's background and found out that Xiao Yu was a recent graduate from medical school with a major in Traditional Chinese Medicine. He also inquired about Xiao Yu’s academic performance during his studie...Chapter Fifteen: Immortal for a Thousand Years

In the early morning of October, the land of Deep Sea City was still covered with a thin veil, looking hazy and dreamlike. Xiao Yu arrived at the clinic early as usual. He had been helping Teacher Cai with medical consultations for three days already, and the appraisal event proceeded as scheduled. Due to the large crowds over these two days and the humid weather, there were many people seeking medical care, leaving him no time to consult experts about his wooden box.

"Doctor Xiao, good morning," a sweet voice greeted him as he entered the clinic.

"Good morning, Xiao Zhang!" Xiao Yu nodded in greeting.

Xiao Zhang's full name was Zhang Xiaoying; she had been newly hired as a nurse yesterday. She stood at 160 cm with long hair and an appearance that was not particularly beautiful but very pleasant to look at. She came from Sichuan province, having graduated from Deep Sea City Nursing School.

Since the three days when Xiao Yu had assisted the experts in their medical consultations, Fangyuan's attitude towards him had undergone a complete change. Previously, he would call Xiao Yu by his given name "Xiao," but now he only referred to him as "Doctor Xiao" or "Expert Xiao." Moreover, he was well aware that with Xiao Yu’s medical skills, the young man could easily go far in the world; such a person should not be offended. Therefore, every time they met, Fangyuan treated Xiao Yu with great respect.

At a meeting for management and higher-ups at the antique city two days ago, Fangyuan proposed: "Add an extra nurse to the clinic. Doctor Xiao is too exhausted handling both roles as doctor and nurse. We should put ourselves in his shoes."

Fangyuan's proposal did not meet with any opposition from Chen Jinghai, who was Vice President and often clashed with Fangyuan but had been using the issue of the clinic to undermine him all along. Instead, he suggested giving a raise to those working at the clinic. The rest of the attendees were taken aback; they couldn't help wondering what on earth had happened to make these two fall in line.

No matter what the reason, matters proposed by the president and seconded by the vice president were swiftly executed. And so it was that people were hired yesterday as a result of the meeting held the day before.

The appraisal event had concluded on the afternoon of the previous day, with happy and disappointed visitors leaving the antique city one after another. Some still lingered about in hopes of finding hidden treasures here; who knows, they might get lucky. That was the dream of all those who dealt with antiques.

In contrast to the bustling activities outside, the clinic remained quiet and leisurely. With a nurse handling daily cleaning duties now, Xiao Yu no longer had to do it himself. As such, once he arrived at his workplace, he made himself a cup of tea and casually pulled out the copy of Zhong Kui's Biography he had purchased for thorough study.

"Dr. Xiao, Dr. Expert, the teachers have come to see you!" Doctor Xiaoyu was interrupted from reading by Fangyuan's voice outside the medical room. He marked his book with a corner and put it in the drawer before standing up.

“What a pleasant life Dr. Xiao has! We poor souls are doomed to hard work.” Just as Xiaoyu stood up, the door of the medical room was pushed open by Teacher Cai, who led everyone inside; Teachers Jin, Bai, and Mao followed in behind her.

"Little Zhang, go find some chairs from next door!" Fangyuan entered last and instructed Nurse Xiao Xiaoying right away.

Once Xiao Xiaoying brought the chairs back, Xiaoyu had also brewed tea for everyone. The group surrounded Doctor Xiaoyu's consultation table to sit down.

"Teacher Cai, you look much better!" Doctor Xiaoyu smiled as he observed Teacher Cai who was looking well-recovered.

“Haha, thanks to Dr. Xiao’s treatment, I’m finally alive again. If it weren’t for Dr. Xiao, old Cai would probably be at the bottom of the sea,” Teacher Cai laughed and said emotionally.

"That's right!" "Yes, we all owe a lot to Dr. Xiao. Our long-standing ailments are gone," everyone echoed in agreement.

Xiaoyu quickly waved his hands: “It’s not that serious, but Teacher Cai must be very careful about what he eats from now on!”

