Stepping past the shadow wall, they entered a small parlor. Passing through the corridor on the side of the parlor, they finally saw a large double door.
The door stood open, revealing a spacious hall inside.
However, the luxurious scene one might imagine of a private club did not appear. This was simply a raw, unfinished concrete space on the ground floor.
The hall was set up like a trade fair, with dozens of stalls of various sizes. Some were furnished with coffee tables and rattan chairs, where small groups of three or five people sat drinking tea. Others had simple cloths spread directly on the floor, with people sitting cross-legged and their goods scattered casually to one side.
Quite a few people were wandering around the hall, stopping to ask prices whenever they saw something they liked.
Mashan curled his lip and said, "Isn't this just a night-market flea market?"
Zhou Na smiled. "You could say that, but don't underestimate this place. It's nothing unusual for tens of millions to change hands in a single night here."
Mashan gasped. "That much? The house cut alone must make a fortune."
Zhou Na replied, "Aside from special closed auctions, Uncle Ming never takes a cut. All right, you two go on in yourselves. I don't really understand these things, so I won't tag along. Just give me a call whenever you're ready to leave."
Li Muchen nodded, said thank you, and went into the trading hall with Mashan.
They strolled around casually, their main objective being jadeite gambling, naturally.
There were a few stalls selling raw jadeite boulders. One of them was relatively large, occupying a corner of the hall and surrounded by quite a few people inspecting the stones.
Li Muchen walked over, spreading out his divine sense and sweeping it across the stones one by one.
Wherever his divine sense passed, the internal grain of the stone was laid bare in his mind, and what kind of material lay inside was crystal clear.
After walking a full circle and examining all several hundred large and small stones on the scene, he didn't find a single one to his liking.
It wasn't that there were no good materials among these stones, but the asking prices were generally very high, and anything with even a sliver of green showing at the cut window started at tens of thousands.
Li Muchen was not familiar with the market prices of jadeite; even if there really was good material inside, he couldn't be sure if it was worth it.
And as for most of the stones, he didn't need to understand the market to know they were definite losers.
For instance, there was a stone weighing around ten pounds with a fully green window, priced at 300,000. But in truth, only the windowed area had any green; the matrix inside was completely impure, the texture was coarse, and it was riddled with cracks—making even a simple jade plaque out of it would be difficult.
"Well? Did you see anything you like?"
Seeing that Li Muchen didn't even squat down to inspect them, just walking among the stones like that, Mashan grew a bit anxious.
Li Muchen shook his head. "Let's go. Let's look over there."
***
On the other side of the sixth-floor hall, Feng Tianming and Zhou Na were sitting in a luxuriously decorated and elegantly appointed office, drinking tea.
Before them hung a large screen displaying live feeds of various locations inside the trading hall.
At that moment, one of the feeds was enlarged—it was precisely the corner of the jadeite gambling area where Li Muchen was.
On the screen, Li Muchen was slowly walking past those haphazard stones.
He walked very slowly, but he never stopped.
"Are you certain they came here to gamble on stones?" Feng Tianming asked, watching the screen.
Zhou Na nodded. "I don't know this Li Muchen well, but Mashan is a straightforward fellow; he wouldn't lie to me."
She then asked, "Uncle Ming, why are you paying him so much attention? Just because he knows Master Kun of Qiantang?"
Feng Tianming shook his head. "If he were merely Master Kun's friend, at most I would accord him some polite respect. But yesterday, he defeated Master Hong, and Master Hong is the representative of Southern Taiji in Hecheng. When he went back, I asked Master Hong about it; though he refuses to admit it with words, in his heart he is convinced. What makes Master Hong angry is that this Li Muchen used genuine Taiji kung fu against him."
"Didn't he say he just learned it on the spot?"
"Hmph! Learned it on the spot? Master Hong has studied boxing for thirty years to achieve what he has. For him to easily defeat Master Hong—do you think learning it on the spot is even possible?"
"Could it be that he's also a disciple of the Taiji school?"
"Master Hong believes he's from Northern Taiji, and that he deliberately came to crash the venue."
"Yet yesterday was clearly just a chance encounter."
