PCJ – Chapter 551 The Alchemy Furnace

This auction had been carefully prepared for months by Xu Yanzhang and Tang Jingxian, who had invested a great deal of resources into it. It was the most important event for the Xu Family Auction House.

The auction began with a major highlight.

“Today’s first item is 120 grams of Jade Immortal Tea. I don’t need to explain how precious this tea is—connoisseurs will know. It’s a rare opportunity, so don’t miss your chance,” said Luo Aiqi, the auction house’s top auctioneer, as he presented the first item.

“The starting bid is 50,000 yuan. Each increase must not be less than 2,000. Let the bidding begin,” Luo Aiqi announced.

As soon as he finished speaking, someone raised a paddle: “60,000.”

An immediate jump of 10,000 yuan, but the auction hall remained calm—this was quite normal. It wasn’t the critical moment yet; early bidders were just warming up. Not long ago, a similar 120g bamboo canister of Jade Immortal Tea had sold for 300,000 yuan. At 60,000, it was impossible to win a canister now.

“Zhang Jiaohua, your tea is really popular. Just a bit of it and someone’s already willing to pay 60,000,” Ji Jiaxin said in disbelief. She didn’t know much about tea and didn’t understand the huge difference between Jade Immortal Tea and ordinary tea.

“60,000? That won’t even come close to winning,” Xu Xiaoting smiled. “These bamboo-packed teas have never gone for less than 300,000. We’re just starting; it’ll go up to at least that much.”

Ji Jiaxin was aware that some teas could fetch sky-high prices but didn’t expect Zhang Jiaohua’s tea to reach such heights. It was far more valuable than years ago.

When Zhang Jiaohua had gone abroad back then, Jade Immortal Tea wasn’t as famous. Its status today was the result of years of gradual effort. Now, it was sought after in the high-end market—so valuable, yet so rare.

As a roasted and aged tea, the longer Jade Immortal Tea was stored, the more mellow its aroma became—and its price increased accordingly.

As they spoke, the bidding had already surpassed 200,000, with no sign of slowing.

“Judging by today’s momentum, this canister might break the record again. Jade Immortal Tea rarely appears on the market these days. Every time the Jade Immortal Tea Group releases their Jade and Red Immortal teas, collectors snap them up immediately. The company tightly controls supply, keeping annual sales constant—but the quality improves each year. And the price? It just keeps climbing,” a knowledgeable guest commented.

“Exactly. I regret not collecting more back when it first came out,” another guest nodded.

“Well, back then Jade Immortal Tea had no reputation domestically. It only shot to fame after a major international tasting event. Their strategy was genius—first conquer the international market, then return to dominate the domestic scene. If they’d started at home, they would’ve been crushed by the local giants. But after establishing a name abroad, the domestic tea conglomerates were powerless. Their marketing strategy is legendary,” another guest added.

Zhang Jiaohua listened to them talk and was momentarily transported back in time. In truth, that marketing strategy had been mostly luck—Jade Immortal Tea had caught the attention of the British royal family. That set the course for going international first.

Ji Jiaxin said, “Honestly, I think it’s just because the tea tastes good. If it didn’t, no strategy would help.”

“True. And you played a big role in its initial success,” Zhang Jiaohua smiled.

“Of course! I was the little translator back then,” Ji Jiaxin said with a grin.

Xu Xiaoting couldn’t join in the conversation, so she turned her focus back to the auction.

“Look, it’s already at 300,000. I told you it would break records. Let’s see how much higher it’ll go,” Xu Xiaoting said.

“305,000! 307,000! 310,000!”

After reaching 300,000, prices started rising slowly. Tea value had a ceiling—no one wanted to be the sucker who overpaid. Eventually, an elderly man bought it for 320,000.

“This is intense,” Zhang Jiaohua commented.

“This is nothing. Tea prices are relatively stable. When highly volatile items come up, the atmosphere gets really intense,” Xu Xiaoting replied.

Zhang Jiaohua watched for a while. At first, it was exciting—especially those moments of tense, escalating bids. But eventually, he lost interest. The items were valuable, yes, but none appealed to him. A piece of ancient jade, for example, shot up to nearly a million, but in his eyes, it was just ordinary. Compared to the spiritual jade from the Xiyun Secret Realm, this stuff wasn’t even in the same league.

