Volume One, Chapter 18: The Onset of Crisis

The next morning, at the break of dawn, Chuguang pulled her suitcase and took a taxi to the auction house.

As she stepped out of the car, she spotted the counselor standing by the revolving glass doors of the auction house, accompanied by a woman dressed in a cheongsam.

The counselor had been waiting for a long time; her brows only relaxed when she saw Chuguang.

“Why are you so late? I’ve been waiting for you for ages,” she said, glancing at the suitcase. “Is this what you’re bringing out?”

Chuguang nodded.

The three of them followed the attendant to the appraisal room.

Someone poured them tea as they waited.

The appraiser turned out to be the woman in the cheongsam. Looking at the suitcase, she asked, “May I open it?”

Chuguang nodded again.

As the suitcase was opened, the true nature of the metal inside was revealed.

Though there were only about sixty pounds of energy metal, it barely filled half the suitcase, but it was quite heavy.

Chuguang took out a gold bar and said, “It’s a total of sixty pounds. I originally planned to cash it at the bank, but they don’t have sufficient liquidity, so I had to come here.”

“By the way, there’s nearly 180 million worth of energy metal in that account, which I’m also putting up for auction.”

The appraiser looked at the gold bars and then at the suitcase in amazement. “Almost two hundred million worth of goods.”

The counselor clicked her tongue. “Chuguang, I always thought you were a poor student, but I didn’t expect you to be a wealthy second-generation heir. No wonder you never applied for financial aid—you clearly don’t need it. You’re so low-key.”

Chuguang forced an embarrassed but polite smile.

If she could, she would prefer to stay low-key—not be forced into it.

The appraiser glanced at them. “I’ll take the items inside first. Feel free to browse around. If you see anything you like, you can participate in the auction. The funds will be deducted from the proceeds of your items.”

Chuguang watched as her energy metals were weighed and carried into the auction hall.

She looked around.

All she saw were rare jewels and jade pieces—highly collectible but of no interest to her.

Soon, her energy metals sold for 235 million.

The counselor clicked her tongue. “That’s incredibly expensive—thirty million more than the actual price.”

Chuguang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the amount; this sum dispelled all her worries.

“That’s normal. The price of these metals fluctuates wildly, unlike paper currency, so a higher price than the apparent value is expected.”

Still, no matter how high, thirty million more couldn’t just appear out of thin air.

Chuguang’s lashes flickered as she thought of Fatty Lao.

He must have added a bit extra to express his gratitude for saving his life.

Just as she was about to leave, a gasp came from the crowd.

Chuguang turned to see the auctioneer bring out a green treasure, about half the size of a palm, translucent and radiant.

The room buzzed with excitement, and many eyes gleamed with eagerness.

The auctioneer composed himself and announced, “This stone is called the Green Sea. Entirely emerald-green and crystal-clear, it is a rare type of green crystal said to contain faint energy that can prolong the wearer’s life. The starting bid is ten million.”

“Twenty million…”

“Thirty million…”

“Forty million…”

The women present, captivated by the stunning stone, breathed heavier, their eyes shining with anticipation.

Chuguang, originally intending to leave, paused as she heard the stone’s name.

She remembered the coffin shop owner had entrusted her to get this stone.

She had planned to ask about it after the auction but never expected it to be one of the items up for bidding.

The crowd was fervently competing for it.

Before Chuguang could speak, a voice rang out from the crowd, “One hundred million.”

The surrounding chatter fell silent.

That price made some elegantly dressed ladies hesitate.

“Forget it, no matter how beautiful, it’s just a stone. Forty million was already the limit, let alone one hundred million.”

“I agree.”

“That price exceeds its real value; it’d be a loss.”

Others nodded in agreement.

The counselor tugged at Chuguang’s arm. “Let’s go.”

But before she could pull her away, the usually reserved student raised her paddle. “One hundred and ten million.”

The counselor was surprised. “Why are you buying that stone? It only looks good but is worthless. Buying it is a waste.”