"Whether it was an encounter or intentional, that is a matter within their Taiji clan. Hong Tiancheng has already reported to the Southern Taiji headquarters; when the time comes, whether he's the real deal or an impostor, naturally someone will come to sort it out."
Feng Tianming took a sip of tea. "In my line of work, I inevitably encounter times when problems need to be solved by force. Master Hong is someone I spent a great deal to invite here. But as you know, these old Taiji practitioners pride themselves on belonging to an honorable school and care deeply about saving face; some things they consider themselves too proud to do. Right by my side, I am in dire need of an expert like Li Muchen."
"Uncle Ming wants to recruit him, but..." Zhou Na said, not without worry, "this person is terribly arrogant, I'm afraid..."
"Everyone has weaknesses. Since he came to gamble on stones today, it proves he's short on money," Uncle Ming said with quiet confidence.
Zhou Na was slightly startled. "Uncle Ming, you didn't set a trap for them, did you?"
Feng Tianming smiled. "With a figure of this caliber, how could I resort to cheap tricks? I'm simply curious: with the kind of martial arts skill he possesses, there are plenty of ways to make money—why come gamble on stones? Stone gambling isn't a street fight; raw muscle alone won't cut it, you have to rely on a sharp eye."
***
There were several other businesses selling raw jadeite in the venue, though their scale was relatively small.
Li Muchen checked out two more places, still finding no stones worth purchasing.
Mashan grew somewhat impatient. "Muchen, is this going to work or not? How about we just buy one at random? After all, it's a one-shot deal: win and you take a model out to a luxury club, lose and you go home to eat instant noodles."
Li Muchen smiled. "Don't rush. We won't be going home empty-handed today anyway."
The reason for his confidence was that while walking around earlier, although he hadn't found any good stones, he had spotted a few valuable antiques.
Among them was an ancient bronze mirror, clearly freshly excavated and still carrying the yin energy of the subterranean earth.
From the aura faintly radiating beneath its thick crust of green patina, Li Muchen deduced that this had been a ritual implement in ancient times, though it was now damaged and required restoration.
However, a ritual implement of this grade, even if fully restored, would hardly catch his eye.
His primary objective today remained stone gambling; only if he truly failed to find good jade would he consider buying the mirror, which could also fetch a tidy sum after restoration.
There was one last stone vendor tucked away in a corner. Because of its tiny scale, it was utterly inconspicuous, and Li Muchen had almost overlooked it entirely.
Yet the moment he arrived before this stall, Li Muchen's eyes lit up—this modest little stall actually held several rather good stones.
The moment the vendor saw them approach, he greeted them enthusiastically.
"You two, what kind are you looking for?"
He pointed to a stone with an opened window that displayed a very vibrant green. "How about this one? Genuine old-pit material, absolutely top-notch."
Li Muchen didn't even spare it a glance, instead pointing to a pile of unremarkable stones nearby and asking, "How much for these?"
"Oh, those?" The vendor rolled his eyes, his tone instantly turning lukewarm. "Five hundred each, pick whatever you like."
Li Muchen picked one of them, had Mashan pay the five hundred yuan, and asked:
"Do you cut here?"
"I don't cut here, but they do." The vendor pointed toward the largest raw stone stall Li Muchen had visited initially.
Li Muchen and Mashan then carried the stone over in their arms.
The boss over there glanced at the material in their hands and said, "That wasn't bought from me. If you want it cut, we charge by the blade—fifty for these two cuts of yours. Though I'll warn you in advance, you probably won't even make back the cutting fee."
Li Muchen said, "That's fine, cut it."
Without wasting words, the boss took the stone to the saw.
The first stone was sliced open, but there was nothing inside—it looked just like a plain white steamed bun, without a trace of jade luster.
The boss asked, "Still cutting?"
Li Muchen said, "Cut."
The boss then began cutting the second stone.
Down came the blade.
"Holy shit!"
The boss let out an involuntary cry of astonishment.
Solid green!
Chapter 26: Prepare Your Funeral Arrangements
The boss's exclamation instantly drew everyone nearby crowding around.
