Chapter 45

Let's not even mention the great help Zhang Tianyuan provided to Daoist Wu Mu this time. Just based on their previous friendship, Daoist Wu Mu would not have refused Zhang Tianyuan's request.

The most critical point was that the place Zhang Tianyuan wanted to dig was a later addition, not the original bricks. Therefore, it wouldn't be considered damaging cultural relics. At worst, they could just remove it and replace it, so Daoist Wu Mu had no worries.

After they agreed, the two young Taoists helped Zhang Tianyuan remove the bricks and set them aside. Then they dug the soil, carefully searching according to the map's markings. Since the map was quite detailed, with coordinates and depth, it was relatively easy to find.

After digging about a meter deep, they saw a ceramic jar sealed with a wooden stopper and wrapped in wax, looking very well-sealed.

"Strange, the earthquake didn't even break this jar?" one of the young Taoists scratched his head and said.

Zhang Tianyuan smiled and said, "No, ceramic jars aren't that sturdy. This was probably buried after the earthquake when they were repairing the area. You just didn't know."

"Oh, that's possible. Master might not have seen the people who repaired the ground, but Master's master might have. Unfortunately, he has already ascended to heaven during the day," the young Taoist nodded and said.

Zhang Tianyuan took out the ceramic jar, feeling a bit excited. After all, he had finally found what he had been looking for, which was more important than anything else. Although he was eager to see what was inside the jar, he carefully examined the quality of the ceramic jar.

The jar was an old item, which was certain. Zhang Tianyuan had used the "Appraisal Technique" to verify it, and the amount of earth qi it contained also confirmed this.

Moreover, the painting on the jar was the work of Hu Kui, a famous ink painter from the Qing Tongzhi period, with his signature and seal.

Hu Kui, Yan Xi, Shou Quan, from She County, Qing Daoguang, was skilled in painting landscapes and water buffalo.

"Qing Tongzhi official kiln Hu Kui ink-painted jar!"

Zhang Tianyuan gave the jar his own description.

Hu Kui's ink paintings were very famous, but if they were simply painted on paper, they might not be particularly attractive. However, painted on this ceramic jar, it was completely different. Moreover, this jar was an official kiln work from the Tongzhi period, looking very exquisite and well-preserved. It could probably fetch several hundred thousand yuan, or even over a million. After all, one of Hu Kui's ink-painted ceramics once sold for over 20 million yuan. Of course, that piece was more delicate and beautiful, so a higher price was normal. But even so, this jar should be worth several hundred thousand yuan, making the trip worthwhile. Even if there was nothing inside the jar, it would still be worth it.

He carefully placed the ink-painted jar on the ground covered with old cloth, afraid of any damage, as even a small scratch would greatly reduce its value.

"Bring fire!"

The young Taoist brought the fire.

Zhang Tianyuan carefully melted the layer of beeswax on top, then pulled out the wooden stopper. Instantly, an extremely abundant earth qi surged out of the jar, like a dragon emerging from the water, startling Zhang Tianyuan.

In a panic, he couldn't avoid it and had to forcibly absorb the earth qi.

Fortunately, although the earth qi was abundant, it was still less compared to the earth qi from famous mountains and rivers. Zhang Tianyuan sat there for over three hours, finally integrating the earth qi into his body. At this point, the young dragon in his dantian had grown into a true dragon, advancing to a higher level. His entire body felt as if it had been washed by divine qi, making him extremely comfortable.

"You, young friend, must have had a remarkable encounter," Daoist Wu Mu's voice suddenly sounded in Zhang Tianyuan's ear.

Zhang Tianyuan was startled and quickly opened his eyes. He then noticed that the pit they had dug had already been filled, and the bricks had been laid back, looking no different from before. Even the soil they had dug out had been swept clean.

"Daoist Wu Mu! What did you say just now?" Zhang Tianyuan wanted to play dumb, as the things that had happened to him were too strange. This wasn't just any secret; he hadn't even told his parents, let alone a stranger, no matter how much he trusted them.

