Chapter 50

"Brother Feng, Boss Qin, are we really going shopping again today?"

The next morning, when Qin Feng said they would continue shopping, Li Tianyuan's face immediately turned sour. He would rather go back to the train station to carry heavy bags than wander around aimlessly in that antique market.

"You, you just can't do delicate work."

Qin Feng pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, you've been standing in the桩 for more than two years. I'll teach you a few basic moves. Find a place to practice!"

In the world of martial arts, people like Xie Xuan, who can read people and handle situations, are certainly needed, but martial prowess is also an indispensable and important role.

Like the Fire General among the Eight Generals of the Qianmen, he is specifically responsible for fighting. Li Tianyuan isn't good at brain teasers, but his well-developed muscles will be useful in the future.

"That's great, hehe, Brother Feng, I've been waiting for this day!"

Upon hearing Qin Feng's words, Li Tianyuan was so excited that he almost jumped up, rubbing his hands eagerly and looking at Qin Feng as if he wanted to kiss him.

After standing in the桩 for two years, Li Tianyuan could clearly feel the changes in his body. In the past, when he fought one-on-one with those strong men in their twenties and thirties at the cargo yard, he never lost.

This was just the effect of standing in the桩. If he practiced martial arts, Li Tianyuan believed that even if those bastards at the cargo yard ganged up on him, he could take them all down.

"Stay away from me, you're spitting on my face..."

Qin Feng pushed Li Tianyuan away, stood with his feet in a V-shape, extended his left palm, and held his right fist to his chest. After demonstrating a few stances, he said, "Watch carefully. Practice these stances until you're proficient. With your桩功 foundation, it should take only three to five days!"

In China, although there is a martial arts world, the term "martial arts" was never used before. There was no such thing as performance martial arts. The older generation referred to it as "gongfu" or "martial techniques." Another term from the Republic of China era was "guoshu."

Whether it's gongfu, martial techniques, or guoshu, all three evolved from combat or self-defense. They emphasize practicality, attacking the enemy when advancing and defending when retreating.

The Ba Ji Quan that Qin Feng learned, in the hands of Li Shuwen, was a deadly skill that made enemies tremble. It has no flowery movements like modern performance martial arts; it values a solid foundation and hard practice.

One must stand firmly to strike others. Li Tianyuan had been standing in the桩 for two years, which was essentially building a foundation. Learning techniques would now be much easier, which is why Qin Feng said it would take three to five days.

"Brother Feng, don't worry, I'll bang my head against the wall if I don't practice well!"

Li Tianyuan wasn't good at thinking, but he had a natural talent for martial arts. Watching Qin Feng demonstrate the stances, he learned quite well. However, he felt a bit unstable on the cement floor and said, "Brother Feng, I'll go home to practice. I'll stay there tonight..."

After his parents divorced, no one took care of Li Tianyuan. He lived with his grandfather, who passed away a few years ago, leaving him a courtyard house.

Originally, Li Tianyuan lived in the courtyard, but when Xie Dazhi's company had problems and Xie Xuan had to stay in Shijiazhuang, Li Tianyuan moved in with him to keep him company.

"Alright, I'll go with Xie Xuan to your place tonight..."

Qin Feng knew about this. After thinking for a moment, he said, "If it's not suitable, we'll stay at your place. This place doesn't have the right energy and isn't comfortable to live in."

Qin Feng had a lot to do these days. Entering and leaving the neighborhood every day, he felt very inconvenienced by the security guards' constant attention. As he said, a house needs to have the right energy, and while the feng shui here was good, it was still lacking.

After instructing Li Tianyuan on some important points about practicing, the three of them left the neighborhood. Qin Feng and Xie Xuan took a bus to the antique market, while Li Tianyuan ran excitedly to his old courtyard.

---

"This place is a bit more upscale than Bai Fo Street?"

Today, Qin Feng and Xie Xuan went to another antique market. Unlike Bai Fo Street, most of this market consisted of shops, with only a few stalls at the entrance.

Although the market was less crowded than Bai Fo Street, Qin Feng noticed that there were more customers in the shops. He entered a few and saw people inside drinking tea and chatting.

"Brother Feng, this Hongqi Street was built by the government two years ago. All the powerful people have moved here." Xie Xuan had visited this market a few times before his father's bankruptcy and was somewhat familiar with it.

"Good, it's better if they're powerful. Let's go, fatty!" Qin Feng smiled and continued browsing the antique shops. He didn't speak when he entered a shop but only looked at the items and their prices.

"Bronze artifacts are not allowed to be traded, and there are too many forgeries of calligraphy and paintings. This market mainly deals in porcelain and jade..."

