Chapter 132: The Civet Cat Exchanged for the Crown Prince

"What do you mean by that?"

Rong Qiaoyi’s expression soured. She felt a wave of nausea looking at the lecherous expression on the old man's face. However, she had to rely on Father Chu’s status right now. If Xie Jinchuan and his companions found out about this item, she wouldn't be able to get her hands on it at all.

"If Mr. Chu can win the bid for me, I’ll invite you for a drink tonight, how about that?" She offered a charming smile, a glimmer of enchantment flashing in her eyes.

Father Chu, unable to resist, nodded eagerly and pressed the bidding button.

"Whose box is that?"

Just as the person in charge came to deliver a bracelet to Shen Qingli, she took the opportunity to ask. The manager, eager to curry favor with her, replied, "That box belongs to the Chu Corporation. The boxes are all identical, but the box numbers change every time."

Shen Qingli understood. She looked at the man beside her, and both their lips curled slightly upward; they had clearly come up with another plan.

"Since that’s the case, why not make the Chu Corporation bleed a little?" Xie Jinchuan said with a wicked grin, and he immediately pressed the bidding button.

The price of the South Sea Guanyin Wood surged instantly to one hundred million. At this point, Father Chu began to hesitate.

"This... maybe I should find something else for Miss Rong instead."

Seeing his reaction, Rong Qiaoyi raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Chu, I will certainly make you very satisfied tonight." As she spoke, she rested her hand on the man's shoulder and tugged lightly at his sleeve—a gesture that left Father Chu itching to pin her down right then and there.

Behind them, Chu Li frowned in displeasure. However, after all these years, she was accustomed to her father bringing different women home. If Rong Qiaoyi really did end up with her father, then the family’s prosperity would surely be just around the corner.

"Dad, you have to try your best. After all, someone like Sister Rong deserves the best!"

Seeing that his daughter didn't object, Father Chu felt greatly encouraged. It was just a piece of South Sea Guanyin Wood; surely he could afford it?

On the other side, Shen Qingli watched the price soar to five hundred million. Her lips curved into a smile as she turned to the person in charge. "I have a treasure I’d like to auction as well. Could we go backstage to discuss it?"

The manager nodded eagerly upon hearing this. "Please, follow me, President Shen."

Xie Jinchuan stopped bidding, leaving the price at 550 million. According to the rules, auction items had to be taken backstage for packaging and could only be collected after the event concluded.

Shen Qingli decided to swap it out directly. She flicked the sleeping Green Cilantro in her arms. "Wake up, time to work."

Green Cilantro had received a massive infusion of spiritual energy from Xie Jinchuan the previous night and had spent the entire day digesting it, remaining in its small cat form while sleeping soundly in Shen Qingli's arms.

*Meow! What is it, Host? Whatever you need, Cilantro is at your service!*

"I need to swap an item in a moment. You need to mask my aura and bring out that replication device."

*Understood!*

Although that device could create a perfect replica on the surface, it could not replicate the essence within.

Arriving backstage, Shen Qingli saw the staff busy packing the item.

"550 million—that’s certainly a high price. May I take a look?" she asked with an air of curiosity. The manager didn't suspect a thing; after all, it was right under his nose—who could possibly steal it?

"If you wish to see it, President Shen, of course."

As the manager gestured for her to proceed, Shen Qingli pulled a luminous pearl she had prepared beforehand from her sleeve. "Could you please appraise this for me?"

She had obtained the pearl from the Nine-Tailed Cat Demon, and she had no use for it anyway. But it would certainly fetch a high price at auction.

"It’s a luminous pearl!" the staff member exclaimed in shock. This item was practically a historical artifact!

Taking advantage of the moment everyone was distracted, Shen Qingli quickly swapped the South Sea Guanyin Wood. After pretending to look at it with curiosity, she returned to the crowd, the entire maneuver seamless.

"The price doesn't matter. Take whatever commission you deem appropriate. I’ll be heading back now."

The manager hurried to have someone escort Shen Qingli back to her box. The staff looked at the luminous pearl—nearly the size of two fists—with undisguised greed. This item would have to start at at least 500 million!

Back in the box, once the door was closed, Xie Jinchuan set up a barrier to prevent anyone from detecting their movements.

"Will the barrier be noticed?" Shen Qingli asked, feeling slightly nervous.

"No. I only used a little bit of energy; she won't be able to detect it," Xie Jinchuan replied. He then took the South Sea Guanyin Wood—half an arm high and two palms thick—from the woman.

As the glass cover was opened, both of them felt the air in the box become significantly fresher.

"It really is the power of the Deer Spirit." After examining it, Xie Jinchuan’s voice grew serious. He looked at the Guanyin wood, then turned his gaze to Shen Qingli. "Place your palm on it and see if there’s any reaction, or if you can absorb the spiritual energy within."

She nodded. "Alright."

As her palm moved closer to the wood, Xie Jinchuan noticed Shen Qingli’s expression becoming unusual. He immediately stepped forward and used his spiritual energy like a blade to sever the connection.

As the spiritual energy dissipated, Shen Qingli’s body uncontrollably fell backward, and he caught her. Seeing the exceptionally weak woman in his arms, Xie Jinchuan felt a surge of anxiety and placed his palm over her heart to stabilize her pulse.

"How are you? Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"

She exhaled. "I'm fine now. It doesn't hurt anymore."

She turned her eyes to the Guanyin wood, her expression strange. "When I got close just now, I felt like my soul was about to be sucked in. It rejects my presence; it seems there’s no way to use it."

Hearing this, Xie Jinchuan reached out and felt the same rejection.

"This item must be kept for now. It was likely left by the ancestors of the Deer Spirit clan specifically for their descendants. The spiritual power of the Deer Spirit inside is immense." Unless the restriction was broken, it could not be drawn out.

"This cannot fall into Rong Qiaoyi’s hands. Let’s take it back and plan accordingly."

Shen Qingli nodded, and with a wave of her hand, the item disappeared into Green Cilantro's system space.

Inside the space, Cilantro’s consciousness squinted at the Guanyin wood. It reached out to poke it, only to have its consciousness nearly blasted out of the system space.

*Ouch! What is this thing, acting so fierce toward me!*

Shen Qingli automatically blocked the connection, so she naturally couldn't hear the miserable wails of Green Cilantro echoing behind the scenes.

Before the auction even ended, the two of them stood up and left. They couldn't let Rong Qiaoyi discover them here, or the games to come wouldn't be as much fun.

Meanwhile, Rong Qiaoyi sat with a smile, eagerly waiting to restore her cultivation.