Zhou Xuan couldn't help but catch his breath a few times before answering, "I bought this Nine Dragons Cauldron from a collector in Jiangbei City. Mr. Yang... do you... do you know it?"
Volume 1, Chapter 374: Purchase at an Exorbitant Price
Chapter 374 Purchase at an Exorbitant Price
Zhou Xuan asked Mr. Yang with great excitement. Judging from Mr. Yang's expression, he knew at least some secrets about the Nine Dragon Cauldron, whether it was its origin or its function—things Zhou Xuan needed to know. ()
Mr. Yang's expression shifted uncertainly. He was stunned for a while before realizing that Zhou Xuan was asking him a question. After thinking for a moment, he hesitated and replied, "This..."
After hesitating for a moment, Mr. Yang suddenly changed the subject and said, "Mr. Zhou, can you sell this cauldron?"
Zhou Xuan was taken aback. Instead of getting an answer to the question he wanted, Mr. Yang raised another question.
Chen Sanyan and Uncle Liu, who were standing to the side, were startled again. Could this thing that they couldn't recognize be something valuable?
Under Mr. Yang's watchful gaze, Zhou Xuan slowly shook his head and said calmly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Yang, this is not for sale."
Mr. Yang forced a smile and said, "Mr. Zhou, don't rush to refuse me. I'll give you 100 million RMB for this cauldron. Would you consider selling it?"
Chen Sanyan and Uncle Liu were both stunned. Chen Sanyan, in particular, was shocked when Mr. Yang suddenly offered a price of 100 million. Although he had made a lot of money in the past few years, he was not a billionaire. Offering tens of millions would be a death sentence for him, and hundreds of millions was beyond his reach.
Despite his naiveté, Chen Sanyan understood that this Nine Dragon Cauldron must be a priceless treasure.
Zhou Xuan said calmly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Yang, as I've already said, this cauldron is not for sale."
When Zhou Xuan said he wouldn't sell the tripod, his expression remained completely unmoved by Mr. Yang's offer of one hundred million. He refused calmly, as if Mr. Yang had said one hundred yuan instead of one hundred million.
However, after Zhou Xuan politely declined, Mr. Yang immediately said, "Ten billion, Mr. Zhou, would you sell it?"
Zhou Xuan was taken aback, but not because he was tempted. He was surprised by the large increase in Mr. Yang's offer. One hundred million wouldn't have surprised him, and neither would ten billion. What was strange was that Mr. Yang didn't add the price one hundred million at a time, but suddenly increased it to ten billion.
Chen Sanyan and Uncle Liu both jumped up, they were genuinely frightened.
A billion dollars—if it were an ordinary person, or even someone who isn't, but everyone except the super-rich, no one would resist it. The vast majority of people, no matter how hard they work, could never earn that much money in their lifetime.
Mr. Yang's offer of 100 million had already surprised Zhou Xuan and Uncle Liu, but they never expected him to suddenly raise the price to 1 billion, which was beyond their imagination.
In Chen Sanyan and Uncle Liu's experience, no antique or cultural relic had ever been auctioned for more than one billion yuan. At that price, anyone who wasn't tempted wouldn't be human, they'd be a god.
Zhou Xuan is certainly not a god; he is a human being. But this price still couldn't sway him. In fact, let alone ten billion, even if it were a hundred billion, a trillion, or even an infinite amount, he would not sell the Nine Dragon Cauldron. Money might have been tempting to him when he was in the countryside, but now, it holds no appeal whatsoever.
Right now, Zhou Xuan only wants to use the Nine Dragon Cauldron to return to the original time and place; that's all he desires.
After only a moment's hesitation, Zhou Xuan calmly shook his head and said, "Mr. Yang, this cauldron is not for sale. I just want to know what it is and where it came from."
Mr. Yang took a breath. He had initially felt that Zhou Xuan was quite different from ordinary people, and now that feeling was even stronger. His face flushed red as he held up two fingers on his right hand and said, "Twenty billion, twenty billion."
Zhou Xuan shook his head and said with a faint smile, "Mr. Yang, I've already said this isn't for sale. I think you've misunderstood."
Chen Sanyan then realized that Zhou Xuan was definitely not selling family belongings, nor was he short of money. If he wanted money, he could immediately exchange the strange cauldron in his hand for two billion in cash, but Zhou Xuan hadn't agreed. This Zhou Xuan was definitely not the kind of person he had imagined.
Two billion! Even Chen Sanyan, if asked to betray his brothers and family for two billion, would hesitate, unsure if he would agree. The temptation of two billion is something only a god could resist.
Not to mention Chen Sanyan and Uncle Liu were too surprised, even Mr. Yang himself found Zhou Xuan strange. He didn't know what kind of person Zhou Xuan was. It was unbelievable that two billion in cash couldn't move him.
Mr. Yang thought for a moment and then said, "Mr. Zhou, if it's about the price, I think it's negotiable..."
“It’s not about the price,” Zhou Xuan shook his head decisively and said, “Mr. Yang, this item is related to my own situation. I won’t sell it no matter how much money it costs.”
