"Let's eat first, otherwise the food won't taste good." Tong Nuonuo yelled behind him.

After Chen Xiao sat down, he raised his chopsticks and said in confusion: "Could it be possible that Zhen Ning could really turn the tables?" Although he hoped to see an exciting competition between two evenly matched opponents yesterday, it would be surprising if this was true.

Tong Nuonuo shook her head: "This is just the beginning. Just watch, Zhen Ning is just struggling to the end before dying. Wanjin Pavilion's weaving is outstanding, and Qianxiufang's embroidery is not bad either. Zhen Ning's disadvantage in the previous two stages was too obvious, and she wants to close the gap now."

Tong Nuonuo is a local native, so what he said must be true. But what is strange is that Zhen Ning's change is too fast and obvious. He looked depressed yesterday, but now he is catching up.

After several people finished their meal, Tong Nuonuo put down his chopsticks and said, "I'll go out and ask if there's any situation over at Wanjin Pavilion." After saying that, he didn't give others a chance to object and jumped up and ran out.

Chen Xiao sighed helplessly. He glanced at Tang Ru and said, "A Rou, go follow him. Don't let him not come back soon and you have to ask someone to look for him."

Tang Ru smiled, then stood up and followed him out.

After a quarter of an hour, Tong Nuonuo and Tang Ru came back.

Chen Xiao had just made some tea and looked at him in surprise and asked, "Why so fast?"

Tong Nuonuo said: "How long does it take to ask a question? It is said that Hu Manniang scolded Zhen Ning severely. The voice was quite loud and people outside heard it. It was probably because of this that Zhen Ning cheered up again."

Chen Xiao thought for a moment: "Could it be that Hu Manniang already knows about this?"

Tang Ru snorted, "The actions of this Wanjin Pavilion Master are very intriguing. Even if she wanted to scold Zhen Ning, there's no need to be so loud that outsiders will know. Who knows who she's telling it to."

Xi Yunting picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then said, "This matter will come to an end soon."

Xi Yunting's judgment was absolutely correct.

In this session, Zhen Ning's desperate performance finally brought them back to the previous lagging progress, and they left the stage almost at the same time as Ye Jinglan. Not long after, Liu Lang came to their compartment to thank them. If it weren't for Chen Xiao's discovery, Ye Jinglan would have lost this competition.

Liu Lang said to them, "Both Master Mu and Master Hu have agreed to give me some compensation. I will be able to return the spiritual pearl I lent you soon."

Chen Xiao said, "It's not urgent. If you need it, you can come back anytime that's convenient for you." After a pause, he asked, "Did Pavilion Master Hu tell you personally?"

Mu Jinrong had been holding back on this matter, thinking that it would only be discussed after the competition. From what Liu Lang said, could it be that Hu Manniang had gone to Qianxiufang's room in person?

Liu Lang knew what he meant and nodded, saying, "Yes, Pavilion Master Hu promised it himself. Just now, after the weaving session was over, Pavilion Master Hu brought Zhen Ning over to apologize in person and even made Zhen Ning kowtow to make amends. Not only that, Pavilion Master Hu also deprived her of her status as a personal disciple and demoted her to the lowest level of disciple."

This punishment was severe enough for Zhen Ning, but it was much better than the one who would have his cultivation abolished and be expelled from Yingxian Island.

Chen Xiao asked Liu Lang again: "Did Master Mu ever say anything about finding a way to treat your injury?"

Liu Lang's expression darkened. He said, "Master Mu asked Master Shi to find a cultivator who is proficient in healing for me. But I know in my heart that my spiritual roots will not recover."

Liu Lang was in a very low mood afterwards and had no intention of continuing the conversation. He sat for a while and then stood up and left. Chen Xiao felt very sorry for his situation, but there was nothing he could do to help him.

Ye Jinglan was well isolated and had no idea that such a big thing had happened. After two hours, the last embroidery competition finally began.

At the beginning of the embroidery, Ye Jinglan opened the battle with an unyielding momentum. A large piece of complete cloth floated flat in front of him, and hundreds of silver needles with embroidery threads were intertwined on the cloth in a flamboyant manner.

The embroidery thread is very thin, and the patterns are so exquisite that you can't tell where the embroidery is done when you look at it with your naked eyes.

The whole situation was completely opposite to what it was just now. Zhen Ning on one side was much inferior. Her speed was also very fast, but she was able to control much less number of silk threads.

Ye Jinglan finished the final embroidery step two-thirds of the time it took Zhen Ning to finish weaving. However, Zhen Ning next to her just glanced at her and continued embroidering.

Things had come to an end, and although she had received a very severe trigger, her heart had calmed down. Pavilion Master Hu did not replace her on the spot, and she was already very satisfied that she could complete the last two stages of the competition at her highest level.

It was afternoon, and Zhen Ning had finished her embroidery. She handed the finished material to the person on stage and went to rest. The rest was not something Ye Jinglan and Zhen Ning could control, it all depended on the audience's evaluation of their finished products.