When people laid eyes on that stone split neatly into halves, gasps of wonder rippled through the crowd.
"Such color, such water—it's a rare sight in years!"
"Too bad the piece is a bit small, otherwise you'd be sitting on a fortune."
"Even as it is, it's not bad. Go ask him how much he bought it for. Look at that outer rind—it's just an ordinary-grade kilo-lot bulk stone. Stones like this are inspected by the quarry masters and discarded as completely worthless before they're sold by weight. The odds of getting anything good out of this are lower than winning the lottery."
"Indeed. Before it's cut open, this kind of bulk material is worth a few thousand at most."
"A few thousand my ass! He bought it right from my place—for five hundred!"
The vendor who had sold the stone to Li Muchen had hurried over upon hearing the commotion. Catching sight of the cut stone, he was so filled with regret his intestines turned green.
How on earth had he sold it for five hundred flat?
He wanted nothing more than to slap himself a few times, and immediately turned to sprint back and hide the rest of that pile away.
"Young man, are you selling this stone? Fifty thousand, I'll take it," a buyer nearby chimed in.
Mashan's face had long since bloomed with joy. Five hundred turning into fifty thousand—if this wasn't turning a profit of ten thousandfold, what was?
He was just about to agree to the fifty thousand when he heard someone nearby scoff:
"Fifty thousand? Are you out of your mind? There's at least enough here for two bangles and a plaque. Look at that color and water—the finished piece is going for upwards of three hundred thousand. Fifty thousand? Have a little conscience!"
Hearing this, Mashan's eyes widened instantly. "Exactly! Fifty thousand, in your dreams!"
"Fine then, I'll offer eighty thousand."
"I'll give one hundred thousand."
"One hundred twenty thousand."
...
The onlookers grew increasingly dense, eventually drawing Zhou Na and Feng Tianming over.
"Uncle Ming is here."
The moment Feng Tianming appeared, the crowd instinctively yielded a pathway.
Walking up to Li Muchen, Feng Tianming inspected the stone and remarked, "Bullseye on the first try! You've got some skills. How on earth did you tell there was material inside this stone?"
"Picked it at random. Pure luck," Li Muchen replied casually.
"Well, that is some truly wonderful luck!"
Feng Tianming turned to the raw stone vendor. "Old Qin, give an estimate—what's this stone worth?"
The vendor addressed as Old Qin said, "It's hard to say for sure yet, but judging purely by the cut surface, the finished pieces would be worth around three hundred and fifty thousand."
Feng Tianming nodded and said to Li Muchen, "Then let's call it three hundred and fifty thousand. I'll buy it."
A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Three hundred and fifty thousand—that was the finished retail price, and an estimate at that. This was a clear money-losing proposition.
Yet no one dared to question Uncle Ming's offer.
Instead, Li Muchen shook his head and said, "I'm not selling."
"Hah, this kid is way too greedy!" someone nearby muttered in disgust.
"Exactly, turning down three hundred and fifty thousand. I thought we had a ghost-eyed expert today, turns out he's just a clueless bumpkin!"
Mashan couldn't fathom why Li Muchen wouldn't sell for three hundred and fifty thousand either, but as a brother, he didn't utter a single word of complaint.
Even if Li Muchen had smashed the stone right then and there, he wouldn't have furrowed a brow.
Zhou Na's eyes held a mixture of incomprehension and disappointment; if a person was insatiably greedy, then no matter how capable he might be, he would never achieve greatness.
Feng Tianming frowned slightly and asked, "Then how much do you want to sell it for?"
Li Muchen pondered for a moment before saying, "If Uncle Ming genuinely wants it, let's say twenty thousand."
Feng Tianming froze for a second, then burst into hearty laughter. "Good! Twenty thousand it is then."
Only then did the surrounding onlookers realize the truth: this young man wasn't holding out for a sky-high price; rather, he felt the valuation was simply too high.
Some gave him a thumbs-up, praising his youthful display of upright character.
Others thought he was a fool for walking away from easy money—did Uncle Ming look like someone who cared about a few hundred thousand?
