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"Let's not talk about it now, the auction has started..."

Just as Qin Fang and Tang Feifei were whispering, the auction for the ancient stone relief began directly.

"Starting price is one million, each increase must not be less than one hundred thousand... Bang!!"

As the auctioneer's hammer fell, the auction for this stone relief immediately began.

"One million one hundred thousand!"

Almost immediately, someone bid, increasing the starting price by only one hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars.

But when this person bid, Qin Fang's expression changed slightly.

Not for any other reason, but because the bidder was none other than Yamamoto from the Yamamoto Group, who had previously caused trouble for him.

"Why is he interested in this?"

Qin Fang didn't rush to bid but was pondering the reason why Yamamoto suddenly became interested in this stone relief.

"Could it be that he also sees the true secret of this stone relief?"

This thought inevitably popped into Qin Fang's mind, and he glanced over at Yamamoto, noticing that when he was bidding, he was also talking to an elderly man beside him who appeared to be in his fifties.

Previously, Qin Fang hadn't paid much attention to who was accompanying Yamamoto, but now it seemed that this elder was probably invited by Yamamoto to act as an appraiser.

"Could this appraiser see something?"

Having confirmed this, the uneasiness in Qin Fang's heart was not completely alleviated, and he couldn't help but consider various possibilities...

"Qin Fang, do you want it or not? Should I help?"

Seeing Qin Fang frowning and hesitating, Kong Er couldn't sit still. Qin Fang had already stated that he must win the bid, but now he remained still and seemed not very focused, prompting Kong Er to ask with some concern.

For Kong Er, who just spent 120 million purchasing a Heart of the Ocean to give away, a few million didn't really count for much.

"I definitely want it, no rush!"

But Qin Fang appeared very calm and didn't anxiously make a move. Instead, he quietly waited to watch the ensuing battle among other bidders.

"One million two hundred thousand!"

Indeed, almost as soon as Qin Fang said this, someone immediately placed a bid.

"One million three hundred thousand..."

It wasn't just one bidder; soon a third person joined in, and although the bid increments weren't large, with three people at a stalemate, it was hard to predict the final auction price.

"One million five hundred thousand!"

Seeing others competing with him, Yamamoto's expression changed. After glancing at the two wealthy bidders, he couldn't recall them well, seemingly indicating they held no significant status on Hong Kong Island.

"One million six hundred thousand..."

Yamamoto's bid didn't seem to deter anyone; immediately, someone followed up with a bid slightly higher than Yamamoto's by only ten thousand.

"Damn it... a bunch of bastards!"

Seeing competitors to his bid, even the usually composed Yamamoto burst out in anger, his words becoming somewhat arrogant and unreasonable.

"One million eight hundred thousand..."

Despite being annoyed and berating others, the auction had to continue, so he promptly raised his bid again.

"One million nine hundred thousand!"

"Two million!"

What frustrated Yamamoto even more was that his earlier aggressive words seemed to have displeased certain people, changing the way they looked at him.

The two previous bidders instantly raised their bids in succession, firmly locking in on Yamamoto, refusing to give him a chance, making him pay a small price for his earlier arrogance!

Yamamoto was really frustrated. Although he didn't really care about the money, having played the fool once before, if others drove up the price again, he might find himself playing the fool once more, making it unlikely he'd ever shake off the nickname "250".

The big tycoons were just sitting there enjoying the show, unwilling to join in, while the two small wealthy individuals going against Qin Fang were local minor tycoons on Hong Kong Island.

This wasn't surprising.

These small tycoons have limited assets themselves. Usually, even though spending a million or eight hundred thousand dollars wouldn't cripple them, it would still make them feel quite distressed.

So they don't participate in those extremely valuable auction items because they know they can't compete with those big tycoons, and naturally, they are unwilling to be cannon fodder.

Unable to move or snatch the valuable items, it doesn't mean they can't bid on these smaller things, like this stone slab relief, which although not cheap, has a starting price of one million Hong Kong dollars. But with very few interested buyers, it's estimated that the final auction price will be around three to four million at most.

This price is something they can painfully manage, so they've decided to join in the competition.

Originally, they didn't expect Yamamoto to suddenly jump out and compete with them. Yamamoto's foul mouth almost immediately offended people, and he angered these two small tycoons, promptly leading to their united strike...

