In a Fantasy World as Cannon Fodder, I Got Entangled with the Heroine - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Magnate—Jiang Qian

Translation by: Weebsread👹

The atmosphere in the auction hall shifted in an instant—every pair of eyes snapped to the mysterious bidder.

“How much money does that guy even have?!” someone whispered, voice trembling with disbelief.

“Not even the Four Great Clans would just toss away that kind of fortune. Who is this guy, really?”

“I wonder if Young Master Jiang of the Jiang Clan will keep bidding.”

“Doesn’t seem likely. Even for the Jiang Clan, one of the Four Greats, coughing up over 1.5 million Zixuan Coins  at once… that’s a hard pill to swallow.”

The crowd, swept up in the intensity of the bidding war, churned with speculation.

“Three million Zixuan Coins !”

Jiang Qian called out the sum casually, as if quoting the price of tea in the market—his tone so calm, the number seemed to mean nothing at all.

Jiang Zixuan stared at him, her face etched with shock, eyes wide in disbelief.

…

…

Wait—could he actually be draining the Jiang Clan’s entire treasury for this? With his infamous reckless streak, it wasn’t impossible.

Bai Piaoxue, seated beside Jiang Qian, gave him a startled look. “How do you have that much money? Don’t tell me you just handed over every last coin your family owns.”

“Of course not. I have my own little stash, that’s all!” Jiang Qian replied immediately, smiling faintly.

Bai Piaoxue let it drop, but in her heart, Jiang Qian grew even more enigmatic.

“Th-three million! That could crush someone to death if you paid it out in coins!”

“I’ve never seen that much money in my life. He must have scraped the Jiang Clan clean for this…”

“Maybe, but don’t forget—Young Master Jiang is now an Inner Sect Disciple of Azure Mountain Sect. He’s more than worth three million Zixuan Coins !”

…

Even the auctioneer struggled to keep his composure. In all his years, he had never seen such a staggering bid.

Just the commission from this sale alone would net him over a hundred thousand Zixuan Coins —enough to guarantee comfort for the rest of his days.

“Three million Zixuan Coins , once!”

“Three million Zixuan Coins , twice!”

“Three million Zixuan Coins , three times!”

“Congratulations! Young Master Jiang Qian has won the jade pendant!” The auctioneer’s excitement was impossible to hide as the gavel struck. With this one deal, his future was set—he’d never worry about food or silver again.

Across the hall, the mysterious bidder’s gaze sharpened as he watched the jade pendant awarded to Jiang Qian. His eyes, cold and unreadable, lingered on Jiang Qian for a moment before he turned and left, silent as a shadow.

Jiang Qian shivered beneath that icy stare, frowning as the stranger’s back disappeared through the doors.

Why did a single glance from him send a chill down my spine? Was it just my imagination?

He shook his head, pushing the thought aside, and refocused on the stage.

“And now, our final item of the evening!” The auctioneer produced a battered, ancient-looking stone tablet. At first glance, it seemed worthless, but closer inspection revealed faint, mysterious sigils shimmering across its weathered face.

So this is it? The key to that hidden realm? Looks completely ordinary… If I hadn’t read the original story, I’d never give this stone a second thought.

No wonder the protagonist managed to pick it up for next to nothing.

“Don’t be fooled by appearances!” the auctioneer called out. “Rumor has it, this stone tablet is actually the key to a secret realm!”

“Starting bid: ten thousand Zixuan Coins !”

The auctioneer’s tone was relaxed. After the previous sale, he couldn’t have cared less if this item went for a high price.

“Something like that for ten thousand Zixuan Coins ? That’s highway robbery.”

“For ten thousand coins, I could treat myself to a week of feasts. Who’d waste it on a broken rock?”

“I thought the final auctioned treasure would be something epic. Guess not…”

…

“Twenty thousand Zixuan Coins !” Jiang Zixuan called out suddenly.

She sensed there was more to the stone than met the eye. Since no one else seemed interested, she figured she could secure it for no more than fifty thousand coins.

But she forgot about Bai Piaoxue.

“Fifty thousand Zixuan Coins !” Bai Piaoxue’s voice rang out, her eyes flashing as she threw a challenging look Jiang Zixuan’s way.

Her gaze seemed to say: If you want it, Jiang Zixuan, I’ll make sure you don’t get it.

Jiang Qian, beside Bai Piaoxue, could only sigh and cover his face.

Getting into a bidding war with the protagonist… that’s just asking for trouble. Please, let this have nothing to do with me!

“Sixty thousand Zixuan Coins !”

“Seventy thousand Zixuan Coins !”

“Eighty thousand Zixuan Coins !”

“Ninety thousand Zixuan Coins !”

Bai Piaoxue relentlessly drove the bid to ninety thousand. Jiang Zixuan, her funds nearly exhausted, was about to bow out when—

“One hundred fifty thousand Zixuan Coins !” came a clear voice, cutting through the buzz—it was Duan Yuqing.

“Senior Brother, you—?”

“As long as it’s something you like, Junior Sister, I’ll buy it for you.” Duan Yuqing smiled at her, his tone gentle and warm.

Jiang Zixuan felt a flutter of gratitude—just a fleeting warmth, nothing deeper.

Bai Piaoxue, watching the scene unfold, felt a tangle of conflicting emotions rise inside her. Suddenly, she fixed her gaze on Jiang Qian.

“S-Senior Sister B-Bai, why are you looking at me like that?” Jiang Qian felt a chill—a wave of impending doom.

“Help me bid.”

“What?! I’m out of money! I can’t just shout out a number!” Jiang Qian protested, shaking his head frantically.

Come on, if you want to stir up trouble, don’t drag me into it!

Bai Piaoxue’s eyes narrowed, her hand resting lightly on her sword hilt.

Great… she’s threatening me now.

If I could win in a fight, I’d be running my mouth, too.

Seeing no other choice, Jiang Qian gritted his teeth and did as she demanded.

“Two hundred thousand Zixuan Coins !” he called out, resigned.

Duan Yuqing’s face darkened at Jiang Qian’s bid. Silently, Jiang Qian was now added to his mental list—a tally of those who had to be swept aside.

“Three hundred thousand Zixuan Coins !”

“Five hundred thousand Zixuan Coins !”

As Jiang Qian’s bid echoed, a fresh current of excitement swept through the auction.

“Throwing around that kind of money just to win a beauty’s smile—Young Master Jiang is really something else!”

“No kidding! Fifty thousand Zixuan Coins , gone in a blink. If that’s not a sign of a true rich heir, I don’t know what is.”

“If only I could toss money around and win hearts like Young Master Jiang…”

…

Duan Yuqing’s expression darkened further. He only had five hundred thousand Zixuan Coins  left—if he sold his weapon, maybe a bit over a million.

So what? For Junior Sister, what’s a million, anyway?

“One million Zixuan Coins !” Duan Yuqing cried, biting out each word as he stared at Jiang Qian.

Now, all he could do was pray Jiang Qian wouldn’t raise the price any higher.

At that moment, the entire auction house fell silent, everyone’s eyes on Jiang Qian—waiting, breath held, to see if he would bid again for Bai Piaoxue’s sake.