Qian Bufan's Outdoor Scene, the Plan of the Lingxi Gate

It is well known that Little Li has no interest in money, no concept of it, and no strong desire for it.

This was true in his past life when he earned a measly 2,800 a month, and it remains true now.

The reason he just raised the bid was simple.

Qiao Ziyu had been butting heads with him all along, so when someone else made an offer, he instinctively countered.

Only after raising the bid did he recall that this item seemed to have appeared in the memories of the "Ice Block."

"What exactly is a 'golden mountain'? Is it some kind of rare treasure?"

"It seems you’ve been dwelling in the deep sea for too long and aren’t familiar with this."

"Indeed, I’m not well-versed in such rare treasures..."

"No, what I mean is—you don’t understand Young Master Li."

"?"

"Is this your first time meeting Young Master Li? No one else measures wealth in such a chillingly literal way."

The Rare Treasures Bazaar had drawn martial artists from all corners of the world, many of whom had heard a thing or two about the legendary "Prosperous Wife Battle Soul" and his bottomless wealth.

Through their accounts, the visiting sect disciples from overseas finally understood.

A "golden mountain" was exactly that—a mountain made of gold.

"Uh, Young Master Li... about that gold you mentioned—how much are we talking, exactly?"

The second-largest shareholder of the Eastern Pearl Pavilion asked with a pained smile.

He was a man of vast experience, skilled at swiftly appraising the value of anything and keeping meticulous accounts.

But... this kind of measurement? Who could possibly quantify it? He’d never seen anything like it.

"About three or four stories high, roughly the size of the Eastern Pearl Pavilion," Lan Tian recalled.

"How do you know that?" the shareholder asked, stunned.

"Big Brother Li used a golden mountain to cure my trypophobia," said the mermaid princess Lan Tian, who also had little grasp of monetary value.

After all, her tears turned into pearls. At one point, she’d even worried Li Mo might not have enough money and asked if he wanted her to eat some sea anemones.

A golden mountain... curing trypophobia...

The bewildered crowd grew even more bewildered.

If this was how things worked, was gold even valuable anymore?

Martial artists who had hoarded large amounts of gold felt their legs go weak, as if the sky were collapsing. If Young Master Li’s reserves ever hit the market, their stockpiles would be worthless—no better than scrap metal!

But this wasn’t their fault.

Who could’ve imagined that one day, the price of gold would crash to the point of being as cheap as scrap? For millennia, gold had been stable, especially since it could be refined into True Gold.

"Ahem... does anyone else wish to raise the bid?"

Lan Tian’s question echoed through the silent auction hall.

"I—"

Qiao Ziyu instinctively wanted to counter, but suddenly, his throat seized in pain.

Another pig’s trotter had been shoved into his mouth with brute force, jamming straight down his gullet.

Logically, such a sudden and bizarre experience should have enraged him.

But when he saw the horrified look in the elder steward’s eyes, cold sweat drenched his back.

Failing to pay after placing a bid carried severe consequences.

This wasn’t just about him—as the young master of the Luminous Harmony Sect, his entire faction would face retribution from the forces backing the Eastern Pearl Pavilion.

"Cough... cough! Are you telling me Li Mo can actually produce that much money?" Qiao Ziyu hacked violently, disbelief in his voice. "The intel said he was nearly broke!"

"The informant was my personal disciple. I’ll hold him accountable when we return," the elder steward said, frowning.

But what he didn’t know was—

His unlucky disciple, in his pursuit of reliable information, had gone all the way to the Imperial Capital to investigate.

As everyone knows, where is the best place for information?

So that unlucky fellow went to the Wind and Moon Pavilion, where the storyteller seemed quite knowledgeable about the Liqun Swordmaster. He planned to lure the man into an alley, tie him up, and interrogate him thoroughly...

...

Meanwhile, in the distant Imperial Capital.

On the outskirts of the city, in a desolate wilderness where grass and trees were sparse.

