Genius Doctor: Black Belly Miss Volume 6

by North Night (夜北)

  When it came to spending money, Hua Yao, Qiao Chu and the others had even less of an interest and only Fan Zhuo was the lone person watching the auction excitedly, looking extremely interested in seeing how an auction worked.

  Time passed and they had been sitting in the room for more than an hour and just when Jun Wu Xie was getting bored, a cry of alarm broke out from the first level of the auction house.

  That cry attracted the attention of all six of the youths in the room!

  On the stage, a black rock of stone about half a man’s height was being carried up. The black stone seemed to be abnormally heavy and the whole rock was jet black in colour, the ragged edges looking extremely well weathered.

  A mysterious rock of unknown origins was being brought out for auction like this and it had puzzled many of the people on the floor. The auctioneer fought to maintain his confident smile, but his insides were turning topsy turvy, struggling to come up with a script for the item.

  Bringing a rock out for auction, the people were staring at the item in disbelief.

  But the person who had entrusted the item to them had been someone the owner of the Chan Lin Auction House was familiar with. That person had repeatedly assured the owner that the item was rare and precious before the auction house had reluctantly accepted it. Just as expected, the item had just been brought onto the stage and it had created sure a furore.

  The people seated on the floor were all craning their necks and peering curiously at the mysterious rock of unknown origins, patiently waiting for the auctioneer to give them an introduction of it.

  However, the man said with a frozen expression: “This jet black rock, was discovered in lands beyond Heaven’s End Cliff and it contains mysterious power. But the stone is abnormally strong and cannot be cut. If anyone here can solve this dilemma, they can win this item at the asking base price.”

  Heaven’s End Cliff was a bottomless steep cliff. The bottom of the cliff is covered by thick fog and no one had ever climbed down from it. People have attempted to scale down the steep precipice with ropes but hundreds of meters of rope still did not bring them down to the bottom and people had not dared travel there since.

  It was rumoured that the bottom of the Heaven’s End Cliff, many powerful Guardian grade Spirit Beasts resided and anyone who attempted to climb down to the bottom of the cliff would finally disappear, where they were basically believed to have been swallowed by the powerful Guardian grade Spirit Beasts.

  A mysterious place, with its terrifying rumours of being the home for hordes of Guardian grade Spirit Beasts quickly discouraged anyone who held the slightest interest in Heaven’s End Cliff and no one knew of people who had attempted it.

  Volume 6

  Chapter 545: “Mysterious Black Stone (2)”

  It was a place shrouded in mystery, and rumoured to be filled with Guardian grade Spirit Beasts that roam within. Such a place quickly killed off any intentions a person might have to explore the place below Heaven’s End Cliff.

  The Heaven’s End Cliff had undoubtedly caused many imaginations to roam, but…..

  That did not mean that people allowed themselves to be easily fooled by anything that was so carelessly tagged with the infamous reputation of the Heaven’s End Cliff.

  The people at the auction held scant belief in the auctioneer’s words.

  With just a piece of broken stone, no matter whether it had really come from beyond the Heaven’s End Cliff, the people felt that they would have no use for a piece of rock that they were not even able to cut.

  People who had often frequented the Chan Lin Auction House knew the place to be shrewd. They knew everything auctioned off from the place usually cost the bidders a higher price than the market. But this time, the Chan Lin Auction House had candidly declared that the rock can be immediately won at the set base price. This way of auctioning was totally unheard of throughout the history of the Chan Lin Auction House and could be deemed as miraculous.

  There could only be two reasons why the establishment would do this. One, the rock was just a piece of ordinary stone and was completely worthless. The auction house might just have tried to carelessly tag a crazy story behind its origins and wanted to be rid of the rock fast. Two, it was just as what the auctioneer had said, the rock was extraordinarily hard and the common person was unable to break it and hence they had not been able to ascertain the rock’s real worth.

