Chapter 36: A proud woman comparable to Andres Zhou!

Knox Feng entered with a young man wearing a dark golden windbreaker. This young man was about 1.8 meters tall, robust, and imposing. When he walked, his steps were heavy, causing the ground to tremble with each stride. In front of this young man, Knox Feng always bent over, showing great respect. They crossed the aisle, ascended to the eighth floor in full view of everyone. After taking his seat, he sat as steady as Mount Tai, his pitch-black eyes scanning the entire venue! Meanwhile, Knox Feng personally crouched down, making tea and engaging in conversation. Previously, when facing Ben Xiao and Ada Song, they only had casual conversations as peers. When Ben Xiao suggested going to the eighth floor, Knox Feng surprisingly refused. But in front of this young man, Knox Feng behaved like a grandson. Ben Xiao looked up, squinting slightly. "Is this Andres Zhou?" Ada Song explained, "People from martial arts families are not ordinary rich kids. Although he is young, when Christian Zhang was still alive, he had to kneel when speaking to him." A rising star, kneeling when in the presence of this young man... quite extraordinary! Ben Xiao lit a cigarette, took a slow drag, and asked, "Do you know Andres Zhou?" Ada Song replied, "I've had some contact, but not much. However, I know his deeds very well." Ben Xiao became interested. "Tell me." Ada Song said, "A rare martial arts genius in Zhonghai. He was once a fugitive, sentenced to death for a crime. He was saved by Damon Xiao... your second uncle. Taken into the military. Later..." As if there were some untold secrets, Ada Song paused and continued, "Under the careful guidance of Damon Xiao, he quickly became a peak expert in the Transformation Realm. Eventually, he caught the attention of Vladimir Li. I don't know what deal Vladimir Li and Damon Xiao made, but Damon Xiao handed him over to Vladimir Li." "After entering the Li family, it took him only two years to break through to Martial arts. He was only twenty-five at the time. Five years ago, he reached the level of a two-star Martial arts. Two years ago, he achieved three-star Martial arts. Since then, he hasn't made any moves, and his true strength is unknown." "Vladimir Li has two biological sons, but Andres Zhou, despite being an adopted son, is a strong contender for the future head of the Li family. There are even rumors that Vladimir Li has already designated him as the future head of the Li family." "Andres Zhou, a limitless future!" Ada Song sighed, then looked at Ben Xiao, hoping to see the shock in his expression. Any person, upon hearing Andres Zhou's extraordinary achievements for the first time, would be shocked and impressed. She thought Ben Xiao would be no exception. However, she was soon disappointed. Ben Xiao calmly smoked, showing no emotional fluctuations. As if Andres Zhou was just ordinary in his eyes... This surprised Ada Song greatly. Ben Xiao, could he... surpass Andres Zhou? Impossible! After a moment, Ben Xiao asked indifferently, "In Zhonghai, how many young people like Andres Zhou are there?" Ada Song snapped out of her thoughts and said, "Looking at the entire younger generation in Zhonghai, apart from Vladimir Li's two biological sons, only Travis Ye, known as the first pride of the heavens, can be compared to him." Ben Xiao frowned slightly. "Travis Ye?" Ada Song nodded. "Yes. Another martial arts family in Zhonghai, the pride of the Ye family." Ben Xiao became more curious. "Ye family?" Ada Song explained, "The Ye family rose five years ago. Before that, there was no Ye family in Zhonghai, with the Li family dominating. Five years ago, a middle-aged woman suddenly emerged from the ancient mansion in the river, directly challenging the Li family's experts. In the end, she had a three-day-three-night battle with Vladimir Li at Yan Nan Lake, with no clear winner." "Since then, the Ye family became famous overnight, ranking among the two major martial arts families in Zhonghai. They received admiration from the entire Zhonghai. Even the Li family had no choice but to accept another family as a formidable rival." "For the past five years, the Li family and the Ye family have been in open and secret struggles, but the outcome has never been determined." Ben Xiao nodded slightly, "I see." Ada Song said, "Today, Marleau is auctioning extraordinary treasures, even Li's Andres Zhou is alarmed. I wonder if the Ye family can handle it." At this moment, the noisy crowd quieted down again. All eyes turned once again to the entrance. Ada Song exclaimed, "She has indeed arrived." Swish! Ben Xiao turned his head abruptly. He saw a graceful woman in a green dress walking slowly. With a height of 1.7 meters, she was tall and slender, exuding a heroic aura. Her long hair floated, and she wore a green veil, concealing her unparalleled beauty. In high heels, she directly ascended to the eighth floor in full view of everyone. She took a seat opposite Andres Zhou. Two extraordinary talents locked eyes. Although silent, they exuded a strong oppressive force throughout the venue. Suffocating! Ben