Chapter Thirty-Eight: Obtaining Treasure Again

  A few people had eaten, and there were about fifty minutes before the communication meeting started. Under the leadership of Han Zhi Xin, they strolled around Nanhu Lake casually. Among them, Wang Zhi could be said to have a good interest in visiting Nanhu for the first time. Although others had been here before, they rarely strolled around. This time, although the time was tight, it did not hinder everyone's enthusiasm.

  A few people strolled to a place not far from the Longhua Theatre, just on the edge of Chenghuang Road. Chenghuang Road is an old road with history in Nanxun City. This was once the location of the Chenghuang Temple, and every year the temple fair was crowded with people. Although the Chenghuang Temple is no longer there, Chenghuang Road is still bustling and has become a gathering place for many small vendors.

  This place is now a big mix, with all sorts of things for sale, including antiques and calligraphy, snacks and clothing, as well as small trinkets and some rare items. Wang Zhi and Zhou Boran squeezed through the crowds, constantly looking left and right, pointing at things by the roadside and evaluating them from time to time.

  Several people were walking along when Wang Zhi's eyes suddenly lit up, and a hint of surprise flashed across his face. He slowly walked towards a small vendor, with Zhou Boran and the others naturally following him to see what good things Wang Zhi had discovered.

  This small vendor sells miscellaneous goods, and the street stall is filled with all sorts of things, including pretty little stones, bottles and jars that look like they're from another era, as well as some trinkets and pendants.

  The boss of the street stall was a man in his sixties, who smiled and greeted Wang Zhi and others as they approached. The old man had been running the stall for many years and could naturally tell that Wang Zhi and the others were people of some status.

  Wang Zhi casually looked around the stall, seemingly carefully examining things, but his eyes kept unintentionally glancing at a small box under the old man's buttocks.

  That small box looks dull and ordinary, about the size of a shoebox, but not as thick. There's nothing special about it, yet Wang Zhi recognized it. This box is not simple; if he wasn't mistaken, it should be an old-fashioned doctor's medical kit, and judging from its appearance and size, it must have belonged to some high-ranking doctors, possibly even famous imperial physicians.

  Wang Zhi had a small box like this before, don't look at the small box, but it's actually full of secrets inside. When you open the box, the space inside is not small at all. For some time now, Wang Zhi has been looking for a suitable medical kit, unfortunately, he was used to his old one and modern medical kits are somewhat unsatisfactory, they're heavy and messy, and fragile items can't be put in them either. Now that he's found this small box, it's an unexpected delight.

  "Huh? Old man, that small box of yours seems unusual, can I take a look?" Wang Zhi casually glanced at several things, and carelessly swept his eyes over the box on the ground, saying so.

  "He said, 'This one.' The old man pointed to the small box on the ground and said, 'I picked this up when I was collecting trash a while ago. It looks light, so I brought it out as a stool. You can take a look if you want.'" He handed the box over to Wang Zhi.

  Wang Zhi took the box and casually knocked on it with his hand, but in his heart he was secretly lamenting that this was a waste of a precious treasure. Such an expensive antique could be sold for over 3 million yuan, yet now it had been used as a stool by someone. The person who threw away this box was also pitied, for a treasure worth a city had been casually discarded in the trash heap.

  "Old man, I think this box is quite good, it's very light and convenient. How about you give it to me? You can just name a price." Wang Zhi said with a smile.

  "Look at what you're saying, this broken box is still worth something? You want it, just take it. And I don't know how to open it anyway, I'm just using it as a stool." The old man said casually, not suspecting anything. Wang Zhi looked like he was dressed casually, but the people beside him, including Zhou Boran, were all extraordinary, wearing famous brands. The old man could tell that these kinds of people usually had some special hobbies and liked to collect strange things. So he just went along with it, anyway it wasn't worth much. He had suspected that this box might be an antique, but after asking a few experts, none of them recognized it, so the old man had given up on the idea."

  "Hehe," Wang Zhi smiled and said, "Old man, I won't take advantage of you. This thing might have some history to it, but I'm not sure, just a guess. How about this? I'll give you 1,000 yuan. If it's really an antique, then you can consider yourself unlucky. If it's not, then my eyes are just bad."

  "Alright then." The old man, seeing Wang Zhi's sincerity, nodded his head in delight. He had seen many treasure hunters before, but none of them were as straightforward as Wang Zhi. Most of them were evasive and secretive, afraid that others would find out. Wang Zhi's candor was rare, and it actually alleviated the old man's suspicions.

  Wang Zhi paid the money, carried the box, and several people left the stall. As soon as they left, He Yang couldn't help but ask: "Doctor Wang, is this really a treasure?"

  "I'm about 80% sure, but I need to go back and take another look." Wang Zhi said with a smile.

  "Oh!" Upon hearing Wang Zhi say this, Zhou Boran and the others were also shocked. Han Zhixin asked in confusion: "What treasure is it?"

  "The medical box, if I'm not mistaken, should be from the early Ming dynasty and should have been used by the imperial physician." Wang Zhi said casually.

  "What?" The next few people were all unable to stand still, and they took the boxes from Wang Zhi's hands one after another, carefully examining them. If what Wang Zhi said was true, 3 million would be absolutely unstoppable. This was truly a treasure found.

  "Dr. Wang, since you're so confident, why bother to clarify? Aren't you afraid that old man will raise the price?" He Yang asked after taking a look and not seeing any clues.

  "Haha, actually I think the old man didn't have it easy, originally he wasn't planning to give too little, and this thing isn't something a true connoisseur would absolutely not recognize, I believe the old man also had someone take a look, even if the price is far from the real value of the box." Wang Zhi explained with a smile.

  Wang Zhi took the box handed over by Han Zhi Xin and patted it gently, saying: "This medical box is made of the best purple tremble wood, and before making it, the purple tremble wood was carefully treated. The outside is coated with the best secret coating at that time, which has the effects of moisture-proof and anti-corrosion, and increases the toughness of the purple tremble wood. This kind of box is durable and can last for hundreds of years without being damaged easily, even in those days it was rare."

  Wang Zhi said, his hands relaxed, and the box fell to the ground with a "bang". Immediately afterwards, Wang Zhi ruthlessly kicked it. The people standing nearby were terrified, never expecting that the treasure which had just been praised by Wang Zhi would meet such an end.

  After stepping on it, Wang Zhi lightly tapped his foot and the box steadily returned to his hands. He patted off the dust on top of it and said, "See? If it wasn't sturdy, nobody would dare use it as a medical kit."

  Seeing the box intact, several people were amazed this time. To know that Wang Zhi's previous kick was so powerful that even three or four tiles stacked together would be crushed to pieces, but unexpectedly, this box was so sturdy.

  "Wang Zhi, how about selling it to me?" Seeing the box was so mysterious, several people believed in it a bit, and Han Zhixin said with some envy.

  "No way, I'm just short of a medical kit and have been looking for it for a long time. This can't be given to you." Wang Zhi bluntly refused.

  "What? You're actually going to use such a precious box as a first-aid kit, it's...!" Han Zhixin was suddenly choked by Wang Zhi's words. This is an antique worth a fortune, you carry it with you and aren't afraid of being robbed by someone who recognizes its value.

  Wang Zhi didn't respond to Han Zhi's astonishment, his hands lightly touched the edge of the box for a moment, then one finger casually touched a lotus pattern on the edge of the box, and with a press on the stamen of the lotus, there was a soft "click" sound, and surprisingly, Wang Zhi opened the box.