Chapter 33: This Is Luo Qiu’s Style
Editor: TheSloth
“A box?”
“Yes, third young miss, Ms. Zhang of Gu Yue Zhai sent him a box personally.”
The young miss of the Zhong Family squinted her eyes, looking at Cheng Yun.
This ambitious man was easily bought. He was avaricious and concupiscent; yet, clever and watchful. He understood which type of woman he could simply have fun with, and which ones he should pay attention too.
Take now, for example, Cheng Yun had already restrained his aggressive look.
The young miss smiled faintly, “Do you know what was in the box?”
Cheng Yun replied right now, “Of course! I’ve taken photos while second young master was distracted.”
Cheng Yun stepped ahead, but not too close to her. The young miss was charming, yet not a lady he dared to touch. He only wished to obtain enough benefits from her.
“What’s this?” She looked at the photo on his cellphone.
Cheng Yun said, “I’m not sure, but it should be a weird black card…It was inseparable from second master. I had a hard time photographing it.”
The photo was taken over Zhong Luochen’s shoulder.
“Second master went out alone the day he received this card from Ms. Zhang. Not long after, he asked me to arrange a trip back to the capital. Unexpectedly it was for sending the old head here! What’s more, the old head recovery miraculously.”
The young miss thought for a while, then said, “Cheng Yun, can you go get that card for me?”
Cheng Yun made a reluctant face, “Well…young miss, second young master holds it all the time, I…”
“Why?” She smiled softly. “You always said ‘no problem’ when you accept the benefits I give you. Yet, now you shake your head when I ask for your help?”
“That’s not what I mean.” Cheng Yun frowned. “Anyway, the head is getting better and better these two days. The doctor said there are no remnants of the disease left in his body. I heard second young master say, that the old head will go visit Gu Yue Zhai tomorrow. I guess he is going to return that card because Ms. Zhang once said to return it after using it or risk facing his own demise…”
The young miss said indifferently, “Then isn’t it a perfect time to take action. If you are faithful to me, there will be many benefits. If not…I think my second brother wouldn’t want a traitor either…right?”
“I see…” Cheng Yun nodded promptly, leaving her in fright.
The third daughter of the Zhong Family walked over to the French window in her room, drawing back the curtains a little, and watching the heavy traffic on the street. “That lady from Gu Yue Zhai’s…every large family seem to have their own secrets, my second brother has returned for more than a month…what does the black card represent?”
She was expectant, fiddling with an old annular pendant on her neck.
……
……
“You say you want to learn how to identify antiques?”
Zhang Qingrui looked at Luo Qiu in astonishment---she remembered the last time Ren Ziling took Luo Qiu here, she said that Luo Qiu was suddenly interested in antiques and decided to research it.
“Right.”
Luo Qiu nodded, answering frankly, “I realize it is a huge topic, so I don’t plan to learn everything now. Can you just teach me some rudimentary knowledge about it?”
He added to avoid misunderstanding, “Just recommend me some entry-level books. I won’t bother you too much.”
Zhang Qingrui thought for a moment. “That isn’t a problem. But as you said, identifying antiques isn't something you can learn in a day or two. It’s better to forget about it if you are doing it for fun.”
Luo Qiu was serious. “I won’t regret or give up on what I’ve decided.”
Zhang Qingrui nodded, then walked quickly to the bookshelf in her office. Shortly afterwards, she took out 3 massive books.
They were ‘Authentifying Blue and White Porcelain’, ‘Origin of Blue and White Porcelain’ and ‘Appreciating and Analyzing Painted Sculptures of Qian Long Period’.
“I suggest you focus on one of these topics.” Zhang Qingrui said, “Chinaware is relatively common and easy to get access to. So I strongly recommend you start from there.”
Luo Qiu nodded, stuffing the three books into his backpack.
Luo Qiu didn’t bring a backpack the last time he came. This guy... did he plan all this from the start?
“I’ll return them to you as soon as I finished them,” Luo Qiu said with appreciation.
Zhang Qingrui shook her head. “No, you can keep them. They are not precious and easy to get, just think of it as my gift to you.”
She didn’t forget to glare at him, “Think of it as thank you gift for someone’s class notes.”
Luo Qiu understood that she still held a grudge. So all he could say was, “OK, we are even now.”
Zhang Qingrui was speechless by his words and could not hold back her laughter. “The books are now yours. Do you have any other questions? I’m busy and cannot chat with you. Anyway, if you have an interest in something here, then go ahead and have a look around. But don’t touch them.”
Luo Qiu shook his head, “No, thanks. But since I’m welcome here, I’ll drop by often.”
Zhang Qingrui didn’t answer him, and said instead, “Let me see you off.”
But Zhang Qingrui was stopped in the hall by a voice.
It turned out Cheng Yun, in a suit and tie, that appeared at the door.
“Ms. Zhang! Great to see you here.” Cheng Yun walked over to Zhang Qingrui with an enthusiastic smile.
Zhang Qingrui just said, “Why are you alone today?”
