And just look at Fatty Lai's old man — that alone tells you whether this stuff is any good!

What he had not expected was that Fatty Lai would open by driving the price straight up to a hundred million! Did the man not know how to shop? Even a rich man did not throw his money around like that. The Liu family had money, true, but they could not go flinging it out a hundred million at a time.

Still, angry as he was, he knew the true worth of the Life-Extending Detox Pill — a hundred million was a low estimate! So Liu Tianyi raised his paddle without the slightest hesitation: "One hundred and ten million!"

"Huh?" The crowd erupted. Fatty Lai going mad was one thing, but Liu Tianyi was the first-in-line heir to the head of the Liu family — how could he be joining in Fatty Lai's nonsense? If even he had bid a hundred and ten million, could this Life-Extending Detox Pill really be something extraordinary?

The auctioneer himself sucked in a cold breath. Good heavens above! A bidding war like this came once in a thousand years!

Yu Haitian's frown deepened. If Fatty Lai was merely driving the price up, then what was Liu Tianyi doing in the middle of it? In Yu Haitian's eyes, this Life-Extending Detox Pill might well be something truly fine — had he misjudged it when he made his own appraisal?

"One hundred and fifty million!" Fatty Lai raised his paddle again.

Liu Tianyi was about to explode with rage. Fatty Lai, what exactly do you mean by this? Competing with me, is that it? Don't think that because you have money, I don't. Liu Tianyi raised his paddle once more and named a price that stunned the whole hall: "Two hundred million!"

At first everyone had held back, waiting to see whether anyone else would make a move before deciding whether to bid themselves. After all, most of the people present knew Liu Tianyi, and anything Liu Tianyi had set his heart on — how could it not be good?

But now they truly could not step in. For one thing, the price had been driven to two hundred million, which was simply too high; for another, they genuinely did not want to make an enemy of Liu Tianyi. From the way he was raising his bids, it was plain that he was determined to have this Life-Extending Detox Pill — otherwise he would never have bid like that.

So even those who were tempted could not bid now. Fortunately there were three pills in all, and two more still to come. They all began rubbing their hands in anticipation — because Liu Tianyi's eager pursuit of the Life-Extending Detox Pill had reminded them of something.

It was no secret that Liu Tianyi's father had gone to Guan Xuemin for treatment not long ago. Many of those present knew of it, and now, linking it with what the auctioneer had said earlier about "Dr. Guan's Pharmaceuticals," they thought at once of Guan Xuemin.

Could it be that Liu Tianyi's father had recovered because he had taken one of these Life-Extending Detox Pills? And those who also knew Fatty Lai understood all the more clearly.

Fatty Lai's father had come down with uremia and was on the verge of meeting the King of Hell, when suddenly he was discharged from the hospital — not only glowing with health, but eating with a hearty appetite, healthier by far than men his own age. Even if the uremia was not fully cured, he was nearly recovered, with nothing serious left to trouble him.

This miraculous turn made everything clear to everyone in the hall. So Fatty Lai and Liu Tianyi were no fools — they both knew just how good this Life-Extending Detox Pill was. Why else would they dare to bid so recklessly?

"Two hundred and fifty million!" Fatty Lai's eyes had gone red. Wei Zhao had said this was a rare treasure, so it must be precious indeed. Fatty Lai was too embarrassed to ask Wei Zhao for one, and could only bid for it himself.

"Two hundred and eighty million!" Liu Tianyi gritted his teeth and named his absolute limit.

The hall erupted once more. If Liu Tianyi had not known beforehand what the Life-Extending Detox Pill could do, he would never have offered such a price. There was only one answer: everything the auctioneer had said in his introduction was true, and this pill really could extend life and purge the body of its poisons.

Fatty Lai was about to bid again when Wei Zhao caught his arm and shook his head. "Let it go. It's getting a bit expensive."

"Uh — all right." Unwilling as he was, Fatty Lai did not dare disobey Wei Zhao. Wei Zhao was his boss; losing the Life-Extending Detox Pill hurt, but offending Wei Zhao would be worse than death.

"Your father has drunk the medicine I made up for him. He doesn't need this anymore," Wei Zhao said mildly to Fatty Lai. "You don't have to fight for it."

"Ah! Then thank you, Boss!" Fatty Lai was overjoyed. He had meant only to keep one on hand for his father in an emergency, and if Wei Zhao said the man could be cured, then cured he would be. But Fatty Lai wanted one for himself as well — after all, this was an elixir of immortality! So he said, "Boss, I'd like one for myself too."

"Oh, I'll give you one when we get back," Wei Zhao said indifferently.

"Huh?" At these words Fatty Lai burst into tears. Anyone who did not know better would have thought he was weeping over having lost his chance at the Life-Extending Detox Pill for lack of funds.

"Two hundred and eighty million, first call. Two hundred and eighty million, second call. Two hundred and eighty million, third call — sold!" The auctioneer was beside himself with excitement. This price was likely the highest of the entire auction; even the lots on the third day might not fetch so much. By the look of it, this Life-Extending Detox Pill deserved a place in the third session — but it had already been placed in the first, and there was no changing that now. The auction could only go on.

Seeing that Fatty Lai had stopped bidding and was sobbing instead, Liu Tianyi was delighted. Fatty Lai must be short of cash, his funds tied up somewhere. He had heard that the head of the Lai family was quarreling with him over dividing the estate — plainly Lai Changtian had taken all the Lai money for himself.

"Now, the second Life-Extending Detox Pill goes up for auction, with a reserve price of one hundred million!" the auctioneer said slowly. "Minimum increment: ten million!"

The auctioneer was free to set the increments according to the market and the response. After what had happened before, he could not possibly start the bidding at a reserve of one million — that would only make him a laughingstock.

Shocking as the price was to the guests present, they also understood that the thing was indeed worth it, and so no one raised any objection.

"Dad, what is that thing? How can it fetch such a price?" Feng Xiaoxiao asked her father, looking rather puzzled.

She and Feng Tianlong had been delayed at the hospital, and so had only entered after the auction began. They arrived just in time to see the first Life-Extending Detox Pill go under the hammer — and fetch the astronomical sum of two hundred and eighty million. (To be continued. To learn what happens next, please log in to Qidian; more chapters await. Support the author, support legitimate reading!)