Chapter 6

Leaving the soup bun shop and heading towards the jade shop, Xu Gang still felt uneasy. He quickened his pace, taking advantage of the foreigner's lack of understanding of Shaanxi dialect, and started whispering to Zhang Tianyuan.

"What are you doing? Don't you want to spend your money?" Zhang Tianyuan asked with a smile.

"Are you still laughing? What's there to laugh about? I know you're smarter than me, but in terms of social experience, I'm much better. That guy looks honest, but who knows if he really got robbed? He might have just picked up some trash and is trying to scam money using his foreign identity." Xu Gang said irritably.

"What if I insist on buying it?" Zhang Tianyuan said with a smile.

Xu Gang sighed, "If you insist on buying it, I have no problem lending you the money. It's just 20,000 yuan, no big deal! But I'm afraid we'll be laughed at in the antique world if we get scammed by a foreigner. Aren't you worried?"

Zhang Tianyuan patted Xu Gang's shoulder and laughed, "Gang, I'm not saying you're wrong, but you're really being overly cautious. I may not have as much experience as you, but I know a lot about antiques. I studied archaeology and have read many books about antiques. Don't worry, I won't be wrong."

Actually, Zhang Tianyuan was exaggerating a bit. While he did know a lot about antiques from reading books, his appraisal skills were not great. If it weren't for the six-character true incantation he had obtained by chance, he wouldn't dare touch this thing today.

But now it was different. Since he had determined that this piece of calligraphy was valuable, why let it slip away?

He didn't know if the foreigner was really robbed or not, or if he was really from Germany. But did it matter? As long as the item was valuable, that was enough.

Although he wasn't sure who the calligraphy was by, it didn't matter. He would figure it out eventually. The key was that it was valuable, and quite valuable at that.

Xu Gang was stunned by Zhang Tianyuan's words. He wanted to doubt, but seeing Zhang Tianyuan's confident expression, he hesitated.

As he said, everyone has greed. If the calligraphy was really valuable, letting it go wouldn't be in Xu Gang's style.

"But it's damaged. Can it still be valuable?" Xu Gang asked.

"Let me tell you a secret. I know someone who specializes in repairing these things. It's no big deal if it's damaged. Find that person to repair it, and it will look almost as good as new. The foreigner doesn't know this. If he did, he wouldn't sell it for 20,000 yuan." Zhang Tianyuan lied to convince Xu Gang.

The repair was real, but the person who could do it was himself, using the six-character true incantation, not some expert.

"If 20,000 yuan is too much, 10,000 yuan will do..." The foreigner, seemingly sensing Xu Gang's dissatisfaction, said hesitantly.

"No, I said 20,000 yuan, and that's it. I always stick to my word. My friend is just a bit suspicious, but he has no bad intentions. Don't mind it." Zhang Tianyuan explained, patting Xu Gang to get him to agree.

Xu Gang forced a smile at the foreigner, which looked more like a grimace.

Although he was starting to believe Zhang Tianyuan, he still felt uneasy. How could a piece of paper with a few words be worth 20,000 yuan? His money wasn't stolen either! It felt like buying a J-8 but paying the price of an F-22. Who could bear it?

But despite his unease, he still took out the money. The jade shop had 20,000 yuan in cash, not a penny less.

"Really, 10,000 yuan is enough." The foreigner seemed scared by Xu Gang's stern face and hesitated to take the money.

Zhang Tianyuan handed the bag of money to the foreigner, "Take it carefully. Don't lose it again, or you won't even be able to go back to Germany."

The foreigner was a tall, strong man, but he suddenly started crying, tears streaming down his face.

"Stop crying, it's bad luck." Xu Gang said, frowning.

"Alright, Gang." Zhang Tianyuan went over to comfort the foreigner, "If you want to stay in Xifeng City, you can put the money away safely. Thieves aren't that scary. When I go home, I always carry a few thousand yuan, and I've never lost it. Just be careful."

"No, I'm in a bad mood. I don't want to stay. I'll go back, adjust, and come back another time. Thank you." The foreigner thanked them and turned to leave, heading towards the bus stop, probably to go to the airport.

Watching the foreigner leave, Zhang Tianyuan turned to see Xu Gang's stern face, as if someone had cut a piece of flesh from him.

"Alright, I'll consider it a loan. I'll pay you back. If this thing sells for a good price, I'll give you half. If it doesn't, I'll give you 20,000 yuan. How about that?" Zhang Tianyuan pushed Xu Gang into the jade shop.