  If even the people in the Chan Lin Auction House were unable to cut into the rock, anyone who purchased the rock would only be able to use it as a footrest back at home!

  No one would be dumb enough to do that.

  The heated atmosphere within the auction quickly cooled and it became quiet. No one showed an interest towards the piece of stone displayed on the stage. Their eyes were no longer focused on the stage in front, in obvious protest, wanting the auction house to quickly remove the item off the stage, so they can continue to compete for the treasures that would be subsequently brought out for auction.

  After the base price for the stone was announced, the silence grew to become deafening.

  Three hundred thousand taels.

  For something that had originated from beyond the Heaven’s End Cliff, the price was not unreasonable.

  But the problem was, it was just a piece of rock.

  That price would be enough to win the people a high grade spirit stone, and no one was prepared to use that sum of money on a broken piece of rock they could not use.

  The auctioneer stood upon the stage, sweat ran down his back. This was the first time the Chan Lin Auction House was met with such a predicament. If not for the unique identity of the client, the owner would have hurriedly gotten his people to remove the piece of rock from the stage.

  Backstage, behind the ongoing auction, two middle aged men had their eyes peeled and were staring fixedly at the situation out front.

  One of the men, who was lavishly dressed let out a sigh and patted the man beside him on the shoulder before saying: “I did whatever I could to help you. You can see for yourself. No one will buy that piece of stone.” The lavishly dressed man was the owner of the Chan Lin Auction House and standing beside him, was the owner of that piece of jet black stone.

  The other man’s face was fully wrapped up in bandages and traces of blood had seeped through the thick bandages. His eyes stared wide, and became bloodshot. His fists clenched up tight and blood dripped out through the heavy bandages wrapped around his fists from the amount of force exerted.

  “Wait a moment more….. Just a moment…..” The man’s voice was raspy as though spoken through scalding fire. His dry split lips were slightly purple and his eyes did not waver from the auction at the front of the stage. His eyes were full of yearning and under that yearning, was endless fear and dejection.

  “I might not be able to get you the three hundred thousand taels that you needed, but I can give you one hundred thousand taels first. If the item really cannot be sold, you can use that money first. You must have known….. I am not the real owner of this auction house and that is really the best I can do for you.” The owner had known the badly injured man for a long time and the lavishly dressed man was sympathetic as he tried to comfort his friend.

  But the man shook his head.

  “It will not do….. Anything less than three hundred thousand taels….. will not be enough….. Won’t be enough…..”

  Volume 6

  Chapter 546: “Mysterious Black Stone (3)”

  The lavishly clothed man sighed once more and said: “Less is better than nothing. Just take it for your needs first.”

  The bandaged man nevertheless shook his head. “One hundred thousand taels will not be enough! This is ten lives we are talking about! They were brothers in arms who had gone through life and death with me! I could never…. How could I….. If I do not raise the money, I will not be able to hand it over to their families. When I see my brothers in the afterlife, how am I going to face them then!?”

  As
the man spoke, he got so agitated that he started to tremble visibly. The ever existent pain that wrecked at his body constantly reminded him of everything that had happened that fateful day.

  Eleven of them had climbed down the Heaven’s End Cliff. Eleven men….. And finally only he, alone, was able to return alive. All of his comrades had not been able to escape from that terrible place, and he had not been able to even retrieve their bodies. If he still wasn’t able to ensure that their families lived on without worries, then he would be worse than a beast!

  This piece of jet black rock, was filled with the blood of all eleven of them, and it was brought back here with ten lives in exchange.

  While eleven men had made their way down Heaven’s End Cliff, only one had climbed back up alive, with the black stone rock they had earlier hoisted up the cliff right at the onset.

  The bandaged man could no longer remember how he had brought the black rock back here with him, he could only remember his journey back had been filled with tears and blood that had constantly impaired his sight.

