Let the true energy circulate for a while

……

There were indeed more than two jade flowers.

Through investigation, the information team discovered an almost identical jade flower at an auction four years ago. The original price was 10,000 yuan, which was not a very valuable item.

In the small conference room.

Chen Ye, Chen Jianbin, and Qin Shifan sat together.

The secretary uploaded the data from the tablet to the large screen.

The images are promotional brochures for the auction at the time, as well as their official website.

"Teacher Qin, the information team found a jade lotus of the same type in a small auction house in Xincheng."

Information about an auction house popped up on the large screen: Xincheng Boguxuan Antique Auction Co., Ltd.

"This is a typical small private antique auction company, more like an empty shell intermediary. It mainly deals in low-end miscellaneous items such as old calligraphy and paintings, broken porcelain from folk kilns, and ordinary jade. Most of the auction items are worth several thousand to tens of thousands of yuan, which is not very eye-catching in the antique circle."

The scene cuts to an auction catalog from four years ago, with pages turning over vases, calligraphy and paintings, and bracelets. In the corner lies a jade lotus flower, completely inconspicuous.

Chen Ye leaned forward slightly, staring at the screen: "From the appearance, they are indeed exactly the same."

Chen Jianbin said, "Could it be that all nine lotus flowers are in our world? Xiao Ye, do you think it's possible that someone on your side can't come here themselves and wants to use you to get the lotus flowers back?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Shifan fell into deep thought.

"Is it really possible to become an immortal?"

Chen Ye said, "My master said that the path to immortality depends on one's state of mind and the opportunities one encounters. People in the world seek but cannot obtain, and they become bound by their obsessions, drifting further and further away from their true nature. One must respond to things with sincerity and sincerity, attain one's true nature, and remain calm and composed. He told me to cultivate the Longevity Technique diligently and not to have wild thoughts."

"However, this jade flower can connect two worlds. I need to go back and ask my master. Perhaps he really does know something."

Chen Jianbin remained silent in thought: He recalled what his son had said in the hotel before, that the Longevity Skill had been lost in the martial arts world, and none of his senior brothers had mastered it. Only he and his fifth senior brother had reached the second level. Later, his fifth senior brother was troubled by love and could not break through, so he switched to practicing other skills.

Whether Chen Ye will be able to teleport through the lotus flower after reaching the third level of cultivation is also related to the true energy of the Longevity Technique.

The saying "to advance in the Longevity Cultivation Technique requires clear and unobstructed thoughts" implies that it demands extremely high levels of mental and emotional maturity. Chen Jianbin's "chuunibyou" (adolescent delusions of grandeur) has been somewhat relieved, which could be considered a partial clearance of his thoughts? At least he has experienced the practical effects of health preservation by following that breathing and exhalation method.

Chen Jianbin asked, "You said before that your master only reached the second level?"

"Yes. The first level cultivates the mind, the second level cultivates the vital energy, and the third level forms true energy!"

Qin Shifan seized the opportunity to interject, "Chen Ye, Ouyang Zhaoming taught a few of us warriors to cultivate true qi, but they all couldn't master it and couldn't even get started."

Chen Ye asked, "Is it Weishan's 'Embracing Simplicity and Nourishing Qi'?"

"Yes, I tried it too, but I couldn't feel the Qi in my Dantian at all."

The secretary said, "Old Kui can't even learn it himself, yet he calls us stupid oxen and wooden horses."

Chen Jianbin twitched the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself: My son taught me this on the very first day he came back; it's not that easy.

Qin Shifan nodded: "Let's not talk about that now." He looked at his secretary, "You continue."

The secretary said, "This jade lotus was just an ordinary auction item at the time, with a starting price of four thousand and a final sale price of ten thousand. Nobody took it seriously."

Qin Shifan asked, "Have you thoroughly investigated the company's boss and background?"

"We've investigated thoroughly. The legal representative, Wang Junjie, is just a local vendor in Xincheng who deals in small antiques. He has no unusual background or criminal record. Our colleagues in Xincheng have already visited him to verify this. Even after four years, they still have their old ledgers, and the records are relatively complete. We've successfully contacted the buyer who purchased the jade flower back then."

Qin Shifan nodded slightly: "Alright. Contact the buyer immediately and get the jade flower back. Negotiate in a civilized manner and do not disturb ordinary people."

The secretary's expression darkened slightly: "Teacher, there's been a problem. This buyer is a dealer in antiques and collectibles. He already resold the jade lotus last year to a Thai businessman for 800,000. The jade flower is no longer in the country. The information team is urgently trying to contact him through cross-border channels."

Qin Shifan's face turned ashen. "You mean the item isn't in the country?"

"Yes. This is footage from the body camera."

