After so playful banter, Yang Zi urged Zhao Yuan to continue dissecting the Copper Armor, wanting to see if the other Golden Water Bodhi also had the scriptures of the Fourteen Fearless Ones inside.
Zhao Yuan refused the suggestion.
For one thing, he had already learned from the Information Leaf that the Copper Armor encased a total of fourteen Golden Water Bodhi, each containing a passage of the Fearless rit Scripture written in Qi.
For another, he didn't have the right tools. Trying to cut open all of the Copper Armor with just a fruit knife would undoubtedly be a massive, ti-consuming, and laborious undertaking. And the slightest slip could damage the Golden Water Bodhi.
So Zhao Yuan explained that they shouldn't rush to dissect the Copper Armor on the sphere. He said he would find a professional Artisan to handle it once they were back in Rongcheng City.
Everyone was a little disappointed they couldn't see the other Golden Water Bodhi right away, but they were all reasonable. They knew Zhao Yuan was right and abandoned the idea of dissecting all of the Copper Armor imdiately.
Pointing to the antiques on the tea table, Zhao Yuan said, "See if there's anything you like. Go ahead and split them among yourselves. Think of it as a little gift from ."
"No way. You're being this generous?" Yang Zi asked suspiciously.
For a guy who'd only treat people to duck blood vermicelli soup and a tea egg to suddenly act so generous was shocking and hard to believe.
Zhao Yuan rolled his eyes and snapped, "Fine, don't take them then!"
"We'll take them, we'll take them, of course we'll take them!" Yang Zi's tone changed in an instant. She grinned and said, "These are antiques, you know. What if one of them turns out to be a priceless treasure? We'd strike it rich!"
Zhao Yuan shook his head. "A priceless treasure? I wouldn't get your hopes up. You'd be lucky to sell this stuff for a hundred-so yuan."
Yang Zi said with a grin, "That's fine too. Besides, we can put them on our desks as decorations. It'll raise our dorm's cool factor, make the place look way more high-class!"
Dropping all pretense of politeness with Zhao Yuan, she walked right over to the tea table and began picking out the antiques that caught her eye.
Liu Zhu and the others crowded around as well, picking out items they liked.
Qi Xia, the girl with the glasses, was initially a little embarrassed, since Zhao Yuan had paid for everything.
But a word from Liu Zhu dispelled her hesitation. "Xiaoxia, just go ahead and pick. Don't feel bad. This is a gift from our Third Brother. He'd be more upset if you didn't. Besides, with those Golden Water Bodhi, he's already earned back the money he spent on these antiques and then so!"
Soon, the seven of them had divided all the antiques on the table amongst themselves, each person taking two or three items. Lin Xue ran out and got so bags from the teahouse owner to hand out, and everyone placed their new antiques inside to carry.
Zhao Yuan took a bag as well and placed the sphere inside.
'If there weren't so many people around, he would've just tossed the sphere into his Storage Ring ages ago. This is such a hassle.'
"Let's get going," Zhao Yuan called out.
"So, where to next? Why don't we hit another antiques market?" Yang Zi suggested.
Clearly, Zhao Yuan's success in finding a hidden treasure had gotten her fired up. She now had a keen interest in antiques and was eager to find a bargain of her own.
The rest of the group had much the sa idea.
Human nature has a gambling streak. The antique world's version of treasure hunting—risking a little to win big—is much like gambling, which is why it attracts so many people who dive in headfirst, one after another.
The group's suggestion suited Zhao Yuan just fine; he also wanted to check out other antique markets. 'What if I find a few more Qi-containing treasures? After all, Jinling was the capital of ten dynasties. Its historical foundation is far deeper than anywhere else.'
Before heading to another antiques market, however, Zhao Yuan had one thing he needed to do. "First, let's find a pharmacy and buy so dicine."
"Buy dicine? Why? Are you feeling sick?" Wang Rongfeng asked in confusion.
Zhao Yuan shook his head. "It's for Xiaobai. It swallowed the Copper Bell. I need to get so dicine to make it vomit so it can spit the bell back out. If the Copper Bell stays in its stomach, it'll cause serious problems."
"Oh, right! How could I forget about that?" Wang Rongfeng slapped his own forehead, then turned to lecture the White Cat. "I an, really, you could've eaten anything else, but you had to go and swallow a Copper Bell? Is that even food?"
The White Cat shot him a sidelong glance and let out two imperious ows, as if to say, 'You're just the poop-scooper here. What the hell would you know?'
Though Wang Rongfeng couldn't understand the aning of the White Cat's ows, he understood its expression perfectly and was mortified. "What the hell? It's actually looking down on ! How is this happening?"
"Oh, that's enough. Stop being an idiot," Luo Dan snapped, reaching out to twist his ear. Wang Rongfeng imdiately fell into line. He was just like Liu Zhu, completely henpecked... Apparently, the Shu Region was fertile ground for henpecked husbands. It didn't matter if you were a local or from out of town; once you were here, you were destined to be thoroughly managed by your wife.
Zhao Yuan and Wu Yan exchanged a look, both silently mourning for their two fallen brothers.
Lin Xue scooped the White Cat into her arms, soothingly stroking its fur. "Maybe we should just take Xiaobai to a pet hospital?" she suggested.
Wu Yan chid in, "Yeah, yeah! We'll take him to the pet hospital, they can slice his stomach open and pull the Copper Bell out..."
Before he could even finish, the White Cat—as if it had understood every word—bristled instantly. With a furious OWL, it leaped up, jumped in front of Wu Yan, and smacked him twice across the face with its paws, leaving him dazed and seeing stars.
That was with the White Cat holding back and keeping its claws retracted; otherwise, he'd have been left with several bloody gashes.
Zhao Yuan shot Wu Yan a sympathetic glance and said, "Let's rule out surgery. We have a flight back to Rongcheng City tomorrow. An operation would take at least ten days to a half-month to recover from. Let's try to induce vomiting first and see if Xiaobai can cough up the Copper Bell."
He left one thought unspoken: 'If it cos to surgery, I'd rather do it myself. I don't trust anyone else to operate on the White Cat.'
After packing their things, the group left the private room. As he paid and returned the knife and magnifying glass, Zhao Yuan also asked for the location of a nearby pharmacy.
Monts later, the group of eight people and one cat left the teahouse, heading toward the pharmacy.
At the sa ti, a man across the street pulled out a cell phone and whispered, "Old Xing, I've spotted the people you're looking for."
"Where?" Xing Hong's voice ca through the phone.
The man replied, "They just ca out of the Haoheng Teahouse and are heading east."
"Keep your eyes on them and report their location. I'm on my way now!" Xing Hong said, his tone urgent.
"No problem! But... about the money you promised..."
"Don't worry, you'll get every cent. I'm wiring you the money right now, alright?"
"Yes, yes, of course! Heh heh, Boss Xing, you're a man of your word. Don't you worry, I'll keep a tight tail on them for you."
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