It was Sunday afternoon, the streets were packed with people and traffic was heavy. Thus, the Hummer was stuck in a traffic jam, moving as slow as a snail.
The traffic was in fact not as bad as it seemed and the Hummer was still moving. However, for a speed demon like Tang Meng, the speed at which the vehicle was moving might as well be considered stationary.
The bored and impatient Tang Meng decided to take a cigarette out for a short smoke. At the same time, he looked at Ling Yun invitingly.
“Boss, want a stick?”
Ling Yun was sitting in the second driver seat, his left hand holding on to five bundles of hundred dollar notes. As if trying to show off, he slapped the bundle of notes onto his right palm repeatedly. Sometimes, he would slap it hard and other times, he would slap it lightly. Such arrogance! Such smugness!
“No!” Ling Yun replied, his tone firm and resolute as he shakes his head. This was not what he needed at the moment.
“What do you think I’m still missing? Am I missing any necessities for the apartment?” Ling Yun asked nonchalantly.
After Ling Yun turned down his offer, Tang Meng was busy lighting his own cigarette. Once lighted, he took a deep puff before giving a cheeky smile and replying.
“I don’t know about other things, but a laptop and eight to ten boxes of condoms are standard essentials, right?”
To emphasize what he meant, he even turned to face Ling Yun, giving him an ambiguous wink.
As for Ling Yun, he was puzzled and confused. A laptop? Condoms? What is this guy talking about?
“What’s a condom?” Ling Yun asked in a curious tone.
He had a rough idea of what this ‘laptop’ thing was and its function. However, he had absolutely no idea what a condom was.
On the other hand, Tang Meng was under the idea that Ling Yun was feigning ignorant. Thus, he did not want to persist and make things difficult for Ling Yun. After all, it would be bad for him if Ling Yun loses his temper and end up beating the life out of him. Hence, all he gave Ling Yun was a look that said ‘it’s up to you’ before turning his attention back to the steering wheel.
Ling Yun was now in deep thought. To function in this society, he, too, knew of the importance of a laptop. Thus, he made his decision and spoke to Tang Meng, “Alright then, let’s go and buy three laptops.”
“What… What?! Three?!” Tang Meng stuttered. He was so shocked he almost collided with the car in front.
Ling Yun laughed in return before answering, “What’s wrong? One for me, another for Lingyu and one for my mother. That makes three right?”
Tang Meng thought for a moment before agreeing with Ling Yun. After all, it wasn’t appropriate for Ling Yun to be the only one enjoying the use of a laptop while his family watched. Yep, they should all get a laptop!
“So is there a particular brand you’re looking at? Or should we give Lingyu a call and ask her what’s her favorite brand?”
“Doesn’t matter, I leave it to you. Just make sure it’s durable and easy to use.” Ling Yun replied indifferently.
Tang Meng nodded his head.
“Then let’s get the same one as mine, it costs just five to six thousand dollars. And it’s specs are not half bad either. Let’s go!”
In a flash, the two guys drove to an electronic shop and purchased three laptops. On top of the fact that Tang Meng knew the owner, they also bought three laptops at one go. Hence, the elated owner was so delighted he even gave them a huge discount. With that, they ended up spending just fifteen thousand dollars.
With the laptops bought, the five bundles of hundred dollar bills had reduced to three. Looking at the notes, Ling Yun could not help but think about how easy money burns out. In a single afternoon, they had spent twenty thousand dollars.
“So where to now, boss?” Tang Meng asked as he started up the engine of the Hummer.
Ling Yun wanted to buy iron nails and big needles for self-protection. He also needed to buy the fur brush, cinnabar and paper essential for talisman crafting. He had intended to purchase all these materials in a single day. However, knowing Tang Meng, Ling Yun was sure that he would kick up a big fuss and pose an endless number of questions. Hence, he decided that it would be better if he were to buy these things alone.
After much deliberation, he asked, “Do you know of any places that sell jade stones or jade items?”
