Eight Million in Hand

Chapter 8

He had thought that once his cheat arrived, good luck with women would follow. Turns out it was all a misunderstanding.

Why was the plot going differently from what webnovels wrote?

"If your seal stone is genuine, you could find yourself such a beautiful wife too."

"What a joke. You make it sound like I can't find a pretty girl without this seal stone!"

"Heh heh!"

Gu Pingzhong returned to the table. "What should I call you, young man?"

"My surname is Lu. Lu Zheng!"

"Gu Pingzhong." Gu Pingzhong took out a business card and handed it to Lu Zheng, then fetched him a cup and poured him some tea. "What was the name of the place that offered three million?"

"Qiyun Studio."

"Not sharp-eyed enough. They can't keep up with the times. What about the one that offered five hundred thousand?"

"Sea Treasure Pavilion."

"Tsk tsk, they were trying to pick up a bargain."

"You seem certain my seal stone is worth this much?"

"I've collected seal stones for twenty years. I've seen over a hundred bloodstone seals and handled at least a thousand fakes. I have at least that much confidence."

"Then why did you still ask someone else to appraise it?"

"A cautious sailor sails for ten thousand years. What if the wild geese pecked out my eyes?"

"This really is an heirloom from my family!"

"What if your grandfather was scammed?"

Lu Zheng, "..."

This conversation could not go on. Fortunately, Gu Pingzhong's friend had arrived as well.

The newcomer was another middle-aged man, dressed in a Tang suit. He swaggered in with a crablike gait, a string of bodhi beads around his wrist and two walnuts rolling in his hand, as though afraid others might not know he collected antiques.

"Old Gu, what is it that even you can't get a handle on, making me come all this way?"

"A bloodstone seal. The quality is so good that I've never seen its like in my life."

"What?" The middle-aged man blinked, not understanding what he meant at first.

Gu Pingzhong did not waste words. He and Lu Zheng moved to the counter at the shop entrance, then had Lu Zheng take out and open the wooden box.

"Gasp!" The middle-aged man bared his teeth. "No wonder you couldn't be sure. I'd probably have thought it was fake at first glance too."

He turned to Lu Zheng. "Can I handle it?"

Lu Zheng nodded. "Of course!"

The middle-aged man looked unreliable on the surface, but once he got his hands on it, he became extraordinarily rigorous and serious. His eyes were completely different from before.

A moment later...

"It's actually genuine? This is way too fake!"

Lu Zheng was speechless. What kind of way was that to talk? His seal stone was a bona fide Phoenix Blood Stone from Phoenix Mountain in Yao Province, a top-tier seal stone even in the Great Jing Dynasty, all right? He just could not say that.

Phoenix Blood Stone masquerading as bloodstone—where was he supposed to reason with anyone about that? "Bright but not gaudy, clustered yet seeming to flow. It truly is genuine. Artificial methods cannot produce this effect."

"It's just..."

"Just what?"

"It's just that eight million is too expensive, isn't it? There has never been a bloodstone seal this costly on the market. The ones that sell for over ten million are all decorative pieces."

Gu Pingzhong smiled. "If I quoted too low a price, this stone would never end up in my hands."

Although Lu Zheng had made a round and come back, if Gu Pingzhong had not held the line, then after visiting a few more places, Lu Zheng would likely have encountered an expert eventually.

"No wonder you're so popular." The middle-aged man muttered, setting down the seal stone. "Looks like a fine stone to me too."

Gu Pingzhong nodded. He trusted the man's eye, making it a double layer of assurance. Then he turned to Lu Zheng. "I'll take this seal stone. We'll sign a contract, and I'll transfer the money and issue an invoice."

"We still need to sign a contract?"

"You need a contract even to buy a car worth a million or so. How could an eight-million seal stone not need one? If there's a dispute, whose responsibility would it be?"

That made sense. Professional!

"Right, the eight million is before tax. You'll pay the income tax yourself."

"Fine!"

The eight million had fallen into his lap anyway. He would consider paying taxes a contribution to the country.

I pay taxes, I am glorious! Thus, signing, invoicing, and transferring the money were completed in one smooth sequence.

Ding!

Lu Zheng pulled out his phone and checked it. Eight million had arrived.

"Mister Lu, does your grandfather have any other seal stones in his collection?" the middle-aged man asked expectantly.

There was no other reason. This seal stone's quality was simply too outstanding. In theory, a collector like that should not possess only one seal stone.

"Probably, but I'll need to go back and search carefully." Lu Zheng left himself an opening.

"If you have any good stones, you can contact me too!" The middle-aged man took out a business card and handed it over.

Gu Pingzhong laughed and scolded, "You're blatantly stealing my business!"

"You're the professional. A bloodstone seal like this alone is enough to make your name ring through the circle again. Is it too much for me to drink a little soup?"

The middle-aged man did not dare imagine that Lu Zheng might possess a seal stone of even higher quality than this bloodstone one.

Lu Zheng took the business card and looked at it. Chairman of Zhenming Investment Co., Ltd., Liu Zhenming.

After chatting a little longer, Lu Zheng took his leave.

Walking out of Treasure Pavilion, he looked up at the still-dazzling sun.

But Lu Zheng was no longer the Lu Zheng from before.

He was Lu Zheng with a net worth of eight million! What was the first thing to do after getting rich? Naturally, change homes! Lu Zheng's former rental was a single room partitioned off inside a mixed residential-commercial building. It was cramped and noisy. Now that he had money, of course he had to improve his living conditions.

Buying a home and transferring ownership could not be settled in a day or two, and Lu Zheng wanted to buy a good one in one go, starting with a large luxury apartment. Eight million was once again not quite enough.

Back before graduation, Lu Zheng's dream had only been to take out a mortgage and buy a three-bedroom apartment in Sea City.

How times had changed! So Lu Zheng found a quiet, elegant residential complex and rented a fully furnished three-bedroom apartment, ready for immediate move-in. He signed the contract that afternoon and moved in after packing up that very night.

"Comfortable!"

After washing up and changing into pajamas, Lu Zheng sprawled on the six-foot bed, feeling a comfort he had never experienced before.

With all worries behind him, it was time to continue studying the effects of the Light of Luck within the Jade Seal in his mind. This was an important function of his cheat.

"First, one thing is certain: the two worlds really do have differences. Those Heavenly Dao Laws are probably the underlying rules, which is why the Light of Luck can only be gained over there."

"Then, if the Light of Luck can be used on my body, can it also be used on modern skills?"

With a thought from Lu Zheng, a wisp of the Light of Luck in the Jade Seal was consumed.

Then his computer knowledge suddenly became crystal clear. Everything he had learned in university and since forgotten now returned to his mind in complete understanding and vivid detail.

Then, using that as a foundation, even more computer knowledge was derived and crammed wholesale into Lu Zheng's mind.

"I..." Lu Zheng was speechless. "What a waste..."

What use did he have for computer knowledge now? He would not even have the chance to visit female classmates and fix their computers anymore!

Could he make money as a hacker? The money would indeed come fast, but a 404 would arrive in the blink of an eye.

Forget it. Better to play it safe and become a jade merchant first.

Then Lu Zheng recalled that Wine Cup.

That world allowed cultivation!

That world also had Buddhist and Daoist systems!

The Daoist foundational text, the "Dao De Jing," and the Buddhist scripture passed down throughout the faith, the "Diamond Sutra," could both be found online in the modern world!

Who needed sleep? Get up and party!

Yet half an hour later, Lu Zheng collapsed back onto the bed...