In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Page 511

As people get older, they undoubtedly become more inclined to seek stability.

Therefore, when the terms were announced to the Empire, everyone was shocked by the Zhang family's domineering nature.

After all, the Ba family spent two million gold coins this time, only to obtain ownership of two of the seven lower floors. The terms were completely unequal.

But the Bar family still accepted it, which made them realize that this investment was by no means simple; at least the Bar family had never suffered a loss before.

Moreover, given the Zhang family's 'overbearing' attitude, the Ba family isn't some lapdog.

If it weren't for the enormous profits involved, would the Ba family have agreed?

Chapter 594 The Remains of the 'Giant Kun' and Bian He's Offering of Jade

On the third day, all nations came to pay tribute!

As a merchant family, the Zhang family originally did not have the right to be seated at the head of the table, or even to be invited!

But given the Zhang family's strength and status, would Qin Huangzheng really be so unwise as to neglect them?

Therefore, the Zhang family is ranked alongside the Yin-Yang School's Moon Goddess, the world-renowned Chu Nan Gong, and the Old Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain as a super-rank guest elder. Moreover, the one from the Zhang family is not Zhang Xiaoshan, but Zhang Yuan.

As the head of the Zhang family, Zhang Yuan's identity could absolutely represent the Zhang family's respect for the empire, while also reducing the overall influence on the Zhang family.

After all, Zhang Xiaoshan's status was comparable to Qin Huangzheng's, which wouldn't be an exaggeration.

With his grandson by his side, Zhang Yuan was all smiles the whole way, speaking to people in a way that suited them perfectly.

Master Juexin followed closely behind, while the Mad Lion Iron Warrior carried a huge stone...

“Lord Zhao, Shan’er has prepared quite a lot of gifts, so they may need to be placed in front of the palace in advance.”

"Oh, I wonder what gift Young Master Zhang has prepared?"

"A huge fish skeleton, twenty-two zhang long!"

Skeletons? Twenty-two zhang?

If bones are given as a congratulatory gift, it naturally carries an ominous meaning.

But twenty-two zhang is another concept altogether, and even Zhao Gao's expression turned serious. He quickly said:

"Master Zhang, please place the items in front of the hall first."

As for how to deal with it? This servant needs to consult His Majesty, for this is truly horrifying.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Zhao!"

Zhao Gao found someone to take his place, then turned and hurriedly left.

There is a fish in the North Ming Dynasty, and its name is Kun!

Whether it was Prince Fusu, Huhai, or any of the other princes, they all stared in disbelief at the enormous skeletons that were slowly forming the ornament.

Stretching for twenty zhang and at least three zhang wide, its enormous jawbone was comparable to the city gate of Xianyang Palace. Its crouching posture exuded an aura like that of a prehistoric beast.

Inside the icehouse, they saw a fish three zhang (approximately 10 meters) in size, which they considered astonishing.

But now, these enormous skeletal remains clearly demonstrate what a huge and terrifying monster this skeleton was in life.

"Could it be that the legendary Kun really exists?"

If the Kun (a mythical fish) exists, then what about the dragon?

For a moment, even Zhao Gao was puzzled, for the Zhang family had given the empire a great gift today.

In front of the jawbone was a stone shaped like a dragon pearl, placed on the incense table, with an inconspicuous brocade box in one corner.

Clearly, the Zhang family had prepared three gifts—

Blue whale remains, jadeite rough, elixir of immortality!

Even though the elixir of immortality was a failure, it still had considerable research value. Therefore, Zhang Xiaoshan presented one as a congratulatory gift, which perfectly suited Qin Shi Huang's tastes.

Because the enormous skeleton was in front of the main hall, when the appointed time arrived, all the noble families, delegations, and dignitaries who came to offer their congratulations and pay homage were immediately stunned by the enormous remains before them as soon as they entered the hall.

The way it looked so natural, like a giant fish from the legend of Kun, was truly astonishing.

"Supreme Celestial Venerable!"

Zhuangzi's "Free and Easy Wandering" is a famous Taoist text, which is why Taoists are so attached to the Kun of the Northern Sea.

The old celestial master of Longhu Mountain, the Ziyang Zhenren of Wudang Mountain, the Beimingzi of Tianzong... looking at the enormous creature before them, with its overwhelming power to devour the world, they were convinced that this was the legendary Kun.

What's even more shocking is that the Zhang family either obtained the remains of the Kun by chance or had killed one.

"Supreme Celestial Venerable, it's been a long time! Layman Zhang not only retains his former charm, but also... hahaha!"

Some things were unspoken, but most of those present understood them.

Not to mention that Zhang Yuan's height had increased by more than two feet, his body size had also increased by more than one size.

Even many of them, as military generals, paled in comparison to Zhang Yuan.

"Greetings, Master Ziyang! Sheng'er, bow to Master Ziyang!"

"Ping An greets the Daoist Master!"

"Good! Good! Good, please rise!"

He grabbed Zhang Sheng's forearm and lifted him up. The moment he did, Daoist Ziyang looked at Zhang Yuan in shock.

"This is···"

"Hehehe, Master Ziyang did see it, but it was just my son who was concerned for Sheng'er's safety."

As the saying goes, "A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation."

Back on Mount Wudang, the old Taoist priest saw that young master Zhang possessed extraordinary talent, but he never imagined that he would still have greatly underestimated young master Zhang's abilities and achievements.

The domineering and powerful nature of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill means that there are many masters who have mastered it.

Especially after the decline of the Wu Tang dynasty, many of the older generation in those top families passed on their skills to the younger generation, seeking opportunities to continue the family's glory.

