The ship reached the port of Hua Xia, and An Ying and I parted ways.
This meeting cleared up everything for me. While I felt relieved, there was also a sense of loss in my heart.
From the time my father passed away, I had been consumed by thoughts of revenge, accumulating a great deal of hatred. Yet, in the end, all that hatred turned out to be in vain.
It was like building up momentum for a powerful punch, only to find yourself striking empty air.
I still felt a sense of unwillingness and thought I needed to verify with someone else.
"Master Xiang, where do we go next?" Fatty asked, leaning in.
"Yan Jing."
"What for in Yan Jing?"
"To find my father's former employer."
"What did you and pretty An talk about on the ship? Didn't you say your dad died from some kind of radiation? Why are you still looking for..."
I smiled and said, "Don't you want to go back to Yan Jing to see your master?"
Fatty froze. "I'd forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it! This is bad!"
"What's wrong?"
"When I went to Guangling, my master's birthday was coming up soon. I had confidently told him I'd treat him to a couple of good banquets, but I forgot!"
"It's fine. When we get to Yan Jing, you can hold a belated celebration for the old man, can't you?"
"Can birthdays be celebrated belatedly?" Fatty pursed his lips. "It's not impossible to celebrate belatedly, but the scale would definitely have to be upgraded, otherwise, the old man won't be happy."
I gave the scoundrel a look. "Don't you just want money? I'll talk to Brother Peng later and ask him to transfer some of your profit share from An Yuan Tang to you."
"Master Xiang! You said it yourself! I didn't ask you for money."
"Oh, come on," I said impatiently. "Hurry up, stop talking nonsense, and let's get back to Yan Jing."
"Alright!"
Originally, I had planned to visit Yang Hanxue in Shang Du, but after learning he had been discharged from the hospital, I decided against it.
After a courtesy call, Fatty and I headed to Yan Jing.
Upon arriving in Yan Jing, Fatty and I split up. He went to see his master, while I found a hotel and checked in.
I didn't want to go and get scolded by that old man. After receiving the money wired by Hong Yunpeng, Fatty completely disregarded the possibility of being scolded.
This guy was a typical case of a pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water.
After resting in Yan Jing for two days, I went to the address Zhao Chengyuan had given me.
The place was in an old district. It took me quite a while to find it. When I reached my destination, all I saw before me was a patch of ruins.
After asking the nearby residents, I learned that the owner of this place had moved away long ago.
An old man asked me what my relationship was with the owner.
I bluffed, "A distant relative, I came to visit."
"Relative?" The old man's eyes lit up. "Your relative isn't simple, you know."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Seeing his fawning smile, I finally realized and handed him the pack of Yuxi cigarettes I had with me.
The old man took the cigarettes with satisfaction and said, "I do know where this family moved."
"Where?"
"A siheyuan in the Liuli Chang area. It's about a half-hour walk from here."
"Do you have a specific address?"
The old man lit a cigarette and slowly took a puff. "These Yuxi cigarettes are good, but they're still a bit less flavorful compared to Huazi."
This old man was clearly trying to extort me. I was amused and exasperated. I took out a hundred yuan bill and handed it to him, asking him to give me the address.
He took the money and then gave me an address.
When I heard the address, I felt it was somewhat familiar, but I didn't think much of it.
When I reached my destination, I was stunned.
I had been to this place before!
After walking to the door and knocking, a man in a black suit quickly came out. Seeing me, he was slightly surprised. "It's you?"
"Is Boss Bi in?" I asked.
He nodded and let me in.
I never expected that the person I was looking for was Bi Zhengxiang, the great collector who had previously bought Qin Jing.
When I walked into the main hall, Bi Zhengxiang was chatting with two people. Seeing me enter, he seemed surprised. "Xiang Fei? What brings you here? You should have called in advance."
"Old Master Bi, long time no see. I hope I'm not interrupting," I said with a smile.
"No, I'm just exchanging ideas with two friends. Your arrival is timely. Come and give us your expert opinion," Bi Zhengxiang said with a smile.
I walked over and saw a brush pot on the table. It was a carving of an old man holding a peach, appearing to be very well-preserved. Upon closer inspection, it looked like an item from the early Qing Dynasty.
"This brush pot is nice," I said. "It's a good piece."
"Can you tell which dynasty it's from?" Bi Zhengxiang asked me with a smile.
"It should be an item from the early Qing Dynasty."
Upon hearing my words, Bi Zhengxiang's smile widened. He turned to the two people beside him and said, "See? I told you this piece was from the Qing Dynasty, but you didn't believe me."
One of them frowned slightly and looked at me. "Who is this young man?"
"This is the owner of An Yuan Tang in Guangling, and also a friend of mine, younger than me," Bi Zhengxiang said politely. "Don't let his young age fool you; his skill in appraising treasures is not simple."
The two men seemed to have some doubts about my abilities, but they didn't show it in front of Bi Zhengxiang, only offering polite words.
After I sat down and chatted with them for a while, the two men took their leave, and soon it was just Bi Zhengxiang and me.
"Hasn't it been since last year that we last met?" Bi Zhengxiang poured me a cup of gongfu tea.
I nodded.
"Why did you decide to come looking for me? Did something happen?" he asked.
I pursed my lips and said, "Old Master Bi, do you know Xiang Tian?"
He was taken aback. "Xiang Tian?"
"Yes... He's my father. You've been so polite to me before, I assume you already knew I was his son?" I said. "Why didn't you tell me you knew my father?"
Bi Zhengxiang sighed, putting down his Zisha teapot. "So, you know everything?"
"Yes."
"Then what else do you want to know?"
"About what happened between you and my father back then, and about him, the Illuminati, and the Sui Hou Pearl," I said slowly.
Bi Zhengxiang gave a wry smile. "I didn't expect you to have already found out about the Illuminati? Have you been investigating your father's affairs all this time?"
"Yes, I also met Zhao Chengyuan."
"You met Zhao Chengyuan? He's not dead?!" Bi Zhengxiang was startled. "Where is he now?"
"It's inconvenient to say where he is. Everything I know was told to me by him, and he's the one who asked me to come find you," I replied truthfully.