Max Level Return—I'll Protect That Fragile One

Chapter 32

Ye Mingluo quickly clicked on the auction link for the Ice Crystal Grass and entered the live auction room.

The handsome young man from Lanzhong Auction House was wearing a blue-gray Tang suit, holding an auction hammer, and standing behind the auction table.

He stared straight into the camera, introducing the function of the Ice Crystal Grass and its origins—

”As everyone knows, the Ice Crystal Grass had disappeared thirty years ago, and only a very few collectors still have complete dried Ice Crystal Grass medicinal herbs.”/p>

”Five years ago, our auction house auctioned a complete dried Ice Crystal Grass herb, and its final selling price was eight million.”/p>

For a single herb to be sold at such a high price of eight million is indeed rare./p>

”And today, the Ice Crystal Grass we have is a living one, blooming with frost flowers!” This statement caused exclamation marks to flood the chat room of the live stream./p>

All the buyers were in an uproar./p>

An anonymous user commented: [A living Ice Crystal Grass? If nurtured carefully after buying it, couldn’t it potentially save the extinct Ice Crystal Grass?]/p>

Another anonymous buyer, excitedly typed: [The Xia Country Academy of Sciences Plant Research Institute must get this Ice Crystal Grass! We are confident enough to cultivate new Ice Crystal Grass!] This buyer was so excited that they didn’t bother hiding their identity./p>

Then, an anonymous user said: [Our Sole Country Plant Research Institute will also participate in the auction.]/p>

The usual lurking big shots from scientific plant research institutes of various countries all started to speak, dropping their disguises./p>

An invisible smoke of bidding war rose in the live chat room./p>

The auctioneer had long anticipated this scene’s appearance, and honestly, he was proud to be fortunate enough to be a part of the auction for this Ice Crystal Grass./p>

Suppressing the agitation in his heart, the auctioneer said kindly, ”Dear guests, please remain calm. Next, we’ll move to the stage where we appreciate the auction item.”/p>

Upon hearing these words, the live stream room instantly fell silent./p>

Every buyer was staring at the live stream screen, eager to see what the living Ice Crystal Grass looked like, whether it was as beautiful and captivating as recorded in documentaries and pictures./p>

The auctioneer moved out of the camera, soon returning with a glass bowl appearing in front of the lens./p>

He placed the glass bowl on the auction table, and the live camera promptly focused on the bowl./p>

Inside the glass bowl, there was a layer of black soil emitting cold air, within which grew a green stem as thick as an adult’s thumb./p>

Upon the stem, there were six or seven oval-shaped green leaves resembling mint leaves at first glance, covered in a thin layer of frost, with a frost flower blooming at the top of the herb./p>

Even across the screen, Ye Mingluo could feel the coldness of that herb./p>

”It’s the Ice Crystal Grass!” Ye Mingluo’s breath grew heavier./p>

He had spent years searching for the whereabouts of the Ice Crystal Grass, combing through information on it./p>

Ye Mingluo could draw the Ice Crystal Grass with his eyes closed; he wouldn’t be mistaken./p>

The auctioneer continued saying, ”This Ice Crystal Grass was delivered early this morning by a mysterious seller. After extensive verification, Lanzhong Auction House confirmed that this is indeed a living Ice Crystal Grass, and our auction house will fully guarantee our assessment results.”/p>

Smiling at the camera, the auctioneer said, ”Next is the bidding session for buyers.”/p>

Upon confirming the genuine identity of the Ice Crystal Grass, the chat room commenced a total mute, with only the system’s mechanical female voice calmly announcing—”/p>

[Esteemed Truffle Chocolate, bid five million.]/p>

[Esteemed I Want To Sleep Until I Wake Naturally, bid five point three million.]/p>

[Esteemed Rose Hedgehog Flower, bid five point six million.]/p>

[Respected Old Man Lin, bid nine million.]/p>

...

Every time the female voice sounded, the avatar of the corresponding buyer member would light up in the chat room, with their bid displayed in golden special effects on the avatar./p>

They weren’t bidding recklessly; their accounts truly had that amount of money. The system would only quote prices after detecting sufficient account balance./p>

Seeing this heated scene, Ye Mingluo asked Huo Wen’an, ”Let’s make a grand entrance, so what price should we offer?”/p>

Ye Mingluo was determined to obtain this Ice Crystal Grass, believing Huo Wen’an felt the same./p>

Huo Wen’an glanced at the lively chat room in the live stream, saying, ”Ice Crystal Grass can only temporarily suppress the chaos in my bloodline but cannot completely cure me. It offers little use to me, so let the research institute folks have it.”/p>

