Chapter 55: He Actually Didn’t Steal Mine?

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: He Actually Didn’t Steal Mine?

Zhang Yun concealed his shock, continuing to calmly turn and examine the Bronze Pot in his hands. Unfortunately, the sensation of that hidden current was gone.

"Could it have been absorbed all at once? Was there only that little bit?" he wondered.

From the corner of his eye, Zhang Yun noticed Zhang Youcai watching him nervously. "You want to take this out and sell it? Afraid I’ll snatch it from you?"

"No, no, I’m not... Zhang Yun, whatever you like, you take your pick first! We’re going to clear everything out this time anyway to avoid any long delays that might bring trouble. If you like this antique, it’s yours!"

Zhang Youcai’s words sounded generous, but the sheer agony in his eyes was painfully obvious. The few gold and silver ornaments they found, based on his description of their quality, probably wouldn’t fetch much money. He was clearly banking on these two antiques. He was the one who had discovered this place and set everything up, but reality dictated that whoever had the bigger fists had the louder say. He was terrified that Zhang Yun might just kill him right here!

Zhang Yun placed the Bronze Pot back into the coffin and picked up the scroll.

"I’ll shine the light for you," Zhang Youcai said, taking the flashlight. "I don’t know what this is either."

As Zhang Yun held it, he deliberately focused his senses but felt nothing. Then, he slid the painting out of its cylindrical case. The moment he unrolled it, another hidden current was sucked into his body!

This time, focusing intently, Zhang Yun managed to catch the subtle shift. It wasn’t his body absorbing the current; rather, it seemed to be that pitch-black Iron Ring absorbing it!

Ever since he put on that Mysterious Iron Ring, he hadn’t been able to take it off. The Peach Blossom Spring Space had appeared because of it, and now, it seemed to be absorbing the Spiritual Qi or some kind of Energy from these antiques!

"It’s a piece of calligraphy," Zhang Yun said. "I can’t tell if it’s by a famous master, but it feels like it’s quite old."

Having already drained its Energy, Zhang Yun lost interest. He rolled the scroll back up and tucked it away.

Initially, Zhang Yun had no interest in the gold and silver ornaments, but now he couldn’t resist picking them up to examine them one by one. Whether this Iron Ring itself needed the Energy, or it was the Energy required to sustain the Peach Blossom Spring Space, as long as it was beneficial, he couldn’t afford to miss out.

Perhaps due to their material, craftsmanship, or age, after going through all of them, he realized that none of the ornaments contained any Energy.

"If you don’t like antiques, then take these pieces of jewelry. They’d make great gifts for a girlfriend," Zhang Youcai said, sounding much more excited. Although he didn’t know their exact value, the antiques still gave him something to look forward to.

Zhang Yun glanced at him. "You probably have quite a few more at home, don’t you?"

Zhang Youcai’s expression instantly stiffened.

"You came here last night," Zhang Yun continued. "You might have come a few days ago too. It’s too far for you to carry everything at once, so you had to transport it back in batches."

Zhang Youcai’s voice deepened. "You should always leave a way out for others and not push them too far! I just gave both of you ten thousand yuan each, and I let you pick whatever you wanted from here first. Are you still eyeing what’s in my house?"

Zhang Yun chuckled. "Don’t get so worked up, Uncle Cai. If I truly had bad intentions, you wouldn’t be able to beat me even with that shovel. If I killed you here, wouldn’t it be a breeze to go rob your house?"

"You...!" Zhang Youcai became agitated. "I misjudged you, Zhang Yun! You’re an educated man, yet you’re so utterly uncivilized!" The shovel was right beside him, prompting him to hurriedly grab hold of it.

"Haven’t you figured it out yet?" Zhang Yun said. "I’m not interested in any of these! I just want to take a look at the things you hauled back home to see if anything catches my eye."

He then added patiently, "I’m just going to look. If I really like something, I’ll buy it! I haven’t laid a finger on you here, so do you really think I’d try anything once we’re back in the village?"

Zhang Youcai’s expression softened slightly. "Swear it! Swear on your father!"

Zhang Yun slapped the coffin and said in a low tone, "You’re crossing the line!"

