Peerless Spirit Master - Chapter 10

Ye Guilan was truly starting to regret giving away that doll.

Ever since she handed the doll to Ye He, he had been grinning foolishly for a full two hours.

He would sit there, staring at the doll and grinning, then look at her and grin, then back at the doll… and so the cycle continued.

Ye Guilan really couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Who else would show their affection so blatantly, so much so that even she felt embarrassed?

“Sir, here’s the food you ordered.”

Someone brought in their meal. Ye He stood up cheerfully and showed the doll to the person, “My daughter gave this to me. She says it looks just like me. What do you think?”

The person delivering the food was stunned for a moment, then gave a polite yet awkward smile, “It really does! What a wonderful gift.”

“Right? I think so too! My daughter-”

“Alright, you can leave now!”

Ye Guilan pushed the person out the door, her face slightly flushed as she turned to look at her still-grinning father, not knowing what to say for a moment.

After the meal, Ye Guilan thought they would head home, but to her surprise, Ye He said they were going to the Trading House. The real trading would begin at night; it turned out the rare medicinal herbs her father wanted were to be auctioned off, going to the highest bidder.

Ye He floated along happily to the Trading House, and naturally, Ye Guilan accompanied him. As soon as they got off the carriage and before they could even open the door, someone from inside the Trading House came out to greet them. Upon seeing Ye He, they wore an ingratiating expression, “Mr. Ye, you’re here.”

Ye He nodded with a smile, and the Trading House staff hurriedly led him inside.

Ye Guilan followed along, amazed at how the people in the Trading House treated Ye He.

She had thought her father’s wealth was limited to Chunyuan Town, but it turned out… it had already expanded to Lan City.

It seemed Ye He was a regular at the Lan City Trading House, and judging by their attitude, he was clearly a distinguished VIP here.

Indeed, they were led to a special private room.

One wall of the room was made entirely of transparent glass, and below was the auction hall itself, where many people were already entering and taking their seats.

“Mr. Ye, you’ve arrived.”

A charming, coquettish voice accompanied the opening of the door. Ye Guilan, standing by the window, was captivated by the auction scene outside; the scale here was nothing like Chunyuan Town.

“Manager Mei, this is a gift from my daughter. What do you think?”

Ye He cheerfully took out the doll. The alluring woman who entered was also taken aback, “Your daughter-is she the young lady standing by the window?”

Ye Guilan couldn’t stand it any longer and turned back, her face red, “Dad! Please restrain yourself!”

He was just short of carving on his forehead: This is a gift from my daughter, hehe.

Ye He nodded, reluctantly putting the doll away, looking a bit aggrieved.

Ye Guilan turned back to continue watching the auction outside, her face still flushed. Mei Shiliu couldn’t help but chuckle, “You two have a wonderful father-daughter relationship.”

“Really? You think so too?”

Ye He perked up immediately, speaking with delight. Mei Shiliu laughed, “Of course. Mr. Ye is famous for doting on his daughter. I’m a bit surprised you both came to Lan City together this time.”

“I’m surprised too. I didn’t expect Guilan to come with me. You don’t know-”

Ye He’s words faded under Ye Guilan’s warning gaze, and he closed his mouth, looking a bit wronged.

Mei Shiliu noticed their little exchange, walked over to Ye Guilan, and bent down slightly, “Miss Ye, are you interested in the auction?”

A captivating fragrance wafted over. Ye Guilan turned her head slightly and caught sight of an impressive figure, quickly averting her gaze, “It’s alright, I suppose.”

“There are some excellent lots in this auction. Please stay until the end, Miss Ye. If something catches your eye, you’re welcome to participate.” Mei Shiliu smiled, patting Ye Guilan’s shoulder, “Miss Ye, you have a bright future ahead.”

Ye Guilan smiled and thanked her for the compliment. Mei Shiliu had already risen to take her leave, and as she walked out the door, she winked at Ye Guilan.

Standing by the glass window, Ye Guilan watched as more and more people streamed into the auction, all dressed with great care. Soon, she spotted a few familiar figures.

Tsk tsk, weren’t those people from the Liu Family?

Oh, and there was Liu Ruyu.

Ye Guilan snorted coldly, then shifted her gaze to the side. Hm? Wasn’t that Song Haoran? The Song Family was here too?

Song Haoran, dressed in casual clothes, stood tall. Not long after, a charming young lady entered and sat right beside him. Song Haoran glanced at her, seeming somewhat displeased.

Ye Guilan looked at the girl-most likely Bai Ruirui.

“Hm? Isn’t that the boy you fancy?”

Ye He came over to his daughter, following her gaze and quickly spotting Song Haoran. “Who’s the girl sitting next to him?”

Ye He looked at his daughter with concern, afraid she might be upset and do something drastic again.

Ye Guilan smiled, “Probably his fiancée.”

This startled Ye He, “Guilan, you-!”

“His face, I just like looking at his face!”

Ye Guilan started out smiling as she explained, but seeing the fear in Ye He’s eyes, her heart suddenly ached.

“I’ll never do something so foolish as risking my life for a man again. I swear, I won’t ever do that.”

Ye He looked at her, as if trying to gauge the truth of her words.

“Dad, I guess you could say I’ve come to my senses. I’ll never do those ridiculous things again. I just think he’s good-looking, that’s all.”
Ye He’s brow twitched. “Your father is much better looking than this brat.”