Xiao glanced at them and then lowered his head to drink tea. At this moment, Slade's sarcastic voice came from the side, "Open your eyes wide and see, Andres Zhou and Travis Ye are the true extraordinary talents. They sit on the eighth floor, overlooking the entire venue. This is the real extraordinary. Compared to them, you are just a firefly compared to the moon." "You rely on Ada Song and Ninth Master to suppress me, but Ninth Master is ultimately an outsider. Only people like Andres Zhou and Travis Ye are truly extraordinary talents, making people willingly submit." "My grandfather has already joined the peripheral members of the Li family, helping with pharmaceuticals. Once he achieves great deeds in the future, my Zhong family will soar." Perhaps feeling too stimulated, he still wanted to regain face in front of Pearl Mu. As he spoke, he even became somewhat proud. Swish! Ben Xiao turned to look at Slade. The latter immediately lowered his head, afraid to speak again. Ben Xiao snorted, "Just sitting on the eighth floor. If I want, I can go up anytime." Slade lowered his head, feeling immense pressure. But his inner stubbornness and anger made him say, "The eighth floor is reserved for martial arts families. It symbolizes the supreme status in Zhonghai. Only extraordinary figures like Andres Zhou can sit there. You are not qualified!" "Is Andres Zhou really amazing? If I want, I can make him kneel at my feet with just a word." Ben Xiao said casually. Swish! Slade suddenly raised his head, eyes ablaze, "Andres Zhou is the young god I admire the most. What qualifications do you have to make him kneel? If you dare, say it to Andres Zhou publicly." "If you make Andres Zhou kneel, I'll perform the feat of eating dung!!!" Ben Xiao took a drag of his cigarette, indifferent, "Actions speak louder than words. There's no use in talking too much. Let's wait and see. I look forward to your performance." With that, Ben Xiao ignored Slade, leaned back on the sofa, and quietly smoked. "Both Li's and the Ye family have been alarmed. It seems that the treasures to be auctioned today are unusual!" Ben Xiao remarked. Ada Song agreed, "Yes, I'm really looking forward to it. What kind of items can make Travis Ye and Andres Zhou, these two extraordinary talents, appear at the same time?" At that moment, a drumbeat sounded. The entire venue immediately fell silent. Ada Song said, "The auction is about to begin." Indeed, a beautiful woman in a suit uniform stepped onto the stage. With a melodious voice, she spoke, "Welcome, distinguished guests, to Marleau's annual auction. Tonight, a total of nine treasures will be auctioned." "The first item is the masterpiece of the renowned sculptor Hector, the Eternal Avalokitesvara. The starting bid is two billion, with increments of no less than ten million each." Four men carried a golden jade Buddha onto the stage. The entire audience immediately cheered, extremely excited. "Wow, this is actually Hector's most famous masterpiece. I'm the most loyal fan of Hector. I bid 200 million and 10 million for each increase." "You're only adding 10 million? You're disrespecting Master Hector. I bid 250 million." "250 million is still too low, it's tarnishing the dignity of the wealthy in Zhonghai. I bid 3 billion." "3 billion is nothing, I bid 4 billion!" "..." Amidst the enthusiastic bidding, the statue was finally sold to a coal tycoon for a whopping 5 billion. Ben Xiao had no interest in this and calmly sipped his tea. But it must be said that Knox Feng was good at doing business. The items auctioned afterward were all recent hot topics in society, each attracting countless bids. Profits were pouring in. The first seven auctioned items were all purchased at high prices by wealthy individuals. When it came to the eighth item, Ben Xiao, who had been indifferent, showed a hint of interest for the first time. The beautiful auctioneer announced loudly, "The second-to-last item in this auction is a wild mountain ginseng with a medicinal age of 300 years. When consumed by ordinary people, it can nourish the blood, eliminate various ailments, and even extend life. If consumed by cultivators, it can strengthen the body, allowing one to travel a thousand miles in a day." "Starting bid, 30 billion. Each increase, 1 billion." This announcement shocked the entire hall. For a moment, no one made a bid. 30 billion! Absolutely astronomical! Even though these wealthy individuals publicly claimed to have assets in the tens of billions, those were assets, not cash. It was rare for someone to have 30 billion in cash at once. At this moment, Slade suddenly spoke, "I bid 31 billion!" Swish! All eyes were on Slade. Slade immediately became proud and arrogant. He intentionally looked at Ben Xiao and Pearl Mu with a somewhat boastful expression. After all, this was the first time he had truly stood tall. However, Pearl Mu didn't even glance at him... As for Ben Xiao, he completely ignored him. On the side, Ada Song whispered, "Wild mountain ginseng is already rare, and a 400-year-old Wild Mountain Ginseng King is considered an extremely precious rarity." Pearl