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When the auctioneer's hammer finally fell, Qin Fang's heart, which had been lodged in his throat, truly settled down.

The prescription hidden within the calligraphy script had finally fallen into his hands; as for the money he spent, he didn't care at all, as any amount was worth it.

Because this wasn't an official auction, all transactions were completed on the spot, with immediate exchange of cash for goods.

Qin Fang took out 150,000 in cash and settled the account directly with the seller, who was quite meticulous in their work, even crafting a wooden box specifically for this item.

Such a box wasn't worth much, but this gesture of care was sure to leave the buyer satisfied, creating return customers, which was vital for their black market business, wasn't it?

If they dealt with strangers every time, even with many items in hand, they wouldn't dare to auction them off for fear of getting caught by the police, as their deals were not exactly legal.

These matters were of no concern to Qin Fang, who, after making the payment, returned to his seat with the box containing the calligraphy script.

Qiao Zhenfei had no objections to Qin Fang spending 150,000, an extravagant sum for a piece that would have struggled to fetch even 30,000. That's how collectors were—when they encountered something they liked, they would bid without hesitation, even knowing the price was well beyond the item's actual value.

Qiao Zhenfei himself had done this several times, much like with the previous Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup; if his cash on hand had been sufficient, he wouldn't have batted an eyelid at the price, even if it were 5 million.

After sitting down, Qin Fang still felt as if he were in a dream and couldn't help but lift the lid of the box again to gaze at the calligraphy script lying quietly inside, a knowing smile spreading across his face.

"Prescription: Heart Nourishing Pill!"

Having secured the prescription, Qin Fang placed it on his lap and pressed down tightly with both hands, as if he were afraid of losing this treasure.

He was eager to learn the prescription right away, but he wasn't sure if choosing to learn it would cause the calligraphy script in his hand to disappear.

If that were the case, it would be quite troublesome in public, too shocking and awe-inspiring, so he had to suppress his excitement and continue to sit there.

The auction continued, but Qin Fang's mind had already flown off somewhere, and he had no interest in following along, simply whiling away the time.

Qiao Zhenfei was his usual self, scrutinizing every piece of porcelain before him. If an item was worth bidding on, he would do so without hesitation; otherwise, he would rather sit and daydream.

Even so, Qiao Zhenfei still managed to purchase a rather fine Ming dynasty official kiln porcelain. It wasn't an exquisite piece, but it still cost him 800,000, thanks in no small part to the meddling of Fatty, the coal magnate, who made Qiao Zhenfei spend quite a bit more.

The final highlight was a superior Duan inkstone, with flawless material, condition, and integrity—almost beyond reproach and capable of fetching a high price at auction. Unfortunately, much like the Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup, its provenance was problematic, and it couldn't enter an auction house, so it had to be sold on the black market instead.

Qiao Zhenfei wasn't particularly interested, and considering he only had a little over a million in cash, the likelihood of winning such an item was slim, so he gave up from the start.

And the Fatty coal magnate, seemingly having spent too much on the Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup, failed to clinch this item and had to watch as this fine piece slipped away.

"Let's go, let's head back..."

The auction had ended, and there was naturally no reason to stay. The sellers had made all the arrangements, and they were sent back to their respective parking spots in the same vans that had brought them.

Each buyer had a predetermined address, a separate drop-off point to prevent any accidents and to avoid any instance of buyers getting robbed after purchasing items. Reputation mattered to black market sellers; without proper security measures, they wouldn't be able to do business.

Soon, Qin Fang, Qiao Zhenfei, and the bodyguard were dropped off at the parking area. A black Audi was quietly parked at the roadside, and the seller's van let them off a dozen meters away, then zoomed off into the darkness.

After getting out of the van, they headed towards the Audi. Qin Fang held the wooden box in his arms, and Qiao Zhenfei's bodyguard carried an even larger wooden crate containing the porcelain piece, while Qiao Zhenfei himself walked with empty hands, much to Qin Fang's envy.

"Damn, I need to get myself an attendant in the future! A hulking shadow isn't reliable; maybe a beautiful secretary... That's not a bad idea!" Qin Fang thought.

But as he looked up towards the Audi, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Eh..." as if startled by something.

"What's wrong?"

Qiao Zhenfei was clueless, as there was no commotion around—they were all in good order.

