Even so, Qin Fang was thinking that in the future, he should carry more cash with him. After all, the number of compartments in his Props Box had already doubled, so leaving one compartment empty to store cash shouldn't be a big problem.

"Okay, all have appreciated the items, so let's officially start the auction, starting at 30,000! Bang..."

As the auctioneer's hammer slowly fell, the auction for the manuscript officially began.

Qin Fang was almost the first to want to raise his hand to bid, but before he could move, Qiao Zhenfei stopped him.

"Don't rush, let's see how things go first..."

Qin Fang himself didn't have much experience with auctions. Seeing such a good item, he wished he could buy it instantly with his bid. If the auction worked like those in online games, where there's a "Buy It Now" option, Qin Fang would definitely buy it in a heartbeat, even if it cost ten, or a hundred times the starting price.

Money can be earned again, but such a rare medical prescription was quite scarce. It might be the only one left in the world, and not getting his hands on it would surely be a regret for a very long time for Qin Fang.

Qin Fang had risen from humble beginnings, and it had only been a few short months. He had attended one auction, which was several months ago at the Elite Salon, but at that time he was just a spectator. The real bidders were Tang Cheng and Ning Weiqiang, and of course, Chen Jiangnan could be counted as one too.

So to say, he was a complete outsider when it came to this kind of competitive bidding auction.

It may look like there are many people sitting here, all buyers carrying cash, but that doesn't guarantee that there are no seller-arranged shills in the crowd. As soon as they see someone determined to win, they'd immediately bid up the price. After all, they wouldn't have to pay any fees to buy their own items back. They could just find an opportunity to re-auction it later on.

Such tricks were quite common. Even if the buyers knew there might be shills present, as long as the price wasn't outrageously high, they would generally accept it.

"No one bidding? Although this manuscript is unsigned, it's definitely a fine item. If its origin is identified, its value could increase a hundredfold. A starting price of 30,000 really isn't too high..."

This was arguably the first item in the black market auction where no one had bid yet—perhaps its starting price was set too high. Of course, this also had to do with the buyers not valuing its collectible worth.

Most of these buyers were into personal collecting. The professional task of verifying the provenance of antiques was better left to archaeologists. The buyers mostly weren't short of money, but they didn't have the inclination to engage in such matters.

"Sigh, don't waste time, let's get on with it! I'll offer 30,000..."

At that moment, a brief lull occurred, and Qiao Zhenfei suddenly became noticeably impatient, blurting out a bid that matched the starting price.

From his words and expression, many people thought he wanted to speed up the auction. After all, at this point, only the Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup had created a climax at the auction. Considering even such treasures were not the grand finale, it indicated that more valuable items were yet to come.

If every item was delayed like this, the more they would become impatient. It was not uncommon for some wealthy second-generation kids to stir up the scene, speeding up the process, and now Qiao Zhenfei was evidently playing such a role.

Seeing Qiao Zhenfei bid, Qin Fang was momentarily stunned before he couldn't help but reveal a slight smile and quietly gave Qiao Zhenfei a thumbs-up.

This move was truly clever!

He bid without making any noise, and no one else took notice of their group.

Plus, given Qiao Zhenfei's unsuccessful bid for the Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup earlier, others thought he was frustrated and intending to bid aggressively on the upcoming treasures. Hence, speeding up the process seemed understandable.

"This gentleman has bid 30,000! 30,000, 30,000, any higher offers?"

With Qiao Zhenfei's bid, the auctioneer also quietly heaved a sigh of relief. While the price was a bit low, it was still better than the item being unsold.

"30,000 for the first time..."

"30,000 for the second time..."

"30,000 for the thir..."

Apart from Qiao Zhenfei's offer, no one else joined in the bidding. The auctioneer seemed eager to accommodate Qiao Zhenfei's desire to speed up the auction and quickly reached the third call.

"I'll bid 50,000!"

But before Qin Fang's heart could settle down, suddenly someone shouted out an even higher price, instantly stiffening Qin Fang's expression.

At the last moment, a Cheng Yaojin burst forth out of nowhere, which was bound to frustrate anyone.

Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw that the bidder was the Fatty coal boss who had previously snatched the Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup from Qiao Zhenfei, now looking provocatively at Qiao Zhenfei, as if eager to challenge him again.

Qiao Zhenfei's complexion also changed, as he hadn't expected the Fatty coal boss to throw a wrench into the works at this moment, the anger in his heart immediately flaring.

He had been pondering how to get his hands on that Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup, but this Fatty had recklessly bumped into his, Qiao Zhenfei's, path.

"Good, good... gutsy!"

Qiao Zhenfei glared at the Fatty across from him, his voice cold as he spat out these few words, indicating just how furious he was at that moment.

A top-tier Young Master like him, who mingled in Capital City's most elite circles, didn't lack money, women, or power. What he valued was his respect, and he would dare hang and flay anyone who dared to slap his face.

With no other option, Qin Fang grasped Qiao Zhenfei's arm, exerting a slight force. With a strength of +25, Qiao Zhenfei immediately felt the pain, which brought him back from his rage, preventing him from losing his temper right there.

"I bid 100,000!"

Seeing that Qiao Zhenfei had calmed down a bit, Qin Fang then spoke up.

Qin Fang was also puzzled, wondering why the Fatty coal boss was targeting Qiao Zhenfei, so he couldn't help but ask, "Brother Fei, do you know that Fatty?"

"No recollection..."

Qiao Zhenfei shook his head, still feeling the anger inside him, but now he was much more comfortable, "You sure are strong, kid... It really hurt..."

This was within Qin Fang's expectations. If you knew Qiao Zhenfei, then you would certainly know his identity; but knowing his identity and still daring to directly oppose him meant you must have had your head kicked by a donkey.

However, the real reason could only be known by the Fatty coal boss himself. In any case, it had little to do with Qin Fang. All he needed to do was to get the prescription in his hands, no matter if he had to pay a higher price.

"120,000!"

Seeing that Qiao Zhenfei had fallen silent and Qin Fang was taking the lead, the Fatty's expression changed somewhat, but he quickly raised the offer again.

"150,000! That's our highest bid. Anything more and it's yours..."

Seeing the Fatty still bidding, Qin Fang, without changing his expression, immediately offered an even higher price, making his intentions clear.

Bidding for the item, which started at a base price of 30,000, all the way up to 150,000, definitely made the seller's day, always happy for a higher price, of course.

"150,000! The gentleman here has bid 150,000. Is there a higher offer?"

The auctioneer couldn't help but shout, all the while his gaze fixed on the coal boss, who was the only one likely to bid higher now.

"I give up..."

But for some reason, the Fatty seemed to lose interest once Qiao Zhenfei fell silent, and did not continue to compete with Qin Fang.

"150,000! 150,000! Congratulations to this gentleman for winning this Song Dynasty Calligraphy Manuscript for 150,000 yuan!"

As the auctioneer's gavel fell with a decisive thud, the manuscript, or rather the prescription, finally fell into Qin Fang's hands. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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