"Rare, truly rare! This jade thumb ring has quite a history. It must date back to the Three Kingdoms period, wouldn't you say?" Boss Wu asked with a smile.
"I thought so too, sir. At first, I only took it for an ordinary jade thumb ring. Fortunately, its original owner didn't recognize its worth either, and I bought it for fifty taels," Chen Gui said.
"Good. This jade thumb ring is worth at least ten thousand taels of silver." Boss Wu naturally knew Chen Gui was angling for credit, so he smiled and said, "It seems I'll have to give your position some serious consideration the next time we reshuffle the branch managers."
"I was only doing my duty, sir," Chen Gui replied, forcibly suppressing his excitement.
Boss Wu nodded slightly, then waved a hand. "You may go. I'll rest here for a while."
Chen Gui hurriedly took his leave with respectful words, while Boss Wu examined the jade thumb ring in his hand before slipping it onto his left thumb.
"Hmm?" As the jade thumb ring slid onto his thumb, he suddenly noticed that its inner surface seemed a little uneven.
He removed the ring and carefully examined its inner surface, where he found the character "Huang" engraved.
"Huang?" After murmuring it softly, his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he shouted at Chen Gui, who had just retreated to the doorway and was about to turn and leave, "Stop!"
Chen Gui stopped dead, then turned and hurried back to Boss Wu. "Boss Wu, do you have further instructions?" he asked respectfully.
Chen Gui felt somewhat apprehensive. Boss Wu's expression was truly rather frightening. He wondered whether he had done something wrong. He carefully went over everything in his mind; surely he had made no serious mistakes.
"Who was the original owner of this jade thumb ring?" Perhaps realizing that he had lost his composure, Boss Wu took a deep breath before asking calmly.
"The person who came to pawn it was a young man under twenty. He said it was a family heirloom." Chen Gui still remembered something of the man; after all, he had nearly failed to recognize this treasure.
"When was this?" Boss Wu continued.
Chen Gui was beginning to feel puzzled. He could not quite understand Boss Wu's reaction. Although the jade thumb ring was worth a considerable sum, surely it was not enough to move Boss Wu to this degree? And judging by his current manner, he seemed to care a great deal about it.
Still, puzzled though Chen Gui was, he dared not hesitate in answering. "Just three days ago," he hurriedly replied.
"Find him. I don't care what methods you use, you must find this man for me," Boss Wu said, abruptly rising to his feet.
"Yes, yes. It's just that three days have passed, and I have no leads. I'm afraid..." Chen Gui dared not make any guarantees. Although this was a fine opportunity to curry favor with Boss Wu, he had not lost his head. After all, this would not be easy. Three days had already passed; who knew where that man had gone? If he was still in the city, there might be a chance, but if he had left, searching this vast world would be like fishing a needle out of the ocean.
Boss Wu frowned in thought, then said, "Go find a portrait artist-the very best-and have him draw that man's likeness for me. I have an important use for it."
"I'll see to it at once, sir. I still remember his appearance fairly well. I'll be sure to describe his features clearly so the artist can draw him. I'll also send all my men out to search immediately," Chen Gui hastily replied. This was a good approach. He knew Boss Wu had considerable resources, while he himself had few men to spare for the search. Describing the man's appearance and having an artist draw it would not be particularly difficult.
"Go. You must not neglect this matter. Most importantly, of course, you must not reveal any information to outsiders without my permission. If so much as a scrap of this news leaks out, you should understand the consequences!" At this point, Boss Wu's voice grew rather chilling.
"Yes, yes, I understand. I'll be sure to take care." Chen Gui broke out in a cold sweat, utterly at sea. He had no idea what this was all about. Wasn't it just a jade thumb ring? Could there be some great secret behind it?
I mustn't think about it. I mustn't! After letting his thoughts run wild for a while, Chen Gui suddenly started inwardly and shuddered. He realized that he seemed to be far too curious. The less he knew about such matters, the better. Sometimes, the more one knew, the sooner one might die.
"Boss Wu, I'll take my leave, then!"
Seeing Boss Wu wave his hand, Chen Gui hurriedly withdrew from the room with great care. Once outside, he walked swiftly out through the courtyard gate before finally letting out a long breath.
After Chen Gui left, Boss Wu called, "Old Yue."
The instant his voice fell, a figure darted in from outside and appeared soundlessly before Boss Wu.
"Master, what are your instructions?" The newcomer was none other than Boss Wu's carriage driver.
"Go back immediately and gather our men. Once Chen Gui has the portrait drawn, make copies of it. Whatever methods you use, you must find the person in that portrait," Boss Wu instructed.
"The person in the portrait...?" the old driver asked hesitantly.
"Do not ask what you have no business asking!" Boss Wu said, fixing the old driver with a cold stare.
"I spoke out of turn. I deserve death!" the old driver hurriedly said. He had served at Boss Wu's side for quite some time, yet he had never seen him wear an expression like today's.
"This matter is of no small consequence. I do have confidence in how you handle things," Boss Wu said, his expression easing slightly.
"Boss, what level is this assignment?" the old driver still asked quietly.
"The highest level!" Boss Wu answered gravely.
"Yes!" A trace of surprise crossed the old driver's face at Boss Wu's answer, though puzzlement outweighed it. Still, even if he did not understand, he knew this was not something he could ask about. His duty was to follow orders. Since this was an assignment of the highest level, he dared not treat it lightly. He had only heard of highest-level assignments before; he had never carried one out.
"Before you leave, bring me one of the messenger pigeons we brought along," Boss Wu said.
"Yes. I'll see to it right away!" the old driver replied without hesitation. This assignment was too important. Even though he did not know the reason behind it, its highest-level status alone meant he had to complete it, even at the cost of his life.
Before long, the old driver returned with a messenger pigeon, then went out.
Boss Wu went straight to Chen Gui's study. Standing before the desk, he thought for a while, then spread out a sheet of paper and swiftly wrote a few words on it. He tied the note to the messenger pigeon's leg and released it.
Only after the messenger pigeon disappeared from sight did Boss Wu withdraw his gaze and murmur, "I hope it's real this time. If so, I'll have rendered a great service!"
With that, he carefully stroked the jade thumb ring in his hand and sighed. "This should be genuine. It should be real!"