The second update, please subscribe and vote for the monthly ticket~~~

...

Qin Fang was chatting with two beautiful ladies, while Qiao Zhenfei was engrossed in admiring a piece of calligraphy as if he had become a bit obsessed, his eyes never leaving the piece of work.

As for the two simply dressed beauties, in his eyes, they seemed not even to compare to a single character on the calligraphy.

"Is there really such a magical piece of calligraphy?"

When Qin Fang gave a simple explanation, the two ladies couldn't contain their curiosity any longer.

They were both educated under materialism and seeing such mystifying skills right before their eyes, it was hard for them not to be tempted.

"Go and see for yourselves, but be careful!"

Qin Fang did not stop them; although the calligraphy was worth a fortune, both ladies weren't the kind to do anything outrageous. If they did accidentally damage it, they probably couldn't cover the loss even if they gave themselves to Qin Fang as compensation.

With Qin Fang's approval, the two ladies cautiously gathered around, peering over Qiao Zhenfei's shoulder, until they accidentally blocked the light, pulling Qiao Zhenfei back to reality. He then carefully handed the piece of calligraphy over to the ladies to admire and returned to Qin Fang's side.

"Brother, you must sell me this piece of calligraphy!!"

Qiao Zhenfei's eyes were bright and full of desire, almost as if Qin Fang would be devoured if he refused.

He was most fond of porcelain, but he was also absolutely passionate about calligraphy and paintings, especially those of exquisite quality.

Without a doubt, not only was the skill that created this piece of calligraphy ingenious, but the fact that it was a work of Cai Xiang, one of the Four Great Families of the Song Dynasty, already made it invaluable.

If Qin Fang bought this calligraphy for 150,000, and now that it was confirmed to be an authentic work of Cai Xiang, its value had skyrocketed tens or even hundreds of times.

Add to that its mind-boggling craftsmanship, its worth was incomparable. It was likely not even less valuable than the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Dragon Scroll Replica that Qin Fang had stumbled upon in a previous bargain hunt. In Qin Fang's eyes, the ingenuity of the craftsmanship was even more magical.

Such a treasure was bound to captivate anyone who saw it, particularly antique collectors who adored such collections – they would be ecstatic. And Qiao Zhenfei, one of the top young masters of the Capital City, was one such enthusiast, and on top of that, he was very willing to spend.

Qiao Zhenfei had both wealth and power, and his relationship with Qin Fang was quite good. Even the money Qin Fang used to buy this piece of calligraphy was lent to him by Qiao Zhenfei, so Qin Fang actually owed him a favor.

So when Qiao Zhenfei broached the subject, Qin Fang felt somewhat conflicted, even though he knew Qiao Zhenfei wasn't the type to leverage favors for his own gain, but the situation was still tough for him.

"Brother Fei, as you know, I'm not short of money…" Qin Fang said, touching his nose and appearing rather helpless.

Undoubtedly, the ingenuity of the craftsmanship was also greatly attractive to Qin Fang himself, not to mention that it was a lucky find he had unearthed.

The previous encounter with the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Dragon Scroll Replica had frustrated him for a while, and now another authentic work by Cai Xiang of equal worth had emerged. In his heart, he really wanted to keep it for his collection, even to pass it down as a family heirloom.

"Brother, I know you're not short of money! And the value of such a treasure can't be measured by something as vulgar as money. It's a national treasure, a rare masterpiece. There are only a few similar works in existence, scarce enough to count on one hand…" Qiao Zhenfei said, obviously understanding that Qin Fang had misunderstood him.

"Are there similar works?"

Qin Fang was taken aback, having thought the piece he had was unique.

"Yes, indeed there are a few others. As far as I know, apart from yours, there are three more that survive today, but only the Forbidden City has one in the country. The other two are overseas..." he said, his expression turning darker.

It was a matter that pained many collectors deeply, that their ancestors' treasures had largely ended up abroad, especially in world-famous museums like the British Museum and the Louvre, all stolen by brigands a century ago.

Like the piece of calligraphy in Qin Fang's hands, there are records showing that only three pieces survived, but in reality, many treasures ended up with old families abroad. They weren't short of money and rarely auctioned these treasures off, making it impossible for nationals to repurchase them.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this…"

Qiao Zhenfei's mood dipped slightly, but he was powerless. Even though his family's patriarch was one of the most influential figures in the country, it didn't have much effect here; those foreigners simply didn't care.

