Three Purities Temple.
By the time Fang Zheng arrived, the temple was already surrounded by common people.
No one knew what had happened during the night; the houses around the temple were in ruins, with people gathered to share the thin porridge distributed by the temple.
Curses against the Cyan Wolf Gang frequently erupted from the crowd, occasionally mixed with complaints against the Government Office.
"Scholar Fang."
The Daoist Child Ming Yue opened a side door:
"Please come inside."
Fang Zheng was a major patron of the Three Purities Temple; solely the Bone Strengthening Pill had made Daoist Zhang quite wealthy. Others might not be allowed in, but he certainly would be.
Seeing Fang Zheng looking around, Ming Yue explained:
"The rooms in the temple are limited and cannot accommodate so many people. Moreover, the Observatory Master is also worried about bandits sneaking in, which would disrupt the Divine Venerable — not a good thing."
"However, we have distributed thin porridge, and there will also be Purifying Talismans later."
"Hmm." Fang Zheng nodded:
"The Observatory Master is benevolent."
"Too kind, too kind." Zhang Mingrui appeared nearby at some unknown point, scrutinized Fang Zheng with eyes wide in surprise:
"Scholar Fang is entangled with Evil Qi, did you… encounter bloodshed?"
"And even killed someone!"
"Daoist, Dharma Eye!" Fang Zheng looked astonished; he knew the other party had some abilities, but he never expected him to see even this, so he explained:
"Indeed, I encountered a few bandits last night and narrowly escaped."
"Scholar, brave and fierce." Zhang Mingrui nodded approvingly, and continued:
"However, being entangled with Evil Qi is no small matter; at best, it damages Primordial Energy, at worst, it might cost lifespan; it's advisable to perform a ritual to remove it."
"Hmm…" Fang Zheng pressed his lips:
"How much?"
"Ten taels of silver." Zhang Mingrui's eyes lit up, saying:
"I will personally conduct a Great Dip for Brother Fang to wash away the Evil Qi."
Sure enough!
As soon as money was mentioned, the address changed from Scholar Fang to Brother Fang.
This person always finds ways to get silver from me; what's the use for a Daoist to be so keen on money-making?
"No rush in this matter." Waving his hand, Fang Zheng asked:
"Daoist, do you know what's going on outside? Did the Cyan Wolf Bandits break into the city last night, and what will the situation be like in the future?"
"You can rest assured about this, Brother Fang." Zhang Mingrui smiled faintly:
"To my knowledge, last night, the County Government Office set a specific trap for the Cyan Wolf Gang. One successful battle, and there may not be a Cyan Wolf Gang in the future."
Fear he might not understand, he added:
"Several experts from the Prefecture City arrived last night and jointly took down the Cyan Wolf Gang's gang leader. Several leaders were also severely injured or killed, and the remaining rabble fled."
"Even if they gather again, they won't pose a threat."
"Really?"
"Of course, it's true!"
Fang Zheng was overjoyed.
He certainly didn't want to find himself in a bandit den right after crossing over.
If the Imperial Court could clear out the bandits in one move, that would be ideal. As for what means were used and the process, it was none of his concern.
Feeling reassured, he remembered something else, and asked:
"Daoist, last night I encountered a bandit who pinched a formula, stomped his foot, mumbled some words, and then changed completely, becoming very formidable suddenly."
"What's that about?"
"That is called the Divine Summoning Technique, also known as the Divine Strike." Zhang Mingrui's face darkened, speaking coldly:
"It's an evil skill, one should kill them upon encounter, especially those from the White Lotus Sect, who have been causing trouble throughout dynasties." "Scholar Fang, you must stay far away from such people."
His expression was unusually serious, even exuding a bone-chilling murderous intent, making Fang Zheng startle slightly and nod repeatedly.
Still...
Divine Summoning Technique?
White Lotus Sect?
Could there really be such supernatural things in this world?
Although he had much contact with Zhang Mingrui and knew he practiced some Daoist Arts, Fang Zheng had never thought of actual matters of gods and ghosts before.
But now he could finally rest easy.
*
*
*
Modern society.
Square Porcelain.
"Fang Zheng, I'm no longer at the auction house. If you have anything to auction, I can introduce a friend to you."
Wen Lei's voice came through the phone:
"I'll send you his number later; add him."
"Alright!" Fang Zheng nodded:
"She must have been promoted, right?"
"No." Wen Lei laughed:
"I just moved from a subsidiary to the parent company. I'm currently in charge of matters related to ceramics, so I might need your help in the future."
