2: Clues to the Yongle Encyclopedia?

As the storage unit in front of them opened, everyone let out a collective sigh.

Everything inside the unit was displayed very neatly, allowing one to see everything at a glance.

There were some relatively old pieces of furniture; the only thing that caught the eye was a worn-out clock hanging on the wall.

It was hard to tell what era it was from, but based on the items present, they were worth 300 dollars at most.

The only uncertainty was a worn wooden box in the corner.

But judging by the other items in the unit, the owner likely wouldn't have put anything valuable in that old wooden box.

This kind of unit is actually the least interesting because you can see its value at a glance, completely losing the thrill of opening a blind box.

Even Brother Wu Ying, who was standing to the side, shook his head at the sight.

Only Qin Yun’s eyes were fixed on the worn box in the corner; an intense and magnificent green treasure light was radiating from it.

"I happen to need a clock at home, I'll bid 30 dollars!" a voice called out from the crowd.

Upon hearing this, the Manager began the countdown.

Generally, if no one bids again within ten seconds, the deal is considered sealed.

"I'll bid 35 dollars!"

"I'll bid 40 dollars!"

"Hahaha, my grandmother's house just happens to need some old furniture, I'll bid 50 dollars!"

The crowd began to laugh and joke, having lost interest in bidding for this unit.

Brother Wu Ying also placed a few bids during this time, wanting to take a gamble on the contents of that wooden box.

But Qin Yun was different; he didn't need to gamble. Based solely on the appearance of the treasure light, he was certain of a guaranteed profit.

Despite the laughter of those around him, Qin Yun did not place a bid yet.

He hadn't brought much cash today, only a thousand dollars.

In the Treasure Hunting Circle, one often needs to take the unexpected approach to secure a treasure.

When the price reached 250 dollars, the bidding from the crowd slowed down significantly.

Everyone began to calculate whether this unit was actually worth it.

The only point of contention was the broken wooden box in the corner.

Brother Wu Ying had already won Unit 2, so he didn't want to put too much effort into that wooden box.

The price reached 300 dollars, and the Manager began the countdown.

Just as the hammer was about to fall, Qin Yun, who had been silent in the corner, raised his arm.

"I bid one thousand dollars!"

Qin Yun's voice was calm and steady, and the surrounding crowd instantly fell silent.

Faced with such a massive price jump, even the Manager was stunned.

"Did I hear that right? This Eastern Kid is actually bidding a thousand dollars for this junk?"

"Haha, I guess he didn't win any units today and wants to take a gamble on that wooden box!"

"A thousand dollars to gamble on that box? He's truly gone mad; I certainly wouldn't do that."

The surrounding crowd was all whispering; even Brother Wu Ying stared intently at the wooden box in the corner.

But he couldn't see anything special about the box.

While he was lost in thought, the countdown ended, and the Manager directly announced the owner of the wooden box.

Qin Yun had won the wooden box, but the surrounding Treasure Hunters did not leave; instead, they all crowded around.

Several Treasure Hunters who were already about to leave came over to watch when they heard the Eastern Kid had spent a thousand dollars on a worthless unit.

Even Brother Wu Ying stared at the box in the corner, wanting to see what exactly was inside that could make this Eastern Kid take such a risk.

Qin Yun walked into the unit step by step, his heart actually quite excited.

After all, that thousand dollars was his entire savings.

He also wanted to see what exactly was emitting that green treasure light.

Qin Yun walked to the corner, smashed the latch on the box, and suddenly flipped the lid open.

A cloud of dust billowed out, causing Qin Yun to frown involuntarily.

Inside the wooden box were several rusty cold weapons.

Qin Yun took them out one by one; they were all weapons of indiscernible age, so severely rusted that they couldn't be sold for much.

"Oh! It looks like the Eastern Kid is going to fail! This scrap metal probably won't even sell for 10 dollars!"

The people around were all pointing and commenting, and Brother Wu Ying also showed a contemptuous smile.

Qin Yun didn't care about their comments; instead, he took a smaller box out of the wooden box.

Opening the box, he found an extremely exquisite Flintlock inside.

"This gun does look a bit old, but it's definitely not worth a thousand dollars. If he hadn't been in such a rush to bid and had gotten it for five hundred, it might be considered a profit!"

"This time, the Eastern Kid has failed!"

