Chapter 77

Yang Bo walked around and spotted a golden toad. The toad was no bigger than a palm, exquisitely crafted, with golden bumps on its back, looking very lifelike.

Yang Bo reached out to pick it up, but someone beside him also extended their hand. Both were taken aback and paused.

They withdrew their hands, and Yang Bo turned to look at the other person, noticing his gray hair. The other person was also sizing up Yang Bo. Neither spoke first, as neither was willing to give up on something they had their eye on.

After a while, the other person finally spoke, "Young man, you should respect the elderly!"

Yang Bo smiled lightly, "Respecting the elderly and caring for the young is a virtue, but the principle of first come, first served is also a social norm. Sometimes, I think it's better to follow the rules!"

The old man laughed, but did not step aside, "This golden toad costs over a hundred thousand. It's not easy for a young man to earn money, so why don't you let me have it?"

Yang Bo naturally did not back down, "It's even harder for an old man to save money all his life. I'm young, and if I make a mistake, I still have a chance to recover. An old man doesn't have that luxury!"

The two were at odds, and the old man became anxious upon hearing Yang Bo's words, "Even if you get it, it won't be of much use. How about I offer you a little more money, and you let me have the golden toad?"

Yang Bo glanced back at the golden toad. He hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now, upon closer inspection, he realized it was from the late Qing Dynasty.

Yang Bo shook his head, "Let's bid for it!"

The other person did not object, "Alright, let's do it!"

They found the auctioneer, who was slightly taken aback because such a situation was rare after the auction had ended. However, he quickly recovered, "Since it's your request, I won't say more!"

"The starting price for the golden toad is 130,000. I hope everyone can maintain their composure!" The auctioneer said, then added, "Let's begin!"

"300,000!" Yang Bo didn't wait for the other person to speak and doubled the price, and then some!

The other person was stunned, not reacting for a moment, perhaps never having expected such a number!

The auctioneer nudged the other person, "Are you alright?"

The old man sighed, "Forget it, the young man is indeed more decisive. I'll give up!"

With that, the old man turned and left without another word.

Yang Bo won easily and was very pleased. Luo Yaohua, who had witnessed the entire process, couldn't help but comment, "What a spendthrift!"

Yang Bo took the golden toad and paid 300,000 at the back, and the auction was over.

Even after being blindfolded and taken back to the hotel, Yang Bo still couldn't believe how fast it had all happened, "That was too quick!"

Luo Yaohua rolled his eyes, "If you could come up with thirty to fifty million, the auction wouldn't be so quick!"

"Then forget it," Yang Bo said.

Luo Yaohua placed the snuff bottle on the coffee table and stared at the golden toad in Yang Bo's hand, "What's so special about your golden toad?"

"Special? What's special about it?" Yang Bo looked at it and even handed it over.

Luo Yaohua didn't take it, "How can I believe you just like that? Don't think that your calm demeanor will make me doubtless. The starting price was only 130,000, and you doubled it to 300,000. Do you think I would believe there's nothing fishy about it?"

Yang Bo smiled, "I was too impulsive. I should have taken it slow, maybe I wouldn't have had to spend so much!"

"Don't talk nonsense. Hand over the golden toad quickly, let me examine it!" Luo Yaohua stopped Yang Bo from putting it away.

"You said you didn't want it just now..."

Luo Yaohua took the golden toad and examined it from all angles, but couldn't figure it out, "What's so special about this golden toad?"

Yang Bo pointed to the left hind leg of the golden toad, "See if you can move it."

Luo Yaohua tried to move it, "It won't budge?"

He even flipped the toad over to show that the leg was part of the body and couldn't move.

Yang Bo smiled, pressed the toad's body, and with a bit of force, the leg made a "crack" sound and retracted halfway. Then, the toad's mouth opened, and a long, red tongue extended, and a small ball rolled out!

Luo Yaohua was startled, "What's going on?"

Yang Bo was also surprised, even though he had expected something, he didn't anticipate such a mechanism!

The golden toad had a layer of gold foil covering the mechanism on its hind leg, which is why many people hadn't noticed it. Even with Yang Bo's hint, Luo Yaohua was hesitant to move it, let alone others.

Yang Bo's gaze shifted to the small ball the toad had spit out.

"Liu Hai playing with the golden toad, step by step, drawing in gold!" Luo Yaohua finally understood, "We're rich! It's really spitting out a white light. According to legend, the golden toad often spits out a white light from the well at night, shooting straight into the sky. A Taoist can ride this light to ascend to heaven. Liu Hai used this to become immortal. I don't want to become immortal, but can I get rich?"

Yang Bo picked up the white ball and found it to be soft and wrapped in fine threads. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a silkworm cocoon!

There was a small hole in the cocoon, left by a silkworm when it transformed into a moth. Through the hole, Yang Bo saw a piece of paper inside!

Luo Yaohua was playing with the toad's hind leg, enjoying himself, "The ancients were really wise, they could make such toys!"

Yang Bo, without a word, found a nail clipper and carefully cut along the hole in the cocoon.

Soon, he cut open most of the cocoon, revealing a small piece of paper. He pulled it out and unfolded it.

Luo Yaohua was already standing behind him. Before Yang Bo could see clearly, Luo Yaohua exclaimed, "It's a treasure map!"

Yang Bo looked closely and saw that the paper was no bigger than a palm, with a mountain shape drawn on it. In the map, there was a faint red dot, which had become less clear due to the age of the paper.

Yang Bo searched the entire map but found no text, which disappointed him.

Luo Yaohua took the map, "It's really a treasure map. Otherwise, it wouldn't be hidden so well!"

"Do you know where it is?" Yang Bo asked.

Luo Yaohua