“What do you mean?”
Yuan Hen pulled a taut face and asked. He was a reputable Feng Shui master in Hong Kong. Although his fame was not as high as that of Zhou Daoji or Huang Wenze, he was a frequent guest of the rich and powerful. No one had ever talked to him with such insolence.
“Mr. Chen, If you don’t like the price, we can negotiate of course. Master Yuan is willing to take the Jade Gourd off of your hands for your own benefit. After all, this Jade Gourd is not a Dharma Artifact yet and is useless to anyone except for Master Yuan.” Zheng Anpin said conciliatorily.
Chen Fan didn’t even spare him a glance as he slowly produced the Jade Gourd. He played it in between his palms for a while and then said lightly: “Why didn’t you tell Zheng Anpin the truth?”
“What truth?” Zheng Anpin was taken aback.
Even now, Chen Fan didn’t look like he was convinced that he had wasted thirty million on a forgery. Instead of breaking down into tears, he looked calm and steady. It was as if he had bought the artifact for thirty yuan, instead of thirty million yuan
The other people were perplexed as well.
“I am not sure what you are talking about.” Yuan Hen kept his calm, but he couldn’t hide the panic in his eyes.
“You are right, this item was indeed not an artifact. Despite the Talisman Inscriptions on its surface, it has not been infused with True Qi. Just like what you said, this was nothing but an empty husk and lacked any Dharmic powers.” Chen Fan said calmly. “However, you told Zheng Anpin that this artifact was a healing Dharma Artifact and advised him to buy it.”
“What?” Zheng Anpin’s face darkened as he gave Yuan Hen a glare.
Qiu Yilun finally realized something was off, so they kept their silence and locked their eyes on the two hosts.
“However, You didn’t expect that I would intervene and win the bid with thirty million yuan. That is why you came over here in a hurry to tell me the truth about the artifact. You thought that you could coax me into selling this item to you at a cheap price.” Yuan Hen was about to protest, but Chen Fan cut him short and continued.
“On the other hand, Zheng Anpin still thought that he was helping you to get the Jade Gourd for him. Little did he know that you didn’t intend to offer this Gourd to him from the outset. ”
Hearing Chen Fan’s words, Zheng Anpin’s face turned even darker. He looked at Yuan Hen and asked: “Master Yuan Hen, is that true?”
“Young Lord Zheng, please allow me to explain.” Yuan Hen managed a smile.
“I was going to buy this for my grandpa’s 90’s birthday. How dare you fool me?” Zheng Anpin said vengefully. A sinister and savage light flashed in his eyes, and he no longer looked like a well-bred rich heir.
“Young Lord Zheng, please forgive me. I have lost all of my money in the stock market recently, so I had to ask you to get this gourd for me. I promise, once I have found a proper Dharma Artifact, I will pay you back.” Seeing his ruse was blown, Yuan Hen finally told the truth.
“Humph!!”
Zheng Anpin snorted and left the matter at that.
Yuan Hen was an influential master in Hong Kong who had as many resources in Hong Kong as Zheng Anpin. Although he had fooled Zheng Anpin, since there was no harm done, Zheng Anpin decided to let the matter slide.
“You little prick! How did you find out the truth?” Yuan Hen turned over and looked to Chen Fan hotly.
“I overheard your conversation over the phone.” Chen Fan shrugged. Yuan Hen and Zheng Anpin were set back on their heels. They didn’t expect that Chen Fan would have overheard their phone conversation.
“Well, let’s cut to the chase then. Hand over the gourd now! “Yuan Hen narrowed his eyes and demanded. Then he threatened: “Or, I will make sure you won’t go back to the mainland.”
“This is Hong Kong! There is the Rule of the Law! Are you going to rob me blind?”
Qiu Yilun and the other college students jumped out of there seats and glared at Yuan Hen.
They had been stunned by Yuan Hen’s amazing spells, but after realizing that Yuan Hen had lied to them, their hearts were filled with anger.
“Haha! Rule of the Law? How much is that worth?” Yuan Hen laughed out loud and rose to his feet. He pushed the door open and looked back at Chen Fan with an ugly grin. “I am not going to rob you either. That’s too…. low for me. I will make you hand it over to me willingly, without any trace of my involvement. Don’t forget that I am a Spellcaster.”
After he said that, he turned around and sauntered away. He didn’t seem concerned that Chen Fan and his friends were going to run away or call the police.
Zheng Anpin filed out of the room after Master Yuan was gone, leaving Chen Fan and his friends alone in the room. They looked at each other and were not sure what to make from the turn of the event. They had never thought that the gentleman Zheng Anpin and Master Yuan were two con men.
“Boss, how did you know that they are swindlers? Did you really hear their phone conversation?” Qiu Yilun asked in confusion.
Chen Fan cracked a smile and didn’t reply.
They wouldn’t understand what he was talking about even if he told them that he had covered the entire area with his divine will and knew the two’s scheme from the outset. If he didn’t want to visit the culprit who had been pulling the strings behind the scene, Chen Fan wouldn’t even think of coming to meet Master Yuan.
After all, what did a lowly Feng Shui Master mean to him anyway?
