Chapter 137: Top-Notch Congealedfat Jade

Translator: Soldier
Before an auction started, there was always a verbose warm-up speech, but in fact, that only made people feel impatient.
But the Dragon Cabinet's reputation was well-earned. Though this chief auctioneer looked so young, her manner was very brisk and decisive.
"My master said that since this was the day the Thirteenth Branch of Dragon Cabinet Auction House opened for business, Dragon Cabinet would only charge the highest bidder half price during the auctioning of the first lot, no matter how high the under-the-hammer price is."
After saying this, Ruo Ling waved her hand and with that a female carried a crystal clear, fish-shaped jade plate to the platform.
"This jade plate was carved out of top-notch Congealedfat Jade. It calms the nerves of the wearer and makes the wearer feel cool in summer and warm in winter. The starting price is 1,000 taels of silver. Each bid should be no less than 100 taels of silver higher than the previous one."
This was the first lot, and there was also a fifty-percent discount. Obviously, it didn't count as precious. Besides, its efficacy was not impressive at all.
It was widely known that what made the auction house of the Dragon Cabinet different from other auction houses was that they never disclosed any information of the lots before the auction.
But there were always some surprising treasures in their auctions, some of which were even of extreme rarity, especially the last lot of every auction which always caused a sensation.
As a result, though the Dragon Cabinet never disclosed what they were going to auction, all their auctions had full house. In some cases, seats were booked out a month in advance.
But on this day, the first lot of the auction seemed a little disappointing.
It was totally quiet in the auction house.
n.o.body took a second glance at that jade plate, as if n.o.body was interested in it at all.
Though a thousand taels of silver was not much, people were unwilling to waste money on such a small jade plate. They would rather save money to bid for the last lot which was the most precious.
Everybody remained silent for quite a while.
If n.o.body bid, the first lot would go unsold.
If the first lot went unsold, the auction house would become a laughingstock.
But Ruo Ling standing on the platform remained calm.
"1,000 taels of silver." Right at this moment, a boy said in a seemingly impatient voice.
He was in the third room on the left side, which was Nangong Yi's box.
On hearing this voice, Ruo Ling on the auction platform raised her eyes and looked in the direction of the box.
But soon, she withdrew her gaze. She asked three times in a row but there was no other bid. The hammer went down and the first lot was sold to the bidder in the third box at half the starting price.
Before long, a teenage girl sent the auctioned jade plate into the box.
"Master Nangong, this is the top-notch Congealedfat Jade Plate you've just bought. The price is five hundred taels of silver after a fifty-percent discount."
Yun Wu picked up her teacup and leisurely sipped at her tea. After glancing at the jade plate brought here by the teenage girl, she secretly scanned it with her spiritual power. When she sensed thick, pure white fog in the jade plate, her eyes lit up.
The moment this top-notch Congealedfat Jade was brought to the auction platform, Yun Wu felt that the Soaring Dragon Scroll in her Consciousness Sea gave a jolt.
Though the jolt was not a violent one, it aroused Yun Wu's curiosity.
So Yun Wu asked Little Qing to bid on her behalf.
Little Qing glimpsed at Yun Wu and said in a seemingly impatient voice, "Ugly woman, what are you waiting for? You bid for this thing. Pay for it yourself."
Watching the jade plate on the table, Yun Wu felt somewhat inexplicably excited.
As a result, she ignored Little Qing's confrontational remarks.