Chapter 16

After a thorough verification, Qi Xiang also discovered that although he could see through objects, there were many limitations.

For example, the distance for seeing through objects couldn't be too far; it worked well within one meter. If the distance exceeded this, his vision would only be sharp, without any see-through effect.

Additionally, the objects he could see through were limited to paper. Things like metal, wood, glass, porcelain, and plastic, which had a high density, could not be seen through at all.

With this discovery, Qi Xiang's boiling blood gradually cooled down.

The idea of dominating the casinos also came to an abrupt end. Although there were many card games in the casinos, if the table was wide and the distance exceeded one meter, he would be at a loss, and he wouldn't dare to bet.

In other words, if he wanted to make money using his see-through ability, he would have to travel all over the country, searching for scratch-off lottery tickets. This way, even if he won a big prize, the money earned would be hard-earned, and it wouldn't be worth it.

"Wait, can this ability be upgraded?" Qi Xiang suddenly thought of a possibility. After all, at the beginning, he didn't have this ability; he gained it by absorbing the spiritual light from the walnut...

Qi Xiang suddenly turned his head and looked at the walnut on the table. Upon closer inspection, the walnut seemed unchanged, still delicate and beautiful.

However, the spiritual light was gone. In Qi Xiang's eyes, the walnut's lustrous surface seemed to have become dull, lacking the vitality it once had.

Qi Xiang held the walnut in his hand and examined it. This feeling became even more pronounced. Although the quality and appearance of the walnut hadn't changed, it felt different. It was a kind of aura that could only be felt, not described.

"What exactly is that spiritual light?" Qi Xiang fell into deep thought. Not only the walnut's spiritual light, but also the jade from the tomb seemed unusual and unique.

At first, Qi Xiang wondered if all antiques had similar spiritual light. However, after careful comparison, he realized that this was not the case.

It seemed that only specific objects had such unusual conditions.

Unfortunately, there were too few cases to conduct a thorough analysis, and he would need to explore it slowly...

Regardless, this was still a pleasant surprise.

With myriad thoughts, Qi Xiang drifted into sleep. The next morning, he got up hurriedly, washed up, and then went to Jiang Baiwan's house.

As soon as he entered, he was warmly welcomed by Jiang Baiwan.

"Brother Qi, you're here." Jiang Baiwan poured tea and smiled, "Have you had breakfast?"

"Yes..." Qi Xiang smiled, "I ate before coming."

"That's good." Jiang Baiwan nodded, then suddenly sighed, his face turning cold, "Brother Qi, you were right. I am usually kind to others, but I never expected that 'man does not intend to harm the tiger, but the tiger has the intention to harm man.'"

Qi Xiang's eyes flickered, and he whispered, "Have you determined the age of the ancient tripod?"

"It's confirmed, it's indeed from the Han Dynasty." Jiang Baiwan's eyes flashed with anger, "If it weren't for your warning, I would have stepped on a landmine."

"It's not that serious," Qi Xiang smiled, "Although there is a time difference between the Han and Warring States periods, they are both antiques. Moreover, the quality of the Han tripod is good, so you didn't buy it at a loss."

"It's not about the loss," Jiang Baiwan shook his head, a cold smile on his lips, "Brother Qi, you are kind-hearted and don't understand the treachery of the world. Do you really think someone would give me a Han tripod for free?"

"What do you mean?" Qi Xiang was very curious. He knew there must be something fishy about this.

Otherwise, Wang Dong wouldn't have been instructed to go to great lengths to mix the Han tripod into the Warring States tomb and then use Qi Xiang to deliver it to Jiang Baiwan's house.

Going through all this trouble just to send a Han tripod, it would be hard to believe there was no conspiracy involved.

Jiang Baiwan was not a child and was very smart. After years of dealing with deceit in the business world, he knew that good things don't fall from the sky for no reason.

If something good did fall from the sky, it would definitely mean it was poisoned and needed to be handled with caution.

"I had someone investigate, and the Han tripod is recently stolen property," Jiang Baiwan said with a serious face, "It was stolen from a museum in a neighboring province less than a month ago, and the police are still investigating."

Upon hearing this, Qi Xiang immediately understood the sinister intentions of the mastermind.

If the Han tripod was stolen property and Jiang Baiwan, unaware of its origins, enthusiastically presented it to a big shot, the mastermind would step in and "accidentally" reveal the tripod's true origin. Jiang Baiwan would then be in a difficult position, unable to speak out.

Not only would he lose face, but the big business he hoped for would also be ruined.

Jiang Baiwan was well aware of this, so he was very grateful, "Brother Qi, thank you. Otherwise, I would have made a big mistake and been deceived without even knowing it."

