Tang Yuan happily shook his big head, gloating, "Exactly, exactly! I truly despise it. Actually, I brought money, I really did bring money. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have dared to bid so recklessly; this is Sheng Bao Tang we're talking about. You can't even tell the difference between a simple truth and a lie, and you still have the nerve to be alive? If it were me, I would have hanged myself from a crooked tree long ago. And his family elders let him out like this, even giving him that huge sum of money? They all deserve to be despised together!"

After this farce, Meng Haizhou finally secured the Jade Coral he was determined to have, winning the bid at an absolute high price ten times its worth. However, any outsider witnessing this scene would certainly look upon it with utter disdain.

Spending five million taels of silver to purchase a piece of Jade Coral worth at most fifty thousand taels of silver had already moved beyond mere profligacy; this level had ascended to outright wickedness!

Furthermore, it didn't elicit even a shred of sympathy from others. In the eyes of any discerning "expert," this Jade Coral was clearly something Tang Yuan was set on acquiring, as the Fatty Tang had made the first bid, starting at "one million taels," already vastly exceeding the coral's inherent value. Meanwhile, the young masters from the Li and Meng families were obviously colluding to inflate the price maliciously.

It was just that after driving the price up so vigorously, the other party unexpectedly backed off just when they had pushed the price high, ending up with the item stuck in their own hands—effectively shooting themselves in the foot.

Poetic justice!

The crowd stared at Tang Yuan: Kid, you’re too green. If you hadn't been so hasty and had bid slowly, they would have driven the price up a bit more, and then you could have bought it easily.

But what surprised everyone was that the looks Meng Haizhou and Li Zhen gave Tang Yuan were identical to the looks they gave each other: the same malicious glee: Serves you right, you scoundrel, for trying to cause trouble! Now it’s stuck with you, huh? Good riddance!

Tang Yuan played the part of the victim perfectly, putting on a long face, though his heart was singing with joy. Watching Li Zhen and Meng Haizhou look utterly dejected filled him with immense satisfaction. This time, every score had been settled, principal and interest included! It felt wonderful, satisfying, and utterly exhilarating!

Just then, a server from Sheng Bao Tang brought over the Jade Coral, which was covered with red silk cloth. Li Zhen and Meng Haizhou ground their teeth, feeling a deep, bleeding pain in their hearts, yet they forced strained smiles onto their faces.

If they had just kept their faces long, it wouldn't have mattered. But the sensation—a palpable mix of agonizing loss coupled with a strange sense of relief—drew the attention of Jun Moxie. Unfamiliar with the Jade Coral, and receiving no satisfactory answer from Tang Yuan, his suspicion deepened.

That thing must be immensely useful to them! Hmph, anything useful to the enemy is certainly detrimental to me! No, I must destroy it! Whatever use it has, Jun Moxie won't feel secure until it’s rendered useless.

"Wow! So this is the Jade Coral worth five million taels of silver! Truly, the fart of an immortal—something extraordinary," Jun Moxie said, his face unreadable, as he watched Li Zhen gingerly take the Jade Coral. He pursed his lips and let out a loud whistle, then lightly tapped Tang Yuan with his toe.

Tang Yuan understood immediately and adopted a vacant, longing expression, sighing deeply and looking full of woe at the Jade Coral. "Third Brother, what are we to do? The Old Master gave me strict orders before I left to bring this thing home, but now... look at me, I'm practically done for."

This statement was made loudly enough for Li Zhen and the others to hear. Their frustration immediately lessened. So, this was something Old Master Tang absolutely had to have. No wonder the Fatty had been so desperate. Thinking this, they actually started feeling quite smug.

We brothers unintentionally managed to outmaneuver Old Master Tang? How... satisfying!

Jun Moxie curled his lip, his expression shifting to one of disdain. "What's the big deal about a piece of coral? Look at your two families arguing until your necks turn red! We have several of this quality at my home; I wouldn't bother with that junk."

"What?" Li Zhen's face instantly flushed crimson. "Jun Moxie, stop bragging! Your Jun family is notoriously poor; how could you possess such a treasure? Several of them? Aren't you afraid of being struck down by the wind for telling such tall tales!"

