Li Ye frowned, glancing at Zhang Zilin, who wore a slight smile. "Alright then, young friend, come over the day after tomorrow."
"Thank you for your trouble."
Li Haochen was about to leave. After a moment's thought, he took out the wooden box from his pocket. "Elder Li, I have one more favor to ask. Could you see if you can open this box?"
"This..."
Li Ye looked at the dark lacquered box on the table, his eyes narrowing. He carefully picked it up and examined it closely.
About ten minutes later, Li Ye hurried into the inner room. A moment later, he emerged with a very old book.
He carefully flipped through the pages, not daring to breathe.
Suddenly, Li Ye's eyes widened in astonishment as he looked at a slightly blurry, yellowed, and speckled pattern in the book.
Li Ye's expression was now one of excitement, and he said with rapid breathing, "This... this is a Jiugong Bagua box."
"Jiugong Bagua box?"
"Yes, it's truly exquisite, a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Judging by its style, it should be from the Ming Dynasty imperial court, perhaps even a royal item. The wisdom of the ancients is truly divine."
Li Ye held the fist-sized, exquisitely crafted box, his gaze burning with admiration, unwilling to let it go.
After a long while, Li Ye gently put down the box and looked at Li Haochen with a solemn expression, saying very seriously, "Young friend, this is very likely a royal item, and the contents within must be precious. I'm not entirely sure. This is a double-patterned Jiugong Bagua diagram with eighty-one steps. Not a single one can be wrong, or the contents might be destroyed."
"Is that so... what about sawing it open?"
"No, that won't do. If the internal mechanism is triggered, it will also destroy the contents."
"Oh..."
Li Haochen thought for a moment before making up his mind. "Elder Li, please try it. It's an unexpected find anyway. If it fails, it just means it's not meant for me."
"Really trying?"
"Yes, don't feel any psychological burden."
Since Li Haochen had said as much, Li Ye couldn't back down, especially since he was extremely interested in the box.
"Alright, I'll give it a try."
Although Li Ye said he would try, his eyes betrayed a hint of confidence.
Li Ye took a deep breath, slightly calming his excited emotions, and his gaze sharpened.
He placed his left index finger on one of the grids. After a slight hesitation, he moved it to the left. At this movement, the hearts of the three of them tightened, especially Li Ye's, as a fine sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Hoo~"
Li Ye let out a soft sigh, barely audible. Normally, it wouldn't be heard at all. But in the now utterly silent room, especially with nerves stretched taut, the sigh was unusually clear.
Although the first step was successful, Li Ye did not relax; instead, he became even more cautious. There were still eighty steps to go, and not a moment's carelessness could be afforded.
Li Ye paused to consider each step, sometimes stopping just as he was about to move, recalculating before proceeding.
Finally, after more than two hours, a faint "click" sound was heard. Li Ye's face immediately broke into a smile, and he gently pulled, causing the box to split into two halves.
Although extremely curious, Li Ye had no intention of looking at the contents. He placed the lid on its side, propped against the box to conceal it.
Zhang Zilin was very curious and reached out to lift it, but Li Ye slapped her hand away. "Don't break the rules. Let's go out first, and young friend can examine it at his leisure."
Zhang Zilin stuck out her tongue and withdrew her hand.
"It's fine, Elder Li, please stay and watch together." With that, Li Haochen reached down, grasped the lid, and slowly opened it. A streak of emerald green met the eyes of the three.
Inside the box lay a green jade bracelet, intensely green, so green it seemed to ooze oil, as if about to drip.
"Imperial Green!"
Li Ye exclaimed, filled with excitement and joy, then withdrew his outstretched hand.
Li Haochen was also astonished. Imperial Green, he knew about it. Empress Dowager Cixi had a complete set, said to be worth tens of billions.
Li Haochen picked it up. Under the light, it glowed with a vibrant green, as if one were immersed in a green ocean, drawing them in irresistibly.
"It's so beautiful!"
"Let me see."
Zhang Zilin snatched the jade bracelet from Li Haochen's hand, startling Li Ye so much his heart nearly leaped out. "Be careful, young lady! This is worth a small fortune."
Completely lost in this green ocean, Zhang Zilin didn't hear Li Ye's exclamation.
Zhang Zilin slipped the bracelet onto her slender, fair wrist. She looked at it from left to right, liking it more and more. Stroking it, she was utterly reluctant to take it off.
"Haochen, can I discuss something with you?"
Zhang Zilin's large eyes blinked as she looked at Li Haochen and pleaded with a pitiful tone.
"I'm sorry, Zilin, but I need to keep this jade bracelet."
"Giving it to your girlfriend?"
"Yes!"
Zhang Zilin's hand, resting on the jade bracelet, fell with a hint of disappointment. She had expected to struggle to take it off, but it had come off so easily, as if without any hindrance.
This made her give a wry smile. "It seems I won't be its mistress after all."
After placing the jade bracelet back in its original position, Zhang Zilin lost interest. "You two chat. It's so stuffy here, I'm going out for a walk."
"What's wrong?"
"Young friend, what do you plan to do with this box?"
"Elder Li, if you like it, please take it."
"Young friend is so generous? That thing is worth millions, haha!"
"What, this rotten wood is worth millions?" Li Haochen's mind raced, secretly cursing himself for his loose tongue. But words spoken were like water poured out, impossible to recall. He could only pretend to be nonchalant and said, "It's nothing, it's yours."
"Heh, I won't take advantage of you. Let's trade this box for yours. Although it's not as expensive as yours, it's still quite nice."