The area was already barren, usually devoid of people, and now someone had dug an unsightly pit.

A few figures stood by the pit.

Huang Donglai shoveled dirt into the pit one scoop at a time, mixing in a medicinal powder that erased traces, nourished plants, and would vanish without a trace as the vegetation grew.

Xiao Qin released his spiritual sense, scanning the surroundings.

Murong Xiao spun his wooden fish with a handle, sitting cross-legged as he chanted sutras for the dead.

One kept watch, one handled the killing and burying, and one even recited prayers for the departed—their teamwork was seamless.

In two words: professional.

"Ah, as a monk, compassion is paramount."

After finishing the sutras, Murong Xiao sighed. "First time doing something like this. Today, I broke another precept."

"No big deal. He didn’t know who struck him when he died. A wandering soul—your prayers are a good deed."

Huang Donglai patted down the soil with his shovel, making the transplanted flowers and grass look like they’d always grown there.

"Hmph, not even a dog—or Xiao Qin’s nose—could sniff anything out now."

"Oh?"

Xiao Qin jumped down from the tree.

So now, among Little Li’s close friends, he was the only one who hadn’t mastered the King of Fists technique?

"The Lingxi Sect might still investigate. My identity in the Imperial Capital has to disappear. I quite liked this persona..."

Huang Donglai sighed, though his expression wasn’t particularly sorrowful.

"Little Li is getting engaged. We should at least go toast him."

"Right. We also need to report back about the Lingxi Sect. Their ambitions are vast—they won’t let this go easily."

"I’ll ask the abbot for leave. Oh, and as a monk, I own nothing. Lend me some money for a gift?"

"Lend? We’re brothers. I’ll just toss it into the temple’s donation box later."

"Hiss... Would that count as my gift or the Buddha’s?"

...

At the same time.

"Since no one else is bidding, this 'Chart of the Abyss' goes to our esteemed Golden Daddy here!"

"All guests who secured treasures today, please line up for payment. Cash on delivery, no exceptions."

Lan Tian tapped a little gavel twice—quite ceremonial, really.

Li Mo was equally ceremonial, removing his spatial pouch and handing it to his employee.

Formalities had to be observed. Just because he was the majority shareholder didn’t mean he could skip procedure.

Now, the other shareholders of the Eastern Pearl Tower no longer invested capital—they contributed expertise, offering management and influence in exchange for annual dividends no less generous than before.

Seeing him hand over the spatial pouch lifted Qiao Ziyu’s spirits slightly, though he still felt like he’d swallowed a fly.

"Even though I gained nothing from this treasure auction and wasted two hundred mystic crystals, at least Li Mo bled a little too..."

"Bled a little?" A voice chimed in beside him.

It was the Eastern Pearl Tower’s second-largest shareholder.

"Ah, Grand Master! Hahaha, we came to support your Eastern Pearl Tower today. If you have any fine goods in the future, do let us know."

The elder steward clasped his hands and smiled.

He felt that the East Pearl Tower had made quite a profit off Li Mo this time, thanks in part to Qiao Ziyu driving up the bids.

"Uh, first of all, I’m not the major shareholder anymore," the second-in-command said with a strange expression, shaking his head. Then he added, "If we’re talking about support, you two were actually supporting the real boss."

"And who might that be...?"

"Weren’t you two just desperately bidding against him earlier?"

"?"

Qiao Ziyu and the steward elder leaned back slightly, looking up in surprise.

They saw Lan Tian take the spatial pouch, inspect its contents, and then hand the auction item to Li Mo, saying,

"Payment and goods settled."

Then she returned the pouch filled with money to him, adding,

"Big spender, the earnings from this auction are all in there too."

She had even collected the payments from the other bidders and stuffed them into the same spatial pouch before handing it back to Li Mo.

With this exchange,

The mountain of gold remained unchanged, but the pile of mystic crystals seemed close to forming a small hill.