The chapter titles for the first two chapters were incorrect; Xiao Yu has made the necessary corrections, and he apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused... The dining table at the restaurant was not small, but with so many people crammed around it, it suddenly felt quite cramped.

In the end, it was Liang Yan who suggested moving the contents to a table in the lounge area so the small group could gather around to examine them.

There were sofas near that table, but no one bothered to sit on them now; squatting felt better than sitting there. Seven people were hunched around the small square table, astonishing the waiters who came in to deliver the dishes.

If not for their strict regulations, those servers would have lingered to see what these people were up to.

“Zhang Yang, open it up. Let’s see what’s really inside!”

Hu Xin was practically crawling over the table, his eyes glued to the object wrapped in black oilcloth, burning with sheer curiosity.

“Do you guys think this might be something hidden by aliens?”

Just as Zhang Yang reached out, Gu Cheng suddenly interjected, his comment nearly causing everyone to tumble over in surprise.

This Gu Cheng had an even more vivid imagination than Hu Xin, conjuring up aliens. This was just an ivory carving; even if aliens wanted to hide something, they wouldn't stash it inside here.

“Stop guessing wildly. Just let Zhang Yang open it so we’ll know!”

Nannan shot him a slight glare, and Gu Cheng immediately quieted down, though a goofy smile soon spread across his face again.

In truth, his action of buying the Yuan Datou coin that day had deeply moved Nannan. Gu Cheng received about the same allowance as them each month—only three hundred yuan for living expenses—and the thirty yuan he spent was three days' worth of his budget. For her sake, he pulled it out without hesitation, and Nannan would be lying if she said she wasn’t affected at all.

It must be admitted that Gu Cheng's effort had finally paid off. At the very least, Nannan had taken note of his kindness.

Zhang Yang’s hands finally tore away the outer layer of black oilcloth. It was only a single layer; once removed, everyone's eyes widened.

Beneath the oilcloth was a transparent glass dome. The dome was hermetically sealed, and inside rested something dark yellow, tinged with a hint of red.

The appearance of this object utterly shocked everyone present except for Zhang Yang.

This was nothing like what they had imagined; no one expected that hidden inside the highly valuable ivory carving would be something so unremarkable.

They didn’t even know what it was.

Only Zhang Yang’s eyes were wide open, seemingly brimming with excitement.

The patient from his previous life hadn't lied to him. It really was this thing, this true treasure.

This was an incredible treasure, and its value far surpassed that of the ivory carving, especially for Zhang Yang, who could utilize such an item to its greatest potential.

“What is this? How could it look like this?”

Hu Xin’s face was already etched with disappointment as he pointed a finger toward the glass container.

“This looks like a root? Why would they hide a root in here, and seal it up so tightly?” Xiao Dai asked doubtfully, while Mi Xue and Liang Yan were both focused intently on Zhang Yang. They sensed the distinct change in his expression.

“Zhang Yang, do you know what this is?” Mi Xue asked softly. Liang Yan had been about to ask, but Mi Xue had spoken first, so she held back.

She too was watching Zhang Yang curiously, hoping to hear the answer from his lips.

“Yes, what exactly is this? It’s so ugly,” Hu Xin chimed in, raising his head to ask, and although the others hadn't spoken, they were now all looking at Zhang Yang, brimming with curiosity.

“Ugly?”

Zhang Yang calmed his racing heart, a faint smile returning to his face.

He continued, “I don’t think it’s ugly at all. I truly never expected it to be such a magnificent treasure!”

After saying this, Zhang Yang let out a long sigh. The others stared at him blankly, anxiety evident on every face.

Zhang Yang wouldn’t say what it was, practically agonizing them to death.

“Boss, stop teasing us. Just tell us quickly, what is this thing!”

Gu Cheng shook his head with a wry smile and asked again, while the others nodded in agreement.

Zhang Yang looked up and smiled once more, “Chengzi, look at it yourself. What does this resemble?”

Zhang Yang still wouldn't tell them, making Hu Xin so anxious he looked ready to grab Zhang Yang by the neck—though Hu Xin certainly wouldn't dare; Zhang Yang held considerable prestige among them now.

“Resemble what?” Gu Cheng furrowed his brow, scrutinizing it carefully, before finally shaking his head and murmuring, “I can’t tell. Just like Xiao Dai, I think it looks like a tree root!”

“You little rascal, where did all those medical books you read go?”

Zhang Yang laughed, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry, and chided him lightly. A tree root—no tree root could compare to this treasure.

Gu Cheng used to read many medical texts; he was preparing a backup path for himself—if he couldn't get into medicine, he could work in a pharmacy, as he had relatives working in a pharmaceutical company.

He had read quite a few books on both Chinese and Western medicine, yet he truly couldn't identify this object.

Seeing the confusion in Gu Cheng’s eyes, Zhang Yang smiled helplessly and whispered, “Alright, I’ll tell you. This is Ginseng!”

“Ginseng?”

All of them reacted with a collective moment of stunned silence.

Hu Xin even craned his neck forward to peer closely. To be honest, he couldn't see how this resembled ginseng at all, and neither could Xiao Dai.

Only Liang Yan’s expression shifted unnaturally, and she glanced at Zhang Yang with a flicker of surprise.

