"Fatty, your ambition... well, it’s truly spectacular," Jun Moxie muttered, wiping his mouth, seemingly at a loss for words. He recalled the last time Fatty had launched into one of his grand pronouncements; clearly, this time had stirred up the same deep-seated obsession within him.

Regarding Fatty’s current fit of madness, Jun Moxie could only use one phrase to describe it: A pauper suddenly flush with cash, burning through money just because he finally has some!

"Tang Fatty, you—you—you are utterly shameless!" Dugu Xiaoyi’s face flushed crimson, her almond eyes wide open. She couldn't believe she had been tricked by this Fatty; she had held her breath for so long only to hear such a brazen speech!

Fatty's shamelessness had clearly reached a monumental height that others could only look up to!

"Fatty, hold off on that righteous indignation for a moment; cough, cough," Jun Moxie cleared his throat twice. "I need to discuss something serious with you."

"Go ahead, once you’re done, I’m hiring several carriages to haul the silver straight to Spirit Mist Lake! I intend to spend tens of millions of taels in a single night! Let’s see who can resist that!" Tang Yuancai waved his hand grandly, his mouth dry from speaking, then snatched a cup from the table, not asking whose it was, and downed the contents in one gulp.

"About this auction," Young Master Jun's face instantly darkened. His profound gaze swept over the faces of everyone present. Instantly, they all felt a tightening in their chests, unconsciously becoming serious. Among them were three supreme masters—Jun Wuyi, Song Shang, and Hai Chenfeng—all Heaven Profound experts, with Third Master Jun holding the status of an elder. Yet, under Young Master Jun’s severe gaze, they all felt a chilling apprehension. The sharpness of Jun Moxie’s eyes greatly surprised them.

Jun Wuyi let out an internal sigh of admiration. Perhaps this was the unique aura of a superior, something that didn't need deliberate display but naturally imparted a feeling of being aloof and infinitely intimidating.

Even he, a general who once commanded legions through bloody battle his entire life, couldn't help but feel this genuine pressure, let alone the others?!

"This auction—it was your idea! Tang Yuan, do you understand?" Jun Moxie looked sharply at Tang Yuan, enunciating every word.

"This auction was my idea?" Tang Yuan scratched his head, looking utterly bewildered! He was confused not only by the implication of Young Master Jun's words but also by being addressed as 'Tang Yuan'! It was extremely rare for Young Master Jun to call Fatty by his formal name. The two had a deep friendship, usually addressing each other with casual terms, or teasingly as Third Young Master or Fatty. For Young Master Jun to call him by his full name like this was exceptionally unusual!

"Yes! This entire auction is your idea! No matter who asks, it is your idea! Do you understand?" Jun Moxie emphasized the tone: "I mean, anyone who asks must answer this way, no exceptions! Do you grasp what that means?"

"Understood. Even if you ask later, this will still be my idea!" Fatty Tang smirked proudly. "I didn't realize my brain was so sharp—pfft, my brain has always been sharp! I could come up with this idea, no wait, this was my idea to begin with! Who dares to doubt it? Who dares not believe it? Anyone who doubts me, I will never coexist with them! Anyone who questions my intellect is tired of living?!"

"Exactly! As for your original intention, it was purely for making money! The reason this place is called the 'Aristocrat’s Hall' is because only aristocrats have wealth! The reason some people were invited and others weren't is to stimulate consumption. In short, every arrangement is designed to make money! Do you understand?"

Jun Moxie glared at him: "No matter how unclear you are now, you must make everything clear later! From this moment on, starting now, the idea of establishing the Aristocrat’s Hall is yours. You immediately start thinking about why you did this, why you had to do that, why you did everything... In short, if you can’t come up with a reasonable explanation, forget about enjoying yourself at Spirit Mist Lake—you won't even step foot out of the Aristocrat’s Hall!"

Jun Moxie spoke with absolute unreasonableness and domineering force. "Brother, take the blame for me this once."

"What reasonable explanation is needed for this! I am a genius by nature! Such a simple little maneuver only requires a casual thought to figure out. Why make such a fuss? Hahahaha!" Tang Yuan burst into loud laughter, seemingly explaining casually, his whole body of fat jiggling, showing no sign of concern. Only the look in his narrow eyes, directed at Jun Moxie, betrayed him, for that gaze was filled with ineffable worry.

Tang Yuan was no fool. On the contrary, he was very intelligent; if he hadn't possessed sufficient intellect, how would the great Master Jun have chosen him as a partner? Fatty clearly knew that if Jun Moxie said this, he must have encountered something, or perhaps realized something, and the Jun family’s situation did not permit Jun Moxie to be so outstanding without consequence.

Therefore, this time, the scapegoat would have to be shouldered by him. Whether he could bear it, or whether anyone would believe it, was actually unimportant, because at this current stage, Fatty was the most ideal candidate to take the fall, and he believed that eventually, all suspicion would simply fade away unresolved.

And the most crucial point was this: the idea proposed by Jun Moxie, while it might still draw suspicion toward Jun Moxie, absolutely could not lead to confirmation! That was an entirely different matter!

