Chapter 37

Under everyone's gaze, the wooden box slowly opened.

It was already autumn, and the weather was cool.

As the wooden box slowly opened, a warm aura gradually spread out, making the room feel very warm.

Inside was an object about the size of a fist, entirely purplish-red. Although it had edges, they had been smoothed out. Its surface was covered in wrinkles, like tree bark.

At first glance, it looked like a piece of tree root.

"What is this thing?"

"Never seen it before, never even heard of it."

"From its appearance, it looks like a piece of tree root."

"It must be some kind of rare herb, but I don't know which one."

"Whatever kind of herb it is, it can warm the entire room, so it must be a divine object."

"Perhaps it really is a divine object."

Everyone was discussing, and although those present were all prominent figures in Fengxing Mansion, who had traveled to other prefectures and even to the capital, they were well-versed and knowledgeable, but they couldn't identify this strange object.

Even though Old Master Shangguan disliked this Chen Young Master who had been pressuring him, he couldn't show his displeasure in public. He reached out to take the treasure, but was also very curious, asking, "What is this treasure?"

Qin Xianyu knew that although Old Master Shangguan was now in a very high position, he was previously just an ordinary wealthy old man with limited knowledge. Therefore, it was reasonable that Old Master Shangguan didn't recognize this object.

However, Qin Xianyu, sensing the slightly warm aura, gradually became puzzled, but his face remained calm.

What is this treasure?

Old Master Shangguan was puzzled, and so were the others present.

Chen Young Master smiled slightly and said, "This herb was given by a high-ranking person. Placing it in a room can make it warm in winter and cool in summer, making it a divine object. However, I don't know its specific origin. Since it looks like an herb, why don't we ask this young Daoist, Qin Xiaodaozhang?"

As soon as he finished speaking, countless eyes turned to Qin Xianyu again.

To ordinary people, the gazes of these important figures felt as heavy as mountains, but to Qin Xianyu, they were insignificant. A faint smile appeared on his clear and handsome face.

Grand Scholar Su, who had been in the capital for many years and had seen countless treasures and rarities, even the treasures in the imperial treasury, did not know the origin of this strange object. But hearing Chen Young Master say it was an herb, he turned to the Fourth Prince, asking, "If this is an herb, can you, the former chief imperial physician, identify it?"

The Fourth Prince glanced at it and immediately looked away, a faint disdain in his eyes. "What kind of herb is this? It's just a broken stone."

Grand Scholar Su was taken aback. "A broken stone?"

The Fourth Prince said, "This is a stone produced during the alchemy process at the Astronomical Bureau. It remains warm year-round, affecting the surrounding temperature, hence the warm aura. In summer, when the weather is hot, this stone's warmth becomes a cool breeze compared to the scorching sun."

In the Fourth Prince's words, this thing seemed insignificant, but to Grand Scholar Su, it was extraordinary. He was secretly alarmed and whispered, "Such a rare object that can change the temperature should be used in the imperial palace. I often enter the palace, so why don't I know about it?"

"The imperial palace is just that. Has anything from the Astronomical Bureau ever been released outside?" The Fourth Prince smiled. "Back then, someone from the Astronomical Bureau brought it to me to ask if it could be used as medicine. That's how I recognized it. It looks like an herb or a tree root, but it's actually a stone with no medicinal properties and cannot be used as medicine."

Pausing, the Fourth Prince continued, "I wonder how this thing ended up in the hands of this young Chen. He probably recognizes it. He must have deliberately led everyone to think it's an herb to make this young Daoist, Qin Xianyu, look foolish."

Grand Scholar Su's eyes sparkled with a hint of mockery. He thought, "Not an herb, but misleading everyone to think it is, and making this young Daoist guess? After seeing so many political intrigues, it's somewhat amusing to see these small tricks."

Everyone's gaze had been on Qin Xianyu for a long time.

Qin Xianyu frowned slightly.

Old Master Shangguan naturally knew that Chen Young Master's move was to make Qin Xianyu look foolish and lower his status in everyone's eyes. This would make the upcoming marriage proposal awkward for both Qin Xianyu and the Shangguan family. The old man paused and said, "Young Qin, this thing is quite heavy and doesn't seem to be a tree root or an herb. Why don't you take a closer look?"

Old Master Shangguan's idea was simple: it was better to examine the object closely than to guess from a distance.

Chen Young Master waved his fan slightly and smiled. "Can't this Daoist see it? Or is the medical knowledge of the Qin family too shallow to recognize any herbs?"

"Chen Young Master has misunderstood," Qin Xianyu said with a smile. "There's no need to handle it. Although I have never seen this object before, I can recognize it just by looking at it."

Chen Young Master sneered inwardly and coldly said, "Then tell us what it is."

This object came from the most mysterious Astronomical Bureau in the capital. The alchemical formulas of the Astronomical Bureau were never shared outside, and this treasure was almost the only strange stone that had ever been released.

Unless one was from the Astronomical Bureau, who could recognize such a strange stone?

Grand Scholar Su and the Fourth Prince exchanged glances, showing surprise.

Qin Xianyu took a deep breath and slowly said, "This is a stone, refined from three rare materials, with white stone as the main component. It took three hours to condense the liquid into powder, which then solidified into a stone, naturally warm. My late master Guanyun named it the Yang Qi Stone."

Everyone was stunned.

Chen Young Master felt as if he had been struck by lightning, secretly alarmed. He then snorted and fiercely shook his sleeve, coldly saying, "Impossible! This thing isn't called the Yang Qi Stone! You, this young Daoist, don't recognize the treasure and are talking nonsense! If you were in my Chen family, I would cut out half your tongue."

After saying this, he looked at Old Master Shangguan, his meaning clear.

In a family like the Chen family, which had been around for centuries, such a person who spoke nonsense would have their tongue cut out and be driven away. What would the Shangguan family do?

At this moment, the young Daoist laughed softly and said, "Treasure? If you really want this thing, I have a couple more under the statue of the Daoist ancestor in my dilapidated temple. Whether it's a treasure or not, it's worth a couple of silver coins."

Such a treasure, worth only a couple of silver coins?

Chen Young Master recalled the serious manner of the important person who had given him this strange treasure, imagining how precious it must be. Seeing the young Daoist belittle the treasure, he was furious.

Qin Xianyu looked at the stone that resembled a tree root and sighed softly, "My late master Guanyun accidentally refined this Yang Qi Stone. It can improve the surrounding temperature, but the refining process is quite complex. I thought no one other than my late master could refine it. Seeing this Yang Qi Stone today, it seems there are others in the world who are as skilled in alchemy as my late master."

He sighed inwardly, "Master Guanxu practiced Dao and cultivated qi all his life but stopped at the stage of external qi. Master Guanyun refined elixirs and sought medicines but could not achieve immortality. There are many who practice Dao and many who refine elixirs, but who in the world has achieved immortality? Who has refined the elixir of immortality?"

---

End of the page with AD

Start of the page with AD

End of the page with AD