I Have Medicine

Chapter 630 - (The Auction Commences) Beyond all expectations

Within the Longque Academy, a piece of news had recently been spreading like wildfire, stating that one of the lecturers in their academy was going to host an auction to clear out the medicinal pills in his possession.

While it was rare for an individual pharmacist to host their own private auction, it wasn’t completely unheard of. The conventional threshold for such an event required one to be at least a Pill King—this was because regardless of the actual proficiency of a pharmacist who reached the Pill King Level, their accumulated foundation definitely wouldn’t be lacking; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to comprehend the refinement of Earth-Level Pills. What made this particular occasion rather strange, however, was that the pharmacist hosting the auction was not only exceptionally young, but he wasn’t even a Pill King at all.

When the news first broke, a whole crowd of people naturally believed this pharmacist was grossly overestimating himself. Yet, the moment this pharmacist’s identity was made public, such doubts vanished without a trace—at least within the Longque Academy. Indeed, to become a lecturer at the Longque Academy meant one bound to possess the caliber of a Pill King, and this particular lecturer’s identity was truly impossible to ignore.

Pill Slaughterer Profound Shadow! The fearsome figure who excelled in Deceptive Pills, Poison Pills, and Battle Soul Pills, who had once put up a massive bounty using Flawless Pills to hunt people down, and who had exterminated the three foreign races with Poison Pills!

What kind of collection did he possess, and what kind of pills would he bring out to anchor an auction like this? It naturally piqued the interest of many…

However, while Pill Slaughterer Profound Shadow’s existence wasn’t a heavily guarded secret, his name wasn’t common knowledge on the streets either. Consequently, though major and minor factions had noted him previously, it hadn’t reached the point where absolutely everyone knew him. Essentially, he was mildly famous—someone worth associating with, but not to the extent that people would immediately scramble to curry favor.

Therefore, when the publicity for the auction began, the general travelers and long-term resident martial artists in Longque City weren’t very familiar with the name. Those who needed pills or felt a bit of interest went to look into it, while those who realized they had never heard of him simply noted it and didn’t take it to heart.

The promotion for this auction could be described as fitting, drawing in an audience that was neither too small nor too large.

But if it remained just like that, it would only be a perfectly ordinary auction, unlikely to make much of a splash.

Amidst this quiet passage of time, the official start date of the auction arrived.

Although a few onlookers didn’t bother seeking out entry invitations, they still gathered nearby to watch the commotion. And as they watched, they witnessed something that caught them completely beyond all expectations.

It was supposed to be an ordinary auction with very little renown, yet from early that morning, an influx of eye-catching and famous figures began arriving one after another.

Some in the crowd began to whisper:

“To ride such a ferocious wild beast, that person must be a prodigy! I heard this auction is being hosted by a lecturer from the Longque Academy. Could it be that this prodigy shares a connection with him and came over to back him up?”

“In this old man’s opinion, that is likely the case!”

Others voiced their envy and jealousy:

“This lecturer certainly has good luck to encounter a prodigy who gives him so much face! Even if he doesn’t have any good items here, the arrival of this prodigy lends him immense prestige!”

“Precisely, precisely! I heard this person is clearly not a Pill King yet, yet he dares to host this auction. He must have backing and came here specifically to make a name for himself. The items inside… are probably just ordinary!”

However, the scenes that followed caused the expressions of these jealous onlookers to shift entirely.

Right after the arrival of that first prodigy, several more prodigies arrived together, actually lowering their status to amicably enter the auction venue!

“That’s the Lei Family’s prodigy, Lei Pengfei!”

“This one is one of the Longque Ten Heirs…”

“The Feng Family’s Heavenly Maiden has arrived as well!”

“This person is rarely seen, but judging by his bearing, he is also a prodigy!”

Following them, quite a few top-tier talents and individuals who looked to be highly accomplished pharmacists also quickly filed into the venue.

Although these individuals all seemed to have different temperaments, there was no impatience or perfunctoriness on their faces. On the contrary, they all appeared quite intrigued—as if they weren’t uninterested in this auction after all?

By this time, any martial artist with even a shred of intelligence would no longer assume these people were merely giving face to a “lecturer.” Some speculated that this pharmacist possessed a powerful background, and that the pills brought out for auction had likely been supplied by his clan to boost his prestige. Others guessed that this pharmacist might have truly experienced a miraculous encounter and possessed genuine ability, which was why he dared to host an auction like this.

But regardless of which theory they leaned toward, everyone understood at least one thing: this auction was bound to be far from the mediocre affair they had initially anticipated, and there would definitely be high-quality goods!

Right then, many people felt immense regret.

Had they known this earlier, they would have scrambled to obtain an entry invitation over the last two days. Trying to secure one now would undoubtedly be vastly more difficult—practically an impossible feat.

In an instant, an itch of intense curiosity gripped the crowd. They grew incredibly anxious to see what would unfold, and those with more pressing desires quickly ran off to find a way to get their hands on an invitation!

Meanwhile, people continued to arrive in droves.

Among them were many students from the Longque Academy, but there were also many members of the various factions stationed within Longque City.

They converged into streams of people, surging into the venue.

The interior of the venue was exceptionally spacious.

It was configured with three thousand standard seats, five hundred premium seats, and one hundred private boxes, allowing for a total seating capacity of over three thousand six hundred. Further to the back was an open area reserved for standing room for those without seats who still wished to spectate. That number was left uncounted, as standing invitations were usually handed out on a temporary basis within the final hour before the auction if the seats proved insufficient.

