He Tiandou said, "Could you borrow a few antiques from somewhere to use first, and then return them to me when you're done?"
"You make it sound so easy. Antiques aren't like pasta machines or bicycles; do you think everyone has one? Besides, are you absolutely sure you can return it? What if your money strategy fails?"
He Tiandou said, "Everything will be fine as long as they release Kongkong'er first. He must have been caught off guard and was captured by them. I know his abilities too well. Once he's free, a few mafia members are no threat. But what we give them now can't be too good. The better the goods, the more dangerous it will be for Kongkong'er. You understand what I mean. No one wants to turn back from a path full of money, unless they think we're already at our wits' end."
It turns out He Tiandou's real trump card is Kongkong'er, but where can I "borrow" a few antiques from someone? These can't be too shabby, nor can they be so good as to arouse even greater greed. I quickly thought of someone: Master Gu! The old man has been collecting antiques his whole life; he should have what I need.
I called Mr. Gu and explained the gist of it. Of course, I couldn't say too much or make up anything too outrageous in front of him. He knew I was a complete novice when it came to antiques, so I didn't tell him any nonsense about borrowing it to admire or anything like that. I just said I'd use it to make a good impression and would return it when I was done.
Given my current status, borrowing a few things to save face would have been perfectly reasonable, and I thought Master Gu would readily agree. Unexpectedly, the old man pondered for a moment and said, "Come to my place first, we'll talk about the rest when you get there."
As I was leaving, He Tiandou said, "We must succeed. They only gave us 24 hours, and we're running out of time."
I arrived at Tingfeng Tower, where two disciples dressed in close-fitting clothes were already waiting for me at the entrance. I went upstairs first, and the two followed silently behind me, as if afraid I would run away. After getting married, I would occasionally visit the old man, chatting and laughing with his disciples and grand-disciples. But today the atmosphere was a bit different!
When I got upstairs, I was shocked to see a circle of Gu Ye's men standing there, all with their hands behind their backs and silent. Tiger was standing next to Gu Ye, and when I greeted him, he just gave me an awkward smile. Gu Ye's blind man had stopped pretending; he put his sunglasses aside and sat in the middle with a gloomy expression.
Completely bewildered, I forced a smile and said, "Sir, what's wrong...?"
Master Gu waved his hand and said, "Sit down!"
I sat down cautiously, and someone poured me a cup of tea with a blank expression. Suddenly, Old Master Gu asked, "Xiao Qiang, who exactly are you?"
This really stumped me. If you asked me what I ate or drank last night, I could tell you. But this question is difficult; countless wise and virtuous people throughout history couldn't answer it. Freud couldn't figure it out, Ouyang Feng was driven mad by this very question, and Ji Wuming fared even worse, losing his life in the process. (References: *Freud's Philosophy of Psychology*, *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, *My Own Swordsman*)...
The main problem is that I don't know from which angle to answer. I am Xiao Qiang, the principal of Yucai School, and also a prospective "god-like" figure. The first two are known to the author, but the last one is unspeakable… I really miss my childhood. Back then, if I couldn't answer a question, I'd get a maximum of 26 points, and the teacher wouldn't beat me for it; at most, they'd tease me a bit about why I got 26. But now, it seems I've encountered a life-or-death question—if I can't answer it, I might end up walking out of the classroom.
I stood there in a daze for a while, still not saying a word. Just then, someone ran up and whispered in Grandpa Gu's ear, "He didn't bring anyone else." They were probably talking about me. Why would I bring anyone else?
Master Gu's expression softened, and he suddenly touched his teacup and said, "A man can indulge in eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring, but he can't be a traitor!"
I only heard the first part and grinned, "Look at what you're saying, if only Baozi had your awareness—traitor? Who's the traitor?" The second half of Gu Ye's sentence confused me even more.
Old Master Gu asked loudly, "What do you need antiques for?"
Before I could even come up with my excuse, Tiger couldn't help but say, "Just a few days ago, a foreigner approached Grandpa Gu, offering to buy all the antiques he had. They looked like the scraps from those international smuggled artifacts. Grandpa Gu isn't short of money, but that's not the main issue. The main issue is that he can't just stand by and watch others smuggle all the good stuff our ancestors left us out of the country!" Grandpa Gu nodded with satisfaction after hearing Tiger's words.
I suddenly realized. Goodbai is incredibly powerful; he actually managed to pull this stunt all the way to Master Gu! Since I just happened to be here, Master Gu and his gang will inevitably see me as Goodbai's accomplice. They think I'm part of the Mafia, or at least a lobbyist.
