Chapter 85

Finally managing to send a few people off, Wu Di lay on the bed, beginning to ponder the scene that had just come to mind. In the afternoon, when he heard that the painting was missing, he had entertained some rebellious thoughts, but a chill rising from his wrist quickly sobered him up. It seemed this was a new function brought about by the Heavenly Book's upgrade. As for what else the chill could do and how to trigger it, he would have to figure it out himself.

After lying there for a while, Wu Di got up from the bed, found a few cans of beer, and prepared to see if they could help him sober up. After downing three cans, he felt nothing, apparently his body's improved state from the sea had also increased his alcohol tolerance. Wu Di then took out a bottle of foreign liquor, gulping down a few mouthfuls, but it still didn't seem strong enough. Perhaps the chill had already taken effect, but he didn't know. He decided to drink more...

Wu Di fell into a deep sleep on the bed, with three empty beer cans, a bottle of foreign liquor, a bottle of dry red, and a bottle of dry white scattered at his feet...

The next day, as soon as his phone rang, Wu Di rolled over and sat up, staring blankly at the empty bottles at the foot of the bed. What had happened last night that made him drink so much? What exactly had happened?

The morning schedule was tight, with three people to meet. Two of them had not been ruled out at first glance, and one had no photo.

The first person was the owner of an antique shop. Before seeing the Tianhuang stone, Wu Di endured at least ten minutes of his boasting. When the item was finally brought out, it was nothing like the photo, and Wu Di couldn't even determine if it was a Tianhuang stone.

The second person was a private collector, and the meeting was at a coffee shop. After a long chat, it turned out he hadn't brought anything, saying he was afraid of encountering a scammer. Wu Di barely restrained the urge to punch him and left after paying the bill.

The third person was an old acquaintance, Mr. Jin from Qishi轩 (Qishi轩). Wu Di only remembered where he had heard the name Qishi轩 when he saw the person, mainly because it was so unremarkable. Mr. Jin was very happy, greeting Wu Di from a distance, saying that it was a pity to let go of a big buyer willing to pay a 30% premium. Wu Di had no patience for this, chatted for a few minutes, and left, then urgently rescheduled with another person without a photo, only to be disappointed again upon meeting.

The remaining three people held little hope, and Wu Di reluctantly met them, but no miracles occurred. Zhong Qi scratched his head and said:

"Wu Di, I think we should give up for now. Keep the acquisition offer hanging, and maybe someone will come forward eventually."

"Right, we already have one divine painting, so it's still a gain. No matter how magical that stone is, it can't be more magical than a divine painting, right?"

Wu Di suddenly felt enlightened. He had been a bit obsessed this morning. He had come to Hong Kong with the mindset that if he got it, it would be a blessing, and if he didn't, it would be his fate. How did it end up like this? Besides, the Tianhuang stone had led him to the divine painting and the Mountain Tiger Stone. Wasn't that enough?

Wu Di burst into laughter, which made Yang Yanzi even more worried. Chang Linlin nudged Zhong Qi and glanced at Yang Yanzi. Zhong Qi, surprised, turned his stiff neck and asked:

"Really?"

"Anything is possible!"

"What are you talking about?"

Yang Yanzi was a bit confused, Zhong Qi was a bit embarrassed, but Wu Di seamlessly replied:

"I want a big meal, a real Hong Kong feast!"

After the big meal, at Zhong Qi's request, Wu Di took them to Mo Luo Street to look for bargains. Because Wu Di was in a good mood, Yang Yanzi was excited and led the way, pulling Chang Linlin into a small shop that dealt in miscellaneous items.

The shop was indeed small, and with four people inside, it felt crowded. The items inside were varied: ancient jade, snuff bottles, gold and silverware, small wooden carvings, lacquerware... all sorts of items filled every available space.

Wu Di took a quick look, but there were no high-quality items, and miscellaneous items were not his specialty, so he called for everyone to leave. As Yang Yanzi passed the door, she suddenly said:

"Are these things that look like firewood also antiques?"

Zhong Qi laughed:

"Yanzi, you even know about firewood, you're really learning."

"Of course, who do you think taught me?"

She said, hugging Chang Linlin's arm and wrinkling her cute nose.

Wu Di followed Yang Yanzi's gaze to the ground, where a pile of old swords was stacked. The condition was poor, with some already rusted beyond recognition, indeed looking like firewood. He smiled and was about to leave when he noticed a black object hanging from one of the "firewood." Intrigued, he picked it up and asked:

"Boss, how much for this firewood root?"

The boss smiled bitterly:

"Sir, that's not firewood, it's an ancient sword from the Warring States period."

"Come on, boss, you must be very knowledgeable. It's so rusted, how can you tell it's from the Warring States period?"

Zhong Qi was quite indignant.

The boss smiled awkwardly:

"It's a very old thing, and I often supply goods to weapon enthusiasts!"

"Polish it and it might fool a lot of people."

Wu Di whispered, and just as Yang Yanzi was about to mock him, Chang Linlin tugged at her, and she immediately stopped. Zhong Qi, who had cooperated with Wu Di many times, knew something was up and said:

"Probably even the heart is rusted. How can you polish it?"

Wu Di lightly tapped the sword, and rust fell off. He extended the sword toward Zhong Qi and said:

"See, this rust is just on the surface, it falls off with a tap. I'll take this one. Boss, how much?"

The antique shop owner liked customers who pretended to know, and smiled:

"Not expensive, just 8,000 yuan."

