The boss of Chirei Workshop was named Lei Guan. Even though it was my first time dealing with him, I could sense his composed demeanor.
It seemed like nothing in his eyes couldn't be resolved. For instance, now, brought to a rented apartment by me, he didn't show the slightest panic.
"Young man, do you know you're playing with fire?" Lei Guan asked, crossing his legs. A smile played on his lips, but his eyes held a hint of anger.
I smiled slightly and didn't respond, as Yang Hanxue hadn't arrived yet, and I feared saying too much.
Seeing my silence, he wasn't annoyed. Instead, he asked, "Do you have a cigarette on you?"
I took out the cigarettes from my pocket and offered him one, lighting it with a lighter.
He took a leisurely puff and exhaled a cloud of smoke, saying, "Don't your arms get tired holding that toy gun?"
I was stunned. How did he know the gun in my hand was fake?
Although this hunting rifle was just a mold, its craftsmanship and materials were a perfect one-to-one replica. I had handled hunting rifles as a child and knew their materials.
I put the gun aside and asked, "Since you knew the gun in my hand was fake, why did you still come with me?"
He chuckled and replied, "The fact that you could get in means you're not alone. And your companion could handle the men I brought, proving he's quite skilled..."
As he spoke, he flicked some ash, looking at me with a smile, appearing somewhat smug.
As expected of an old hand in the Jianghu, his insight was sharp.
It seemed he didn't bother arguing with me because he was sure I wouldn't do anything to him, hence his composure.
I pursed my lips and said, "I've heard that Chirei Workshop collects many treasures, including antiques that are now lost to time..."
"If you're interested, I can take you for a visit next time," Lei Guan said, smiling.
His words truly tempted me.
Ever since I was young, my father often took me to museums, telling me that to become a treasure appraiser, one must see a lot.
Only by seeing many old objects could one grasp their intricacies.
It could be said that most of my current appraisal skills were developed through "seeing."
Antiques from every dynasty had their own unique style. As long as you grasped the style and history of a dynasty, you could easily distinguish between the genuine and the fake.
"Hearing Mr. Lei say that, I am indeed eager to see for myself," I said with a smile.
"No problem. If you want to go, it's just a matter of saying the word..." He paused, then changed the subject, "Now, tell me, why did you bring me here?"
Seeing his increasingly composed expression, I knew he seemed to believe he had me cornered.
"I won't hide it from you, Mr. Lei. It was a friend who asked me to bring you here. As for what he wants to say to you, I'm not clear."
I sat down on a nearby chair and checked my watch. "He should be here soon, after he's dealt with your men."
As soon as I finished speaking, the sound of a door opening was heard. Yang Hanxue walked in from outside.
There were still some bloodstains on his gray casual clothes, I couldn't tell if they were his or someone else's.
He walked in, saw Lei Guan, and clasped his hands in greeting, smiling slightly. "I've long heard of Mr. Lei's reputation. I am Yang Hanxue."
Lei Guan said coolly, "Speak. What do you want with me? I don't have time to waste here with you."
"This method of inviting Mr. Lei here was out of necessity," Yang Hanxue said. He took a file folder from a nearby drawer and handed it over. "I want to do business with Mr. Lei."
Lei Guan took the file folder and pulled out a blueprint. After a few glances, his expression changed. "Where did you get this blueprint?"
Yang Hanxue replied, "The origin of the blueprint is not important. I want Mr. Lei to create the object depicted in the blueprint. I wonder..."
Before he could finish, Lei Guan said, "I can do it! But I have one condition!"
"Go ahead."
"After the job is done, this blueprint must belong to me," Lei Guan stated.
"No problem," Yang Hanxue replied. "Besides this blueprint, I can also give Mr. Lei a generous gift..."
"A generous gift?" Lei Guan asked, looking puzzled.
"Indeed... I heard your beloved daughter seems to have run away from home recently?" Yang Hanxue said. "I can help you find her."
"You know where she is?"
"I heard it from someone, but please rest assured, Mr. Lei, your daughter is not in any serious trouble," Yang Hanxue reassured him.
Lei Guan took a deep breath, put the blueprint back into the folder, stood up, and looked at me. "What's your name?"
"Xiang Fei," I replied.
He raised an eyebrow. "So you're Xiang Fei..."
"Mr. Lei knows me?"
He smiled, not saying much, but left me with a parting remark, "I will honor what I promised you earlier. You can come anytime you wish."
With that, he opened the door and left without a moment's hesitation.
Yang Hanxue asked me what he had promised me. I smiled and said, "Nothing much. I wanted to see his collection."
He nodded. "Brother Xiang, thank you for your trouble this time."
"It's nothing," I replied. "Brother Yang, what kind of blueprint was that you gave him just now?"
He hesitated for a moment, then replied, "The blueprint for the colored Water Moon Guanyin statue."
"The colored Water Moon Guanyin statue?!" I was startled.
Yang Hanxue nodded, not elaborating further.
Water Moon Guanyin, also known as "Water Auspicious Guanyin" or "Water Auspicious Bodhisattva," is one of the thirty-three manifestations of Guanyin, and the most commonly depicted.
It is named "Water Moon" because after Buddhism was introduced to the East, it integrated with China's indigenous culture to create this term.
Legend has it that during the Northern Song Dynasty, Jin soldiers massacred many people in Gusu City, creating numerous restless spirits. A woman built an altar and recited scriptures to transcend their souls. During the chanting, someone noticed that the woman was an incarnation of a Bodhisattva and prostrated themselves in worship. Finally, the woman revealed her true form, pointing to a lake where the reflection of a bright moon appeared, and the Bodhisattva's divine image also manifested. At that moment, an artist named Qiu Zijing, skilled in painting, sketched the Bodhisattva image seen in the water and moon. This painting also came to be known as "Water Moon Guanyin."
This is just one legend surrounding the "Water Moon Guanyin." In fact, Zhang Yanyuan's "Records of Famous Paintings Through the Ages" from the Tang Dynasty mentions: "At Sheng Guang Temple, in the southeast courtyard of a pagoda, Zhou Fang painted a screen depicting the Water Moon Guanyin Bodhisattva, with the Bodhisattva's halo and bamboo, all rendered in Liu Zheng's colors." Later, Bai Juyi also wrote a eulogy for it, "Praise for the Water Moon Bodhisattva."
It can be said that the Water Moon Guanyin statue holds a very special status in the antique world, with many people coveting its collection. Creating aged versions of such statues is not difficult, but obtaining the original blueprint is extremely challenging. The blueprint Yang Hanxue gave Lei Guan was most likely an original design. If it were indeed an original blueprint, its value would be considerable!
Thinking of this, a thought flashed through my mind. Yang Hanxue mentioned asking Chirei Workshop to forge it, implying he intended to swap it for the genuine article at a treasure appraisal convention. Could it be that a genuine Water Moon Guanyin statue would appear at this appraisal convention?!
Thinking of this, I gasped for air...