Fatty had long regarded Third Young Master Jun as a true brother. To tell the truth, among the Tang family's current generation, though the offspring weren't exceptionally few, they certainly weren't scarce, and he even had several full elder brothers. Yet, Fatty only regarded his original circle of drinking and feasting friends as true, sworn brothers. It was precisely because of this genuine affection that Fatty today chose to help the great killer Jun without hesitation, without regard for reward or consequence.

Meanwhile, Dugu Xiaoyi’s face suddenly turned pale. Although the little girl was innocent, she was also exceptionally sharp. Clearly, she had thought of something too. While she might not have thought as deeply or far ahead as others, what concerned her most was that this situation involved Jun Moxie. As long as it implicated that rogue Jun, no matter what it was, Dugu Xiaoyi would not take it lightly—even if it seemed to be the most trivial matter.

Seeing the worry in Tang Yuan’s eyes and the concern on Dugu Xiaoyi’s face, Jun Moxie felt an inexplicable wave of comfort. He forced a casual smile and said, "It's nothing. Don't you see Third Uncle? Third Uncle is sitting there looking completely composed, as if everything is under control. Doesn't that explain something? Third Uncle worries about me the most. Even if you don’t trust me, can’t you trust my Third Uncle?"

Dugu Xiaoyi obediently turned her gaze and saw Jun Wuyi sitting there with a faint smile, indeed appearing completely unconcerned. Seeing the little girl look over, Jun Wuyi smiled faintly and said, "No need to worry, just do your best! As long as those ancient super-families don't stir, it won't be too difficult for our Jun family to protect one person in the Tianxiang Empire."

Hearing Third Master Jun say this, the little girl immediately felt reassured. Although Jun Wuyi’s words were plain, the determination to spare no effort was clearly revealed!

The little girl was relieved, but Fatty became even more worried. Fatty was far from being as simple as the little girl. While he hadn't grasped all the intricacies, he understood four or five parts of the situation. If there weren't real problems, Third Young Master Jun wouldn't have suddenly acted that way just now. While Third Master Jun’s words weren't false, what if those super-families did make a move?

And the Royal Family—these powers were not something the current Jun family could contend with. He absolutely had to use all his ability to help his brother, no matter what!

Fatty and the little girl were unaware that their worry, concern, and unwavering loyalty had earned them the true affection of the great killer Jun. Throughout the great killer Jun’s life, the number of people who would receive this kind of genuine feeling seemed to be only a select few.

Just then, someone arrived with a report: Princess Ling Meng requested Miss Dugu to come down.

Dugu Xiaoyi stood up, looked at Jun Moxie, who nodded with a smile, signaling that she could go.

Dugu Xiaoyi took two steps, suddenly turned back, walked up to Jun Moxie, and gently adjusted his collar with her small hand. She whispered softly, "You... be careful in everything, got it? Da Mi."

After saying that, the little girl lowered her head and scurried out.

Little Bai, who had been clinging to Jun Moxie since entering the door, chirped once, cast a deeply reluctant look at Jun Moxie, turned into a white shadow, and followed Dugu Xiaoyi out.

"It’s fine now. You all go about your business. Oh, and Fatty, you can’t touch this money for now," Jun Moxie directly shattered Fatty's fantasies. He pulled out a sheet of paper from his robes, densely covered with names of medicinal herbs.

"Spread the word. At any cost, acquire the herbs listed here," Jun Moxie solemnly handed the list to Tang Yuan. "Take as many as there are, the more the better! And do it as quickly as possible!"

"Sky Star Grass, Three-Colored Lingzhi, Nine Profound Root, Dream Scent, Thousand Leaf Grass, Blood Pill Vine, Dragon Whisker Leaf, Black Ginseng, Purple Bamboo Fruit, Mountain Piercing Stem..." Tang Yuan sucked in a sharp breath. Even with Fatty Tang's knowledge, he had no idea how much these herbs were worth. What surprised him was the sheer quantity of these herbs, and the enormous amount required, making Fatty feel that his share of the profits might slip through his fingers in an instant.

"Third Young Master, my dearest brother!" Tang Yuan pleaded with a crestfallen face: "That was my lifelong dream! The sole goal of my entire life was this! You—you can't be this cruel! Wasting away all the little money I just earned! Leave some for your brother. Your brother was just kicked out of his family, and my hands are truly..."

A little money? Fatty’s share of the dividends from this venture was conservatively estimated to exceed ten million silver taels. The annual military budget of the Tianxiang Empire was only about thirty million taels...

Jun Moxie kicked him lightly, laughing as he scolded: "Stop the nonsense! Hurry up. Once these herbs are all collected, you’ll have as much money as you want. Do you think our Aristocrat’s Hall is only opening once? I don't even spare a thought for your paltry sum. Wait until next time, and I’ll show you what a real big move looks like!"

There was something even more extravagant—if what they earned this time was considered small money, how much would the big money be, and how vast would the grand move be?!

Hearing that there were even greater things coming, Fatty's face immediately lit up like a blossoming flower. "That's good, that's good! Uh, Third Young Master, this wine... are we really only auctioning it this one time? Won't we sell it again?" It's a real shame!"

"Absolutely not selling again! Don't you understand the principle of scarcity creating value!" Jun Moxie waved his hand decisively. "If too much of it appears, it won't be precious anymore. Moreover, it's already generous enough to let them spend silver to taste such fine wine. Should we supply them with it indefinitely? Do they deserve it?"