At that moment, Tao Li sucked in a sharp breath, but it did little to extinguish the fire blazing in her heart: "A ton of gold is worth at least three hundred million!"

"Heh, theoretically, yes."

Wang Guan immediately poured cold water on the excitement: "The problem is, this golden ship might not be pure gold. If there are impurities, the price will definitely be discounted."

"Right, a discount. But even if it's halved, it’s still a fortune." Gao Zhuang’s excitement was palpable; forget three hundred million, even one hundred million would make him grin from ear to ear.

"I never expected there would actually be buried treasure."

Meanwhile, Cai Peng finally came to his senses, his tone laced with an inexplicable emotion. After all, Wang Guan had previously said he was entitled to a share of the treasure, but he had refused. Now, he couldn't help feeling a pang of regret.

Wang Guan noticed this, patted Cai Peng's shoulder, and laughed, "Whoever sees it gets a share, I won't deny you yours..."

"...Are you looking down on me?"

Cai Peng was initially pleased, then shook his head immediately: "A gentleman’s word is his bond. I said that whatever treasure you found would be yours alone. How could I accept something for nothing?"

"How is that for nothing? If it weren't for borrowing your name, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly." As he spoke, Wang Guan chuckled again, "Besides, this thing has a significant connection to you."

"What do you mean?" Cai Peng was completely baffled.

"Raise the canvas, and you'll know," Wang Guan gestured. Everyone then noticed, beneath the ship's mast, there was a roll of silk that formed a sail. Remarkably, the silk was of excellent quality and hadn't dissolved in the seawater.

Gao Zhuang quickly stepped forward, carefully hoisting the sail onto the mast. At this moment, everyone could see clearly: there were characters inscribed on the canvas—a line of bold, sweeping traditional Chinese characters.

As is well known, traditional characters are used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, so Cai Peng could naturally read them and couldn't help but read them aloud softly: "Zhenhai Weiwu Wang, Cai!"

"Huh?"

At first glance, Cai Peng looked astonished: "That is the character 'Cai,' isn't it?"

"It is indeed the character 'Cai'," Wang Guan chuckled lightly. "This 'Cai' might just have a connection with your 'Cai.'"

Wang Guan wasn't talking nonsense. After all, the majority of people in Taiwan migrated from the mainland, especially given the strait separating Taiwan and Fujian province, ensuring a high number of early immigrants. Therefore, it wasn't strange for the two 'Cais' to share an ancestry.

"Zhenhai Weiwu Wang?"

However, Cai Peng was utterly bewildered and confused: "I don't recall any ancestor of the Cai family being titled a King. What dynasty was this King from?"

"Qing Dynasty, mid-Qing, around the Jiaqing period."

Wang Guan smiled slyly as a hint: "And he was titled King in Tamsui, Taiwan."

"What?" Cai Peng was completely stunned, asking with shock and suspicion, "Really? How have I never heard of this?"

"That just means your history knowledge is poor," Wang Guan couldn't help but laugh, a brilliant, wide smile spreading across his face. "If you haven't even heard of the famous Pirate King Cai Qian, what can we do?"

"Pirate King Cai Qian?"

Cai Peng startled, then quickly came to his senses, slapping his forehead and cursing himself for being slow. He should have thought of it—what King surnamed Cai existed during the Qing Dynasty? If there was one, he’d probably be a self-proclaimed king.

"Come to think of it, you seem to know about this Cai Qian," Wang Guan said curiously. "Is there really some connection?"

"What do you think?" Cai Peng retorted testily. "Do people with the same surname have to be related?"

"That's hard to say..."

After the banter, Wang Guan scratched his head a bit too. "This thing is so conspicuous; it’s going to be hard to handle. Even if the gold isn't perfectly pure, casting it in the shape of a ship makes it an artistic treasure. If we sold the whole thing, the price might increase by ten or twenty percent. The problem is, doing so makes transportation difficult."

As he spoke, Wang Guan hesitated slightly, "Young Master Cai, can such a large piece of gold pass through security checks?"

"Hard, very hard, extremely hard."

Just then, Cai Peng's tone carried a hint of schadenfreude: "If it's discovered during inspection, they will definitely question its origin, and unsurprisingly, it will be impounded. If you're lucky, at most, they'll restrict your exit and at least return the item to you. If you're unlucky, it'll be confiscated outright, leaving you nowhere to turn."

"That severe..."

Wang Guan frowned, not doubting Cai Peng's word. After all, countries strictly control such items; there’s no room for negotiation. They might allow you to digest it domestically, but exiting the country is another matter. Of course, smuggling is an option, but if caught, not only is the item seized, but you’ll also face a crippling fine that could bankrupt you. Indeed, being abroad is inconvenient. Back in the mainland, everything was handled by Yu Feibai; he could just enjoy the results without such worries.

"There seems to be no way."

