g man a lesson. However, many people around them were taking photos with cameras. So at that time, Xiao Yu did not retaliate but used some hidden strength to push the young man away in an attempt to d...Chapter Sixteen: The Million-Dollar Wooden Box

"Th... Thousand years without decay, ten thousand years without deterioration—Golden Threaded Phoebe Wood."

"What" Teacher Jin and a few experts suddenly jumped up in astonishment.

The expert teachers looked at each other, shock evident in their eyes.

"Impossible... impossible..." Teacher Bai sat dejectedly on the chair, muttering to himself.

Seeing the expression of the experts, Xiao Yu and others knew that this wooden box was no ordinary thing. Xiao Yu had never come into contact with antiques nor heard about Golden Threaded Phoebe Wood before. However, Fangyuan was different; as the general manager of the antique city, he had researched some information on antiques and knew about Golden Threaded Phoebe Wood. It was precisely because he knew that he felt puzzled, so he couldn't help but ask: "Experts, if I'm not mistaken, Golden Threaded Phoebe Wood is indeed rare and valuable. But given your expertise and experience, shouldn’t you be more composed when it comes to this type of wood"

Hearing their question, Teacher Cai also sat down, pondering for a moment before looking straight at the wooden box and slowly saying: "Golden Threaded Phoebe Wood is also called Imperial Wood. Since ancient times, it has been exclusively enjoyed by emperors. Officials in the regions of Sichuan and Hunan would regard presenting Golden Threaded Phoebe Wood as tribute to be their top priority; doing a good job could even serve as a standard for promotion. Ordinary people who presented one piece of Golden Threaded Phoebe Wood could also receive rewards from the imperial court.

Because this golden-threaded nanmu wood could only be found in the deep mountains of Sichuan and Hunan, and ancient times did not have such advanced transportation as modern society; the phrase "Sichuan road is hard to travel, harder than ascending to heaven" expresses the difficulty of traveling through Sichuan. Transporting a single golden-threaded nanmu wood piece to the capital required the sacrifice of dozens or even hundreds of lives. During the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong period, Emperor Qianlong wanted to build a palace made of golden-threaded nanmu wood and sent an army to transport the timber; however, when they returned to the capital, only half survived, with the other half perishing on the Sichuan road. Therefore, in ancient times, people believed that it was difficult to buy golden-threaded nanmu wood no matter how much money one had.

"Teacher Cai, I heard that the dragon throne of emperors in ancient times were all made from golden-threaded nanmu wood. Is this true" After hearing Teacher Cai say that golden-threaded nanmu wood was precious, Fangquan suddenly recalled some information he saw on his computer and asked.

When Xiao Yu heard Fangquan's question, he listened intently as well. Teacher Cai slowly nodded to confirm the statement and continued, "That is indeed true. The dragon throne currently displayed in the Forbidden City was made from golden-threaded nanmu wood."

Hearing Teacher Cai's introduction, Xiao Yu understood how precious golden-threaded nanmu wood was. He then thought about the wisps of death energy he observed drifting out of the wooden box under Yin-Yang vision and asked curiously, "What exactly makes this golden-threaded nanmu so valuable"

Teacher Cai pondered for a moment before smiling and saying, "When I researched the dragon throne in the Forbidden City, I summarized three major functions of golden-threaded nanmu wood: anti-corrosion, pest resistance, and prevention against deformation. Anti-corrosion means that even if you bury it underground or submerge it underwater for thousands of years, it won't rot; pest resistance means that there's never any insect damage on items made from golden-threaded nanmu wood, making it a preferred choice for ancient emperors' coffins to protect their remains; and prevention against deformation refers to the excellent quality of the material which ensures it doesn’t warp or crack regardless of temperature changes, even under intense sunlight. Ordinary timber used in doors and windows can easily deform when exposed to sunlight."

Teacher Cai paused before continuing, "Actually, there’s another significant characteristic of golden-threaded nanmu wood: its hardness is akin to iron and stone, making it resistant to sword cuts or knife damage. It's precisely this quality that made us so agitated upon seeing the wooden box. Although we've seen many pieces of golden-threaded nanmu wood before, we’ve never encountered anything as intricately carved as this box. In ancient times, craftsmen would use all their ingenuity to carve out exquisite objects such as dragon thrones. Without modern high-tech tools, everything was done by hand. A single dragon throne could take decades to complete. Therefore, finding a box with such intricate craftsmanship is unprecedented."

"That's right! Old Cai is correct. That’s why we didn’t pay close attention to the material when we first saw the wooden box. This item is an openly dated Ming Dynasty wooden box. We thought it was just ordinary nanmu wood because, in our understanding, ancient craftsmen couldn't possibly carve such detailed objects from golden-threaded nanmu wood," said Teacher Mao, continuing the discussion. The other experts nodded in agreement.

Xiao Yu nodded calmly after hearing the experts' words, but he thought a lot inside: "Could it be that the golden nanmu wood's preservative effect is due to its slow dispersion of death energy Who carved this wooden box Suddenly Xiao Yu thought of another possibility. If Zhong Kui actually exists, then other immortals and demons should have existed too. Since ancient people couldn't carve such a thing, could it be that they..."

"Then... how much is Doctor Xiao's wooden box worth now" Fangyuan asked hesitantly.

"It's hard to say because there hasn't been anything of the same type on the market before. But I estimate it would easily be over ten million!" Teacher Bai said, raising a finger.

“What Ten million” Zhang Xiangying, who had been standing beside them all along, gasped in astonishment and covered her mouth. Although Zhang Xiangying didn't understand antiques, she often watched treasure-hunting programs and knew that it was quite normal for a good item to be worth hundreds of thousands or even millions. Therefore, when they first said one million, she wasn't too surprised but merely envied Doctor Xiao's luck. She couldn’t help screaming in surprise as the value shot up to ten million almost immediately.

Fangyuan seemed stunned and sat there thinking: How come it’s not my stuff Ten million! Not a thousand bucks! I can never earn that much even if I work for a lifetime!

Xiao Yu was also quite surprised, but he remained calm. Since merging with Zhong Kui's memories, although he didn't despise money as worthless dung, his mental resilience had significantly increased. He thought: No matter how precious this item is, it would be useless to me if I keep it. It’s better to sell it for cash so that my mother won’t have to work so hard.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yu smiled and said: "Gentlemen, I want to sell this thing. Could you help me network and find a buyer"

After Xiao Yu mentioned selling the wooden box, everyone was taken aback and fell silent. They believed that such a valuable item should be kept in their own possession.

Eventually, Professor Cai couldn’t hold back any longer: "Little Brother Xiao, are you seriously considering selling something so extraordinary..."

"No matter how good it is, it’s of no use to me. I don’t understand or like these things, so selling it seems more practical!" Xiao Yu said with a faint smile.

"Little Brother Xiao..."

Professor Mao wanted to persuade him further but was stopped by Professor Cai who waved his hand: "Forget it, Old Mao. There’s no need for persuasion. If Little Brother Xiao wants to sell it, there must be a reason. Let's help him find a buyer!"

"Sigh, alright then!" Professor Mao sighed and shook his head in resignation.

“Little Brother Xiao, we have a flight to catch so we’ll leave first. Once I’ve contacted the potential buyers, I’ll let you know!” said Professor Cai. Being an expert in miscellaneous items, Professor Cai had extensive connections in this field in Beijing.hind as well.The general Huang’s ward was a large suite; the outer part was a living room and the inner part was the bedroom.At this moment, General Huang was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, sh...