Chapter 163: Ink Orchid Fragrance

Words : 1335 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Ink Orchid Fragrance"Thirty million Federation Coins? The shop’s Treasure?" Hearing Tang Fengming’s words, the crowd was flabbergasted once again. This stone bracelet had just been valued at twenty million Federation Coins, yet Tang Fengming was offering thirty million Federation Coins to buy it. An instant increase of ten million Federation Coins! Who was Tang Fengming? He was East Sea City’s jewelry tycoon, the mastermind behind Treasure Pavilion, with a fortune of more than ten billion. Many items in his store were extraordinary treasures, some even unique, the only one of their kind in the world, and he intended to buy a pile of broken stones to serve as his shop’s Treasure. This was just messing with me! At this moment, no one was more shocked than Lin Tong. She finally realized that the stone bracelet Ye Xuan had given her was indeed precious. How precious? Even Tang Fengming, the owner of Treasure Pavilion, was willing to lose face and spend thirty million Federation Coins to buy it and keep it in his home. She appeared somewhat dazed until Tang Fengming’s question snapped her back to reality. "Mr. Tang, this... Honestly, the bracelet was a gift from my assistant, and I really don’t have the authority to decide. Please ask my assistant instead." Lin Tong gave Ye Xuan a look, signaling with her eyes. The bracelet was a gift from her husband, and being so valuable, Lin Tong suddenly felt reluctant to sell it, meaning she wanted Ye Xuan to refuse. "Mr. Tang, since this is a charity auction, naturally, the highest bidder wins. If someone else offers a higher price, I can’t just break the rules, can I?" Ye Xuan said with a smile. Since it was put up for auction, there was no taking it back, was there? Tang Fengming, hearing Ye Xuan’s statement, immediately surveyed the room, "Ladies and gentlemen, this old man has taken a liking to this bracelet, and I hope you all will give Treasure Pavilion and this old man some face, and let me have this bracelet. In return, anyone who visits Treasure Pavilion will receive a 50% off VIP card." Wow! As soon as he finished speaking, the entire venue erupted into a buzz. The 50% off VIP card from Treasure Pavilion was something money couldn’t buy, and here was Tang Fengming offering such a deal for this bracelet. Even some people began to wonder if Tang Fengming had gone senile, mistaking these stones for treasures. Otherwise, why would he make such a crazy move? Song Shaopeng’s expression had turned very ugly. He could never have imagined that a stone bracelet could be so appealing to Tang Fengming that he was willing to spend a fortune to win over the crowd. He couldn’t believe it; could it be that Ye Xuan had colluded with Tang Fengming to put on a show? "Old Mr. Tang, forgive our ignorance, but isn’t this bracelet just a bunch of stones? How could it be worth that much money?" Song Shaopeng asked with a serious face, suggesting that if Tang Fengming couldn’t provide a reason or a way to prove its value, it would be a deception of everyone present. His words immediately resonated with the crowd; they all felt there was merit to what he said. "Yeah, Mr. Tang, you wouldn’t have taken a bribe from this person and come to put on an act, would you?" "Although this stone is somewhat special, it is in no way superior to Shaopeng’s Furong Jade Bracelet in any aspect. How could it possibly be worth twenty million Federation Coins?" "Exactly, can you prove it?" Many people joined in the clamor, all converging their gaze on Tang Fengming, demanding an explanation. "Since you all want proof, then I shall give you proof." Facing the crowd’s insistence, Tang Fengming couldn’t afford to tarnish the reputation of Treasure Pavilion and snorted, "This is called ’Ink Sandalwood,’ have you ever heard of it?" "I’ve only heard of red sandalwood, blood rosewood, purple sandalwood, or agarwood; this is my first time hearing about ’Ink Sandalwood.’" Someone immediately responded. "Among sandalwood, purple sandalwood is the most precious. Judging by the appearance of this stone bead bracelet, it slightly resembles the ’Minor-leaf Purple Sandalwood’ from India." "Minor-leaf Purple Sandalwood is also known as ’Emperor Wood,’ a royal wood used in the ancient Imperial Palace, on par with Golden Nanmu as the exclusive choice for emperors." "My family possesses a piece of top-quality Minor-leaf Sandalwood, worth thirty times that of the equivalent quality of gold!" "Could this be Minor-leaf Purple Sandalwood? No, that’s not right. Minor-leaf Purple Sandalwood emits a natural fragrance, and its color isn’t this dark..." People were whispering to one another, but none could identify it. Tang Fengming explained, "This bracelet is indeed made of purple sandalwood, but at the same time, it is not. The reason it’s called ’Ink Sandalwood’ is that the purple sandalwood sank into the water, and after thousands of years of geographical changes, it turned into a fossilized state! Its color is like ink, its texture like stone; it may look like an ordinary stone, but its value is immeasurable. Even the finest purple sandalwood pales in comparison to Ink Sandalwood." "Mr. Tang, since you claim it is ’Ink Sandalwood,’ I have never heard of this name before, and moreover, why doesn’t this ’Ink Sandalwood’ have any fragrance?" Song Shaopeng snorted, his implication being how could they believe this bracelet was genuine just by his word, without any scent? Tang Fengming’s expression changed, replying coldly, "Are you implying that I am mistaken?" It was a blow to his pride for a junior to question his expertise. "The junior does not dare; it’s merely discussing the facts." Song Shaopeng said blandly. "Alright, then I’ll tell you about the identification method of Ink Sandalwood!" Tang Fengming looked around the room, placed the Ink Sandalwood bracelet in his palm, and continued, "Firstly, genuine Minor-leaf Purple Sandalwood takes ten years to form a single ring, so its grain is very dense! Although Ink Sandalwood has been sedimented over a millennium, it can’t escape this rule, which is the most obvious mark. However, this method is not precise, as the fossils of other kinds of wood also have this characteristic. Therefore, Ink Sandalwood has another feature. Watch carefully!" After finishing, Tang Fengming rubbed the bead bracelet vigorously between his hands. And with his movements, an unusual fragrance gradually filled the entire banquet hall. Smelling this scent, many people felt invigorated, as if their clarity was restored and their bodily fatigue seemed to disappear. "This Ink Sandalwood, after a thousand years of sedimentation, has become a fossil, so its fragrance is condensed within it. Only when disturbed by an external force, warmed by the hands, will the fragrance naturally diffuse out. You all smelled it just now." Tang Fengming said, "This first-rate Ink Sandalwood has been discovered worldwide only three times. Yet, only a single bracelet was ever made. It appeared at Sotheby’s Auction two years ago, acquired by the richest man of Lu Country, Clydes! It appears that this particular bracelet should be the one from Clydes’ possession. Am I right?" When he uttered the last sentence, Tang Fengming’s gaze was fixed firmly on Ye Xuan. Ye Xuan touched his nose, not expecting the old man to have actually recognized the bracelet’s origin. This man indeed had some insight. The stone bracelet was indeed a gift from Clydes, and the trade was to ensure his safe return to his country from the State of Lija. Seeing that Ye Xuan did not respond, everyone took it as an affirmation. The crowd revealed a look of shock; they hadn’t imagined the bracelet had such an impressive background. No wonder Tang Fengming was so eager to secure it for auction as the shop’s treasure. The mere fact that it was the only one in the world was evidence enough of its preciousness!

Chapter 163: Ink Orchid Fragrance

Comments (0)