8: Obtaining medicinal materials

The assistant quietly reminded him, and Brother Quan snapped back to reality, speaking urgently into the microphone.

"Big Brother, if I may be so bold, do you have any plans to trade these treasures soon?"

At this moment, He Ming spoke.

"Hello, Brother Quan."

"The items, as you can see, are all here with me."

"I am in Modu, at the Cloud Deer Garden."

"If Brother Quan is free, you are welcome to come and see them in person."

"I plan to sell all these items and exchange them for something else to enjoy."

"Furthermore, I have a few other things here that might interest you as well."

This sentence was the ultimate killing blow.

The barrage of comments in the live stream instantly erupted into a nuclear-level frenzy.

[There's more? Brother Quan, hurry up! What are you waiting for?]

[Live broadcast! We demand a live broadcast from the scene!]

[Holy cow, is he planning to open a private museum?]

[Did you hear that? The big shot wants to swap them out for fun. What kind of family owns this much?]

Brother Quan quickly said to his assistant beside him.

"Quick, end the stream and book me the earliest flight to Modu."

Brother Quan didn't even bother to say goodbye to the audience; the screen suddenly went black, and the broadcast signal was instantly cut off.

Countless question marks flooded the black screen of the live stream room.

[Brother Quan ran away?]

[He must have gone to Modu.]

[Damn, he's actually going!]

... Even though the live stream was closed, the comments continued to scroll frantically.

The night was deep.

Several black commercial vehicles entered the Cloud Deer Garden and stopped in front of a Chinese-style villa.

Brother Quan stepped out of the car with two experts: one was an experienced master focused on precious metals research, and the other was an expert in calligraphy, painting, and jade articles.

He Ming opened the door, dressed in dark loungewear, and welcomed the three men inside with a beaming smile.

"Please, come in quickly."

He Ming led them to the side hall.

The lighting here was soft, and the air carried a faint scent of sandalwood.

On several ebony tables were the gold cakes, silver ingots, jade ruyi scepter, and the most precious pair of mutton-fat jade rings that had appeared in Brother Quan's live stream.

"Let's begin."

The experienced master immediately stepped forward, taking out portable equipment for careful inspection.

He weighed the gold cakes, observed the patina and wear, and used a spectrometer to analyze the composition.

After confirming they were genuine, he began inspecting the silver ingots.

The master quickly flipped and carefully checked the air holes and the marks on the bottom.

One silver ingot after another was authenticated as genuine.

Half an hour later.

The experienced master let out a long breath and nodded heavily to Brother Quan.

"They are 'Da Kai Men' [undeniably genuine], all officially manufactured during the Tang Dynasty, museum-grade!"

Brother Quan clenched his fist, forcefully suppressing his joy.

The other expert had also finished his appraisal, confirming that the jade ruyi scepter and the mutton-fat jade rings were genuine treasures from the Tang Dynasty.

He Ming then took out several pieces of calligraphy and paintings, more than ten porcelain items, and several pieces of jewelry from the constant-temperature cabinet.

The calligraphy and painting expert held his breath and carefully unrolled a Song Dynasty painting.

He closely examined the brushwork, the seals... and used a flashlight to check the paper fibers with side lighting.

After a round of appraisal, all the calligraphy and paintings were confirmed to be genuine.

He spent a long time looking at every single piece of porcelain, finally taking a deep breath.

"All genuine, top-tier goods!"

Brother Quan took a deep breath, steadying himself.

Although they were all genuine, if these items lacked a clear and legal provenance, the price would be heavily suppressed when trying to sell them.

"Mr. He, these heavy treasures have an orderly lineage. May I ask about your family?"

He Ming had naturally considered this aspect.

Relying on the omniscient ability of the notebook, he had created a detailed genealogy of the He clan.

"Lujiang He Clan Genealogy: Supplement to the Modern Examination."

He Ming took a folder, which had been printed not long ago, from the bookshelf and handed it to Brother Quan.

Brother Quan received it with both hands.