  The lavishly clothed man sighed helplessly once more. He had found the badly injured man all covered in blood just outside Chan Lin Town that day and had thought the man would not survive his injuries. The garish wounds he had seen would have taken the life of any a lesser man but his friend had determinedly fought to stay alive.

  “We’ll wait a little while more then.” Helpless, the lavishly clothed man could do nothing but continue to wait with his friend. But as the person placed in charge of the Chan Lin Auction House, it was very clear to him that no matter what secrets the piece of jet black rock held, they would not be able to sell it off.

  To the common man, that was just an ordinary piece of rock.

  Within the auction hall, silence hung heavily. No one wanted to give their attention to a piece of rock that was so heavily overpriced.

  Meanwhile, up on the second level, Qiao Chu was staring at the piece of jet black rock with undisguised mirth.

  “This is a rare sight. I did not know that people can actually bring rocks out for auction, and the asking price is an incredulous three hundred thousand taels!? Is the person mad?” Heaven’s End Cliff or wherever it came from, he had no idea what kind of a place that was. But putting a price on a piece of rock that costs as much as the fees for the Zephyr Academy, almost made someone like Qiao Chu who was so used to leading a life of poverty, almost drop his jaw to the ground.

  “It does not matter whether he is mad, but no one is playing along with his insanity. Can’t you see that everyone is not even bothering to look at the piece of rock?” Fei Yan said with a shrug. He was always meticulous and detailed in his observations of people and he had noticed that the crowd was getting a little impatient with the wait and he expects that the outrageous item put up for auction would be removed from the stage in a very short while.

  “I found it really incredible, that anyone would in reality possess the confidence to even bring a piece of rock to the auction house and put it up for auction!” Qiao Chu exclaimed indignantly. They had lived a life where they did not even know when their next meal was and here people were hoping to get a windfall from a piece of rock!

  “Somehow, I do not feel that is just a common piece of rock.” Fan Zhuo who had not spoken a word all this time suddenly said.

  Everyone else turned to look at him.

  “Things from beyond Heaven’s End Cliff would not be ordinary. If my guess is correct, the jet black rock is Black Jade Stone. You can extract Black Silver from Black Jade Stone and Black Silver can be used to forge spirit rings whereby its effects would be more outstanding than gold, silver or any precious metals. But the Black Jade Stone is extremely hard and very difficult to cut, but I believe it can be achieved by tempering it by fire.”

  Volume 6

  Chapter 547: “Mysterious Black Stone (4)”

  Fan Zhuo spoke with a serious tone, his eyes locked onto the Black Jade Stone as a sudden sparkle shone from deep within his clear eyes.

  “Black Silver?” Rong Ruo’s eyes suddenly narrowed when she heard the term used. She looked at Fan Zhuo, her eyes seemingly seeking for something.

  Qiao Chu and the others had a queer look in their eyes as well, but their curious look in their stares suddenly disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.

  “It is a kind of metal extremely suitable for the forging of spirit rings. It is very rare, that big piece of Black Jade Rock there would only yield an amount of Black Silver roughly the size of a pigeon’s egg.” Fan Zhuo was absorbed in his explanation and he suddenly hesitated a moment before he turned to Jun Xie.

  “Little Xie, that item is really suitable for the forging of everyone’s spirits rings, why don’t I try to place a bid for it?”

  They already had the spirit stones, but they still have not decided on the metal to be used for the forging.

  “No need.” Jun Wu Xie replied. “I’ll buy it.”

  Fan Zhuo was surprised.

  Jun Wu Xie turned to look at Fan Zhuo and said: “You can’t afford it.”

  Fan Zhuo immediately blushed a slight pink.

  He had really forgotten all about that! He had rarely come out and was completely unfamiliar with the pricing of things outside. Before he had left, Fan Jin had shoved several thousand taels into his hands and after thinking a little further, he realised that his few thousand taels was hopelessly inadequate when it came to buying a three hundred thousand taels item…..

  No way he could afford it!

