Chapter 282: How Does Dragon Bone Taste?
Gao Tianyao, the Minister of Personnel, stared fixedly at Lin Beifan, wishing he could tear him apart. Lin Beifan spoke earnestly, “Lord Gao, don’t look down on it. 100,000 taels is really not expensive! After all, this is a unique divine artifact in the world! Even if it’s just placed here, it can attract auspiciousness, bring good luck, and blessings to all. If consumed, who knows, it might grant eternal youth and life equal to the heavens!”
“This divine artifact must not be lost! Even if you scrape off a layer of skin, it would be a grave offense, punishable by death! We have a long-standing relationship, so that’s why I’m giving you this opportunity. If someone else comes, I won’t entertain them!”
Gao Tianyao’s expression kept changing, showing great inner conflict. In the end, he gritted his teeth, “Fine! I’ll give you 200,000 taels!”
With a heavy heart, Gao Tianyao handed over 200,000 taels, and Lin Beifan finally made way, saying, “Lord Gao, please.”
“Thank you, Sir Lin!” Gao Tianyao stood before the massive dragon bone, his eyes filled with fascination. He stammered incoherently, “This is the dragon bone! The legendary divine artifact—the dragon bone!”
In reality, he had never truly believed the object before his eyes was a dragon bone. His previous assertion was just an attempt to flatter the Empress and make her happy. He could also use the dragon bone for various tricks to deceive the masses and stabilize their hearts. However, the events of the past few days had started to shake his certainty.
Where the dragon bone was placed, a divine light bathed it. Flowers of all kinds bloomed around it, in a dazzling and colorful display. Even more astonishing, heavenly dew and earthly springs emerged.
…
All these miracles indicated that this was indeed the dragon bone. Its effects were unknown, but it was undoubtedly a priceless treasure. Bringing good luck shouldn’t be a problem. Curing all ailments might be possible. Saving a life might just work. Maybe it could truly allow…
Eternal youth and immortality.
So, he arrived in the dead of night, hoping to touch the dragon bone up close. If he could just take a bit of it back, it would be even better.
“Dragon bone, this is the dragon bone…” Gao Tianyao devoutly laid on the dragon bone. The hands that were accustomed to holding brushes were now placed on the bone, rubbing vigorously, over and over, and over again…
As if he wouldn’t give up until he rubbed off a bit of skin.
Lin Beifan couldn’t bear it anymore. “Lord Gao, stop rubbing! If you keep going, your hands will be blistered!”
“I paid money. Even if my hands are rubbed raw, you have no right to interfere!” Gao Tianyao retorted confidently.
Lin Beifan sensibly shut his mouth.
Finally, persistence paid off for Gao Tianyao. After wearing off a layer of skin, he finally rubbed off a bit of dust. He immediately put it in front of himself, licked it, and had a look of ecstasy on his face.
Lin Beifan couldn’t help but ask, “How does it taste?”
Gao Tianyao frowned, “This taste, it’s a bit fishy and a bit salty…”
Lin Beifan chuckled, “Exactly, because what you just ate was dirt!”
“Cough… cough…” Gao Tianyao started coughing.
Lin Beifan continued explaining, “During the transportation of the dragon bone, it accidentally got some dirt on it! I distinctly remember, Lord Gao, the spot you were rubbing against happened to hit a clump of mud!”
*Cough cough…* Gao Tianyao started coughing violently.
He glared at Lin Beifan irritably, “Sir Lin, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Lin Beifan appeared wronged, “How was I supposed to know? I didn’t expect you to rub off a bit of skin and immediately put it in your mouth, savoring it like a delicacy. I was taken aback!”
Gao Tianyao snorted.
In the end, he realized he couldn’t really blame Lin Beifan.
After spitting out the mud from his mouth, Gao Tianyao reached out to scrape the dragon bone again, but Lin Beifan intercepted his hand.
Gao Tianyao was puzzled, “Sir Lin, what do you mean by this?”
Lin Beifan smiled slyly, “Lord Gao, you’ve already touched it earlier! If you want to continue touching the dragon bone, you’ll have to pay again!”
Gao Tianyao’s temperament exploded, “I only touched it briefly, and now I have to pay again?”
Lin Beifan retorted, “Just a brief touch? You rubbed off a layer of skin!”
Gao Tianyao protested, “That was dirt!”
Lin Beifan countered once more, “Even if it’s dirt, if it comes into contact with the dragon bone, it becomes divine soil!”
“You… you…” Gao Tianyao was about to explode with anger.
“Lord Gao, don’t be angry! Considering our relationship, I’ll offer you a 50% discount for the second time! As long as you give another 100,000 taels, you can not only touch but continue rubbing!”
Gao Tianyao trembled with rage, “Alright! You’re something else!”
In the end, Gao Tianyao conceded and paid 100,000 taels. Then, nearly erasing his fingerprints, he excitedly left after rubbing off a bit of bone dust.
Over the next two days, Lin Beifan continued to receive more high-ranking officials and nobles.
The rules remained the same: touch for 100,000 taels.
Rub off some skin, plus another 100,000.
With this small profit and high turnover method, Lin Beifan effortlessly earned several million taels.
The Minister of Revenue, Qian Yuanshen, also arrived. After scraping his fingers until they bled, he left contentedly.
However, before leaving, he looked at the blossoming flowers around the dragon bone and said, “Sir Lin, you probably don’t need these flowers, right? I can help you remove them without hesitation!”
Lin Beifan quickly intervened, “Of course, these are necessary! These are no ordinary flowers; they’ve grown under the nourishment of the dragon bone. They are not simple flowers but immortal and extraordinary ones, priceless!”
Qian Yuanshen was greatly disappointed.
“But, in consideration of our relationship, I’ll offer you a special price of 10,000 taels per flower! Mr. Qian, how many would you like?”