Cheng Yun took a glance at Luo Qiu, skipping her question and asked, “Ms. Zhang, who is this gentleman?”
“He’s my friend.” Zhang Qingrui answered, “But I don’t think he has any interest in getting to know you… Is there something you need? Did Zhong Luochen ask you to come here?”
Cheng Yun nodded, “Ms. Zhang, may I have a moment with you?”
Zhang Qingrui frowned, giving an apologetic look to Luo Qiu. Luo Qiu smiled, “No problem. Go ahead. And thanks for your books. I’ll take care of them.”
From the many annotations in the books, Luo Qiu realized the books were important to Zhang Qingrui. He didn’t want to own them, hence decided to return them back after reading.
“Stop talking. The number of words you said recently already equal the total number of words you said last year.” Zhang Qingrui rolled her eyes at Luo Qiu, then only looked at Cheng Yun, “Let’s go and talk in my office.”
Cheng Yun dare not dally, following Zhang Qingrui, only taking a glance at Luo Qiu, whom really left directly without greeting him.
He wondered, [What is the relationship between this guy and Zhang Qingrui? They look pretty intimate.]
In the office, Zhang Qingrui frankly asked Cheng Yun the purpose of his visit.
Cheng Yun considered for a moment before saying, “It’s like this Ms. Zhang, second young master wants to pass some words to Mrs. Zhang…”
He added, “Of course, I didn’t dare to bother her directly, so can you deliver the message to Mrs. Zhang please?”
“What is it?”
“Second master said he will drop by to visit Mrs. Zhang with another acquaintance of hers.”
Zhang Qingrui was surprised.
That acquaintance should be from the capital, one who had a long friendship or relationship with her grandmother. Therefore she nodded, “I see, I’ll tell her. Anything else?”
“No, that’s everything.” Cheng Yun said, “I just came to tell you that… Ms. Zhang, I’ll head back now.”
Zhang Qingrui nodded.
In big families, expressly appointing some henchmen to deliver a message personally, instead of a choosing a more convenient way such as making a phone call, implies respect.
While Zhang Qingrui didn’t like this method, she knew her grandmother valued these details.
“That guy, is much more different.”
A weird idea arose from her thoughts. Zhang Qingrui gave a start once she realized it, then chuckled, “Why am I thinking about that guy?”
The Luo Qiu Style could be said to represent the odd ones in life.
She shook her head, took a deep breath, then grabbed a pen and started to work intently.
……
Cheng Yun didn’t leave right away, but lurked in the parking lot behind Gu Yue Zhai.
Soon, a receptionist of Gu Yue Zhai appeared and tensely observed her surroundings. Then she entered into a parked car after ensuring that she was not seen.
“Babe, did you miss me these days?” Cheng Yun took her into his arms, groping all over her body.
“You heartless man, didn’t you return to the capital already? I thought you were avoiding me after sleeping with me.”
“Haven’t I return to your side now?”
“Hehe…say it, what would you like me to do? By the way, to be honest, our manager doesn’t have any admiration towards your boss at all. The flowers he sent her were thrown out.”
“No no, let’s not talk about that… Look at this black card in the photo. Do you recall it?”
The receptionist looked at the photo for a while, then said, “How weird, I seem to have seen this before, but I can’t recall where….”
“It doesn’t matter.” Cheng Yun smiled. “There’s something I need your help with. Listen, if this is done well, I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“Really?” The receptionist’s eyes lit up; however, she calmed down and became suspicious a second later, “Wait, tell me what it is first. I won’t do anything dangerous.”
Cheng Yun smirked, “Babe, listen to me, you don’t want work for others your whole life right? Don’t you want a brand new life? I promise you’ll be fine.”
“Well…alright.”
Cheng Yun leaned close and whispered something into her ears.
Not long later, he watched her swaying her hips as she left. Cheng Yun sneered and muttered, “Slutty b*tch…I’ll be tired of you after playing around a few more times, stupid woman.”
As he said that, he pulled out his cellphone, dialing Zhong Luochen’s number. His attitude took an 180 degrees change then, “It’s me, second master…yes, I have completed the task. I’ve also sent informed Ms. Zhang of the message. Nothing happened except…”
He paused for a moment, saying carefully, “Do you remember the man and woman that Ms. Zhang personally came out to welcome last time? I met him again. They stayed in the office for a while, and Ms. Zhang was laughing and talking with the man as they came out of the office. They seemed to be very intimate…”
Chapter 34: Black Soul Tai Yinzi
Editor: TheSloth
Luo Qiu was reading ‘Origins of Blue and White Porcelain’ when the doorbell rang.
After putting on the clown mask, Luo Qiu came downstairs.
The customer was actually Yang Taizi…alone.
“Who are you?”
Yang Taizi felt quite astounded when he saw the person with a clown mask. However when You Ye came into his sight, it was easy to guess that the masked man was the young fellow from before.
Luo Qiu pointed to the round table aside, motioning Yang Taizi to sit down and have a good talk.
Yang Taizi didn’t know why Luo Qiu wore the mask. Was it to hide his identity? But he had seen Luo Qiu before…
Was it warning him not to tell others his identity? Yang Taizi was always careful when dealing with mysterious and strange powers.
