Chapter 3

A sudden, urgent alarm startled Xiaofeng, causing him to jump out of bed, fumbling to grab his phone and turn off the alarm.

Without a moment to think, Xiaofeng put on his slippers and rushed into the bathroom, groggily turning on the water, then stood in front of the sink to brush his teeth. This was the daily morning routine in Xiaofeng’s rented apartment from Monday to Friday, a conditioned response to the alarm!

There was no choice; the village where he lived was too far from his workplace, so Xiaofeng had to make every second count!

As he brushed, Xiaofeng finally remembered that he had been fired and was now a free man, no longer needing to report to work on time.

Moreover, he seemed to have obtained a magical white jade bottle and a purple bamboo space. Thinking of this, Xiaofeng immediately felt invigorated, even though he had only fallen asleep around four in the morning.

After washing up, Xiaofeng rummaged through a box and found a red string. He skillfully tied a Chinese knot, wrapping the small white jade bottle inside and hanging it around his neck. There was no other way; the jade bottle was so small that Xiaofeng didn’t want it to get lost or damaged, so he had to keep it close to his body.

After reading "The Purple Bamboo Chronicles," Xiaofeng knew how to enter the purple bamboo space. By focusing his mind on the jade bottle, he could instantly teleport into the space and also use his consciousness to check the conditions inside.

Xiaofeng’s figure suddenly vanished from the rented apartment. If anyone had seen it, they would have cried out in shock at the supernatural event!

The air in the purple bamboo space was much fresher than in the village, but the complete silence made Xiaofeng feel somewhat uncomfortable. Even with his thick skin, the eerie silence of the enclosed space was a bit unsettling.

According to "The Purple Bamboo Chronicles," the purple bamboo space was a spiritual energy space used by cultivators to grow medicinal herbs and raise spirit beasts. However, without spirit stones to provide spiritual energy, it was no longer a complete "purple bamboo space."

Xiaofeng considered planting something in the space to make it less monotonous.

Last night, due to his emotional agitation, Xiaofeng hadn’t had the chance to properly examine the calligraphy and other items in the purple bamboo box. Now, having calmed down, he naturally wanted to inventory the legacy left by his predecessor.

The first scroll Xiaofeng pulled out was a calligraphy piece. Before he could even read the words, he was already overwhelmed by the wild and unrestrained style! The strokes were so free and bold that Xiaofeng could sense the artist had been in a state of drunken abandon, a grandmaster’s unbridled spirit that could not be concealed.

Xiaofeng composed himself and slowly examined the calligraphy, recognizing it as Su Dongpo’s "Nian Nu Jiao: Chibi Huai Gu" (Ode to the Red Cliffs), written in 1097 when Su Dongpo was exiled to Hainan.

Although Xiaofeng was a novice in antique appraisal, he trusted the previous owner of the purple bamboo space and did not doubt the authenticity of the piece.

It was rumored that there were only about 30 known genuine calligraphy works by Su Dongpo, each of which could be called a national treasure, highly sought after in the antique market and auctions!

As the most representative work of Su Dongpo’s poetry and calligraphy, and given that this piece was written in his later years when his calligraphy had reached its peak, Xiaofeng, even as a novice, was well aware of its value.

Xiaofeng estimated that if this Su Dongpo work were auctioned, it would easily fetch over 100 million yuan!

However, Xiaofeng had no intention of auctioning such a priceless treasure!

After that, the increasingly large surprises gradually numbed Xiaofeng. Masterpieces by the legendary painter Wu Daozi, the "Lanting Xu" by Wang Xizhi, which was said to have been buried with Emperor Taizong of Tang, and so on.

Even if Xiaofeng were slow to react, he could still realize what these works, which were of no use to cultivators, meant for Chinese culture and the antique world. The appearance of any one of these works on the market would cause an earthquake of magnitude eight, and might even challenge some long-established historical conclusions.

These artistic treasures could not be measured by money; they were the cultural treasures of the Chinese nation!

At this point, even with his thick skin, Xiaofeng couldn’t help but tremble, and his movements became more cautious.

Xiaofeng carefully unrolled each piece of calligraphy and painting, discovering that most of the works were not recorded in history or were said to have been destroyed in wars, making them priceless treasures!

By the time he had finished examining the fifty or so pieces of calligraphy and paintings, and neatly placed all the scrolls on the bed, Xiaofeng could no longer hold on and had to sit on a bamboo chair to rest for a moment.

This was not due to physical exhaustion, but rather the immense shock and mental fatigue caused by the priceless treasures.

After a long while, Xiaofeng finally lifted the last layer of padding and saw the items at the bottom of the bamboo box. The dazzling gold light almost made him unable to open his eyes.

At the very bottom of the bamboo box, gold ingots were neatly stacked, providing an unparalleled visual impact.

While the famous works represented high artistic and cultural value, the wealth represented by these gold ingots gave Xiaofeng a more direct sensory experience.

After all, turning artistic treasures into cash was not a quick process, whereas these gold ingots were always hard currency.

Xiaofeng reached out and picked up a gold ingot, examining it closely and even trying to bite it to see if it would leave a mark, as the legend suggested.

The gold ingots had no markings and were not official products, but rather had been melted and cast by the previous owner of the purple bamboo space.

These gold ingots were rectangular, about 20 centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide and high. They felt like red bricks used on construction sites, making them ideal for self-defense. To facilitate storage, these ingots contained metals like red copper and silver, giving them a slightly reddish color rather than pure gold.

Perhaps these gold ingots were of no use to cultivators, which was why they were left in the purple bamboo space, benefiting Xiaofeng.

Xiaofeng took out the gold ingots one by one and placed them on the ground. A total of 100 gold ingots made the entire room shine!

According to "The Purple Bamboo Chronicles," these gold ingots were equivalent to 100 taels of gold from the Ming Dynasty, which Xiaofeng knew was about 3730 grams, a considerable weight.

Due to his study of antiques, Xiaofeng was also familiar with gold prices, knowing that the price had risen from 160 yuan per gram two years ago to about 270 yuan per gram now. These gold ingots, without any inscriptions or signatures, could not be sold as antique gold ingots and could only be treated as ordinary gold ingots.

Even so, each gold ingot was worth nearly 1 million yuan, and the total value of the gold in front of him was 100 million yuan. With his excellent mental arithmetic, Xiaofeng quickly calculated this staggering number, which almost made him gasp.

Xiaofeng’s parents were ordinary salaried workers, and although he had never lacked money, his bank account balance had never exceeded five digits. Now, such an astonishing fortune was right in front of him, how could he remain calm?

100 million yuan—no matter how hard Xiaofeng worked his entire life, he could never earn that much money!

Faced with this sudden, enormous wealth, Xiaofeng was instantly at a loss!

PS: The book is now in the top 100 on the new book chart, thank you for everyone's support! Please add to your collection and recommend it, I will work hard!