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"One hundred and twenty thousand gold soul coins."
When the voice rang out from the black No. 1 private room, the entire auction hall fell silent.
This was the black No. 1 private room—who else could possibly be sitting there besides His Highness, the Crown Prince?
At this moment, nearly all the nobles in the yellow and purple sections, who had been considering raising their bids, gave up.
Offending the Crown Prince over a catgirl simply wasn't worth it.
Even Prince Xue Xing shuddered upon hearing that voice.
That kid is right next door?
Well, damn…
His hand, which had been about to raise the bid, paused mid-air. After a brief moment of hesitation, Xue Xing gritted his teeth and pressed the bid button.
As a "wastrel," backing down immediately would be suspicious—it just wasn't in character for him.
So what if he's the Crown Prince? I'm Prince Xue Xing!
I'll push it a little further first.
Ning Fengzhi was taken aback, casting a surprised glance toward the black No. 1 private room.
Xue Qinghe is here too?
This place… he might visit once a year at most.
Why is he here now, of all times?
Wait… he actually raised the bid?
Others might not recognize him, but would Xue Qinghe fail to?
If there wasn't something unusual going on here, Ning Fengzhi wouldn't believe it for a second.
Rubbing his chin, Ning Fengzhi narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
"One hundred and thirty thousand gold soul coins!"
"The black No. 2 private room bids one hundred and thirty thousand gold soul coins!"
The auctioneer had nearly despaired. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect the famously upright Crown Prince to suddenly join the bidding.
Not that the Crown Prince couldn't participate, but once he did, who would dare compete?
This was the future emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire—if he decided to settle scores later…
And let's be real, the masks were just for show. They might fool others, but not the wearers themselves.
Thankfully, Prince Xue Xing in the black No. 2 private room had nerves of steel and raised the bid at this critical moment.
If the auctioneer had let the catgirl go for just one hundred and twenty thousand gold soul coins today, he'd be out of a job tomorrow.
Prince Xue Xing, you're my savior!
"One hundred and forty thousand gold soul coins!"
The black No. 1 private room didn't hesitate, immediately raising the bid to one hundred and forty thousand.
At this price, the auctioneer finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"One hundred and fifty thousand gold soul coins!"
Xue Xing seemed determined to outbid Xue Qinghe, immediately pushing the price higher. This was his persona—he couldn't break character now.
"Uncle, didn't you say this catgirl could still be saved? Why aren't you bidding anymore?"
Xiao Wu blinked, looking at Ning Fengzhi with confusion.
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi snapped out of his thoughts and smiled.
"Saving her doesn't necessarily require my involvement."
"Under normal circumstances, once I place a bid, the person in the black No. 1 private room wouldn't counter."
"Not to boast, but based on my understanding of him, he would never compete with me."
"What's going on with the person in the black No. 1 private room today?"
Xiao Wu's eyes were full of doubt. This dignified-looking uncle didn't seem like the type to lie.
"Him? He's probably acting on someone else's behalf."
Ning Fengzhi's lips curled slightly. Though his words sounded uncertain, he was absolutely sure—there was someone in the No. 1 private room who made Xue Qinghe weigh the pros and cons and still choose to offend his own teacher!
Who else could it be?
Becoming the patriarch of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan wasn't just due to his talent—it was because of his sharp mind!
"So, even that person is here at the auction."
Muttering to himself, Ning Fengzhi crossed his arms and stared intently at the No. 1 private room, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"One hundred and sixty thousand gold soul coins!"
As soon as the No. 1 private room raised the bid, the No. 2 private room didn't counter with another bid—instead, an angry roar erupted.
"How dare you compete with this prince for the catgirl!"
Xue Xing acted as though he hadn't recognized Xue Qinghe's voice, fully embodying the role of a spoiled, arrogant noble.
If Xue Qinghe revealed his identity, Xue Xing would immediately back down, pretending to have been intimidated.
Let the world see that Prince Xue Xing fears the Crown Prince!
That was Xue Xing's goal.
"Oh my! It's the prince! Qinghe, is that your uncle next door?"
Paimon gasped, sounding genuinely shocked.
After all, this was a prince!
In the Heaven Dou Empire, he was practically second only to the emperor.
"Yes, Paimon. Prince Xue Xing is indeed my uncle."
Xue Qinghe's voice wasn't loud, but with the soundproofing arrays temporarily disabled during the auction, his words carried clearly to the next room.
Xue Xing froze.
Paimon?
That name… why did it sound so familiar?
Wait…
A sudden realization hit him, and cold sweat broke out on his back. Beads of perspiration rolled down his forehead.
Xue Xing swallowed hard, feeling like his entire world had just tilted.
Paimon!
She was the second spirit of that Title Douluo with the hundred-thousand-year spirit ring!
If it were just a powerhouse from the Spirit Hall, offending them wouldn't be a big deal.
But this person had no faction backing him—he was a lone expert, and an incredibly powerful one at that.
And he's a twin-spirit master…
Old man Xue Xing was drenched in sweat now.
"Damn it, Xue Qinghe, why didn't you say so earlier?!"
"If I'd known His Excellency Zhongli was next door, why would I bother keeping up this act?!"
Xue Xing was on the verge of tears. If Emperor Xue Ye found out about this, he'd be lucky to escape with just a layer of skin peeled off!
The emperor had been trying to win this man over for ages!
"Qinghe, should we still save the catgirl? What if your uncle gets angry…"
Paimon's innocent voice struck Xue Xing like a hammer, making him shudder again and again.
This couldn't go on. If it did, Xue Qinghe would end up pinning the blame on him.
"So it's His Highness the Crown Prince and His Excellency Zhongli!"
"This prince only bid on the catgirl to send her as a maid to His Excellency's residence!"
"Who would've thought we'd have such a coincidence?"
Without hesitation, Xue Xing immediately switched gears.
"Since His Excellency Zhongli favors this catgirl, this prince will gladly purchase her as a gift to make amends!"
"Two hundred thousand gold soul coins!"
Xue Xing's sudden change left the entire auction hall in stunned silence. You could've heard a pin drop.
When the nobles finally snapped out of it, none of them dared to mock Xue Xing.
Though he was a prince with immense status and real power, that didn't mean he could afford to provoke a Title Douluo for no reason.
This was a Title Douluo—and not even an enemy one at that.
Offending such a person for no reason would make it impossible to sleep soundly at night.
Ning Fengzhi smiled knowingly. He had known things weren't that simple!
After all, he understood human nature all too well.
Tang San and Xiao Wu paled, especially Xiao Wu, whose face turned as white as paper.
That Title Douluo… he's actually here at the auction?!
Tang San frowned. He had met both Prince Xue Xing and Zhongli before.
Prince Xue Xing, accompanied by Dugu Bo, had been the one to expel Shrek Academy's group from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 95 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 20 power stones I will publish the next chapter.