Chapter 6

Who would have thought that the outcome would still be surprising. Deng Tongtian stretched out his big hand, and before Wang Zhigang could recover, the warm jade was snatched back by Deng Tongtian and thrown onto the coffee table. He raised his head and didn't even glance at Wang Zhigang.

Just now, Deng Tongtian had at least spoken a few words to the calm man, but to Wang Zhigang, he hadn't said a single word from start to finish.

Wang Zhigang swallowed hard, his chubby, fat face turning bright red, and he glared fiercely at Deng Tongtian. If this were in Lingnan, no matter how powerful this Mr. Deng was, Wang Zhigang would definitely make him pay. Putting on airs in front of Mr. Wang was asking for trouble.

With two big bosses being rebuffed in a row, the others didn't dare to step forward and risk rejection. If the warm jade was indeed as the calm man and Wang Zhigang said, with only one or two-tenths of its original spirit energy remaining, then 50,000 yuan was already the highest price, and no one would bid more.

Who among those who could attend such a trading fair would be a fool, throwing money away for no reason?

What was so good about this bald head of Deng Tongtian?

Was it worth giving him such a big favor?

At this moment, Xiao Fan slowly walked over, not even looking at the warm jade. He took the five-grade leaf wild mountain ginseng from Xin Lin's hand, gently placed it on the coffee table, and smiled, asking, "Do you want to exchange?"

"Wow..."

Immediately, a chorus of exclamations arose from the surrounding crowd.

This wild mountain ginseng, which Wang Zhigang and Mr. Chen from Yuezhong had already bid 250,000 yuan for, left Xiao Fan completely unmoved. Now he was offering it to exchange for this piece of fire-rock warm jade, which was worth at most 50,000 yuan.

Was he crazy?

Or perhaps the calm man and Wang Zhigang had both misjudged, and this warm jade was actually a good thing?

But that didn't seem right.

The calm man and Wang Zhigang were not novices; they had been in the business for years. How could they fail to identify the quality of the warm jade? One person making a mistake might be understandable, but the possibility of both seasoned veterans making the same mistake was slim.

What was really going on here?

"Exchange."

Without a word, Deng Tongtian picked up the five-grade leaf and spat out this one word. He was an experienced herbalist, and although the Miao region did not produce wild mountain ginseng, it had been personally authenticated by Yin Zhengzhong, so it couldn't be fake.

Xiao Fan smiled, bent down to pick up the warm jade, and reached for the earthen box beside it, preparing to put the warm jade inside.

Suddenly, a bright red hand shot out, lightning-fast, grabbing the earthen box. It was Deng Tongtian, looking down at Xiao Fan and coldly saying, "The five-grade leaf for the warm jade does not include this box."

Xiao Fan smiled, slowly straightening up, and looking at Deng Tongtian, he said softly, "Brother Deng, the five-grade leaf for this box is indeed far from enough. What else do you want to exchange? Maybe I can come up with it."

He spoke calmly, without the slightest hint of anger.

The people around immediately widened their eyes, showing both surprise and excitement.

Could it be that the real treasure was this unremarkable earthen box with a black border?

So many people had failed to see it?

These onlookers were not idle people; they were all seasoned veterans in the herbal market, each one shrewd. Could it be that they had all encountered a true expert today, and everyone had misjudged?

Deng Tongtian finally took a serious look at Xiao Fan, scanning him up and down twice, and then coldly said, "You can't come up with it. I want one pound of genuine wild Dragonhead Phoenixtail Grass, dried."

"One pound of genuine wild Dragonhead Phoenixtail Grass? Are you kidding?"

Immediately, everyone looked at Deng Tongtian as if he were crazy, thinking he was absolutely insane, and there was no cure for it.

Dragonhead Phoenixtail Grass is another name for Huoshan Dendrobium, commonly known as rice Dendrobium. It mainly grows in the Huoshan County of the Dabie Mountains, mostly in the crevices of cliffs and on ancient trees in the misty mountains. It is considered the best among the iron-skin Dendrobiums.

The Daoist classic "Daozang" lists Huoshan Dendrobium, Tianshan Snow Lotus, ginseng, 120-year-old Polygonum multiflorum, aged Poria, deep mountain Lingzhi, sea pearls, and Cordyceps sinensis as the "Nine Immortal Herbs" of China, with Huoshan Dendrobium at the top. This shows how precious it is. Historically, Huoshan Dendrobium has been exclusively for the imperial family, and many emperors used it to refine elixirs for longevity.

Because of its preciousness, Dragonhead Phoenixtail Grass has been疯狂采摘 throughout the ages, making genuine wild Huoshan Dendrobium extremely rare. What is available on the market is all artificially cultivated, and its medicinal value is incomparable to that of wild Dragonhead Phoenixtail Grass.

As early as the 1950s, wild Dragonhead Phoenixtail Grass had become a government-controlled herb. Even the Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang had to ask the provincial party secretary of Jianghuai Province, where Dragonhead Phoenixtail Grass was produced, for special approval to get a little Huoshan Dendrobium to care for his voice.

Now, it's even more so.