Terrified that Zhang Yun might stuff him into the coffin, Zhang Youcai didn’t dare to insist. "I was just saying..." he muttered.

"Grab the stuff and let’s go!" Zhang Yun said, having no desire to linger in this tomb any longer.

Without another word, Zhang Youcai lifted his shirt, revealing a large fanny pack wrapped around his waist. Keeping the scroll in his hand, he stuffed everything else into the bag. After closing the coffin, Zhang Youcai took the lead. He was now on edge, deathly afraid that Zhang Yun might kill him from behind.

Once they safely made it outside the ancestral tomb, both men breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhang Yun clapped the dust off his hands. "Let’s go!"

Zhang Youcai laughed awkwardly. "Right now? It’ll be midnight by the time we get back. It’s a bit inconvenient, isn’t it? How about you come to my house Ming Tian? It’s not like I can move everything overnight..."

"Let’s go!" Zhang Yun repeated. He was genuinely afraid the man would move the items overnight!

What Zhang Yun wanted was the Spiritual Qi inside the antiques. Naturally, the older and more valuable the item, the more Spiritual Qi it possessed. If they were moved and he was left with things entirely devoid of Spiritual Qi, his efforts would have been wasted.

Helpless, Zhang Youcai had no choice but to head down the mountain with Zhang Yun. Weighed down by his fanny pack, Zhang Youcai walked even slower than the younger men. By the time they returned to the village, it was past twelve o’clock.

To Zhang Yun’s slight surprise, Zhang Youcai didn’t return to his current house but went to his old one instead! If they had waited until Ming Tian to visit, Zhang Youcai wouldn’t have just moved the stash; he would have handpicked a portion to show him.

Zhang Youcai opened a large chest. "Everything is here." He then unfastened his fanny pack and took out the items inside.

Whether it was gold and silver jewelry or antiques, Zhang Yun touched every single item inside without missing a beat. After touching them one by one, he finally figured it out: most of them contained no Spiritual Qi. Only the older antiques had it, and the older they were, the stronger the Qi.

"Are you really just looking?" Zhang Youcai asked, watching nervously as Zhang Yun rearranged the items.

Zhang Yun nodded. "I’m just looking, and pointing a few things out to you while I’m at it."

"Pointing things out?" Zhang Youcai was confused.

Zhang Yun pointed to the few items that contained the most Spiritual Qi. "Remember, these ones are of high value. Don’t let anyone scam you on them. These few are average, and these here are just completely ordinary."

Zhang Youcai was astonished. "Zhang Yun, you know how to appraise antiques?"

"I read some books and researched it a bit back when I was in school," Zhang Yun replied. "I can’t do precise appraisals, and I don’t understand market pricing either. I can only confirm whether they’re authentic or not, and whether they’re from a distant era."

Zhang Yun intentionally dressed up his abilities a bit. Perhaps Zhang Youcai would introduce him to the circle of antique trading!

"That’s already impressive! Having an education really makes a difference. I’ve suffered a lot because of my lack of schooling," Zhang Youcai sighed lamentably.

Zhang Yun could tell he was just being perfunctory. The man would only believe his words after having them professionally appraised and finding out the results matched.

"I’m leaving."

Seeing Zhang Yun actually walk away after saying that, Zhang Youcai was completely dumbfounded.

"Was he really just here to take a look?" he wondered. "He actually isn’t going to rob me?"

Zhang Youcai originally thought the few items left in the coffin wouldn’t satisfy Zhang Yun’s appetite, and he had mentally prepared himself to part with half of this stash. Now that Zhang Yun hadn’t taken a single thing, he felt incredibly uneasy.

Having tossed and turned for hours, Zhang Yun was exhausted. Afraid of waking his dad, he didn’t go home, but instead headed to the small wooden cabin by the fish pond.

He didn’t go to sleep immediately. Instead, he entered the Peach Blossom Spring Space. He wanted to see if the Spiritual Qi he absorbed tonight had brought about any changes to the Personal Space, or if it had solely affected his own physical body.

Upon entering and focusing his senses, he didn’t feel any changes, like the Spiritual Qi becoming more lush or abundant. However, just as he was about to leave, he discovered something that left him pleasantly surprised!