Under the arrangement of the Island Master's Mansion, the audience in the third-floor compartment went down first. Not only could they watch from a close distance, but they could also touch it with their hands. Chen Xiao and Xi Yunting were specially arranged by Shi Fengdu to be in the front, and it was their turn soon after a few people arrived.

There were two tall display stands on the platform, with two pieces of cloth shining brightly in the sun draped on them.

Ye Jinglan's piece was elegant and mysterious, with gorgeous and complex black patterns on the soft purple satin. Ye Jinglan played to her strengths and avoided her weaknesses. She knew she was not good at weaving, so she just wove a piece of pure silk, and the patterns were embroidered with magic.

Zhen Ning's piece was noble and gorgeous, with light golden patterns on the snow-white fabric. Zhen Ning also knew that her embroidery could not match the secret skills of Qianxiufang, so she only used a thin layer of embroidery thread to outline the edge of the cloud pattern.

Chen Xiao touched the fabrics. The satin was smooth and the cotton was soft. Both fabrics had their own advantages in terms of appearance and feel, which made Chen Xiao like them immediately.

Seeing him standing there and unable to let go, Xi Yunting curled the corners of his lips. He knew that Xiaodi would like these two pieces of material.

They stood there for a while, because Shi Fengdu had ordered them to do so, so the people below did not dare to hurry them and looked at them anxiously. Xi Yunting gently supported Chen Xiao's waist and said, "Go down first, there are people behind us who need to see you."

Only then did Chen Xiao reluctantly follow him down the platform. As he walked back, he kept exclaiming in admiration.

Xi Yunting smiled and said, "If you like it, I'll buy it later."

Chen Xiao hadn't heard this tone of a wealthy man for a long time. He was shocked when he heard Xi Yunting say that. But he was moved. He said, "This is the finished product of the competition. Can you buy it?"

Xi Yunting nodded affirmatively and said, "This is the highlight of the competition between Qianxiufang and Wanjin Pavilion. Why do you think these people came? In addition to participating in the event and exchanging what they have with others, this final auction is their purpose."

Chen Xiao was shocked. It turned out that the two pieces of cloth in this competition were actually going to be auctioned on the spot. It was undeniable that these two companies were not afraid of closing down and affecting their business. It was just that this final auction would raise their status and stabilize the market.

"Okay, let's buy this fabric later!" said Chen Xiao.

Xi Yunting told him: "The materials used at each competition are made of the best materials. Not only do they have similar properties, but also because of their uniqueness and one-of-a-kindness, they also have the benefit of not being outdated."

What he didn't say was that he brought Chen Xiao to the competition this time just for these two pieces of fabric. If he could make a formal Taoist robe out of these two pieces of fabric, it would be no problem for Xiao to wear it for hundreds of years.

Tong Nuonuo and Tang Ru just watched the fun of this kind of thing. They knew that the two pieces of material were very expensive and they could not afford them at all.

After everyone had seen it, Shi Fengdu announced the result of the competition. The two pieces of material were of equal quality, and it was difficult to tell which was better based on the material alone. The winner was determined by the performance of Ye Jinglan and Zhen Ning on the podium. In the end, Ye Jinglan, who had a big lead, won the competition.

This result was not unexpected by the people present, and they congratulated Qianxiufang for winning this competition. Hu Manniang personally handed Mu Jinrong a piece of paper, which was probably the secret book that was divided into two halves as rumored.

After the two parties decided the winner, the auction began. What was beyond Chen Xiao's expectation was that the two pieces of material were not sold together, but one by one.

The first one to be sold was the one with a white background and gold patterns, with a starting price of 5,000 spirit beads. This price immediately frightened Tang Ru: "Oh my God, this is just a piece of cloth, not a magic weapon, how dare they sell it at this price!"

Chen Xiao was also stunned, but then he thought about it and realized that this was a unique material, so he seemed to understand it.

The people around him had already started bidding, and Chen Xiao spoke without hesitation: "Ten thousand spirit beads!"

Tang Ru gasped and looked at him as if he was a prodigal. This was just a piece of cloth used to make clothes. She couldn't understand why someone could be willing to spend so much on spiritual beads. These spiritual beads were enough to buy a good magic weapon!

It was obvious that many people at the scene had the same idea as Tang Ru. After Chen Xiao raised the price to 10,000 spirit beads in one breath, he immediately defeated many competitors. Only a few people continued to raise the price.

Chen Xiao remained calm and raised the price to 15,000. This was the bottom line for the last few people, and any higher price would be unacceptable to them.

Thus, Chen Xiao won the first auction in such a straightforward manner. Although he won, he was not very happy in his heart. He originally thought that he could get both pieces, but in the end, only one piece squeezed him dry.

The bidding for the second piece began right after that. This time it was even more fierce. Others didn't even have a chance to participate. Xi Yunting directly said, "Twenty thousand spirit beads." That instantly killed everyone in the audience.