"Damn, who mentioned money?" Xu Gang said, "Do you think I care about 20,000 yuan? I'm just afraid you'll get scammed. Well, the deal is done. If it sells for a good price, I won't ask for my share. Just pay me back the cost. If it's a loss, consider it a waste of 20,000 yuan."

The two entered the jade shop. Xu Gang, still unhappy, snapped at the shop assistant for not arranging the jade properly.

Zhang Tianyuan quickly apologized on his behalf. In this day and age, shop assistants are not like ancient servants. They have pride. If you insult them, they might hold a grudge and seek revenge, which wouldn't be worth it.

They entered the back room, and Xu Gang turned on the TV, ignoring Zhang Tianyuan out of spite.

Zhang Tianyuan needed some time alone, so he carefully wrapped the calligraphy and went into a private VIP room.

This VIP room was a small room where Xu Gang usually entertained regular customers. It was empty today.

"I'm borrowing your VIP room." Zhang Tianyuan said, locking the door from the inside, and placed the damaged calligraphy on the table.

He immediately used the earth qi and the repair incantation to start fixing the calligraphy.

The repair process was similar to mending clothes, except he used earth qi instead of needle and thread. It required careful attention.

This process took Zhang Tianyuan several hours to complete.

During the repair, he noticed that his use of earth qi was becoming more proficient. Moreover, there was a special kind of earth qi in his body, different from the rest, which seemed to be the source of all earth qi. With this source earth qi, he could absorb external earth qi.

The stronger the source earth qi, the more external earth qi he could absorb, and the easier it was.

Before, Zhang Tianyuan didn't know how to strengthen his source earth qi, but now he realized it was simply a matter of "use."

The more he used it, the stronger it would become, and it would gradually convert external earth qi into source earth qi, replenishing any losses.

Zhang Tianyuan believed that when his source earth qi was strong enough, he could absorb the terrifying earth qi from the Qinling Dragon Vein. Once absorbed, his Feng Shui Treasure Mirror and the six-character true incantation would become even more proficient, and he might even be able to use the creation incantation.

This repair not only restored the damaged calligraphy but also removed the oil stains, making it look as good as new.

"Knock, knock, knock!" There was a knock on the door.

"Tianyuan, are you dead in there?"

"Damn, you really know how to jinx things. This is your jade shop. Don't talk about death." Zhang Tianyuan put the calligraphy away, not wanting to show it to Xu Gang yet to avoid unnecessary trouble.

The door opened, and Xu Gang slapped his own mouth, "My mouth is really cheap... But what are you doing in there? It's almost dark, and the jade shop is closing."

"Nothing much, just studying the calligraphy." Zhang Tianyuan replied.

"Did you find anything?" Xu Gang asked with interest.

Zhang Tianyuan shook his head.

"Tsk, I knew it wasn't anything good. Well, 20,000 yuan down the drain!" Xu Gang shrugged, "Forget it, let's go eat. How about some grilled lamb skewers tonight? Then we'll go home."

Zhang Tianyuan wasn't hungry, not because he wasn't hungry, but because he was preoccupied. He wanted to know who had created this calligraphy, and it was like a devil's temptation, making him unable to let go.

"Gang, is there anyone in Xifeng City who is familiar with modern calligraphers?" Zhang Tianyuan asked.

Xu Gang stared at the ceiling for a long time, then suddenly shouted, "Ah—!"

"You scared me. What's wrong?" Zhang Tianyuan rolled his eyes.

"No, do you still want to know the answer to your question?" Xu Gang asked, crossing his arms and looking smug.

"Do you know such a person?"

"Of course, and you know him too." Xu Gang smiled.

"Who is it? Why can't I remember?" Zhang Tianyuan was getting frustrated, but Xu Gang was deliberately keeping him in suspense.

"See how anxious you are. Let's go eat first, and I'll tell you while we eat."

"Alright!"

They left the jade shop, closed the roller shutter, and went to a nearby grilled lamb skewer stall, ordering a dozen skewers and two bottles of beer. Drinking beer in winter had its own unique charm.

"Can you tell me now?" Zhang Tianyuan asked after eating a few bites of meat, feeling a bit better.

Xu Gang devoured two skewers and said, "Do you remember the classmate who transferred to our class in the first year of high school?"

Zhang Tianyuan paused, then nodded, "How could I forget? We even fought over that girl."

"Right, right, right, it's that girl, Wu Tingyu! She was so beautiful, with a great figure, and she came from a big city. She was the only one in the class who spoke Mandarin flu