It was only at this moment that the Jiang family members were still immersed in shock, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
“Jiang Tian, what exactly is going on with you?”
Zhang Wanqing couldn’t hold back any longer. She grabbed her son and asked.
Jiang Zhixing also frowned as he looked at Jiang Tian. Right now, he felt this son of his was so unfamiliar.
“I’ll explain it slowly to you later…”
Jiang Tian lifted his eyelids slightly, glanced at his father, and said blandly.
Jiang Zhixing finally understood why Jiang Tian hadn’t prepared a birthday gift properly, but instead spent every day meditating in silence.
He… had already far surpassed that level!
It could even be said that he himself was the best gift heaven had bestowed upon the Jiang family!
At that moment, Jiang Tian looked over, and Jiang Zhixing suddenly remembered something. On the second morning of preparing for the banquet, he had wanted to teach his kid a lesson.
He had been sitting cross-legged in meditation then, and had merely glanced at him like this, lifting his eyelids.
He still remembered that glance vividly. He had originally planned to give him a serious scolding after the birthday banquet was over.
But now, he suddenly understood what kind of look that was.
He had once been to the Golden Summit of Mount Emei. Watching the sunrise, that egg-yolk-yellow orb break through the horizon, unfurling its myriad rays of colorful light—that was exactly what those eyes were like back then.
Vast, boundless!
And also a kind of helpless indifference, like that of someone who knows summer insects cannot be spoken of ice.
But at this moment, Jiang Zhixing felt no embarrassment or anger whatsoever. Instead… he felt an indescribable, subtle sense of pride.
…
Back in the courtyard, the birthday banquet began.
Jiang Tian and Zhao Xueqing were directly pulled to the first table, seated beside the old master and Ninth Great-Uncle.
At this table, everyone was of the grandfather generation; not even uncles or aunts were present. Even Jiang Shouren was only at the second table.
When the wine had been half consumed, Jiang Changgeng smiled approvingly and asked, “Jiang Tian, you said you could extend my lifespan by thirty years. How exactly do you plan to do that?”
He was actually a bit curious. Was it because of medical skills that so many people followed and supported Jiang Tian?
“Qing’er, open it and show Grandfather.”
Jiang Tian smiled faintly. Zhao Xueqing quickly stepped forward and lifted the lid off a box.
“A rhino horn cup! And it’s an antique! Look at the carving—it seems to be from the Ming dynasty!”
“‘Crystalline white jade condenses in the rhino horn, brilliant red robes embroider the tiger’s stripes’! This rhino horn cup is priceless, worth at least ten million!”
“The key thing is, you can’t buy these on the open market! Even if you have the money, you can’t just buy one!”
The people present, seeing the object clearly in the box, immediately broke into continuous exclamations of surprise and disbelief.
Many of them were extremely wealthy and very knowledgeable about antiques. They could tell at a glance that this rhino horn cup was extraordinary!
Rhino horn is a precious medicinal ingredient for clearing heat and detoxifying. In ancient times, it was as renowned as the luminous jade and the moon pearl.
Legend has it that rhino horn has the power to neutralize poisons and ward off evil spirits. If it comes into contact with poison, the poison produces white foam. For this reason, it was highly valued by emperors, who had it made into cups and other vessels to test their food and drink.
In ancient times, court artisans often carved wine cups from the natural shape of rhino horns for the emperor’s enjoyment.
Today, rhinos are endangered and protected, making it impossible to use their horns for carving. As a unique gem of ancient Chinese art, rhino horn carvings have become a thing of the past.
“That seems to be the gift Long Wu gave him. It’s actually that valuable!”
Jiang Banxia’s face immediately fell. She couldn’t smile anymore and stared at Jiang Tian in disbelief.
The little golden figure she had given Grandfather wasn’t even worth one-fifth of this rhino horn cup. It was laughable how she had just mocked Jiang Tian’s gift as being unworthy of presentation. Now she felt like her face had been thoroughly slapped.
