Daily life of a cultivation judge Chapter 1449: Friend, and betrayer (2)

Lost in his own mind and plagued by anxieties, Yang Qing completely missed Li Gang’s explanation of the silver ice tear guavas, a fact that deepened his already troubled mood. He felt Li Gang had been incredibly brief, giving a perfunctory explanation of the item.

After all, when the Six Sepal Dawn Lotus was presented, Li Gang had nearly exhausted his entire supply of saliva before even halfway through describing its sepals. Yet, for Yang Qing’s own item, it seemed he hadn't employed even a fraction of his usual persuasive charm. Yang Qing seethed internally, regretting his earlier decision not to incapacitate Li Gang and seize control of the auction himself.

A pained groan escaped Yang Qing’s lips. Though he hadn't heard a word of the introduction, what he perceived as ten seconds had actually been ten minutes. His preoccupation with his fears and a cascade of dark imaginings—dangerous instructors, treacherous friends, a fitting farewell...—had prevented him from noticing the passage of time.

Yang Qing pressed closer to the window, fixing Li Gang with a glare potent enough to fell an enemy, his eyes betraying an unstable flicker, as if contemplating a drastic course of action. Indeed, he was seriously weighing the possibility of salvaging the situation by abruptly and forcefully taking over the hosting duties. It was merely a fleeting thought... for the moment.

While Yang Qing was immersed in his internal debate—or perhaps, more accurately, fantasizing about the quickest and most brutal method to incapacitate Li Gang—his spiraling thoughts were abruptly halted as Li Gang announced the commencement of bidding.

"The starting bid for a single silver ice tear guava is ten thousand lesser jade crystals. And as I mentioned, do not let this valuable opportunity slip through your fingers. Silver ice tear guavas are exceedingly rare, especially specimens of this caliber, possessing such concentrated and pure Pristine Yin Qi. Let the bidding begin."

Yang Qing’s body went utterly slack, his form slumping from the window onto the plush seating as if all life had been drained from him.

"Ten thousand… lesser dragon jade crystals…" he whispered feebly, akin to a dying man who, as his life ebbs away, suddenly realizes his devoted wife of two centuries shares a knowing glance with his closest confidant. His body and voice lacked the strength to confront them directly, yet he remained too stunned by the revelation to fully disengage, even as he stood on the precipice of his final journey.

Yang Qing let out a pathetic whimper, then another, his voice fluctuating between a final gasp of despair and a desperate attempt to comprehend how such a turn of events had transpired.

Yes, earlier, swayed by the opulent atmosphere and the palpable wealth surrounding him, he had entertained thoughts of greed. These burgeoning desires had evolved into worries, regret, fears of betrayal from a dear friend, and the notion of delivering a well-deserved blow to Li Gang. All of this stemmed from his sudden conviction that the forty thousand high-grade spirit stones he had initially set as the asking price for the silver ice tear guavas was far too low, and that he risked significant financial loss because of it.

It was true, he was susceptible to greedy thoughts at times, but wasn't everyone? As avaricious as his thoughts had been, they paled in comparison to Li Gang's demand. Li Gang was asking for ten thousand... lesser dragon jade crystals! Yang Qing had only hoped for perhaps a thousand lesser dragon jade crystals, which, when converted to high-grade spirit stones, would amount to a hundred thousand spirit stones.

However, after Li Gang's perfunctory ten-second introduction, all hope of securing a hundred thousand spirit stones evaporated. His sole plea was for someone to at least meet his original asking price of forty thousand. But Li Gang clearly harbored intentions of plunging him into despair, undoubtedly acting under the guidance of Senior Instructor Lu Yuan. This move, designed to shatter the spirit and mind, was precisely the kind of tactic that sadistic instructor favored; he would drown you in despair, and just as you believed you had reached the absolute bottom, he would shatter that bedrock and plunge you into an even deeper abyss, repeating the torment endlessly.

Who would possibly bid ten thousand lesser jade crystals? That translated to a staggering one million high-grade spirit stones!

If Li Gang had channeled his persuasive abilities, perhaps Yang Qing might have deemed it a possibility. But that treacherous, silver-tongued merchant had chosen to act like a stoic monk, withholding his words during the introduction; no doubt a consequence of Senior Instructor Lu Yuan's influence.

And now... due to this unfortunate turn of events, Yang Qing would be compelled to orchestrate a wedding while simultaneously betraying a friend.

Just as Yang Qing was slowly succumbing to a vortex of despair, struggling to recalibrate his mind to a life under perpetual fear, a bid was placed—an unexpected turn that defied all his grim expectations.

Yang Qing tumbled. His listless form slid from the cushion, hitting the floor. With impossible speed and a complete lack of elegance, he sprang back onto the cushioned seat. He immediately pressed himself against the window, appearing as if he would finally enact his earlier intentions and smash right through it. His eyes, like a chameleon's, darted about frantically, seeking the origin of that voice.

“It’s… it’s him…” he whispered, near tears. His brain, functioning properly for once, finally registered whose voice it was before his eyes could pinpoint the source.

Still pressed against the window, Yang Qing observed as Li Gang inquired about further bids before ultimately proclaiming Tang Xiadan as the victor.

Even after the official declaration, Yang Qing remained immobile; or rather, he was unable to move. He was utterly frozen in disbelief.

“This… this is impossible…” he softly muttered. Turning stiffly away from the window, Yang Qing sat down, his back now to it. His gaze, still lagging behind the reality of the moment, stared blankly at his palms, as if they held the answers to the inexplicable events that had just unfolded.

“He actually… he actually did it!” he muttered again, his mind still too jumbled to fully grasp the final bid. “All our efforts… weren’t wasted,” he breathed quietly, a smile of relief gracing his features.

“We’re safe… for now,” he repeated to himself, leaning back into the comfort of the cushioned seat. Exhaustion and relief surged through him, bringing with them a faint smile that blossomed into a laugh of pure disbelief and overwhelming relief. “Ah, yes… a truly hard-won victory,” he declared, reaching for a deeply satisfying, long draught of his wine.