“I want it,” Chuguang said, lowering the paddle.

The voice called out again, “One hundred and fifteen million.”

“One hundred and twenty million.”

“One hundred and eighty million.”

“Two hundred million.”

Chuguang raised her paddle again.

The voice hesitated briefly before continuing, “Two hundred and ten million.”

“Two hundred and twenty million.”

That was all the money she had. If the other party raised the price further, she would be helpless.

“Two hundred and twenty million, twice. Sold!”

The auctioneer struck the gavel to finalize the price.

The counselor was stunned to the point of near blackness.

She looked at Chuguang’s utterly unshaken expression.

She massaged her forehead. No wonder she’s the heir to a hundred-billion fortune—spending two hundred million without batting an eye.

Chuguang glanced behind her, seeing only a sea of heads but no sign of the last bidder. She was not curious and stepped out backstage.

As she exited, the auctioneer approached. “The remaining funds, minus commission, have been transferred to your account. That’s eighteen million. This is your recently acquired item.”

Chuguang tucked the stone into her pocket.

With the money in her account, she first went to the hospital to settle her debts.

After paying off her debt, she was back to her original state.

Staring at the last five million remaining in her bank card, Chuguang touched her pocket and pondered, “Why am I broke again?”

Because it was unsafe outside recently, she planned to move back to school as soon as possible.

She told the counselor and began her day.

Shui Ying had been sleeping poorly and was catching up on rest.

When the class bell rang, she slowly woke up. “Have you eaten?”

Chuguang glanced at the time. “If you don’t wake up soon, there won’t be any leftovers for us.”

“Ah!” Shui Ying jumped up, frustrated. “I missed out on the chicken drumstick. It’s all that murderer’s fault—I’ve been too scared to sleep at night.”

Chuguang didn’t even lift her head. “It’s natural to be afraid after such a tragedy, but your reaction is way over the top compared to others. Are you hiding something?”

Shui Ying slapped her face. “Pfft! How could I? I’m just simply scared. People have been dying lately, and the Special Management Bureau can’t find any clues no matter how hard they try. How can I not be scared?”

“The Special Management Bureau hasn’t made any progress?” Chuguang was surprised. “That shouldn’t be. With their capabilities, they wouldn’t be clueless for this long. If they have no leads, then what were they doing when they came to our school last time?”

“They said the school’s energy magnetic field is abnormal, similar to the recent cases they’ve been investigating. So they were being cautious and came to check the source of the unusual magnetic field.”

“Did they find anything?”

Shui Ying rolled her eyes. “They found nothing—except a few dead cats near the lab building.”

Chuguang tidied her desk. “Let’s go. The cafeteria shouldn’t be very crowded now.”

Shui Ying nodded, linking arms with her and sighing, “When are you moving back? I’m the only one in the dorm and so scared. You’re not here, the campus belle isn’t here—it’s lonely and frightening. Then I happened to witness such a terrifying incident; I can’t even sleep.”

“If nothing unexpected happens, it’ll be in the next few days.”

Chuguang headed toward the cafeteria, mulling over what to eat. She finally decided on stir-fried pork with green peppers.

Walking along the roadside, she suddenly collided with members of the Special Management Bureau.

Their faces were grim, and thick clouds gathered around them.

Their complexions were as dark as ink.

Chuguang knew immediately that trouble had struck again. She frowned, recalling the murderous evil spirit on the loose.

She slipped past the group.

Ru An squinted.

Zhou Wei glanced at him. “What is it?”

Ru An shook his head. “Nothing.”

A thick, oppressive aura exhaled. It was covered in searing scars, as if burned painfully.

Hiding in the sewer, it gasped for breath, its eyes full of malice. “Damn those Taoist priests! They unleashed something that severely drained my life force. I must replenish my energy quickly, or soon my soul will dissipate.”

Its gaze flicked repeatedly before settling on the school bathed in bright sunlight, shining brilliantly.

Its voice was filled with loathing. “I hate people who live better than me…”