Chapter 721
Comparable to Gold
Xu Bo'an was the kind of person who believed in "treating others with respect." Since the old man was so polite to him, Xu Bo'an naturally reciprocated with the same courtesy.
Xu Bo'an smiled and nodded politely to the old man, saying, "I have remembered what you said, sir. Thank you for speaking up for me today. I also thank you for answering my questions. If it weren't for your explanation, I wouldn't have known that there were such profound secrets about the Akhal-Teke horse."
The old man chuckled and said, "Hehe, young friend, you're too kind. I'm a researcher in this field, so naturally I bear the responsibility of passing on related knowledge. I'm just glad you don't find me rambling."
Xu Bo'an said, "Sir, you flatter me! How could I? By the way, may I ask how to address you, sir?"
In fact, Xu Bo'an had just heard someone in the crowd recognize the old man. The old man was called "Old Chu" and was the chief judge of this Golden Horse Grand Prix. He was also a leading figure in the horse racing circle.
However, this was something he'd overheard privately, and only because Xu Bo'an had keen hearing. A formal inquiry would always be more polite. This was also a step towards formally getting to know each other, which is why Xu Bo'an asked that question.
Old Chu introduced himself with a smile: "My surname is Chu. I've spent my whole life dealing with horses, and the more I study them, the more I like them. That's why I'm particularly interested in your horse. I was fortunate enough to acquire a Rouge Beast before, but that horse was a bit too old and died in less than two years. Your Rouge Beast, in its prime, is a true top-quality Akhal-Teke horse."
Xu Bo'an smiled and said, "Thank you for your high regard, Elder Chu. After hearing what you said, although I haven't planned to sell this Rouge Beast yet, I'm still very curious about its price. I wonder if Elder Chu could help me estimate it and answer my question!"
Old Master Chu shook his head and said, "That's hard to say. Such a fine steed is so rare that it's no exaggeration to say it's priceless. After all, there are very few of these top-quality horses, making it difficult to establish a conventional market, and therefore there's no market price to speak of."
When people trade, they can only bid based on how much they value the animal. However, it is certain that this Rouge Beast is worth more than any existing horse, so according to this argument, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it is worth over a hundred million.
Of course, this is just my estimate; at least if it were me buying it, I'd be willing to pay this price. However, it depends on the actual circumstances. After all, if it were auctioned worldwide, it might fetch hundreds of millions.
"To be honest, while I would consider it a good deal if it sold for several hundred million, such an exorbitant price is simply beyond my reach."
Hearing Old Master Chu's frank words, even though Xu Bo'an was not short of money, he was still shocked by the price of the horse.
There's no way around it, this thing is just too valuable. If a place is so expensive that every inch of land is worth its weight in gold, then this horse is practically worth its entire mane!
This is no exaggeration. "Every inch of land is worth its weight in gold" is an adjective, a metaphor and an exaggeration, but according to Mr. Chu's introduction, this Akhal-Teke horse can truly be called a golden horse!
This horse is estimated to weigh around 600-700 jin (approximately 300-350 kg). Even if we calculate based on a weight of 700 jin, and considering the current gold price of around 700 jin per gram, it would be worth nearly 250 million yuan! Moreover, if this horse were to be auctioned as Elder Chu suggested, it could fetch an even higher price. In this comparison, the price per gram of this horse truly surpasses the price of gold of the same weight.
It's made of real gold! A horse like this truly deserves the Golden Horse Award.
Xu Bo'an wasn't the only one with this thought; others present, upon hearing Elder Chu's introduction, immediately began to calculate their own ideas. Soon, some expressed the same sentiment as Xu Bo'an.
"My God, this horse is so valuable! At the current price of gold, even a single hair from this horse would be worth thousands of dollars."
"Yes, if you calculate it this way, even if you cast a golden horse of the same size out of pure gold, the price wouldn't be much different."
"Now that you mention it, this horse truly deserves to be called a pure gold horse, which perfectly matches the theme of the Golden Horse Grand Prix."