Mu nodded deeply, "Even artificially cultivated ginseng is expensive, let alone wild mountain ginseng that grows in deep mountains and old forests." Ben Xiao glanced at Pearl Mu, "You know about wild mountain ginseng?" Pearl Mu snorted, "I used to be a medical soldier. How could I not know? Wild mountain ginseng grows very slowly, taking five years to produce one compound leaf, commonly known as 'three flowers.' It takes ten years to produce a complete palm-shaped compound leaf, known as 'Palm.' Twenty years are needed to produce two plam-shaped compound leaves, known as 'mountain-opening keys.' At this point, wild mountain ginseng starts to become valuable. Thirty years later, three palm-shaped compound leaves are produced, known as 'lampstands.' Fifty years produce four-grade leaves, extremely valuable, known as 'entry-grade.' Eighty years produce five-grade leaves. Wild mountain ginseng with six-grade leaves, with a medicinal age of over a hundred years, is extremely rare and is called an 'elder,' indicating that the entire mountainside will produce countless descendants." "I've only seen wild mountain ginseng with six-grade leaves before, and it fetched a price of four billion. Only wild mountain ginseng with an age of over two hundred years can produce the legendary seven-grade leaves, known as the Wild Mountain Ginseng King. That's just a legend, extremely rare." Ben Xiao nodded without affirming or denying, "What do you think, is this ginseng in front of us, how many grade leaves does it have?" Pearl Mu looked at the details of the Wild Mountain Ginseng King displayed on the big screen and murmured, "Seven-grade leaves. This is already a precious rarity. But the price is too high." Ben Xiao shook his head, "No. This is an eighth-grade leaf." An eighth-grade leaf! Even Ada Song was shocked. Seven-grade leaves were already legendary, and an eight-grade leaf... she dared not even imagine. Pearl Mu was surprised, "But it clearly says seven-grade leaves on the screen." Ben Xiao said, "The eighth-grade leaf has already grown, but the two leaves are attached together. Ordinary people can't tell. This wild mountain ginseng has a medicinal age of more than three hundred years, reaching four hundred years." "In the deep mountains and old forests, it has absorbed the essence of the sun and moon for four hundred years. Even if a Martial arts consumes it, it can greatly enhance their strength. Its value is more than a hundred billion!" What? Ada Song, Rio Tong, and Pearl Mu all gasped for cold air at the same time! Wild Mountain Ginseng King with eight-grade leaves!!! At this moment, Ben Xiao spoke, "I bid 40 billion!" As soon as the words were spoken, the entire hall was in shock! Even on the eighth floor, both Andres Zhou and Travis Ye looked at Ben Xiao. Slade was anxious, "Ben Xiao, this Wild Mountain Ginseng King is a gift my grandfather prepared to give to the Li family. The Zhong family is determined to get it. Are you really trying to create trouble?" Ben Xiao didn't turn around, "In the auction, the highest bidder wins." Slade became furious, "Alright, I can't compete with you in connections, but can I lose to you in money? I bid 41 billion!" After speaking, Slade suddenly stood up, looking proud and ready to accept the envious gazes of countless people. But the next moment. Ben Xiao directly said, "I bid 100 billion!" Silence! Dead silence! The entire hall, was breathless! Swish swish! Everyone stared wide-eyed at Ben Xiao, unbelieving. Even Slade, who had just stood up, was shocked. Although he was the young master of the Central Sea Medical King family, he had never seen so much cash at once... What about the envious gazes he was supposed to receive? At this moment, he felt like a clown. Soon, Slade shouted, "100 billion? Are you joking? There are only a few big wealthy families in Zhonghai who can come up with a hundred billion in cash. How can you, Ben Xiao, possibly come up with a hundred billion?" After speaking, Slade even turned to Knox Feng on the eighth floor and cupped his hand, "Mr. Feng, this person is just talking nonsense. He can't possibly come up with a hundred billion. Please, Mr. Feng, immediately verify his funds. If this person can't come up with a hundred billion, according to the rules of Marleau, he needs to pay a three percent penalty based on the starting price!" Knox Feng hesitated. Ben Xiao was a friend of the Ninth Master of the Hong Sect, and he had some fear. Just then, Andres Zhou coldly spoke, "Knox Feng, 100 billion is indeed too exaggerated. Verify it. Today, I'm here to back you up. Everything must be done according to the rules." With Andres Zhou's support, Knox Feng had no reservations. He spoke into the intercom, and immediately, financial personnel approached Ben Xiao, requesting fund verification. Knox Feng said, "Mr. Xiao, we at Marleau need to verify your available assets now. If you don't have a hundred billion, you will need to pay a penalty of thirty percent of the starting price. If you can't even come up with ten billion, then we'll have to freeze the funds of your wife's Rainbow Security Group."