Fatty had Hong Yunpeng pull down the rolling shutter, and we sat around a large wooden tea table.
"Mr. Xiang, you're well-traveled and knowledgeable. You must be familiar with bone flutes, right?" Fatty asked.
"Is this really made of bone?" I inquired.
Hong Yunpeng nodded.
If this flute was truly made of bone, its value would be different.
Bone flutes have a significant history. The most famous among them are the Jiahu bone flutes, which are the earliest musical instrument artifacts in our country, dating back over nine thousand years.
However, to authenticate bone flutes and determine their age, professional research is essential.
After all, bone is a very special material, and antique musical instruments are not my forte.
"Mr. Xiang, this isn't just any ordinary bone flute," Fatty said. "This is an eagle flute."
"Eagle flute?" I asked with some confusion. "You're not going to tell me this is a Tajik eagle flute, are you?"
Fatty's eyes lit up, and he gave me a thumbs-up. "Mr. Xiang is indeed Mr. Xiang. You know much more than ordinary people. That's right, this is a Tajik eagle flute."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Did that person you met earlier tell you this?"
"Uh-huh," Fatty nodded.
"And he offered you thirty thousand to buy this flute?"
"Uh-huh."
"Then you should have sold it to him immediately. Tajik eagle flute, indeed. Why don't you say it's the flute used by Chang'e?" I said irritably.
Bai Hanyan couldn't help but interject, "Is there anything special about a Tajik eagle flute?"
I glanced at him and explained, "It's said that on the Pamir Plateau, the Tajiks live by hunting. Every household raises hunting eagles. These eagles hunt with their masters during the day and guard the home at night..."
Having said that, I picked up my teacup and took a sip, then continued, "A long time ago, there was a hunter named Wafa. His ancestors were all famous hunters, and his family had an ancestral eagle that had lived for over a hundred years. This eagle had excellent eyesight; even sparrows a hundred li away couldn't escape its eyes. Furthermore, it was a fierce and brave hunting eagle, known by the surrounding people as the 'Eagle King'."
"At that time, slavery still existed, and the news of Wafa's Eagle King quickly reached the slave owners. They ordered Wafa to hand over the Eagle King. But Wafa refused, so the slave owners captured him and tortured him daily. Finally, the Eagle King couldn't bear to see it and told Wafa to kill it and make a bone flute. As long as the bone flute was blown, no one would be able to bully Wafa anymore."
"But Wafa couldn't bring himself to do it, as he had long regarded the Eagle King as family... The Eagle King knew his thoughts and therefore crashed to its death before him. Wafa was heartbroken, so he made a bone flute from the wings of the deceased Eagle King. This bone flute had a name: Nay."
"When Wafa blew the Nay, he summoned spirits. These spirits obeyed only the commands of the flutist. Under Wafa's command, the spirits killed all the slave owners who had bullied him... From then on, slave owners within a hundred-li radius dared not bully slaves anymore."
After I finished the story, Bai Hanyan looked at the bone flute on the table and said, "Can this flute really summon spirits?"
I smiled and said, "Unless this flute is the legendary one."
Fatty said, "That's not right. The person we met today told us this flute isn't for summoning spirits, but for transcending them."
"Who can say for sure about legends? Legends vary from place to place," I replied.
"Mr. Xiang, why are you so sure this bone flute isn't the legendary Nay?"
I gave him a look. "Who would spend a lot of money buying a legendary antique? The price of such an antique is hard to say, unless there are collectors who specifically like such strange and rare items."
As I said this, I suddenly thought of the Traveling Immortal Pillow and the Qin Mirror!
Remembering how Yang Hanxue went to great lengths to find the Traveling Immortal Pillow, and then went to the seabed to find Shen Wansan's secret chamber. As for the Qin Mirror, it was something Sister Ying specifically asked for.
Why was Sister Ying looking for these legendary artifacts?
"I thought we could sell it for a good price. Now it seems thirty thousand isn't a loss," Fatty said, putting the bone flute away. "Yunpeng, quickly contact that buyer, have him bring the money, and let him take the flute. We'll split it fifty-fifty."
Hong Yunpeng grinned and said, "Got it."
"Wait!" I suddenly stopped him.
Fatty and Hong Yunpeng looked at me in confusion.
"This flute can't be sold."
"Why?" they both asked in unison.
I took the bone flute from Fatty's hand. "Because I want it."
Saying that, I handed the bone flute to Hong Yunpeng. "Brother Hong, please keep this flute safe for me."
Hong Yunpeng was a bit stunned, and Fatty blinked a few times, staring at me.
I took out two thousand yuan from my wallet and handed it to Fatty. "Here, this is the money for your purchases yesterday."
"Ah?" Fatty was taken aback. "Mr. Xiang, are you going to hog it all yourself?"
He looked crestfallen. "You can't do this. If you eat the meat, you should at least let us have some of the soup, right?"
"What do you know?" I said. "I want to keep this thing for research. Maybe I can sell it for a higher price later."
Hearing this, Fatty's frown turned into a smile. "Then when it's sold, will I get a share?"
"What do you think?"
"I knew Mr. Xiang was the most righteous!" Fatty said. "Yunpeng, you better keep the flute safe."
Hong Yunpeng nodded. "Don't worry, it's with me, it won't get lost."
Bai Hanyan even chimed in, "Mr. Xiang, whoever sees it gets a share. Don't forget me later."
"What are you joining in for?" I said helplessly.
"Did you forget? I'm your assistant now," Bai Hanyan said.
Fatty was surprised. "Miss Bai is Mr. Xiang's assistant now too?"
Bai Hanyan nodded. "From today onwards, we are all people working for Mr. Xiang. We are colleagues now, don't be so formal."
"That's great!" Hong Yunpeng grinned. "We'll be following Xiao Fei for good food and drink from now on."
Looking at these three lively characters, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"It's past nine o'clock. How about we go get something to eat first?" Fatty suggested.
Hearing him say that, I suddenly remembered that I still had to find someone tonight!
I almost forgot about it!
"Brother Hong, I'll need your help to get me somewhere," I said.
"Where to?"
"Xihai Yuanjing."
"What are you going there for?"
"To find someone," I said.
As soon as I finished speaking, Fatty and Bai Hanyan said in unison, "We're going too!"
...
Half an hour later, Hong Yunpeng was driving, Fatty was in the passenger seat, and Bai Hanyan and I were in the back.
The four of us arrived at Xihai Yuanjing. Fatty was still munching on a flatbread in the car.
When we reached the entrance, the security guard asked who we were looking for, but we couldn't give a clear answer, and they didn't let us in.
Fortunately, Hong Yunpeng got out and negotiated for a while, after which the security guard opened the gate to let us in.
"What did you say to them?" I asked.
Hong Yunpeng grinned, rubbing his thumb and index finger together. "Gave them two hundred yuan, told them to buy some cigarettes."
I was stunned for a moment, and Fatty sighed, "In this world, money makes the world go round..."