Chapter 23

Yun Zhongwu had just denied the value of the walnut, but the situation quickly took a turn. The small walnut, it turned out, might be a Qing Dynasty imperial item, which would certainly be worth a lot. Wasn't this a slap in his face?

Although one million yuan meant little to him compared to one hundred yuan, the issue was that his reputation was far more valuable than one million yuan. Now that his face had been slapped, how could Yun Zhongwu possibly remain indifferent and laugh it off?

As Yun Zhongwu's eyes flashed with a cold light, Lord Wei suddenly raised his head and asked, "Xiao Qi, how did you come to possess this pair of walnuts?"

Qi Xiang, being an expert, naturally understood that appraising an item was very similar to traditional Chinese medicine, which emphasized observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation. Observation referred to examining the appearance; auscultation referred to listening to the sound; inquiry referred to asking about the symptoms; and palpation referred to feeling the pulse.

These four principles of traditional Chinese medicine were perfectly applicable to appraising antiques. Observation involved examining the shape and condition of the item. Auscultation involved smelling the scent and checking the texture. Inquiry involved understanding the item's origin and lineage. Palpation involved dating the item and determining its authenticity.

Now that Lord Wei had asked, Qi Xiang had to respond.

Qi Xiang paused for a moment and then smiled easily, "Lord Wei, you've actually seen this pair of walnuts before."

"You've seen them?" Lord Wei was taken aback, a bit confused. "When did I see them?"

"Lord Wei, you've forgotten," Qi Xiang reminded him. "The day before yesterday, when we were browsing the street stalls, you guided me to grab a box. I didn't expect that box to be the stall owner's bait. I didn't get what I wanted, but instead, I ended up with a pair of walnuts..."

"Ah?" Lord Wei was startled and exclaimed, "But that pair of walnuts looked really bad."

"Indeed, they did look bad," Qi Xiang nodded, then smiled brightly. "But when I played with them at home, I noticed that the weight was off. The surface was dry and cracked, but they weren't light in my hand."

"I thought something was wrong, so in a fit of anger, I decided to pry open the walnut shells."

Instantly, Qi Xiang's face lit up, as if he had found a treasure. "As soon as I pried them open, I knew I was in luck. Inside the rotten walnut shells, there was a delicate, jade-like treasure wrapped in oil paper."

"…Are you telling a story?" Lord Wei immediately had his doubts.

"Lord Wei, I wouldn't deceive you," Qi Xiang said, sounding aggrieved. "Actually, if you just smell it, you'll know. Although I've cleaned it several times, the wax scent hasn't completely disappeared."

Lord Wei fell silent. It wasn't that he didn't believe Qi Xiang, but he was… melancholic.

If things were as Qi Xiang said, it would mean he had missed out on a treasure. The feeling of almost touching a treasure and then losing it was not pleasant at all, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth…

However, Lord Wei was a professional, and over the years, he had experienced many such situations. He quickly regained his composure and nodded. "I see, that's why there's such a strong wax scent, but it doesn't seem like it's been oiled."

"Lord Wei, you must look closely. The patina on the walnut is as smooth and lustrous as jade, definitely not dyed or oiled," Qi Xiang hurriedly explained. This was no time for jokes.

Dyeing and oiling, in the trade, was called "faking." If something was faked, it meant there was a problem with the item. At this critical moment, Qi Xiang didn't want to be accused of such a crime.

"I know," Lord Wei mused for a moment and confirmed, "The item is old, and the style of the engraved text is consistent with the work of Qing Dynasty imperial craftsmen. It can be preliminarily determined that this pair of items is from the imperial court and is a royal item."

"Indeed…"

The situation had completely reversed, leaving many people looking at each other, unsure of what to say.

At this moment, Lord Wei suddenly changed the subject, hesitating, "However…"

"However, what?" The others perked up, wondering if there was another twist.

"However, this pair of walnuts seems to be more than just an imperial item," Lord Wei's tone was uncertain but had a hint of inclination. "There's a poem engraved on the walnut, and the handwriting is about 70-80% similar to the calligraphy of Emperor Qianlong."

"What does that mean?" The others were startled, with a vague sense of speculation.

Lord Wei was silent for a moment before carefully choosing his words, "The poem is Qianlong's poem, and the handwriting is Qianlong's handwriting. Logically, the poem should have been engraved by someone at Qianlong's command…"

"Ah?"

The others suddenly understood, and the room was filled with shock.

The fact that the item might be an imperial item was already surprising enough. But Lord Wei was saying that it might not only be an imperial item but also a relic of Emperor Qianlong, which was far beyond everyone's expectations and seemed hard to believe.

"Of course, this is just my personal opinion."

Lord Wei quickly added, "After all, it has been three hundred years since Qianlong's time. I'm not entirely sure if the walnut could have survived for three hundred years."