Although Nurse Zhang Xiaoying wasn't interested in antiques, she knew these experts and teachers. Seeing this young doctor chatting and joking with these top-notch experts while her boss Fangyuan willingly played a supporting role beside them, she was not only confused but also amazed. Who exactly is Dr. Xiao

“By the way, everyone…”

"What’s with this expert nonsense! If you respect me, just call me big brother and we can be friends across generations. If not, I didn’t say anything; feel free to call me however you like!" Doctor Xiaoyu was interrupted by Teacher Bai before he could speak, then turned to the others: "Everyone, don't you agree"

"Yes!"

"That's right! Little White is correct!"

………

The crowd responded in agreement. There is an old Chinese saying, "People gather by kindred spirits, and things associate with their likes." Everyone understood that Xiao Yu had the credentials—both medical skills and calligraphy—to socialize with them. Especially since his medical prowess could be described as miraculous, none of them or their families could predict when they might fall ill; having Xiao Yu around was like an insurance policy. This is why these experts made a point to interact with him.

Hearing everyone's comments, Xiao Yu did not act pretentiously and said, "Old brothers, I have something here. With all the busyness of recent days, I haven't had time for anything, but now that you're here, can you give me a professional opinion"

After saying this, he took out the wooden box used to hold brushes, books, and wood swords from his cupboard and placed it on the table.

The wooden box fell under miscellaneous items, so Teacher Cai picked it up first. At first, Teacher Cai did not think much of it, but as he looked closer, a look of surprise appeared on his face. He took out a magnifying glass from his pocket and examined the item meticulously.

After Teacher Cai finished examining the box, he handed it over to other experts for their evaluation; they quickly concluded their assessment. The experts exchanged glances, nodding in unison.

Xiao Yu frequently watched a treasure-hunting program and knew that this was a common gesture among them when they agreed on something, though he wasn't sure what exactly it meant. Judging by the situation, it seemed to indicate unanimous agreement. Seeing their nods now, he deduced that they had reached an accord.

"Brother Xiao, from its craftsmanship, this box appears to be meticulously carved by a renowned master of the Nan (Southern) school in early Ming times, and it's quite valuable!" Teacher Cai said after receiving the wooden box back from Teacher Jin.

"Indeed! Brother Xiao, this wooden box is conservatively valued at between 100-150 million yuan." Teacher Bai added when he took over the conversation.

"Oh, Xiao brother, how much did you pay for this item" Mr. Mao asked with great curiosity.

"I bought it in Central South Province a few days ago for ten thousand yuan," said Xiao Yu, his expression not changing at all due to the prices they mentioned.

Teacher Cai smiled and said, "You got a real bargain."

"Haha, yes! It's a big bargain indeed. Xiao brother, you have to treat us to a meal!" Teacher Bai joked.

Although Xiao Yu had picked up a great deal, they were people who had seen countless fine items. Therefore, they didn't show any excitement at seeing such a valuable item but only clamored for him to treat them to a meal. Were they really in need of this meal Certainly not; there were many people across the country wanting to invite them to meals, yet they wouldn't necessarily accept those invitations. Only their close friends would speak like this.

"No problem about treating you to a meal, but Teacher Cai, I hope you can tell me what kind of wood was used for carving this box," Xiao Yu said modestly while scratching his head.

What kind of wood Upon hearing Xiao Yu's words, he sensed something amiss as the wooden box felt heavier than ordinary boxes. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and quickly took out a magnifying glass again, examining it carefully piece by piece. He tried hard to pry at the corners but found them firmly in place. Teacher Cai grew more and more amazed.

"Ah…" Holding the wooden box, Mr. Cai suddenly stood up and exclaimed.

“Mr. Cai, what kind of wood is it that has you so excited” Teachers Jin and others asked curiously as they looked at Mr. Cai's expression.

"Th... Thousand years without decay... Ten thousand years without deterioration... Golden-threaded Nanmu!" Teacher Cai said with great excitement while looking at the wooden box.e other relatives.Seeing Xiao Yu arrive, the old lady and the Zhong Siyuan family all stood up."Little Yu has come! Come, sit down quickly!" The old lady grabbed Xiao Yu's hand hurriedly as she invite...