124: Chapter 124 So... how much is this inkstone worth?

The female vendor thought for a moment, "Alright, four hundred, take it."

Hu Tian scanned the code to pay again and casually slipped the jade pendant into his jacket pocket.

Cousin Zhang Fei watched from the side and couldn't help leaning in to whisper into Hu Tian's ear, "Cousin, you're here to pick up bargains today, aren't you?"

Hu Tian gave a faint smile but did not answer.

The two continued walking forward.

Hu Tian led Cousin Zhang Fei along a slow stroll, looking at several items with blue boutique halos along the way. Two items were reasonably priced, so he bought them on the spot: a Famille Rose small plate from the Qing Dynasty and a copper ink box from the Republic of China era, spending less than six hundred yuan in total.

By now, Cousin Zhang Fei had completely figured it out. "Cousin, do you have some kind of special ability? Every item you pick up—even if I don't know the price—always turns out to be something good."

"I don't,"

Hu Tian said, "I just have a good eye."

"Even with a good eye, you shouldn't be this accurate,"

Cousin Zhang Fei muttered. "Every single thing you pick up, you either buy it immediately or put it down saying it's a fake. You never get it wrong."

Hu Tian smiled but offered no explanation.

Some things couldn't be explained, and there was no need to explain them anyway.

Walking to the very end of the street, Hu Tian saw the source of the fourth yellow rare halo he had scanned earlier.

It was an old man's stall. The man looked to be in his seventies with gray hair, sitting on a folding chair. Over a dozen items were laid out on a cloth in front of him, mostly old objects: old inkstones, old seals, and old stationery.

The yellow rare halo was emanating from an inkstone.

It was a rectangular inkstone, dark gray in color with a fine texture on the surface. The boundary between the ink pool and the grinding surface was distinct, and its overall design was ancient and elegant.

Hu Tian squatted down, picked up the inkstone, and turned it over to look at the back.

On the back was a line of small incised characters in neat running script. It read four characters: 'Something Stream, Something Something'. The handwriting was blurred, and next to it was a small seal with an illegible inscription.

Hu Tian stared at the inkstone for a moment, and in his mind, the system's notification sound quietly rang out.

[Rare ancient artifact detected, analyzing...]

[Item Name: she inkstone · Dragon Tail Stone · Inscribed Model][Era: Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Huizong's reign, approximately nine hundred years ago]

[Origin: Originally belonged to Huizhou scholar Xu Yin, courtesy name Zicheng, a Jinshi during the Chongning era who served as a Proofreader in the Palace Library. This inkstone was a regular item on his desk. It was later passed down through several dynasties, entered the civilian market during the mid-ming dynasty, and after several changes of hands, finally ended up here.]

[Grade: Rare][Cultural Relic Reference Value: Extremely High. she inkstones are produced in Longwei Mountain, Wuyuan, Jiangxi. During the Song Dynasty, they were the best among the Four Famous Inkstones. This stone has a fine texture and yields ink as smooth as oil. The inscription on the back, 'Xu Xi Zi Cheng,' was inscribed by the owner himself. The small seal on the side is the 'Palace Library Proofreader' seal, verifying his official status. Surviving she inkstones with inscriptions from the same period are extremely rare.]

[Market Valuation: Three to five million RMB. If appraised by an authoritative institution with proof of provenance, the auction price could exceed ten million.]

[Spiritual Resonance: +360 points] Hu Tian's eyes flickered slightly, but his face remained calm.

He flipped the inkstone back over and lightly rubbed the grinding surface with his finger. The stone was as fine as skin, emitting a subtle, quiet luster. It was undoubtedly top-grade Dragon Tail Stone.

This was a genuine she inkstone.

"Old gentleman, how much for this inkstone?"

Hu Tian asked.

The old man looked up and glanced at Hu Tian. "This is an inkstone I used when I was young. It's said to be a Duan Inkstone. I've always been reluctant to sell it. If it weren't for my wife being sick and hospitalized, I wouldn't sell it for anything."

Hu Tian's heart stirred slightly. "Are you a man of letters, old gentleman?"

"I practiced calligraphy for a few years when I was young,"

The old man said, "This Duan Inkstone has been with me for decades. If you want it, twenty thousand yuan, no bargaining."

Twenty thousand yuan.

A Duan Inkstone?

Hu Tian laughed inwardly; the old man had definitely mistaken the she inkstone for a Duan Inkstone.

But it was no wonder. Both She and Duan Inkstones were among the Four Famous Inkstones. It was normal for a layman to misidentify them, especially since this inkstone was nearly a thousand years old. Its surface had long since developed a deep patina, and its color wasn't as distinct as a newly quarried she inkstone. The mistake was understandable.

He didn't rush to correct him, but simply flipped the inkstone over again to look at the blurred line of inscription on the back.

Hu Tian calculated in his head. An old-pit Duan Inkstone in good condition would have a market price of at least twenty to thirty thousand. If sold to a knowledgeable buyer, the price would be even higher.

Mistaking a she inkstone for a Duan Inkstone at twenty thousand yuan—this was a true bargain.

Cousin Zhang Fei leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Cousin, how is this inkstone?"

Hu Tian didn't answer but turned to the old man. "Old gentleman, when did you acquire this inkstone?"

The old man thought for a bit. "My father passed it down to me. He bought it from a second-hand stall when he was young. I can't say exactly how many years it's been, but it's been with my family for two generations."

Hu Tian nodded. "You said twenty thousand. How did you decide on that price?"

The old man sighed. "I don't know the trade. I just feel that since this inkstone has accompanied me for decades, I'd feel bad selling it too cheaply. Twenty thousand is just a bit of sentimental money."

Hu Tian fell silent for a moment.

