Chapter 54 of 100

Chapter 54

16 min read4,084 wordsMature

Update Time: March 30, 2013

Zhang Yang closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, his right hand unconsciously tapping the table. Then he opened his eyes and said, "Brother Meng, I need to think about it. After all, this is no small matter."

Meng Fei chuckled and said, "Of course, of course. Younger brother, Brother Meng wants to ask, if you're planning to invest, how much can you put in?"

Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes and looked deeply at Meng Fei, saying, "Brother Meng, I don't have much, but ten million isn't a problem. However, Brother Meng, if antiques are this expensive, it seems my money won't be enough to play in this game."

This time, it was Meng Fei's turn to breathe heavily.

He had guessed that Zhang Yang had money, but he didn't expect him to have so much. From his car and attire, Zhang Yang seemed to be a millionaire with a modest fortune. Meng Fei had originally planned to make a small profit, but now he realized he had caught a big fish.

Ten million, how long would it take him to earn that much?

In the past, he had also brought customers to the gemstone company, succeeding a few times. The most he had earned was by selling a fake to an old man, which netted him a few hundred thousand. If he could pull this off, it would be a huge win.

"Brother, things like this are rare. We should start small, buying items worth a few hundred thousand and then reselling them. That way, we can easily make a profit of a hundred thousand or so. Once you get into the business and understand more, we can aim for the big pieces. If we can get our hands on a national treasure, the profit could be a few million. In a year, it would be easy to double your capital," Meng Fei said.

Zhang Yang laughed and said, "If that's the case, that would be great. By the way, Brother Meng, do you have any older items? This piece, though valuable, is less than a hundred years old. I want to see something older."

Meng Fei frowned and said, "Older items? Younger brother, wait a moment. I'll go get them. They are my most treasured items, and few people have seen them."

Hearing this, Zhang Yang became more interested and said, "Great. Brother Meng, I'll wait here. Go get them quickly."

Meng Fei nodded and carefully put away the plum and sparrow seal made of Tianhuang stone.

Zhang Yang watched calmly, realizing how important this item was to Meng Fei. As Meng Fei had said, it was the pride of his shop, and he didn't have many such items. After Meng Fei left, Zhang Yang fell into deep thought.

He had walked around the shop earlier and hadn't noticed anything unusual. The items there didn't have any spiritual energy for him to absorb. However, the Tianhuang stone seal was different, emitting a faint yellow glow and some spiritual energy. The spiritual energy was not much, and the yellow glow was not strong. If his guess was correct, it was because the item's history was not long enough, so the spiritual energy was insufficient, and the yellow glow was not intense.

If the item Meng Fei brought out next also had a glow, his guess would be confirmed. Thinking about this, Zhang Yang became anxious. Proving this was more important than making money.

If it was as he suspected, he could easily determine the authenticity of items. As for their historical age and other details, he didn't really care; knowing whether they were genuine would be enough.

This wait was much longer than the previous one. It seemed Meng Fei had stored this item very securely, and it would take some time to retrieve it. However, Zhang Yang didn't go anywhere and waited quietly.

After more than ten minutes, Meng Fei came out carrying a box.

He carefully placed the box on the table and said to the excited Zhang Yang, "Younger brother, you must see this. This is my most important find over the years, a true treasure. I would only take it out if I had no other choice."

Hearing this, Zhang Yang became even more interested.

"Brother Meng, stop teasing me. Open it and let me see," Zhang Yang said.

Meng Fei opened the box as if on a pilgrimage, revealing the item inside.

It was a bronze Buddha statue.

"Is this the Bodhisattva Guanyin?" Zhang Yang asked.

Meng Fei looked at the statue reverently and said, "Yes, this is a statue of the Bodhisattva Guanyin in a relaxed pose."

Zhang Yang examined the lifelike statue of Guanyin closely.

Guanyin's one leg was lowered, the other bent, and her arm rested casually by her side. The sense of freedom, peace, and transcendence exuded from the statue, making anyone who saw it feel relaxed.

Zhang Yang stood up. He had never believed in such things before, but after mysteriously gaining his ability, he had developed a sense of reverence for the deities. Who knew what existed in the vast universe?

Although Zhang Yang didn't understand antiques, he had watched many treasure-hunting shows and knew a bit about them. He asked tentatively, "Brother Meng, is this an excavated item?"

Meng Fei nodded and said, "Yes. It's been almost twenty years. The Panjiayuan antique market had just been established, and this shop wasn't mine yet. I was just a young assistant. One ordinary day, just as dawn was breaking, I arrived early and opened the shop door. A farmer came in with something wrapped in a red cloth. I immediately knew something was wrong. When he opened the red cloth, I was stunned."

Seeing Zhang Yang's confusion, Meng Fei explained, "Younger brother, you don't understand. In our line of work, we see all kinds of things, but such a valuable item is a once-in-a-century find. I knew at first glance that it was genuine and had just been dug up, not more than a month ago."

"So you bought it?" Zhang Yang asked.

Meng Fei shook his head and said, "Not bought, but invited. I invited this statue of the relaxed Guanyin back."

Zhang Yang was concerned about the cost.

Seeming to understand Zhang Yang's thoughts, Meng Fei smiled and said, "I know you want to ask about the price. It didn't cost much, really. Think about it, how much could a young assistant have? I scared the farmer, telling him it was a stolen national treasure and that he would be executed if caught. He was so scared that he dropped the item and ran away, never to be seen again. After I got this statue, my luck improved. I found a few more treasures in the market. Later, the shop owner went bankrupt, and I had some extra money, so I bought the shop."

Zhang Yang looked into Meng Fei's eyes and noticed his gaze darting around, as if hiding something. It seemed this matter was not as simple as Meng Fei said, and he was hiding something. But it didn't matter to Zhang Yang what he was hiding.

What was most important was to confirm whether his eyes were as he suspected.

Zhang Yang opened his eyes and almost stopped breathing. He saw a red glow emanating from the statue, and a red aura seemed to find an outlet, rushing toward his eyes. Before he could react, he felt a surge of energy in both eyes. It felt like a strong wind, and tears wanted to flow, but the energy was too powerful, forcing the tears back.

After a long while, Zhang Yang's consciousness cleared, and he found himself still looking at the statue of the relaxed Guanyin.

"Brother, Brother, are you okay?" Meng Fei asked.

Zhang Yang rubbed his eyes, suppressing his shock, and said calmly, "I'm fine, I'm good. I just didn't know what to do when I saw such a lifelike statue for the first time. Brother Meng, this statue must be very expensive, right?"

Meng Fei shook his head and said, "It's not like before. The regulations are stricter now. If such an item is put on the market, many people will come looking. It can't be auctioned publicly. Of course, even in an underground auction, it could fetch over ten million. It's a national treasure, and many collectors spend their entire lives looking for such items. I won't sell it."

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