Chapter 64: Hemoptysis (Part 1)

  After leaving the Jade Stone Studio, Qin Feng limped into a public toilet and found a backpack hidden in one of the squat toilets that had been locked from the inside.

  When Qin Feng came out of the toilet again, his white shirt had turned into a sportswear, and the black bag had become a backpack, looking no different from the middle school students that could be seen everywhere on the street.

  Out of the antique street, Qin Feng hailed a taxi and rushed to the train station. The talkative taxi driver would never have thought that this high school student-like young man was carrying over 200,000 yuan with him.

  "Feng Ge, you've arrived." In the place where Qin Feng had agreed with Li Tianyuan and Xue Xuan, he saw the two of them.

  "Brother Wind, I...I didn't mean to hit you, it's...it's you who made me hit you." Li Tianyuan stuttered as he saw the bruise at the corner of Qin Feng's eye. On Antique Street that day, he had used all his strength in that one punch.

  "Alright, I'm not blaming you, what's wrong with you, kid?" Qin Feng waved his hand and turned to Xie Xuan, asking: "Have the tickets been bought yet?"

  "I've bought it, Wind Brother, we have one more hour before departure."

  Xie Xuan nodded and said somewhat puzzled: "Feng Ge, from here to Jin Tian City, it's just five or six hours by train, do we need to buy a sleeper?"

  The trio had actually gone bankrupt this morning, and they didn't even have money to buy breakfast, let alone train tickets. In the end, Xie Xuan took out an 80-year-old monkey ticket and exchanged it for over a thousand yuan.

  If it were a few years ago, Xie Xuan would not have taken this amount of money seriously, but after his dad went bankrupt, this prodigal son also learned to be frugal.

  "The hard seat is too chaotic, the sleeper berth is more comfortable and safer, let's go, this is the starting station, we'll get on the train first..."

  Qin Feng didn't explain much to Xie Xuan, after all, he couldn't say that he had more than 200,000 yuan in cash on him. Although it's been over a decade since the reform and opening-up, 200,000 yuan is still a staggering figure for ordinary people.

  Besides, the train station has always been the most chaotic place in a city. Qin Feng had Xie Xuan buy a sleeper ticket, which was to go directly from the waiting room for sleeper tickets to the train, so as to avoid being stared at and having some unexpected things happen afterwards.

  Fortunately, everything went relatively smoothly until Qin Feng got on the car and let out a long sigh of relief. Looking at the backpack beside him, he even had an unreal feeling.

  "Damn it, knowledge is really power!" Qin Feng's mind inexplicably popped up with this phrase.

  At what time, Qin Feng used to save a few cents every day and didn't eat breakfast for several years. In order to raise tuition fees for his sister, he couldn't afford to buy meat once a month, but it was just a scam that allowed him to reap the wealth that many people in this era can't earn in their lifetime.

  This also reminded Qin Feng of his master's words, that it is not possible to use this for evil purposes. If one masters the core skills of the Outer Eight Gates and uses them for evil, it will indeed bring endless trouble to society.

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  "Boss Sun, welcome, welcome!"

  "Director Dong, come in quickly!"

  "Mrs. Li, you're the star today, it's not that I'm stingy, but this thing, once you see it, you'll know, normally it's hard to even buy."

  Nie Tianbao stood outside a private club with a spring breeze on his face, welcoming guests. He was quite influential and had managed to gather people from the Shi City business community and antique dealers in just one day, preparing for a small-scale auction.

  Suddenly, Nie Tianbao saw Ge Jun, who was dressed in an old-fashioned attire, and hastily went up to greet him, with a forced smile: "Ah, Old Master Ge, I thought you weren't coming today."

  It is said that people in the same industry are enemies, and Ge Jun has been rolling around in the jade market for many years. He is also the president of the Jade Market Association, so "Yu Shi Zhai" has always been suppressed by "Qi Shi Zhai". This is also one of the things that Nie Tianbao resents the most.

  "Great treasure, I heard you got your hands on a top-quality jadeite, so of course old man me has to come take a look."

  Ge Jun bowed his hands towards Nie Tianbao, and in the Shi City Jade Stone Store, only he dared to call out Nie Tianbao's nickname.

  "Boss Ge, don't look at you as a senior, this treasure, you are also seeing it for the first time." Thinking that he could surprise Ge Jun soon, Nie Tianbao didn't mind the other party's title, and led Ge Jun into the banquet hall.

  Nie Tianbao's guests were not many, but they were all top figures in the Shishi business community. By a little after eight o'clock in the evening, almost everyone had arrived.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, I have invited you all here today to witness the birth of the most precious gemstone in Shi City's history. And I will be taking out one item for tonight's auction, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity..."

  Nie Tianbao held the microphone and stood in front of the stage, he believed that from today on, the high-end jade market in Shishi would be opened, and the representative business was naturally "Yu Shi Zhai".

  "Come on, Old Niu, stop pretending and bring out the good stuff!"

  "Is it, then, still a treasure, but the He Shi Bi is not complete?"