The video lights up, the picture is shaky, it's a door-to-door inquiry in a residential building.

A middle-aged man was recorded on video during a conversation with police officers and special agents.

In the cramped and cluttered apartment, the middle-aged trafficker stammered as he spoke to the police officers and special agents:

"Comrade, comrade, I was wrong! I was just a middleman. That Thai man is a Buddhist, so I made up a story, saying that this jade lotus was a sacred object from Empress Wu Zetian's palace! I was wrong, I shouldn't have lied to the foreigner!"

The buyer thought he had fooled the Thai man by claiming it was a lotus jade pendant used by Empress Wu Zetian and sold it for 800,000! He was a little scared.

Qin Shifan said in a deep voice, "The Thais aren't stupid. Would they spend 800,000 to buy this from a dealer? And can they even contact them?"

The secretary said, "The teacher's analysis is correct; there is indeed something fishy going on. Although we can't contact the Thai buyer after a year, however..."

The secretary then brought up another image.

The image shows a traditional Thai Theravada Buddhist temple.

At the very center is a gilded bronze Shakyamuni Buddha niche, the Buddha's body covered in gold, with a solemn and dignified appearance. Before the Buddha, a perpetually burning golden lamp flickers, and the air is filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

On the sandalwood platform at the very center of the shrine, two pale green jade lotus flowers were prominently displayed, the same type of jade flower they were searching for!

Qin Shifan was overjoyed: "Two?!"

"Yes, that merchant must have seen it at the Buddhist temple, which is why he was willing to pay a high price to buy it back. Some people there really believe in this."

Inside the Buddhist hall, many men and women dressed in traditional Buddhist attire were praying with their hands clasped together.

The secretary said:

"This photo was taken by a local tourist at a very popular Theravada Buddhist temple near Bangkok. The jade lotus is considered a treasure and auspicious symbol by the monks and is worshipped by local believers. This matter is not just a simple case of artifact repatriation; it may involve the religious beliefs of another country, and if not handled properly, it could easily lead to international disputes."

Qin Shifan remained silent for a long while before saying, "If we definitely need it, we need to report this. Don't tell the other groups for now. If there really are nine flowers, according to the document, what will happen when the nine flowers combine?"

The secretary shook her head, her eyes filled with curiosity: "I don't know. If it needs to be reported, I'll write a report right now and show it to you."

Chen Ye asked, "Can you bring Yu Hua back from Thailand as soon as possible? I want to rescue Men Gun and also see an old friend. We have a one-year agreement. It's quite a coincidence that her family's security escort agency is located in Liuxia City, north of Woniu Ridge. Her father is a local tyrant in that area."

Chen Jianbin raised his eyebrows: "Dad guesses it's a girl, right?"

Chen Ye nodded readily, "It is indeed a young lady, and she likes to wear yellow dresses. Dad, how did you know?"

Chen Jianbin scoffed, quite disdainfully, "No one knows a son better than his father. This time, were you healing her wounds, or was she healing you?"

"No one was hurt that time! I was being chased and hid in her boudoir for almost half a month. To express my gratitude, I taught her a martial art that suited her, and that was all."

A look of reminiscence appeared in Chen Ye's eyes. He remembered that there was a birthmark on her peach that resembled a plum blossom.

Chen Jianbin: "Let's move on to the next topic!"

Qin Shifan said, "If only the muffled stick could run into your friend and mention your name, maybe he could get protection from that girl's family."

A hint of tenderness and guilt appeared in Chen Ye's eyes: "I committed a minor crime in Dayong and was hunted down by the court's henchmen! I was afraid of implicating their family, so I had no choice but to make up a false name."

Chen Jianbin gave a thumbs up: "As expected of my son, he's reliable! Just like his dad when he was young, he'll handle things himself and never drag his friends into it!"

Chen Ye: "Let's move on to the next topic."

Qin Shifan suddenly declared righteously, "To get Yuhua back, we must bring her back! Do you know how to write a report?"

"For a fatal blow?" The secretary looked surprised.

Qin Shifan sighed: "The previous flower has been in the sun for a day, but its color hasn't changed. Experts did a colorimetric comparison and estimated that it would take eight to ten days to recover. I'm afraid that the flower might meet with some misfortune."

The secretary's face hardened, and he stood at attention: "Teacher, I will immediately draft a special report, titled—'Say Nothing, Yet the Motherland Knows Me!'"

"Yes! The motherland will not abandon any soldier!" At this point, Qin Shifan turned to Chen Ye, his tone grave: "You said before that the world over there was still a feudal dynasty, and the people were living in misery?"

Chen Ye said, "There have been periods of division and reunification, and there have been times of unification, but none of them lasted long. Now, four major dynasties coexist, and there are also small vassal states that are divided. I don't know what kind of social system it belongs to."

