Chapter 3

"An illusion?" Qi Xiang quickly stopped his movements and carefully felt. However, once he stopped and focused, the feeling from before was gone.

Qi Xiang thought for a moment, then continued to practice a few Tai Chi routines, but found everything to be normal.

"… Forget it, I'll study it later." Qi Xiang calmed himself, temporarily putting the matter aside. After eating breakfast, he directly took a bus to a certain place.

Early in the morning, Jinling City was a riot of flowers, with vehicles and people flowing continuously. As the capital of six dynasties and the metropolis of ten dynasties, it has been said since ancient times that the wealth of the world comes from the southeast, and Jinling is its hub.

Historically, Jinling has long been the political and cultural center of southern China, with a rich cultural heritage and abundant historical remains. Nowadays, it is a large city with a thriving economy and advanced modern industry.

The city is large, and traffic is somewhat congested. Qi Xiang set out early and still took more than an hour to reach his destination. It was a high-end residential area built by the water, with a deep and elegant environment.

The security here was tight, and Qi Xiang had to show his ID and register before he could enter.

Walking along the shaded paths in the residential area, he saw rows of detached villas on both sides, with gardens and lake views, arranged in a staggered and picturesque manner, with winding paths leading to secluded and beautiful places.

After walking for a few minutes, Qi Xiang stopped in front of the iron gate of Villa No. 18. He pressed the doorbell and waited for a moment, then a hearty voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

"It's me, Brother Jiang," Qi Xiang replied, "Xiao Qi!"

"Ha ha, Brother Qi has come, please come in."

With a hearty laugh, the gate buzzed and automatically opened. Qi Xiang pushed the door open with ease and entered. In front of him was a flat lawn, with flower beds and a garage on both sides.

Qi Xiang walked lightly across the lawn and finally reached the villa entrance. The front door was open, leading to a lavishly decorated and elegant living room.

At that moment, a few people were sitting around a tea table in the living room, chatting and drinking tea.

Qi Xiang's gaze swept over and landed on the owner of the villa. He was in his thirties, somewhat plump, with a round face and a hearty smile.

This man's surname was Jiang, and his name was Jiang Baiwan, which was not a nickname but his actual name.

According to Jiang Baiwan himself, when he was born, his father was already a ten-thousand-yuan household. He felt that his son must be more successful than his father. After some consideration, he named him Baiwan, which was a beautiful wish.

Unexpectedly, the wish became reality, but with some deviation.

Now, Jiang Baiwan's wealth far exceeded a million. Qi Xiang didn't dare to ask how much exactly, but he was definitely a tycoon.

As soon as Qi Xiang entered, Jiang Baiwan stood up and waved with a smile, "Brother Qi, come and sit."

Qi Xiang quickened his pace and walked to Jiang Baiwan's side, also getting a clear view of the guests he was entertaining. A quick glance made his heart tremble slightly.

Among those present, the person sitting at the end of the table was the one who had sold him the turtle shell yesterday.

That person was very surprised to see Qi Xiang and quickly left his seat, half-bowing to the ear of a tall, somewhat intimidating middle-aged man, whispering softly.

"Brother, let me introduce you." At the same time, Jiang Baiwan pointed to the middle-aged man and laughed, "This is Brother Dong, you should have heard of him…"

"Mount Tiger Wang Dong, a well-known big brother in the underworld!" Qi Xiang's gaze sharpened, but his face showed a bright smile, "I have heard of your great name, it's like thunder in my ears."

Wang Dong also showed respect, standing up and humbly saying, "Just a humble name, not as impressive as Brother Jiang's reputation."

Jiang Baiwan led Qi Xiang to sit beside him, poured a cup of tea, and gave a subtle look, then laughed, "We are all friends here, no need to flatter each other."

Qi Xiang understood and directly raised his cup, "Brother Dong, please take care of me in the future."

"Of course, of course." Wang Dong smiled warmly, "If you encounter any trouble in the future, just mention my name."

"Brother Dong is truly righteous…" Jiang Baiwan smiled broadly, "This tea is not strong enough, let's toast later. Once the matter is settled, I'll book a luxury venue for a good time."

"How can I let Brother Jiang spend the money? It should be my treat." Wang Dong pretended to be displeased, "Otherwise, people will say I don't know how to behave."

"This matter is not urgent, we can discuss it later." Jiang Baiwan smiled, patted Qi Xiang's shoulder, and explained, "Brother Qi, you should congratulate Brother Dong. He recently got a batch of goods, and they are said to be of good quality, making a lot of money."

Qi Xiang immediately understood. "Goods" was a slang term for items obtained from tomb robbing, newly unearthed burial items. He had already suspected this when he saw Wang Dong's subordinate selling the turtle shell, and now it just confirmed his suspicions.