"Hey, you know what, you really think that means the Golden Horse Award should rightfully go to this Akhal-Teke horse."
"That's right, truly deserved! Unprecedentedly well-deserved!"
Listening to the murmurs of the crowd, the man who had brought the pure white horse earlier grew increasingly grim. The man's surname was Qin; his family was also in the horse business, and their business was quite large, giving them a certain reputation in the industry.
He was originally determined to win the Golden Horse Grand Prix, but unexpectedly, a dark horse emerged from the middle, which made him feel quite uncomfortable.
Their chamber of commerce had gone to great lengths to find this exceptional horse, hoping to make a splash here and then capitalize on the momentum to dominate the horse market in the next quarter, selling off the large number of white horses they had previously stockpiled for a good price.
The entire chamber of commerce has put in a lot of effort for this plan.
But today, all these plans were ruined by an unexpected turn of events. After all, the Golden Horse Awards seem to select first, second, and third place winners, with some prize money. But for those of them who are not short of money, this amount of prize money is just a drop in the ocean. What they value is the influence and publicity brought by the champion.
Because the champion is the rightfully recognized winner of the Golden Horse Award, people don't care about the rankings afterward. This is what people often mean when they say the public only cares about first place and only recognizes the champion; the other rankings are hardly remembered. A similar problem is that most people know that the world's highest peak is Mount Everest, located in the Himalayas. But far fewer people know about K2, the world's second highest peak, and even fewer know which mountain range it belongs to!
This is the difference between the first and second!
Because the Qin family and the chamber of commerce behind them valued the Golden Horse Awards so much, Qin Shao was filled with rage at this moment, and his gaze toward Xu Bo'an was incredibly vicious. If looks could shoot arrows, Xu Bo'an would be riddled with them by now!
Hearing people unanimously supporting the Akhal-Teke horse to win the Golden Horse Award, Qin Shao could no longer contain himself and immediately shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! Although Elder Chu said this Rouge Beast has quite a pedigree, I think whether a horse can win the Golden Horse Award depends on its physical condition and other factors, right?"
As for how valuable horses are, my white horse isn't much cheaper. I'm not afraid to tell you that I bought it for over 100 million yuan. Although it may not be as expensive as that Akhal-Teke horse, it's a bit smaller. If we were to talk about the price per unit, it might not be much cheaper than that Akhal-Teke horse!
Moreover, the Golden Horse Awards have a professional judging committee, a complete judging team, and a well-defined judging process. It's not like everyone can just say they want someone to win the Golden Horse Award and that person will get it, right? If that were the case, what would be the point of having judges? What would be the point of a judging process? Everyone could just focus on campaigning!
Hearing what Qin Shao said, even Elder Chu nodded in agreement and said, "This young friend is right. The final winner of the Golden Horse Award still needs to be determined by a professional selection process."
I was merely sharing information about this crimson beast with everyone. Although I had no ulterior motives whatsoever, it did indeed influence some of your judgments. I was too excited and didn't consider things thoroughly enough. In the upcoming Golden Horse Awards judging process, I will, as always, act impartially to ensure the fairness and impartiality of this Golden Horse Awards competition!
Hearing Elder Chu's words, Qin Shao felt even more smug, and his hopes for the upcoming Golden Horse Grand Prix rose. His eyes darted around, and a smile suddenly appeared in his gaze as he looked at Xu Bo'an. He took a few steps closer to Xu Bo'an and said with a grin, "Brother, although I'm not as knowledgeable about horses as Elder Chu, I love them just as much, especially fine steeds. If you're really willing to sell this horse, I'll give you a price that will satisfy you. If it were now, I could even offer a higher price!" Qin Shao's thinking was simple: if he could acquire this horse, then no matter which horse won the Golden Horse Grand Prix, it would be his!
Before Xu Bo'an could even react, Zhang Kai's heart was already pounding with excitement.
People often say witnessing the birth of a millionaire or multi-millionaire is incredibly exciting, but family, witnessing the birth of a billionaire is even more unsettling, especially one worth hundreds of millions. In just a few minutes, two people have offered high prices for this horse. If I owned two of these horses, I'd be instantly rich!