Zhou Na was equally surprised, the look in her eyes as she gazed at Li Muchen turning complex; she always felt this young man was utterly inscrutable.
Feng Tianming said, "Come to my office to collect the cash."
Li Muchen nodded and followed Feng Tianming to his office alongside Mashan.
Feng Tianming retrieved twenty thousand in cash from his drawer and handed it to Li Muchen. "Take a count."
Li Muchen didn't even glance at it, simply gesturing for Mashan to pack it away.
Feng Tianming invited, "Sit down and have a cup of tea. Xiaona, your tea ceremony is exquisite—why don't you brew us some."
Zhou Na took the host's seat and smiled. "I suppose I shall display my clumsy skills then."
One had to admit, Zhou Na's allure was entirely innate; even the way she sat possessed a fluid grace.
Working in harmony with the delicate tea set, her slender fingers moved across the tea board like flowing clouds and running water, leaving anyone who watched utterly mesmerized.
Before long, several cups of steaming tea were served before each person, and a rich fragrance rushed outward.
Feng Tianming picked up his cup, inhaled the aroma, and praised, "I drank this exact tea earlier, but the flavor is entirely different. Xiaona's hands truly possess the magic to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. Smell this, everyone—there is even a faint trace of feminine fragrance lingering within the tea aroma. That is the true marvel of tea brewed by a beauty."
"Uncle Ming flatters me," Zhou Na replied modestly.
Li Muchen also picked up his cup and sniffed. It was undoubtedly fine tea—both the leaves and the preparation were superb.
As for the talk of feminine fragrance, that was purely playful banter.
"If Uncle Ming has something to say, spit it out," Li Muchen said, holding his teacup. "I'm not a man for beating around the bush."
"Good, straightforward," Feng Tianming laughed heartily. "Then I'll speak plainly. Mr. Li is an expert. To invite Mr. Li to act as my bodyguard would be a sign of disrespect toward him, so instead, I wish to cooperate with Mr. Li."
"How so?"
"Two matters. First, Mr. Li possesses formidable martial arts. Both Iron Jacket Huang Hai and Master Hong of Taiji were defeated at your hands. With your abilities, starting a separate branch of a school might be a stretch, but opening a martial arts hall would be more than enough. If Mr. Li wishes to open a hall, I can contribute a modest effort—the venue and capital will be provided entirely by me, and you won't need to trouble yourself with operational matters either. You simply focus on teaching disciples."
Feng Tianming took a sip of tea and quietly observed Li Muchen.
Mashan wore an expression of intense excitement.
He had fought since childhood and harbored a deep yearning for martial arts, dreaming of apprenticing under some grandmaster, let alone opening his own martial arts hall—something he wouldn't even dare to imagine.
To think that his good brother, after spending a dozen years in the mountains, could return and immediately open a martial arts hall.
Li Muchen saw right through it all.
What a fine-sounding pitch! Open a martial arts hall, you provide the money, you provide the venue, you manage the operations—isn't that just becoming a hired instructor for you, with no real difference from a bodyguard?
That Southern Taiji Master Hong was probably backed by Feng Tianming to open his hall anyway.
Besides, for a dignified disciple of Tiandu, someone who was merely half a step away from entering the Xiantian realm, coming to Hecheng to open a common martial arts hall was nothing short of a joke.
In the martial arts world of the mortal realm, those who could achieve the Transformation realm were already as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
Beyond the Transformation realm, one had to break through the peak of martial arts before they could be called a Grandmaster.
The ultimate pursuit of a Martial Grandmaster was to transition from the Houtian realm to the Xiantian realm, thereby stepping onto the true path of cultivation.
Those who could become Grandmasters were invariably once-in-a-century martial prodigies, obsessed with the martial arts their entire lives, practicing boxing for decades until reaching their seventies or eighties to attain the Grandmaster realm.
To step into Xiantian at such a stage—how immensely difficult that was.
Yet Li Muchen, barely twenty-some years old, had already placed one foot inside the gates of Xiantian.
How could he possibly deign to open a mere martial arts hall?
However, Li Muchen did not refuse immediately.
His primary purpose in coming to Hecheng was to investigate the cause of his grandfather's death back then.
