Crossing Over: The Strongest Mage

He smirked, speaking softly to himself in a voice only he could hear, "Heh, I wonder how many fat sheep we'll get today?"

"I, Jia Fu, would like to welcome today's honored guests of *Xiangque Tower*," Jia Fu cupped his hands in greeting.

"As per the rules of *Xiangque Tower*, I won't repeat them. To avoid delaying your meal and to prevent the lovely girls from waiting too long for the *Que Huihun*, esteemed guests, please place your bids!"

As soon as Jia Fu's words fell, the bidding began. The competition was intense, especially for the first plate. The price would drop in value as time passed, so everyone wanted to secure it quickly.

"Two thousand taels!" A voice came from the third floor.

"Two thousand one hundred taels!" A guest from the fourth floor countered.

"Two thousand two hundred taels!" Came the call from the fifth floor.

"Two thousand five hundred taels!" The third floor shouted again...

The price climbed steadily, and Jia Fu maintained a calm smile as he watched. Inside, however, he was delighted. He knew the value of the *Que Huihun* had long surpassed the actual cost. In times of peace, many of the wealthy elite had little else to do other than compare their fortunes and display their wealth. This had become a game, a form of entertainment.

Jia Fu also knew that everything had its limits. If the price went too high, it would become troublesome. When the fifth floor bid reached three thousand five hundred taels, Jia Fu knew the point had been reached. Seeing the people from the third and fourth floors hesitating, Jia Fu prepared to strike the gong and announce that the first plate of *Que Huihun* belonged to the fifth floor.

Just as he lifted his wooden hammer, a voice suddenly rang out from a corner on the first floor: "What's such a good thing that's so popular? I'll take it all for thirty thousand taels!"

The entire hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted in a loud clamor.

"Thirty thousand taels for everything!? That's ten thousand taels per plate! Oh my god!"

"Who dares to cause trouble here!?" Jia Fu shouted.

Having been in business in the capital for many years, Jia Fu was familiar with most of the prominent figures in the city. He recognized the people present and knew that no one from the first floor could possibly afford such a price. The crowd quickly parted, revealing the corner table where two people sat. One wore a wide-brimmed hat and a veil, while the other was a handsome young man in white.

Their clothing was ordinary, their appearance unremarkable. The young man in white stood with one foot resting on a stool, clearly the one who had made the bid.

Jia Fu squinted at the two of them for a while before loudly announcing to the crowd, "The bid just made by the young man doesn't count. If no one else places a bid, I will declare that the first plate has been claimed by the guests on the fifth floor."

"Hey! Why doesn't my bid count? I clearly made an offer!" The young man in white protested.

"Heh! Young guest, do you know how much thirty thousand taels is? Do you even have that much money on you?" Jia Fu smiled, his tone mocking.

In his heart, however, he cursed, "You're a guest, but you've no respect. If not for your youth, I would have had my men throw you out long ago."

The crowd in the hall laughed.

"Kid! All your belongings probably don't even add up to ten taels!"

"Junior brother!" The young man in white called to the person wearing the wide-brimmed hat.

The man with the hat did not respond. Instead, he shook his head and sighed softly, then casually waved his hand. A translucent object shot towards Jia Fu, hitting the wooden hammer in his hand with perfect precision.

Seeing the person in the wide-brimmed hat make his move, the young man in white was overjoyed and arrogantly said, "Hmph! We don't have the money, but we do have plenty of things. Pick up that bead and open your eyes to see if it's worth thirty thousand taels!"

Jia Fu, who had long been in the business world, could tell from the force with which the bead was thrown that it wasn't an ordinary move—it was neither too light nor too heavy, just enough to knock the wooden hammer out of his hand. He couldn't take it lightly. Jia Fu bent down and picked up the bead, his face changing dramatically. He quickly hid the bead in his sleeve, and in the blink of an eye, he smiled and said, "It's worth it!"

"Wow!" The crowd in the restaurant erupted into excitement.

"It's good that it's worth it, then my bid just now—does it count?" The young man in white smiled.

"It counts! However…" Jia Fu looked troubled, "I can only agree to one plate."

"Hehe! I said I want three plates. One plate isn't enough for me," the young man in white laughed.

"This…" Now Jia Fu was truly in a difficult position. The guests on the fifth floor had already placed a bid. If it weren't for this young man in white causing trouble, the dish would've already been delivered to the fifth floor. Public bidding could never be disregarded, but Jia Fu couldn't afford to offend the nobleman on the fifth floor.

If he made another plate, it would be seen as yielding, but the person upstairs wanted more than just the dish—he wanted face! Jia Fu secretly touched the bead in his sleeve, thinking to himself, *It looks like I have no choice but to offend the person on the upper floor.*

Just as Jia Fu was in a dilemma, a burst of laughter came from the fifth floor. "Hehe! I didn't expect even Jia Fu would have a moment of difficulty."

Then, a group of five people slowly descended the stairs. Leading them was a young nobleman in his twenties, holding a white fan. Behind him were four burly men.

Seeing these people come down, Jia Fu immediately greeted them with respect, saying, "I must apologize for troubling Young Master Chen."

"Let me see the bead," Young Master Chen said without hesitation, reaching out his hand.

"This…" Jia Fu hesitated for a moment, but still handed the bead over.

"Please take a look, Young Master," Jia Fu said.

Young Master Chen took the bead and examined it carefully. He smiled and asked, "Jia Fu, do you recognize this bead?"

"Hehe! I don't," Jia Fu answered with a smile, though internally he was in a cold sweat. If he didn't recognize the *Dragon Pattern Night Bead*, then no one in the world would, because he had one in his own collection.

The *Dragon Pattern Night Beads* came in a set of nine. They were once decorations on the crown of the former empress. After the fall of the former dynasty, the nine beads were scattered and disappeared. Each bead was the size of a dumpling, translucent and crystal-clear. In the center of each bead was a dragon pattern, which, when lit at night, came to life, looking like a real dragon. Jia Fu had spent a large sum of money twenty years ago to secretly acquire one. It symbolized the top power of the former dynasty and was not meant to be seen by others. Now, seeing this bead again, Jia Fu felt both fear and excitement, quickly hiding it away.

He had only dared to bring it out because he had bet that no one would recognize it. But the moment he saw Young Master Chen's expression, he realized that his gamble had failed.

"Those two are going to be in trouble," Jia Fu thought to himself.

"Hehe! Jia Fu doesn't know, does he? This is actually a *Dragon Pattern Night Bead*," Young Master Chen exclaimed with a sharp voice. "Take those two down!"

Upon hearing their master's command, the four burly men immediately shouted, "The Jin Yi Wei is at work. All unrelated persons, please leave immediately!"