However, the field of vision and position for these standing spectators were far from ideal. Anyone with a modicum of social standing would not lower their dignity to stand back there.

By now, every single seat was entirely filled. This came as a massive surprise to the latecomers who had only entered out of curiosity after seeing so many prodigies, talents, and heavyweights from major factions show up.

Auras rippled across the venue, and a few truly terrifying presences swept over the crowd from above—top-tier powerhouses of at least the Royal Realm were actively maintaining order.

…An auction holding around three thousand seats could only be considered a small-scale event. To have Royal Realm powerhouses present to secure it was already an incredibly high-end defensive configuration.

Because of this, the martial artists in the standing section felt much more at ease, and their interest in the upcoming auction suddenly spiked by several notches.

Inside one of the private boxes, Lei Pengfei leaned back against a plush, long couch, exchanging looks with Feng Xueqin and Duan Yunbeng on the other side.

The organizers of this auction had clearly made thorough preparations in advance. Each of these private boxes could comfortably accommodate up to fifty people, and there were several of these cozy couches available for the bidders to take their seats.

At this moment, the three prodigies each occupied a different spot, accompanied by a few others sharing the space.

Seated beside Lei Pengfei were two young men whose features bore a strong resemblance to his, clearly making them members of the same family. Next to Feng Xueqin was a girl with a refined and lovely appearance, a close friend of hers. By Duan Yunbeng’s side sat a middle-aged man, who was one of his uncles.

Among this group, the three prodigies—Lei Pengfei and the others—were deeply familiar with one another. As for the rest, because they frequently accompanied these prodigies in their daily lives, they were well-acquainted with each other as well.

Consequently, the current atmosphere was quite pleasant, and their conversation flowed naturally without any hint of stiffness or awkwardness.

One of the Lei family descendants asked curiously, “Eldest Cousin, it’s just a small-scale auction, yet you all rushed over so eagerly… Could it be that there really are exceptional treasures featured today?”

The other Lei family descendant added, “Whenever a regular auction is held, a catalog detailing the items up for bid is always prepared so that people with connections like us can acquire it beforehand. This pharmacist seems to lack experience; he didn’t even provide such a thing, leaving us noble scions completely in the dark, just like the ordinary martial artists.”

Lei Pengfei raised an eyebrow and was just about to answer when he heard a knock on the door from the outside.

After exchanging questioning glances with Feng Xueqin, Duan Yunbeng, and the others, he gestured to a servant standing nearby to go and open the door to the private box.

Once the door opened, a lean and vigorous young man walked in. His expression was cold and stern as his gaze landed on Lei Pengfei, who was clearly the leader of the room. He spoke, “May I ask if you are the Prodigy Lei Pengfei?”

Lei Pengfei replied casually, “I am. What is it?”

The young man immediately took a step forward, his expression solemn as he said, “I am Long Shijiu of the Tianlong Guards, serving under Prodigy Gongyi. Acting on the orders of Pharmacist Gu, I have come to present the items previously promised to Young Master Lei. Furthermore, Pharmacist Gu has stated that for the three of you—Prodigy Lei Pengfei, Prodigy Duan Yunbeng, and Heavenly Maiden Feng Xueqin—any items won during this auction will be charged at only eighty percent of the final price.”

As he spoke, he flipped his palm to present a palm-sized jade gourd.

In the next moment, a servant beside Lei Pengfei stepped forward to receive the jade gourd and delivered it into Lei Pengfei’s hands.

Lei Pengfei toyed with the jade gourd for a moment before saying, “Many thanks to Junior Brother Gu for his deep generosity.”

Long Shijiu then inquired, “May I ask which of you is Heavenly Maiden Feng and which is Prodigy Duan?”

Lei Pengfei pointed the two of them out to him.

Long Shijiu performed the same solemn bow toward them, delivering a jade gourd to each as well.

With this, the three of them naturally understood what was going on.

Lei Pengfei said in surprise, “Junior Brother Gu was actually this fast—” He couldn’t help but probe further, “Are these indeed the items I am thinking of?”

Long Shijiu replied, “Precisely.”

Hearing his confirmation, both Feng Xueqin and Duan Yunbeng straightened their postures, their expressions turning serious.

Long Shijiu added, “Pharmacist Gu also noted that the yield of pills this time exceeded his expectations. Therefore, once he finds some leisure time in the coming days, he will gift you a few more.”

A smile spread across Lei Pengfei’s face. “Please convey my gratitude to Junior Brother Gu once again.”

Feng Xueqin and Duan Yunbeng expressed the same sentiment.

Long Shijiu naturally agreed once more, then respectfully took his leave.

After Long Shijiu departed, the two descendants of the Lei family looked at the unmistakable joy on the faces of the three prodigies, feeling even more bewildered.

One of them immediately asked, “Eldest Cousin, is that Pharmacist Gu the very pharmacist hosting this auction? What did he send that could make you this happy?”

By now, Lei Pengfei was already filled with anticipation. With a rare hint of urgency, he popped open the stopper of the jade gourd and peeked inside, only then finding the humor to smile and reply, “Why don’t you all perceive it for yourselves?”

At that exact moment, the medicinal fragrance wafting from the gourd was instantly caught by everyone in the room.