Chen Sanyan and Uncle Liu were speechless. Mr. Yang meant that the price of 2 billion was still negotiable and could be increased. Given the magnitude and speed of his price increases, any further increases would not be in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, but would be in the tens or hundreds of millions.
Moreover, the amount of money involved—let alone two billion, even two million or twenty million—could drive many people mad, even to the point of betraying their brothers and parents.
No matter how tempting it was, Zhou Xuan remained unmoved and calmly refused. This made Chen Sanyan and Mr. Yang even more unable to understand him. But at this moment, it could definitely be said that Zhou Xuan was not purely after money. If it were just for money, then he would definitely have sold the Nine Dragon Cauldron. With two billion, what couldn't he do?
Mr. Yang's face immediately showed disappointment. His lips moved, but seeing Zhou Xuan's extremely calm expression, he finally sighed and said nothing more.
Zhou Xuan hesitated for a moment before asking Mr. Yang, "Mr. Yang, I know you definitely know some secrets about this Nine Dragon Cauldron. Could you tell me?"
Mr. Yang's eyes flickered, and he shook his head, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't answer that question. I can only say that your cauldron is a legend. I didn't even know it would actually appear in this world. Moreover, the person who wanted to buy it wasn't actually me. I was just entrusted by someone else. Of course, that only worked if someone actually encountered the Nine Dragon Cauldron. I've been entrusted with this task for thirty years, and I've never seen it, not even the slightest clue. Not a single fake or counterfeit has appeared."
At this point, Mr. Yang stared at Zhou Xuan again and persuaded him, "Mr. Zhou, if you are willing, my client has enough funds. I will not mention the actual amount. You just need to give me a number, and I can convey it to my client and try my best to meet your requirements, is that alright?"
Mr. Yang's repeated persuasion of Zhou Xuan would be an immense temptation for anyone, but Zhou Xuan was not the person he imagined, and his words had no appeal to Zhou Xuan whatsoever.
In fact, Mr. Yang's words were quite clear. He had just offered Zhou Xuan 2 billion. If Zhou Xuan was willing, the number he would ask for would definitely be above 2 billion, possibly 3 billion, 4 billion, or even 10 billion. As long as Zhou Xuan offered that number, the other party might agree.
Chen Sanyan and Uncle Liu, who understood Mr. Yang's meaning, were stunned. They never expected that this seemingly ordinary young man would bring them such a huge surprise.
But Zhou Xuan's impact on them was even greater. From initially looking down on them, they now felt that Zhou Xuan was not on the same level as them. This change happened in just half an hour, which especially surprised Chen Sanyan.
Zhou Xuan shook his head again, but sighed deeply, and said, "If Mr. Yang feels he can't say, then forget it. I can't force him. Well, that's it then."
After saying that, he turned to Wei Xiaoyu and said, "Xiaoyu, let's go."
Zhou Xuan was taken aback by today's events. In his view, the secret of the Nine Dragon Cauldron was something that did not exist in this world at all. But he did not expect that Mr. Yang, who came by chance, must know something. But if he did not say it, there was nothing he could do.
However, given that Mr. Yang was able to ask for 2 billion, it's safe to assume that the Nine Dragon Cauldron is worth that price. In Zhou Xuan's imagination, if the other party is a wealthy person who knows that the Nine Dragon Cauldron can travel through time, then it's not surprising that they would ask for such an astonishing price. For those people, traveling through time is probably linked to even greater wealth. Even for those who aren't after wealth, such as some scientists, a machine that can travel through time is a priceless treasure to them.
Mr. Yang insisted on offering a high price to buy it, while Mr. Zhou refused to sell no matter how high the price was.
Judging from Zhou Xuan's expression, Mr. Yang guessed that the reason Zhou Xuan refused was probably not because he knew the secret of the Nine Dragon Cauldron. Otherwise, Zhou Xuan would not have asked him about the origin of the Nine Dragon Cauldron. Besides, if someone really knew the secret of the Nine Dragon Cauldron, there might only be two people in the world. He was one of them, and the other was the person who entrusted him with the task.
But Mr. Yang was certain that the person who entrusted him with the task would never reveal this secret, and he himself had never confided in anyone. Therefore, he was certain that Zhou Xuan did not know this secret, and even if the secret of the Nine Dragon Cauldron were leaked, no one would be able to use the Nine Dragon Cauldron. In other people's hands, the Nine Dragon Cauldron was no different from a useless thing.
Mr. Yang refused to say, and Zhou Xuan also refused to sell. With the gold coins from Cohen Wolf already sold, Zhou Xuan had three million yuan on him, enough cash for his temporary needs. As long as he didn't encounter the things he wanted to buy, the money wouldn't be a problem. So Zhou Xuan pulled Wei Xiaoyu aside to say goodbye. There was no need to stay here any longer.
After bidding farewell to Mr. Yang, Uncle Chen Sanyan, and Uncle Liu, Zhou Xuan and Wei Xiaoyu left Jingshizhai. The eager hope in Mr. Yang's eyes followed Zhou Xuan until he left.