Without exception, none of them could rebuild their skills after the transfer of power, and after that, they were completely exhausted.

"My son just had a bit of luck!"

Zhang Yuan was well aware of the Taoists Zhang Xiaoshan had befriended on Wudang Mountain: Zhang Sanfeng and Ziyang Daoist. Therefore, he didn't stand on ceremony when speaking to them.

Otherwise, no ordinary person would dare to joke with Zhang Yuan like that.

"By the way, Layman Zhang, where did this Kun come from?"

"Kun? This is a large fish that the Zhang family's fleet hunted in the depths of the sea."

In recent years, the Zhang family has had nothing to do in the East China Sea, so the youngest son often goes out to sea to search for treasures. This is one of the spoils he has acquired on the high seas.

Over the years, the Zhang family has hunted more than seven of these large fish, and over a hundred whales exceeding ten zhang in length, all for the purpose of extracting whale oil.

"Whale oil?"

Upon hearing Zhang Yuan's introduction, not only Daoist Ziyang, but also the crowd who were secretly listening nearby, were surprised.

Not only were they shocked that the Zhang family had actually killed several such large fish, but their purpose was simply to extract whale oil. They had gone on a killing spree in the ocean, and the fish they killed were all over ten feet long.

It's important to understand that without oil and wax, the craftsmanship of candles is so complex that they can be considered a luxury item.

Even in the homes of ordinary officials, lighting is mainly provided by grease.

Whale oil is no secret either.

However, ordinary whale oil has a fishy smell, so it is far less effective than vegetable oils.

They never expected that the Zhang family would kill such a huge sea fish just to extract oil, which surprised them all.

"Supreme Celestial Venerable!"

If he hadn't known Zhang Yuan's character, Daoist Ziyang would never have believed that the Zhang family had such motives.

But since Zhang Yuan has said so, it's likely that hunting large fish and whale oil is one of the purposes, but we don't know what the other purposes are.

"Is there something special about the whale oil from this large fish?"

"Actually, the Taoist priest only knows one side of the story, not the other."

It's true that this guy extracts whale oil, but the extraction process isn't simple; I remember there are several types:

The most common whale oil is used to make top-quality oils, waxes, and soaps; lubricants for bearings; nitroglycerin (the explosive oil used in bombs); and butter for desserts...

·········Requesting flowers·· 0

These old folks don't get involved much, so they only know the general outline.

really!

Upon hearing Zhang Yuan's introduction, the others realized that Zhang Xiaoshan's purpose was not simple.

Leaving aside the explosive oil used to make thunderbolts, just the lubricant? The empire needs at least tens of thousands of kilograms of it every year.

After all, bearing maintenance is of paramount importance.

Otherwise, due to severe wear and tear, the Empire's bearings would need to be procured at least once a year, or even less frequently.

The Empire had considered using other greases, but ordinary greases could burn at the high temperatures of rotating bearings and were far from being as effective as lubricating oil.

They had previously wondered if the lubricant was something the Zhang family extracted from tung oil, but they never expected it to be one of the whale oils.

"I see!"

The enormous creature before them was from which the Zhang family extracted whale oil. No one knew how much they could extract, but in terms of sheer volume, it was certainly substantial, enough to fill at least a hundred carriages.

.... ........ 0

But considering the size of such a whale, even a large Fujian ship would be destroyed and everyone on board would die instantly if it were to collide with it!

"By the way, is that raw jadeite ore?"

Looking at the many green shoots peeking out from the surface, Master Ziyang looked at the large rock in front of the fishbone, which weighed at least several tons.

A mineral that can be listed alongside the remains of a large fish must not be a simple mineral.

"Hmm, Shan'er is certain that there is a precious jade in this ore that can prolong life, so he wants to stage a 'Bian He presents the jade'!"

Bian He presents jade!

Everyone's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

Although it sounds a bit fantastical, everyone is full of anticipation for Zhang Xiaoshan's abilities.

If a priceless gemstone were to be unearthed, the price of jadeite would undoubtedly skyrocket.

"Young Master Zhang also knows the art of appraising jade?"

"That's true. The Zhang family deals in raw jadeite, and Young Master Zhang's qualifications aren't anything special."

"Hehehe, Taoist priest, you're mistaken."

Even immortals cannot judge the quality of jade; before a raw jade mine is opened, no one can be sure whether there is beautiful jade inside.

However, there is one exception: the peerless jade formed from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. That kid said that as long as one reaches the primordial spirit realm, one can gain enlightenment!

Therefore, this piece of raw stone has been stored in the Zhang family since its discovery.

"The Primordial Spirit Realm?"

"Forget it, this old Taoist priest isn't even confident of breaking through to the Celestial Realm, let alone the legendary Land Immortal Realm!"

Master Ziyang shook his head, but he was even more curious about the raw stone mine.

If it is really as Zhang Yuan said, then this is truly mysterious and extraordinary, and it is an absolute rare jade of heaven and earth!

Not only Ziyang Daoist, but also the experts in the vicinity, understood why Zhang Xiaoshan was so certain that there was a precious jade inside.

So it was the legendary Primordial Spirit Realm!

No one seemed to doubt this at all.

After all, Zhang Xiaoshan was a legendary grandmaster who had long since reached the realm of 'shattering the void'.

Therefore, using one's primordial spirit to perceive the spiritual energy within is akin to cheating in treasure hunting.

Moreover, the fact that the Zhang family dared to follow the path of "Bian He offering the jade" shows that they were absolutely certain that there was a priceless jade inside.

After all, they've even brought in their father; they can't let Zhang Yuan lose face on the spot, can they?