“Shit! If that Master Yuan really is a swindler, how are we going to fend off his Dharmic Powers?” Zhou Qinya asked with furrowed brows. “Should we report them to the Law Enforcement unit and leave Hong Kong as soon as possible?”
Everyone became silent after hearing Zhou Qinya’s words.
Zhou Qinya’s words had hit the mark. Just a few moments ago, they had experienced Master Yuan’s power first hand. They didn’t want to experience the living hell ever again. The thought of fighting against such a powerful man sent a chill down their spines.
Qiu Yilun and the others were just ordinary college students. Regardless of their well-off family, they were no match against Yuan Hen.
A light glittered in Qi Wangsun’s eyes as he fell into deep thoughts. However, Chen Fan didn’t seem to care about the threat at all. “Don’t worry, he had cast an illusion on us to scare you guys.”
“How do you know that?” Qiu Yilun asked in surprise.”Plus, how do you know so much about Dharma Artifacts to know that this Jade Gourd was worth thirty million?”
Everyone looked to Chen Fan with the same question in their minds.
“Don’t forget, I am from the Chen family of Jin City.” Chen Fan shrugged.
The Chen family of Jin City had made a name for itself lately, and quickly became a legend in the city. Ever since the downfall of the Sheng family, the Chen family was shrouded with mystery in the public’s eyes. Qiu Yilun and the others finally put two and two together and nodded.
Zhou Qinya was the only one who felt there were was more than what meets the eye. She gave Chen Fan a surprised look.
She knew Master Chen was behind the rise of the Chen family. She wondered if Chen Fan was one of Master Chen’s disciples? Master Chen must have tremendous knowledge in dharma spells and artifacts since he had allegedly destroyed the entire Sheng family using Dharma powers.
It was a long day so after they had dinner, they went straight back to their hotel rooms
Meanwhile, on the 21st floor of an apartment in central Hong Kong…
Yuan Hen and Zheng Anpin were sitting side by side in a sofa, enjoying tea together.
Zheng Anpin’s secretary had changed into a casual outfit. She cut a slice of peeled apple and fed it to Zheng Anpin like an obedient housewife.
“Young Lord Zheng, what a perfect spot to hide a mistress! Who would have thought that you own a penthouse in the middle of downtown? I wager that even your dad would not know about it.” Yuan Hen said as he gave Zheng Anpin a knowing smile.
“Hehe, I need to be careful and always be on guard. If I let Zheng Haochang and his family catch any of my wrongdoing, I will never get my allowance for this month.” Zheng Anpin said hotly.
“Ah… right. No one had seen that coming.” Yuan Hen exclaimed. “I met your grandpa a year ago, and I was convinced that be was beyond the help of medicine. However, he was brought back to life by the miracle cure found by Zheng Anqi.”
That had been a piece of shocking news among the Hong Kong cultivation community. Everyone knew that it would take at least a thousand-year-old herb or a Supreme-grade Elixir to restore life back to a dying man. Zheng Anqi was unlikely to find either. To everyone’s surprise, Zheng Anqi found the cure and the cure didn’t even seem to have cost her a penny.
“Whatever, let’s talk about something else.” Zheng Anpin shook his head and said: “Master Yuan, you spent so much time and even risked our relationship to get that Jade Gourd, so tell me, what exactly does that Jade Gourd do? Is it really just an empty container?”
“Of course not.” Yuan Hen smiled awkwardly. “I had not only told you to buy it but also all of your competitors at the auction.”
“What?” Zheng Anpin tightened his face.
“I thought one of you should have gotten it, but little did I know that it was taken by a northerner.” Yuan Hen shook his head and heaved a sigh.
“So what’s the big deal about it?” Zheng Anpin furrowed brows and asked in confusion.
“Fine, I might as well tell you now.” Yuan Hen gritted his teeth and said: “The Jade Gourd was from one of my colleague’s collections. I have seen it in his basement, on a pedestal. I knew it was a Dharma Treasure right then, but my colleague refused to sell it to me. That colleague died a few years later, and his heirs put all of his stuff on an estate auction. I informed all of you right after I heard about the estate sale. I was planning to use one of my Dharma Artifacts to exchange the Jade Gourd from whoever got it.”
“A Dharma Treasure?”
Zheng Anpin’s eyes lit up as he asked.
“I am not too sure yet. But it did look a lot like a Dharma Treasure described in the legend. The legend was just a high tale so I doubt it really existed. However, even if it was fashioned after the stuff of legend, it should be quite powerful.” Yuan Hen furrowed brows and said: “Of course, only a cultivator would be able to use such Dharma Treasure, so it is useless to you.”
“I see.”
Zheng Anpin finally came to terms with his greed.
He knew there were many Dharma Artifacts that were useless to ordinary people, such as the Illusion Dragon Bracelet that Yuan Hen was wearing right now.
“On another note, how are going to deal with those mainlanders?” Zheng Anpin asked curiously.
“Hehe, it would be a talk in the park. Their wealth wouldn’t help them at all. This is Hong Kong, our turf. It isn’t uncommon to have a few mainland tourists disappear from time to time.” Hong Kong cracked a cold smile.
Even as Zheng Anpin was going to agree, a cold voice came up.
“Is that so?”
They looked behind them and saw a young man standing by the window, staring at them.