Tomb-Sweeping Day at the Gravesite

Meeting the standards of a "Love Guru"?

An Yi frowned as he watched the woman nestled in Boss Nie's arms and let out a slight sigh.

Honestly, leaving everything else aside, just those stunning legs beneath the miniskirt were enough to make anyone linger with admiration. Who doesn’t love a beautiful woman?

He liked women in other men’s arms—no, wait, the women he liked always ended up in other men’s arms.

"What are you staring at?" Yan Zhi asked curiously.

An Yi quickly averted his gaze. "Nothing."

Though the woman in Boss Nie’s arms was attractive, the one beside him wasn’t bad either. Standing at 1.7 meters tall, she was younger and outshone the other woman in terms of figure.

Yan Zhi smirked. "Didn’t expect you to have a thing for married women!"

"No way, absolutely not!" An Yi loudly protested.

Yan Zhi patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don’t worry, no need to feel insecure. After taking the Celestial Star Grass, you’ll be as strong and vigorous as any normal man!"

An Yi: "!"

This clueless woman!

He wanted to curse out loud!

He prided himself on being the "Indomitable Spear"—the legendary "Eight Times a Night" Casanova!

The Celestial Star Grass? He was only buying it for the Jade Beauty Elixir!!!

The wait for the auction wasn’t long.

A spirited elderly man walked to the center of the auction stage.

Admittedly, the place had an air of sophistication.

Everywhere exuded an antique charm, even the auctioneer, dressed in traditional gray robes, carried an almost ethereal aura.

"Good evening, everyone. I am Gao Yude, and I welcome you to tonight’s Auspicious Cloud Auction House. Without further ado, let’s begin."

The auctioneer was refreshingly straightforward, skipping the usual formalities and diving straight into the event.

Two stunning women in qipaos gracefully approached, unfurling a painting.

Gasps and murmurs filled the room.

"Tomb-Sweeping Day Scroll!" someone even blurted out.

The auctioneer smiled as he introduced it.

"The 'Tomb-Sweeping Day Scroll,' one of China’s Ten Great Classical Paintings, is a genre masterpiece from the Northern Song Dynasty. It is the only surviving work of the legendary painter Xiao Yi and is considered a national treasure, currently housed in the Imperial Capital Museum."

"The scroll measures 30 centimeters in height and 500 centimeters in length, rendered on silk with vibrant colors. Presented in a long handscroll format, it employs scattered perspective to vividly capture the tomb-sweeping activities of people from all social strata during the Northern Song Dynasty. The scene is brought to life with over 1,300 figures, each uniquely portrayed."

In a secluded VIP room within the auction house...

"Lord Dragon, this painting—"

A one-eyed man, exuding a fierce aura, couldn’t help but speak up.

A dignified yet ethereal voice responded calmly, "Wait and observe."

He never imagined that a playful imitation he once painted—mocking a certain artist named Zhang—would, over centuries, become his most celebrated work.

"Is... is this really the 'Tomb-Sweeping Day Scroll'?" someone questioned skeptically.

The auctioneer chuckled. "As I mentioned earlier, the original is in the Imperial Capital Museum. This is a replica, though it does date back 500 years."

Hearing this, the crowd sighed in disappointment.

A replica? That killed the prestige. They had hoped for the real deal.

Had it been Xiao Yi’s authentic work, it would have caused a sensation.

"Starting bid at 300,000. Each subsequent bid must increase by at least 20,000. If no one counters after three calls, the item is sold!" the auctioneer declared.

The 'Tomb-Sweeping Day Scroll' was just the opening act—a decent showpiece, but nothing more.

An Yi was stunned. "A random painting of tomb-sweeping is worth this much?"

"Are you even from this planet?" Yan Zhi sighed.

An Yi: "..."

Money in this world was sometimes too easy to make.

Who would pay so much for a painting depicting tomb-sweeping? Wasn’t it creepy?

Clearly, after only two years here, he still didn’t fully grasp this world’s quirks.

"1 million!"

Boss Nie cut through the hesitation, instantly raising the bid to a million.

The auction hall fell silent.

Even the auctioneer paused before announcing, "Any further bids? 1 million, going once! 1 million, going twice! 1 million—"

"1.1 million!"

A woman’s voice interrupted.

Boss Nie glanced over and smirked coldly.

The bidder was a middle-aged woman in a yellow robe.

"Hong Ping, an outer elder of the Joyous Union Sect. The Wild Rose you killed, Boss Nie, was her disciple," whispered the mixed-race beauty beside him.

"Then let’s keep bidding," Boss Nie sneered. "2 million!"

"Two million for a replica? Only Boss Nie would throw money around like this!"

The woman in yellow clenched her teeth, fury flashing in her eyes. "2.1 million!"

"Only raising by 100,000? How stingy. I’m out."

Boss Nie looked down at her with a mocking grin.

"2.1 million for a fake? What a joke."

He had only bid out of casual interest—a collector’s whim. But bidding like a pauper? Pathetic.

The woman’s face darkened.

She had let anger cloud her judgment. Two million was half a month’s earnings for the Joyous Union Sect!

"Master, are you sure Boss Nie was the one who killed Junior Sister?" a woman beside her whispered.

Hong Ping replied coldly, "Your junior sister sold his daughter to the Gourd Immortal. When Nie Chengwen found out, she vanished without a trace. Who else could it be?"

The feud between Boss Nie and the Joyous Union Sect was now set in stone.

"The next item is rather special—Celestial Star Grass, and what’s more, its seeds!"

The moment the auctioneer spoke, An Yi’s eyes lit up.

"So soon?!"

The Celestial Star Grass he needed was already here!

"Many must be curious about its effects. Let me explain briefly—its primary use is treating male impotence. Those struggling with infertility can also take it to restore vitality!"

"Starting bid at 100,000. Each raise must be no less than 10,000. If no one counters after three calls, the item is sold!"

Silence.

Who would dare bid on this?

Doing so would be an open admission of inadequacy!

A man must never admit to weakness!

Women couldn’t bid either—it’d imply their men had... issues.

No man at all?

Even worse!

Bidding alone would make them seem promiscuous!

Seconds ticked by.

The auctioneer sighed. "In that case, this item will be considered uns—"

"100,000!"

At the last moment, two voices rang out simultaneously.

One was An Yi’s. The other belonged to a middle-aged man.

Hearing An Yi’s bid, the man flushed red and stammered, "No no, don’t get the wrong idea! I’m buying this for a friend. I don’t need it myself."

An Yi blinked, then clasped his hands solemnly. "Same here!"