Chapter 143: The Three Treasures of Seal Stones

He cut the stone with extreme precision. Deducing from Hongyu's various unusual behaviors, he suspected that she might have been possessed by some sort of soul just moments before, and these stones were very likely hiding precious jade within.

As his blade sliced down, the stone gradually revealed itself before the eyes of everyone present.

An involuntary gasp of astonishment escaped the crowd.

Before them lay a piece of Qingtian stone: slightly yellowish-green, firm, dense, warm, pure, and semi-translucent. It looked utterly magnificent, resembling a miniature utopian paradise.

Qingtian stone is one of the three great treasures of seal stones, and the "utopian paradise" before them was an absolute top-tier specimen among Qingtian stones. Not only was its color pure, but it also possessed a pristine quality entirely devoid of impurities.

Most precious of all, this "utopian paradise" exuded a sense of upright elegance, as if it could dispel all manner of malevolent energies. Its internal vital aura rippled like the brilliant glow of a lamp, seemingly endowed with a life of its own.

Hongyu was so captivated she could hardly bear to put it down, exclaiming, "How breathtaking!"

Yun Cuixian, despite her vast experience, lost herself for a moment and murmured, "This stone is simply too exquisite. I'm afraid it's worth at least five million taels of silver."

In that instant, everyone deeply realized the staggering profitability of stone gambling. A single piece was worth five million taels of silver; if all thirty or forty stones turned out to be this magnificent, it would undoubtedly generate enough wealth for many people to live on for a lifetime.

Hongyu immediately chirped happily, "Brother Chu, let's cut open the other stones!"

Following that, as Chu Youcai continued to slice open the stones, the gazes of the onlookers grew increasingly dazed.

More and more stunning stones emerged before their eyes: Rainflower stones, lightning-fused agates, wind-carved stones, and so on.

Hongyu excitedly counted them all, then asked Yun Cuixian, "Sister Yun, so many precious gemstones! They are simply gorgeous! We're definitely going to make a fortune this time, right? Is this enough for Brother Chu to pay for the curse artifact to be inscribed?"

Yun Cuixian, however, offered a wry smile, shook her head, and said, "It should be enough for the inscriptions, but making a fortune might be an overstatement."

"Ah?" Hongyu blinked in surprise.

Yun Cuixian explained, "These are all gemstones rather than fine jades. Even with so many of them, their combined value won't exceed twenty million taels of silver."

Hearing this, Hongyu nodded excitedly and said, "That's still more than enough! If Brother Chu goes out to pick a batch like this every day, he'll easily make over ten million taels of silver!"

The others exchanged glances, utterly speechless.

Setting aside the question of whether dumping such a massive quantity of stones onto the market all at once could be entirely sold without crashing the prices of rare stones, no one would be willing to let Hongyu undergo the mental strain of transforming into a different person every single time she appraised them.

At the same time, growing doubts lingered in everyone's hearts: exactly what kind of ability had Hongyu possessed earlier, and why was she able to select such gemstones every single time?

Given the circumstances, the group naturally brushed the matter aside and avoided mentioning what had happened earlier. Not long after, Hongyu felt deeply drowsy all over and drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Chu Youcai and the women stepped outside the door, their exchanging glances concealing a trace of hidden worry.

Yun Cuixian asked, "My lord, what should we do about Hongyu now?"

Chu Youcai shook his head and replied, "I sense that the soul within her harbors no malicious intent. Let's wait and observe how things develop. If all else fails, I will take her to see my father when the time comes."

Ever since the Prince of Yan had displayed his awe-inspiring might, countless people had come to realize that he now possessed at least eighty years of cultivation, practically earning him the title of God of War within the Loulan Kingdom.

"Very well, I suppose that's our only option," Yun Cuixian nodded, then asked, "By the way, my lord, how should we go about selling these gemstones?"

Chu Youcai frowned slightly, finding such matters rather troublesome. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he said, "I have a way."

Curiosity surfaced on the faces of the women.

Chu Youcai immediately penned a brief note, summoned the shop assistant, and sent it off.

Upon seeing the note Chu Youcai had written, the women suddenly understood, their faces breaking into radiant smiles. This was indeed an excellent choice.

Before long, the shop assistant returned and reported to Chu Youcai, "The message has been delivered. The proprietor of the Changsun Heavenly Estate couldn't get away just yet, but he said he will be here shortly." He then added, "An auction is currently being held over there for a one-month lease of a curse artifact."

Chu Youcai nodded with a flicker of thought. It seemed Sun Yunian was doing a commendable job with his promotional efforts.

Before long, Sun Yunian arrived. Stepping into the room and catching sight of the numerous exotic gemstones displayed within, a look of pleasant surprise washed over his face.

He then looked at Chu Youcai and asked, "Does the Third Young Master Chu wish for me to sell these gemstones on your behalf?"

With a faint smile, Chu Youcai replied, "There's no need to go through all that trouble. Just name your price, and I'll sell the whole lot to you."

Without hesitation, Sun Yunian stated, "These items of yours are truly icing on the cake. The craze from renting the curse artifact hasn't died down yet, and these will come in handy. I'll offer thirty million taels of silver for the lot. What does the Young Master think?" After quickly estimating the total quantity of the gemstones, he promptly named a figure.

Chu Youcai was taken aback. Yun Cuixian had estimated their value to be no more than twenty million taels of silver; why was Sun Yunian offering such a high price?

He could not help asking, "At this price, Brother Sun, wouldn't you be taking a loss?"

Sun Yunian smiled faintly and said, "Young Master Chu is an honest man, so I'll speak frankly. The actual value of these gemstones indeed doesn't amount to thirty million taels. However, my primary business is curse artifacts, and since our promotional campaign has just begun, the store needs to maintain customer flow and popularity. This creates a mutually beneficial cycle. Besides, acquiring this many gemstones all at once through regular channels would be impossible, so Young Master Chu is doing me a huge favor."

Chu Youcai nodded slightly. Sun Yunian clearly wanted to build a good relationship with him, yet despite offering an exceptionally high price, he deliberately framed it as Chu Youcai helping him. Such a person possessed a remarkably perceptive and shrewd mind; if he pursued commerce, his future prospects would be boundless.

He immediately said, "In that case, whenever I acquire more curse artifacts in the future, I will entrust them all to you."

Hearing this, Sun Yunian was overjoyed. Judging by Chu Youcai's tone, he possessed more than just a single curse artifact. A broad, delighted smile spread across his face as he handed the newly obtained silver banknotes totaling thirty million taels to Chu Youcai.

Shortly after, he dispatched men to transport the gemstones away.

The women were ecstatic. They never expected that a simple turn of events would yield such a vast sum in silver banknotes. It seemed their trip to the Rakshasa Sea Market was truly worthwhile. Chu Youcai then distributed one million taels in banknotes to each of them, telling them to buy whatever jewelry they fancied. As for himself, he prepared to visit the Inscription Mansion to hire inscription masters to accompany him on the trial a month later.

Yet, a lingering sense of worry crept into their hearts as they looked at Hongyu, who was still fast asleep. Exactly what kind of transformation had taken place within her body?