If this Ice Crystal Grass were merely dried herbs, Huo Wen’an would definitely bid for it, but it was living./p>

If the plant research institute folks could cultivate new Ice Crystal Grass, it could help many more patients./p>

He himself had no hope left; he couldn’t take away hope from other patients./p>

Hearing Huo Wen’an’s words, Ye Mingluo’s smile instantly froze in his eyes./p>

He gritted his teeth and fiercely shouted at Huo Wen’an, ”Huo Wen’an, this is our only chance. Your condition, if not controlled, you’ll die!”/p>

Seeing Huo Wen’an remained calm and unmoved, Ye Mingluo instinctively grabbed Huo Wen’an’s arm, saying, ”You’re only 28, how can you give up?”/p>

”Of course I’m not willing.” Upon finding out he had a rare severe disease, Huo Wen’an did struggle and feel unwilling./p>

But what could be done?/p>

In the face of sickness, even the almighty is powerless./p>

”Ye Mingluo, let’s forfeit.”/p>

Ye Mingluo took a deep breath, cursing, ”Huo Wen’an, just wait for death then!” He exited the live stream, closed his phone, and stormed out angrily./p>

But after leaving the small courtyard, Ye Mingluo got into the car, yet not in a hurry to drive away. He reopened the page for Medicinal Material Pavilion, red-eyed, participating in the bidding with those old folks again./p>

./p>

After Ye Mingluo left, Huo Wen’an was somewhat lost./p>

He leaned back in the deck chair, wanting to rest quietly a bit. However, the noisy disturbances from next door made it impossible for Huo Wen’an to sleep. He simply walked into the gym room, staying there most of the day./p>

After four in the afternoon, the commotion next door finally quietened./p>

Huo Wen’an took a shower, his eyes slightly red due to the mental tension./p>

Hungry, he walked to the kitchen intending to cook a bowl of noodles./p>

Having cut the shredded meat, Huo Wen’an was about to wash the vegetables when he heard the delivery man shouting loudly outside the yard, ”Is the boss in? Next door 219 asks you to help receive some deliveries!”/p>

Only then did Huo Wen’an remember Xu Xingguang asking him through WeChat in the morning to receive some parcels for her./p>

Wiping his hands, Huo Wen’an walked to the eaves, standing there, saying to the delivery guy outside the yard, ”Put them in my yard.”/p>

He expected one or two packages, but unexpectedly, the delivery guy unloaded nearly half a cargo box worth./p>

All the packages packed into Huo Wen’an’s yard, making it seem crowded./p>

Staring at the mountain-like stack of parcels, Huo Wen’an suddenly had a gut feeling—/p>

His serene wait-for-death lifestyle was about to be disrupted by his neighbor./p>

After the delivery guy left, Huo Wen’an pulled out his phone, found the top chat box, edited a message to Xu Xingguang./p>

Boss Huo: [Your parcels have arrived.]/p>

Having sent the message, still unable to express his current feeling, Huo Wen’an raised his phone to take a picture of the parcels in the yard and sent it over./p>

At this moment, Xu Xingguang was standing at the entrance of Lanzhong Auction House’s branch company building in Yujiang City, using a duckbill cap to cover her hair, a black mask to hide most of her face, and a puffy down jacket to conceal her graceful curves./p>

She wrapped herself like a dumpling, preventing anyone from perceiving her true appearance./p>

Upon hearing the WeChat vibration, Xu Xingguang unlocked the phone to read Huo Wen’an’s message. Her fingers quickly tapped a reply./p>

Miss Xu: [Sorry for the trouble. To show my gratitude, once I move over, I’ll cook you a meal myself.]/p>

Reading the message, Huo Wen’an showed a worried expression./p>

He had only briefly met Xu Xingguang before, yet he knew the girl’s hands were slim like scallions, white like sheep-fat jade, seeming unlikely to be ones adept in the kitchen./p>

Huo Wen’an held no expectation for that meal; he still wanted to live a few more days, not wanting to be poisoned./p>

Seeing Huo Wen’an no longer replying, Xu Xingguang put away her phone, stuffed her hands into her pockets, and strode into the branch building of Lanzhong Auction House./p>

She found the front desk, handing over the prepared documents to the staff there, finely saying, ”I am Medicine Farmer Star. Here’s my membership information form and bank card details. Please proceed with the membership formalities swiftly.”/p>

Hearing the name Medicine Farmer Star, the front desk clerk froze on the spot, asking incredulously, ”You really are Medicine Farmer Star?”/p>

The mysterious herbal tycoon who shipped a living Ice Crystal Grass in the morning via express delivery, only leaving behind the phrase: [At five in the evening, I will deliver the membership information], Medicine Farmer Star?/p>

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