Chapter 14 Negotiation
"I understand." In Rongcheng, Jiang Xian hung up the phone. Sitting by the window with his legs crossed, he took a sip from his teacup and said lightly, "Let's meet someone together tonight."
This is a five-star hotel located in Shangri-La, beside Funan River in the center of Chengdu. It adopts Southeast Asian decoration, and a strong Zen feeling can be seen everywhere. A wisp of fragrance is like substance, turning into white smoke that never dissipates.
On the big bed in the main room, the baseball cap lay on the bed like a dead snake. Enjoying the soft texture as if lying on the clouds. The voice became lazy: "Who?"
"Why are there so many problems? Go to sleep. You can't afford a bed of this quality if it's not here with me. How do you talk to your sponsor?"
The baseball cap was so angry that his whole body was shaking: "Jiang...if it weren't for the two million, I would have ripped out your valve right here!"
time flies.
When the clock struck seven, the door of the Yanxia Hall of the hotel was gently pushed open, and a young man in his early thirties walked in.
He was dressed in a suit, had a slicked-back hair, and wore gold-rimmed glasses. He was thin, with a friendly but unapproachable smile on his face. When he saw Jiang Xian and a baseball cap sitting in the Yanxia Hall, he took two quick steps and extended his hand first: "Is this Mr. Jiang, the geomancer? I have heard of your name for a long time. I am Liu Jinchun, the first secretary of Boss Ye. Please give me your guidance."
Jiang Xian also stood up, but after holding the other person's hand, he paused slightly.
There were several big bosses of Shenzhou Auction House, Song, Ye, Xu, Deng... Unexpectedly, the person who came was a close confidant of one of the big bosses.
It seems... Shenzhou attaches more importance to this exploration than I thought.
"Please take a seat." Just behind Liu Jinchun, Chu Ziyi, who was dressed in a Tang suit, also walked in. With Liu Jinchun presiding, he did not want to steal the show, so he just nodded deeply to Jiang Xian.
Several people sat down as host and guest. Liu Jinchun smiled at the baseball cap and asked softly, "Who is this?"
"This is the helper I found. His former name was Ling Xiaozi."
Liu Jinchun smiled and nodded, but before he could speak, Chu Ziyi's face changed slightly. He immediately approached him and whispered, "Secretary Liu, this Ling Xiaozi... is not simple."
Liu Jinchun nodded to Jiang Xian apologetically and listened attentively. Chu Ziyi said quickly: "Any sect is divided into three parts: external, internal, and upper. External is to recruit believers, internal is to manage religion. And upper... is their core."
Liu Jinchun nodded slightly as if thinking about something. Following Boss Ye, he had seen many truly accomplished outsiders.
"All the 'opposite' parts are called Tongtianfu. It's no exaggeration to say that this group of people are the best among a million. And Ling Xiaozi... was a person from Tongtianfu back then."
"Back then?" Liu Jinchun frowned slightly.
Chu Ziyi looked at Ling Xiaozi calmly and said in a low voice: "Secretary Liu, you are not from the martial arts world, you probably don't know...Tongtianfu is registered only after the approval of the three major Taoist ancestral temples of Longhu Mountain, Qingcheng Mountain, and Heming Mountain. In modern times, Longhu Mountain's reputation is rising, so most of these candidates are selected by Longhu Mountain and then reported to the other two mountains."
"However...Longhu Mountain is located in Ganzhou. The Xuanmen in Ganzhou and the Xuanmen in Fuzhou have never been on good terms... Let's put it this way, there are two major sects of Xuanmen Fengshui, the Ganzhou sect and the Fuzhou sect. Their entanglement has a long history and cannot be explained in a short time."
Liu Jinchun raised his eyebrows: "What does this have to do with Ling Xiaozi?"
Chu Ziyi coughed dryly and smiled bitterly, "Ling Xiaozi is a genius. He joined Tongtian Mansion at the age of sixteen and could even challenge the next Daozi. At that time, Longhu Mountain spread the word that he was 'unprecedented in a century'. However... as a Daozi selected by Ganzhou Sect, he... secretly learned things from Fuzhou Sect. So... he was kicked out..."
"Since it was Longhu Mountain that was clearing out the sect, so... the whole country's Taoism was the same. Not only did they cancel his place in Tongtian Mansion, they also directly cancelled his Taoist qualification. They also used the power of the old Heavenly Master to warn all the rich and famous people that they were not good enough in learning and had betrayed their master... I heard that he now makes a living by setting up stalls..."
Weird! Liu Jinchun looked at Ling Xiaozi with a different look.