  "What's the point of buying this jade stone if you can't eat it or drink it?"

  As soon as Nian Tianbao's words fell, several familiar friends suddenly shouted out. They were among the first batch of people to get rich in the country. Although they had a lot of money, their taste was really not commendable.

  "Alright, since you're all good friends, I won't say more." Nie Tianbao shouted towards the center of the field: "Manager Zhao, bring out the stuff..."

  To show off the nobility of the jade, Nie Tianbao specially chose two high-end jewelry boxes yesterday. With his shout, a beam of light shone on the middle of the banquet hall, and Zhao Zhanggui wore an old-fashioned horse jacket, holding a tray standing there.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, what I'm going to introduce to you today are two top-quality jadeites!"

  "After being appraised by experts, these two pieces of jade were found to be part of the collection of Empress Dowager Cixi back in the day. They later fell into the hands of ordinary people. I, Old Nie, also spent a lot of money to collect them."

  Nie Tianbao walked under the lamp, picked up the box containing the earrings and said: "This pair of earrings, the quality is the ultimate in jade accessories... Emperor Green, many people who have played with jade for a lifetime may not have seen it..."

  Nie Tianbao opened the jewelry box in front of the crowd and said with a proud smile: "We also have connoisseurs here, I believe everyone knows Mr. Ge, please ask him to appraise it for us."

  Nie Tianbao's move was to save Ge Jun's face, and in front of so many dignitaries, he praised his opponent's jade, thinking that from now on, Ge Jun would not dare to compete with him in the jade market.

  "Nie Tianbao is ruthless, Old Ge is already so old and still wants to lose face here." The people in the arena all understood Nie Tianbao's intention, but since they were all in the same profession, Nie Tianbao's actions were also justified, and others couldn't say anything about it.

  "Is it really made of imperial green fabric?"

  Ge Jun initially stood a bit far away, only seeing the emerald green jade under the light, and his heart was also shaken. The Ge family had been in the jade business since before liberation, so they naturally knew the preciousness of imperial green ornaments.

  "Boss Ge, isn't it obvious if you just take a look?" Hearing Ge Jun's almost murmured words, Nie Tianbao couldn't help but smile smugly. All these years, being suppressed by "Qishi Zhai" had been suffocating him to death.

  "If it's really an ornament passed down from Empress Dowager Cixi, then that old man has indeed opened his eyes."

  Ge Jun saw that he couldn't hide, so he stood out straightforwardly and walked to the front of Nie Tianbao. Then, he took out a pair of white gloves and put them on his hands. He knew that Nie Tianbao didn't have good intentions today either, and had also made some preparations.

  "The emerald green is so vibrant it seems to drip with richness, a deep and luscious color that's also crystal clear like water...it's really something special..."

  Ge Jun didn't rush to take action, but instead leaned in for a closer look. However, when he took out a magnifying glass and examined one of the earrings more closely, his expression suddenly changed. "Hmm, something seems off!"

  "What's wrong?"

  Nie Tianbao, who was basking in Ge Jun's praise, heard this and hesitated for a moment, somewhat displeased, saying: "Old Ge, these earrings have been appraised by experts, what's wrong with them?"

  "Let me take another look!" Ge Jun didn't respond to Nie Tianbao, but instead placed the earring in his palm and began examining it from various angles with a magnifying glass.

  "Xiao Nian, this...this thing is a fake, what emperor green, it's simply worthless!"

  After a long while, Ge Jun finally lifted his head, and in his eyes there was an indescribable flavor, as if he were sympathizing with Nie Tianbao, yet also ridiculing him.

  "Impossible, Old Ge, you're being unreasonable, I don't have to do this, do I?"

  When Ge Jun said those words, Nie Tianbao only felt a surge of evil fire rushing to his brain, and if it weren't for Ge Jun's older age, he would have even thought of taking action.

  "Xiao Nian, we're all people who have been through the mill, I'm telling you whether it's true or false, and once you investigate, you'll know."

  Ge Jun shook his head and looked at Zhao Zhanggui, saying: "Old Zhao, you're also an old hand in the business, how could you be so superficial and mistaken about such a thing?"

  "Are you kidding me? No way, Ge. Even if I had wronged you in the past, don't bring this up now, brother."

  Zhao Zhanggui and Nie Tianbao are of the same mind, and he is not a good person either. In the past, he had some disagreements with Ge Jun, but now they are openly quarreling.

  "Take a look yourself!" Ge Jun, crying and laughing at the same time, put the earring on the plate, along with his own magnifying glass.

  "It's absolutely impossible, both I and Old Nie..."

  Boss Zhao put the tray on the side table, picked up the earring and just as he was about to examine it with a magnifying glass, his voice suddenly stopped, as if someone had grabbed his throat.

  "This... how is this possible? How can there be a crack?"

  After a moment, Zhao suddenly let out a sharp cry, his face incredulous as he stared at the earring in his palm. In the originally pure and vibrant green jade, several deep ice cracks had clearly appeared.