The Mysterious Card Maker: Starting with Zhang Jiao's Deification

"What do you mean?" Su Wanqing looked at Lin Fan with some confusion.

Lin Fan did not answer, his gaze fixed on the center of the auction hall, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He quickly provided the answer through his actions.

The next item to be auctioned was an unidentified ancient painting, its paper yellowed and its edges torn, looking even more shabby than the book "Taiping Yaoshu" that had just been brought out.

The auctioneer clearly didn't have high hopes for the item, and after a brief introduction, he began the bidding.

Starting bid: one thousand.

"Ten thousand." Lin Fan raised his paddle almost without hesitation.

Qin Muyao was taken aback and turned to look at him. A hint of doubt also flashed in Su Wanqing's eyes.

The big ox behind him spoke up, "Mr. Xiao Hei, is there some special feature to this thing?"

Lin Fan simply smiled and did not respond. He looked at the screen above his head, and sure enough, a few seconds after he made his bid, [he made a bid].

The auctioneer on stage spoke again: "The VIP in the Starlight Hall has bid 11,000."

Lin Fan's lips curled into a smile. "Twenty thousand."

Thirty thousand.

"..."

Lin Fan seemed completely unconcerned about money, and his quoting speed increased rapidly, without even pausing.

Meanwhile, the people in the Starlight Hall continued to press their advantage.

Prices have skyrocketed.

Three hundred thousand.

Four hundred thousand.

Until the very end.

"A distinguished guest in the Starlight Hall has offered 580,000!"

This time, Lin Fan finally didn't raise his paddle again. "Sold!"

"Bang!" The hammer fell, and a low murmur of discussion rose again in the arena.

"Are you crazy? Five hundred and eighty thousand for a piece of trash?"

"What strange things are happening today... First a tattered book costing 600,000, and now a painting?"

"This is a charity auction, not a scammer's auction. Who is this '07'? What's he doing in the Starlight Hall?"

In the following auctions, Lin Fan would occasionally participate, and as expected, the item was still bought by buyer number 07 from the Starlight Hall.

The people beside Lin Fan also understood at this moment.

Qin Muyao couldn't help but look at Lin Fan, "You did this on purpose!"

Lin Fan looked at the transaction figures on the screen with a calm expression. "Since he has money, why not give him more?"

Lin Fan's purpose in doing this was actually very simple.

Firstly, by offering his own price, he could make Wang Bo spend money to buy a bunch of worthless things, thus wasting a lot of money.

Secondly, and more importantly, it creates a false impression.

If he only showed interest in the "Taiping Yaoshu" from beginning to end, then in Wang Bo's eyes, the importance of this book was practically self-evident.

But things are different now. Lin Fan has been making moves on those broken paintings, ancient scrolls, and unknown items one after another. To others, it seems that he is not aiming for any particular item at the auction, but rather that he is deliberately casting a wide net.

In this way, the "Taiping Yaoshu" will be mixed in with those "junk" items.

At this moment, in Wang Bo's eyes, the [Taiping Essentials] was no longer anything special, but just one of the baits that Lin Fan deliberately threw out.

Even if Wang Bozhen later comes to him with these things to negotiate, he only needs to act as if he doesn't care at all, or even refuse to exchange them outright.

At that point, Wang Bo will realize that what he spent a lot of money to buy was nothing but a pile of useless things.

The truly valuable "Taiping Yaoshu" will become inconspicuous under this layer of smoke, making it easier for him to retrieve it later.

At this moment, Su Wanqing spoke up, saying, "You want to keep Wang Bo guessing about what you really want! So that you can gain the upper hand during negotiations!"

She paused, a hint of surprise creeping into her eyes as she looked at Lin Fan, as if she had discovered a new continent. "What on earth is your brain made of?!"

Da Niu listened for a long time, still looking bewildered. "What are you guys talking about? I don't understand!"

Su Wanqing continued, "Simply put, he tricked others."

Da Niu scratched his head, recalling Lin Fan's earlier actions, then slapped his thigh and said, "Were you deliberately driving up the price just now?"

Then Da Niu added, "You can all see it, so why can't that person see it?"

Su Wanqing and Qin Muyao were also taken aback by Da Niu's words. They could tell that the other side couldn't possibly have been unaware.

Only then did Lin Fan speak up, saying, "It's not that they weren't aware of it, it's that they didn't dare to gamble. What if I really have something I want inside? It's safer for them to take it all."

Just as the group was talking.

On the auction stage, the auctioneer's voice suddenly rang out again, "I think everyone here will be interested in the next item."

"Because it is the real highlight of this auction."

After he finished speaking, the entire venue became noticeably quieter.

Immediately afterwards, two staff members pushed two boxes slowly up the platform.

Around the box were four security personnel in black uniforms, their sharp eyes scanning the surroundings and their vigilant expressions watching the scene.

One of the boxes was completely wrapped in black cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside.

The other was a transparent glass case, inside which lay a talisman emitting a pale blue glow.

The moment it appeared, the entire venue visibly stirred.

"This is a special item from a secret realm. I'm sure you all know its effects, but according to the rules, please allow me to introduce it to you before the auction begins."

"This is called the [Purification Talisman], which has the special effect of purifying the card's 'twisting' value. Of course, this is different from the purification method used by the Card Association."

This item can also purify the corrupted value in the crafted card. As everyone knows, before this, it was impossible to purify the corrupted value in the crafted card.

As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, a question arose from the room: "If that's the case, how are you so sure that this thing can purify the demonic value?"

As if he had anticipated this question, the auctioneer raised his hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet.

"Aren't you all curious about what's in the other box?" He paused deliberately.

However, everyone below was clearly focused on the [Purification Talisman], and no one spoke to it.

The auctioneer coughed lightly, still smiling, and then gestured to the security personnel beside him to remove the black cloth.

The next second, a pitch-black talisman appeared before everyone's eyes.

It is almost identical to the [Purifying Talisman], except that the original blue patterns have been completely eroded by the dense black energy.

"Our foundation was fortunate enough to obtain two [Purification Talismans] before, and now, both are before you."

He pointed to the black talisman, "This one is the [Purification Talisman] after it has been used. The black aura on it is the evil aura that it purified."

The auctioneer paused for a moment, his gaze slowly sweeping across the room.

"This test was personally conducted by Chairman Zhao of our foundation, so everyone can be completely assured of the authenticity of the items!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue became noisy, a stark contrast to the previous feigned tranquility.

"Chairman Zhao personally tested it!"

"With Zhao Zhong vouching for it, this thing should be genuine; he's a trustworthy person!"

The room was immediately filled with voices urging the auctioneer to expedite the auction.