Starting with a beautiful woman's private doctor

"Twenty-five million, for the first time."

"Twenty-five million, for the second time."

Kim Sungyeol leaned back in his chair, the lighter slowly spinning between his fingers, his posture becoming increasingly relaxed, as if the matter was already a done deal.

Thirty million.

The sound was quiet, even quieter than the previous bids, but everyone in the room heard it.

Kim Sung-yeol immediately stopped what he was doing.

Qian Xinya remained silent, glancing sideways at Chu Nan.

A fleeting look of surprise crossed her eyes. She had come to the auction with Chu Nan today with a clear purpose: to find spiritual herbs.

Spending 30 million to bid on a magical artifact of dubious origin is completely unrelated to their plans.

Chu Nan looked at the stage and said calmly, "There's something in this gourd, but we'll only know what it is once we get our hands on it."

Qian Xinya nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Thirty-five million.

Kim Sung-yeol didn't turn around, but his voice had turned cold.

Chu Nan remained calm and composed. "Forty million."

Kim Sung-yeol slowly turned his head, his gaze like a red-hot iron, branding Chu Nan's face before finally landing on Qian Xin-ya.

"Miss Qian, what a refined taste you have."

Kim Sung-yeol chuckled, revealing a row of bright white teeth. "Does your Qian family still have spare money to bid on magical artifacts for outsiders? If your father knew how you were wasting money like this, he'd probably jump out of his sickbed."

Qian Xinya said without changing her expression, "It's none of Young Master Jin's business to concern myself with the affairs of my Qian family."

"Forty million, for the first time!"

The host's voice came in at just the right moment, abruptly severing the almost-burnt connection between the two.

Kim Sung-yeol stared at Chu Nan for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed, "My friend, if you want to resell this gourd, you can come find me anytime!"

He threw the number plate on the table, got up, and left.

An old man followed behind, drifting away like a shadow.

"Forty million, the third time... sold!"

The hall erupted in chaos.

"Forty million! To buy a jade gourd?"

"What's the story behind this gourd?"

"Who's that person? Did Miss Qian bring him? He looks completely unfamiliar!"

Chu Nan ignored these discussions and got up to handle the handover.

The staff checked the card, put the gourd into the combination lock box, and handed it over.

Chu Nan immediately opened the box, took out the gourd, and placed it in his palm.

The jade is indeed of poor quality, with a rough surface, as if it has been buried in the soil for many years, and there are dark stains in several places.

But after getting the hang of it, Chu Nan understood it even more clearly.

The inner wall of the gourd has extremely fine lines that don't look like they were formed naturally, but rather like they were carved on by someone using a very fine tool.

Between those lines, layers upon layers of chilling energy swirled, like iron chains, locking something firmly inside the gourd's deepest recesses.

That thing had a very pure aura, completely different from the cold, damp atmosphere outside.

Chu Nan said to Qian Xinya, "This gourd is locked; we need to find a way to unlock it."

Qian Xinya asked, "Can it be opened?"

"I don't know. But someone must know how to open it."

As Chu Nan spoke, he glanced towards the direction of the restaurant's entrance.

Qian Xinya understood and said softly, "Jin Chenglie has a place he frequents in the northern part of Dongcheng called Chongwen Tea House, which is a five-minute walk from here."

Are you sure?

"Kim Sung-yeol has a habit of going there for tea when he's in a bad mood, and he can sit there for half the night. He's holding back his anger tonight, so he won't go anywhere else."

Chu Nan nodded. "Then we'll go get a cup of tea!"

Qian Xinya didn't say anything more and took Chu Nan away from Tianan Hotel, heading to Chongwen Teahouse where Jin Chenglie was.

The teahouse is tucked away in an old alley with gray walls. The storefront is small, but it has a great style and looks like a high-end place.

Chu Nan and Qian Xinya went inside, and the waiter didn't ask any questions, leading them directly to the third floor.

The stair railings were worn smooth and weathered, making footsteps all the more loud in the quiet stairwell.

Kim Sung-yeol was indeed there.

The door to the private room on the third floor was open, as if it had been reserved specifically for them.

Kim Sung-yeol sat in the main seat, with a complete tea set in front of him, and the water had already boiled.

The old man sat opposite him, still looking half-dead. When Chu Nan came in, he only raised his eyelids slightly.

Besides the two of them, there were four burly men in the room.

Two people were blocking the stairwell, and two were standing by the window; both were martial artists who had mastered internal strength through external martial arts training.

Chu Nan acted as if he didn't see those people and went straight to sit down opposite Jin Chenglie. Qian Xinya followed and sat down next to him.

"I knew you would come."

Kim Sungyeol reached out, and the tea was already poured, except for his own cup.

The old man held a string of prayer beads in his hand, his eyelids were half-closed, and he never looked in Chu Nan's direction from beginning to end.

"Where are the things?"

"I brought it."

Chu Nan placed the briefcase on the table. "But I don't plan to sell it."

Kim Sung-yeol seemed to have expected this, smiled, picked up a peanut from the fruit plate and threw it into his mouth, "I know you're a martial artist, and your skills are not bad."

"But you have to understand one thing: some things can't be mastered just by fighting. Master Luo, talk to him about it."

The old man's name was Luo Changqing, and he was a guest retainer recruited by Jin Chenglie for the Jin family.

He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze lingering on Chu Nan for a moment. "The Heavenly Dew Pot is a spiritual artifact that flowed out of the Qing Dynasty's imperial treasury. The pot has natural array patterns inside, which can gather spiritual energy from all directions and transform it into spiritual liquid."

"For cultivators, it increases their cultivation, heals injuries, and replenishes their vital energy; for ordinary people, it strengthens their bodies, promotes health, and prolongs life."

Luo Changqing deliberately spoke slowly and deliberately, in the tone of lecturing a student, "But this pot has been sealed with a restriction. To open it, one must use divine sense as a needle to peel away the six streams of Yin energy one by one, following the array patterns on the pot's wall."

"Forgive my bluntness, but Mr. Chu is a martial artist who cultivates his physical strength. In terms of close combat, I am ashamed to admit my inferiority. However, martial artists do not possess spiritual power, so this pot is no different from a stone in your hands."

Kim Sung-yeol chimed in, "Sixty million, you've made twenty million for free tonight, and I'll owe you a favor, how about that?"

Chu Nan ignored the other party and looked at the old man instead, "Is there no other way to remove the restriction on this pot besides using divine sense?"

Luo Changqing stroked his beard. "Yes, you can forcefully disperse the Yin Sha Qi of the Six Paths with your true energy, and then soak it in Rootless Water for three hours. That should also work."

"But all six paths must be dispersed simultaneously; even a fraction less will not work."

"The six streams of yin energy intertwined, like six snakes coiled together. If you break one apart, the other five will counterattack with the true energy."

"So this method sounds simple, but it's actually no different than nothing."

Chu Nan pondered for a moment, "In that case, it's more appropriate for me to keep this pot."

"Sir, you've already made a splash at the auction tonight, don't be ungrateful."

Kim Sung-yeol's voice deepened, and he tapped his fingers heavily on the edge of the table twice. "I'm only being polite to you by inviting you for tea and discussing business with you because you came with Miss Gan."

"You, an outsider, really think you can steal something from me, Kim Sung-yeol, in Dongseong?"

"Young Master, there's no need for further words."

Luo Changqing slowly stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Chu is confident in his abilities, why don't you let me, Luo, teach you a few moves?"