Because too much time had passed, the trail had gone cold; he needed to establish a foothold in Hecheng first, and then utilize various factions and forces to slowly dig up new clues.
Feng Tianming primarily operated in the gray market and maintained deep ties with the underworld—this man could be useful.
Li Muchen smiled faintly and asked, "Are there any Grandmasters in Hecheng?"
Feng Tianming was momentarily taken aback. "A Martial Grandmaster—what exalted beings are they? How could a tiny place like Hecheng produce a Grandmaster? Looking across the entire Nanjiang province, only He Changsheng of Qiantang is universally acknowledged as a Grandmaster."
Li Muchen looked surprised. "Are Grandmasters really that scarce? I assumed that with so many people practicing martial arts, every region would have one. I never imagined there'd only be a single Grandmaster per province."
Feng Tianming's face darkened. That was a Grandmaster, not a piece of jadeite where you could pick up a bargain by mere luck.
In front of genuine martial might, wealthy lineages like theirs were hardly worth mentioning.
"I wouldn't say there's only one. Liu Jinsheng of Yongcheng, and the twin brothers Wang Zongyu and Wang Zongsheng, heads of the Southern Taiji sect—they reportedly reached the Grandmaster realm a few years ago as well, though their renown isn't quite as vast as Grandmaster He Changsheng's. Naturally, there are also a few experts living in seclusion among the common folk or enjoying the mountains and rivers who are simply beyond the likes of us to encounter."
Li Muchen nodded. "Let's put the matter of the martial arts hall aside for now. In a place without even a single Grandmaster, opening a hall is meaningless. Or perhaps one day when I take on disciples, I'll let them open one. Tell me your second proposal."
Chapter 27: This Condition Isn't Bad
Feng Tianming felt that Li Muchen's words carried a hint of arrogance, but since the young man had politely declined, he didn't press the issue and instead continued:
"As for the second matter: I've noticed Mr. Li seems quite learned in antiques and jade. I frequently acquire unusual stones and antiquities, and I'd like to invite Mr. Li to help me authenticate them. The remuneration is entirely negotiable. Furthermore, I have some associates in Diannan; if Mr. Li has any interest in stone gambling, we could make a trip down there together. I'll provide the capital, and we can split any profits fifty-fifty."
Li Muchen thought this sounded acceptable, so he replied, "That's easy enough. You make the arrangements; whenever I have time, I'm available."
He originally needed to make money to buy a house for Ding Xiang and Mashan.
"Very well, it's a deal then," Feng Tianming raised his cup. "I'll use tea in place of wine to toast you, Mr. Li."
After sitting in Feng Tianming's office for a while longer, Li Muchen and Mashan took their leave.
Returning to the trading hall, Li Muchen headed straight for the stall selling the bronze mirror.
After a bout of bargaining, he purchased the damaged ancient bronze mirror for thirty-five hundred yuan.
Because it was a fresh uncleaned piece harboring heavy yin energy, Li Muchen didn't let Mashan carry it, tucking it away on his own person instead.
He continued wandering the hall, wondering if he could find materials to repair the mirror.
Li Muchen hadn't held out high hopes initially, as such materials were exceedingly difficult to locate.
While mirrors could still be dug out of ancient tombs, materials could not—ancients certainly hadn't used ritual components as burial goods.
Just as he anticipated, ritual-grade materials were entirely absent here.
However, it wasn't a wasted trip, as he unexpectedly stumbled upon a piece of profound stone.
Profound stone was a type of ancient meteorite that, upon falling to earth, had undergone geological changes and become deeply buried while absorbing geothermal essence, evolving over hundreds of millions of years.
Profound stones were categorized into superior, medium, and inferior grades.
This particular piece was a medium-grade profound stone; compared to the superior-grade profound stones in the Myriad Immortals Sect's warehouse at Tiandu Peak, it couldn't hold a candle, but it was still quite rare.
Profound stones had numerous applications, the most direct being refinement into protective talismans or defensive magical seals.
Li Muchen figured that purchasing this profound stone would allow him to craft a few protective talismans.