Chapter 30: Agarwood

"This, this is... a Red Blood Ruby?" Wanglao, who had been sneering a moment ago, stood up with a start.

"That's right, a Red Blood Ruby. The conditions for its formation are extremely difficult, and its characteristic is a blood-red luster. Even the quantity mined in modern times is limited. If put up for auction at an international jewelry house, the starting price would be thirty million," Chen Yu said with a chuckle.

"Hahaha, brother, you really didn't let me down." Xia Tian grinned from ear to ear. "I keep my word; I'll give you fifty percent of the auction profits."

"No need, Young Master Xia, just give me this Cat Body," Chen Yu said with a smile.

"What is so mysterious about this Cat Body?" Xia Tian was taken aback.

"It is mysterious, but you have no use for it; it is of great use to me," Chen Yu answered truthfully.

There was another mystery to the cat; if he was not mistaken, the body of the Tao Cat contained Spirit Sand, a type of Spirit Stone with extremely low purity. He needed to go back and refine it; the Spiritual Power contained in this kind of Spirit Stone could assist his cultivation.

He wanted to break through the Great Profound Sacred Clarity Scripture as soon as possible, and it all depended on this thing.

"Alright then, the item is yours, and you'll get the profits as usual." Xia Tian laughed heartily. He didn't care about this bit of money, but it was truly satisfying to vent his anger.

"Really, no need. I've already taken a huge advantage," Chen Yu said with a smile.

"Fine, let's just consider it making a friend," Xia Tian nodded.

"Hmph, it's only a few tens of millions; do you really think you've picked up a huge bargain?" Zhao Zhong's expression was not very pleasant.

"A few tens of millions is small change, but playing with this stuff is all about having fun. Wanglao's eye for antiques is truly excellent," Xia Tian laughed loudly, mocking him without mercy.

Wanglao's face turned livid. He had a reputation to uphold and had never misjudged anything, yet he had stumbled here today.

"Wanglao, I recently acquired a wooden carving; would you take a look at it?" Ignoring Xia Tian, Zhao Zhong took out a package, and a purple sailboat appeared before everyone's eyes.

The sailboat was dark purple in color, possessed a sense of age, and the carving was delicate, with the figures on the boat appearing lifelike.

"This is... a Gongshu Boat?" Wanglao was startled and hurriedly took it into his hands to examine it closely.

"Haha, Wanglao has a good eye. Luban, also known as Gongshuzi—this wooden carving is from his hand. I saw it at a stall in an antique market for three hundred thousand; it was truly worth it," Zhao Zhong said proudly.

"Young Master Zhao." Wanglao examined it meticulously for a long time, then shook his head and said, "There are truly too few of Luban's works circulating in the world. To be honest, I cannot identify it, but I can be certain that the material of this boat is at most sixty years old."

"What?" Zhao Zhong's laughter came to an abrupt halt, and his expression immediately turned ugly. What Wanglao said was already very obvious: this was a later imitation, a fake.

"Haha, Young Master Zhao, no need to be sad; just consider it a contribution to charity." Xia Tian, standing to the side, laughed loudly. "But spending three hundred thousand on a piece of broken wood, Young Master Zhao's judgment is indeed not very good."

"Shut your mouth! I have plenty of money; it's only three hundred thousand, just consider it pocket change." Zhao Zhong was furious. He had never gotten along with Xia Tian, and now that he was being firmly suppressed by him, he was naturally in a foul mood.

"Since it's not worth much money, then throw it away. I'm not short on that bit of money," Zhao Zhong suppressed his temper.

"It would be a pity to throw it away; why not sell it to me?" Chen Yu interjected.

"Heh, it's not impossible to sell it to you, but can you come up with three hundred thousand?" Zhao Zhong sneered. "It's not that I look down on you, but it would take you five years to earn three hundred thousand."

"It doesn't matter, I can lend it to him." Xia Tian grinned from ear to ear. "But brother, are you sure you want to buy this piece of broken wood? Is there some hidden mystery inside?"

"There's no mystery, but the material used for this boat should be a type of Agarwood, a relatively rare Traditional Chinese Medicine ingredient. If used well, this thing can help with sleep," Chen Yu said with a smile.