Even if all the wild Dragonhead Phoenixtail Grass in Huoshan County were gathered, it might not be enough to make up one pound of dried goods.

That is a true priceless treasure, and there is no market for it. You can't buy it with money.

Deng Tongtian was simply making an outrageous demand.

What kind of treasure was in that earthen box to be so precious?

Xiao Fan still wore a gentle smile and said softly, "Brother Deng, I really can't come up with one pound of genuine wild Dragonhead Phoenixtail Grass. Even if I could, it still wouldn't be enough to exchange with you."

"What?"

"Are you joking?"

"Are you all crazy?"

Before Deng Tongtian could speak, the people around him shouted, and for a moment, the crowd around Table 32 became the most lively in the entire trading hall. Even some customers who were negotiating deals stopped their transactions and rushed over, quickly surrounding Table 32, craning their necks to see what was happening.

Deng Tongtian and Xiao Fan paid no attention to these onlookers.

Deng Tongtian just stared at Xiao Fan, his already large eyes wide as if they were copper bells, as if he could see a flower on his face. After a long time, he asked in a deep voice, "Do you really know what this is?"

Xiao Fan smiled slightly.

In this trading hall, besides him and Xin Lin, no one else knew the secret of this box. Even the owner of the box, Deng Tongtian himself, might not be fully aware.

However, Xiao Fan did not rush to explain and said with a smile, "Brother Deng, just relying on Dragonhead Phoenixtail Grass is not enough for your condition. Brother Deng, would you mind if I take your pulse?"

As he spoke, Xiao Fan extended his hand toward Deng Tongtian's left wrist.

Xiao Fan's palm, like his face, was slightly pale, lacking blood color, and his long, slender fingers gave the impression of being very delicate.

Deng Tongtian, who was usually cold and indifferent, suddenly changed his expression, as if facing a great enemy. His large, rough hand instantly turned a deep red, like a piece of blood-red agate, with the appearance of blood about to drip. He flicked his wrist, forming a tiger claw, and swiftly grabbed at Xiao Fan's wrist.

The onlookers fell silent, holding their breath, and stared intently at the scene.

How could there be no warning, and he just attacked?

He clearly said he wanted to take his pulse, a kind gesture, but why did this Mr. Deng suddenly turn hostile?

Although most of the onlookers did not understand martial arts, anyone could see from Deng Tongtian's posture and the terrifying change in his hand that he was definitely a martial arts expert, practicing some extremely powerful technique. Moreover, Deng Tongtian was tall and robust, his body nearly twice as thick as Xiao Fan's. Compared to him, Xiao Fan seemed like a child, and if he were to be caught, his wrist bones might be crushed.

Deng Tongtian did not seem to be a soft-hearted person.

Xiao Fan, seemingly unaware of Deng Tongtian's attack, continued to move his right hand forward at a steady pace, his slender little finger slightly raised, pointing diagonally at the Neiguan point on Deng Tongtian's wrist.

Deng Tongtian was greatly surprised. He did not underestimate Xiao Fan. Although he practiced an extremely powerful external technique and his internal cultivation was far inferior to Yin Zhengzhong, he could still see that Xiao Fan was not a "pretty face." He just didn't expect that in this moment, Xiao Fan would have a counter to his tiger claw. Moreover, he was using just one little finger to counter the tiger claw. If he didn't rely on his superior cultivation, he wouldn't dare to be so bold.

However, his own movement was too fast. Although Xiao Fan did not deliberately attack him, in this split second, it was too late to dodge. With a muffled "hmm," Xiao Fan's little finger lightly touched the Neiguan point, and Deng Tongtian's entire arm stiffened in mid-air. Xiao Fan's index and middle fingers were already on his pulse.

A layer of fine sweat immediately appeared on Deng Tongtian's shiny forehead, but he did not dare to struggle.

His entire arm was numb and unresponsive, clearly restrained by an extremely high-level point control technique. This kind of point control technique was something Deng Tongtian had only heard his old father mention occasionally. Only a great master with extremely high internal cultivation could master this supposedly lost high-level martial art.

They were not on the same level, and now that Xiao Fan had taken his pulse, how could Deng Tongtian dare to act rashly?

Taking Deng Tongtian's pulse, Xiao Fan's long, slender eyebrows slightly furrowed. After a moment, he said softly, "Brother Deng, please switch to your right hand."

This time, Deng Tongtian did not react violently. Without a word, he extended his right hand, slowly withdrawing his stiff left arm and placing it by his side, still feeling numb and unresponsive. The deep red color had long since faded.

After concentrating on taking Deng Tongtian's pulse for a moment, Xiao Fan slowly withdrew his right hand, his furrowed brows smoothing out, and said solemnly, "Brother Deng, the Red Sand Palm you practice is an extremely yang and powerful external technique. Wu Yang Wood is the second most yang in the world, and you have been carrying it with you for a long time..."

"Wait, wait, wait..."

Before Xiao Fan could finish, Deng Tongtian interrupted, his face full of confusion.

"What Wu Yang Wood? This is Zheng Yang Wood..."