After seeing Yuanjing off, Lu Zheng could finally focus on his own affairs.
“Boss Gu?” He first called Gu Pingzhong from Zhongyu Studio.
“Mr. Lu?”
“I have some collectibles I’d like you to appraise. If you’re interested, you can have first pick to buy.”
“Oh?” Gu Pingzhong’s interest was piqued, his tone carrying a smile. “What kind of items are they? More of your grandfather’s collection?”
“Partially, but some were acquired through other channels.”
Gu Pingzhong had left a good impression on Lu Zheng, so he planned to continue working with him, testing if a long-term partnership was possible.
After all, he had a fallback: if he sent the items to the Da Jing Dynasty, even immortals wouldn’t find them!
“Other channels…”
Such vague words naturally made Gu Pingzhong think twice, but these matters couldn’t be clarified over the phone.
“How about this? I’m free today. Why don’t you bring the items to my shop?”
“Of course.”
…
Gu Pingzhong stared in shock at the suitcase Lu Zheng opened.
The next moment, like a startled rabbit, he leapt up, dashed to the door, and locked it.
Turning back, swallowing hard, he fixed his gaze on Lu Zheng. “Where did you get these items from?”
Lu Zheng blinked. “What’s wrong? Is something off?”
“If you hadn’t come to me, showing you’ve got no one else to appraise them, I wouldn’t believe a single word you’re saying!”
Gu Pingzhong spoke slowly, each word deliberate. “These items were dug up from the ground!”
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow, surprised. “You can tell?”
“You knew?” Gu Pingzhong asked, equally shocked.
“Of course I knew!”
“Hiss—”
Gu Pingzhong sucked in a breath. “That kind of activity gets you at least three years!”
Lu Zheng, unfazed, replied, “These items were unearthed over a hundred years ago and have been circulating abroad. It’s fine now.”
Gu Pingzhong’s eyes lit up. “Abroad? Dug up a hundred years ago?”
Lu Zheng nodded.
“They didn’t come through official channels, did they?”
“Not quite,” Lu Zheng said with a smile. “Exporting privately is a no-go, but bringing them back privately… I’d say I’m doing the country a favour, right?”
Gu Pingzhong chuckled and cursed, “Then you should donate all these things!”
“Next time, for sure!” Lu Zheng promised earnestly.
“So, will you take a look?”
“No problem,” Gu Pingzhong nodded, then asked, “Looking to sell?”
“All of them.”
“I can’t handle that much, nor do I have the channels to liquidate them,” Gu Pingzhong said, squatting by the suitcase, putting on white cloth gloves and picking up an intricately carved gold bowl. “But I can recommend a friend.”
“Who?”
“You’ve met him.”
“Liu Zhenming?”
“Exactly. He’s got wider connections, runs a private collection museum, knows plenty of collectors, and his methods are a bit unconventional.”
…
A phone call later, Liu Zhenming soon arrived at Zhongyu Studio.
“Good grief, I’m gobsmacked! I thought I was the one with wild connections, but Mr. Lu, you’ve got some serious reach, bringing back treasures from abroad’s underground markets!”
“Old Gu, how are the items?”
Gu Pingzhong nodded. “All top-notch, with great artistic and collectible value. But I’m puzzled…”
“Puzzled about what?”
“They clearly have a Chinese style, but I can’t pinpoint which dynasty they’re from,” Gu Pingzhong said, frowning. “They’ve got the charm of the Han Dynasty, the inclusiveness of the Tang, and the prosperity of the Song, all mixed together.”
Liu Zhenming paused, glancing at Lu Zheng. “Can’t tell, or not sure?”
‘Can’t tell’ was industry code for fakes.
‘Not sure’ meant genuinely uncertain.
“Not sure,” Gu Pingzhong shook his head, holding up a nearly flawless white jade bird pendant. “I’ll take this jade piece. Two million, how about it?”
Before Gu Pingzhong could explain the price, Lu Zheng nodded. “It’s yours!”
Liu Zhenming: (´°Δ°`)
Swallowing hard, Liu Zhenming steeled himself and pushed forward. “Let me have a look too!”
…
Soon, the three reached an agreement.
Gu Pingzhong took four jade ornaments for six and a half million, while Liu Zhenming took items worth a full ten million.
The prices weren’t wholesale, but they were definitely friendly.
So, Liu Zhenming waved his hand generously, waiving the handling fees for selling the remaining items.
“The rest—gold items, jade ornaments—are of slightly lower quality. As for the gems and pearls, we don’t deal in those. In a few days, I’ll invite some collectors to my museum for a private appraisal event to sell them all.”
“The remaining items are probably worth around thirty million,” Gu Pingzhong added after a moment’s thought, “but likely a bit less.”
“How long will it take?” Lu Zheng asked.
“About half a month,” Liu Zhenming estimated.
“Fine. Take the items for now. I might be busy later and may not have time to deliver them.”
Liu Zhenming blinked. So trusting? Not afraid I’d take the goods and cut you out?
Lu Zheng smiled. “There’s more where that came from.”
That was one reason; the other wasn’t convenient to mention.
Liu Zhenming thumped his chest. “Don’t worry! Who doesn’t know I, Old Liu, am a descendant of Huizhou merchants? Integrity is my code, my word is my bond!”
…
With the money in hand, Liu Zhenming treated them to lunch. Lu Zheng returned home and resumed studying the Cold Condensation Spell.
The spell’s text spanned three thousand words, covering everything from drawing talismans to casting, incantations, and qi circulation.
But, just as books contain all sorts of knowledge yet few can ace top university exams, this spell wasn’t easy to master.
By five in the afternoon, Lu Zheng, at his desk, managed to scrawl a crude, crooked talisman on yellow paper.
Though drawn in one go, his qi flow was intermittent, rendering the talisman useless.
Still…
Lu Zheng stood with closed eyes, as if gathering focus.
The next moment…
His eyes snapped open, gleaming with resolve. His wolf-hair brush swept through the cinnabar ink.
The brush danced like a dragon, qi flowing smoothly, infused into the cinnabar and yellow paper, rippling with energy.
A minute later, the Cold Condensation Talisman was complete!
Ignoring the five strands of luck light that vanished from his jade seal, Lu Zheng grinned proudly. “I’m bloody brilliant!”
He kept going, drawing twenty Cold Condensation Talismans until his qi was fully depleted.
Folding each talisman into small squares, he stuffed them all into the freezer.
Done!
Then, his phone rang.
“Lu Zheng, I’m not working late today. Want to grab dinner?”
“Sure!”