Wang Guan considered for a moment, then asked Gao Zhuang and Tao Li; both were at a loss. Seeing this, he finally asked, "Young Master Cai, selling the item locally shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"That’s not an issue," Cai Peng nodded. "But it will be hard to sell. Naturally, few people can afford it. Of course, if we saw the thing into pieces, chopping it up haphazardly, it would be much easier to sell."

It had to be admitted, this was a decent suggestion.

"What do you all think?"

Wang Guan turned back to Gao Zhuang and Tao Li; since the treasure was a joint find, he didn't want to make the final decision alone.

"I think..." Gao Zhuang began to speak, when suddenly a faint honking sound came from nearby. Everyone quickly looked over and saw a luxury sedan slowly driving toward them.

"No! It's my dad!"

In an instant, Cai Peng felt a jolt of apprehension mixed with deep confusion. "Why is he here?"

Don't find it strange; as mentioned earlier, this was Cai Peng's villa, not his father's. One can understand that for a nouveau riche family, residences are often separate. Furthermore, one wouldn't dare call themselves wealthy without owning three or five mansions. In any case, this villa was Cai Peng’s turf, and his father rarely set foot here. If he wanted to see his son, he would simply call, and Cai Peng would obediently go pay his respects; there was no need for him to come in person. Seeing his father's vehicle approach, it was no wonder Cai Peng looked utterly surprised, then quickly trotted over, bowing and scraping as he opened the car door to greet him.

At the same time, a middle-aged man, over fifty, slightly portly but appearing somewhat robust, stepped out of the car. His face lacked a smile, instead projecting an aura of quiet authority.

Aura—that was something ineffable. Everyone possesses some degree of aura, which arises naturally from their environment, profession, and social standing accumulated over time. One might not perceive their own aura clearly, but others sense it distinctly. For instance, Cai Peng’s father was dressed very simply and cleanly; no gold or silver necklaces adorned his neck, nor were there any jeweled rings on his fingers. He stood casually after exiting the car, yet in the eyes of Wang Guan and the others, this man radiated an indescribable majesty. Under this pressure, Cai Peng looked as timid as a mouse encountering a cat, shrinking back.

"What, you have friends visiting?"

At this moment, Father Cai glanced over, suddenly spotting the golden ship, and a flicker of curiosity crossed his face. "And what about that sailboat? A Feng Shui artifact?"

It wasn't strange for Father Cai to speculate; many wealthy individuals or shop owners like the symbolism of sailboats and often place models in their homes or stores, hoping for smooth sailing and thriving business. However, compared to ordinary sailboat models, the one before them was considerably larger, naturally drawing Father Cai’s attention. He then noticed the characters "Zhenhai Weiwu Wang Cai" on the canvas, and his expression changed.

"You... are being ridiculous."

Instantly, Father Cai became somewhat angry. "Hurry and take that canvas down! Why copy pirates, of all things..."

"Dad, the item isn't mine."

Feeling unfairly reprimanded, Cai Peng had to defend himself. "My friend salvaged this from the sea. It's not some Feng Shui charm, it's a golden ship—a real golden ship."

"What? A golden ship?"

Father Cai showed surprise and naturally walked over to examine it closely.

"Mr... Cai, hello," Wang Guan offered a polite greeting. However, Father Cai, perhaps assuming he was just one of his son's hangers-on, gave a cursory nod and then paid him no further mind, focusing instead on scrutinizing the golden ship.

As a prominent figure, Father Cai was no stranger to gold and could tell at a glance that this was a ship cast from genuine gold. Amidst his astonishment, he also noticed the canvas looked old and yellowed, clearly not a new item.

Suddenly, a thought struck Father Cai, and he looked up at Wang Guan: "The item was salvaged from the sea?"

Whether it was an illusion or not, Wang Guan distinctly felt the pressure emanating from Father Cai at that moment. He was, after all, the boss running a major corporate group; his authority was undeniable. Of course, Wang Guan had interacted with many major mainland bosses recently and was somewhat accustomed to it, so he remained composed and nodded calmly, "That’s right. We salvaged it not long ago; the water stains haven't even dried."

Prompted by Wang Guan's reminder, Father Cai detected the scent of seawater too, confirming he wasn't lying.

"Dad, you don't know," Cai Peng interjected quickly. "This is the Pirate King's treasure! Brother Wang immediately rushed over to salvage it after getting the clue. It’s only been two days since he brought up the golden ship."

As he spoke, a hint of admiration crept into Cai Peng's voice.

"Good for nothing," Father Cai glanced at him but paid more attention to Cai Peng’s address: Brother? Father Cai knew perfectly well what kind of person his son was—arrogant and spoiled rotten. He even called his own older brother by his name, never by an honorific like 'Brother.' Thinking of this, Father Cai finally gave Wang Guan a proper look. After a brief glance, he paused slightly, feeling that this person looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before...