“Please look, Grandfather!” Zhao Xueqing smiled lightly and opened the second box.
“An ivory statue of Guanyin!”
“‘Turning back, he pierces the deep abyss; barefoot, the Persian presents ivory’! This ivory Guanyin statue—top-quality material, smooth lines—is definitely even more valuable than the rhino horn cup!”
Another wave of exclamations swept through the crowd, their faces etched with shock, eyes wide as saucers.
This ivory Guanyin statue was a full ten centimeters tall, as white and tender as a spring bamboo shoot, crystal clear. The Guanyin’s demeanor was compassionate, the lines flowing, as if radiating a holy glow.
“Look again, Grandfather!” Zhao Xueqing smiled sweetly and then opened the third box.
“Red coral!”
“‘Cultivating for a thousand years to become a beautiful tree, the world only then learns of red coral’! This coral is truly beautiful! Completely red, exquisitely shaped—this piece alone is worth at least fifty million!”
The wealthy individuals present were once again shocked beyond words, their eyes wide as saucers, disbelieving, practically gleaming with light.
Coral is shaped like a tree. It grows one inch in twenty years and gains one kilogram in three hundred years. Its texture is firm, its color a vibrant red. This coral tree was twenty centimeters high, at least a thousand years old.
In China, coral symbolizes good fortune and wealth and has always been used to make precious crafts.
Red coral was a decorative item in imperial courts throughout history—coral trees, miniature landscapes, ornaments on imperial concubines’ crowns, and the hat finials of princes and high-ranking officials were all made from red coral.
Such a large piece of red coral was truly priceless and very difficult to acquire.
Zhao Xueqing opened the fourth box.
“This is… hawksbill turtle shell!”
“‘How to express longing? A double-pearl hawksbill hairpin.’ This hairpin made from hawksbill shell is also an antique. Looks like a treasure from the Tang dynasty.”
“One hawksbill hairpin would be worth tens of millions. But here, there are ten of them all at once!”
Once again, everyone’s eyes were dazzled. They had become numb from the shock.
Hawksbill shell, used as material for ornaments, is sourced from the scales on its back—it’s organic. The shell of an adult hawksbill is a bright yellowish-brown.
The patterns on hawksbill scales are crystalline and translucent, elegant and noble. They are imperishable for ten thousand years, making them the ultimate decorative collectibles.
Hawksbill is highly toxic and inedible, but as medicine, its heat-clearing and detoxifying properties are comparable to rhino horn. It is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine, with remarkable effects for clearing heat, detoxifying, calming convulsions, and lowering blood pressure.
‘I’m dizzy. Adding it all up, this must be worth several hundred million, right?’
‘I spent only five million buying that medical book I gave. How ridiculously insignificant does that seem now?’
At this moment, Jiang Qingfeng was also dumbfounded. His face couldn’t maintain its composure, as if slapped countless times by an invisible hand, bright red all over.
Right now, he felt like a jumping jack clown, so utterly ridiculous. He was so ashamed his face was burning red, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
“Grandfather, please look again…” Zhao Xueqing opened the final box.
“Helmeted hornbill ivory! More precisely, this is a ruyi scepter made from helmeted hornbill ivory!”
“‘The spiritual species flies in, helmeted hornbill ivory red; who says the nine-cycle elixir holds immortal merit?’ This helmeted hornbill ivory is even more priceless, its value immeasurable!”
The crowd was shaken, waves of shock crashing in their hearts. They couldn’t believe it; their hearts practically jumped into their throats.
Jiang Tian’s gift presentation was like an antique exhibition.
Every piece was a fine treasure, a rare gem. Any one of them taken out alone would knock people off their feet, let alone Jiang Tian producing so many at once.
The key point was that these treasures were all gifts to Jiang Tian from the powerful figures of Lingnan, which further demonstrated Jiang Tian’s immense influence and terrifying power in the region.