Of course, the truly wealthy tycoons wouldn't care about such a small item. Kong Er, to give Tang Feifei a meeting gift, casually spent billions, not to mention the tycoons of the same level in the Ten Great Families.

These people appeared especially calm, with an attitude of indifference, which, though somewhat arrogant, also reflected the immense prestige of the Top Ten Wealthy Families of Hong Kong.

The auction continued, and Yamamoto and those two tycoons got tangled up, seeming unwilling to concede to each other, making the scene suddenly tense.

"Three million!"

But at this moment, Qin Fang, who had been waiting without making a move, finally intervened...

And immediately struck with a high bid, as if intending to sweep away the competition, adding one million directly on top of the previous price.

"Hiss..."

The three million price is not very high nor very low, but its deterrence is considerable, mainly because Qin Fang, who made this his first bid, had to make some people take notice.

Everyone present was familiar with Kong Er's identity. Even Kong Er spent such a large sum to purchase the Heart of the Ocean for Tang Feifei, and Tang Feifei is Qin Fang's female companion, with a very close relationship between the two. Therefore, Qin Fang's identity became quite intriguing.

No one doubted whether Qin Fang could afford this price. With Kong Er and Qu Yuancheng by his side, is there anything Qin Fang can't afford?

Affording it is one thing; some people are merely apprehensive of Qin Fang's identity and don't want to become enemies with him, so the two tycoons who were head-to-head with Yamamoto almost immediately expressed their decisions.

"Forget it, I give up..."

"I give up too..."

So originally, a three-person competition, with Qin Fang's entry, became a four-person competition, which now reverted to two-person competition.

It's now just Qin Fang and Yamamoto...

This is almost akin to the previous scenario with the Ruyao Brush Washer.

Except now the situation has shifted from Yamamoto causing trouble for Qin Fang to Qin Fang now causing trouble for Yamamoto... At least in Yamamoto's view, this was absolutely intentional by Qin Fang!

This made his hatred towards Qin Fang deepen further, with his gaze at Qin Fang filled with burning fury, as if he wouldn't be satisfied without consuming Qin Fang.

Qin Fang was very gracious, immediately raising his fist towards the two in a show of thanks, and the two tycoons responded politely.

At least in this round, Qin Fang seemed more accepted by others, while Yamamoto faltered significantly. Who made this lad always act as if "I'm the number one in the world" in front of everyone?

Needless to say, Qin Fang didn't bother to pay heed to Yamamoto's reactions; his true focus remained on the stone slab relief.

This stone slab, though unrelated to Ancient Babylon's Hanging Gardens, does have a connection with Ancient Babylon.

The connection is very obscure and deeply hidden; almost no one can decipher its mystery now...

Because this stone slab relief, rather than being a relief, should be considered a "Martial Arts Manuscript."

Indeed, this stone slab originated from the two river valleys of the Middle East, though not directly inherited from Ancient Babylon, but it holds some connection to it, because a tremendous secret is embedded within this relief.

Precisely speaking, the pattern engraved on this stone slab relief, rather than being a pattern, is a piece of text...

This kind of text has almost completely disappeared, and no one comprehends it, even if international language masters are brought in, it's of no use.

And the reason Qin Fang understands it is, frankly, thanks to his Master-Level Detective Skills.

It is relying on these skills that Qin Fang truly understands the symbolic meaning of the stone slab relief, especially its documented content, which astonished Qin Fang so much he almost exclaimed.

"Alchemy!"

This was the true reason for Qin Fang's amazement and interest.

And the content engraved on this stone slab relief is astonishingly mysterious alchemy.

In ancient human history, alchemy has always existed, whether in the Dragon Country, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, all these places had it, and many celebrities and great figures have studied and researched it.

Though abroad it's termed as alchemy, in the Dragon Country it's mainly known as Taoist alchemy... mixing lead and mercury, harmonizing inner core, etc., all for longevity and even seeking immortality!

Ancient emperors all desired immortality, to eternally rule the world, so they highly favored these Taoists practicing alchemy.

Even though the expectation of immortal results from alchemy had been long debunked as unscientific, it certainly wasn't entirely worthless. It could be said that the development of human chemical history was greatly influenced by the role of alchemy. (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)

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