I said sadly, "How could you think of me like that?" I really wanted to tell them that Yue Fei had written inscriptions for me.
Old Master Gu said, "At this critical juncture, you suddenly come to me asking for things, so it's no wonder we're suspicious. Now tell me, what do you plan to do with these things?"
I sighed and said, "Alright, I'll be frank. This time, you are indeed connected to those people, and the things I took from you were indeed intended to be given to them..."
The crowd around Master Gu was furious, and even Tiger couldn't help but glare at me. Master Gu waved his hand and said, "Let him finish speaking."
"But I did it to save people, and to ensure that the items are returned intact in the end." I briefly explained how Kongkong was kidnapped. Of course, I couldn't reveal his identity, so I just said that he was a friend of mine.
Tiger frowned and said, "Then how can you guarantee that the things will be safe and sound in the end? Qiangzi, you know that those are all Master Gu's lifeblood! Besides, I'm not smart enough to buy back my own things with my own money. If your friend wants to get rich, he should start selling turtle essence when others are selling Shanghai watches, right?"
Grandpa Gu suddenly gestured for him to stop talking, his eyes gleaming as he asked me, "What treasure did they steal from you earlier?" This old man was truly an antique fanatic; even at a time like this, he was still concerned about this. But it must be said that he grasped the crux of the matter: the other party was the Mafia; small fry wouldn't even attract their attention.
I hesitated several times, wanting to speak but stopping myself. I really didn't know what to say. Old Master Gu is old, but he's not senile. Making up a lie would probably backfire, and besides, this kind of glaringly flawed lie would be impossible to cover up. If someone just asked me where I got so many antiques, I'd be completely clueless. Now I need this old man's help...
Seeing my troubled look, Master Gu said, "Tiger also told you that those treasures are my lifeblood. How can I entrust them to you if you don't make things clear?"
At this point, I had made up my mind. I gave Grandpa Gu a very subtle look, and Grandpa Gu said calmly, "Tiger, take them down for a walk."
The tiger was taken aback, but said nothing and led his men down.
Grandpa Gu filled his cup with tea and said, "Speak, Grandpa wants to see what kind of secrets you have that you can't hide."
Without any apparent reason, I asked, "Do you believe in reincarnation?"
Grandpa Gu wasn't surprised, knowing I was bound to say something more. He scratched his white hair and said, "I didn't believe it before, but now I hope it really is true, because your grandpa is almost at the end of his life."
I laughed and said, "Then when you drink the Meng Po soup, don't keep thinking about pretending to be blind, or you'll really be reborn as a blind person in your next life."
Old Master Gu finally lost his temper: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"The antiques that were stolen from me include: the short sword that Jing Ke used to assassinate the King of Qin, the golden armor that Xiang Yu wore, and the clothes that the three of them, as well as Liu Bang and Li Shishi, changed out of. Most of them were in 90% new condition and were genuine."
Master Gu asked in astonishment, "What do you mean?"
“They live with me. If you’d like, I can make a call and have Xiang Yu, the King of Western Chu, come and have him drink tea with you, or have that girl Li Shishi play a tune on the sanxian for you. It’s a bit difficult to see Qin Shi Huang, but recently on TV, he was the chief engineer for the excavation of the Qin King’s Mausoleum…” I told Master Gu about the five-man group and all the heroes of Liangshan.
Grandpa Gu's eyes were blank; he looked almost blind. He murmured, "Should I believe you...?"
I said, "Ask me if you have any questions." Now that I had told the truth, I felt refreshed and no longer afraid of being questioned. It turns out that telling the truth feels pretty good.
Master Gu suddenly said, "The pile of things you gave me at the martial arts tournament last time, I looked at them carefully, and they were all from the Song Dynasty. It's amazing that there wasn't a single trace of oxidation or being unearthed, not even a paper amulet..."
I nodded and said, "Same here, they're all freshly made from real people. The piece of cake I ate is older than you. And do you remember those two kids I took with me last time? The ones who fought the tiger, they were also Yue Fei's little soldiers."
At this point, Master Gu had no more doubts and exclaimed, "Oh dear, I never imagined they were seniors from the Song Dynasty when I last met them. I'm so sorry to have offended them."
I laughed and said, "It's okay, we get along based on our own ages. Next time you see them, you'll still treat them like grandfathers."
Chapter Fifty-Six: Helpless
After we opened up to each other, Mr. Gu asked me, "What kind of antique do you need to save someone?"
I said, "It's the kind of antique that looks like an antique."
Master Gu smiled slightly: "I understand." He went into a room and soon brought out two items: one was a rusty incense burner, and the other was an ordinary bottle.