A surprise?
Old Tang was stunned and asked, “What surprise?”
“You’ll see soon enough. For now, please find me a large, preferably sealed space,” Ye Qiu said.
Old Tang replied, “The basement level of this building has an indoor athletics field, ten thousand square metres, completely sealed. Will that do?”
“Perfect. Let’s go to the basement!”
The three headed to the athletics field.
Ye Qiu noticed the field was not only indoors but also temperature-controlled.
“Ye Qiu, what’s this surprise?” the War God asked curiously.
Ye Qiu smiled slightly and took out a dozen artefacts from his Qiankun Bag.
He deliberately took out only a few at first, worried that too many might spike Old Tang’s blood pressure, wanting him to adjust gradually.
The sudden appearance of a dozen glass display cases startled Old Tang.
“Ye Qiu, where did you get these?” Old Tang asked as he approached the cases.
“Look, a Qianlong-era glazed bottle!”
“Kangxi’s dragon robe!”
“A Ming Dynasty Yongle gold seal!”
“This pair of blue-and-white porcelain vases was a Song Dynasty tribute!”
“This calligraphy is by Wang Xianzhi, with inscriptions by Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Huizong of Song.”
“A Western Zhou bronze tripod!”
“…”
“My God, these are national treasures!”
Shock spread across Old Tang and the War God’s faces.
“Ye Qiu, as far as I know, these items were lost overseas. How did you get them?” the War God asked.
Ye Qiu smiled. “From the Rodell family.”
Old Tang ordered, “War God, quickly notify the museum staff to come and transport these artefacts.”
“Yes, sir,” the War God agreed.
Ye Qiu added, “War God, tell the museum to send plenty of artefact preservation experts. I have more.”
“Understood.” The War God pulled out his phone and made a quick call.
Twenty minutes later.
The museum staff arrived, a dozen elderly experts, all top professionals in their field.
After greeting Old Tang and the War God, their eyes locked onto the artefacts.
“Song Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain, so precious!”
“Wang Xianzhi may not be as famous as his father Wang Xizhi, but his calligraphy is rare.”
“The gold seal of Emperor Chengzu of Ming? Excellent find.”
Finally, the group gathered around a bronze tripod.
The tripod stood about four metres tall, supported by three legs, weighing over a thousand kilograms, ancient and grand.
“I never thought I’d see such a large, well-preserved bronze relic in my lifetime. I can die without regrets!” one elderly expert said, tears streaming down his face.
Ye Qiu, standing nearby, smirked, thinking, If I brought out the four Qiankun Cauldrons, would this old guy faint from excitement?
Old Tang said, “Ye Qiu, didn’t you say there were more artefacts? Bring them out.”
“Alright.” Ye Qiu nodded, and artefacts began appearing like raindrops, densely filling the athletics field.
In moments, a third of the field was covered with glass display cases.
Thousands of artefacts in total!
Everyone was dumbfounded.
“Ye Qiu, this is what you call ‘some’? This is ‘some’?” Old Tang’s lips trembled as he spoke.
As the highest authority, accustomed to grand events, he was expected to remain composed in public.
But with so many artefacts appearing at once, Old Tang couldn’t suppress his excitement.
Ye Qiu grinned. “Old Tang, surprised?”
“Surprised! Beyond surprised!” Old Tang said. “All scavenged from the Rodell family?”
“Not scavenged, picked up,” Ye Qiu clarified.
“Picked up?”
“Yeah, they were all dead, so these artefacts had no owner. I just picked them up.”
Old Tang was speechless.
“Good job, kid,” the War God praised.
The elderly experts, like men single for decades suddenly seeing a breathtaking beauty, stared at the artefacts with gleaming eyes.
They rushed forward in unison.
Soon, exclamations rang out.
“Guess what I found? A Buddhist scripture lost from the Mogao Caves!”
“I’ve got a gilded bronze Buddhist pagoda!”
“I found a Picasso sketchbook, thirteen pages, absolutely exquisite!”
“My God, a massive luminous pearl!”
“…”
The experts, as if experiencing a second youth, were incoherent with excitement, lost in a frenzy.
It was understandable, given how precious these treasures were.
Old Tang, who usually enjoyed antiques, looked at a few pieces before returning to Ye Qiu’s side.
“Why’d you stop looking?” Ye Qiu asked, puzzled.
Old Tang said, “I’m afraid if I keep looking, my blood pressure will spike.”
The War God laughed heartily.
Old Tang continued, “Ye Qiu, bringing back so many artefacts is a great service to the country and its people. Thank you.”
Ye Qiu said earnestly, “No need for thanks. As a Chinese person, it’s my duty.”
Old Tang nodded.
“War God, tell the experts to head back!” Ye Qiu said.
The War God stepped forward and said loudly, “Everyone, please quiet down.”
His voice, infused with inner strength, carried immense authority.
Instantly, the experts stopped and looked at him.
“Esteemed experts, I know you’re excited, but please calm yourselves for a moment.”
“I’ll arrange for soldiers to transport these items to the museum soon.”
“Go back now, prepare the space, and get ready to receive these artefacts.”
The experts reluctantly left.
As they departed, they kept looking back, as if parting with a beloved, their reluctance amusing Ye Qiu.
Finally, the scene quieted down.
“No wonder they’re the world’s top family. So many treasures!” Old Tang said, gazing at the thousands of artefacts.
Ye Qiu said, “Old Tang, War God, I have another surprise for you.”
“What surprise?” Old Tang asked eagerly.
The War God said, “Did you get other treasures from the Rodell family?”
Ye Qiu nodded with a smile.
“Quick, show us,” Old Tang urged.
Ye Qiu said, “I’m worried your blood pressure might spike when you see it.”
“No matter,” Old Tang laughed. “Thousands of precious artefacts didn’t raise my blood pressure. What treasure could unsettle me? Hurry, bring it out.”
“You’d better stay calm,” Ye Qiu said, then began taking out gold bricks.
One hundred tonnes.
Two hundred tonnes.
Three hundred tonnes…
In moments, twenty thousand tonnes of gold filled the remaining space of the athletics field.
Old Tang and the War God were stunned.
After a while.
Old Tang said shakily, “Ye Qiu, quick, help me. My blood pressure’s getting a bit high…”
