Yan Pei had already taken the twin-pronged daggers from the jade box. He circulated his Saint Yuan to examine them, his eyebrows rising as he couldn't help but exclaim: "Excellent, excellent, excellent! This artifact is practically at the level of a mid-grade Void artifact. The master who forged it put great care into the work, and the craftsmanship is superb. Most importantly, it's perfectly suited for women to use. Ha! This time around, those young masters are really going to have to open their wallets wide."
Yan Pei had a razor-sharp eye—he could see the tremendous value of the twin-pronged daggers at a glance. Setting aside its high grade, the fact that its design was tailored for women alone was enough to send those young masters into a frenzied bidding war. Buying it as a gift for the object of their affection would make it the ultimate present.
Qian Tong opened his mouth, desperately wanting to renege and take the artifact back, but he knew that once something was in Yan Pei's hands, it was never coming out again. He let out a deep sigh and could only give up. Already, his mind was racing—wondering whether he should participate in the bidding later and buy the twin-pronged daggers back. The Shadow Moon Hall did have a few female disciples with decent talent. Bestowing this artifact on them would be like putting wings on a tiger.
He had barely finished sighing when the experts appraising the auction items suddenly erupted in another round of gasps—this time even more excited, even more agitated than before.
"This... this is actually..."
"What?" Yan Pei blurred forward and materialized before them. He focused his gaze on the artifact in another jade box, his eyes narrowing. He reached out and picked up the crimson whip, circulated his Saint Yuan to examine it, then growled: "A mid-grade Void artifact?"
"What?!" Qian Tong's face went white, his aged features twisting in disbelief.
"Haha, excellent, excellent! This auction finally has a proper showstopper. I was a bit worried that everything was rushed and my Treasure Pavilion hadn't been able to collect anything truly impressive. But this whip more than fills the gap! Hahaha, heaven itself is helping me!" Yan Pei laughed heartily, then turned to Qian Tong with a wide grin. "Brother Qian, you've done me a tremendous favor this time. I'll remember this debt."
Qian Tong's mouth was filled with bitterness. He forced a thin smile and said, "Brother Yan, you're too modest. We've known each other for years—of course I'd help ease your concerns. Heh heh..."
Even as the words left his lips, he was mentally cursing Luo Qing to the depths of hell. A single low-grade Void artifact had been enough to make his heart ache until he could barely breathe, and now a mid-grade Void artifact had appeared on top of it? That damn Luo Qing—why hadn't he explained things properly? If Qian Tong had known from the start that Yang Kai was bringing two Void artifacts to auction, he never would have sent them to Yan Pei. No matter the cost, he would have acquired them himself for the Shadow Moon Hall's disciples.
But now, it was too late. If he wanted them, he'd have to bid—and that would cost him an astronomical number of Saint Crystals on top of what he'd already lost. And even then, there was no guarantee he'd win.
Poor Luo Qing had no clue that he was already being blamed by his own Elder Qian. How could he have possibly imagined that Yang Kai's offering would be so massive—two Void artifacts directly, one of them at mid-grade no less?
The twin-pronged daggers were one thing. At the Dark Star's level of artifact refining, they could just barely manage to produce those. But the crimson whip exceeded the capabilities of any Dark Star refiner. Artifacts of that caliber could only be obtained through special channels—they simply couldn't be crafted.
This was also why, across the entire Dark Star, the prices of artifacts and pills above low-grade Void grade defied all normal logic. Once one appeared, it commanded a sky-high price.
"Excellent, excellent, excellent!" Yan Pei's dark face was now blooming like a peony, any trace of his earlier reluctance utterly gone. He praised again and again, his smile stretching so wide it nearly reached his ears. "Another artifact perfectly suited for women! This auction is going to be absolutely spectacular. I can hardly wait to watch those people tear each other apart over it."
"Cough, cough... Elder Yan..." A somewhat trembling voice came from nearby. "Please take a look at this as well."
As he spoke, the person handed a jade bottle to Yan Pei.
Yan Pei took it, uncorked the cap, and peered inside. His eyes immediately bulged wide, his large hand trembling so badly he nearly dropped the bottle to the ground. He rasped: "Void Condensing Pill!"
The three words struck Qian Tong's heart like a sledgehammer. Almost without thinking, he lunged forward, his hand snatching toward the jade bottle.
Yan Pei's reaction was impossibly swift. He swept out a palm strike, and the two palms collided. Both men stumbled back a step.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Yan Pei's hair bristled with fury as he glared viciously at Qian Tong.
Qian Tong's expression was grim. He said in a heavy voice, "Brother Yan, I've given this careful thought. I won't be participating in this auction after all. Please return my items."
If he hadn't caught that fleeting glimpse of the Void Condensing Pill in the bottle, Qian Tong might have turned a blind eye. But that momentary look had made it immediately clear—the Void Condensing Pill in that jade bottle was worth far more than even a mid-grade Void artifact.
"Want to back out now? Too late!" Yan Pei snorted coldly. "You think I'll spit things back out once they're in my possession? Brother Qian, is this the first day you've ever met me?"
"That's not right, Brother Yan! Didn't you just say that no matter how valuable the items were, they couldn't participate in the auction?" Qian Tong's face didn't redden, and his heart didn't skip a beat. For two Void artifacts and a Void Condensing Pill, his dignity was a small price to pay.
"I said that if the items weren't here within half an incense stick's time, they couldn't participate. Are your ears broken?" Yan Pei snorted. Seeing Qian Tong still shamelessly trying to lunge forward, he quickly retreated, swept both jade boxes and the jade bottle into his space ring, and waved his hand with a shout. "All of you, keep your eyes on Elder Qian! If he takes one more step forward, beat him down without mercy!"
"Yes, sir!" Four or five Return to Void Realm experts answered in unison, spreading out into fighting stances and eyeing Qian Tong like tigers watching prey. From the looks of it, they would carry out Yan Pei's orders to the letter—the moment Qian Tong made any move, a storm of attacks would descend upon him.