The Beautiful CEO’s Close Bodyguard
Chapter 575 - 0577: Preparing to Bid

Chapter 575: Chapter 0577: Preparing to Bid

The host, noticing that everyone had sufficiently examined the item, spoke up: "Alright, please return to your seats and have a seat."

Those standing at the front shook their heads one after another, as merely by looking, they couldn’t discern any particularities about the Jade Buddha, aside from being able to feel the Spiritual Energy emanating from it, it had no other uses.

But those standing at the back were somewhat displeased, among them someone complained with a tone of grievance: "They all had a clear look, but we at the back didn’t see anything."

The host gave a sheepish smile and, helplessly, allowed those at the back to move forward for a while longer.

Thus, Chu Ge arrived at the very front row, accompanied by the man in the mask.

The two had not ceased their rivalry since the beginning.

The man in the mask was astonished at the depth of Chu Ge’s Inner Strength, the purity of his True Qi left him astounded, as he hadn’t felt such pure True Qi in a long while.

However, Chu Ge was astonished at the profoundness of the masked man’s martial arts, deducing that the person was at least of the level of an Innate Grandmaster, but he still found it difficult to determine whether the man was stronger than himself.

Chu Ge would definitely not allow anyone to damage this Jade Buddha. Aside from the treasure that might be inside the Jade Buddha, its mere appearance was attractive enough for him.

Chu Ge had taken a fancy to the Jade Buddha at first sight, thinking that even if it were used as an ornament, placing it in the living room for exhibition would be splendid.

But he had a better plan; he intended to bid for the Jade Buddha and put it in Mu Bingtong’s office.

Even separated by the glass display case, the continuous flow of Spiritual Energy from within the Jade Buddha couldn’t be blocked, exactly as the host had described, like a spring incessantly bubbling forth.

Placing it in Mu Bingtong’s office to purify the air would be beneficial for her health and more.

Suddenly, the man in the mask retracted his force, drawing his dispersed True Qi back into himself, and, with a playful gaze, looked at Chu Ge – that look clearly had a provocative meaning.

Chu Ge simply observed him quietly, his face void of any superfluous expression.

The man in the mask turned and returned to his spot; Chu Ge also withdrew and went back to his seat.

No sooner had he sat down than Huo Tianqian approached, lowering his voice to ask, "Mr. Chu, what happened?"

Although he had not felt the clash of True Qi between Chu Ge and the man in the mask, he noticed Chu Ge’s evident interest in the Jade Buddha, yet he hadn’t taken another glance at it, his gaze fixed elsewhere.

He speculated to himself that something must have occurred that concerned Mr. Chu.

Chu Ge shook his head slightly, "Nothing much. Among these people, there’s an Innate Grandmaster."

Huo Tianqian’s eyes widened in shock as he looked at him, "Are you serious?"

This underground auction, while sizeable, always notified different ranks of participants about the auction event. Chu Ge, having been invited by him, was supposed by rights to be the only Innate Grandmaster present.

Chu Ge’s lips curved into a slight smile, "Perhaps his situation is like ours, brought in by someone else."

Huo Tianqian instantly became alert, "What are these people planning?"

Chu Ge, seeing Huo Tianqian becoming nervous, couldn’t help but to pat his shoulder with some amusement, "Relax, they’re not here to target us; don’t be so tense."

Huo Tianqian, upon hearing this, laughed sheepishly and shook his head; indeed, he was too tense.

Recently, whenever they encountered Ancient Martial Artists, almost all had designs against them, forcing him to be on guard.

If something were to happen again, like being drugged and losing martial arts ability, he couldn’t guarantee he’d be as lucky as last time.

As the two conversed, the host on stage prompted those who hadn’t left the stage to descend.

Then he announced: "You’ve all seen it, now we’ll begin the bidding, the starting bid for this Jade Buddha is... eighty million."

As the price was announced, the crowd below erupted.

It’s true this underground auction was a black market, and it’s true the prices were steep, but the starting bid had never exceeded twenty million before, and now it suddenly soared to eighty million, which they naturally found hard to accept.

Huo Tianqian was also taken aback for a moment, his gaze returning to the Jade Buddha, which from any angle seemed just an art piece.

In contrast to everyone else, Chu Ge was quite calm; eighty million didn’t mean much to him, especially considering that he was determined to get his hands on the Jade Buddha.

Among these people, there were still those with deep pockets; after some hesitation, someone bid: "Eighty million!"

Actually, those in the know understood that the Jade Buddha was naturally formed, unprocessed, and a price of eighty million wasn’t too high.

Unfortunately, the Jade Buddha had come to the wrong place; few among the assembled knew its true value.

But now, those who knew had begun to bid.

"Eighty-one million."

Chu Ge sat there, quietly watching the others bid, with no intention to make a move just yet.

Huo Tianqian, curious, asked: "Mr. Chu, how much do you think this Jade Buddha will fetch?"

Chu Ge shook his head; it was truly impossible to estimate, as too many uncertain factors on the auction floor could cause price fluctuations.

Unable to help himself, Huo Tianqian again asked: "Mr. Chu, do you think the Spiritual Energy inside the Jade Buddha really won’t run out?"

Chu Ge laughed, again shaking his head, "All jade holds Spiritual Energy, but there’s always a time when it can be depleted."

For an ordinary person, the Spiritual Energy within this Jade Buddha could last thirty years without being exhausted, but if the one absorbing was an Ancient Martial Artist, it would only take a few minutes, and for him, merely three seconds to completely absorb the Spiritual Energy within.

Huo Tianqian was about to ask something else, but Chu Ge gave him a sidelong glance and teased, "Huo Tianqian, when did you become ’a hundred thousand whys’?"

Huo Tianqian was at a loss for words, giving a sheepish laugh, his curiosity about the Jade Buddha indeed overwhelming.

To be honest, when he first laid eyes on the Jade Buddha, he also felt it was extraordinary, but ultimately as a Postnatal Martial Artist, even though he could compete with the Middle-stage Innate level, he still fell short.

The second item’s bidding was slow, as they were reluctant to waste so much money on what amounted to a fancy toy.

It took a while before the price was raised to one hundred million.

Observing the lackluster interest of the crowd, the host felt perplexed. The organizer had specifically mentioned that the Jade Buddha contained an abundant amount of Spiritual Energy, a rare and precious find, yet today it seemed no one was interested.

"One hundred million for the first time," the host announced.

Huo Tianqian looked at Chu Ge, "Mr. Chu, aren’t you planning to bid?"

Was he thinking of repeating last time’s tactic, bidding at the crucial moment?