Ye Guilan was stunned, then nodded vigorously.

“Yes, Father is better looking. I won’t look at him anymore.”

Only then did a smile appear on Ye He’s face. By now, the auction venue was already filled with people.

Before long, the auction host stepped onto the stage. With a flourish of lights, the host’s voice rang out loud and clear-the auction had officially begun.

Ye He smiled, letting Ye Guilan continue standing by the glass window, while he leisurely took a seat and once again pulled out the plush toy Ye Guilan had given him, looking at it lovingly.

No matter how faint the sounds were outside, everything could be heard clearly in this room, as if they were present at the scene themselves.

Ye Guilan gazed down at the people seated below. They should all be Fifth-Rank Families from Lan City. With this many… was something rare being auctioned off?

For the first few lots, everyone seemed uninterested. Hardly anyone bid, and those who did didn’t offer high prices-nothing caused a stir.

Except when the medicinal ingredient Ye He wanted appeared-this father won it with an absolutely unbeatable price, drawing a wave of exclamations. But after that, nothing else notable happened.

Soon, the auction neared its finale.

“I know everyone is here for the final item. This last lot is also the grand finale of tonight’s auction!”

A small wooden box was brought out with utmost care. The host cautiously opened the box. Instantly, a wave of medicinal fragrance poured into the venue like a flood, and even Ye Guilan inside the room could smell it clearly.

Seated, Ye He merely raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze still fixed on the plush toy from Ye Guilan.

In the center of the wooden box lay a milky white pill, plump and round like a large pearl, with a faint, enticing luster.

“What… is that?”

Ye Guilan’s eyes were completely drawn to that pill. Why did she feel that the pill itself looked so beautiful?

“Calamity Dispelling Origin Opening Pill!”

The moment the name was announced, a wave of commotion swept through the auction. Originally, the participants were seated, but now they couldn’t help but stand up, leaning forward to get a clearer look.

All eyes were on this pill-this was the true highlight of the auction.

Ye He stood up slowly and walked over to his daughter’s side, thoughtfully giving her an explanation.

“The Calamity Dispelling Origin Opening Pill can help those at the Spirit Gathering Ninth Level to steadily break through to the Spirit Manifestation Level.”

Ye He’s words immediately enlightened Ye Guilan. This pill could ensure that a Spirit Gathering practitioner advanced to the Spirit Manifestation Level!

No wonder so many people had flocked here. No wonder everyone at this auction had been waiting for this moment.

For these Fifth-Rank Families, having this pill meant a direct means to produce a true expert, and it would lay the foundation for potentially advancing to a higher-ranked family in the future.

Ye Guilan mused aloud, “No wonder. The Spirit Manifestation Level… it’s truly something these Fifth-Rank Families yearn for.”

Ye He chuckled softly. “Although some Fifth-Rank Families do have members at the Spirit Manifestation Level, their numbers are too few-not every family has one. To become a Fourth-Rank Family or even higher, Spirit Manifestation Level is only the lowest threshold.”

Ye Guilan’s eyes widened slightly. It looked like this small pill would spark a fierce bidding war at this auction.

All the Fifth-Rank Families of Lan City had come for this; the competition was bound to be intense.

Ye Guilan watched the few people below who were already barely able to contain themselves, their desire and urgency written all over their faces.

The auctioneer noted the expressions of the participants and smiled with satisfaction. “Let the bidding begin!”

“Ten million!”

Ye Guilan’s hand trembled slightly at the sound. Ye He gently smoothed her hair, then got up and returned to his seat.

The room fell instantly silent at that price.

But after only a few seconds, people began bidding again.

Ye Guilan listened as the numbers kept climbing, feeling as if a whole row of zeroes was tumbling around in her mind.

“Twenty-eight million!”

When she saw who had made that bid, Ye Guilan couldn’t help but grit her teeth. How much of that sum from the Liu Family had been supplied by her, the eldest Miss Ye?

The Liu Family’s bid was quickly surpassed, the price shooting straight for thirty-five million!

The venue quieted again. Ye Guilan could almost hear her own pounding heartbeat-this price was beyond anything she’d ever dared to imagine.

But the bidding did not stop at thirty-five million; another round of fierce increases began.

Ye Guilan felt like the crowd below had gone mad. For a single pill to fetch such a price-her poverty truly limited her imagination.

“Fifty-five million!”

Someone called out that number, and no one else bid further.

“Fifty-five million! Once! Twice! Thrice! Sold!”

The auctioneer hammered down with excitement, and Ye Guilan couldn’t help giving a mental thumbs-up.

She looked at the family that had won the pill. Though it was painful, she was genuinely happy for them.

While Ye Guilan was still reeling from the final price, the door was pushed open again.

“Congratulations, Mr. Ye!”

Mei Shiliu entered with a charming smile. Ye Guilan turned to look at her, dazed, not quite understanding why Mei Shiliu was congratulating Ye He.

Seated there, Ye He responded with a smiling hum, not really paying attention to Mei Shiliu’s words-his attention remained wholly on the plush toy Ye Guilan had given him.

He took it out again.

Mei Shiliu looked at Ye Guilan’s bewildered face and covered her red lips with a delicate gesture.

“Miss Ye, that pill just now was crafted by Mr. Ye himself.”

Ye Guilan was dumbfounded. She stared blankly at Ye He, a string of zeroes flashing through her mind… Father-my real father, indeed!