"But I can guarantee that even if it's not a Qianlong imperial item, it is definitely a Qing Dynasty imperial treasure."

Lord Wei stated firmly, "The condition is perfect, and it has been well-preserved to this day, making it a rare treasure."

Lord Wei's evaluation was fair and convincing. Even if the walnut wasn't a Qianlong relic, the fact that it was an imperial item was enough to significantly increase its value.

This might be the effect of branding, similar to how many well-known international brands are produced in China and then sold with their labels. A label can make the value of an item skyrocket.

On one side, there are international brands, and on the other, domestic products. Even if the quality is the same, many people would still choose the more expensive international brand over the cheaper domestic one.

This is the value of a brand, the power of brand culture.

The same goes for the walnut. Once it was labeled as an imperial treasure, Qi Xiang's asking price of one million yuan didn't seem so outrageous.

If Lord Wei's "personal opinion" turned out to be true and the item was indeed a Qianlong relic, the price of one million yuan would be very reasonable.

As everyone was pondering, Chen Bixue suddenly said, "You, come with me…"

"Eh?" Qi Xiang was taken aback but saw Chen Bixue turn and walk out.

"What are you waiting for? Follow him," Lord Wei kindly reminded.

"Oh…" Qi Xiang came to his senses and hurriedly followed.

The two left the study, leaving the others with their thoughts.

At this moment, Chen Futu, who had been silent, suddenly smiled and said, "It's about time. Please follow me to greet the guests who have come from afar."

With Chen Futu's invitation, everyone naturally followed, chatting and laughing, heading to the courtyard where the guests were gathered. Everything seemed calm and peaceful, as if nothing had happened.

Even if there were any disagreements, they would try to maintain a surface harmony and a smile.

Meanwhile, under Chen Bixue's guidance, Qi Xiang entered the interior of the villa and arrived at a small building on the hilltop. The bamboo and wood structure of the building was simple and unadorned.

The interior of the building was also very elegant.

When Qi Xiang entered, he saw simple tables and chairs in the hall, with nothing else. There were no modern appliances like TVs, computers, or refrigerators, and not even a light bulb. It was a complete retro style.

Qi Xiang marveled and then followed Chen Bixue through the hall, up the stairs to the second floor.

The moment he stepped onto the second floor, the space opened up. The entire floor was open, with no partitions. It was a single, spacious room.

Qi Xiang looked around and estimated that the room was at least a hundred square meters. The space was vast, but the interior design was surprising and eye-opening.

First, the floor was square, with a large, black and white yin-yang symbol embedded in the center. In the middle of the yin-yang symbol, there was a stand.

Qi Xiang, with his keen eyes, could clearly see that on the stand was a weapon—a sword!

A sheathed long sword, with a tassel hanging down, the blade straight and slender. Even without drawing the sword, one could sense the presence of a hidden treasure.

Given Chen Bixue's background, owning a sword didn't seem unusual.

But when Qi Xiang looked closely, he noticed a bronze incense burner at the base of the stand. In the burner, three incense sticks were still burning, with wisps of blue smoke rising and floating like cotton.

"What's going on here?" Qi Xiang was puzzled.

Chen Bixue didn't explain, but walked around the stand and the sword to the end of the room. There, a few small bookshelves were lined up, filled with books, exuding a scholarly aroma.

Chen Bixue, without any pretense, sat cross-legged and began searching through the bookshelves, as if looking for something.

Qi Xiang, curious, followed. As he scanned the shelves, he was stunned.

There were many books on the shelves, at least thousands or tens of thousands, which wasn't surprising. Compared to the study they had just left, this was nothing. The issue was the titles of the books, which were quite peculiar.

The *Tao Te Ching*, the *Nanhua Jing*, the *Huangting Jing*, the *Duren Miaojing*…

These Taoist classics seemed normal to Qi Xiang. Given Chen Bixue's attire and demeanor, it made sense that he would collect Taoist texts.

But *Zhouyi Cantong Qi*, *Wuzhen Pian*, *Zhonglü Chuandao Ji*, *Jindan Dacheng Ji*, *Yunji Qiqian*, *Xingming Guizhi*…

These books, which seemed quite powerful, were what?

Qi Xiang wasn't entirely ignorant and vaguely knew that these were likely secret manuals for Taoist cultivation, which were in line with Taoist classics. It made sense to have them on the shelves.

But *On the Disappearance of Heavenly Essence and the Extinction of Heavenly Treasures Due to the Dissipation of Earthly Qi and the Disappearance of Imperial Nectar*… What was this?

And *Analysis of the 400-Word Cultivation Steps of the Golden Elixir and the Personal Views on the Differences Between Modern Industrial Development*… What was this?

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