Though everyone made a living with their discerning eye, there were varying degrees of acuity among them. Sha Qingfeng’s reputation as "One-Strike Sha" was certainly not for naught. He had felt something was amiss back at the tea house, and seeing Old Meng suddenly become so overly enthusiastic afterward only deepened his suspicion.

“Lao Sha, you…”

At this moment, seeing Sha Qingfeng trying to poach his intended companion, Old Meng felt a flicker of impatience. However, noticing the strange look in Sha Qingfeng’s eyes, he immediately became alert and quickly changed his tone with a laugh, “Suit yourself. I was just worried that after taking on Fatty Pi, adding one more person would just drag you down.”

“Why drag me into this for no reason?” Pi Qiushi was quite displeased, feeling he’d been unfairly implicated while just sitting there.

“Heh heh, who told you you could eat so much? You need to lose some weight,” Old Meng joked, knowing Pi Qiushi was broad-minded enough not to take offense at such teasing. Otherwise, he wouldn't bring up anything that might wound someone’s pride.

As expected, Pi Qiushi waved it off nonchalantly and threatened back, “I’ll come eat at your house later.”

After a brief exchange of banter, spurred on by the others, Old Meng drove off with a degree of resignation, already plotting how to approach Wang Guan back at the hotel.

Meanwhile, Sha Qingfeng drove Wang Guan and Pi Qiushi away from the club, slowly trailing Old Meng’s car. After driving for a while, he suddenly turned back and smiled, “Young man, Old Meng mentioned the one who found the great bargain was you, right?”

“Uh…”

Wang Guan was somewhat surprised. He had expected Sha Qingfeng to use veiled hints, not to be so direct.

“No need to deny it. I know Old Meng’s character,” Sha Qingfeng chuckled. “He’s usually very steady; he rarely loses his composure like he did just now. A little association makes it clear what happened.”

“Especially Brother Pi, laughing so strangely time and again. There’s definitely something going on…”

As he spoke, Sha Qingfeng nodded toward Pi Qiushi, complaining lightly, “You clearly knew the young man’s background but pretended to be deaf and blind. That’s really not right of you.”

“Brother, he guessed it already, so don’t hide it,” Pi Qiushi laughed. “Though, to be fair, when I first heard Brother Pi mention someone in Shanghai found a bargain, I immediately thought of you. And it turned out to be true in the end…”

“Oh, right, I heard Brother Meng say he also attended the birthday banquet for the Old Master Su. You must have been there too; didn’t you see him?” Pi Qiushi asked with some curiosity.

“Too many people attended the banquet. At least three or five hundred. I didn’t pay close attention,” Wang Guan replied with a smile. “I was mostly chatting with acquaintances; I didn't really notice others.”

“Oh.” Pi Qiushi realized.

“Haha, it really is the young man!” Sha Qingfeng was overjoyed, exceedingly happy.

Pi Qiushi paused, then understood, cursing with a smile, “Lao Sha, you were trying to trick us!”

“Not a trick. I already had seven or eight parts certainty; now I’m completely sure,” Sha Qingfeng beamed. “The young man hid himself quite deeply, and your luck is truly enviable.”

“Just luck,” Wang Guan chuckled lightly. “Purely a gift from heaven.”

“You said it perfectly,” Pi Qiushi sighed. “But heaven favors you too much, Brother. It’s reached the point where I don't even feel jealousy anymore; only numbness remains.”

“Indeed, indeed…” Sha Qingfeng nodded repeatedly. Even though he didn't know the extent of Wang Guan’s “achievements,” just that one Heiding Tea Cup was enough to make him intensely envious.

After agreeing, Sha Qingfeng smoothly changed the subject, naturally beginning to probe, “Young man, you heard what we were discussing just now. Do you have any thoughts on it?”

“What thoughts?” Wang Guan blinked, clearly playing dumb.

“We are honest people; why must you pretend to be confused?”

Sha Qingfeng spoke frankly, “The Heiding Tea Cup is a rare treasure. With just a little maneuvering, it will surely attract collectors from both domestic and international circles. Fifty million is a conservative figure; if you are willing to cooperate, I will certainly help you hype it up to a sky-high price.”

They were all in the same trade, so Sha Qingfeng made no secret of it. The word ‘hype’ explained everything.

“Brother Sha, I’m truly sorry.”

However, Wang Guan didn't hesitate and flatly refused, “What you discussed is indeed in my possession, but I have no intention of selling it.”

“Young man, please reconsider,” Sha Qingfeng naturally tried to persuade him.

“Lao Sha, don’t waste your effort,” Pi Qiushi interjected with a smile at that moment. “Brother Wang doesn’t lack money. Any rare treasure that falls into his hands is sure to go in, never out.”

“Is that so? What a pity…”

Sha Qingfeng fell silent, then shifted to other topics with Wang Guan. As a professional art broker, he absolutely wouldn't give up a target so easily. However, experienced people knew to favor indirect approaches. If he wouldn't agree now, he would focus on building a good relationship first; there would always be a chance for a turnaround later.