Still no sign of the alchemy furnace. Zhang Jiaohua was getting restless.

“Zhang Jiaohua, I checked. That alchemy furnace you’re interested in is up next,” Xu Xiaoting whispered, noticing his impatience.

“Really?” Zhang Jiaohua finally settled down.

Soon, the so-called alchemy furnace was brought onto the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this next item is rather interesting. According to the consignor, it was used by one of his ancestors, who was said to be a cultivator, for alchemy. We know ancient cultivators, especially during the Han Dynasty, were obsessed with alchemy—people even took pills regularly. There’s historical record of emperors dying from pill poisoning. Third-party appraisers date this piece to the Tang or Song Dynasty, possibly earlier. It’s made of bronze but has unexpected hardness. The shape is rustic, with simple decoration—perhaps prioritizing functionality,” Luo Aiqi struggled to find something good to say about the item.

Starting bid: 50,000 yuan.

“This is the alchemy furnace?” Zhang Jiaohua stared at the object on display and was stunned—it was completely different from what he’d imagined. He didn’t dare say it aloud in front of the women, but… it looked more like a chamber pot.

“Yeah, it really doesn’t look the part. How could something so ugly be an alchemy furnace?” Ji Jiaxin chuckled.

Xu Xiaoting, though hesitant to criticize their own item, turned red with embarrassment. It really was a bit shameful.

“Zhang Jiaohua, maybe you should skip this one,” Xu Xiaoting whispered.

“No harm in buying it and having a look,” Zhang Jiaohua smiled.

For the first time that evening, no one raised a paddle even after the item was presented for a while.

“Looks like this alchemy furnace will go unsold,” Luo Aiqi said, preparing to move on. “Told you it was a waste of time.”

“50,000! I’ll take it!” Zhang Jiaohua stood up.

Luo Aiqi glanced at him, thinking he was joking. “What did you say?”

“This chamber pot—I mean, alchemy furnace—I’ll buy it,” Zhang Jiaohua accidentally said the wrong word, making the whole room burst out laughing. On closer inspection, they had to agree—it did look like a chamber pot. But really, was he going to spend 50,000 yuan on one?

“You’re actually buying it? You’re not planning to… use it as… you know?” Ji Jiaxin couldn’t bring herself to say “chamber pot.”

“Of course not. I’m just curious about what an ancient alchemy furnace looks like,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“Seriously?” Luo Aiqi was caught off guard and accidentally said something unprofessional, triggering another round of laughter.

“Of course. I paid the deposit,” Zhang Jiaohua said, showing his receipt.

“All right then—sold!” Luo Aiqi declared. Who else would bid on that?

After the auction, Zhang Jiaohua happily paid for the furnace and took it in hand. The moment he picked it up, he took a sniff.

“Ugh, what a smell!” he winced. It was a strong moldy odor—clearly it had been poorly stored, probably in a damp corner for years. Still, there was no sign of rust. That meant the material was indeed unusual. Normal materials wouldn’t have survived in such condition.

Though Zhang Jiaohua had paid, Tang Jingxian and Xu Yanzhang still felt uneasy.

“Zhang Jiaohua, you spent so much on this furnace—did you talk to your parents about it?” Xu Yanzhang asked.

“No, they’re not in Beijing. I make my own decisions,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“How about this—let me refund your money and just gift you the furnace?” Xu Yanzhang offered.

“No need. I can afford it,” Zhang Jiaohua shook his head.

“Uncle Xu, don’t worry. Zhang Jiaohua definitely has the money. His parents won’t blame him—nor you or Aunt Tang,” Ji Jiaxin laughed.

“That can’t be. That’s a huge sum in any family,” Xu Yanzhang was still uneasy.

Shen Bing smiled, “Brother Xu, I’ve known this kid for years. He’s always been independent. Don’t worry—his parents won’t mind.”

“You know Zhang Jiaohua?” Xu Yanzhang was surprised.

“We’ve known each other for many years. Actually, one of today’s auction items came from his family,” Shen Bing said.

“Which one?” Tang Jingxian asked curiously.

“Jade Immortal Tea,” Shen Bing answered.

“What?!” Both Tang Jingxian and Xu Yanzhang were stunned.