At this moment, Tang Qinghua responded warmly, "Apologies for making you wait."

"No trouble at all..."

The two exchanged pleasantries, a few meaningless words going back and forth. Then, Mr. Zheng also noticed Wang Guan and Yu Feibai; seeing their relaxed demeanor, he knew immediately that they were certainly not Tang Qinghua’s entourage.

Instantly, Mr. Zheng astutely inquired, "Director Tang, who are these two gentlemen?"

"Friends of mine. They happen to be in Luoyang on business, so they came along," Tang Qinghua explained casually, making the introduction.

Hearing that the two were his friends, Mr. Zheng immediately recognized them as potential major clients and naturally became even more effusive in his welcome: "Your presence truly illuminates this humble establishment."

Wang Guan and Yu Feibai also offered polite, customary responses—the usual sentiments of goodwill, mutual support, and future cooperation. That’s just how life is; even knowing the words are superfluous, one must say them. Because everyone says them, failing to do so marks you as unsociable, an eccentric outlier, easily ostracized.

In any case, after this round of formalities, the atmosphere turned somewhat convivial. Mr. Zheng, asserting his role as host, politely invited the three to the shop’s tearoom to rest for a while. This inevitably involved the ritual of boiling water, preparing tea, attending to their comfort, and discussing the weather and traffic conditions. Only after this exhaustive exchange of civilities did the conversation naturally transition to the main topic.

"Mr. Zheng, are the items you mentioned here?" Tang Qinghua asked, his gaze sweeping around.

"Not here," Mr. Zheng explained quickly. "The owner of the items remains a bit cautious. It seems he’ll only feel secure after Director Tang speaks with him personally."

"I see."

Tang Qinghua nodded. "As long as the items are truly fine, we can certainly consider and agree to any reasonable requests he has."

"Rest assured, Director Tang, I can guarantee they are treasures of the highest quality," Mr. Zheng assured him, slapping his chest with a smile of contentment. He had every reason to be happy; as the intermediary broker, a successful transaction would certainly bring him a handsome reward. Otherwise, why would he, a local fixture, wait specifically for Tang Qinghua instead of tending to his own business?

"Since that is the case..."

At that moment, Tang Qinghua stood up and smiled. "If you are free now, Mr. Zheng, perhaps you could take us to view them. If all goes smoothly, we can finalize the contract this afternoon and celebrate with a banquet at noon."

Hearing this, Mr. Zheng naturally didn't hesitate and eagerly led the way. Running such a large establishment meant he certainly wasn't short of staff; he merely instructed a clerk to mind the shop and then hurried off to retrieve his car from the nearby parking lot...

In the interim, Wang Guan and the others engaged in some conversation.

"So you’re just the matchmaker? I thought we’d be buying them directly here," Yu Feibai mused curiously. "Qinghua, have you found out who the owner is?"

"A local collector," Tang Qinghua chuckled. "He's been collecting antiques for over twenty years and, for some unknown reason recently, is in urgent need of a significant amount of cash. He asked Mr. Zheng to help find a buyer, and through chance, that led him to our Zhengyaxuan."

"Huh, saying it like that, Zhengyaxuan has quite the influence," Yu Feibai remarked, not sarcastically, but genuinely impressed. Compared to the major auction houses that have been operating nationally for years, Zhengyaxuan is considered a newcomer. To establish a foothold and rise so quickly is certainly commendable.

"What influence? That’s been bought with money," Tang Qinghua admitted with a wry smile, being self-aware. "Right now, collectors in the industry view Zhengyaxuan as a massive piggy bank—everyone wants to try and fleece a deal from us."

"That’s a good thing," Yu Feibai laughed. "If they think Zhengyaxuan is wealthy and naive, they’ll naturally prefer doing business with you. Back and forth like that, business flourishes, and a good reputation slowly builds."

"Mmm."

Tang Qinghua nodded in acknowledgment. "That has been our recent operational strategy."

For a company, "recent" certainly doesn't mean two or three months, but rather two or three years. If the results are significant after several years, they will naturally build upon that foundation. If there’s no effect, they might consider altering the plan or abandoning it altogether to prevent further capital from going down the drain.

However, Wang Guan and Yu Feibai were confident that given the increasingly hot trend in the antique collecting market, as long as Zhengyaxuan’s direction remained sound, they might not become industry leaders, but turning a profit and recovering the initial investment, principal and interest, would surely not be an issue.

Tang Qinghua shared this confidence.

"Everyone, time to board,"

At that moment, Mr. Zheng returned with the car. It was a stretched limousine, its brilliant white body gleaming under the sun, conveying an air of high-end sophistication.

Being a stretched model, the interior space was naturally quite ample. The three settled in without feeling cramped, and at Mr. Zheng’s suggestion, they retrieved wine and cold drinks from the small refrigerator inside, sipping leisurely. By the time they finished their beverages, Mr. Zheng had brought the car to a slow stop.

Wang Guan immediately set down his glass and peered outside. The car had brought them to the outskirts of the city, a quiet and elegant residential area featuring hills and water—what the developer would call a dream community promoting harmony between humanity and nature.