  Fan Zhuo’s red face grew into a brighter shade.

  Qiao Chu was as insensitive as ever as he roared in laughter, placing a big hand on Fan Zhuo’s shoulder.

  “Little Zhuo, do not worry! We are all “kept” by Miss Moneybags! Little Xie is fabulously rich!” After saying that, Qiao Chu even shamelessly threw Jun Wu Xie a wink.

  Jun Wu Xie did not say a word, and just rolled her eyes.

  “Dumb Qiao is really getting more and more shameless.” Fei Yan sneered.

  Qiao Chu did not bite the bait and said: “Not shameless, you buy it then.”

  “…..” Fei Yan was at a loss for words.

  Hua Yao shook his head in helplessness. Being “kept” by Jun Wu Xie, Dumb Qiao integrity had really crumbled to total oblivion.

  After the decision was made, Jun Wu Xie rang the bronze bell on the second level.

  The bell rang loud and clear, and the muted whispers among the crowd died suddenly. Everyone raised their head to peer up into the second level.

  The ringing of the bronze bell was an indication that a guest on the second level had made a bid.

  Backstage, the bandaged man who had fallen into dejection and despair suddenly looked up, peering in the direction where the bell had sounded. He looked into a private room high up on the second level and saw a tiny and petite figure. He had delicate features and was a young youth. He stood by the rail, his hand holding the bronze bell.

  The youth was speaking to a servant who had hurried over to him and the Chan Lin Auction House servant hollered: “Guest in private room one makes a bid for three hundred thousand taels!”

  That shout ignited the hushed crowd in the Chan Lin Auction House into a sudden fervour!

  [Someone was actually willing to spend three hundred thousand taels on that broken and useless piece of rock!? Has that person gone mad?]

  Everyone clamoured to see, trying to peer into the private room on the second level.

  When they all saw that it was a rather young youth, everyone thought the same thing, “the fool and his money soon parts”. They felt the young and ignorant whelp must have been so impressed at hearing the words “Heaven’s End Cliff” and naively thought that the item held immeasurable value, if not, no one would ever spend such a big amount of money so carelessly.

  Besides the many who were shocked, many more were snickering quietly, sneering at Jun Wu Xie’s naivety for having been duped by the Chan Lin Auction House.

  After the unimaginable
ordeal he went through waiting for someone to make a bid, the auctioneer almost cried tears of relief. He did not hesitate in the slightest as he raised his little hammer and struck it down three times in quick succession, mortally afraid that Jun Wu Xie would pull back the offer and he hurried to seal the deal as quickly as he could.

  Volume 6

  Chapter 548: “Mysterious Black Stone (5)”

  Men from the Chan Lin Auction House carried the black piece of rock off the stage smiling. Jun Wu Xie paid up the money and would collect the item only after the auction.

  Thereafter, the excited atmosphere came back to the auction house. Precious items big and small were brought up onto the stage one after another and wave after wave of intense bidding wars were carried out.

  None of the items that were brought out after the rock interested the six companions. The exciting atmosphere brought about by Jun Wu Xie’s swift and decisive splurge had died down. People who were waiting to see “the fool and his money part” once more were left disappointed.

  Another hour went by and the auction came to a fulfilling close. Every single item was auctioned off and none remained.

  Many people departed satisfied, leaving with their trophies they had won in their arms.

  As Jun Wu Xie had won a “big” item, she had to wait till she was the last one before the men from the auction house carried the Black Jade Stone out.

  Accompanying the men, another middle aged man dressed in a brocade robe came towards them.

  “Good evening everyone, I am the owner of the Chan Lin Auction House, and my name is He Chang Le. I do not find any of our esteemed customers’ faces familiar, is this your first time here at the Chan Lin Auction House?” He Chang Le welcomed the companions with laughter and his eyes smiling as he surveyed the group of extremely good looking youths, with an exceptional air surrounding them.