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Chapter 28: The Ivory Plaque
🕑 Added 2025-02-16 14:14:54 +0000 UTCChen Xiao was astonished by this revelation. He had only sensed a faint aura from the plaque and guessed it was an object of some significance. He never expected it to be made from the tooth of a ferocious beast that had been passed down for thousands of years.
Hearing the Immortal Master confirm that the plaque was crafted from the tooth of an ancient beast, the senior employees of Taxue Xunxian Pavilion were equally shocked. The longer an artifact had been preserved, the more valuable it became. Even as a mundane object, such an item would already be expensive, let alone something crafted from the remains of a ferocious beast.
Ferocious beasts were a level above ordinary wild beasts, much like Immortal Masters stood above mortals. Besides their incredible strength and savagery, some were also intelligent and even possessed innate mystical abilities.
Whenever a ferocious beast appeared and rampaged through mortal lands, it would either leave on its own once it lost interest, or an Immortal Master would have to intervene, either driving it away or, in rare cases, slaying it. More often than not, they were simply driven away rather than killed.
Thus, any item made from the remains of a ferocious beast was undoubtedly connected to an Immortal Master. One could rightfully call it a true relic of the immortals.
Pang Hemu felt a mix of emotions as he looked at the ivory plaque now in the Immortal Master’s hands. He was pleased that Chen Xiao had discovered such a treasure, ensuring that their shop's reputation remained intact. At the same time, he regretted that such a valuable artifact had been gathering dust in their store, unnoticed for so long.
The chief and assistant shopkeepers, along with the other senior staff, felt the same way. Had they known they had an ivory plaque from a ferocious beast, they would have realized it was nearly as valuable as the bronze cauldron. In fact, its small size made it even less likely to be targeted for its materials, unlike the cauldron.
Pang Hemu stood to the side, observing Chen Xiao’s expression of shock. Clearly, he too was taken aback by the discovery.
This was already the second time Chen Xiao had made such a startling appraisal. First, the bronze cauldron, and now the ivory plaque. It was no longer just a coincidence, Chen Xiao truly had a talent for identifying relics related to immortals. Pang Hemu sighed softly. Unfortunately, someone like Chen Xiao could never be retained by him for long.
Xi Yunting examined the plaque’s exterior before infusing it with his true essence. His expression briefly stiffened before he raised the plaque toward Chen Xiao and remarked, "I can't tell whether your luck is good or bad, but this is a fine item, certainly worth collecting."
Chen Xiao looked at him in confusion, but Xi Yunting did not elaborate. Instead, he retrieved a small pouch from his robe. Chen Xiao recognized it instantly, it was identical to the one carried by the middle-aged man who had taken the bronze cauldron a few days prior. It seemed to be a special pouch used by Immortal Masters to store their wealth.
Xi Yunting reached into the pouch and grabbed a handful of small, round beads, which he then handed to Chen Xiao. Instinctively, Chen Xiao extended his palm, allowing the beads to fall into his hand. They were smooth like pearls and emitted a crisp, jade-like clinking sound as they knocked against one another.
Chen Xiao quickly counted, exactly ten of them.
The chief shopkeeper, who had sharp eyes, gasped, "Spirit pearls?!"
Standing nearby, Pang Hemu saw them as well. He recalled the middle-aged man who had tossed a similar pouch into his arms, which had contained the same kind of pearls. That man had deliberately left the pouch behind as a gesture of goodwill, ensuring Pang Hemu wouldn’t need to reveal its contents. When Pang Hemu counted the pearls later that night, he found there were fifty inside.
Comparing the two transactions, Pang Hemu roughly gauged the plaque’s worth, it was about one-fifth the value of the bronze cauldron.
Hearing the chief shopkeeper’s exclamation, Chen Xiao finally remembered where he had seen such pearls before. It was during a celebratory banquet when their employer had successfully closed a major deal. The hired chefs had brought a specially crafted stove, which was powered by spirit pearls. However, the pearl used at that time had been much smaller and duller in color, which was why Chen Xiao hadn’t immediately made the connection.
"Taxue Xunxian, this trip was not in vain after all," Xi Yunting murmured in his deep voice. When Chen Xiao looked up again, the Immortal Master had already disappeared.
Glancing at the water basin, Chen Xiao saw the ripples settling, gradually returning to stillness—a sign that Xi Yunting had truly left.
The moment the Immortal Master departed, the atmosphere inside Taxue Xunxian Pavilion visibly relaxed. The shopkeepers, senior staff, and clerks all exhaled in relief. Only now did they dare to speak and move freely. Within moments, small groups had gathered, excitedly discussing the Immortal Master’s presence. For most of them, it was their first time seeing an Immortal Master from one of the great sects, so their enthusiasm was palpable. Their voices grew loud, and their animated chatter soon attracted the curiosity of neighboring shopkeepers.
As onlookers gathered, the clerks eagerly recounted the events, pulling their counterparts into conversation. The shopkeepers, too, exchanged their own interpretations, sparking waves of astonishment and exclamations from the crowd.
Pang Hemu, however, sighed with a sense of loss. "He's gone..."
Chen Xiao extended his palm, offering the spirit pearls to Pang Hemu. "Master Pang, these pearls belong to you."
Pang Hemu, already irritated by the rising noise in the shop, frowned and took the pearls. Then he said to Chen Xiao, "Come with me."
The two retreated to the sitting room in the main building. Once seated, Pang Hemu pushed half of the pearls back toward Chen Xiao. "These are yours, take them."
Chen Xiao stared in surprise at the five pearls on the table. "Master Pang? What do you mean?" He knew that shopkeepers who closed large deals received generous commissions, but a fifty-fifty split seemed excessive.
Pang Hemu chuckled. "This is my way of thanking you for saving me from embarrassment. My reputation is worth something, after all. No need to refuse, just take them."
After a moment of consideration, Chen Xiao decided not to decline. "Then I’ll accept them shamelessly."
Seeing Chen Xiao store the pearls properly, Pang Hemu advised, "Keep those pearls safe. I suspect these spirit pearls serve as currency among the Immortal Masters. You may find them useful in the future, so don’t lose them."
Chen Xiao had already suspected as much. This world lacked coal and petroleum; areas where such resources should exist were instead home to spirit stone mines. In his previous life, coal and petroleum were controlled by nations or powerful financial groups. In this world, it was only logical that spirit stone mines would be controlled by cultivators.
Thus, while gold and silver circulated among mortals as precious metals, spirit stone artifacts likely served as currency among cultivators.
After a brief hesitation, Pang Hemu asked, "Xiao Han, when you chose that plaque, you truly startled me. How did you recognize it as an immortal artifact?"
Chen Xiao said, “I just have a feeling that the ivory plaque doesn’t really look like it’s made of ivory.”
Pang Hemu had been in the antiques business for nearly twenty years and had seen countless collectibles. He prided himself on his knowledge of ivory artifacts, yet he hadn’t noticed anything unusual about the plaque. Could this really be a matter of natural talent?
Pang Hemu asked, “When did you realize it? Was it recently, or…?”
Chen Xiao smiled sheepishly. “I actually noticed it a while ago. Back when I was just a low-level clerk, I was responsible for cleaning that area. I wiped it every day and saw it up close all the time. One day, I just had a feeling that something was different about it. But I had only just started working here back then, and I was worried I was just overthinking it, so I never brought it up.”
“Different?” Pang Hemu muttered, repeating the word to himself. He recalled how, when Chen Xiao had spoken about the bronze cauldron, he had pointed out the odd scent before even mentioning the intricate patterns. That had also been an unusual detail to pick up on, hadn’t it?
At that moment, Pang Hemu was certain, Chen Xiao truly had a natural gift. He could distinguish immortal artifacts from ordinary objects with just a glance.
This ability excited Pang Hemu even more than Chen Xiao’s claim of understanding certain arcane arts. He couldn’t help but ask, “Is there anything else you’ve found that seems different?”
Chen Xiao thought for a moment before saying, “There was an immortal artifact the shop sold when I first arrived.” That was the big-ticket item that had landed him a banquet on his very first day. But it had only been a simple vessel, far less valuable than the bronze cauldron or the ivory plaque.
“Oh…” Pang Hemu was slightly disappointed but still unwilling to give up. “Nothing else? Even if it’s not in our shop, that’s fine. Tell me.”
Sniffing out treasures from competitors, while a bit underhanded, wasn’t exactly off-limits. It all came down to who had the sharper eye.
Chen Xiao chuckled, immediately seeing through Pang Hemu’s intentions. There were definitely undiscovered immortal artifacts scattered across the antique market. But he had no intention of playing treasure-hunter for Pang Hemu while the latter reaped the benefits.
Taxue Xunxian was already too famous, burning hot like a furnace beneath their feet. If they went around picking out underpriced treasures from other shops, they’d be making even more enemies—wasn’t the current level of hostility enough?
But Pang Hemu was relentless. Pressed for an answer, Chen Xiao finally said, “There was one thing—a jade pendant. But I bought it myself while I was on leave and gifted it to someone back home. As for the rest, they’re all immortal artifacts openly displayed in other shops, guarded too tightly for me to take a closer look.”
There really was something! Pang Hemu was first delighted, then immediately let down.
Chen Xiao consoled him, “Don’t dwell on it too much, Boss. Immortal artifacts covered in dust are rare to begin with. Finding two is already incredibly lucky.”
Pang Hemu thought about it and had to admit he had a point, finally letting it go.
With that matter settled, his curiosity shifted to Chen Xiao’s conversation with that Immortal Master. “What did you two talk about?” he asked.
Chen Xiao replied vaguely, “The Immortal Master believes my feng shui techniques have some promise and suggested I focus on refining them in the future.”
At this point, Chen Xiao was starting to understand why Xi Yunting had deliberately spoken in a way that the others wouldn’t comprehend. If he had outright declared in public that Chen Xiao’s future achievements would rival those of cultivators, it would have been too shocking.
Perhaps Xi Yunting hadn’t expected him to grasp it all at once. But the moment those words were spoken, even if he didn’t understand at the time, he would inevitably seek out answers later—and eventually, he would understand.
Once again, Chen Xiao felt a pang of regret. A person like that, what a shame they couldn’t be friends.
Shaking off the thought, he straightened his expression and said to Pang Hemu, “Boss, I have a request.”
Chen Xiao had helped him secure two major deals. Even though Pang Hemu had paid him handsomely, he still felt he owed him a debt of gratitude. Without hesitation, he said, “As long as it’s within my power, I won’t refuse.”
Chen Xiao solemnly said, “I’d like you to help introduce me so I can promote my feng shui techniques in the county city.”
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