The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 208

The gavel fell. Zoey had won the Snow Reishi for eighteen million.

She froze, and her expression shifted slightly. She didn’t feel the happiness she had imagined. She had clearly snatched the product away, so why did it feel like she had been played by Leilani?

Callahan was also puzzled, frowning as he looked at Leilani. “Why did you stop bidding?”

Leilani shook her head regretfully.

“Twenty million could buy several blood reishis on the market. I’m not stupid enough to spend twenty million just to win a pissing contest. Besides… the Snow Reishi wasn’t the thing I wanted most. There’s a ‘Dragon Blood Vine’ coming up later. That is my main target for this trip.”

Leilani paused, a glint of cunning flashing in her eyes.

“As for Ms. Yetman… since she likes the Snow Reishi so much, let her spend a little extra money to take it home and use it as a decoration.”

Leilani was a doctor; the Snow Reishi would be extremely useful in her hands. But in the hands of a pampered heiress like Zoey, it would just collect dust.

Moreover, Zoey was targeting her because of Callahan. Exchanging a few more words with Callahan in front of Zoey had achieved that twenty-million-dollar objective. Leilani had calculated this transaction very clearly.

Callahan was stunned for a moment before letting out a low chuckle. He let the matter of the Snow Reishi go.

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, they reached the auction’s finale.

Music began to play, and a glass case slowly rose on the stage, the spotlight focusing on the center. The case was covered by a dark red cloth. Under the flashing lights and wrapped in red, the auction item appeared even more mysterious.

The hostess’s voice lost its earlier sweetness, replaced by an elegant and serious tone as she introduced the final showpiece. It hinted that this item was extraordinary. At her signal, the spotlight followed her slender fingers. The red cloth was lifted.

It was a section of dark red vine, shaped like a coiling dragon. Under the illumination of the lights, the vine appeared vivid, as if blood were flowing through it. This was the millennial Dragon Blood Vine.

Leilani’s gaze was instantly captivated, and she whispered an explanation to Callahan.

“The Dragon Blood Vine grows on the cliffs of the extreme northern snowy regions. It takes a hundred years to grow an inch and a thousand years to form a vine. It gets its name because the vine is crimson like blood and winds like a dragon.”

She tapped the picture in the auction booklet lightly. The Dragon Blood Vine in the picture wasn’t nearly as stunning as the one under the lights.

“A true millennial Dragon Blood Vine has bark that is cracked like dragon scales, golden threads in its cross-section, and emits a faint bloody glow when exposed to light. This one…” She squinted at the

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real object on the stage. “The nodes are dense, the color is deep. It really is top quality.”

Callahan looked at her. “What is it used for?”

“It’s extremely cold in nature, yet it is a holy medicine for ‘fighting poison with poison. It can neutralize heat toxins and clear blockages in the meridians, and it is especially effective for conditions involving ‘toxins invading the heart.””

She paused, a trace of gravity flashing in her eyes. “If I encounter patients with similar conditions in the future, using the Dragon Blood Vine in their medicine will increase the success rate by at least thirty percent.”

Callahan’s eyes flickered, instantly understanding her intent.

As Leilani finished her explanation, the bidding for the Dragon Blood Vine began.

“This is the final item of the auction. The Millennial Dragon Blood Vine! Starting bid: seven million.”

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