Qin Shifan had a flash of inspiration and announced loudly, "Let's revise the proposal in the report to 'Proposal to Rescue the People of Another World'!"

The secretary exclaimed with admiration, "Professor Qin is a man of great virtue and wisdom; he deserves to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"

Qin Shifan's voice suddenly rose, resounding like iron, "In the name of the Special Operations Bureau, immediately award the medal to Men Gun (Shi Lei)!"

He was awarded the First-Class Heroic Model Medal of the Special Operations Bureau, the Gold Medal of Honor for the National Border Shield, and the Special-Class Merit Medal for Interdimensional Rescue; he was also awarded the Special-Class Combat Maniac Award, the Lifetime Model Award, and the Fearless Pioneer Award.

He was awarded one first-class merit, one second-class merit, and one third-class merit, and posthumously awarded the title of reserve-level special operations lifelong honorary martyr. His deeds were recorded in the "Special Operations Heroes History Book". He was also applied to be included in the national list of meritorious martyrs and enjoy the highest level of honor and compensation!

Even if our soldiers are trapped in another world, or left alone in a foreign land, our motherland will never abandon them!

The father and son were speechless with astonishment.

The secretary was holding a small notebook, frantically taking notes.

Chen Ye: "I'm going out for some fresh air."

Qin Shifan sighed: "I hope the blow won't cause any harm."

……

……

Woniu Ridge.

He waited there for two days, feeling like the whole world had abandoned him.

Before the two girls left, they used some modern vocabulary, but they didn't recognize Chen Ye. Could it be that there are other time travelers here?

"If that's the case, then I shouldn't be alone here. If Chen Ye can't come, I need to find companions to save myself! As the saying goes, 'A long-awaited rain after a drought, an old friend in a foreign land, fellow countrymen meeting each other,' and we're all in high spirits!"

Men Gun sighed. "We can't just sit here and wait to die. What if the bandits' accomplices come?"

With only two bullets left in his pistol, he stripped the bandit of his clothes and took the loose silver coins he was carrying.

He dragged the two bandits' corpses into the bushes, where a large tiger with a missing hind leg still lay at the cave entrance.

Yesterday, I roasted a tiger leg. Because I didn't have any seasoning, the tiger meat tasted a bit gamey, but it was quite fragrant.

He put on the bandit's clothes, stretched his arms and legs with the blow, took off one shoe, and threw it into the air.

"God help us!"

The shoe spun around, and finally the toe of the shoe faced north.

He hopped across on one leg, picked up his shoes, and put them back on.

Outside the cave, in a conspicuous place, a machete had carved a line of words: "SOS." An arrow was drawn next to it, and an "N" was carved. On a map, "N" usually represents north.

He headed north, passing a dirt road where the headless corpse had been almost completely devoured by wild animals.

"This world is crazy!"

He traveled north, stopping and starting, drinking spring water when thirsty and eating mountain fruits when hungry. He made a simple cloth bag to carry it, inside which were these roasted tiger meats.

"If I could go back, that would be something to brag about, since eating tigers is illegal back home."

"I headed north, leaving the place where you were, and you said you were so tired..."

After walking for about three hours, we reached the main road. Occasionally, fast horses galloped by, raising dust, while other times, we encountered peddlers, laborers, and scholars traveling to study. I followed a caravan of a镖号 (bodyguard/escort company) and mingled with some ancient people.

I overheard their conversation; they had various accents, some from the south and some from the north.

A roadside tavern suddenly appeared beside the road.

A tall blue cloth banner hangs atop a pole, the large characters for "wine" fluttering in the wind. Mud walls are supported by thatched roofs, and tables and chairs are placed along the roadside, the aroma of wine and braised meat filling the air.

The character for "wine" is in its traditional form.

Many江湖客 (jianghu keke, martial arts practitioners) sat at the table with their arms crossed and swords drawn. Bare-chested strong men pounded the table and drank wine, bodyguards with single swords carried chatted idly, and swordsmen with sword scabbards hanging from their waists drank alone with their heads down.

The benches creaked, the rough porcelain bowls clattered, and the accents from all over the country mingled together. Some talked about the dangers of escorting goods, while others talked about the grudges of the martial arts world. Laughter, cursing, and clinking glasses rose and fell.

The room was filled with the air of worldly people, and every word they spoke carried the roughness and vibrancy of the martial arts world.

Men Gun stood there, stunned, for a moment, and had the illusion that a line from a script had come to life.

"Is this what the martial arts world is like?"

The waiter's voice rang in my ears.

"Sir, would you like a bowl of soy milk or soup?"

Seeing the customer's puzzled expression, the waiter changed his question: "Would you like wine or tea?"

Muffled Blow: "Bring me a bowl of tea."

