The third update has arrived, and the long-awaited Joyous Zen has finally appeared...

...

"Brother Fei, you... you're not joking, right?"

Qin Fang was indeed a bit confused, somewhat unsure about what Qiao Zhenfei really meant.

To many, the value of such a Heavenly Bead Bracelet might not compare to Qin Fang's rare calligraphy, but from Qiao Zhenfei's perspective, it truly was his most precious possession.

Moreover, his request fit the statement he had made earlier, "The value of that piece of calligraphy cannot be measured in money," and such a Heavenly Bead Bracelet was undoubtedly also a very precious treasure.

Even in Qin Fang's eyes, a bracelet strung with Supreme Double Longevity Pearls was absolutely priceless, consecrated with mana by high monks of Zangmi, including one pearl blessed by the Dharma King of Jokhang Temple, its value inestimable.

To trade such a Supreme Double Longevity Pearl Bracelet for Qin Fang's painting, at least in Qin Fang's eyes, he wasn't getting the short end of the stick.

Supreme Double Longevity Pearls are hard to find and highly valued.

It's not easy to have lamas consecrate them with mana. While some lamas might do so for money, many would not engage in such practices, especially those deeply versed in Buddhism, who couldn't be moved by money. All the Heavenly Pearls in this bracelet were blessed by such eminent lamas.

As for being empowered by a Dharma King, that's even less accessible to ordinary people—the only possibility being—having fate, a connection with Buddha, a connection with the Dharma King.

Where Old Master Qiao obtained these Heavenly Pearls was not Qin Fang's concern. Such a significant figure naturally had his means, but he had given this Heavenly Bead Bracelet to his grandson Qiao Zhenfei, who wore it for ten full years to nurture it.

Jade nurtures man, man nurtures jade.

Heavenly Pearls are also of a jade nature, nurturing the wearer as the wearer nurtures the pearls.

Ten years is not a short time at all; constant nurturing could have endowed some spirituality to the Heavenly Pearls, making their price even more incalculable.

In short, this Supreme Double Longevity Pearl Bracelet is truly of immense value; even Qin Fang doesn't feel like it's a loss.

"Do you think I'm really joking?"

Qiao Zhenfei asked with a tilted head, not angry but quite serious.

"Alright, it's not a joke!"

Qin Fang nodded, understanding that Qiao Zhenfei was indeed not joking.

"Forget it, I'll just give you this piece of calligraphy. As for the Heavenly Bead Bracelet, let's not; it's been nurtured for ten years, it can't be wasted just like that..."

After a brief silence, Qin Fang finally said this softly.

Although the Heavenly Bead Bracelet is desirable, to Qiao Zhenfei, it was almost as treasured as precious jewels. A gentleman does not covet the love of others, and though Qin Fang wouldn't dare call himself perfectly honorable, he certainly wasn't the utterly despicable type.

This rare piece of calligraphy, while extremely scarce and priceless, was just like Qiao Zhenfei said, in Qin Fang who was an amateur, it seemed wasteful; if he carelessly damaged it, it would be a truly great sin.

Conversely, Qiao Zhenfei was a madman and an antiques aficionado—he understood these things intimately, treating them as precious as life itself, not tolerating the slightest damage.

Just like with this calligraphy, Qin Fang handled it casually, flipping it around as he wished, Luo Xi and Cai Qing did the same, curiously playing with it as if it were an interesting toy.

In contrast, Qiao Zhenfei observed it from a distance very cautiously, not daring to touch it easily, and after getting Qin Fang's permission, he first put on rubber gloves, to prevent possibly damaging the paper with sweat from his hands. Even now, when seeing the two beauties playing with the calligraphy without a care, his face twitched, displaying considerable heartache.

When he himself touched the calligraphy, his movements were extra gentle, extremely cautious as if appreciating not a calligraphic piece, but fragile, delicate porcelain, treasuring it greatly.

And that's the broad disparity between an ordinary person and a madman collector and antiques enthusiast.

So, Qin Fang decided to be generous, giving the piece of calligraphy to Qiao Zhenfei, ensuring its well-preserved state, and also doing Qiao Zhenfei a big favor—naturally, the small favor he owed Qiao Zhenfei could now be forgotten.

"Are you looking down on me?"

However, who was Qiao Zhenfei? An elder in his family stood at the peak of power, capable of changing national affairs with just a few words.

As a favored grandson of such a person, he was far from being short-sighted.

If Qiao Zhenfei were that kind of person, he could have simply used his connections to put Qin Fang behind bars, and then the calligraphy would have directly fallen into his hands. Why bother with this kind of fair exchange?

The reason is not numerous, one of them is that he highly values Qin Fang.

At least so far, his interactions with Qin Fang have been conducted in a very equal fashion, never flaunting his extraordinary family background or formidable power.

