Chapter 9: Bidding war between two millionaires

Hot-headed individuals often suffer the most.

Lin Jichen gave Wang Jinghao a slight smile, feigning politeness.

"Thanks, buddy. My name is Lin Jichen."

Seeing this, Wang Jinghao felt a sense of triumph, as if everything was under his control, but outwardly, he remained very courteous.

Just as he was about to exchange more pleasantries before beginning his plan to win Lin Jichen over—

Lin Jichen suddenly hurriedly said, "I have urgent business to attend to. I'll be off. Let's talk another time."

With that, he disappeared.

Wang Jinghao was left standing there with his mouth slightly open. All the polite words he had prepared were now stuck in his throat, like old phlegm, which he had no choice but to swallow back down.

"Young Master, that guy is so ungrateful!" one of his subordinates complained.

Wang Jinghao's face turned pale, then dark, but soon he chuckled.

"He might really have something urgent to do. Besides, he was quite polite, and he's definitely a skilled player. Skilled players tend to have a temper—that's normal. Let's build a good relationship first. No rush. Sooner or later, he'll be working for me."

After completing his quest, Lin Jichen immediately returned to the village and headed to the weapon shop.

Upon submitting the quest item, he received a letter.

That's right—this was exactly what he was after. A letter of recommendation, an essential item for joining a sect. This was the "opportunity" the weapon shop owner had mentioned.

But obtaining this letter wasn't just about chatting up NPCs—it required some intelligence.

The sect that issued the recommendation depended on the weapon the player had chosen earlier.

If Lin Jichen had chosen a sword, he would have received a recommendation from the Sword Sect.

He had asked the weapon shop owner, and so far, he was the only one who had triggered this letter quest.

Other players were still running around cluelessly, searching for tailors, village chiefs, butchers… even stray cats and dogs to get quests.

But those were just mundane tasks that, at best, rewarded a little cultivation experience and a few silver coins.

No one had even questioned why a xianxia (immortal cultivation) game was making them run all these trivial errands.

By the time they figured it out, it would take at least a few more days.

Lin Jichen had no interest in lingering here. He was set on the path to immortality!

With the letter in hand, he prepared to leave the village.

However, before departing, he had one last thing to do.

He walked to the busiest area of the village.

"Come one, come all! Massive clearance sale! Want to get stronger? Need better gear? The number one weapon in the entire server—the Green Snake Bow—is up for auction! Highest bidder wins! Come and see for yourself!"

Standing in the village center, Lin Jichen pulled out the Green Snake Bow and loudly advertised it.

Since the game had just launched, very few players had obtained equipment, and those who had certainly wouldn't part with it.

So as soon as Lin Jichen shouted, a crowd quickly gathered, curious to check out the bow's stats.

Lin Jichen generously displayed the Green Snake Bow's attributes, along with its poison arrows.

Upon seeing them, the crowd was stunned.

Damn! This weapon was ridiculously strong!

A +2 Strength bonus was already impressive, but the real game-changer was the poison arrows—they inflicted continuous damage and could even stack effects.

What monster in the beginner village could withstand this? Farming mobs would be a breeze!

"Bro, name your price!"

"No fixed price—just bid." Lin Jichen replied.

"I don't have much in-game currency. Can we trade with real money?"

"Of course. I only accept cash, no in-game currency."

Lin Jichen nodded, putting on a regretful expression.

"If it weren't for my mother-in-law from Jiangxi refusing to let me marry her daughter without money, I wouldn't be selling this at all!"

No one cared about Lin Jichen's so-called Jiangxi mother-in-law, nor whether he was getting married—they only wanted to bid.

"I'll start with 500!"

"I'll go 1,000!"

"1,500!"

"1,800!"

Very quickly, the price soared past 5,000.

But Lin Jichen remained indifferent, even sitting down as if he were bored, casually listening to the bids.

As the auction's commotion grew, more players gathered around.

Among them was a group of female players—every single one of them stunningly beautiful.

The leader of the group was especially breathtaking. With elegant eyebrows, phoenix-like eyes, and a delicate face, she had short, ear-length hair, an alluring figure, and an outstanding aura.

The moment this group appeared, every male player's gaze was completely captivated.

A scene filled with such beauties—it was every man's dream.

Now that they could witness it firsthand, how could they not take a few extra glances?

The group of women approached Lin Jichen, and the short-haired leader spoke calmly.

"50,000."

The moment she said it, all the previous bidders fell silent.

Lin Jichen's eyes lit up—that was a good price, just what he was hoping for.

Just as he was about to seal the deal, another group arrived.

Leading them was none other than Wang Jinghao, the leader of the Wanshi Guild.

"I'll bid 60,000."

Gasp!

The crowd collectively sucked in a breath.

It was just a beginner's weapon—was this really necessary?

After making his bid, Wang Jinghao chuckled and turned to Lin Jichen.

"Brother Lin, what a coincidence! We meet again."

Lin Jichen returned a fake smile, but Wang Jinghao didn't seem to notice and remained enthusiastic.

"I heard you're selling this gear to afford a wedding. How about this? However much you're short on, I'll cover the rest—just as a token of friendship."

Lin Jichen rolled his eyes. He regretted making up that ridiculous excuse.

"No need. A gentleman does not accept charity. I only wish to sell my equipment. I hope Brother Wang understands."

"Of course, of course! Brother Lin has integrity—I admire that. My guild members really want this bow, so I won't hold back."

Wang Jinghao smiled confidently, already considering the bow as his.

At first, the short-haired woman hesitated, worried that Lin Jichen might give in to Wang Jinghao's favor.

But after hearing Lin Jichen's words, she relaxed and immediately raised the stakes, refusing to give Wang Jinghao an easy win.

"70,000."

"100,000," Wang Jinghao countered without hesitation.

"200,000."

The short-haired woman was clearly no pushover—she seemed intent on going head-to-head with Wang Jinghao.

His expression darkened slightly. It wasn't about the money—he had plenty of that.

He just wanted to understand why she was competing with him.

"250,000."

After making this bid, Wang Jinghao turned to her with a smile and asked,

"May I know which guild you're from? I am Wang Jinghao, leader of the Wanshi Guild."

The crowd erupted in murmurs.

The Wanshi Guild was famous in the gaming world—a massive powerhouse.

And their backer, Wanshi Group, was one of the top 20 financial conglomerates in Asia.

Yet the short-haired woman showed no reaction. Instead, she calmly turned to Lin Jichen and said,

"Can you wait two minutes? I need to make a call to my boss."

Lin Jichen had no reason to refuse. Free money was knocking at his door, after all.

He agreed readily, completely ignoring Wang Jinghao's increasingly tense expression.

The woman logged off, but her team remained.

Sure enough, less than two minutes later, she was back.

And instead of backing down, she raised the price even higher.

"500,000."

The crowd gasped.

Holy crap! A beginner's weapon… selling for half a million? Were they insane?!

Wang Jinghao could no longer keep his composure. No matter how well he pretended, this time, he couldn't hide his frustration.