"Such a treasure is extremely rare, and it's quite troublesome to preserve. I'm not looking down on you, brother, it's just that you're not from this line of work, and inevitably, you might not be as committed. So…"

Getting back to the point, Qiao Zhenfei's purpose was naturally still to persuade Qin Fang to let go. Direct robbery was definitely out of the question. Although Qiao Zhenfei was also a bit of a profligate son, he was not so despicable. Thus, while other top-notch young masters were playing with luxury cars, airplanes, horse racing, and movie stars, he was into collecting…

Qin Fang just listened quietly and didn't express any opinion.

He didn't deny that what Qiao Zhenfei said was true, but the thought of letting go of such a precious item so readily was something he couldn't bear. The exquisite craftsmanship, even just looking at it once a day, felt incredibly soothing.

At this time, Qiao Zhenfei continued to speak…

"In my view, there are really not many things in this world that can match this treasure. You say it's worth a hundred million, then I feel it far surpasses that. You say it's worth ten billion, and I would support that wholeheartedly… But measuring its value with money is simply too disrespectful to it!"

"Little brother, you can rest assured that although I, Qiao Zhenfei, don't dare to promise that you won't lose out at all, I definitely won't let you suffer too much! Check this out…"

As he spoke, Qiao Zhenfei rolled up his sleeve, revealing the bracelet on his wrist, which immediately caught Qin Fang's attention.

Without any hesitation, Qiao Zhenfei took off the bracelet and held it in his hand.

"This is…"

Qin Fang didn't deploy his Scouting Skill; just seeing it with his eyes, he felt that the bracelet was extraordinary, and even more so, he could feel the restlessness inside him from the little pet within his body.

"Have you heard of Tibetan Dzi Beads, little brother?"

Qiao Zhenfei pointed at the bracelet in his palm and said to Qin Fang.

Qin Fang nodded. He had heard of the reputation of the Dzi Beads, even though he had never actually encountered them.

Known as Sky Pearls, their main origins are Tibet, Eastern Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim, Ladakh, and other regions of the Himalayas, and they are a kind of rare gemstone.

Dzi beads are made of nine-eyed stone shale, containing jade and agate components. They are one of the seven treasures of Zangmi, historically recorded as "nine-eyed stone sky pearls." To this day, Tibetans still believe that Dzi Beads are divine stones, or "Si Yi" (DZI) in Tibetan, which signifies beauty, authority, and wealth.

The Dzi Beads possess a very strong magnetic field, three times that of crystal, which is very beneficial to the human body.

The locals in Tibet do not sell their Dzi beads, as they view them as a symbol of status. Only holy people are permitted to wear them, thus gifting Dzi beads is a sign of immense respect.

Among all Dzi beads, there is an extremely rare and scarce category—those that have been blessed with mana by lamas, what is known as "consecration" in folklore.

The notion of lamas endowing mana seems too fantastical and whether it truly works is unknown. Yet, there's no doubt that it does have certain benefits.

In Tibet, lamas hold very high positions within the clergy. Not every cleric can become a lama; most are novices or monks and are not qualified to be lamas.

Above the lamas, there are even more special and higher-status beings, such as Dharma Kings and living Buddhas…

Therefore, among Dzi beads, the most valuable isn't necessarily the ones of the highest quality but those that are personally blessed with mana by high-status beings such as Dharma Kings and living Buddhas, making them the true cream of the crop.

"These Dzi beads are all Double Longevity Dzi Beads of exceptional quality. The largest bead was personally blessed by the Gongba Living Buddha from Jokhang Temple, and the others have also been blessed by other high-ranking monks. My father personally gave them to me when I was twenty years old, and I've worn them on my wrist for a full ten years…"

As he spoke, Qiao Zhenfei took a brief pause, clearly very proud and cherishing the bracelet of Dzi beads.

"Over these ten years, although I haven't accomplished anything particularly remarkable, everything has always gone very smoothly. Occasionally, some troubles that seemed difficult to resolve just sorted themselves out quite miraculously… Of course, it might just be a psychological effect for me, but there's no denying that this bracelet of Dzi beads is the most valuable treasure I have!"

After another deep breath, Qiao Zhenfei then said, "So… I would like to exchange this bracelet of Dzi beads for your piece of calligraphy!"

Although Qin Fang had already sensed something when Qiao Zhenfei talked about the origin and effects of the Dzi bead bracelet, he was still visibly shocked when Qiao Zhenfei actually made the proposal…(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com where you can vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.