“How can ginseng look like this? This doesn't seem right either?”

Gu Cheng frowned. Ginseng was the king of tonic herbs, and although he had read about it in Chinese medicine books, he had also seen physical samples—and the ginseng he had seen didn't look like this.

Zhang Yang gently shook his head and continued, “This is not ordinary ginseng. This is Thousand-Year Ginseng, and it’s much older than a thousand years!”

Thousand-Year Ginseng?

Everyone froze again, especially Liang Yan, whose expression twitched even more intensely.

Zhang Yang didn't look at them, his gaze fixed on the object inside the glass tube, and he went on, “Thousand-Year Ginseng is also known as the King of Thousand-Year Ginseng. This is the main root of the specimen. Although it’s not the whole thing, it is an incredibly valuable piece. Based on my observation, this piece of Thousand-Year Ginseng is at least over two thousand years old, making it even more valuable than a typical thousand-year specimen!”

Zhang Yang’s tone was slow, yet it carried an unmistakable sense of awe.

Ginseng, especially wild ginseng, does not grow easily.

Generally, a century-old wild ginseng is already extremely valuable and rare to purchase. In later times, some century-old wild ginsengs were traded for seven-figure sums.

Even now, a century-old wild ginseng is a rare and excellent find.

As for Thousand-Year Ginseng, it is even more elusive, a matter of chance.

Long ago, there were legends in China that ginseng develops a human form at one hundred years, becomes a spirit at one thousand, and that these thousand-year specimens gain wisdom and can run away, requiring a red thread to capture them.

Legends are legends, of course, but the extreme rarity of Thousand-Year Ginseng is real, let alone a specimen over two thousand years old.

This ginseng predates the Common Era.

“Over two thousand years? That’s incredible! Zhang Yang, just how much is this ginseng worth?”

Hu Xin smacked his lips, instinctively asking the question that was on everyone’s mind. Now, they all looked up at Zhang Yang.

To them, the monetary value was the most tangible measure.

Zhang Yang lowered his head in thought. This answer was actually quite difficult to give.

In his previous life, this piece of ginseng was discovered by a Hong Kong merchant, who kept the root and sold the ivory carving, which is how it eventually fell into Zhang Yang’s hands.

It was rumored that someone once offered ten million yuan for this ginseng, shocking many in the pharmaceutical world at the time, but there was no further news—no one knew if the sale was finalized.

That would have been around the turn of the century, but even now, this ginseng should be worth at least several million, and potentially ten million if the right buyer needed it.

Of course, with such a treasure in his possession, Zhang Yang would never sell it, no matter the price. This item could manifest far greater value in his hands.

“Nobody sells a treasure like this. If we’re talking true value, it’s worth at least eight million!”

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yang gave that answer, and almost everyone present gasped audibly.

Eight million—such a small object was worth that much? They couldn't even imagine it, and that was the minimum value.

“Is it really that high?”

Hu Xin couldn't help but shrink his neck. They had completely forgotten about their bet; now, their minds were entirely occupied by the Thousand-Year Ginseng in the jar.

“Yes. Don't underestimate this Thousand-Year Ginseng. Although it’s incomplete, it is the main root, and it can serve a massive purpose. At a critical moment, it can save a life!”

Zhang Yang smiled and nodded. Truly aged spiritual medicines, in the hands of someone who knows how to use them, can indeed achieve unexpected effects.

Thousand-Year Ginseng, Ten-Thousand-Year Lingzhi—such heavenly materials, while perhaps not capable of reviving the dead or mending broken bones, are not far off. Zhang Yang happened to be someone who knew how to use them, meaning this treasure would realize its highest potential under his care.

In his past life, that patient heard this story and paid a high price for the ivory carving to gift it to Zhang Yang.

The patient had once expressed regret, saying that if he could have obtained the ginseng root, Zhang Yang could have treated his illness even better.

Liang Yan’s lip twitched. She glanced at Zhang Yang, wanting to say something, but ultimately didn't speak. The others were already clustered around the ginseng, which looked unremarkable, chattering amongst themselves. Thousand-Year Ginseng was something they usually only encountered in Wuxia novels; they never expected to see it in reality.

After watching for a while, Zhang Yang carefully put the jar away.

It was sealed in the bottle for preservation. Later, people investigated the origin of this ginseng, suggesting it might have belonged to the Song family, one of the Four Great Families during the war period.

After the war ended, the item was lost, and no one knew exactly where.

This was only hearsay, never properly verified. In reality, its origin wasn't important; what mattered was that it was genuine Thousand-Year Ginseng. Such a rare heavenly treasure is absolutely something one encounters once in a lifetime.

“Zhang Yang, the food is getting cold?”

The group returned to the dining table, and Mi Xue suddenly called out. They had been so engrossed in studying the Thousand-Year Ginseng that they hadn't come back to eat, and the dishes served were now truly cold.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll have someone reheat it right away. Everyone just wait a moment!”

Liang Yan said with a smile, then promptly left the private room. Before leaving, she looked back one last time at Zhang Yang... Sixth chapter complete, two more to go. Xiao Yu will continue typing; there’s more coming! (To be continued)RQ