Chapter Twenty: Courting Death

“No way, an old horn comb actually went for eight million?”
“Haven’t you figured it out? Obviously, the two people in those private rooms are bidding against each other out of spite.”
Who are these two, exactly?
The crowd was dumbfounded at first, but soon understood what was happening.
Lu Sanjin announced his outrageous bid, his smile twisting into a snarl. Spending eight million on a horn comb was extravagant, but as long as it humbled Xiao Ye, it was worth every penny!
Yet just as he was basking in his triumph, Xiao Ye spoke again.
“Eighty million.”
“What!”
This time, every single bidder in the room gasped in shock.
Eighty million for a horn comb—was that even money anymore?
Xiao Ye’s gaze was cold and imperious as he looked at the auction stage and declared,
“Name any price you want—I’ll outbid you tenfold.”
“If you bid eighty million, I’ll bid eight hundred million.”
“If you offer eight hundred million, I’ll pay eight billion!”
There was an edge of finality in Xiao Ye’s voice; he was determined to win this horn comb, no matter the cost.
Lu Sanjin’s expression shifted to one of dismay at hearing this. His opponent was far more formidable than he had anticipated.
Though the Lu family had wealth, they weren’t so flush as to casually throw around eighty million just for sport.
Now, having been so publicly humiliated by Xiao Ye, even Lu Sanjin was at a loss for how to respond.
“Hmph! So, you want to play tough with me? Fine—I want to see just how long you can keep this up!”
“Let me tell you, as long as you stay in Jianghai City, you’ll never have another good day!”
Lu Sanjin’s eyes flashed with malice. He grabbed his girlfriend’s hand and stormed out.
Having been so thoroughly shamed by Xiao Ye, he no longer had the face to remain in the hall.
The horn comb, which had originally belonged to the Xiao family, was won by Xiao Ye at the astronomical price of eighty million—yet he felt not the slightest regret.
After all, this was his mother’s most cherished possession.
Soon, with the auctioneer’s gavel strike, the horn comb officially became Xiao Ye’s.
But just when everyone expected Xiao Ye to continue bidding, he sat motionless, waiting patiently until the auction concluded.
...
“All right, it’s time to go backstage and collect the horn comb.”

A faint smile played at Xiao Ye’s lips; though eighty million had been spent, to him, it was worth every cent.
But as he made his way to the back, he was immediately surrounded by a group of men.
“Pretty bold, aren’t you? You actually dared to snatch my things!”
Lu Sanjin emerged from the crowd with his girlfriend in tow, his ashen face curled in a cold sneer.
Having lost face earlier, he was determined to reclaim it now. The men before Xiao Ye were the ones Lu Sanjin had summoned to deal with him.
Seeing such a crowd, Chiron’s expression darkened. He stepped forward.
“If you don’t want to die, get out of the way!”
“Quite the attitude! Do you really think the two of you can handle all of us?”
Lu Sanjin showed no fear. For revenge, he had called every bodyguard at his disposal.
All of them were retired fighters, more than enough to handle Xiao Ye and his companion.
“Fools!”
Seeing they wouldn’t yield, Chiron’s brow knitted as he clenched his fists, ready to deal with these men himself.
“Chiron, hold your hand,” Xiao Ye suddenly said, placing a calm hand on Chiron’s shoulder, his face serene.
Chiron withdrew his foot; had Xiao Ye been a moment later, he would have already taken care of the crowd.
To stand as Xiao Ye’s bodyguard, Chiron’s skills were nothing short of formidable.
“What’s wrong? Are you scared? If you are, hand over the horn comb nicely!”
Lu Sanjin’s cold gaze swept over Xiao Ye, but he sensed no threat from him at all.
Yet Xiao Ye’s smile deepened. He clasped his hands behind his back and said,
“Here’s an offer: kneel before me now, and perhaps I’ll let you walk away.”
“If you refuse, I guarantee that in three minutes, you’ll all be dead.”
Xiao Ye’s words were frigid, and in an instant, a murderous aura erupted from him.
As a King of a foreign clan in the Dragon Empire, he had never been threatened like this before.
If this were a battlefield, and Lu Sanjin dared speak to him in this tone, his head would have rolled already.
Lu Sanjin and his cronies only laughed harder at Xiao Ye’s threat.
“Haha, what did you say? You want us to kneel to you?”
“Who do you think you are? You want to teach me a lesson?”
“All of you, get him!”
At Lu Sanjin’s command, his bodyguards lunged at Xiao Ye.

Fists the size of melons swung toward Xiao Ye’s head.
A flash of ferocity shone in Lu Sanjin’s eyes; Xiao Ye had dared to offend him—he was done for!
But in the next moment, a chorus of screams rose from the crowd as several figures were sent flying, landing at Lu Sanjin’s feet.
When he saw who they were, Lu Sanjin’s face went deathly pale.
Those lying on the ground were his own men!
Xiao Ye stood calmly before him, as if nothing had happened. There wasn’t a scratch on him; Lu Sanjin didn’t even know how he had struck.
“What… what did you do?”
Lu Sanjin stared at his bodyguards, who couldn’t even get up, and a chill of terror crept into his heart.
Just then, a figure darted to his side—
With a resounding smack, Chiron slapped Lu Sanjin, drawing blood from his mouth.
“Courting death!”
Lu Sanjin clutched his burning cheek, his eyes full of confusion and indignation.
Who was this man standing before him?
“Clear the way!”
At that moment, the auction’s organizers rushed over and shoved Lu Sanjin aside.
The host glanced fearfully at Xiao Ye, then suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud.
“Your Majesty King Xiao, welcome to our auction house. Forgive us for not welcoming you properly, O Exalted King!”
At the sound of this proclamation, Lu Sanjin’s face went ashen.
“What—an Exalted King!”
In the history of the Dragon Empire, only four men had been granted the title of Exalted King, and none had ever dared to impersonate it.
Now, hearing the organizer’s words, Lu Sanjin finally understood.
“King Xiao… So the fourth Exalted King of the Dragon Empire is surnamed Xiao!”
In that instant, Lu Sanjin fell to his knees before Xiao Ye as well.
A man who had conquered battlefields and vanquished countless foes was not someone a mere rich heir could ever hope to rival.
No wonder Xiao Ye could spend eighty million on a mere horn comb!
For him, even eight billion would be nothing.