"Just digging in the ground, not as prosperous as Brother Jiang's wealth and good fortune." Wang Dong smiled, with a hint of envy. He was involved in the underworld, trying to clean up his image, but it was impossible to do so completely, so he had to remain in the dark.

In contrast, Jiang Baiwan was a well-known business elite in Jinling, with a higher social status and greater influence, far surpassing Wang Dong.

"Brother Dong, you are too modest."

Jiang Baiwan laughed and got to the point, "Brother Qi, I am also very interested in the things Brother Dong has, but I have been busy these days and can't go. So I have to ask you for help."

"No problem." Qi Xiang agreed without hesitation.

Actually, everyone understood that Jiang Baiwan's claim of being busy was just an excuse. The real reason was that his appraisal skills were not good enough, and he was afraid of making a mistake, so he needed an expert like Qi Xiang to help.

"Then it's settled. Leave your phone number, can we meet tomorrow? If you are free tomorrow, I'll send someone to pick you up." Wang Dong smiled, "We'll be on the road for two days, and we'll take care of all your expenses, so you won't be treated poorly."

"Sure…" Qi Xiang cheerfully gave his phone number.

Wang Dong's subordinate cleverly recorded it and dialed it, and after a while, Qi Xiang's phone rang, confirming that it was his number.

Wang Dong's lips curled into a satisfied smile, and he said, "Then we'll leave first, to prepare."

"So soon?" Jiang Baiwan tried to retain them, "Stay for lunch?"

"No, I'll treat you another day, and we'll drink until we're drunk."

After some polite conversation, Wang Dong and his group left, and Jiang Baiwan went to see them off, returning to the living room a while later.

At this moment, Qi Xiang quickly boiled a pot of water, poured out the old tea, washed the cups, and made new tea.

Jiang Baiwan returned, picked up a cup of new tea, and sipped it, smiling, "Brother, I'm sorry to trouble you again. I thought about it, and you are the best person for this job, no one else can do it."

Why?

Two words: trust!

Strictly speaking, although Qi Xiang's appraisal skills were good, he was not a top expert in the entire Jinling area, especially in the Fuzimiao area. Compared to the big collectors and appraisers, he was just a nobody.

With Jiang Baiwan's background, it would not be difficult to hire a famous appraiser to help. The problem was that the items Wang Dong had were clearly of dubious origin. To put it bluntly, they were illegal.

Jiang Baiwan could not casually ask someone to appraise those items, as it might leak information and cause trouble for him. But Qi Xiang was different; he trusted that Qi Xiang would not betray him.

"Brother Jiang, this is not a trouble at all. I should thank you for your care." Qi Xiang smiled, speaking sincerely.

After all, going out to appraise items, according to the industry rules, he could get a commission. The more valuable the items, the higher the transaction price, the more benefits he would get. It was a win-win situation for both parties.

"Mutual care, mutual care." Jiang Baiwan smiled and then reminded, "Brother, Wang Dong came through other channels and approached me. I haven't dealt with him before. I can't be sure if he is sincere or not, so you need to be careful and not be misled."

"Don't worry." Qi Xiang smiled confidently, "In common antiques, I have three things I don't appraise: no porcelain, no paintings, no jade. Apart from these, I am not afraid of anything else."

Porcelain, paintings, and jade are the major categories in antique collecting, with the most players and the most tricks. The water is too deep. Qi Xiang admitted that his skills and experience were not good enough to handle these three items, so he specialized in miscellaneous items.

Jiang Baiwan understood Qi Xiang's capabilities and nodded, smiling, "Good, you know your limits. I don't need to say more. To be honest, Wang Dong wouldn't dare to set a trap for me."

"Go and help me select and negotiate the price." Jiang Baiwan smiled, "Brother, you are an expert in negotiating prices, don't let me down."

"Sure, leave it to me." Qi Xiang's eyes sparkled, eager to try. After all, the items were illegal, and Wang Dong would be eager to sell. As long as he maintained his composure, he could definitely get a low price.

"Everything depends on you…"

They chatted for a while, and it was lunchtime. Under Jiang Baiwan's enthusiastic invitation, Qi Xiang stayed for lunch and left for home, slightly drunk, around two or three in the afternoon.

But after getting home and lying on the bed for a while, Qi Xiang felt refreshed and had no trace of drunkenness.

"Strange, when did my alcohol tolerance become so good?"

Qi Xiang, puzzled, couldn't help but examine himself. After a series of checks, he felt that his physical condition was good, with no discomfort. On the contrary, he felt that his skin was slightly fairer, and he was more energetic than ever before.

Night fell, and Qi Xiang went to sleep, but he had made up his mind to go to the hospital for a check-up once he finished the matter…

…………………

New book, very much in need of support, please give it a try, thank you very much.

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends