Chapter 360: A Frenzied Bidding War

"Thank you for your patience. We are opening with our first lot of the day, Lot No. 1, a hundred-year-old ginseng!" The auctioneer knew his craft. He lifted his voice at just the right moment, stoking the room without overplaying it. At his cue, a woman in a fitted dress glided out, both hands supporting an ornate wooden tray. On it sat a delicate yellow brocade box. When the lid was lifted, a ginseng lay revealed, its fine tendrils stretching nearly a foot, the body a pale yellow that spoke of...