So he just pretended that he didn’t know Luo QIu, sitting down quietly like a statue.
Nevertheless what Luo Qiu was thinking at the moment was, ‘If I know the customer was Yang Taizi, it would not have been necessary to wear the mask…
Luo Qiu opened his mouth first, “Dear customer, this pair of jade tokens is what you seek, right?”
“That’s right.” Yang Taizi nodded cautiously.
“Are you aware of the club’s rule?” Luo Qiu suddenly asked.
Yang Taizi said, “I’ve heard some rumors.”
He fell silent for a while, then added, “The white jade tokens are too valuable. I can’t afford the whole pair, I just need the full text of Koan Sutra carved on the jade tokens.”
Luo Qiu asked inquisitively, “It still contains the soul and spirit of Tai Yinzi, who used to be a senior in your sect. Are you going to leave him alone?”
“He has been expelled from my sect.” Yang Taizi gave him an upright response.“I don’t care about those who have no connection to my sect.”
As he spoke, he fished out a small pouch and opened it with a hint of unwillingness, pouring out a piece of green jade, “This jade is helpful to one’s Qi. Ordinary people wearing it will have a longer lifespan, better health and is also able to drive away evil spirits.”
Luo Qiu’s hand swept passed the jade, evaluating its worth. A moment later he said, “It is only the worth half of the Koan Sutra.”
Yang Taizi was stunned, saying frantically, “Look at the jade! It has been cultivated for thousands of years! In this seriously polluted society, the Qi in the air has already weakened! This jade can ease cultivation and purify Qi just by being held!”
Luo Qiu shook his head. “The Koan Sutra should be a heritage of your sect. However, what you learned from your master should not be a complete one. I heard you reciting that day and it didn’t make sense. Thus, the Koan Sutra is of vital importance to you, right?”
Yang Taizi could not help but say, “This is really an insidious place…Fine, just half! And I’ll purchase the other half as soon as possible.”
Luo Qiu then left both on the round table, “You can pick one.”
Yang Taizi thought for a while silently; at last, he chose the left one.
He could have grabbed them and escape...but he didn’t dare.
He recalled the terrifying and powerful woman from that day. She was just standing there quietly now, but Yang Taizi was not confident in escaping after stealing the jades.
Yang Taizi breathed in deeply, pointing at the left jade while muttering some words.
The jade token started to glimmer, ancient golden words appeared from it, gushing towards his eyes.
After a short while, the letters stopped appearing. Yang Taizi then reluctantly drew back his finger, showing an insipid smile. “Thankfully it is the first half.”
The deal was completed. Luo Qiu was in a good mood, thus created one more black card without stamps and gave it to Yang Taizi.
Yang Taizi got half of the Koan Sutra’s text, therefore he was in good humor too. He asked, “How will you deal with the soul and spirit of Tai Yinzi?”
Luo Qiu asked calmly, “Do you want to purchase it?”
“No…” Yang Taizi said in haste, “I’m busy now…I’ll come again if I find some other treasures!”
He didn’t want to stay here for even one more second. This place made him uneasy.
Watching Yang Taizi leave, Luo Qiu took off the mask and asked You Ye, “Were the Taoists who came here before the same as him?”
You Ye said, “The legend of our club has spread throughout their circle. It has been exaggerated and demonized.”
“Oh really?” Luo Qiu nodded. Suddenly he combined the two jade tokens together.
Green smoke was released and a shadow appeared from within. Tai Yinzi, who was trapped in the jade, was abruptly let out.
He was quite different from last time. Panic instead of impertinence arose on his face. Luo Qiu said gradually, “I had you ‘witness’ the entire process of the deal from the very beginning…Now, you should be aware of what I do.”
“Yeah, I do…” Tai Yinzi nodded.
Luo Qiu then said, “Would you like to come out of the jade?”
That was the only wish of Tai Yinzi who had been imprisoned for 500 years.
“Do I have anything else to pay for it?” Tai Yinzi forced a smile. “Money is not accepted here! What’s more, I don’t even have a single penny…merely my soul and spirit. Do you want them?”
“I need some servants.” Luo Qiu organized his thoughts. “How about 500 years? You’ve been stuck in there for 500 years, if you serve me for another 500 years, I’ll set you free. Nevertheless, you are able to leave the jade during this period, hence, you still benefit from the trade.”
Tai Yinzi said without a second thought, “Sure, that’s a deal!”
Luo Qiu was also satisfied with this result.
Next, he exerted the ability given by the club, releasing Tai Yinzi from the jade tokens, and reunited his soul and spirit, finally branding the club stamp on him.
“Black soul envoy?” Tai Yinzi gave a sigh after he knew his current identity. He shook his head and gave a bitter smile. “Black Soul Tai Yinzi greets master.”
Luo Qiu had a smile, “Stay here for several days first, I’ll summon a black soul envoy back to guide you. You Ye, call a senior envoy back to instruct the freshman.”
“No problem, master.”
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