"Doing what I'm asked to do, you asked me to help, so I naturally did my best," Qi Xiang didn't want to take credit. After all, he was able to establish himself in Jinling and open a small shop thanks to Jiang Baiwan's support.

Such favors are hard to repay, and if he were to insist on repayment, the relationship might sour.

Jiang Baiwan patted Qi Xiang on the shoulder, everything unspoken.

"Boss Jiang, who is behind this?" Qi Xiang asked, genuinely curious.

After all, Jiang Baiwan was not an easy target. Anyone who dared to use such despicable means to scheme against him must be prepared for retaliation.

"Some unknown guy," Jiang Baiwan's eyes darkened, "I wasn't sure at first, but after you called me yesterday and I probed Old Wei, I was 100% certain it was this despicable person behind it."

"It's easier to avoid open attacks than hidden arrows. Knowing who it is makes it easier to deal with," Qi Xiang smiled, "Once the target is locked, I'm sure Boss Jiang won't be afraid of him."

The logic was simple: if the other party was stronger than Jiang Baiwan, they would have just crushed him directly. There would be no need for such elaborate schemes.

"Brother, to be honest, I'm not afraid of him, but I can't do anything to him," Jiang Baiwan said with a hint of helplessness, "If it were anyone else, I would have gone straight to their door and beaten them up without a second thought."

"Beat them up, beat them up so hard that even their parents wouldn't recognize them..."

Jiang Baiwan waved his fist but then looked dejected, "The problem is, his father... is also a significant figure. I'm afraid that if I beat up the son, his father might come after me, which would be troublesome."

"So... you plan to swallow this insult?" Qi Xiang was surprised; this didn't seem like Jiang Baiwan's style.

"How could I?" Jiang Baiwan snorted, his voice stern, "I don't tolerate such things. Besides, he provoked me first. If I don't show my strength, others might think I'm a pushover."

"Exactly, exactly," Qi Xiang nodded in agreement but wisely didn't ask how Jiang Baiwan planned to retaliate. After all, such matters were far beyond his reach, and he couldn't help even if he wanted to.

"But the most pressing issue is tomorrow's banquet," Jiang Baiwan frowned, "I found out that he bought a bone Buddha carving from Old Wei's shop, which is quite valuable..."

"A bone Buddha carving?" Qi Xiang thought for a moment and was immediately startled, "Could it be the Ming Dynasty ivory seven-story pagoda Buddha statue, the pride of Bogu Yawen?"

"...Yes!" Jiang Baiwan gritted his teeth, "How shameless, using his power to force Old Wei to sell it to him."

"That thing is worth at least a few million..." Qi Xiang murmured, "He really went all out."

"Money isn't the issue," Jiang Baiwan's face was very grim, "Do you know who he plans to give it to?"

"Who?" Qi Xiang asked, genuinely curious.

"Prince Moling, Chen Futu," Jiang Baiwan said, then slapped his thigh in frustration, "His name is Futu, so he's giving him a pagoda, making a big deal out of it. It's clearly a cheap trick, humph!"

"Who?" Qi Xiang was startled, and his expression changed when he saw Jiang Baiwan's reaction.

Although he knew Jiang Baiwan was wealthy, he didn't expect him to be so wealthy that he had connections with the legendary Prince of Jinling, Prince Moling.

Jiang Baiwan noticed Qi Xiang's expression and explained, "I'm friends with his son's... friend, so we can talk indirectly."

If this had been a few days ago, Qi Xiang might have believed it. But now, with his heightened spiritual senses, he could tell that Jiang Baiwan wasn't entirely honest.

After some thought, Qi Xiang narrowed his eyes, sensing that Jiang Baiwan might not be just a wealthy businessman.

Of course, now wasn't the time to delve deeper. Jiang Baiwan continued, "Tomorrow is the first birthday banquet of Chen Futu's eldest grandson. I was invited to attend, and I heard he likes ancient bronze tripods, so I thought of buying one to send."

"I didn't expect a scoundrel to interfere..." Jiang Baiwan said angrily, "That bastard, once I deal with tomorrow's matter, I won't let him off."

"Um, um," Qi Xiang nodded, frowning, "The banquet is tomorrow, and there's still one day left. What gift do you plan to give?"

"I'm also worried about that," Jiang Baiwan said, holding his head, "That's why I called you to help me decide. What should I send? Most importantly, it can't be worse than that pagoda."

"That's a bit tricky..." Qi Xiang thought for a moment and then asked, "Boss Jiang, why don't you turn the tables on him?"

"Turn the tables?" Jiang Baiwan was taken aback, "What do you mean?"

"Boss Jiang, he wants you to lose face in public and lower the impression of that person, right?" Qi Xiang said softly, "So you can go along with it..."

...

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