Just as the frog waddled its chubby body to the center of the stage, ready to display the third item for auction, Murong Xingchen led a squad of soldiers and burst through the door.
The frog sneered, "Sir! Why have you barged into the venue without permission? Where is the security outside?"
Three or five wounded henchmen, clutching their chests, staggered in to report, "Frog Hero! Lord Murong forced his way in, and we couldn't stop him!"
The frog simply raised its paw to indicate that it already knew.
Lan Yamei hadn't expected Murong Xingchen to barge in. If he were allowed to come and go as he pleased, the money from the auction would be hard to come by! If everyone resorted to violence, who would listen to her? It seemed it was time to deflate his arrogance and establish her own rules.
"This small venue is none of my business! I'll come and go as I please! Let's see who dares to stop me!" Murong Xingchen exuded murderous intent. He had already dispatched his guards to eliminate all the elders in his family who knew about the three pieces of jade. Today, he was determined to seize the martial arts treasures and present them to the Emperor as a sign of filial piety. Therefore, he had specifically chosen this time to storm into the venue, intending to forcibly take them.
The emperor upstairs did not speak, so Liu Xun quickly lowered the gauze curtain in front of him, shielding the emperor behind it.
The heroes present were even more excited! They all stood up, looking ready to kill and plunder!
"Damn it! I've never hesitated to kill, but I don't know how I fell for your trick today. I'm sitting here obediently listening to your bragging! Big Frog, bring out the treasure!" A burly man with a dark face and a big beard shouted, holding an axe in his right hand.
Two burly brothers suddenly stood up, overturned their chairs, and roared, "Just because we're not showing our teeth doesn't mean we're pushovers! What are you talking about, eating the Hibiscus Pagoda?! Bring out the treasure! It's a battle of wits, whoever grabs it first gets it!"
"Exactly! Whoever grabs it gets to keep it!" someone agreed.
The crowd below the stage picked up their weapons and began fighting. Murong Xingchen also got involved and joined the fray.
This was exactly what Lan Yamei had expected. These were all rough-and-tumble heroes; how could they be expected to listen to her arrangements? So, the day before, Lan Yamei had already set up numerous traps on the first floor.
Standing on the platform, the frog finally shouted, "Since you refuse to follow the rules, don't blame me for being ruthless!" With that, he pressed the remote control in his hand, and a large amount of anesthetic sprayed out in all directions, surrounding the crowd in the first-floor stands.
Within two minutes, everyone felt dizzy and their limbs went numb before they collapsed to the ground.
Murong Xingchen wanted to escape, but the poison was too potent. Her limbs went weak and she couldn't muster any strength, so she collapsed to the ground.
Seeing that everyone had fallen, Lan Yamei pressed the stop button.
Upstairs, Qiu Yuxian was clearly taken aback by this turn of events, leaning on the railing with both hands, her face full of surprise.
The Emperor breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking that the organizers were indeed capable and everything was under control. So he calmly ate the hibiscus tower without any haste.
Qiu Zeyu was unaware that Lan Yamei had this defense. He was originally prepared to step forward, but the whole process took only three minutes, and he won a great victory.
At this moment, everyone still had some sense and was filled with regret, lamenting that they would be killed one by one.
Murong Xingchen retorted defiantly, "You big frog, using hidden weapons! What kind of hero are you!"
The frog said calmly, "Without rules, there can be no order! Since this auction is hosted by me, the Frog Hero, there are naturally my rules. You've broken the rules, so this punishment is too lenient. I'll let you off this time! If anyone dares to even think of robbing again, I'll have them beheaded!"
After saying that, he raised his frog-like hand and launched a firework at the roof beam. Squeak... Bang! It exploded in the air, filling the room with the smell of gunpowder.
Anything unfamiliar can be frightening. Everyone fell silent, completely behaving themselves.
Only then did the frog say to the guards on either side, "Disrupting the order of the meeting, throw Lord Murong out!"
The guards on either side stepped forward, supported Murong Xingchen whose legs were numb, and threw him outside the door.
The auction continues.
At this moment, Frog Hero laughed and continued, "The third item up for auction is the Bright Moon Plate!"
As they spoke, a mirror the size of a washbasin was brought onto the stage by two dancers wearing monkey masks.
The audience collapsed to the ground, forced to listen obediently.
"Everyone knows that women in the household need a bronze mirror or a basin of water when they are dressing up. But the image is still blurry and not clear enough! If you have my Moonlight Mirror, all problems will be solved!"
As Lan Yamei spoke, a red-clad fox dancer went on stage and danced gracefully in front of the bright moon plate. A red-clad dancer appeared clearly in the plate, with the same gestures and movements.
Below the stage, some of the heroes whose legs had regained their strength sat down unsteadily, holding onto their chairs, all of whom were drawn to the Bright Moon Disc.
The fat frog continued, "There's only one of its kind in the world, the Bright Moon Plate. Once it's sold, it's gone forever. The starting bid is ten thousand taels! Is there any valiant hero who wants to buy it and present it to a beautiful woman?"
"Twenty thousand taels!" Qiu Yuxian shouted out the price directly. She had fallen in love with the third treasure at first sight and was determined to get it.
The Emperor also intended to buy it as a gift for his beloved concubine, and Liu Xun called out the price, "Thirty thousand taels!"
Thirty thousand taels was too high a price, far exceeding the financial means of an average family, and no one in the audience dared to bid against it. Qiu Yuxian, not expecting an old man to compete with her, defiantly shouted, "Thirty-five thousand taels!"
The Emperor raised the price, "Forty thousand taels!"
Qiu Yuxian was unconvinced and wanted to bid again, but a waitress secretly tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to take a closer look at the bidders' yellow vests.
Qiu Yuxian then realized that the other person was wearing a yellow vest and looked calm and composed, so she swallowed hard and didn't dare to follow him any further.
The Emperor bought the Bright Moon Plate for 40,000 taels of silver. Frog ordered his men to carry it upstairs quietly, and then bowed to the upstairs to express his gratitude.
She figured that it would cost a million taels of silver to acquire the Flower Pavilion. After selling several treasures today, she still hadn't raised enough money, so she decided to add some more.
So the frog waved his hand, and another line of green-veiled dancers wearing rabbit masks came on stage, each carrying a bamboo basket.
As the music began, the dancers began to move gracefully. The people, whose limbs were gradually recovering, slowly climbed onto their seats, still shaken by the experience. They had no choice but to obediently participate in the auction, not daring to make any rash moves that could cost them their lives.
Murong Xingchen had also recovered his strength, and feeling somewhat embarrassed, he went back into the auction house.
The frog saw it but didn't pay much attention. However, this time Murong Xingchen was smarter. He didn't cause any trouble after entering the venue. He obediently found a seat and looked around. That's when he caught a glimpse of Qiu Zeyu in the yellow jacket on the second floor.
After adjusting her breathing slightly, Murong Xingchen walked upstairs. She was about to bow to the man in the yellow jacket when she was hinted not to, so she had to stop herself and turned to walk towards Qiu Zeyu.
Qiu Zeyu joked, "Oh! You're back again?"
Murong Xingchen was not in a hurry or annoyed. "Master Qiu, please don't laugh at me. This auction was organized by that frog? Who is he?"
Qiu Zeyu laughed and said, "I'm just here to watch the fun. How would I know who the frog is? Lord Murong, please calm down and see what treasures are for sale. It's alright."
The two then fell silent and focused on watching the song and dance performance.
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