“Adding it all up, it must be worth at least five hundred million!”
Jiang Chao was so excited the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitched.
He had no ambition to compete. Instead, his heart burned with desire: ‘If the old man leaves all this to me, then I’ll be set for life!’
“Grandfather, that’s all of them!” Zhao Xueqing smiled gently and obediently retreated behind Jiang Tian.
The entire venue fell into dead silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone stared at those treasures, eyes wide, bodies trembling, speechless—filled with greed, fanaticism, and shock.
And Jiang Tian continued to lightly sip his tea, his expression calm.
As if what he had given his grandfather wasn’t several hundred million worth of treasures, but a pile of radishes and cabbages.
“Jiang Tian, you’ve got it wrong!”
Jiang Qingfeng, putting up a last-ditch resistance, snorted coldly and looked at Jiang Tian with a face full of sarcasm: “Grandfather is not the type to be greedy for money or things! Although these antiques are valuable, Grandfather won’t like them either!”
“That’s right, Grandfather has always been hardworking and thrifty, and he requires us to manage the household diligently. Buying such expensive things might not be a good thing!” Jiang Banxia smiled charmingly, also consoling herself.
“Jiang Tian, even if these gifts were from friends, they are so valuable. How will you ever repay this immense, deep-as-the-sea debt of gratitude?”
Jiang Shouren also earnestly offered his admonishment, though his tone had softened somewhat.
The eldest uncle’s family still dared to speak.
But the families of Second Uncle Jiang Yangming, and the eldest and youngest aunts, were completely silenced. Jiang Tian was too powerful, simply not someone they could afford to offend.
Facing the three people’s questioning, Jiang Tian remained unmoved. He smiled faintly and said, “These aren’t antiques. They’re medicine!”
As he spoke, Jiang Tian slowly picked up that ivory Guanyin statue, worth at least tens of millions.
Smack!
Then, under the shocked gaze of everyone, he slammed the ivory Guanyin statue heavily onto the table.
The ivory Guanyin statue was shattered by Jiang Tian’s true energy, turning into a pile of white powder.
‘Has he gone mad? He actually smashed it!’
Everyone was dumbfounded, unable to believe it. They were ten times more shocked than when they had first seen the treasures.
“Jiang Tian, what do you mean by this!”
Jiang Shouren looked at Jiang Tian, a mixture of shock and anger. Was Jiang Tian trying to show off his power to him?
Smack!
Jiang Tian swung his hand down again, and the rhino horn cup shattered into pieces.
Bang!
Jiang Tian tapped lightly, and the red coral cracked inch by inch.
…
Finally, under everyone’s astonished gaze, Jiang Tian smashed these treasures as if destroying a pile of trash, all of them into fragments.
Five hundred million!
Gone in a puff of smoke!
“Jiang Tian, if you want to give Grandfather a gift, I won’t stop you. But what do you mean by smashing them? Showing off to me?”
Jiang Shouren was so angry the veins on his forehead throbbed violently.
“Jiang Shouren!”
Jiang Tian called him by his full name, smiled faintly, and said, “You really overestimate yourself! Why would I need to show off to you? You’re not even in my sights!”
“Then what do you mean? You, you may have immense abilities, but you can’t just disregard the family’s ancestral rules, can you?”
Jiang Qingfeng was trembling with anger.
Many of the Jiang family members couldn’t help but flare up.
“All of you, be quiet!”
Ninth Great-Uncle gave a low shout and said in a deep voice, “Jiang Tian doing this, there’s naturally a reason for it!”
“Ninth Great-Uncle understands reason well!”
Jiang Tian laughed and said, “I am giving Grandfather a great gift, and that gift is—Grandfather’s health!”
“Giving what?” Ninth Great-Uncle didn’t understand.
The others also looked puzzled.
But Jiang Changgeng already had some inkling. His heart trembled violently, and his face was full of disbelief: “Could it be that he knows how to refine that kind of medicine? This, how is this possible!”