"Only 8,000? I wouldn't take it for free. Let's go, we still have two more shops to visit, and it's almost dark."

Chang Linlin chimed in.

"500 yuan, I'll take it. Any more, and it stays here to rust."

"Add a bit more, add a bit more."

"600 yuan, not a cent more."

The boss found a newspaper, wrapped the ancient sword, and handed it to Wu Di. The sword cost him nothing, and 600 yuan was a good deal.

Leaving the shop, Wu Di tried to pull the silk thread tied to the sword handle but couldn't. He increased the force, and with a "snap," a piece of the handle came off. Wu Di threw the newspaper-wrapped treasure into a nearby trash can and handed the black object tied with the silk thread to Yang Yanzi.

Yang Yanzi wrinkled her nose as she took it, and Wu Di laughed:

"Don't wrinkle your nose. This is a good thing. If you don't believe me, show it to your grandfather, and he'll treasure it."

Chang Linlin asked for Yang Yanzi:

"Tell us, what is it?"

"This is a jade pendant, called a Shang Dynasty Green Jade Dragon Pendant. Early Shang Dynasty jade carvings of dragons are often thin and flat, with single or double lines, mostly straight, angular, and short-bodied like snakes, with curled tails. The head has a single horn, often cylindrical or mushroom-shaped, called a rhinoceros horn. The eyes are often 'min' character eyes, thunder pattern eyes, or slanted square eyes, and are often carved with a wide-open mouth to show ferocity..."

"Enough, just tell me how much it's worth."

"I'm good at this. If it's in perfect condition and finely carved, it could be worth four million. Even a regular one would be worth over two million."

Zhong Qi answered quickly.

"This one has a small defect at the tail, so it's probably worth around one million."

"Ah?"

600 yuan to buy, and suddenly it's worth one million. The nearly 2,000-fold increase shocked the two women. This was faster than robbing a bank.

Yang Yanzi wanted to return the jade pendant to Wu Di, but he refused, smiling:

"Grandpa Yang likes Shang and Zhou dynasty jade. This was bought for him. Besides, if his granddaughter found it, he'll be even happier."

They were leaving Hong Kong the day after tomorrow. At dinner, they discussed how to spend the next day. Yang Yanzi was very envious of their experience in Ruili and insisted on going to the jade market. Zhong Qi, remembering that Hong Kong was also famous for jade gambling, agreed. That night, when Grandpa Yang saw the dragon pendant, he was very pleased, especially when he learned that his granddaughter had found it first. He was so happy he wanted to drink a toast, and Yang Yanzi was also delighted, secretly glancing at Wu Di, feeling both embarrassed and a bit sweet about claiming Wu Di's credit.

Grandpa Yang recommended a place called Yaren Alliance Jade Market in Yuen Long's Motor Street, an old shop with a history of over 30 years. If the boss could be persuaded to open the warehouse, there were still many good items inside.

Wu Di and the others drove for nearly an hour to get there. The shop was small, but the yard behind it was large, with rows of iron racks filled with rough stones. Two stone-cutting machines were set up on an empty plot of land. Wu Di was just accompanying Yang Yanzi for a casual stroll and didn't plan to use the Heavenly Book. He casually looked at two stones, but his interest grew. On the other side, Chang Linlin had already chosen a stone and was calling for the staff to bring it out for cutting.

Wu Di walked along the racks, giving a quick glance to the better-looking stones and focusing on the poor ones. After finishing the first row, cheers came from the cutting area, as Chang Linlin had successfully cut a piece of horse-tooth jadeite.

Wu Di continued, and one stone caught his eye. Nine and a half out of ten people who saw it thought it would be a dud, and the remaining half wouldn't buy it. Wu Di called over a staff member, learned that it was marked at 80% off, and confidently said:

"Drag this one out and cut it into pieces!"

The rough stone Wu Di chose was quite large, about the size of a stool, with a very thin skin. Near the surface, it was a colorless bean-type stone, but a small window had been cut. One centimeter deeper, it transformed into a near-ice-type stone, with a full green color like young rice shoots. Where the dragon appeared, there was water, and cutting it would increase its quality to ice-type.

After consulting with Wu Di, the staff member began to polish the stone from the side edge, soon revealing a colorless bean-type jadeite. Wu Di, seeing the potential, didn't want to waste time and drew a line, instructing the staff to cut it.

The grinding wheel spun, and the cut revealed a stunning green that made everyone squint. Wu Di laughed:

"You can take your time cutting this. I'll go find another one."

On the third row, a stone again proved the old saying from the Ruili shop owner: ugly stones can produce top-quality items. A fist-sized rough stone, shaped like a double-headed peach, contained a small, egg-sized old-pit glass-type jadeite, with green threads like emerald silk running through it, extremely eye-catching. When cut, it was placed next to a melon-sized full-green jadeite and Chang Linlin's ivory-glowing pure white horse-tooth jadeite, attracting the attention of all the customers in the shop.

An elderly, thin man with white hair approached Wu Di, handed him a business card, and introduced himself:

"I am the owner of this shop, Ma Rulong. Young man, would you like to have a chat in my office?"

Wu Di saw that Zhong Qi was helping Chang Linlin cut a stone, and Yang Yanzi was standing nervously by her side, so he smiled:

"Of course, I wouldn't mind. I was just planning to take a look at the boss's warehouse!"

Wu Di followed the old man into the office and immediately recognized the familiar Fu Lu Shou San Xing Tianhuang stone carving on the antique shelf!

This was exactly what he had been searching for, and suddenly, it was right there in front of him!