The bidder was, of course, Yang Qi. He hadn’t expected these people to offer such a low price for a Five Elements Stone. After all, it was the core component needed to set up a Five Elements Spirit Array.

Once the Five Elements Spirit Array was successfully deployed, the benefits would be boundless. Therefore, spending a billion on this item was no loss at all; it was more valuable than many Magic Artifacts.

Seeing Yang Qi sitting in the back row, the crowd was momentarily stunned. Such a young man, daring to compete with those tycoons? Is he out of his mind?

Jin Zizhen’s brow furrowed. This is bad. Yang Qi doesn’t know the rules of the Three Prefectures Town auction. This is going to cause a problem. Because of what happened last night, he had a favorable impression of Yang Qi and didn’t want to see the young man get himself killed for not understanding the rules, as the auction in Three Prefectures Town was different from anywhere else.

Tang Wenqiang frowned. "Kid, this item is of great use to our Tang Family. If you give it up, consider it a favor owed to you by the Tang Family of Sea City. How about it?"

His words were already quite tactful. Although they carried a veiled threat, a favor from the Sea City Tang Family was an enormous boon—a massive advantage that anyone in their right mind would accept. The people in the surrounding crowd were filled with envy. They all assumed the young man would surely agree; it would be foolish not to.

Yang Qi glanced indifferently at Tang Wenqiang. "Old fool, I have a use for this item as well. How about you let me have it, and I’ll owe *you* a favor?"

Tang Wenqiang’s face darkened. This damn kid is throwing my own words right back in my face!

"Kid, you’d better think carefully before you oppose the Tang Family of Sea City," he seethed. "There will be consequences!"

"This is Three Prefectures Town, not Sea City!" Yang Qi stated coolly. "If you have the money, then bid. If you don’t, then give up. Don’t you understand the rules of an auction? Stop wasting time with this nonsense."

Tang Wenqiang frowned. Seeing Yang Qi speak with such confidence made him hesitate. What if this kid is some major figure? What would I do then? If I offend him, wouldn’t I be picking a fight I can’t win?

"Uncle Tang, don’t worry about this kid’s background. He’s just a good-for-nothing from a ruined family in Jingnan Prefecture!" a voice suddenly called out.

It was Tang Fei. This is my chance to deal with Yang Qi! I can use Tang Wenqiang as a borrowed knife to kill him. After all, Tang Wenqiang is a member of the main branch of the Sea City Tang Family, a completely different status from my own.

He continued in a loud voice, "This man used to own a company, but it went bankrupt, and his wife ran off with another man. Now, he’s latched onto Chen Baixiang, the young lady of the Chen Family in Jingnan Prefecture. He’s just a pretty boy who freeloads off women. You don’t need to worry about any repercussions. The Chen Family wouldn’t make an enemy of our Tang Family for a mere kept man, would they?"

Hearing this, Jiang Shan and the others watched with eager anticipation. They were thrilled, imagining the scene of Yang Qi being dealt with. Since they couldn’t act themselves, they were happy to let someone else do it.

Tang Wenqiang’s face turned cold, almost livid. He had initially thought Yang Qi was someone impressive, but it turned out he was just a down-and-out freeloader who lived off a woman. For such riffraff to dare to bid against him was simply courting death.

Tang Wenqiang whirled around to face Jin Zizhen. "City Lord Jin, are you trying to insult us? Allowing a freeloading bum to drive up the price here... are you looking down on us?"

"Tang Wenqiang, I think you’ve misunderstood something," Jin Zizhen said coldly. "At an auction, anyone with a ticket can enter, and anyone who can afford the price can bid. If you don’t have the money, then get out. Stop running your mouth here! Threatening my guest at my auction? Are you acting as if I, Jin Zizhen, am not here?"

"Let me be clear. Mr. Yang is my honored guest, and I will not allow anyone to threaten him," Jin Zizhen sneered. "If you don’t want to participate in this auction, then get lost. Do you really think I, Jin Zizhen, am begging you to be here? Good items never lack for buyers!"

For a moment, Tang Wenqiang was at a loss for words. He had completely miscalculated. He shot a vicious glare at Tang Fei, blaming him for everything.

Tang Fei’s face went pale with fright. He, too, was dumbfounded. He had assumed Jin Zizhen would never protect a freeloader, but it was now clear he had made a huge miscalculation.

Just then, Chen Guo, Ye Feng, and Lei Tingjun, who were seated in the front row, all stood up and walked toward the back.

"Mr. Yang, you’re here! Why didn’t you say anything? I could have made arrangements for you in advance!" Lei Tingjun said with a wry smile.

"That’s right, Mr. Yang," Ye Feng added with a smile. "I have quite a few friends here. To see me and not even say hello... that’s being too distant, isn’t it?"

"Mr. Yang, it’s all my fault for not keeping a better eye on this girl. I’m sorry she’s caused you trouble," Chen Guo said, looking at Chen Baixiang beside Yang Qi with a bitter smile.

At that moment, the entire venue was stunned into silence.

Who were these three men?

They were all absolute titans in Jingnan Prefecture. One was the president of the Jingnan Prefecture Martial Arts Association! Another was the Commander of the Garrison of Jingnan Prefecture and the Family Head of the Lei Mansion! The third was a Divine Doctor of Jingnan, a pillar of the Chen Family, and the vice-chairman of the Jingnan Prefecture National Medicine Association!

Even figures like Tang Wenqiang, Lin Canghai, and Gu Shanhe had to treat them with utmost courtesy and dared not offend them lightly. This was especially true for Chen Guo, whose medical skills were extraordinary. His fame was not confined to Jingnan Prefecture but resonated throughout the eight southern prefectures, and everyone had to give him face. After all, people get sick and injured; offending a renowned doctor was simply not worth the risk.

No one had ever seen these three treat anyone with such deference. To see them be so incredibly respectful to a young man in his twenties today was simply too shocking. What in the world was going on?

Jin Zizhen was also bewildered. He had defended Yang Qi because the young man had helped his daughter the night before, but he had never imagined Yang Qi commanded such respect. He hurried over and asked curiously, "Gentlemen, could you please introduce this honored guest?" In the confusion of the previous night, he hadn’t thought to ask for Yang Qi’s name or identity.

Before the three could answer, Yang Qi smiled faintly. "I’m just a good-for-nothing from Jingnan Prefecture who knows a little about medicine. I happen to have some friendly dealings with these three, that’s all. I’m no great figure. They’re just giving me face."

As if anyone would believe that! Jin Zizhen certainly didn’t. When the three of them were standing, Yang Qi had remained seated. The difference in their statuses was obvious.

"Did you hear that? He admitted it himself—he’s just a good-for-nothing! Have you three been deceived by him? Has this kid learned how to lie now? Wasn’t he always so honest?" Jiang Shan couldn’t help but interject.

SLAP!

Lei Tingjun struck Jiang Shan across the face. "You noisy wench! How dare you insult Mr. Yang? You’re courting death!"