Desire to Make a Purchase, I Have No Intention of Selling . . .
As soon as Guan Wan-Shan spoke, he instantly regretted opening his mouth. The discovery of such a valuable dan was akin to a fortune spanning three generations, and here he was, hoping for more. He realized that his desire for more had overridden his rationality. Nevertheless, the prospect of obtaining more of these precious items was almost too tantalizing to resist. He found himself caught between the allure of riches and the fear of greed.
Cha Eun Xiao, taken aback by the old man's reaction, responded nonchalantly, "Well, I didn't actually count them, but there should be about fifteen... or maybe sixteen. I didn't pay much attention." As he spoke, he felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "I never considered them to be particularly valuable. Why is this old man reacting so strongly? He's quite the fiery one," Cha Eun Xiao pondered, genuinely surprised by the intense response.
"WHAT?! Fifteen... or sixteen?! And you didn't even count them? Seriously?!" Guan Wan-Shan stared at him as if he were about to explode in frustration.
Cha Eun Xiao raised his hands helplessly, a puzzled expression on his face.
Guan Wan-Shan was on the verge of cursing out loud, but he managed to restrain himself, thinking, "One piece is already invaluable, yet he has more than fifteen of them. He possesses an extraordinary stroke of luck to acquire such priceless dan beads, yet he appears to undervalue them. He even brings them to an auction without bothering to count them? What a waste of a divine gift! This guy is truly a colossal black sheep! Compared to him, the Three Lords are practically saints! They don't even compare."
Guan Wan-Shan's lips trembled as he turned and shouted, "Bring me twenty Purple Jade Bottles!" Unable to vent his frustration on Cha Eun Xiao, he directed his anger at his subordinates.
A chorus of loud orders followed, and footsteps echoed as the crowd rushed to fulfill the demand. It had been years since they had witnessed the master connoisseur in such a state of agitation. If they acted too slowly, they risked reprimand and, in the worst-case scenario, losing their jobs.
In a matter of moments, Guan Wan-Shan had the equipment he requested. He wiped his hands clean with a white towel and placed a crystal plate on the table. Next, he took out a peculiar transparent cover and positioned it over the plate. With the strange opening in the cover, he carefully placed Cha Eun Xiao's jade bottle on the plate.
The opening was designed to accommodate only his hands, ensuring that none of the qi emanating from the dan bead would escape. Cha Eun Xiao couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship of the cover. However, little did he know that his appreciation had nearly pushed Guan Wan-Shan over the edge in frustration. "The story of 'keeping the casket and giving back the pearl' has been a punchline for over a thousand years, and here we have a real-life example. You find little value in such treasures but admire a commonplace cover. What a world-class joke!"
When the jade bottle was opened, the exquisite fragrance once again filled the air. This time, a dense white mist billowed out from the bottle, so thick that it refused to disperse.
"D... dan... cloud!" Guan Wan-Shan's white beard trembled, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets and falling to the floor. In the world of dans, there were nine grades, and only those above grade 7 released a dan mist. At the highest grade 9, the dan mist even contained visible dan veins.
However, only the legendary dan, one that had shattered the ninth-grade limitations, could produce the awe-inspiring phenomenon known as the 'dan cloud.'
It's essential to note that the appearance of a dan cloud was not a certainty. Even legendary dan beads might only exhibit a layer of 'dan mist' rather than a complete dan cloud. While the cloud and mist shared the same fundamental attributes, mist would quickly dissipate, while, according to legends, the cloud would continue to rise, continually shifting its shape. This difference was akin to that between heaven and earth.
The dan cloud had been relegated to the realm of myth for countless eons. Tales of it were told in the mortal world, but it had never been witnessed until this very moment.
Guan Wan-Shan stood there, witnessing the legendary dan cloud he had never even dared to dream of. He could feel its incredibly dense fragrance, a source of immense joy for both his body and mind. He was on the verge of tears from sheer excitement.
"My dear ancestors!" Guan Wan-Shan exclaimed with exhilaration, "Today, I... I have finally laid eyes on the legendary dan cloud with my own two eyes! Oh, this dan cloud... it's worth three generations' worth of good fortune... I have no more regrets, and I can die content..."
Cha Eun Xiao was slightly bewildered, muttering to himself, "What's going on? He's just identifying some dan beads. How can such a simple task drive him to this... He says he can die content? It's just a dan bead, not some deadly incurable poison!"
With utmost care, the bottle was tilted, allowing a soybean-sized dan bead to roll out. This tiny bead remained enveloped by the dan cloud as it gently rotated on the plate. After a while, the dan bead became clearly visible—an intricate golden dan bead covered in mysterious veins.
Guan Wan-Shan closed his eyes with an expression of utter satisfaction. No further examination was necessary. The dense network of veins covering the dan bead, combined with the lingering dan cloud, indicated that it was something only the supreme immortals of myths could create—a magical grade 10 dan!
Although it was merely a Pei-Yuan Dan, its quality was so exceptional that even a grade 9 dan-maker, a mythical figure in itself, would want to purchase it for research. More than the grade of the dan, it represented an entrance to the challenging path of supreme dan-making. Even mastering a small part of the technique could significantly elevate a dan-maker's skills.
Guan Wan-Shan acted with fervent dedication, swiftly grabbing a purple jade bottle and placing the first Pei-Yuan Dan bead inside. He continued this process with the second bead, the third, and so on, until he had contained all fifteen dan beads.
"Fifteen in total!" Guan Wan-Shan was utterly astounded by the number. Although Cha Eun Xiao had mentioned it, Guan Wan-Shan found it difficult to believe, especially after confirming the quality of the dan beads that produced the legendary dan cloud. Creating even one of these in a sealed furnace would be an extraordinary stroke of luck, but it was clear that all fifteen had been produced simultaneously from the same furnace and possessed the same legendary quality.
