“Centennial deep sea coral, 10 low spiritual beads? Give it.”
“Five mid spiritual beads for a damaged immortal’s flying sword? Here!”
“This, and this, that too. I want it all!”
“That and that!”
The lanky man didn’t stop his shopping spree with the jade stall, oh no. He kept on going and going, and going, sweeping the stalls like a ravenous hero. Zhang Ding was watching in envy, Hu Dezhi was shaking his head.
“He is no mere upstart, but a spendthrift! If I had his money, why would I waste time bickering?” Hu Dezhi smiled dejectedly.
Hu Dezhi wasn’t interested in the lanky guy’s assault on the shops. Of course, that is because Li Mo had yet to return. He didn’t dare move carelessly.
The lanky man picked everything clean and left in high spirits. Hu Dezhi found it had been half an hour since Li Mo was gone.
“I’ll go take a look.” Jiang Xiaomei was about to go check up on Li Mo, when he rushed over.
“Terribly sorry.”
Zhang Ding mocked, “Incompetence is incompetence. That spendthrift got all the good items. What’s the point in coming out now?”
“Celestial Master Zhang, don’t say that. I saw old sport Li’s skill myself.”
Zhang Ding rolled his eyes and was about to let out another derisory remark. Li Mo walked over and cuffed him.
The slap was so loud and fast that Hu Dezhi didn’t even react. Zhang Ding was also out of it from shock.
“Give you face, is it? On and on and on. Ignoring you is face enough!”
Zhang Ding blew a gasket, “Are you tired of living?”
Crack!
Li Mo landed another slap. Zhang Ding was prepared to doge, but Li Mo’s slap rang true.
“I’ll kill you!” Zhang Ding took out the yellow seal but here came another one of Li Mo’s slaps, a bit harder this time, that sent Zhang Ding seeing stars before fainting.
Li Mo asked, “Brother Hu, is it all right if I set him straight?”
Hu Dezhi was silent, ‘Won’t you do it anyway?’
Some guards came noticing the disturbance, but Hu Dezhi explained.
“We’re all friends here, playing jokes and having fun.”
The black market guards left and Grandmaster Xu had to carry the knocked out Zhang Ding.
Xu Ming had talked with Hu Dezhi freely and regarding anything. But with Li Mo around, he didn’t make a peep, as if he was another person.
Li Mo guided Hu Dezhi around to pick items.
The lanky bought most of the ‘good goods’ and Hu Dezhi thought of the ‘bad’ leftovers. He had one aim, win Tang Zhan’s favor.
“The beast bone is fake.”
There was no oracle bone script on it, but some mumbo-jumbo.
“The crack on the bone is from being glued together. If you don’t believe me, break it and you will see the glue.”
“What’s the point of breaking it? I’ll just return it!”
Hu Dezhi rushed to the stall owner but he returned five minutes later still holding the bone.
“That bastard packed up and left…”
A 30 million waste!
“S***!”
Hu Dezhi turned to the sleeping Zhang Ding and cursed. ‘I wouldn’t have wasted my money if it weren’t for you!’
Hu Dezhi was getting more and more pissed as he threw the bone to the ground. Among the pieces, the glue was clearly visible.
“S***!” Hu Dezhi yelled.
“I won’t lie to you, old sport. I still have 300 million with me. Do you think you can find an antique to Tang Zhan’s liking?” Hu Dezhi was frank.
Li Mo said, “I don’t believe Tang Zhan likes the simple antiques, but those with special effects.”
“What is the difference? Old spor, this is my last chance to salvage the situation. Help me and I’ll give you a hundred million now and another hundred tomorrow!”
Jiang Xiaomei was amazed by their talk. She never expected Li Mo would be so important today to Hu Dezhi.
Who was Hu Dezhi? Li Mo was unclear, but Jiang Xiaomei knew all too well. He was Tang clan’s son in law, in short, he held a share of it.
Li Mo smiled, “That’s easy, and you won’t need to spend too much either. Furthermore, I will do all of this for free.”
Jiang Xiaomei went wide eyed. ‘He doesn’t want two hundred million?’
Hu Dezhi was also shocked. Li Mo had tasked him with looking into Wang Huan and he told Li Mo everything he found out. It was hardly the effort for Hu Dezhi.
‘That hideous Wang was worth two hundred millions?’
Hu Dezhi probed, “Old sport, do you have something against the Wang Estate?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh.” Hu Dezhi relaxed.
Li Mo picked a bamboo tube from a stall, “Brother, here. This kind of items are aplenty everywhere, hardly worth buying them as collectibles.”
“Sport, you’re saying Tang Zhan will like this thing?”
“Common items no. How much for the bamboo tube?” Li Mo asked.
“Ten thousand.” The owner was a lazy youngster.
“Here.”
Hu Dezhi was doubtful but paid anyway.
“Look.” Li Mo rocked the bamboo tube and blew into it.
Li Mo stopped and after five seconds, a child’s voice was heard coming from inside.
“People at birth are naturally kind. Their natures are similar, but their habits make them different…”
It wasn’t just one child, but a chorus.
Hu Dezhi was dumbstruck, “T-this…”
“Ah? What’s with the noise?” The stall owner woke up and looked at the bamboo tube he bought for two thousand. It had been with him for so long yet never realized it could recite the Trimetric Classic out loud.(T/N: the embodiment of Confucianism suitable for teaching young children. It is written in triplets of characters for easier memorization)
“This is a recording tube, just like a tape recorder of nowadays. The voices of the children are true voices of the ancient people. The value…”
“Won’t sell! I won’t sell!” The owner yelled.
Hu Dezhi held the tube tight to his chest as if to say, ‘Only over my dead body!’
The owner yelled for a long time but Hu Dezhi ignored him.
“How much is this painting?” Li Mo pointed at an ancient painting.
It was a picture of Birds Gazing at the Phoenix, but damaged. Not only the phoenix was missing but there were only twenty birds. What drew the line however was that it had no signature.
Which ancient painting was most valuable? Weren’t those of rivers, mountains, flowers, birds and the like? No, it was because of the painter.
This was no famous painting by any means. Even an ignorant would know that.
“Three thousand… won’t sell!” After being duped once, the owner was afraid of being cheated again.
“Forget it then.”
Li Mo wanted to leave when the owner shouted, “Five thousand! Take it and leave!”
“Didn’t you say three thousand earlier?”
“Didn’t you make me lose out enough on the tube?”
“That was that and this is this.”
“Fine already, I’ll take it as I having rotten luck. Three thousand then. I just don’t believe you’ll turn this one into a treasure as well! “
Hu Dezhi paid lighting fast and almost had to yank the painting from the owner’s hands.
Li Mo chuckled, “Let’s go.”
“Ah? That’s all?”
“Two are enough.”
“That painting…”
“Let’s leave first.”
“Alright.”
Hu Dezhi was dead set on not leaving the painting out of sight.
