Wang Ba looked at the old man, then at Zi Linling, and became even more conflicted.
Should he continue bidding? He was afraid of being tricked by Zi Linling again. After all, the old man had said that one learns from their mistakes.
Should he stop here? If an ultimate treasure was truly unearthed, he would have nowhere to cry!
Seeing this, Zi Linling taunted, "Alas! You don't even want an ultimate treasure. You're truly like a turtle pulling a cart—all forward momentum, no staying power!"
Wang Ba, subjected to Zi Linling's barrage of sarcastic remarks, suddenly became hot-headed and roared, "Hmph! I refuse to believe I'll be tricked by you every time! Thirty-five million!"
Then, he turned to the old man and said, "Old geezer, are you still bidding?"
The old man raised an eyebrow imperceptibly and said unhurriedly, "Youngster, too much anger is not good for you. Never mind, this old man will add one spirit stone to help you cool down! I bid thirty-five million and one!"
The pathetic Wang Ba, ever since meeting Zi Linling, had become like a turtle in a furnace—suffocated and infuriated.
Now, with Zi Linling in front and the old man behind, he himself was like a rat in bellows—pestered from both sides.
The old man's unhurried demeanor made the anger in Wang Ba's heart flare up like oil poured onto flames, leaping three feet high.
He roared furiously, "Old geezer, are you toying with me?"
Before the old man could reply, Zi Linling interjected, "I say, you really are a complete turtle, unable to even understand the rules of the auction?"
"Elder Fu clearly stated that the bidding starts at one spirit stone. Are you deaf? Just because he bid one spirit stone does that mean he's toying with you?"
The old man stroked his beard and chuckled, "Indeed. Youngster, you are full of malevolent energy and have a villainous appearance. How would this old man dare to toy with you?"
"It's just that I'm old, and earning money is not easy. If I can win the bid by adding just one spirit stone, naturally I wouldn't want to waste money. I hope you don't take offense!"
"You! You two!"
Wang Ba was rendered speechless by their retorts and was so furious he was spitting fire, yet he couldn't lash out.
As Zi Linling had said, when this raw stone went up for auction, Fu Changping had made it very clear that each bid must increase by at least one high-grade spirit stone. Therefore, the old man's actions were within the rules.
If he were to cause trouble over this, the semi-divine king guarding Hua Tian Commercial Bank would definitely not let him off easily.
"Fine! Very fine! You two are truly something! I bid thirty-eight million!"
The old man chuckled, "It seems you youngsters are indeed wealthy! This old man had intended to save some spirit stones to buy chicken legs, but now it seems the chicken legs are out of reach! Since that's the case, I bid thirty-eight million and one high-grade spirit stone."
Wang Ba was now so enraged that both his Buddhist and Daoist deities were ascending, but just as he was about to curse, he heard the old man mutter to himself, "Youngsters these days, they really don't learn their lesson! Hopeless, hopeless..."
Zi Linling frowned, thinking, what exactly was this old man trying to do?
On the surface, he was helping her, yet every word he spoke was subtly warning Wang Ba to be careful of being tricked.
If he was helping Wang Ba, then he was constantly opposing him, infuriating him to no end.
So, what was this old man's true intention?
Wang Ba, who had been blinded by anger, heard the old man's muttering and felt as if a bucket of cold water had been doused over him. He instantly sobered up considerably.
He looked at Zi Linling and said fiercely, "Brat, are you digging a pit for me again?"
Zi Linling scornfully replied, "Are you sick? If you think I'm digging a pit for you, you don't have to jump in! Just don't regret it!"
This time, Wang Ba became conflicted again.
Bid? Don't bid?
Finally, he steeled himself and said, "Old geezer, you're lucky this time! Thirty-eight million and one high-grade spirit stone, this raw stone is yours!"
Poor Wang Ba, having been tricked by Zi Linling so many times, had become afraid.
With a sliver of clarity, he chose to give up.
The old man cupped his hands at Wang Ba and smiled, "Youngster, I concede!"
Then, he cupped his hands at Zi Linling and smiled, "Miss, I concede!"
Zi Linling smiled and said, "Senior, you just said that this raw stone worth thirty-eight million and one is all your fortune. Is that true or false?"
The old man smiled and replied, "Of course it's true. This old man disdains to lie!"
Zi Linling nodded and said, "Then, in that case, I won't take advantage of your situation. I'll add one more high-grade spirit stone to save you money for chicken legs! I bid thirty-eight million and two high-grade spirit stones!"
The smile on the old man's face suddenly vanished, and he said coldly, "Miss, what do you mean? Didn't you just say you were withdrawing from the auction?"
Zi Linling smiled and said, "Senior, perhaps your memory is failing? I only said I was yielding to this turtle. When did I say I was withdrawing from the auction?"
Before the old man could speak, Zi Linling continued, "What I mean is, if that turtle had won the bid for this raw stone, I naturally wouldn't have bid. But did I say that if someone else won, I wouldn't bid?"
The old man's beard bristled with anger. He pointed at Zi Linling and roared, "Zi Linling, you're bluffing!"
Zi Linling's gaze turned cold and she said, "Not bad, not bad. Since you even know my name, it seems you've done quite a bit of homework in advance, Senior! However, how should I address you? Guild Leader Ouyang!"
The exclamation of "Guild Leader Ouyang" caused an uproar in the auction hall.
There was only one person with the surname Ouyang who was called Guild Leader in Xuanyuan City: Ouyang Yude, the Guild Leader of the Alchemist Guild in Xuanyuan City and a Royal Alchemist.
Fu Changping, on the auction stage, was also stunned. He asked doubtfully, "Miss Zi, are you mistaken? I've met Guild Leader Ouyang, and he doesn't look like this!"
Zi Linling smiled and said, "Elder Fu, do you know there's a pill in this world called a Disguise Pill?"
Fu Changping stammered, "Impossible! Even a Disguise Pill couldn't disguise someone so perfectly!"
Zi Linling chuckled, "Ordinary Disguise Pills naturally wouldn't have such an effect, but a Half-Step Divine Realm Disguise Pill… that's another matter entirely. Isn't that right, Guild Leader Ouyang?"
The old man threw his head back and laughed heartily, "This old man just wants to know how you discovered this Guild Leader's identity?"
His question, at this point, was an admission of his identity.
Zi Linling coldly sneered, "Ouyang Yude, the Half-Step Divine Realm Disguise Pill can indeed conceal all your aura, including your soul aura. However, it cannot hide the medicinal scent on your body. Most importantly, the Half-Step Divine Realm Disguise Pill has a significant flaw."