He couldn't be certain about the mystery, but the faint fragrance on the sailboat couldn't be wrong, and this fragrance was long-lasting and rich; it was at least a Precious Grade medicine.

"Three hundred thousand, are you selling?" Xia Tian asked.

"Since I spent money to buy something, if I can't double my money in my hands, I won't sell it. I'd rather destroy it," Zhao Zhong sneered. "If you want it, take it for six hundred thousand."

"Deal." Xia Tian paid the money directly, and the sailboat ended up in Chen Yu's hands.

"Brother, I know there must be a mystery inside; just tell me straight," Xia Tian said with a smile after finishing the transaction.

"Actually, this thing is indeed not a work of Luban; Wanglao was not wrong about that, but..." As Chen Yu spoke, he took out a tool and pried at the center of the boat. With a 'crack', the boat split into two.

A piece of Agarwood the size of a walnut was revealed right in the center of the boat. On the surface, the boat looked like a wooden carving, but in reality, it had a mechanism.

"What is this?" The people in the room stood up one after another.

"Ten million, I want it." A bidder in the room stood up with a start, eyes fixed on the piece of Agarwood. He was in the Traditional Chinese Medicine business and recognized this item.

"Ten million?" Chen Yu smiled and said, "Since you recognize this thing, you should know its value."

"This is Agarwood," the man said with glowing eyes. "A type of Traditional Chinese Medicine ingredient."

"Top-grade Qinan Agarwood, born in the bitter cold lands of the extreme north. Burning it produces an exotic fragrance; it treats evil ghost-inflicted qi, clears the human spirit, regulates the center, supplements the five organs, benefits essence and strengthens yang, warms the waist and knees, stops muscle spasms, treats vomiting and diarrhea caused by cold qi, breaks up masses and accumulations..."

Chen Yu said with a chuckle, "And the older it is, the richer the fragrance, and the higher the value. Looking at the age of this Agarwood, it is at least five hundred years old; its value is equal to a thousand-year-old ginseng."

"Is this thing that good?" Xia Tian was delighted.

"Fifty million, any more and I can't afford it." The man stared straight at the Agarwood, truly wishing he could rush up and snatch it.

"At least eighty million," Chen Yu shook his head.

"Haha, one hundred million, I'll take it." Xia Tian reached out to snatch it directly. "President Wang, don't blame me for snatching it away; I can't help but act when I see a good thing."

"Young Master Xia, this thing won't be able to exert its true effect in your hands. This already belongs to Traditional Chinese Medicine, and in the grading of Traditional Chinese Medicine—Precious, Origin, Spirit, Immortal—this is already a Precious Grade medicine. I wanted to take it back to be the treasure of my shop," the man surnamed Wang said, stamping his feet in frustration.

"That still doesn't mean I can let my brother suffer a loss," Xia Tian said. "An eighty-million-value item, and you want to take it for fifty million? That won't do."

"I... I..." The man gritted his teeth and sat down dejectedly; his eyes were even a little bloodshot.

"One hundred million, it's mine. Haha, Young Master Zhao, thank you so much." Xia Tian was in a great mood. "You've handed a path to wealth to my brother."

Zhao Zhong's face had turned livid. Although his Zhao Family was also one of the Four Great Families and one hundred million was nothing, having his own item turned around for a profit of nearly one hundred million made him naturally unhappy.

As for Wanglao, his hands were shaking; he was almost on the verge of a heart attack.

Zhao Zhong was his old employer, but he had misjudged twice in a row. That wasn't the most important thing; the important thing was that his lifelong reputation was almost ruined here.

Xia Tian was very satisfied today; he transferred one hundred million directly to Chen Yu's account and then laughed heartily: "Chen Yu, from now on we are brothers. I'll go back and study these things first; I'll treat you to a meal later."

"Alright, I'll be heading back too," Chen Yu said with a chuckle, and the two stood up and left.

"Little brother, this is my business card. My name is Wangzhou, and I'm in the medicine business. If you have any good Traditional Chinese Medicine items in the future, be sure to look for me." The man surnamed Wang ran over and handed him a business card.

"Good, I am a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine; we can be considered peers. Let's communicate more in the future," Chen Yu said with a smile.

Zhao Zhong snorted coldly and left. Once outside, he called over a subordinate and said with a sinister expression: "Keep an eye on that kid who came with Xia Tian and check his background."