Chapter 8

But now, Jiang Baiwan had given him a hundred thousand...

Qi Xiang, after a moment's thought, felt at ease. There was no need to say more; it was clear that Jiang Baiwan had believed his warning to some extent and would likely find someone else to verify the information. This hundred thousand could be considered a token of gratitude.

The car took a few turns and soon stopped in a small alley.

Arriving home, Qi Xiang paid the driver, got out of the car, and entered the house. He closed the main door, returned to his room, and drew the curtains, placing himself in a sealed space, the room like a small chamber.

At this moment, Qi Xiang walked to the bed and pushed it aside, revealing a dark hole in the ground. The hole was about fifty centimeters in diameter, with obvious grooves on both sides of the walls, making it easy to climb.

Below the hole was a basement.

Qi Xiang lightly leaped into the basement. The space was not large, about two meters high and six square meters in area, relatively cramped. It was more like a storage room than a basement.

It's worth noting that the three thick incense sticks Qi Xiang used to purify the tortoise shell were found in this storage room.

As for the basement, Qi Xiang had discovered it by chance while cleaning the entire house not long ago. At the time, he was very excited, thinking he had found a "treasure."

However, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

He was very excited and couldn't wait to go down and take a look, only to find the entire basement empty, covered with a thick layer of dust. After cleaning the dust, he only found a flat, long box containing three incense sticks.

Apart from that, there was nothing else.

At that moment, Qi Xiang was so angry that he almost filled the basement. Later, he calmed down and realized that the basement was probably a secret storage room of a temple in the past. When the temple was converted into a house, the contents of the storage room were likely moved.

Understanding this, Qi Xiang was no longer annoyed. He renovated the storage room and turned it into his personal treasury. He locked valuable items here. After leaving, he locked the iron plate over the hole, providing some security.

Qi Xiang entered the storage room and locked the hundred thousand in cash in a small safe.

Although large amounts of cash are safer in the bank, he often needed a lot of cash for his antique business, so it wasn't necessary to go through the extra steps.

After all, many collectors and antique dealers are generally older, and bank transfers are very troublesome for them, so cash transactions are more common.

After hiding the money, Qi Xiang didn't climb out but lay down on a mat on the floor.

For some reason, although the basement was small, it wasn't stuffy. Lying here, even without a fan, it felt cool and more comfortable than outside.

Qi Xiang lay down, not to sleep, but to reflect on the events of the past few days. He wasn't stupid and realized that something strange must have happened to him.

Whether it was the tortoise shell or the jade, both were very peculiar...

Qi Xiang carefully analyzed and quickly identified the root cause. Everything seemed to have started when he brought the tortoise shell back. As expected, the tortoise shell seemed to have some connection with him.

Right, there was also the vast, ethereal palace in his "dream." Was it real or an illusion?

Qi Xiang pondered deeply, his thoughts swirling, but he had no clear idea.

"Tortoise shell..."

Thinking of the missing tortoise shell, Qi Xiang subconsciously touched his forehead. At that moment, he suddenly felt a cool sensation at his forehead, and then his palm seemed to have a hard, smooth object.

"Ah?"

Qi Xiang was startled. A shimmering light appeared before his eyes, and the object in his hand was a mysterious tortoise shell, emitting a colorful, radiant glow.

Unlike its previous state of being cracked and dry, this tortoise shell now looked extraordinary. It seemed to be made of gold and jade, with intricate patterns on its back, like fish scales, and lines that intertwined, filled with indescribable and inexplicable principles.

At first glance, Qi Xiang was stunned and took a while to recover.

Once he came to, his first reaction was to examine the tortoise shell closely. After some study, he had some insights, though not significant.

First, the tortoise shell was very light, as light as a feather, with no weight at all.

Qi Xiang suspected that if he threw it, it might be blown away by the wind.

Second, the material of the tortoise shell was definitely not gold, silver, copper, iron, jade, plastic, or any common material. It was something between gold and jade, with the texture of metal, the smoothness of jade, and the transparency of crystal and gemstones.