Upon opening it, he saw a thick stack of documents inside.

Starting from the General surnamed He in the Western Han Dynasty, it spanned long years up until the Republic of China era.

The lineage included explanations for gaps and rigorous examinations and supplements connecting it to He Ming's current branch.

The two experts quickly cross-referenced the historical data on their phones. The more they verified, the more astonished they became, as the content could be corroborated by numerous historical fragments.

Some of the crucial information was not even present in historical databases.

Simply based on the level of detail in this genealogy, it already possessed immense research value.

"Your family history documentation is truly solid."

Brother Quan was completely convinced.

He Ming smiled slightly.

"Then let's discuss the main business. The gold cakes and silver ingots will be transacted in cash at the previously agreed price."

Brother Quan: "No problem."

"As for these calligraphy, paintings, jade articles, and porcelain... I want to exchange them for aged medicinal herbs."

"Aged medicinal herbs?"

"Wild, aged medicinal herbs of sufficient vintage: ginseng, fleeceflower root, lingzhi mushroom... all must be top-grade."

"Valued at market price, I will add a thirty percent premium."

"That extra thirty percent will be your service fee and profit."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Brother Quan quickly calculated in his heart.

The value of this batch of antiques was considerable; converted into aged medicinal herbs, it would be an astronomical figure.

Although the difficulty was immense, the profit was substantial.

"Please rest assured!"

"I will definitely mobilize all my connections to find the very best aged medicinal herbs for you!"

Brother Quan was about to leave with his people when He Ming raised his hand and pressed down lightly.

"Wait a moment."

He quickly turned and walked into an inner room, retrieving two long, narrow sandalwood boxes.

The surface of the boxes had a warm patina and a deep color; they were clearly old artifacts.

He Ming placed the wooden boxes on the table.

"Take a look at these two pieces as well."

The calligraphy and painting expert almost jogged forward, putting on his white gloves again.

Taking out the calligraphy and paintings from the boxes, the expert picked up a high-magnification magnifying glass and scrutinized them inch by inch... Although the other experienced master was not an expert in this field, having dealt with many artifacts meant he naturally understood a few things.

The calligraphy and painting expert started the notebook computer and the miniature spectrometer, using the probe to scan and analyze the items through the protective film.

Time flowed by in extreme silence.

Finally, the calligraphy and painting expert finished his appraisal. He staggered half a step, barely steadying himself by grabbing the edge of the table.

He looked toward He Ming, his eyes filled with shock and reverence.

"The Painting Sage!"

"This is actually an authentic work by the Painting Sage!"

"And this piece, it must be Zhang Xu's 'Four Ancient Poems'!"

"Priceless treasures, they are all priceless treasures!"

Brother Quan was itching with anticipation and quickly nudged the calligraphy expert's shoulder.

The latter understood and added.

"If these go up for auction, the starting bid would be at least three hundred million, and it wouldn't be surprising if the final price exceeded four hundred million..."

Listening to the calligraphy and painting expert meticulously introduce the life and history of the Painting Sage and Zhang Xu, Brother Quan felt his heart was about to pound out of his chest.

This was no longer just an antique; it was an enormous fortune capable of driving anyone mad.

He Ming calmly rolled up the two pieces of calligraphy and painting, placed them back into the wooden boxes, and closed the lids.

"Find a Medicine King that is two hundred years old or older, and bring it to me."

"You may choose one of these two pieces of calligraphy and painting to take with you."

The air completely solidified.

Choose one?

Trading a legendary medicinal herb for an authentic work by a Tang Dynasty master worth at least three hundred million.

Brother Quan felt a wave of shock and nodded heavily in acceptance.

The expert behind him had a flushed face and slightly trembling hands, staring intently and reluctantly at the two exquisite wooden boxes.

"Mr. He, I understand."

"Even if I have to scour every ancient mountain and wilderness forest in the world, I will definitely find the Medicine King and bring it before you!"

Brother Quan said no more. After exchanging greetings, he quickly left the Cloud Deer Garden.