The previously silent Brother Wu Ying spoke up slowly like an Expert, but his body had already moved in front of Qin Yun.

"Kid, if you transfer this unit to me for five hundred dollars now, I can still help you recover some of your losses!"

Brother Wu Ying acted like an older brother, his words filled with the intent of looking out for Qin Yun.

Qin Yun carefully examined the Flintlock in his hand; judging by the craftsmanship, it should be a product of the 17th century.

On the barrel of this Flintlock, the name Edward Teach was written, and on the handle, many small notches were densely carved.

In those days, some pirates would carve a mark for every person they killed, and there were at least a hundred notches densely packed here.

This meant that the owner of the Flintlock was definitely a notorious tyrant back then.

As long as the owner's reputation was big enough, the price of this Flintlock would definitely skyrocket.

Presumably, Brother Wu Ying had also seen something and wanted to take the unit for five hundred dollars; he was truly trying to play him for a fool.

"No need, this unit is already mine. Whether I make a profit or a loss, you don't need to worry about it!"

Qin Yun quickly wrapped it in burlap, tucked it into his coat, and directly refused Brother Wu Ying's request.

Brother Wu Ying gave Qin Yun a fierce look, his face already showing some anger.

"Arrogant Eastern Kid, you will soon learn the consequences of offending me!"

Brother Wu Ying left only those words before walking away from the auction site.

Qin Yun didn't take Brother Wu Ying to heart at all and continued to clear out his unit.

Besides the Flintlock, a photo album in the corner of the wooden box also caught Qin Yun's attention.

He originally just intended to flip through it, but upon opening the first page, the first photo made him shudder.

The photo was of an ancient book, and on the cover were several large characters.

yongle encyclopedia Volume 3 — Pre-Qin Qi Refining Technique!

This title hit Qin Yun's brain like a bolt of lightning.

Setting aside the fact that this was a clue to the yongle encyclopedia, just the Pre-Qin Qi Refining Technique written on it was enough to shock Qin Yun.

Qi Refinement was merely a legend that no one had ever seen; how could it possibly truly exist?

A sense of unreality swirled in Qin Yun's heart, but looking at the traces of the ancient book in the photo, it didn't look like a fake.

Besides, why would a foreigner fake something like this?

This matter was truly too explosive. If he could recover this volume of the yongle encyclopedia, it wouldn't just be recovering another treasure for Xia Country.

It would also prove that the legendary Pre-Qin Qi Refining Technique truly exists and is recorded within the yongle encyclopedia.

Qin Yun flipped through a few more pages and found some photos of the unit's owner.

The owner was a rather beautiful blonde woman, and according to the information in the photos, she should have two daughters.

If he could follow the clues to find this volume of the yongle encyclopedia, it would definitely be something that would shock the world.

Qin Yun suppressed the shock in his heart; this kind of thing couldn't be rushed.

Right now, the main goal was to sell the Flintlock to get some cash back.

Qin Yun left the unit and got into his worn-out pickup truck; he was going to an auction house he frequented, where he could quickly recover cash.

Furthermore, he was relatively familiar with the owner, Tom.

The auction house had only one floor, but the space was very vast, with a counter seventy or eighty meters long where many people were inquiring about selling items.

As soon as Qin Yun walked in, Tom noticed him.

"Hey! Eastern Kid, you're back!" Tom had a shiny bald head, and seeing Qin Yun enter, he greeted him warmly.

"What treasure do you have for me to see today?" Tom stood in front of the counter, rubbing his palms excitedly.

Qin Yun smiled slightly, took the treasure from his coat, and slowly unwrapped the burlap.

The exquisite craftsmanship made Tom fall for it at first glance.

"Oh my god! This craftsmanship is truly too exquisite. Look at the engravings on this; it's truly seasoned by war!"

"I'm a bit unsure about this gun, I'll have my old buddy come out and take a look!"

Tom rubbed his shiny bald head and waved toward the back.

An old man with a white beard and glasses walked up.

It was the weapon Expert, Hank!

When he saw the name on the barrel, he was instantly shocked.

"Oh my god, it's him! It's him!"

"Unbelievable! This is truly incredible, it's actually Edward Teach!"

Facing Hank's shock, Tom was completely bewildered, having no idea who that was.

"Edward Teach was the 17th-century ruler of the sea, and pirates affectionately called him Blackbeard!"