In short, just studying the material composition made Qi Xiang's head spin.

Additionally, the floating light was like the twinkling stars in the night sky, unpredictable. Each flicker seemed to contain profound truths, sparking endless imagination.

However, what captivated him the most was the pattern on the tortoise shell. The lines were deep and shallow, visible and hidden, seemingly simple at first glance but infinitely complex upon closer inspection.

The great way seems simple but is actually intricate, cyclical, and incomprehensible.

Gradually, Qi Xiang became engrossed, losing track of time. It wasn't until much later that he suddenly felt a tremor in his heart and realized the basement was pitch black, with no light at all.

Unconsciously, it was already night, and he had spent most of the day in the basement.

Qi Xiang moved his neck, and it made a cracking sound. His stiff muscles gradually relaxed, his blood circulation improved, and he felt refreshed.

In the dark, the tortoise shell's radiance was even more brilliant.

It seemed there was a connection between Qi Xiang and the tortoise shell. The moment he felt the darkness, the tortoise shell immediately glowed brightly, emitting a soft, moon-like light.

This sudden change delighted and surprised Qi Xiang. He seemed to see a glimmer of hope in the fog.

To be honest, he had been studying the tortoise shell from noon to night, focusing on its weight and material, as he would with any antique.

This was a professional habit and a fixed way of thinking, so he had made no significant progress, merely hovering around the surface without touching the essence.

But now, a casual thought caused the tortoise shell to change, as if responding to him.

This discovery made Qi Xiang overjoyed, feeling he was on the right track and close to breaking through the mystery of the tortoise shell.

"Thought? Consciousness? Spirit?"

Qi Xiang pondered, focusing intently on the tortoise shell, trying to establish a connection through some medium.

In reality, this was not easy.

After all, the human mind is fickle, with many private thoughts and distractions, making it hard to concentrate on one thing.

Society is like a big dye vat, and as people grow, they roll around in it, absorbing layer after layer of colors.

When young, the colors are few, and the heart is relatively pure.

But as one ages, the colors accumulate, forming a thick layer of darkness. The heart becomes hardened, and one wears a mask of pretense, losing the innocence of childhood.

An impure heart is easily distracted. Even when focusing on something, thoughts often wander to other places.

Qi Xiang's thoughts were like a monkey's mind, impossible to control or settle.

After a while, he felt restless, and a sudden surge of anger made him lose control and throw the tortoise shell away.

"Ah..."

The moment the tortoise shell left his hand, Qi Xiang instantly regretted it, instinctively reaching out to catch it.

He didn't really expect to succeed, as what was done was done, and what was thrown away was like an arrow released from a bow, impossible to retrieve.

But at that moment, Qi Xiang felt a strange sensation, and the tortoise shell, which he had just thrown, returned to his hand.

This unexpected turn of events left him at a loss, unsure of what to do.

Qi Xiang stared at the tortoise shell, which had returned, and saw its moon-like glow dim slightly, with layers of light flowing through the intricate patterns.

As the light flowed, a cool, water-like sensation spread through his palm, rippling out in circles, like ripples in water, spreading throughout his body.

At the same time, his anger dissipated, and he felt calm and peaceful. A moment later, the tortoise shell transformed into a drop of water, then merged into his hand and disappeared.

Qi Xiang was not panicked because he clearly felt that the tortoise shell had not disappeared but had returned to some place he couldn't describe.

With a thought, the tortoise shell reappeared in his hand, emitting an even more brilliant light, illuminating the dark basement like daylight, revealing every detail.

At this moment, Qi Xiang felt a connection with the tortoise shell, as if they were blood-related. Under his mental control, the tortoise shell continuously disappeared and reappeared, with no delay.

However, after playing with it for a while, the novelty wore off. New questions arose in his mind. What exactly was this tortoise shell, and what was its purpose?

For a moment, Qi Xiang was back in the fog.

The tortoise shell could glow, disappear, and reappear, which seemed very magical. But strictly speaking, such abilities seemed rather useless...

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