Shi Lang watched the things from the VIP box. Xiao Nan planted the crowd, and the motive was to bring the Ling Family as soon as the person said that the Ling Family was the reason for the price of the pills being so high.
Public opinion flared up. A lot of people have been holding grudges against them. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Now, this is a show."
Xiao Nan smiled and said, "Oh, this is nothing."
...
The man who had raised the entire debacle. He said, "Oh, since it is the Ling Family who set the price, I wonder what they have to say about the price of this middle-grade pill they have produced."
Every gaze was focused on the Ling Family VIP box. At the same time, the Ling family was sweating. The second elder Ling Xie did not know how to respond and asked, "Ling Tian, what do you think we should do?"
Ling Tian calmly assessed the situation and said, "Tch, such a troublesome situation. Where did this man even come from?"
Ling Xie said, "We should look deeper into things."
Ling Tian nodded and said in a sonorous tone, "May I ask you, Sir? Where can you find the same quality pill for such a low price? If you can prove it, I would lower the price."
Ling Xie watched him from the side. The man from the ground floor said, "Tianxu Pavilion."
The crowd exploded because they all knew that Tianxu Pavilion's price was far higher than the man reported. Ling Xie yelled, "Do you take us for fools? How dare you come and disturb the auction? It seems that Tianxu Pavilion masters do not take us seriously."
The man scoffed and said, "Frog at the bottom of a well. Do you even know how big the Tianxu Pavilion is? In the Great Yan Empire, Tianxu Pavilion can be found in every major city. Let alone this run-down excuse you live in.
I am a native of Lion Heart City, and that is where the price of this pill is what I just reported. I came here to inspect the market. It seems like you people can use some new pill shops here."
Ling Xie snorted, and a person from the crowd asked, "Brother after all is said and done, what is the use? We cannot get those pills here. Right?"
The person smiled and said, "I can sell you all the pills I have on me. None of them will lose in quality."
The crowd bustled with energy, and they began to place orders. Ling Tian finally had enough and said, "Miss Xiao, does the Tianxu Pavilion not want to maintain the decorum of the auction?"
Xiao Nan did not say anything but glanced at Elder Chen, who nodded and replied, "Young Master Ling accused us wrongfully. The person down there is an envoy of the Lion Heart City Tianxu Pavilion. He is here to audit the auction and the business of our pavilion. As a subordinate, how can we question his authority."
Ling Tian clenched his teeth and said, "Very well, the Ling Family will remember this. Please return all the artifacts we submitted for sale to the mansion."
Elder Chen replied, "Young Master Ling Tian, if you wish to withdraw the items, please return the money Tianxu Pavilion provided you as a security amount."
Ling Xie asked coldly, "Old Chen, what if we do not return the money?"
Elder Chen radiated pressure from his body, which made everyone experience trouble while breathing. The old man said, "Are you sure about that? Second Ling."
Ling Tian's voice sounded, "My uncle is only joking, Elder Chen. The money will be returned to you in full. I would like to take my leave."
Elder Chen issued a hum and said, "Dear visitors, I apologize for something like this to happen. The auction will continue without the Ling family's submitted items."
The next moment, the staff moved, and the items of the Ling Family were segregated to be returned. The auction continued, and none of the Tianxu Pavilion tried to stop or negotiate things with the Ling Family.
Elder Chen had come out to deal with the final exchange in person. He knew that Ling Tian was a snake who would exploit every opportunity at his disposal. The handover was quick, and Ling Xie left after glaring coldly at Elder Chen.
…
Inside the VIP box, Shi Lang asked, "Miss Xiao, the show is somewhat lacking, is it not?"
Xiao Nan smiled and said, "Wait until the auction ends."
Shi Lang nodded and leaned back in the chair. He did not know much about artifacts and herbs, so he did not bother bidding with the others and just gained knowledge. He planned to learn first and then act.
Soon the auction came to an end. Shi Lang looked at Xiao Nan, who led them outside the pavilion. Shi Yua wanted to ask about the big show when they noticed a lot of movement.
Shi Lang looked at the crowd, grabbed one of the people, and asked, "Brother, what happened?"
The man said, "The Ling Family was attacked. The second elder lost one of his hands, and the Young Master was beaten up too. They were robbed in broad daylight."
Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Who robbed them? Do these people not fear the city hall?"
The man chuckled and said, "Brother, are you new? The Moon Shadow Hall does not fear anyone. However, they are not unreasonable either. The second elder of the Ling Family had attacked one of the robbers with the intent to kill. I heard he wanted to protect the goods at all cost."
Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you for telling me."
He shoved a middle-grade spirit stone in the man's hand and said, "Sharing information is good."
The man understood his hint and smiled as he punched his chest, saying, "Yes, do not worry, brother. The world would know the truth."
Xiao Nan raised her eyes and said, "Young Master Shi, this news would have been shared without spending anything."
Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You need to add some spice to make the dish taste better. That spirit stone was the spice. Well, the show was good. Miss Xiao, I shall leave before the next move is implemented."
Xiao Nan nodded and said, "I will send someone to ask for your help. There has been some movement in the city hall recently."
After a few words of care, Shi Lang agreed and left the place with Shi Yua. The news flew around the city like fire in the dry grassland. However, what burned down was the dignity of the Ling Family.
Everything was shared in explosive proportions, from the insult they faced at the auction hall to the robbery attack. When the Ling Family head wanted to take action against Tianxu Hall, they heard that the Shi Family patriarch was injured.
They had been attacked on their way to the Imperial capital. The city guards saw the two elders of the family bringing him back in a hurry. The Shi Family had put up a lockdown.
The Ling family bought the lie they had been sold. The spies had been injured but were safe while they laughed at the Shi Family treating their spies.
Things inside the Shi Family were the opposite. Shi Yulong was sitting on the leader's throne chair with great pride and said, "Shi Lang, what now?"
Shi Lang smiled and said, "Now we wait for the enemy to make a move."
Shi Yuwan asked, "Will that not put us in a passive situation?"
The Terran shook his head and said, "No, just because we will see their move does not mean we do not have to play our hand. Their action will just give us a reason to go in strong and hard. The action we have decided upon earlier will be implied as planned, with just a touch of revenge."
Shi Ning asked, "Why do we have to project the intention of revenge?"
"We need to put up a facade so that any random person does not come up and knock on the door to seek trouble. However, we must be calm and low-profile to avoid much trouble. Acting rashly will not help us; on the contrary, it will attract more trouble.", said Shi Lang.
The people understood his intention and began following up according to this thought. Shi Lang spent his time reading books or cultivating. He guided the young girls in his free time.
Meanwhile, he was in frequent touch with the Tianxu Pavilion. They informed him about everything that was going on in the city. Ling Tian organized a big facade under the name of martial art gathering to redeem himself.
This was more complex because this guy even sent an invitation to the Shi Family. The invitation card mentioned that the prince of the royal family would be present, and this was an opportunity to open their eyes. Shi Ning told him that the Ling family could invite the royal prince because Ling Tian's elder brother was the security chief of the fourth prince.
Shi Lang smiled and said, "This show just gets better with every move."