After leaving a shop, Qin Feng stood under a tree, looking thoughtful and muttering to himself, "It takes time to age jade. This is a bit of a problem..."

"Brother Feng, what did you say?" Xie Xuan didn't hear clearly and asked.

"Nothing, let's keep looking." Qin Feng shook his head. What he planned to do was too specialized, and it would be hard to explain to Xie Xuan in a short time.

Just as Qin Feng was about to enter another antique shop, Xie Xuan suddenly pulled him and hid under the tree, pointing ahead and saying, "Wait, Brother Feng, that... that's Nie Yuanlong!"

Xie Xuan wasn't a good student in school either and was one of the troublemakers in Shijiazhuang's middle school. Although he and Nie Yuanlong didn't hang out together, they knew each other.

However, when Xie Xuan was sent to the reformatory, Nie Yuanlong had already been released. After Xie Xuan was released, his family faced a crisis, and they had even less interaction.

"Indeed, it's that guy. Looks like he's doing well, even driving a car."

Following Xie Xuan's gaze, Qin Feng saw Nie Yuanlong coming out of a shop, speaking arrogantly to the person following him, then taking out his keys and getting into a Toyota Camry parked in front.

Qin Feng slightly turned his body, and Nie Yuanlong, who was driving, didn't notice the two people under the tree. He was thinking about where to go for fun that evening after getting 20,000 yuan from the shop.

"Spit, what a piece of shit! He doesn't know anything but acts like he does!" After Nie Yuanlong's car left the antique market, the young man who saw him off spat at the car's rear.

"Is that Jade Shop the Nie family's antique shop?" Qin Feng tilted his head and looked at Xie Xuan.

"Yes, it's the largest jade shop on this street, but it's not a good place..." Xie Xuan said angrily, "My father spent over 300,000 yuan on ancient jade there, but it was all fake after being appraised."

"Ancient jade? It's rare to find real ones." Qin Feng laughed upon hearing Xie Xuan's words.

Good ancient jade mostly comes from tombs and is polished and played with after being stolen. In ancient times, only people of high status could wear jade. In modern times, most tombs have at least seven or eight looting holes, and the good stuff was stolen centuries ago.

So, ancient jade that has survived to the present is extremely rare, mostly circulating among collectors. Finding a real piece of ancient jade in the antique market is like buying a 2-yuan lottery ticket at a sports stadium.

Patted Xie Xuan on the shoulder, Qin Feng said, "Fatty, we'll only make a little money this time. If you can fly solo in the future, go to that shop and get back what your father lost, with interest!"

"Brother Feng, how do we make money?" Xie Xuan was confused. The three of them were practically penniless, with less than 1,000 yuan combined. How could they make money?

"Just follow and watch."

Qin Feng walked towards the shop with the sign "Jade Shop," and Xie Xuan hurriedly followed. After aimlessly wandering for two days, he still didn't understand what Qin Feng was planning.

Upon entering, Qin Feng found that "Jade Shop" was nicely decorated with typical Chinese classical furniture. The open cabinets displayed various large jade pieces, while smaller items and pendants were locked in glass cases.

Two people were in the shop: a thin, elderly man in his fifties lying in the inner room, sipping tea and listening to a radio drama by Shan Tianfang, and the young man who had seen Nie Yuanlong off, sitting at the counter, bored and reading "The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils."

"Don't touch anything if you're not buying. You two can't afford to pay if you break anything!"

Hearing the commotion at the door, the young man looked up, not paying attention to their faces but only glancing at their clothes before bluntly saying, "Don't touch anything if you're not buying. You two can't afford to pay if you break anything!" and continued reading "The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils."

"Shut up!" Qin Feng gave Xie Xuan a look, hoping the young man would ignore them.

"Indeed, there is jade, and it's not cheap..."

Walking around the shop, Qin Feng's eyes gleamed. As the saying goes, a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice. The same goes for business. If the shop didn't have jade, Qin Feng wouldn't have been able to target "Jade Shop."

"Brother Feng, are we not browsing anymore?" After leaving "Jade Shop," Qin Feng walked straight out of the antique market, leaving Xie Xuan confused.

"There's nothing else to browse..."

Qin Feng looked back, and a line from a play his master often quoted came to mind. He couldn't resist singing a segment from the Peking Opera "Picking the Chariot": "See the dark cave ahead, it must be the bandits' den. Lead me forward, and we'll wipe them out!"

"What dark cave? The shop was bright inside!"

Xie Xuan followed Qin Feng's gaze and felt his brain couldn't keep up. Indeed, his brother's actions were different from ordinary people, and his words were confusing and mysterious.

PS: Second chapter, more updates at midnight. Please support with your recommendations!