Who knew that upon hearing this question, Tang Meng’s eye would light up so brightly? Tang Meng immediately answered, his voice overflowing with enthusiasm, “Boss, you have asked the right person!”
“In Qingshui City, there’s an old and famous antique trading market. There, be it jade items, antique paintings, rare gemstones, old books, and stamps or even pets and flowers can be found. If you so desire, you can even purchase religious tools that have been blessed!”
The reason Ling Yun had asked that question was due to the discovery of the jade box. Since it could absorb and store spiritual energy, Ling Yun was hoping that he would be able to find something similar. Hence, he held little interest over all those antiques mentioned by Tang Meng.
That being said, the moment he heard about the religious tools that had been blessed, his calm expression instantly changed. His eyes widened as he stared at Tang Meng.
“Tools that have been blessed?!” Ling Yun repeated.
Tang Meng glanced at Ling Yun as if he is looking at a newbie in Qingshui City.
“That’s right… You know how our city has a spiritual awakening monastery? The monks there are famous for blessing spiritual items. There’s even word that items blessed by them can bring about great fortune and expel all evil!” Tang Meng exclaimed while giving Ling Yun a doubtful look.
“Oh… I see,” Ling Yun answered softly nodding his head as if he had just been given enlightenment.
“But why do you know so much about that place?”
In response, Tang Meng smiled proudly, swinging his long black hair elegantly to the side before answering.
“Don’t tell me you forgot my nickname in Qingshui City? I’m not called the Little Gambling God for nothing! Every week, in this old antique trading market, there are events like stone gambling, cockfighting, and the likes…”
As he spoke, he intentionally lowered his voice before speaking secretively, “Every time the banker opens a bet, if I’m free, I would always take a look and bet a thousand or so if I feel confident…”
“Besides, my grandfather’s an antique collecting fanatic. Even though he has toned down now, whenever he’s free, he would go for a walk around the antique market. For the past two years, he has always brought me along…”
“What about now?” Ling Yun asked.
Tang Meng scratched his head awkwardly before replying.
“Well, on the 15th of January this year, he apparently spent thirty thousand dollars on an antique in the market. Initially, he was confident of its authenticity. However, after going through an antique appraisal, it turned out to be a replica. Rather than the money, he felt embarrassed for showing it off to his close friends. From then on, he has been reluctant to visit the market. Furthermore, since I have the entrance exams coming up, even when he decides to visit the market, he would not bring me…”
Upon finishing his explanation, Tang Meng suddenly remembered about an incident.
“Boss, during September last year, didn’t you watch the treasure search program broadcasted by the China Central Television? It’s called and was filmed right here in Qingshui City’s antique trading market. They even ended up finding two pieces of porcelain originating from the great Yuan dynasty.” Tang Meng exclaimed while shaking his head incessantly, his face filled with envy and regret.
After a few moments, Tang Meng lighted another cigarette before speaking to Ling Yun in a serious tone, “Boss, if you want to buy jade to give to Cao…*cough* I mean to give someone, I would suggest that you go to a genuine jewelry store. Even though it’s more expensive, at least there’s no worry about being cheated.”
Having seen how Ling Yun was in a rush to rent an apartment and now interested in buying jade, Tang Meng was convinced Ling Yun wanted to win Cao Shanshan’s heart!
As for Ling Yun, through the use of subtle innuendos and questions, he had managed to gain an overall understanding of the old antique trading market. (Without raising any unneeded suspicion) However, he kept that joy within himself. After all, to him, the jade stone authenticity and cost held little meaning to him. Furthermore, he was sure that with so many gemstones gathered in a single market, there would surely be a few that possessed spiritual energy.
With his ability to absorb spiritual energy from all substances, he intended to search the market. If lucky, he just might find a treasure with spiritual energy. And if it was affordable, he would purchase it and if not, all he had to do was to try to absorb all the spiritual energy in the item. How hard could it be?