Seeing Zhang Tianyuan play dumb, Daoist Wu Mu didn't ask again. He smiled and said, "When you closed your eyes, your hand was always covering the mouth of the jar. Could there be a treasure inside?"

Zhang Tianyuan then realized that, due to absorbing the earth qi, his right hand had been stuck, almost completely covering the mouth of the jar.

He coughed awkwardly and said, "I haven't even looked inside yet. Why don't you come and see together, Daoist?"

"Is that okay?"

"Of course."

"Alright, the wine and dishes are already prepared. Why don't we enjoy them while we look at what's inside the jar?" Daoist Wu Mu smiled.

Zhang Tianyuan wanted to refuse because he didn't know what was inside the jar. What if it was someone's ashes? That would be embarrassing. Who would look at someone's ashes while eating?

However, he felt it was impolite to refuse, so he glanced inside the jar. He could vaguely see some yellow crystals. He was startled, knowing that he had made the right bet this time. A scroll worth about 100,000 yuan, "Shangyangtai Tie," had now been exchanged for a nearly million-yuan Hu Kui ink-painted jar and the contents inside.

Taking the jar to the pavilion, Zhang Tianyuan washed his hands, ate some wine and dishes, and felt his stomach was comfortable. Then he washed his hands again with clean water, dried them, and reached into the jar to take out the contents.

"Oh! Could this be a Tianhuang seal!" Daoist Wu Mu's eyes lit up, and he blurted out.

"That's right, these are Tianhuang seals!" Zhang Tianyuan nodded confidently. "In our country, seals were originally called 'Xi,' but they were used for official business. Later, a type of literary seal appeared, where seal carving became an art for making and collecting. Seal carving has a long history of thousands of years in China. Nowadays, it is mainly made of stone, such as Shoushan stone, Qingtian stone, Balin stone, and Changhua stone, all of which are used by scholars for collecting. Of course, there are also seals made of ivory, hardwood, agate, jade, emerald, amber, and bamboo roots, with lively and colorful designs, making them very beautiful!"

"Tianhuang stone is a type of stone, right?" the young Taoist said.

"That's right, but this stone is very precious. Moreover, this set of seals doesn't seem to be a modern work. These seals are truly invaluable!" Zhang Tianyuan sighed.

"It's just a stone, is it really that exaggerated?" the young Taoist was a bit dismissive.

"You can't underestimate this stone. As early as a thousand years ago, people in our country began to collect it. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Tianhuang stone became famous. Many officials and scholars competed to collect Tianhuang stones. It is said that during the early Qing dynasty, when the emperor sacrificed to heaven, there was always a high-quality Tianhuang stone on the altar, symbolizing 'blessing, longevity, and royalty.' Therefore, Tianhuang stone has always been famous and highly valued, with the saying 'an inch of Tianhuang is an inch of gold,'" Zhang Tianyuan explained.

"An inch of Tianhuang is an inch of gold! Could a stone be more valuable than gold?"

"Let me give you one point. Gold mines still exist, but genuine Tianhuang stone has long been exhausted. Saying 'an inch of Tianhuang is an inch of gold' is actually overestimating gold. Due to years of mining, Tianhuang stone has become scarce, and its price has skyrocketed. In the past, it was said 'an ounce of gold is an ounce of Tianhuang,' but now an ounce of Tianhuang is worth several times more than an ounce of gold. According to experts from the Guangzhou Cultural Relics Store, a gram of ordinary Tianhuang stone is priced at 3,000 yuan." Zhang Tianyuan continued, "Moreover, these seals are made of completely transparent stone, like solidified honey, incredibly smooth and lustrous. They are the highest quality of Tianhuang stone—Tianhuang frost stone! This is absolutely priceless."

The young Taoist was stunned, his mouth hanging open, and drool dripping to the ground. Although he didn't know much, he knew that gold was precious. Hearing that Tianhuang stone was even more valuable than gold, he couldn't help but be amazed.

"Young friend, I think these Tianhuang seals form a set. They look like the Twelve True Immortals from Daoist legends!" Daoist Wu Mu suddenly said.

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