With a sour expression, Han Xuhan contemplated how to exact an equal repayment from his boss.
Soon, all the items were either sold or set aside after being displayed. Han Xuhan slightly edged forward on his seat, anticipating the upcoming stunt.
"Now that all the promised items have been displayed, I, Zhang Shi, would like to promote a book with the sect's permission!" The speaker was not the elder, but one of the mortal businessmen in charge of auctioning the ordinary goods.
"A book?"
"Did I hear that right? When has this sect ever promoted books?"
"What could this book be about?"
"Whose book could be promoted by the authorities of the sect? Which famous author has this much influence?"
Chatters like these could be heard all over the hall. But the presenter didn't give the audience much time to digest the announcement.
Han Xuhan was impressed by the insidious wisdom behind elder Shen's business tactic.
Both of them were aware that this book of his was more of a trollish prank than anything else. And anyone who bought this book would realize this as well as long as they weren't too naive. So selling this under the sect's banner would harm the reputation of the sect.
This was why, the elder had convinced an affiliated mortal trade partner to conduct the business, bearing the risk of a ruined reputation in case this scam caused an uproar beyond their control.
How had he done it? And why had this mortal businessman agreed to go along with the publication of this book?
Han Xuhan was curious, but this wasn't the time to speculate on such details.
With a simple gesture from Zhang Shi, several workers dragged a silver-plated case to the middle of the raised stage. Fitted in the case was a thin book.
But its dazzling appearance was definitely impressive. The covers were made of crystalline materials that softly glowed. The bindings were designed like snowflakes intertwining together, crimson-colored like the sect's insignia.
Bright golden letters with crimson outlines on the cover shone like a beacon, attracting the eager audience's gaze.
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The outbreak of whispers was subtle, very sneaky, yet alarmingly fast.
The biggest question at the moment was...
Why the hell would Crimson Snow Sect promote such a book that looked even less credible than love potions found in the streets of the mortal world?
The whispers soon grew louder and evolved into a chaotic commotion.
"What the hell is this?"
"Is this some sort of a prank?"
"Have you no shame?"
"Hah, this sect will do anything for money."
"Do they take us for morons?"
Many shouts like these were heard over the pandemonium. The presenter hadn't even had the chance to provide a neat description. The crowd was jeering at him blatantly.
Han Xuhan, one of the main perpetrators behind this disaster, didn't look disappointed in the slightest by the negative reaction from the crowd.
His eyes held an anticipatory glow, as if awaiting the right catalyst to take charge...
"SHUT UP YOU BUFFOONS!"
There it was!
A boisterous young man stood up from his seat and glared at the crowd that was still throwing ridicule toward the businessman, as well as the sect.
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"I, Xu Feixiong, have absolute faith in the integrity of Crimson Snow Sect. Moreover, this isn't their project, is it? They have merely permitted the sale of this book, not authored it, get it?
It may look ridiculous and funny to those who harbor different thoughts in their heart when it comes to this aspect, but I know for sure that since the sect has decided to promote this book, it is a treasure worth buying!"
Marvelous performance.
With that shout, the laughter from the crowd was snuffed out, a very predictable outcome.
Whoever dared to laugh at or disagree with this young man would be indirectly insulting the authorities and picking a fight with the sect. In an ordinary auction like this, no one with the backing to handle that kind of trouble would be attending.
But this wasn't the end, was it?'
Come on, Xu Feixiong, complete the combo.
Han Xuhan grinned as his anticipation rose higher.
"Hmph! Trash like you all who has no respect in their heart for their own sect... I cannot comprehend why the sect even bothers to bear with disciples like you who obviously lack filial piety and the simplest ethics. Do you take the authorities for a joke? You don't even deserve to bid for these treasures, I'll buy it myself! And you outsiders, hahaha, you lot can forget about squeezing special favors from the sect after your insolence!"
There, there; wonderfully done, albeit lacking in the vocabulary a bit. But it's okay, it doesn't matter right now...
Xuhan's grin grew wider. This was a good setup by the greedy elder. This Xu Feixiong wasn't a disciple of the sect himself. But he came from an influential family nearby. So regardless of what he spouted, the authority couldn't be held liable for it.
What had he been bribed with? Judging by his last sentence...probably a special favor!
That sentence had hit the nerves of all the influential families and small sects nearby!
Their real mistake was the fact that they had laughed openly at the item and ridiculed the sect in their enthusiasm.
Had the crowd been more subdued...this move would have had no effect. In a way, the crowd had made themselves susceptible to this scam.
"Sir Zhang, what is the base price of this book? There is no need for you to describe the worth of this book to these unfilial scums who dare to ridicule and look down on the sect that protects them. Just name the price."
"Ahem...the starting price is Twenty spirit stones, with each increment equal to or above five spirit stones."
"Forty spirit stones, I'll take it," the young man loudly announced with visible pride. Every elder present in the hall looked at him with a warm gaze full of approval. In fact, their gazes were so direct and easy to read that the audience immediately realized that the Xu family had just won the favor of the Crimson Snow sect!
Meanwhile, those with deeper connections to the sect had already changed their stance. They were hardly stupid. How could they let themselves be labeled as bad disciples or allies unworthy of the sect's care?
The flow of the events was so smooth that almost no one could adapt to the situation properly.
"What do you mean by calling us unfilial scums? We were simply taken aback at the sudden surprise." One quick-witted disciple finally managed to get back his bearings.
"Yeah, that's right. How can you insult us like that?!"
"We were just surprised, that's all."
The voices started to pick up in volume.
Even if they didn't trust the credibility of the book, they didn't want to be labeled as bad disciples either. The allied families and affiliates even more so
The uproar spread like wildfire. Some over-enthusiastic disciples even started bidding for the book, trying to make themselves look better than the rest of the hypocrites.
In the end, the book, a special handwritten edition signed by the sect master himself, was sold at the sky-high price of one hundred spirit stones.
Of course, there was also a part of the crowd who were very interested in learning the contents of the book.
For these curious bunch, the shops outside awaited, where a normal mass-copied version of this book would be sold at a much cheaper price.
The biggest sufferers of this incident were obviously the couples among the disciples.
"Honey, the sect wouldn't be selling this for show. It wouldn't hurt to buy a cheap copy and take a look..."
"I'm merely curious, my fair lady. I am only buying this to see why this is being promoted. "
"I wouldn't cheat on you. How could I?! I'm just buying it to get into the elders' good grace."
Awkward explanations like these were heard many times after the auction was over. The single disciples bought the cheaper copies for reasons that did not need to be explained, while the disciples with a partner at their sides were trying to console their counterparts while they looked at the title of the book with strange smiles...
Half an hour after the end of the auction, all the copies of the book were sold out, with many more disciples left unsatisfied by the shortage of production.
Han Xuhan laughed sinisterly after seeing the complaining disciples and nudged Mu Ran.
"Boss."
"Yeah, underling?" Mu Ran said impatiently. He had been itching to leave the auction since the frozen egg had been handed to him. But the commotion had made him stay till now.
"That senior disciple looked so sinister...I think he'll send someone to beat you up and snatch the egg back," Xuhan said, sounding worried.
"Good thinking, underling. I'll hide somewhere for the next few days. You can pay my penalties for the daily tasks, right?"
"...Yeah, that's not an issue. But what about me? That guy might look for me too!"
"You want to hide as well?" Mu Ran asked.
"Boss, listen, I've got a plan..."
Mu Ran looked utterly befuddled as he listened.