A lucky cat fell from the sky.

Chapter 24 A Mere Brick

Wu Cheng originally thought that Hao Xiajian was quite confident.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken out the golden lion paperweight to challenge himself.

However, it seems that Hao Xiajian himself is not very confident. He probably feels that even if he lowers the price by one million, the Golden Lion Paperweight still has no advantage compared to the Night Fragrance Pearl.

So he set his sights on the brick Wu Cheng was holding, thinking that even a gold brick was nothing compared to his golden lion paperweight.

Wu Cheng saw Hao Xiajian's cleverness as nothing short of courting death.

He sneered inwardly. Since Young Master Hao was determined to do something so reckless, he might as well do him a favor this once.

However, he didn't show it on the surface. Instead, he looked very panicked: "That won't do. I clearly have one item shortlisted. Why are you still focusing on the one I have?"

"Wu Cheng, you had the guts to accept my challenge, so why don't you have the guts to use what you have to have a one-on-one treasure duel with me? Or are you afraid that others will find out that the real birthday gift you planned to give to Old Master Gu is actually a brick?"

Wu Cheng's expression changed: "Don't talk nonsense."

Hao Xiajian noticed the changes in Wu Cheng's expression and became even more certain of his judgment: "Everyone can bear witness that this kid is actually an opportunist. The toilet he gave him wasn't a gift. The real birthday present he wanted to give to Old Master Gu was a brick."

Almost everyone present was on Hao Xiajian's side, so when Hao Xiajian said those words, everyone chose to believe him.

Only Bai Xiaochen waved his fist on the side: "You're talking nonsense. Brother Wu Cheng has extraordinary eyesight. Everyone has seen it. Even my dad couldn't see it, but Brother Wu Cheng could."

At this point, Bai Li's face darkened.

This silly girl really dares to say that; she's really embarrassed her father.

"Brother Wu Cheng, say something! Your birthday gift isn't a brick, is it?"

Wu Cheng could only manage a wry smile.

Hao Xiajian urged from the side, "Take it out, Wu Cheng, do you dare to take out the treasure?"

Bai Xiaochen anxiously watched Wu Cheng from the side.

Seeing that the act was almost over, Wu Cheng sighed and said, "That's right, the birthday gift I planned to present to Old Master Gu was indeed a brick."

There was an uproar.

No one expected that Wu Cheng would actually admit it.

A brick?

Even the bricks from the imperial palace, how much could they possibly be worth?

Bai Xiaochen looked dejected and stepped aside without saying a word.

Wu Cheng cast an apologetic glance at the pretty young girl who was the only one to speak up for him: "Although it's just a brick, I believe it has extraordinary value."

"Tch, no matter how high you go, a brick is still a brick, isn't it?" Hao Xiajian said, doing everything he could to smear it.

Wu Cheng ignored him and looked directly at Old Master Gu: "Before handing over this brick, please listen to two stories I have to tell you."

"No interest. A brick is a brick. No matter how many stories it has, it's not worth much money," Hao Xiajian interrupted impatiently.

Wu Cheng, however, continued speaking to himself: "In the history of Longqiu, there was an ancient country called Gumei Ancient Country. It was established as early as the time of the Martial Saint Xuanyuan and has been passed down through generations. The rulers of Gumei Ancient Country were personally in charge of governing and loved their people, and ruled by non-interference."

"At the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a ruler in the Central Plains who, not wanting his people to suffer the ravages of war, led them to the ancient state of Gumei to escape the war."

"The ancient kingdom of Gumei embraced this king and his people. The Central Plains culture and the Longqiu culture blended together, and thus the earliest brick-making technique appeared in Longqiu. Later, when the king of the ancient kingdom of Gumei died, his tomb was built with these ancient bricks."

"These ancient bricks were scattered among the people in the early Southern Song Dynasty after the tomb was excavated. People used the bricks from the tomb of the aunt and sister to make inkstones, and they were collected as treasures by many famous literati at that time."

Hao Xiajian scoffed: "In the end, it's still just bricks, not just bricks, but tomb bricks. What are you really up to by giving tomb bricks as a birthday gift?"

Wu Cheng ignored him: "In the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong of Song crossed the river on a mud horse and came to Linzhou to rebuild the Song Dynasty. However, most of the northern regions fell into the hands of the Wan family. The Wan family was extremely fierce and had a strong army. The newly established Song Dynasty was no match for the Wan family."

"Thus, the Wan family dynasty and the Song dynasty were at war. At this time, there was a scholar in Longqiu who, despite his poverty, worked very hard. He built a thatched hut in Qifeng Mountain in Longqiu, used the bamboo leaves of Qifeng Mountain as paper, burned pine branches to make ink, and used bricks as inkstones."

"After wearing down countless bricks with his inkstone, this scholar finally achieved fame and became the top scholar in the imperial examination."

"After becoming the top scholar, this scholar was framed by a treacherous official and sent to the Wan family dynasty to negotiate with them. The people of the Wan family dynasty saw that this scholar was quite talented and had integrity. He was tall and handsome, with the appearance of a southerner but with northern features, and they wanted to recruit him as their son-in-law."

"But this scholar refused outright. He was devoted to his country and longed to return to the Song Dynasty. So the Wan family dynasty detained him and only released him three years later. This scholar suffered greatly in prison and was emaciated, but he still returned to Longqiu with his own spirit and will. He lived in seclusion in Longqiu, got married, and had children."

"What I want to offer is the inkstone used by this scholar."

After Wu Cheng finished speaking, he looked intently at Old Master Gu.

Grandpa Gu was so excited that his beard was trembling.

At this moment, Hao Xiajian said sarcastically, "So what if you're a scholar, or a top scholar? How can your broken brick inkstone compare to my golden lion paperweight?"

"Shut up!" Old Master Gu shouted.

The shout made the entire hall shake.

Silence fell.

"Young Master Wu, where is that brick inkstone? Bring it here quickly so I can take a look." Old Master Gu said to Wu Cheng with a kind smile.

Wu Cheng quickly presented the brick inkstone.

When Grandpa Gu took the inkstone, his hands were trembling.

Hao Xiajian was dumbfounded; something seemed off about the script.

Shouldn't Old Master Gu be furious and kick Wu Cheng out of the treasure-hunting competition?

Why does Grandpa Gu seem so interested in this brick inkstone?

He reminded him from the side, "Grandpa Gu... this is my grandfather's most beloved lion paperweight..."

Grandpa Gu ignored Hao Xiajian, opened the box, took out the brick inkstone, put on white gloves, and carefully stroked it: "Our ancestors are blessed. I never thought that my Gu family would be able to obtain the ancestral brick inkstone again. It is a blessing for my Gu family."

He stood up and bowed respectfully to Wu Cheng.

Then he picked up the brick inkstone again: "This treasure competition has ended, and the champion has been decided. It is this piece from Brother Wu Cheng."