“Major…”
“No need for formalities, just call me Xu Fei.”
Seeing Xu Fei’s talent and humility, Wang Qiang’s admiration grew even stronger.
“Mr. Xu, if we can’t find Yao Xin soon, will we be in trouble?”
Xu Fei nearly laughed aloud. His earlier tale, embellished with the mysterious deaths of the fake experts, had clearly spooked everyone.
In truth, the golden Buddha inscribed with *The Art of Myriad Treasures* bore no curse. It only inflicted a backlash on those without the ability to cultivate true energy.
People like Liu Hu, who hadn’t directly touched it, carried no trace of its aura, and even Xu Fei couldn’t detect anything amiss.
Yao Xin, who had dug up the Buddha himself, was an ordinary person with no spiritual awakening. Unable to read the inscriptions on its back, he saw it merely as a valuable trinket and thus faced no backlash.
Xu Fei had spun the story to hasten his acquisition of the complete *Art of Myriad Treasures*.
But now, he had to keep up the act.
Feigning calm, Xu Fei pondered for a moment before responding.
“For the short term, I can ensure everyone’s safety. But if too much time passes, I’m afraid…”
He left the rest unsaid, and everyone present understood. The workers even began changing clothes, clearly heading out to search for Yao Xin.
After all, the site had been halted for days over this. If they couldn’t find him, their lives were at risk—who could focus on work?
After waiting for hours, Wang Qiang suddenly received a call.
“Mr. Wang, we’ve found the bloke! He’s at Sunshine Tycoon Bathhouse!”
“Good, keep him under control. I’ll bring Mr. Xu over immediately!”
Wang Qiang hung up, brimming with excitement, and looked at Xu Fei, who nodded and joined him in the car.
Upon arriving, Xu Fei glanced around. It was an unremarkable side street near an antique market, nothing standout.
The Sunshine Tycoon Bathhouse was their destination. Inside, Xu Fei saw Yao Xin, surrounded by four or five men.
“Mr. Xu, you’re finally here! We’ve nabbed the guy, but he says he’s already sold the Buddha!”
Upon seeing Xu Fei, Wang Qiang clutched his arm as if grasping a lifeline.
“What? Someone’s greedy enough to buy that thing, risking their life?”
Xu Fei was genuinely surprised, as he’d assumed no one in the trade would dare touch it.
“Tell us what happened that day.”
Under the crowd’s piercing glares, Yao Xin hurriedly confessed.
After stealing half of the golden Buddha, Yao Xin took leave from the foreman and settled near the antique market, planning to sell it.
At first, Yao Xin was brimming with confidence. The Buddha was pure gold, and though only half, he figured someone would surely want it.
