Legendary Son-in-Law: The Man with Poison Talismans

She didn't want to go through any more trouble, didn't want to be deceived again, and didn't want to keep hoping only to have her hopes dashed.

She only wanted to stay with them quietly while there was still time, and then leave naturally, like a leaf falling from a branch, when it was time to leave.

Huo Lie gripped his knee tightly, then loosened his grip, then loosened his grip again, finally uttering only a soft voice: "Alright, Father will take you to see him."

The girl didn't turn around, but simply curved the corners of her mouth into a smile, like a flower quietly blooming in the night.

Through the bamboo curtain, she watched the brown fruit below the stage glowing warmly in the candlelight, and suddenly felt that perhaps meeting the person who brought out such a strange fruit to sell was more interesting and more worth looking forward to than the fruit itself.

-

After Huo Yan finished shouting.

The members of the various guilds exchanged glances, but no one immediately followed suit.

The auctioneer stood on the stage, holding the small hammer in his hand, his eyes sweeping over the audience, though he himself was somewhat unsure.

She knew very well that this fruit had been designated as the most special item in the auction that night during the internal evaluation.

It is rarer than the Dragon Slayer and even rarer than the Bloodthirst Set, but the problem is that its value depends entirely on what the buyer thinks.

If someone is willing to gamble on the words "requires level 0", it can fetch an astronomical price; but if no one believes it, it's just an ordinary fruit.

She hesitated for a moment, looking at the whispering expressions of the people below the stage, carefully considering how to start the conversation.

But just before she opened her mouth, the audience suddenly fell silent for a moment.

It was a complete silence; people suddenly stopped what they were doing and stopped talking at the same time.

The whispers receded from every corner of the hall like a receding tide. Some people's cups stopped in mid-air, some people's hands paused on a page of a booklet, and some people opened their mouths to say something to their neighbors but then closed them again.

The entire hall was so quiet that you could hear the faint sound of candlelight flickering inside the lampshade.

No one spoke, but the quiet atmosphere had changed, as if many people were thinking of the same thing at the same time.

It costs 10 gold coins to forge a Spirit Gathering Pearl with 1 experience points in the manor. This fruit also has 10 experience points, which means that the actual value of this fruit is at least 1 gold coins.

However, the Spirit Gathering Orb in the manor is level 20, while this fruit is level 0.

What does level 0 mean? It means that a newly awakened child, even if their talent is so bad that they can't gain experience from fighting monsters, can directly cross the most difficult threshold at the beginning.

And what if an ordinary person ate it...?

Although no one can guarantee that they will awaken, what if they do?

The quiet hall was like a pebble thrown into water; soon someone whispered something, which was then passed on to the next person, and the murmurs went from scattered whispers to a cacophony of voices.

The guild leaders exchanged glances and picked up their number plates again.

An elderly man in a gray robe was the first to raise his sign: "3000".

Then another voice followed: "4000."

The third person was faster: "5000".

The price soared like a lit fuse, from 5000 to 8000 and then to 10,000, with almost no pause in between.

Those who were just hesitating suddenly seemed to be pushed by something and rushed to raise their signs.

Chapter 243 Fierce Bidding

Those who were originally just there to watch the fun started to take it seriously. Some were doing mental calculations, some were rummaging through their storage bags to count how much money they had left, and some were whispering to the people next to them about whether they could film together.

Huo Yan sat in the private box, watching the crowd below the stage suddenly become lively, but did not rush to raise the price.

Gu Changfeng glanced with interest at the people below the stage who were eagerly raising their placards, then at Huo Yan's expressionless face. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said nothing.

In the west VIP box, the girl in the plain white dress quietly watched the crowd below suddenly erupt in excitement, listening to the rising and falling bids. She didn't turn around, but simply said softly, "So it turns out we're not the only ones who want this fruit."

The middle-aged man behind him didn't respond. His gaze fell on the brown fruit below the stage, and the expression in his eyes was a few degrees darker than before.

Amidst this competition among various forces, the auction price of acorns soared.

1 million, 2 million, 3 million, 4 million...

The numbers jumped upwards as if whipped, with almost no pause in between.

Those who were originally just there to watch the spectacle have been completely squeezed out, and those still holding up signs are all from various guilds and families.

A steady voice came from a private room on the west side: "5."

Immediately following, a clear, cold female voice rang out from another private room on the east side: "55,000."

The west side continued without pause: "7."

There was a brief silence on the east side: "8."

The audience listened intently, and someone whispered, "That's an elder from Dragon Soaring Across the World, right?" The person next to him chimed in, "That's the vice president of Iron-Blooded Loyalty over there. I recognized his voice."

The two largest guilds in Mengzhong were locked in a fierce battle, with prices being pulled in opposite directions like two bulls, neither willing to give in first.

The voice on the west side spoke up again: "10."