It's a pity this horse isn't mine.
However, Zhang Kai felt a surge of joy upon thinking about this.
Although this horse isn't his own, Xu Bo'an said he'd keep it with him. If there's a chance he could borrow it for breeding, wouldn't he be... wait, no, Xu Bo'an kept it with him before he knew its true value.
Now that he knows the horse's true value, will he still feel comfortable keeping it at his racetrack? Or does he even have the guts to keep a horse worth over 100 million?
If anything were to happen to him, even selling all his possessions wouldn't be enough to compensate for the horse. Thinking of these serious consequences, Zhang Kai shuddered, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Xu Bo'an had no idea that Zhang Kai had gone through so many twists and turns of thought in such a short time.
Hearing Qin Shao's words, Xu Bo'an was not very enthusiastic. After all, Xu Bo'an had noticed the hostile and hateful look in Qin Shao's eyes just now. His senses were sharp now. Not to mention that someone was staring at him coldly, even if someone glanced at him a few more times, Xu Bo'an could feel it.
Therefore, Xu Bo'an had no interest in Qin Shao's feigned smile, and instead said calmly, "I don't have that idea for the time being. Actually, I also really like horses, and similarly, if you're looking to sell your white horse, you might consider me!"
Upon hearing Xu Bo'an's words, Qin Shao's expression changed instantly, and his heart grew even colder. "Hmph, what an ungrateful wretch."
Qin Shao said coldly, "Actually, I meant well. Judging from your appearance, you don't seem like someone who knows how to raise horses. You must take good care of such a precious horse. If anything happens to it, you will be heartbroken."
Qin Shao's threat didn't anger Xu Bo'an at all. Good grief, he's threatening me now.
If I didn't want to hurt innocent people, I would have made you, you white horse, experience the feeling of heartache right now! The feeling of heartache!
Thinking of this, Xu Bo'an suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Hehe, I've got an idea!
Although we can't bear to hurt Bai Ma, there's nothing we can do if it makes you feel bad.
After all, Old Xu is a top-notch animal trainer. He can't mess with you openly, but he can definitely trick you secretly.
Xu Bo'an chuckled and said, "No need for you to worry about that. By the way, since you call me 'brother,' as your elder brother, I'll give you a piece of advice: when walking a dog, you have to leash it, and leash it tightly! Similarly, when walking a horse... you have to leash it, and... leash it tightly! Cheep... cheep cheep..."
As he finished speaking, Xu Bo'an suddenly made a strange sound.
Qin Shao was taken aback, not yet understanding the meaning behind Xu Bo'an's words, when he saw the white horse beside him suddenly neigh loudly, its front hooves leaping high into the air, instantly pulling Qin Shao, who was holding the reins, along with it.
The attendant pulled hard on the reins, trying to calm the white horse down.
However, the power of a steed weighing several hundred pounds when it goes berserk is beyond the reach of any human. The white horse suddenly exerted its strength, and with a sudden kick, it pushed Qin Shao's attendant away. Before Qin Shao could even react, the white horse suddenly accelerated and galloped away.
Although there were protective measures in place, a row of railings and professional horse trainers were quickly arranged to try to surround and intercept the white horse.
But this white horse was no ordinary steed. With a mere run-up and a leap, it left everyone and the railings behind, then galloped away without stopping. The white horse's handsome figure even reminded Xu Bo'an of the legendary "Dilu horse" for a moment! That thing was also a renowned breed! And it was more suited to the imperial throne. If it were given to Yan Shouyi, that guy would be overjoyed.
Of course, the reason Xu Bo'an had this idea was that after he suddenly learned that this Akhal-Teke horse and Red Hare were the same breed, he suddenly realized that it would be inconvenient to send it to the bonsai world. It wasn't that he was stingy, but that if this horse was so famous, it would be too conspicuous. If it disappeared inexplicably, it would be difficult to explain if someone asked to visit it.
(End of this chapter)