Jun Moxie suddenly seemed to spring up as if his feet had springs attached, his face turning ruddy. "Li Zhen, what do you mean? That's a Jade Coral! Do you even know what a Jade Coral is? Hmph, you simply have no sense of what is rare!"

Li Zhen burst into loud laughter. "Ridiculous! Jun Moxie, you country bumpkin, what do you know? This is Jade Coral! Jade Coral, understand? I honestly can't be bothered with you!"

"Mine is also Jade Coral, and it's about this... this big!" Jun Moxie gestured with his hands. "Fatty Tang has seen it; I wouldn't lie to you." He gestured again, feeling his depiction might be inadequate, so he took a step forward and mimicked the size over the Jade Coral Li Zhen was holding.

His gesture was significant; the size he indicated was easily more than double the Jade Coral Li Zhen held. Finally, he snorted through his nostrils with extreme contempt, "Mine is a deep crimson, much better than yours!" But a thought stirred within him. As he gestured, Jun Moxie secretly circulated his Kai Tian Zao Hua Gong, and he suddenly sensed faint streams of energy swirling within the Jade Coral. Moreover, his own established channels of Xuan Qi became noticeably more active upon encountering this energy flow!

So, the Jade Coral was actually beneficial to Xuan Qi! Jun Moxie scoffed internally. However, this energy felt somewhat similar to the spiritual energy within his Hongjun Pagoda. Thinking this, Jun Moxie deliberately guided this stream of energy into his meridians, preparing to steal the root of its power. But instantly, he felt an intense discomfort. The Hongjun Pagoda in his Sea of Consciousness spun violently, and a tide of spiritual energy surged out, expelling the incoming foreign energy in a mere instant!

Are they mutually exclusive?! Jun Moxie's eyes darted around.

Meanwhile, Li Zhen was so incensed by Jun Moxie that smoke was practically rising from his seven apertures. He furiously yanked the red silk cloth off, roaring, "Look clearly! This is Jade Coral! Jade Coral! Yours is just ordinary red coral! Damn it! You don't know a thing!"

Jun Moxie roared with laughter, "No matter what coral it is, the texture is the same! Li Zhen, you really are a fool! Five million taels for a piece of junk!"

Saying this, he casually reached out and poked the Jade Coral a couple of times, frowning. "Seems slightly different." As he spoke, he activated his Kai Tian Zao Hua Gong to its full capacity. A thin but exceedingly pure stream of energy pierced through in an instant, forcefully occupying a specific location within the structure!

The two entirely opposing energy streams collided, managing to drive the original internal energy aside. But as Jun Moxie withdrew his hand, the original energy immediately counterattacked, swiftly surging back to tightly wrap layers upon layers around the energy stream from the Kai Tian Zao Hua Gong.

Jun Moxie secretly tested it with his divine sense: with the clash of the two opposing energies, the Jade Coral now contained a ball of violently turbulent energy! A sinister grin spread in his gut: Looks like... it can't be used anymore, wahahaha.

"Well? Is it different from your worthless red coral? Hahahaha..." Li Zhen, having gained a rare upper hand, felt infinitely pleased seeing Jun Moxie looking flustered.

"It really is a bit different." Jun Moxie's face was somewhat pale as he withdrew his hand, rubbing his nose with a look of feigned confusion. "How can they be different if they are both coral?"

Tang Yuan looked very surprised and leaned over to touch it, making sounds of wonder. The vanity of the Meng and Li pair immediately swelled; they felt incredibly proud and laughed endlessly. After a long while, they finally wrapped the coral up slowly with expressions of smug satisfaction, casting fierce glares at Jun Moxie and Tang Yuan. "Have you looked enough! You guys don't have one, do you?! Are you jealous?! Ah, Fatty, hahahaha..." As he slowly wrapped it, he kept glancing sideways at Tang Yuan, full of malicious glee.

Hmph, if you didn't manage to buy the Jade Coral, let's see how your Old Master punishes you, you failure! But, with Old Master Tang being the instigator... perhaps that reason could be used to offset the cost, maybe there’s hope for reimbursement...

Jun Moxie looked embarrassed, but deep down, he thought furiously: It would be strange if I didn't manage to screw you over!