"Alright."

The waiter called out in a high-pitched voice, "One large bowl of tea, please!" and walked towards the stove.

Men Gun surveyed his surroundings and looked to the north, where he could vaguely see the outline of a majestic city gate.

The tavern was semi-open, with an indoor and outdoor area. There was a shed outside with seven or eight tables, and there should also be accommodation inside.

Mengun found a corner to sit down, and soon the waiter brought him tea and a large bowl.

"How much...how much silver?"

The waiter grinned and said, "One copper coin."

Men Gun pulled a silver coin from his pocket. The bandit had no copper coins on him at the time. "Will a small piece of silver do?"

The waiter was taken aback and said, "Sir, you're very generous! This is too much. Shall I add two more dishes for you? Or bring me a bowl of soy sauce?"

After thinking for a moment, Muffled Brush said, "Alright!"

"Okay, please wait a moment."

The waiter left without taking the loose silver and returned quickly.

He had a small scale in his hand. He took out a pair of scissors, cut off a piece of silver, weighed it on the scale, then cut off a little more and showed the scale to the man with the stick.

Even the man with the blunt weapon couldn't understand it, so he nodded in a pretentious manner.

The waiter returned the other half of the silver that had been cut off to the man with the stick.

The sudden blow felt quite novel; it was different from what he had seen on TV. This must be a way to get change.

interesting.

Before long, two dishes were served: boiled pork belly with sauce, a plate of green vegetables, and a pot of wine.

Men Gun picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and found it to be a bit salty, but not bad.

He took another sip of the wine, which didn't taste very good; it was probably around 20 degrees alcohol by volume.

Men Gun recalled what the two girls had said earlier—Ultraman, Black Cat Detective, and so on. He pondered how to find other transmigrators in this world. Unfortunately, they left in the blink of an eye, and he, waiting for Chen Ye, dared not leave rashly.

At this moment, two people came from the direction of Woniu Ridge. One looked refined and scholarly, while the other was a bald, burly monk.

"Brother, please sit down first. I'll go get some wine and meat."

The refined-looking man suddenly raised his hand and said softly, "Doesn't that man's clothing look like Black Bull's?"

The burly monk glanced to the side and saw a man in the corner, his back to them, engrossed in drinking and eating.

"I recognize the patch on the back; my sister-in-law sewed it herself! It's Brother Black Bull's clothes! Could this person have harmed Brother Black Bull?"

A flash of murderous intent crossed the refined man's eyes as he lowered his voice and said, "He's probably a master."

"Brother! What are you afraid of? I'll smash his head in!"

"There are too many people here, so we can't act rashly. You and I are both wanted criminals by the imperial court. Are you out of your mind? Watch my signals and act accordingly."

The refined-looking man walked over with a smile, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Hehe, I see that you, young hero, have an extraordinary bearing. I am Song Ping, greetings."

Men Gun swallowed a mouthful of meat, turned around, and quickly clasped his hands in greeting: "You're very polite."

"May I ask your esteemed name, young hero? And where are you from?"

"My name is Shi Lei, uh, I'm from Zhongshan, Guangzhou, just passing through."

The name of this place sounds neither modern nor ancient; it should be able to fool people.

When Men Gun saw the person who greeted him, he was wearing a robe, was short and thin with dark skin, and had a refined and polite demeanor with a constant smile on his face. He felt that Men Gun was somewhat similar to Song Jiang, played by Li Xuejian.

Song Ping said, "Oh dear, my wife is also from this area."

Feeling intrigued, he tentatively asked, "My family used to live in the Wanda Plaza area on West Street."

Song Ping answered without hesitation, "My wife is one too!"

"I often go to the Home and Supermarket on the basement floor of Wanda Plaza to buy discounted items."

"My wife too!"

Men Gun's eyes reddened, and he suddenly grabbed Song Ping's hand, choking back tears, "Brother! No matter what, you must take me to see your wife. I have so many questions to ask her!"

Song Ping was completely bewildered. This guy was way too easily fooled! He still smiled broadly. "It's alright, we're all brothers under heaven. Come to my humble abode later."

The burly monk, who had looked tense, immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

The man with the blunt stick shouted, "Waiter, bring the wine! The best wine! The best food! Brother, this meal is on me!"

Immediately, he took out the silver!

Song Ping's eyes narrowed. He recognized the purse—it belonged to his Black Bull brother! Double-crossing! This scoundrel was definitely feigning ignorance! He had to be careful!

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P.S.: 5000-word long chapter, 2 chapters combined into 1! That's all for today, the rest will be posted tomorrow. My editor sent some good news: saying this book has been winning in the competition, and tells me to keep writing well! Yes, I will. [Requesting monthly tickets and recommendations]