Take Pi Qiushi as an example; in order to persuade the Half-Mountain Monk to transfer the Crow Formation Scroll by Tang Bohu to him, he had to nag and plead for several years before finally getting his wish.

Not just Pi Qiushi, but Sha Qingfeng was capable of the same. In fact, many seasoned experts in the field often did this when they encountered something they liked, and the chances of success were often quite high. After all, they were all part of the same circle; when someone was sincere enough, sometimes they couldn't refuse out of politeness.

With this in mind, Sha Qingfeng was keen on building a good rapport with Wang Guan. Although this motive was somewhat utilitarian, that was how social activity functioned. Apart from childhood and school friendships, interpersonal relationships after entering society almost always carried some degree of utility.

So, even understanding Sha Qingfeng’s goal, Wang Guan didn't feel repulsed; instead, he went along with the flow and chatted easily. With Sha Qingfeng’s extensive experience and the knowledgeable Pi Qiushi by his side, the three certainly never lacked topics for conversation.

Chatting merrily, they soon arrived at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Before the three even got out of the car, Old Meng was already rushing over to tap on the window.

Click.

Sha Qingfeng casually opened the door and smiled, “Brother Meng, rushing about like that, you won’t get to taste the hot tofu.”

The double entendre was likely only understood by Old Meng, who caught the subtle meaning. The others just laughed and beckoned them to hurry up.

“Lao Sha, your strike was accurate this time,” Old Meng murmured. “Do they all know?”

“What do you think?” Sha Qingfeng smiled, then turned to call out, “Brother Pi, Brother Wang, let’s get out too, lest everyone thinks I’ve gone back on my word and fled.”

“Close enough,” someone nearby chimed in. “If you hadn’t shown up, we were seriously going to call the police.”

“Enough chatter, let’s go, let’s go…”

Amidst the urging, Wang Guan and Pi Qiushi also got out of the car and followed the crowd into the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

There was no need to detail the exquisite and luxurious décor of the hotel; it was situated right beside the shore of Victoria Harbour, offering a magnificent sea view from the right angle.

The large group entered, naturally greeted by staff. After stating their reserved location, the waiter promptly led them away with brisk steps. After walking a short distance, Wang Guan suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Pi Qiushi was curious and followed Wang Guan’s gaze. He saw a group of people also heading inside at a corner of the hotel, apparently preparing for a gathering.

Pi Qiushi’s eyesight was not poor, and upon spotting one figure, he gasped in surprise, “Isn't that…”

“Brother Wang, why the stop? Is something the matter?”

At the same time, Sha Qingfeng turned back, his expression one of concern.

“No,” Wang Guan shook his head slightly, tugged Pi Qiushi along, and continued to follow the others.

Pi Qiushi slowly moved forward, his expression puzzled, and whispered, “Brother Wang, why is he in Hong Kong? Could it be that he is also interested in the Tang Hou Xing Cong Scroll?”

“Brother Pi, you worry too much,” Wang Guan chuckled lightly. “He has important business to attend to; it’s just a coincidence.”

“Is that so?” Pi Qiushi thought for a moment, then suddenly seemed to understand, and smiled, “Right, it is indeed important business. Being busy, I almost forgot about that.”

“You two stop whispering. What does everyone feel like eating? Chinese, Western, or perhaps Japanese cuisine?” Sha Qingfeng said generously. “Now that we are here, don’t stand on ceremony with me. You must enjoy yourselves…”

“Don't worry, we definitely won’t be polite to you.”

“Watch out, Lao Sha said from now on, only order the expensive items, not the good ones.”

“Got it, got it…”

The others pretended not to see Sha Qingfeng’s exasperated expression and, laughing and chatting, arrived at the corner of the corridor. Just then, a flash of brilliant white metallic light suddenly appeared before everyone’s eyes. Illuminated by the wall lights, the glare seemed rather sharp, naturally startling the whole group.

Especially the waiter leading the way, who nearly jumped out of his skin.

After a long moment, everyone regained their composure. They saw several people emerging from the corner, led by a youth in opulent attire, a thick cigar clenched between his lips.

At that moment, the youth was holding a Western-style knight’s sword. The front of the hilt was inlaid with a silver cross. The blade was long and quite flat, etched with many patterns and English letters, making it look incredibly delicate and refined.

However, no matter how ornate or beautiful a longsword is, once drawn from its sheath, it is a very dangerous thing. Especially since this sword was clearly sharpened; the gleaming tip radiated a sharp light, full of peril. Everyone had no doubt that such a sharp point aimed forward could easily pierce flesh and blood.

Thinking of this, everyone felt a fresh wave of fear. Cold sweat beaded on the forehead of the leading waiter. After clutching his chest and taking a deep breath, he was about to erupt in a string of curses, still shaken. But upon looking up at the youth, the words that had reached his lips vanished, and he almost bit his own tongue.

“Young Master Cai.”

In an instant, the waiter’s voice became muffled.

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