Shortly after, he returned with six jade boxes of various shapes in his hands.
Placing the jade boxes on the table, Zhao Sheng picked out a square one and carefully removed its seal before flipping open the lid.
As soon as Han Xuanwu got a clear view of the spiritual medicine inside the box, he jumped up on the spot and pounced toward the box like a starving wolf, his face a picture of disbelief.
Zhao Sheng said with a smile, "This Red Fire Ganoderma is over eight hundred years old and should be worth fifty or sixty thousand spirit stones, I'd say!"
"Worth it, more than worth it! A top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill in Purple Sun Sect would cost at least fifty thousand spirit stones internally, and it's priceless on the market. Outside in the workshop, you can't even catch a glimpse of top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills."
Han Xuanwu was rubbing his hands in excitement, barely able to hide the greedy look in his eyes.
Such a heaven-sent opportunity presenting itself before a Qi refining immortal cultivator—anyone would lose their composure!
Zhao Sheng, of course, saw the avaricious gleam in his eyes.
But he wasn't afraid at all, because...
"I'm giving it to you."
"What? What did you just say? I didn't hear clearly!" Han Xuanwu could hardly believe his ears and asked repeatedly, anxious.
Zhao Sheng answered very calmly but with great seriousness, "I said, I'm giving it to you!"
"Big brother, you can't be joking about this! Really?" Han Xuanwu immediately asked for confirmation.
Zhao Sheng smiled and explained, "It is true, but there's a small condition you have to agree to first."
Overjoyed, Han Xuanwu quickly thumped his chest and said, "Brother Zhao, just name it. Not just one condition, even if it's ten. I won't say a word."
Zhao Sheng smiled and waved his hand, "No need for ten, just one is sufficient. I hope that after you reach Foundation Establishment, you could look after the Zhao family for a few years, preferably until Xuan Han or Xuan Lan establish their foundations."
Hearing this, Han Xuanwu suddenly burst into laughter, pointed at Zhao Sheng, and said with a chuckle, "Big brother, what am I supposed to say about you? It seems you live for your family. Whether it's Xuan Han or Lan Lan, they are my grandchildren too. If I don't look after them, who will?"
"With your word, I am at ease," said Zhao Sheng.
Then, Zhao Sheng pushed the box containing the Red Fire Ganoderma in front of Han Xuanwu, signaling for him to take it.
As Han Xuanwu carefully stored away the Red Fire Ganoderma, Zhao Sheng opened the other jade boxes one by one.
Han Xuanwu only took one glance and was flabbergasted.
Good heavens!
A 17-inch long Blood Sword Grass with at least a fifteen-hundred-year maturity.
Amber orchids, a necessary ingredient for refining high-level talisman demons, as big as a palm and at least seven hundred years old.
Additionally, there were other special spiritual medicines: a seven-hundred-year-old Strange Spirit Branch, a five-hundred-year-old Dragonbane Fruit, and a triangular Yin Yang Flower with seven leaves and seven petals.
Each of these special medicines ranged from a few thousand to over ten thousand spirit stones.
Especially the thousand-year-old blood sword grass, worth at least tens of thousands of spirit stones.
This natural spiritual artifact possesses irreplaceable growth and affinity.
So long as the user continues to infuse their own spiritual power into the Blood Sword Grass, it will keep growing, and its power will also grow increasingly tremendous.
It might even develop into a Golden Core level magical treasure, the kind that is a lifebound magic treasure.
Han Xuanwu, with eyes full of envy and his heart burning with desire, couldn't help but say, "Brother Zhao, have you struck a treasure trove here?"
"Heh, collecting medicine for decades, I've only accumulated these few fine items. For the Hundred-year Token, I've now turned out everything, even the old stash," Zhao Sheng said, revealing the reason he'd already fabricated.
The matter of the Sloping Spiritual Medicine Garden would not be disclosed to anyone by Zhao Sheng.
Heavenly Pillar Mountain's shadowy face is far too dangerous; even someone like Zhao Sheng barely escaped with his life after countless brushes with death. The descendants of the Zhao family should just cultivate honestly, not risking their lives on a gambit.
"Just?"
Han Xuanwu wanted to spit in the man's face after hearing all this, Zhao Sheng was truly shameless.