Qian Yuanshen grew furious, “If we’re talking about our relationship, why charge so much?”
“It’s precisely because of our relationship that I’m charging! Our relationship is valuable!” Lin Beifan said righteously.
“Damn!” Qian Yuanshen was infuriated.
Thus, through these “unusual flowers,” Lin Beifan made another hefty profit.
“Later, I’ll plant more flowers. These are perfect for collecting the IQ tax!” Lin Beifan calculated with a chuckle.
Over the next two days, Lin Beifan continued to perform more miracles, convincing an increasing number of people that this was indeed the divine artifact, the dragon bone.
Unique in the world, no exceptions.
In the southern region, at the Prince Residence.
Wang Fugui excitedly rushed back, “My Lord! My Lord! The news has been confirmed. That really is the dragon bone! The unique divine artifact in the world—the dragon bone!”
Finally, the Prince of Southern Jiang left his own room, a bit excited but also somewhat uncertain, “Is it really the dragon bone?”
“It’s absolutely true, my Lord!” Wang Fugui nodded with excitement, “To confirm its authenticity, I went to the capital in person! Guess what I saw? I saw a dragon bone measuring ten zhang displayed on the capital square, truly enormous!”
Wang Fugui’s eyes gleamed with admiration as he continued, “At that moment, divine light descended, illuminating the dragon bone, exuding a sacred and majestic aura! It even brought down a gentle rain, blessing everyone around! I basked in the divine light and rain, feeling like all my ailments disappeared, and my body became light!”
“Is it really that incredible?” Prince of Southern Jiang still had some doubts.
“My Lord, besides that, there’s another great miracle!” Wang Fugui said excitedly, “Where the dragon bone was placed, it was originally a barren wasteland! However, within three days, it sprouted numerous celestial flowers, each more beautiful than the last! My Lord, please take a look. I spent a lot of money to secretly buy these celestial flowers from Lin Beifan!”
Saying this, he presented a brightly colored peony.
As the Prince of Southern Jiang accepted the peony, he was greatly shocked, “These really grew within three days?”
Although he wasn’t engaged in cultivation or flower nurturing, he understood that cultivating such a vibrant peony from scratch would take at least two to three months.
But now, it had grown within three days, completely subverting his understanding!
“It’s absolutely true, my Lord!” Wang Fugui’s expression was very serious.
“Dragon bone, this is really the divine artifact, dragon bone! Haha!” The Prince of Southern Jiang was extremely excited and happy.
With the dragon bone, he could become the legitimate ruler of the world, rallying heroes to help him conquer!
With the dragon bone, he could gain the blessing and assistance of heaven and earth!
With the dragon bone, he might even be able to…
Achieve immortality, become a celestial being!
At this moment, he thought of many things, and the more he thought, the more impatient he became.
The Prince of Southern Jiang’s breath became rapid, “Fugui, how can I obtain the dragon bone?”
Wang Fugui looked troubled, “My Lord, the dragon bone is currently in the capital, guarded by experts and a strong military presence appointed by the court! Trying to obtain the dragon bone is even harder than ascending to the heavens!”
The Prince of Southern Jiang persistently asked, “Isn’t there any other way?”
Wang Fugui folded his hands, “My Lord, it’s nearly impossible to acquire the entire dragon bone. However, there’s a chance if we manage to get a small portion of it! Because Lin Beifan is responsible for guarding the dragon bone, you know how greedy that fellow is! By bribing him secretly, we might have a chance to obtain the dragon bone!”
The Prince of Southern Jiang’s excitement soared, “Good! Go make the arrangements immediately! Spend as much money as needed, but make sure to secure the dragon bone!”
“Yes, my Lord!”
With all his resources, Wang Fugui set off for the capital once again.
At the same time, after confirming the authenticity of the dragon bone, many other vassal kings also had similar plans.
Through bribing Lin Beifan, they aimed to acquire a portion of the dragon bone.
They were prepared to be taken advantage of if it meant getting the bone.
Even many martial artists and sects from the martial world couldn’t remain indifferent at this moment.
At the Shaolin Temple, a venerable old monk rushed excitedly into the abbot’s meditation room, “Senior Abbot, the news has been confirmed. That imperial court’s dragon bone is indeed genuine! Since the display of the dragon bone, it has exhibited various miracles that cannot be explained! Perhaps only legendary divine artifacts would possess such spirituality and attract the favor of heaven and earth!”
The abbot’s face turned pale, “Is this really true?”
The old monk nodded excitedly, “It’s absolutely true!”
“Namo Amitabha!” The two old monks chanted the Heart Sutra to suppress their emotions.
“Senior Abbot, the dragon bone is indeed a divine artifact! If we acquire it, will our martial skills advance by leaps and bounds? Will we become grandmasters, great grandmasters, and even supreme grandmasters? Can we even achieve enlightenment?” The old monk was filled with excitement.
The abbot scolded, “Junior Brother, how can you be so greedy?”
The old monk retorted, “Senior Abbot, aren’t you tempted at all?”
“Even if I’m tempted, can you really obtain it? Can you snatch the dragon bone from the court’s hands? If our Shaolin were to ruin its heritage because of this, could you bear that responsibility?”
The old monk lowered his head, “Then, Senior Abbot, what should we do?”
“The dragon bone is a divine artifact of heaven and earth, and it’s our duty to guard it as Shaolin!” The abbot’s face was filled with righteousness, “We can send experts to the capital to negotiate with the court. We must protect the dragon bone and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands!”
The old monk gave a thumbs-up, “Senior Abbot, your wisdom is truly remarkable!”
“Namo Amitabha!” The abbot’s face radiated compassion.
Other prestigious and righteous sects also began sending people to the capital after confirming the authenticity of the dragon bone.