There was a moment of silence on the east side, as if they were weighing something, before they finally raised their paddle: "12."

A collective gasp rippled through the audience; some shook their heads, some whispered, and one person exclaimed, "He's gone mad!"

But none of those still bidding seemed crazy.

They all sat very steadily, raising their signs at a measured pace, even with an indescribable solemnity.

Which large family or guild doesn't have one or two descendants who are clever, obedient, and sensible from a young age but failed to awaken their powers by the age of 6, or whose talents are extremely poor after awakening?

Which elder hasn't felt a lump in their throat when watching the increasingly silent backs of those children late at night?

Those children used to look up at me and ask the same question when they were little.

When will I awaken?

"When will I be able to solo kill the Scarecrow?"

When will I be able to reach level 7?

When can I learn a skill?

……

Later, I stopped asking, and then I hardly ever saw him anymore.

The children lock themselves in their rooms, hide in remote courtyards, or simply move out, as if afraid of becoming the eternal void in the family.

The elders knew this in their hearts, but apart from the mundane things of ordinary people, they could give these children nothing else.

During holidays and festivals, when children receive gifts of gold and silver jewelry and fine silks, they say "Thank you, Father" and "Thank you, Grandfather," but everyone can see what's hidden beneath their smiles.

Gradually, everyone stopped mentioning it, as if that child had never been a member of the family.

But now this fruit is right in front of us.

No one can guarantee that mortals who eat it will awaken, but what if they do?

Even if we take a step back and assume the worst, the 10 experience points in that fruit could allow a child with the lowest talent level (D-rank) to directly cross the threshold, learn a skill, and no longer be someone who can only live under protection and cannot level up...

Even if there's only a 10% chance, it's worth taking the gamble.

It wasn't for any future cultivation prospects, nor was it to have one more awakened member in the family.

I just want to see that child smile again, to erase the injustice of fate from his face.

No one said this aloud, but everyone holding up a sign had something similar churning in their hearts.

In the west VIP room, a young woman in a plain white dress listened quietly to the rising and falling bids from downstairs, her hands clenched tightly.

Huo Lie sat behind her, his gaze falling on his daughter's knuckles as she gripped the hem of her skirt; her hands were trembling slightly.

She had been lying on the window of the private room, her chin resting on her crossed arms, quietly watching the brown fruit downstairs. From the moment Huo Yan first called out the price until now, she had been lying there, her eyes almost never leaving the fruit.

Huo Lie knew very well that all these years she had said "it's okay" and "I'm fine as I am".

But that was just self-consolation after feeling powerless; it was a dignified way out she found for herself.

But now that fruit is right in front of them, everyone is vying to offer a price, and that fear of losing it, of missing out, is undeniable.

Even if she didn't speak, even if she didn't turn her head, he could see it clearly.

Lin Mu, sitting in his private room, listened to the rising and falling bidding sounds downstairs through the bamboo curtain, and had already figured out the key to it.

It's easier to make money off children.

Just like the training institutions in my previous life.

Whether it's elementary school, middle school, or high school, parents spend a lot of money on tutoring so that their children can succeed and improve their grades.

As long as it leads to a top-tier junior high school, a top-tier senior high school, or a 985 or 211 university, and as long as it's within my budget, I'm willing to spend any amount of money.

Lin Mu sighed, holding his teacup, and silently thought to himself: "The hearts of parents are full of love and worry. Even more pitiful are those children who are raised with excessive pampering."

He put down his teacup and turned his gaze back to the auction below the stage, but his heart was no longer stirred.

After the bidding price reached 15, the hall was quiet for a moment. The auctioneer glanced around and was about to speak.

Suddenly, a voice came from the west VIP room. It wasn't loud, but it carried a force that had been suppressed for a long time and was finally released: "20."

Huo Lie quoted the price from the west VIP box, his tone calm, as if it were no big deal.

Huo Yan, sitting in the east VIP box, loosened his grip on the bidding number upon hearing the voice. He leaned back in his chair and let out a soft sigh. The price was already too high; he couldn't make the decision himself. Now that his father was personally involved, he was actually relieved of the pressure.

After Huo Lie quoted the price, he looked down at the girl in front of him. She was still leaning against the window, her shoulders twitching slightly, but she didn't turn around.

Huo Lie didn't say much, but simply turned his gaze back to the brown fruit below the stage, waiting for the next bidder, or for the sound of the gavel falling.

But Huo Lie never heard the hammer fall.

Just as the auctioneer was about to shout "20 for the first time"...

A voice suddenly came from another private room diagonally opposite: "25."

Chapter 244 Million Acorns

Huo Lie's fingers paused for a moment.

He didn't rush to raise the price; he just narrowed his eyes slightly.

He recognized the voice. It belonged to the president of a long-established chamber of commerce in Mengzhong. The business wasn't huge, but he was known for his sharp eye and never bought useless things.