On this point, it is precisely what Qin Fang appreciates most about Qiao Zhenfei, so when Qin Fang calls him "Brother Fei," it is extremely sincere. It is likely that only Tang Cheng and Ning Weiqiang could receive the same level of respect from Qin Fang. Even Ye Xiang, Zhang Yuliang, and others who currently have a relatively friendly relationship with Qin Fang are far from reaching such a level.

As for Li Rui and Chen Weilian, their relationship with Qin Fang is very unreliable, to put it bluntly, they are enemies who have not yet completely fallen out with each other. Perhaps in the near future, this would become a life-and-death situation.

"Brother Fei, you really misunderstood..."

Qiao Zhenfei's reaction was also within Qin Fang's expectations. If Qiao Zhenfei had simply taken the Heavenly Bead Bracelet back and taken away the letter without any courtesy, then he wouldn't be Qiao Zhenfei.

The two had a good relationship, and Qin Fang respected Qiao Zhenfei very much, but in reality, it was just a relationship between equals, far from the closeness he shared with Tang Cheng and Ning Weiqiang.

"I really mean it! You've had this Heavenly Bead Bracelet for ten years, nurtured it with your essence blood for ten years, it might have already developed a spirit. If it's simply given away to me, a perfectly good treasure might be destroyed..."

Qin Fang politely declined with a chuckle, speaking the truth.

But...

Suddenly, Qin Fang's expression changed; he felt that the little fella at his chest became extremely restless as if it wanted to break out of his body.

This was not good. If a creature resembling neither serpent nor dragon suddenly burst out of a human body, it would likely scare Qiao Zhenfei, Cai Qing, and Luo Xi to death. They might even regard Qin Fang as a monster, or worse, send him to a secret government laboratory for dissection and study.

"Stay put!"

It was precisely because of such concerns that Qin Fang immediately transmitted this command with his intentions.

The little fella immediately became much tamer, but it still didn't settle down, seemingly eager to express something to Qin Fang. The problem was it couldn't convey its true intentions to Qin Fang; the rapport between the man and the beast was not strong enough, relying solely on Qin Fang's own guesses.

"Could it be... because of this Heavenly Bead Bracelet?"

Qin Fang fell silent; the little fella was usually very well-behaved, hardly ever causing trouble for Qin Fang, very quiet, sometimes making Qin Fang forget the existence of such a creature inside him.

But now it was quite restless, and it all started when Qiao Zhenfei took the Heavenly Bead Bracelet off!

"Could there be something wrong with this Heavenly Bead Bracelet?"

A suspicion immediately rose in Qin Fang's mind, and then he remembered that he had never used his Scouting Skill on the Heavenly Bead Bracelet.

Then, a Scouting Skill was instantly deployed...

And when the scouting result came back, Qin Fang almost wished he could slap himself hard on the face and then curse "loose lips"!

"Supreme Double Longevity Pearl Bracelet!"

The scouting result matched what Qiao Zhenfei had said; the Heavenly Beads were absolutely flawless and of immense value. What truly caught Qin Fang's attention was the note below.

"Supreme Double Longevity Pearl Bracelet, a Heavenly Bead Bracelet endowed by Tibetan Esoteric high monks, composed of a set of eight supreme Double Longevity Dzi Beads, inscribed with the Esoteric Sect's secret technique Great Bliss Zen. Great Bliss Zen is an esoteric dual cultivation canon, practicing the secret technique can speed up the increase of National Arts Skill Proficiency. It is said that reaching the highest level can transcend the physical body and wander beyond the heavens."

Seeing this note, Qin Fang was truly frustrated.

He could disregard the last phrase about "transcending the physical body and wandering beyond the heavens," and ignore that Great Bliss Zen was an "esoteric dual cultivation canon," but the fact that practicing this secret technique could speed up the growth of National Arts Skill Proficiency was something Qin Fang absolutely couldn't overlook.

Qin Fang wanted to be powerful, and there really weren't many ways to achieve it, just about two.

One was to raise his own level.

The other was to increase his strength, to advance to Grandmaster Level, or even Grandmaster...

The first goes without saying, mainly leveling up and hunting monsters, but with the level increase, the required Experience Points grow significantly, well beyond the capacity of a few, a dozen, or even a hundred minor creatures, making the difficulty of leveling up almost unimaginable, and not likely to happen quickly.

So that leaves the second option—increasing one's own cultivation, namely, improving the Proficiency of the National Arts Skill, which is equally daunting. If it weren't for the Psychic Jade Qin Fang carried that could speed up proficiency gains, he wouldn't have reached the level he is at now...

And a treasure that could speed up the improvement of his abilities was just let go... Thinking of this, Qin Fang somewhat hoped, hoped that Qiao Zhenfei would push the Heavenly Bead Bracelet his way again. Though such a thought really seemed a bit improper, he badly coveted that item, as it was exactly what Qin Fang most desperately needed...

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.