"This is the place,"

Mr. Zheng stepped out and gestured. "Mr. Tan resides right here."

The other three followed suit, glancing where he pointed: a tasteful, three-story villa. In front of the villa, several stones were arranged to form a miniature rockery, with water trickling down from a spring into a small pond, which then flowed through a hidden channel into a nearby small river.

This design was what those property advertisements often called "ocean-view apartments." It wasn't a joke; if they dared to exaggerate a foul ditch as the Yangtze or Yellow River, calling a small pond an ocean probably wasn't a big stretch.

"Ding-dong!"

Mr. Zheng stepped forward and pressed the doorbell.

"Who is it?"

After a brief pause, an aged voice echoed from the intercom beside the bell.

"Mr. Tan, it's me, Little Zheng from Bojitang." Mr. Zheng was extremely polite; businessmen naturally show utmost respect to their sources of wealth, refusing to offend money.

"Oh, wait a moment."

The moment the words fell, the iron gate outside the courtyard unlocked. Mr. Zheng gave a gentle push, and the gate swung open silently. He then turned, as if he owned the place, and smiled invitingly, "Director Tang, please come in."

The three entered cheerfully. They had only walked about twenty paces when they reached the main entrance of the villa.

At that time, there was no need for Mr. Zheng to call out; the front door clicked open on its own. An elderly man emerged, dressed neatly, with short, salt-and-pepper hair. He was quite tall but carried a stern expression. Seeing Mr. Zheng arrive with guests, his gaze swept over them, and a look of confusion crossed his face.

"Mr. Tan, this is Director Tang from Zhengyaxuan, and these are his two friends." Mr. Zheng quickly introduced them. "The three of them have traveled specifically from the capital to discuss a few items with you."

"Oh, welcome."

Upon hearing this, a hint of a smile finally appeared on Mr. Tan's face. He then gestured them inside: "Let's go in and talk."

Wang Guan and the others readily agreed. Following Mr. Tan’s lead, they walked into the villa. However, just as they reached the entrance to the main hall, the three suddenly spotted an object and, caught off guard, all flinched in surprise.

"What is that..."

Yu Feibai stopped abruptly, regaining his composure before realizing the object was a beast statue. A statue possessing a slightly chilling aura—it had a human face covering its body, rested on four crouched limbs, but its head was thrown back, baring its teeth and glaring. At first glance, it was genuinely startling.

"Heh heh, my apologies, my apologies, I forgot to warn you all,"

Mr. Zheng quickly interjected with a laugh. "This is a 'specialty' of Luoyang; the design is rather unique. The first time I saw it, I nearly bolted back the way I came."

Though Mr. Zheng was keeping the item's precise origin mysterious, after observing it for a moment, Wang Guan vaguely understood and smiled. "This should be a Tomb Guardian Beast, right?"

"Exactly, it’s a Tomb Guardian Beast," Mr. Zheng praised. "Brother Wang truly has a sharp eye."

"I’ve heard about this before..."

Wang Guan smiled and couldn't help but examine it closely.

The ancients held the concept of regarding death as akin to life, leading to their custom of lavish burials. After death, emperors, generals, and high officials would inter their worldly possessions in their tombs as grave goods. Many of these goods were priceless gold and jewels, attracting wave after wave of tomb robbers.

To ensure their eternal rest undisturbed by thieves, tomb owners installed numerous traps and hidden mechanisms in their graves. They exhausted every ingenuity, yet they still couldn't entirely deter the grave robbers.

When conventional methods failed, while setting up mechanisms to guard the burial chambers, they also sought to enlist the power of the divine to watch over their resting places. Over time, a guardian deity beast arose—the Tomb Guardian Beast.

The text Rites of Zhou describes a monster called the Wangxiang that devours the brains of the dead. There was also a divine beast called the Fangxiang Shi, possessing the ability to drive away the Wangxiang. Therefore, families often stationed a Fangxiang Shi beside the tomb to prevent intrusion by strange entities.

Scholarly research suggests that the custom of using Tomb Guardian Beasts evolved from the legend of the Fangxiang Shi. Later, through continuous development, it became an object placed in the netherworld to suppress ghosts and monsters and protect the soul of the deceased from disturbance.

This type of object was first seen in Chu tombs during the Warring States period, popular from the Wei and Jin Dynasties through the Sui and Tang, gradually disappearing after the Five Dynasties period.

However, such items are rather somber and terrifying. Ordinary people, knowing they are funerary objects, would typically ignore them, so they are usually housed in specialized museums. Having one displayed openly in a home, like Mr. Tan’s, is indeed rare. It is, after all, an artifact of the netherworld, and people are often hesitant to associate with it due to superstition.

"That’s purely psychological,"

Perhaps sensing the thoughts of Wang Guan and the others, Mr. Tan spoke up. "Tang Sancai (Tri-color pottery) is also funerary ware, yet after decades of cultivation and marketing, it has become a highly favored gift. Put simply, it's a matter of perception..."