How many medicine collectors in Heavenly Pillar Mountain had gone their whole lives without ever finding a spiritual medicine over five hundred years old?
Yet, this elder brother casually presented six.
No, not six – with the inclusion of the thousand-year Nine-Section Ink Jade Orchid, it made seven!
Most importantly, each type of spiritual medicine was exceptionally precious.
However, he had still underestimated Zhao Sheng.
Beyond those mentioned, Zhao Sheng was also hiding Red Fire Ganoderma and a thousand-year Golden Essence Seed, both worth over ten thousand spirit stones.
These were his trump cards reserved for the Zhao family, and he wouldn't even discuss them with Han Xuanwu.
Han Xuanwu caressed the Blood Sword Grass with an expression of infatuation on his face,
For him, a former martial enthusiast now on the path of sword cultivation, Blood Sword Grass, a natural spirit sword embryo, was absolutely a rare treasure that was serendipitous to encounter.
At that moment, Zhao Sheng suddenly asked, "Stop coveting the Blood Sword Grass. Instead, try to estimate the value of these spiritual medicines in spirit stones."
Reluctantly returning the Blood Sword Grass to the jade box, Han Xuanwu gave a rough estimate and said, "Excluding the Blood Sword Grass, the other four should be around sixteen thousand spirit stones in total."
"What about if we include the Blood Sword Grass?" Zhao Sheng pressed.
After a brief contemplation, Han Xuanwu seriously said, "At least sixty thousand. If we can get more Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivators to join the bidding, the Blood Sword Grass could fetch an extra ten or twenty thousand spirit stones."
Zhao Sheng nodded, Han Xuanwu's estimate was close to his own.
Han Xuanwu confidently added, "Brother Zhao, you don't have to worry. These amounts of spiritual medicine are nothing within the Purple Sun Sect and can easily be absorbed internally. Besides, my master is also a sword cultivator with considerable wealth. Guarantee you won't suffer any loss if the Blood Sword Grass is sold to my master."
Han Xuanwu's master was a Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer Sword Cultivator, while his grandmaster was at the Golden Core Middle Stage.
Sword Cultivators were known for their formidable combat capabilities, hence Han Xuanwu's lineage within the Purple Sun Sect was considered a significant faction that could even speak with the Nascent Soul Ancestor.
One reason why Zhao Sheng dared to covet the Hundred-Year Token was to leverage this influential backing.
This point needed no elaboration, as Han Xuanwu was likely well aware.
Zhao Sheng nodded and said, "In that case, I won't bother you with two issues. I'll also leave the participation in the Purple Sun Sect auction to you!"
A small matter!
Han Xuanwu knew that the Zhao family was currently too weak to make a public bid for the Hundred-Year Token.
With his master's support, he had no fear of competing with ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivation Families.
Especially after acquiring the Red Fire Ganoderma that was over eight hundred years old, Han Xuanwu believed his status in his master's eyes would soar.
He suddenly remembered something and asked urgently, "Old Brother, the annual rent of two thousand spirit stones is not a small sum. Can your Zhao family sustain that? Do you need me to mediate a loan from the Spirit Stone Bank to cover several years?"
Zhao Sheng waved his hand and shook his head, "No need, I can temporarily manage for three to four years. Plus, with the output from the spirit vein, we should be able to last even longer. Maybe after acquiring the Hundred-Year Token, we'll even have plenty of spirit stones left."
Han Xuanwu mentally calculated and silently nodded.
Afterward, the two discussed some more details and key points regarding the matter.
By the time the serious issues were settled, the sky had grown dim.
Zhao Sheng, seeing this, extended a warm invitation for Han Xuanwu to stay over and see his grandchildren.
He deliberately didn't mention Han Qingqing because Zhao Sheng knew that Han Xuanwu and his daughter had a very strained relationship.
He also knew that his daughter-in-law Han Qingqing hadn't actually fancied Zhao Chengle.
It was just that Han Xuanwu particularly liked Old Eight, whose temperament was similar to his, and due to his close relationship with Zhao Sheng, he had forcefully pushed his daughter to marry Old Eight.
Han Xuanwu naturally agreed, as he had been wanting to visit his grandchildren at the Zhao Mansion for some time.