He could have said nothing and just paid twenty thousand to take the inkstone. He would have gotten a massive bargain, and the old man wouldn't even realize he'd lost out. It would have been a perfect transaction.

But he looked at the old man's white hair and the thick calluses on his hands, and suddenly felt something indescribable in his heart.

He spoke up, "Old gentleman, to be honest with you, this inkstone isn't a Duan Inkstone."

The old man was stunned. "Not a Duan Inkstone?"

"It's a she inkstone,"

Hu Tian said. "It's from Longwei Mountain in Wuyuan, Jiangxi. It's from the Song Dynasty. Can you see this line of characters on the back?"

He handed the inkstone to the old man and pointed to the inscription on the back with his finger.

The old man squinted and leaned in to look for a long time before shaking his head. "I can't see it clearly. I'm old, my eyes are failing."

Hu Tian said, "It says 'Xu Xi Zi Cheng'. It's an inscription by the original owner of this inkstone. The small seal next to it is the official seal of a Palace Library Proofreader. This person was a Jinshi during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty and served as a Proofreader in the Palace Library. This inkstone is at least nine hundred years old."

The old man's hand trembled, nearly dropping it. "How many years did you say?"

"Nine hundred years,"

Hu Tian said calmly. "A piece from the Northern Song."

The old man stared at the inkstone, not speaking for a long time.

Cousin Zhang Fei was dumbfounded as she listened. She quietly tugged at Hu Tian's sleeve and mouthed the question: 'Why are you telling the truth?'

Hu Tian ignored her.

The old man finally looked up, his voice trembling slightly. "Then... then how much is this inkstone worth?"

Hu Tian said, "Market price is three to five million. If it goes to a formal auction, it could even exceed ten million."

The old man's hands shook even harder. He carefully placed the inkstone back on the cloth and stared at it blankly, his eyes slowly turning red.

After a long silence, the old man whispered, "I used it for decades and never knew it was such a precious thing."

He looked up at Hu Tian. "Young man, why did you tell me all this?"

Hu Tian smiled. "You asked for twenty thousand because you didn't know its value. I know you have an emotional attachment to it after decades. I couldn't lie to you."

The old man looked at him with an unreadable expression. After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly, "Then... are you still buying it?"

"Yes,"

Hu Tian set the inkstone down and paused for a moment. "Old gentleman, I'll offer five million. Does that sound alright to you?"

The old man was stunned, clearly not expecting Hu Tian to be so honest.

"You young man..."

The old man looked at Hu Tian with a hint of gratitude in his eyes. "Alright, five million. It's a deal."

Hu Tian's heart tightened slightly.

The old man lowered his head and wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve, his voice choking up. "She's been sick for two years, just hanging on. I've sold everything in the house that could be sold and only managed to scrape together less than two hundred thousand. It was still far from enough..."

He looked up, his cloudy eyes brimming with tears as he looked at Hu Tian. "I thought this inkstone was worth twenty or thirty thousand at most. I never expected..."

The old man couldn't go on. He lowered his head, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Standing nearby, Cousin Zhang Fei's eyes also turned red, and she quietly turned her face away.

Hu Tian stood there in silence, saying nothing.

After quite a while, the old man calmed down. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, his voice low but filled with a sense of relief. "My old wife is waiting for me. I have to go tell her this good news immediately."

He put away his phone and bent down to fold the old cloth on the ground. His movements were slow and careful, as if he were packing away something precious.

Standing up, the old man looked at Hu Tian and gave a solemn bow. "Young man, thank you."

Hu Tian waved it off. "Go on then. The weather is cold; don't keep her waiting."

The old man nodded, picked up his empty cloth bag, and walked unsteadily out of the crowd. His figure was somewhat hunched, yet he walked much faster than when he had arrived.

Cousin Zhang Fei stared at that departing figure. It took a long time before she spoke, her voice a bit raspy. "Cousin, did you already know his wife was sick?"

"I didn't,"

Hu Tian said. "But looking at those hands, he's done hard labor all his life. He wasn't out here setting up a stall for himself."

Cousin Zhang Fei was silent for a moment, then muttered softly, "But you still gave him an extra 4.98 million for nothing."

"Not for nothing,"

Hu Tian slung his bag over his shoulder. "I bought a fine nine-hundred-year-old inkstone."

Cousin Zhang Fei glanced at him and didn't say anything more. She just quietly wiped away the moisture from the corners of her eyes and followed him forward.

As the two were walking, they passed the entrance of an alley, and Hu Tian paused slightly.

Inside the alley was a shop with a small storefront. The plaque bore three characters: "Jubao Pavilion". Gold characters on a black background, written in a vigorous hand that showed its age.

The door was halfway open, and the voices of several people speaking came from inside. It sounded faintly like they were arguing over something.

Cousin Zhang Fei stopped beside Hu Tian and peeked inside. "Cousin, have you been to this shop before?"

"A few times,"

Hu Tian said, his eyes fixed on the interior. "The owner is surnamed Zhou—Elder Zhou Bo. He's Sister Waner's grandfather. He's been in the antique business in this area for decades and is a senior figure in the antique circle."

As soon as he finished speaking, his brow twitched slightly.

Three people were standing inside. Two white-haired old men, dressed in suits and carrying themselves with an extraordinary air, stood on either side of the counter, each with a look of defiance on his face.

The other person was indeed the owner of Jubao Pavilion, Elder Zhou Bo. With a head of silver hair and a vigorous spirit, he looked rather anxious at the moment. He stood between the two men, gesturing as he spoke in a low but urgent voice.

As the three were at a stalemate, Elder Zhou Bo inadvertently looked up. His gaze swept toward the door and met Hu Tian's face.