"Happy to help." Fang Zheng said:
"I have two guests here; let's leave it at that for now."
"Bye-bye!"
"Goodbye."
After hanging up, a text message alert sounded immediately, Wen Lei transferring a number with the note indicating it belonged to Zhang Zhu, a business manager at Jinglong Auction House.
On the other side.
Zheng Yubo put down the magnifying glass in his hand and looked up at Elder Lu, his expression strained:
"Elder Lu, it's fake, right?"
"I initially thought it was fake as well." Elder Lu sighed lightly, his expression complicated:
"But..."
"It might actually be real!"
"Such a large piece of Chicken Blood Stone, with such good quality, how could it be real?" Zheng Yubo lowered his head again, scrutinizing carefully:
"The carving is also extremely exquisite, vividly displaying the imposing momentum of blood-stained battlefields. I wonder which master's hand crafted this."
"Indeed!" Elder Lu said:
"Not to mention the material, just this kind of carving alone is worth a fortune, and combined with such a large Chicken Blood Stone..."
"Rare!"
"Extremely rare!"
Before the two of them was a Chicken Blood Stone sculpture the size of a human head, depicting a battlefield scene, the vivid red as bright as paint.
The first reaction from the top was that it was fake.
It's too fake!
So red and so large, it couldn't possibly be natural.
But as they continued to examine it seriously, their shock slowly surfaced, and Zheng Yubo even pinched his leg muscle, suspecting he was dreaming.
"It's real!"
After a long while, he sighed lightly:
"This thing is estimated to be over ten million, you better handle it, Elder Lu."
He was said to be worth twenty million, but that included some fixed assets. Even if he liquidated his entire fortune, he couldn't afford it.
"I can't."
Elder Lu shook his head:
"The murderous aura from this sculpture is too strong, an old guy like me can't handle it, but I introduced someone who should be arriving soon."
Aside from this Chicken Blood Stone sculpture, there was also a valuable piece of jade nearby, but value depends on comparison.
Compared to the sculpture, a few million is indeed not much.
These two items were obtained by the Sky-Flipping Kite in the chaos, but unfortunately ran into Fang Zheng, losing not only their life but also the items.
"Gentlemen."
At this moment, Fang Zheng hung up the phone and walked over:
"Have you seen enough?"
"Yes." Zheng Yubo cupped his fists in salutation:
"Congratulations, Boss Fang, you've got a treasure in your hands!"
Just this one piece could account for his entire fortune of years of labor, so his envy in his words was genuine.
"He's here." Elder Lu got up and went to greet the arrivals at the door.
Two people arrived, one a plainly dressed middle-aged man, the other a bespectacled, suit-clad, scholarly-looking young man.
"Elder Lu!"
"Mr. He."
The middle-aged man greeted Elder Lu, then his gaze landed on the Chicken Blood Stone sculpture in the room. His eyes brightened momentarily but then dimmed as he asked:
"Is it this piece?"
"Yes!"
Elder Lu nodded.
"Xiao Sun." Mr. He waved his hand:
"Go take a look."
"Yes."
The young man stepped forward and looked at the three of them:
"Who is the owner? May I have a closer look?"
"I am." Fang Zheng gestured with his hand:
"Please!"
"Thank you."
The young man courteously thanked him, stepped forward carefully wearing gloves, and exchanged a few whispered words with Elder Lu.
Moments later, he returned to Mr. He's side and nodded slightly.
"It's quite good."
Mr. He smiled as he looked at Fang Zheng:
"Boss Fang, name your price!"
"Forty million!"
Fang Zheng extended four fingers, which was also the valuation previously given by Elder Lu and Zheng Yubo.
However, the market for jade and antiques is volatile, primarily depending on the preferences and strengths of the buyers and sellers. It's rare, but whether it sells is another matter.
"That's too expensive." Mr. He frowned:
"How about thirty million?"
"It's not expensive." Fang Zheng shook his head:
"I've already arranged for someone from the auction house to come over. If Mr. He isn't satisfied, you can wait for it to go up for auction and then acquire it."
"Auction house?" Mr. He raised an eyebrow:
"Which one?"
"Jinglong." Fang Zheng replied, as this wasn't a secret, so it didn't matter.
"Jinglong..."
Mr. He nodded, seemingly quite familiar with it.
"Boss Fang, I tend to be direct in my dealings and don't like haggling." His voice paused slightly, looking serious, and said slowly:
"Thirty-six million. If that's agreeable, we can draft a contract right now."