Having made up his mind, Ling Yun gave an evil smile before nodding his head and saying, “Let’s go and have a look, shall we?”
Seeing how Ling Yun ignored his advice, Tang Meng could only give a bitter smile before answering.
“Alright, but remember, boss, just look all you want but don’t buy anything! Out of the hundreds of items there, few are genuine. If we end up spending the remaining thirty thousand dollars on a replica, we will really end up on the streets!”
The Qingshui old antique trading market lay west from the Qingshui lake parkland. The straight line distance between the two locations was roughly two kilometers. Hence, the distance between the market and the Qingxi villa district was only three kilometers or so.
This antique trading market was big indeed. With the market comprising two streets crossing straight through another two streets, it formed a big tic tac toe structure when seen from above. Small shops and stores lined up beside one another. It was even said to be one of the five biggest antique trading markets in China.
The place was not merely an antique market favored by Qingshui’s antique collectors. It was also a place visited by collectors from all over the country. Many came to this market in search of treasure as well as to exchange their knowledge and experiences about antiques.
As today was a Sunday, before they even entered the trading market, the car was already swarmed by people. Unable to proceed further, Tang Meng had no choice but to look for a spot to park the car.
The moment Ling Yun left the car, he could sense the thick spiritual energy flowing in the surroundings. It was at least ten times as concentrated as the area around the Qingxi villa. Having reached the peak of the 2nd level of Physique Tempering stage, his body was now able to absorb the spiritual energy! Moreover, this area was only the perimeter of the trading market. Who knew how thick the spiritual energy was within?
It seemed like Ling Yun had hit the jackpot! This place was a treasure spot for Physique Tempering!
With both eyes seemingly radiating with vigor, Ling Yun took a deep breath. With the spiritual energy entering his body, he could feel every single pore in his skin easing up. Such comfort!
Without a second thought, he was sure that the treasure that he sought was not only present, it was present in large quantity!
“Boss, this entire area is the market! Look at the crowd, this happens everyday, it’s so lively!” Tang Meng shouted in excitement as he pointed to the swarm of people while standing beside Ling Yun.
“Boss, shall we go in and have a look?”
Even though he had tried to dissuade Ling Yun from coming to the market, now that they were here, Tang Meng had lost his own self-restraint. This was because he knew that every Sunday afternoon, various famous jade stone experts would gather at the well established ‘Yu Xuanding’. There, they would engage in hair-raising and exciting stone gambling. It was definitely a spectacle that should not be missed.
To Tang Meng’s surprise, Ling Yun shook his head. This was because he only wanted to see whether his ideas were feasible or not. Thus, he had no intention of carrying out his plan as of now. Just knowing the existence of such a place in Qingshui City was enough for him. Ultimately, he could always come whenever he needed to, thus, there was no need for him to rush.
“Let’s go back,” Ling Yun replied calmly after having assessed the place and its surroundings.
“Come on, boss, you can’t be serious? We just came, shouldn’t we go in and have a look? Don’t you still need to shop for Cao… for some jade stones?” Tang Meng blurted out in disbelief.
Ling Yun gave Tang Meng a smile before answering, “All I said was that we were going to have a look, who said anything about buying jade stones? Lingyu is still waiting for us back home and this place is too crowded for a fast browse. Plus, we can come back anytime, so let’s go!”
Having said his piece, Ling Yun turned and walked back towards the car without any hesitation. The helpless Tang Meng could only follow reluctantly back to the car and start their drive back home.
On the journey back, Tang Meng could not help but grumble.
“Boss, you’re too much. We were already there, we might as well have had a browse…”
Ling Yun immediately retorted, “When I came out, I had already decided that I would go back for lunch. Are you suggesting that I let my mother and Lingyu wait for me?”
“Now, drive back to the apartment to put down the laptops before sending me back home!”
Despite his reproachful and stern tone towards Tang Meng, Ling Yun was thinking in his mind, Antique trading market? Stone gambling? This should be interesting…
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