National treasure heavyweight

Ye Fei pondered for a moment, closing his eyes. His right hand involuntarily tapped on the table. Finally, he opened his eyes and said to Meng Fei, "Meng, I need to consider this matter. After all, it's not a small issue."

Meng Fei laughed, "Of course, of course. Bro, I want to ask you, how much money can you invest?"

Ye Fei squinted and looked deeply at Meng Fei, "Meng, I have quite a bit of money, 10 million should not be a problem. But if the antique is so expensive, I won't be able to afford it with just this amount."

Meng Fei's breathing became rapid. He had guessed that Ye Fei would have money, but he didn't expect him to be this wealthy. From Ye Fei's car and attire, he seemed like just a small-time rich guy. Meng Fei had only wanted to make some quick money, but now he realized he had encountered a big fish.

A million, how long would it take for him to earn that?

In the past, he had brought clients from the stone gambling company and succeeded a few times, but he had only sold a fake to an old man, earning just one or two million. If this time was successful, it would be a big win.

"Bro, things like this are rare. We should start small, acquire some items worth tens of thousands, and then sell them. With this buy-and-sell cycle, we can easily earn ten to twenty thousand. Once you get the hang of it and understand more, we can aim for bigger targets. If we can get our hands on national treasures, we can make profits of several million each time. In a year, your capital will double," Meng Fei said.

Ye Fei smiled, "If that's the case, it would be great. By the way, Meng, do you have any older items here? Although this item is valuable, it's less than a hundred years old. I want to see something even older."

Meng Fei frowned, "You want to see older things? Wait here, I'll go get it. It's my prized possession, and only a few people have seen it."

Excited to hear this, Ye Fei said, "Great! Meng, I'll wait here. Hurry and bring it."

Meng Fei nodded, carefully retrieved a box from the collection room, and placed it on the table. He then excitedly said to Ye Fei, "Bro, take a good look. This is the most important item in my collection over the past few years. It's a true treasure, and I wouldn't bring it out unless absolutely necessary."

After hearing Meng Fei's words, Ye Fei became even more excited.

"Meng, don't keep me in suspense, open it and let me see," Ye Fei said.

Meng Fei slowly opened the box, revealing the treasure inside.

It was a bronze statue of a shining Buddha.

Curiously, Ye Fei asked, "Is this Guanyin Bodhisattva?"

Meng Fei reverently gazed at the Buddha statue and solemnly said, "Yes, this is a statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara."

Ye Fei carefully examined the lifelike Buddha statue.

Guanyin's leg was slightly lowered, her body slightly curved, and her arm casually resting by her side. Her free and serene posture exuded an extraordinary grace, which, upon seeing, also brought a sense of relaxation to one's mood.

Ye Fei stood up. He hadn't trusted these things before, but since inexplicably gaining supernatural abilities, he had developed a hint of awe for the heavenly beings. Who knew what mysteries existed in the vast universe?

Although Ye Fei didn't know much about antiques, he often watched treasure-hunting shows and had some understanding. He tentatively asked, "Meng, is this an unearthed item?"

Meng Fei nodded, "That's right. It's been almost twenty years now. At that time, the Panjiayuan Flea Market had just been established, and I was just a young store assistant. It was a normal morning, just as the sky was getting bright. I arrived early and opened the shop door. Then, a farmer walked in, wrapping something in red cloth. I immediately felt that something was amiss, and sure enough, when he unwrapped the cloth, I was absolutely stunned."

Ye Fei looked at him with confusion, and Meng Fei explained, "Brother, you don't understand. In our line of work, we've seen all sorts of things, but something as precious as this is extremely rare. I could tell at a glance that it was a genuine antique, and it had been recently unearthed, no more than a month ago."

"So, did you buy it?" Ye Fei asked.

Meng Fei shook his head, "No, I invited it. I brought this statue of Guanyin back to the shop."

Ye Fei was interested in its value and wanted to know how much Meng Fei had spent.

As if understanding Ye Fei's thoughts, Meng Fei smiled and said, "I know you want to ask about the price. Actually, I didn't spend much money on it. You know, back then, I was just a store assistant, I didn't have much money! I scared the farmer a bit, told him this was a national treasure, and if he was caught with it, he would be executed. He got scared and quickly dropped the item and ran away. He never showed up again. After that, my luck started to change for the better, and I found several treasures in the market. Then, the shop owner wasn't doing well, and I happened to have some spare money, so I took the opportunity to buy the shop."

Ye Fei stared into Meng Fei's eyes, sensing that he was always avoiding his gaze, as if he was hiding something. It seemed that this matter wasn't as simple as Meng Fei claimed; he must have some kind of secret. But regardless of what Meng Fei was hiding, it had nothing to do with him.

However, what mattered most was confirming whether his eyes were playing tricks on him. That was the key.

Ye Fei opened his eyes, almost holding his breath. He saw a red glow emanating from the Buddha statue, and a surge of red energy seemed to find an outlet, suddenly rushing towards Ye Fei's eyes. Before he could react, both of his eyes felt a strong energy. It was like a gentle breeze, carrying excitement and the urge to shed tears, but the powerful energy forced the tears back.

After a moment, Ye Fei regained his consciousness and found himself still gazing at the statue of Guanyin.

"Brother, are you okay?" Meng Fei asked.

Ye Fei rubbed his eyes, suppressing the shock in his heart, and tried to remain calm as he said, "I'm fine, I'm alright. It's just the first time I've seen such a lifelike Buddha statue, and I'm a bit overwhelmed. Meng Ge, this statue must be very valuable, right?"

Meng Fei shook his head, "The situation is different now. Regulations are becoming stricter, and once this kind of thing is publicly auctioned, it will attract countless people's attention. Items of national treasure level cannot circulate publicly. Even if it's sold through underground auctions, its price would exceed tens of millions. This is an invaluable item that will never be sold."