"Third Young Master..."

It was actually a bodyguard who was carrying the boxes that sensed something was amiss and wanted to speak up.

"Don't speak yet, just watch and wait!"

However, Qin Fang suddenly spoke up to stop him. He had already noticed something was wrong and his face immediately showed a slight, almost imperceptible, smile.

"Listen to my brother..."

The bodyguard wanted to say something else, but seeing that Qin Fang had spoken, Qiao Zhenfei immediately agreed.

This bodyguard was a skilled fighter specially recruited from Shenzhou to Capital City after a previous incident. He didn't know Qin Fang personally, as the few guards who did know him had been fired for failing to protect Qiao Zhenfei after Qin Fang had beaten them severely.

Other people might not know Qin Fang's skills, but could Qiao Zhenfei be unaware?

Since Qin Fang had noticed something but didn't seem concerned, it meant he was confident about the situation. There was naturally no need to be afraid.

The three continued walking toward the Audi, at a pace that was neither hurried nor slow, as if they had not noticed the trap in front of them. In fact, even Qiao Zhenfei noticed that his driver remained motionless inside the car, and it seemed a head was peeking from behind the car, clearly indicating someone was there.

"Don't move!"

Just as Qin Fang and his companions reached the Audi, two brawny men burst out from behind the car. They were muscular, bulging with strength, but their heads were covered with black stockings, each with three holes cut out for the eyes and mouth, hiding their noses too—as if not to suffocate.

Of course, that was impossible—the stockings were made of a breathable fabric.

However, the stockings seemed too long and covered the faces of the two men, with some extra length not tucked in, swinging in the breeze like rocketing braids, giving them a comical appearance.

The two men's hands were empty; they didn't carry any weapons. Other than their strong bodies, they didn't seem to pose much of a threat.

The bodyguard following Qiao Zhenfei felt that he could take down these two "robbers" on his own, yet his boss Qin Fang didn't say anything, and the "robbers" made no move against Qiao Zhenfei.

Qiao Zhenfei seemed to be following Qin Fang's lead, and since he had not yet made his decision, the bodyguard didn't take action either, though his eyes were filled with caution.

However, after closely inspecting the faces of Qin Fang's group, the "robbers" finally fixed their gaze on Qin Fang's face.

It was not surprising—Qiao Zhenfei was already thirty years old, and the bodyguard was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Only Qin Fang was a young man who looked exceptionally young, making it difficult not to distinguish him from the others.

"Are you here to rob us?"

Qin Fang, appearing quite calm, stepped in front of Qiao Zhenfei, shielding him with his body, and spoke with a tone as if he was "very scared."

But Qiao Zhenfei, standing behind Qin Fang, noticed that Qin Fang had taken out his cell phone, which was already set to record mode. Qiao Zhenfei realized that Qin Fang was setting a trap for the men in front of them.

The two "robbers" were taken aback, exchanged glances, and communicated quickly with their eyes before one of them began to speak.

"Good to know! Hand over anything valuable quickly, or else... I'll let you taste blood!"

With those words, the two unfortunate individuals had completely trapped themselves. Qin Fang secretly stopped the recording and, without any noticeable movement, the phone stealthily returned to his pocket, as if it had never appeared at all.

"Please, don't hurt me... I'll give money, I'll give money!"

Qin Fang pretended convincingly and actively set the box he was carrying on the ground, and the bodyguard behind Qiao Zhenfei did likewise.

Almost simultaneously, as the box and the suitcase were placed down, Qin Fang and the bodyguard sprang into action.

Bang~~

Bang~~

In the blink of an eye, Qin Fang's Tiger's Rush fiercely struck, the most powerful attack he possessed. Although it wasn't meant to be lethal, it was bound to severely injure muscles and bones. With one move, he sent the "robber" he targeted flying with an elbow strike.

Compared to Qin Fang, the bodyguard fared worse. He wanted to attack; he was once a very strong special forces soldier, but the problem is when a Level 4 special forces soldier encounters a Level 5 martial arts expert...

Thus, this poor fellow met his misfortune. His kick was easily pinned by the other's arm, and then the formidable "robber" brought down a karate chop. If it had hit, the bodyguard's leg would definitely have been wasted...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommended votes and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)

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