, and the coolness of autumn.

“No wonder it’s called the Feng Shui Stone—it’s truly marvelous,” Wang Yang sighed.

Indeed, all present were equally amazed.

But Lin Yi’s eyes showed a hint of disappointment. This was only a semi-finished Feng Shui Stone; there was no way it could contain spiritual marrow within.

“Fate has not yet arrived,” Lin Yi murmured, shaking his head.

Though the movement was slight, it caught Cui Cheng’s attention.

“Well now, does the little master have any complaints?” Cui Cheng taunted, emphasizing “little.”

Wang Yang whispered, “Teacher, that’s Cui Cheng, my nemesis. He provided this Feng Shui Stone.”

“Oh?” Lin Yi nodded and smiled, “There’s really nothing to be satisfied with. It’s only a semi-finished Feng Shui Stone, unworthy for display.”

“Boy, what nonsense are you spouting!” Cui Cheng glared.

“I’m simply stating the facts,” Lin Yi replied calmly.

“Facts? What do you know about Feng Shui Stones?” Cui Cheng shouted, unleashing an oppressive aura at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi gazed steadily at him and said, “In that case, let me show you what a true Feng Shui Stone should be.”

“Hah! I’d like to see that,” Cui Cheng scoffed, though he was secretly surprised that this young man could withstand his aura for so long. After all, his own cultivation had long since reached the innate stage.

The others looked at Lin Yi as if he were a fool. The stone could already display scenes of the four seasons—what more proof could there be?

Though Wang Yang had absolute confidence in Lin Yi, even he was tense at this moment.

Lin Yi ignored the gazes around him. With a flick of his finger, he turned away.

He said to Wang Yang, “Let’s go.”

Though puzzled, Wang Yang dared not protest.

Cui Cheng, seeing that nothing had changed with the Feng Shui Stone, sneered, “Mr. Lin, weren’t you going to show us what a true Feng Shui Stone looks like? Surely you’re not just going to leave?”

Buzz.

Suddenly, the images of the four seasons on the Feng Shui Stone seemed to come alive, filling the entire room with their presence—a far more stunning display than anything seen before.