Chapter 20

From the treasure room of Ao Bai, Lin Yi immediately set his eyes on a piece of jade. To be honest, there were too many treasures in Ao Bai's house, and Lin Yi was neither a collector nor an antique enthusiast, so he couldn't really distinguish the true value of those treasures. However, he did have some knowledge about jade, as his older sister was in the jade business and owned a jade shop. Influenced by his sister, Lin Yi naturally knew a bit about it. He stepped forward and picked up a crystal-clear white jade bracelet, marveling in his heart, "This is extremely rare mutton-fat jade!"

The scientific name for "mutton-fat white jade" is also known as "white jade" or "mutton-fat jade." As the name suggests, it is a type of jade that resembles mutton fat. According to modern gemologists, it refers to high-quality white jade, which has a lard-white or very white color, and can slightly appear light blue or milky yellow. It has a fine and smooth texture, good greasy feel, and may contain a small amount of stone flowers or other impurities.

Mutton-fat white jade mainly contains tremolite, actinolite, and epidote, and has a texture like congealed fat, making it a type of soft jade. In ancient times, the phrase "a flawless white jade" referred to white jade, and mutton-fat white jade is a high-quality variety of jade. It has the strongest toughness and wear resistance among all jades, and even after being buried for thousands of years, it will not be completely stained.

Mutton-fat white jade, as a pebble, has been immersed in the groundwater and soil of the Kunlun Mountains for millions of years, making it extremely rare and highly valuable. Mutton-fat white jade is crystal-clear and white, with a fine and smooth texture and few flaws. Its characteristic is its exceptional fineness, brightness, and warmth. The best mutton-fat white jade is almost flawless, resembling the fat of a freshly cut lamb, with a luster like congealed oil.

The white jade bracelet in Lin Yi's hand was the finest mutton-fat jade, almost flawless! How could the treasures in the treasure room of Ao Bai, the greatest villain in the world, who even the emperor didn't take seriously, be anything but the best?

They were the best in the world! If this white jade bracelet were taken to the modern era, it would be the top-tier jade, and it would cost several million to obtain, or even be valued at hundreds of millions by jade enthusiasts!

Lin Yi had once heard his sister say that mutton-fat jade is the most precious type of Hetian jade pebble. The Hetian jade pebbles were already extensively mined during the Qianlong era, led by Emperor Qianlong, who was known as the "jade enthusiast emperor." In the modern era, the Hetian jade pebbles were almost completely mined by 2004, and most of them are controlled by large merchants. The price is determined by the merchants, making it a market with a price but no goods.

In 2012, the Xinjiang people mined again, and out of a hundred pounds of pebbles, only one kilogram was mutton-fat jade. Hetian jade pebbles are already rare, and mutton-fat jade is priceless!

Holding the white jade bracelet in his hand, Lin Yi couldn't help but smile bitterly. His sister would never have thought that he was now in the Kangxi era, where the "jade enthusiast emperor" Qianlong had not even been born yet! Qianlong was the grandson of Emperor Kangxi! Kangxi's fourth son was Emperor Yongzheng, and Yongzheng's fourth son was Emperor Qianlong!

Lin Yi put the white jade bracelet in his chest, thinking that this eunuch's uniform had no pockets. He thought about taking this piece of jade back to the modern era and giving it to his sister, who loved jade. She would be ecstatic!

The official beside him was recording the treasures taken from the treasure room. Seeing Lin Yi's action, he immediately crossed out the item on the list, indicating that there was no such item in Ao Bai's house. Lin Yi nodded in approval, finding the corrupt official somewhat endearing at this moment!

Looking at the other treasures in the treasure room, there were no more mutton-fat jade items. Lin Yi thought that in the Kangxi era, mutton-fat jade was not yet so widespread, as the "jade enthusiast emperor" Qianlong had not been born yet. Perhaps Ao Bai had such high standards that he only kept the best piece of jade, and mutton-fat jade also has different qualities.

If he could emulate Qianlong and extensively mine the Hetian jade pebbles, he would surely become rich! Lin Yi laughed and shook his head, discarding this absurd thought. He prepared to pick a few more treasures, and Wei Xiaobao, seeing his big brother take action, was also ready to join in.

At this moment, a guard handed Wei Xiaobao a large white jade box. The box was inscribed with five large characters, filled with cinnabar: "The Forty-Two Chapters Sutra." Wei Xiaobao quickly took it, opened the jade box, and inside was a thin book. The cover was made of white silk, and the title was the same five characters.

Wei Xiaobao asked Suo Etu, "Suo大人, I recognize 'Forty-Two,' but I don't recognize the last two characters?"

Suo Etu smiled and said, "It's the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra."

Wei Xiaobao laughed, "These two characters, 'Chapters Sutra,' are hard to recognize."

He thought that when he came, the Emperor had instructed him to pay attention to the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra when raiding Ao Bai's house, saying that the Empress Dowager liked it. He didn't expect to find it in Ao Bai's treasure room, which was another achievement.

Suo Etu thought, "You illiterate," and smiled, "Yes, these two characters are indeed hard to recognize."

Then, the guard handed another jade box. Inside was a book, the cover made of yellow silk with red silk borders, another copy of the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra. Both books were quite old.

Wei Xiaobao took the two books and instructed to search for a third one, but found none, feeling a bit disappointed. But then he thought, finding two copies was still a significant achievement, right?

Lin Yi watched Wei Xiaobao's actions and couldn't help but laugh inwardly. Having read "The Deer and the Cauldron," how could he not know the name of the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra?

The Forty-Two Chapters Sutra, on the surface, appears to be a Buddhist scripture, but it actually has a hidden layer. The content of the hidden layer is a map fragment. Only by collecting all eight copies can one obtain the complete map.

The eight copies of the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra are actually eight treasure maps, each held by one of the eight banners of the Qing dynasty. The treasure location is the dragon vein of the Qing Empire.

After the Qing army entered the pass, they plundered a large amount of treasure from the Ming dynasty. The Qing leaders, to prevent the dynasty from being overthrown and the Manchus from returning to the outside of the pass, wanted to be able to find the treasure to ensure economic self-sufficiency. They hid the treasure near Deer Cauldron Mountain outside the pass and drew a map, which they cut into pieces and hid in the eight copies of the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra.

Later, Wei Xiaobao found all eight copies through various means, but he did not tell anyone the treasure location, nor did he dig for the treasure or cut the dragon vein.

Lin Yi had no interest in the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra. He had no intention of collecting all eight copies to dig for the treasure or the dragon vein of the Qing Empire. His main focus was on being a streamer!

At this moment, Suo Etu walked over to Lin Yi and Wei Xiaobao with a sly smile. Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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