"This... Brother Feng!" Guan Wan-Shan turned to Cha Eun Xiao, his eyes gleaming with eagerness. "Brother Feng, these dan beads are truly exceptional. Name your price! No matter what you ask, we will purchase these dan beads!"
"Master Guan..." The governor standing beside them was greatly startled. He couldn't help but think, "WTF! He must have gone crazy..."
Typically, as the salesroom's connoisseur, even if he had verified the authenticity of the dan beads, he should have downplayed their value, feigned reluctance, and haggled over the price. This was his well-known tactic to significantly reduce the cost of acquiring new items for the auction.
However, with the words he had just uttered, they were now so far beyond exceptional that they would acquire them at any cost. If Cha Eun Xiao set an exorbitant price... what could they possibly do about it?
"Heh heh, these dan beads, I'm not interested in selling them," Cha Eun Xiao remarked, casting a mocking smile at the governor. "Master Guan, you indeed possess exceptional abilities. With such determination, heh heh, you must have reached great heights."
Guan Wan-Shan understood the hint and hastily turned around, shouting, "Get out! Not a word of today's events should leak out! If any information escapes, you can kiss your insignificant lives goodbye!"
The governor quickly gave his word to Master Guan before making a hasty exit, wiping away large beads of sweat from his forehead. Although he might not have understood the nuances of dan grades, he grasped the gravity of the situation.
Guan Wan-Shan turned to Cha Eun Xiao and offered an embarrassed smile. "I apologize. My subordinates lack refinement. They fail to comprehend the rarity of these legendary dan beads. I hope you can forgive them."
Cha Eun Xiao nodded in acknowledgment. Guan Wan-Shan clearly understood the implied message: if he attempted to undervalue such supreme dan beads as if they were ordinary items, Cha Eun Xiao might become displeased and leave, leaving them empty-handed and forfeiting this three-generations worth of good fortune.
Opportunities like this were exceedingly rare. Even with ten generations of experience in auction appraisal, their auction house had never encountered such a valuable item until now.
Furthermore, if Guan Wan-Shan were to deceive Cha Eun Xiao with a lower evaluation, he would feel as if he were desecrating the high-quality dan beads before him. For such exceptional dan beads, even if he deliberately attempted to reduce their value, he would likely offend all the dan-makers in the world simultaneously.
Once word got out that he had engaged in such deceitful behavior, his reputation would be tarnished. People might say, "Did you actually dare to undervalue legendary dan beads that even produced a genuine dan cloud?! Then what about those ordinary dan beads you possess? Do you expect us to pay you to take them away?!"
"Brother Feng, you mentioned that you don't want to sell... What do you mean? What plan do you have? Please, could you explain?" Guan Wan-Shan asked humbly before immediately calling for tea. "The good one. The finest tea..."
"My plan is simple. I want some treasures in exchange for these dan beads," Cha Eun Xiao explained honestly. "You must have realized that I didn't produce these dan beads myself. Creating these dan beads is far beyond my capabilities."
As Cha Eun Xiao spoke, Guan Wan-Shan examined him closely, thoughts racing through his mind. "Hmm, there are no traces of smudging on his hands, no signs of gentle and mass roasting on his face, and no distinctive scent of a dan-maker on his body..." Guan Wan-Shan nodded and almost uttered something offensive. "I dare you to... um, well... Brother Feng, you're being modest..."
In an instant, Guan Wan-Shan's face began to flush, and a deep crimson hue quickly spread. He had somehow managed to stifle the latter part of his sentence, but the portion he had already spoken contained such an obvious implication that even a fool could guess where it was heading.
Cha Eun Xiao couldn't help but humph, "It isn't me who produced these dan beads... but the dan-maker who was able to create such dan beads is unwilling to show up, let alone to be in contact with ordinary people in this mortal world..."
His words conveyed the idea that Master Guan was simply not worthy of meeting this legendary dan-maker.
Guan Wan-Shan didn't doubt these words at all; instead, he understood them implicitly and took them for granted. Thus, he displayed a humbler attitude, saying, "Yes... Yes. Yes. An expert of such caliber must be completely absorbed in their dan-making cultivation. They will never have spare time to interact with us mere mortals. Brother Feng, your reasoning is quite sound..."
"Whenever we could gain favor from an esteemed dan-making master, we would accept any proposal from them, no matter what it entailed. However, exchanging dan beads for treasures... our salesroom has truly never encountered such a situation in our long history," Guan Wan-Shan explained further. "Brother Feng, I'm certain you're aware of the trade laws in our Land of Han Yang. Everything must be valued with gold or silver, and in every trade, the salesroom must pay a fixed... tax. It's not that I'm unwilling to make this deal, but..."
Cha Eun Xiao nodded in understanding. He was aware that if treasures were used for the exchange, the government's tax collection would be problematic. What would the tax rate be in such a scenario? Equivalent to the value of a golden leaf, perhaps?
Salesrooms were closely regulated by the government, and they wouldn't dare to engage in such deals. Doing so would lead to the loss of their qualifications and potential legal repercussions.
Even though Guan Wan-Shan knew that declining this offer could offend the legendary dan-maker, and even though he wanted to do everything possible to make this deal work, under these circumstances, he had to prioritize the interests of those relying on him and reject the offer.
Cha Eun Xiao muttered, "I understand your concerns and difficulties... but the senior dan-maker is quite eccentric. Gold and silver, he dismisses them entirely. If I were to inform him of your predicament, the deal would surely be canceled. I'm afraid you wouldn't be pleased to see that happen!"