"What is it?" Li Yang asked curiously.
"Did you see the Buddha statue displayed on my shelf? I specifically consulted a feng shui master for advice, and chose this one to pray for wealth, symbolizing abundant fortune."
"However, the feng shui master said that this Buddha statue currently lacks some spiritual energy. To ensure prosperity in business, it needs a violet jade stone placed in its hand."
Zao Ri Feng Chun explained earnestly to Li Yang, then looked at him and asked, "You understand China better than I do. Can you help me see if this is true?"
"A purple sandalwood Maitreya Buddha statue. It seems the feng shui master who advised you is quite skilled!"
Li Yang's gaze swept over. The Buddha statue was positioned in the north, directly facing the entrance, symbolizing prosperity and wealth flowing from the east.
And the violet jade that Zao Ri Feng Chun mentioned could indeed imbue the divine statue with spiritual light and generate energy.
Li Yang had never seen such an exquisite Buddha statue before. He couldn't help but walk over to examine it closely. Nodding, he praised, "What that person said is absolutely correct. For your Buddha statue to generate spiritual energy, you must find a violet jade. Otherwise, it's just a lifeless statue."
"A lifeless statue devoid of spiritual energy, no matter how long it's displayed, cannot bring you wealth."
"It seems he was telling the truth. Unfortunately, my large shop doesn't have a single piece of violet jade. This provincial capital is so vast, could you accompany me to pick out a gem?" Zao Ri Feng Chun looked at Li Yang earnestly and said again.
Li Yang thought for a moment and smiled, "Finding a gem is not a problem. However, for such a small matter, you don't need to trouble yourself to come with me. I will find the gem for you and bring it back."
"Is that true?"
A glimmer of hope appeared in Zao Ri Feng Chun's eyes. He said gratefully, "Thank you, Mr. Li, for agreeing to help me. This matter is a bit urgent, so I would appreciate it if Mr. Li could find it as soon as possible."
"No problem. I happen to have heard of a good Divine Stone Pavilion in the provincial capital that specializes in rare jade and gemstones. Perhaps I can find it there. I'll go take a look shortly."
Li Yang agreed casually.
He also wanted to venture into the jade business. His newly opened antique shop had very scarce inventory. He could take this opportunity to learn about the Divine Stone Pavilion and, if there was an opportunity, establish a long-term cooperation.
After bidding farewell to Zao Ri Feng Chun, he left the antique building and headed straight for the renowned Divine Stone Pavilion in the provincial capital.
This jade shop was something Li Yang had heard of long ago. It was considered a first-class jade shop in the provincial capital.
The antique street in the provincial capital was much larger than that in Jiangcheng. After leaving, Li Yang browsed the roadside stalls along the way. After half an hour, he still hadn't reached the Divine Stone Pavilion.
The dazzling array of goods on the street made Li Yang's eyes blur, but there were basically no genuine items, only worthless fakes.
"Master Ma, we were beaten at the newly opened antique building."
At the same time, the man who had been beaten at Zao Ri Feng Chun's shop had returned with his subordinates to the Ma Family's Antique General Store. He found Ma Peisheng, and a subordinate knelt on the ground to report to him.
The middle-aged man whose tongue had been cut, although the bleeding had stopped, would never be able to speak again.
He also knelt on the ground, looking pitifully at Ma Peisheng, wanting Ma Peisheng to avenge him.
"You bunch of useless good-for-nothings, you can't even handle such a small matter? I've raised you for nothing."
Ma Peisheng saw them with bruised and swollen faces, suddenly stood up, slammed his palm on the table, and roared.
In an instant, they trembled all over in fear.
The middle-aged man regained his senses, quietly nudged his subordinate, signaling him to continue explaining.
The subordinate wiped the cold sweat from his face and continued, "Master Ma, you may not know, but the owner of that newly opened antique building is indeed someone we cannot afford to offend. It's a great fortune that we were able to return alive."
"Moreover, the owner of that shop also claims to buy out Xuan Bao Ge."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Ma Peisheng's expression suddenly turned cold. He asked in confusion, "Who exactly is the owner of that antique building? How dare he claim to buy my Ma family's territory? He's tired of living."
"They, they are from Sakura Country!" the subordinate stammered.
Boom!
Ma Peisheng was instantly shocked. He looked at his subordinate in disbelief and asked, "Are you sure you're not lying? Is that antique building truly controlled by people from Sakura Country?"
"Yes, the people who beat us at the time were ninjas from Sakura Country. Their skills were so high that we had no power to fight back. The boss's tongue was cut off by their boss," the subordinate replied decisively.
"So that's how it is. No wonder I was wondering who in the entire provincial capital dared to be so bold as to attack my Ma family's people!"
Ma Peisheng's eyes deepened. Most of the anger on his face disappeared, replaced by confusion. He thought to himself: these people from Sakura Country had appeared in Jiangcheng before, looking for a treasure map.
Now that news of the treasure map had just spread to Dengfeng Temple, they had surprisingly arrived here.
It seemed their goal was also to obtain the treasure map.
"Master Ma, please spare us, considering our efforts even if we haven't succeeded." Seeing that Ma Peisheng's anger was not as intense as before, the subordinate quickly explained.
"Hmph, you handled things poorly, and you still want me to let you go?"
Ma Peisheng glanced back at them. Seeing their appearance made him angry. He waved his hand and ordered, "Someone come and drag them all to the deep mountains to fend for themselves."
"A bunch of trash, losing my face in front of people from Sakura Country, and you still have the nerve to beg me for mercy."
"Master Ma, spare our lives, spare us!"
Hearing this, the subordinates were terrified and quickly knelt on the ground, begging for mercy, trembling non-stop.
However, from the moment the bodyguards dragged them away until they disappeared, Ma Peisheng didn't even look at them again.
After they left, Ma Peisheng stroked his chin in thought. Suddenly, the corner of his mouth curled up, and he looked at Ma Shihao beside him and said, "Shihao, it seems we are about to face a formidable enemy. These people from Sakura Country have ruthless methods, and their objective is definitely to obtain the treasure map."
"We need to plan carefully. Not only must we seize this treasure map, but we must also reclaim the treasure map lost in Jiangcheng."
"Dad, you mean... the treasure map from Jiangcheng is also in the hands of people from Sakura Country? But I heard that the leader of Sakura Country, Ku Teng, has already been arrested by the public security team," Ma Shihao asked doubtfully.
"Do you think Ku Teng was arrested because he exposed himself? Then you underestimate the people of Sakura Country too much."
Ma Peisheng's eyes deepened. After a pause of a few seconds, he continued, "The person appearing in the provincial capital now is the true leader sent by Sakura Country to China. Ku Teng was merely a foil in front of him."