This is... the real-life version of a family with a fortune trying a different life and then having their inheritance rights revoked...
"How is Mr. Bijiang?" he suddenly asked in a low voice.
Chu Ziyi hesitated for a moment: "It's hard to say...they are going in different directions..."
"Compared to other teams exploring Shenzhou?"
Chu Ziyi choked. He looked at Chu Ziyi resentfully but didn't answer.
Will the young man ask questions?
After getting the answer he wanted, Liu Jinchun turned around. At this moment, the dishes had been served one by one. Liu Jinchun filled a glass of wine and stood up: "Meeting is fate. Mr. Jiang, Taoist Ling Xiaozi, I toast to you two."
"I don't dare to be called a Taoist priest." Ling Xiaozi stood up with a smile on his face, holding the wine. Jiang Xian also stood up and said with a smile: "I don't dare to be called a Taoist priest now. After all, I have been expelled from the sect, right? People outside will criticize me if they hear about it."
Ling Xiaozi almost spilled a glass of wine on the face of the beastly scumbag next to him.
"Haha..." Liu Jinchun laughed dryly and drank it all in one gulp: "Mr. Jiang is joking."
Sitting down again, Liu Jinchun didn't say anything more polite and got straight to the point: "Mr. Jiang, you should know why we are here this time."
His face became serious. "Since 2002, the country has vigorously rectified the antique market. Finally, an auction industry has been formed with four auction houses, Shenzhou and Xiling, as the leaders. Shenzhou is not very talented, and now ranks fourth in the world and first in China. If we want to go further..."
He looked at Jiang Xian and said, "We have to rely on geomancers like Mr. Chu and Mr. Jiang."
"Shenzhou Auction House has trained a total of four geomancy teams, the largest number in the country. Relying on them, we have secured our position as the number one auction house in China. For any auction house, the most important thing is the auction items! The second is the organization and publicity efforts. We believe that a place that allows Mr. Jiang to make a direct move will not disappoint us."
"And in return, first of all, Shenzhou will comprehensively solve all equipment and personnel issues! Whether it is seismic wave detectors or other top-notch exploration equipment!"
"Secondly, if this is really a tomb of the three dukes and three orphans of the Qin Dynasty, and it is well preserved. Boss Ye has already said..." He paused, even if he was paraphrasing, his heart was boiling at this moment: "I am willing to buy all the treasures!"
Even though they were prepared, Jiang Xian and Ling Xiaozi's eyes jumped.
What a big deal!
"What's the price?" Ling Xiaozi couldn't help but ask.
"Five hundred million." Liu Jinchun took a sip of wine and said hotly, "US dollars, and... there is no upper limit!"
His eyes swept over the two of them with a complicated expression: "Except for Mr. Chu's team, Mr. Jiang's remuneration..."
He gritted his teeth and said, "Boss Ye means to take out 5% of the finale lot as a reward for Mr. Jiang's team!"
Even Jiang Xian stopped playing with the wine glass when he heard this and looked at the other party in surprise.
5% may seem like a small amount, but it is not at all.
He knew that there was an unexcavated tomb under the Wowokeng, which was probably from the Qin Dynasty. Once the Qin Dynasty artworks were in good shape, it would not be an exaggeration to say that they were national treasures!
If a well-shaped sacrificial wine jar is discovered, it will be the finale of the auction! Collectors from all over the world will flock to it - there is no shortage of buyers for Chinese art in the world! Especially in Japan, South Korea, America and Australia!
Things like this... all units are calculated in billions!
Even if it is 5%, it is still in tens of millions!
"No wonder..." He took a sip of wine with emotion: "After the big rectification in 2002, the number of treasure hunters, tomb robbers, and feng shui masters working alone has become less and less... Cooperating with auction houses can achieve a one-stop production and sales. Auction houses have no shortage of items and have made a name for themselves. And the people in the Xuanmen have no shortage of funds, and their safety is guaranteed..."
"Yes." Liu Jinchun personally poured a glass of wine for Jiang Xian: "People like Mr. Jiang who venture into the world alone are almost extinct nowadays. However... although fighting alone is good, it is more efficient to work together with one heart and one mind. What do you think?"
When...the two cups touched lightly, Jiang Xian took a sip and did not answer.
"You are not short of money." Liu Jinchun put down the cup, sighed, and said slowly with his hands on his abdomen: "I heard that you have donated tens of millions to charity. You have money, and Shenzhou has strength, which can relieve you of all worries. Why... don't you consider joining forces?"
"Believe me, the only place in China that can accommodate a dragon like you is Shenzhou. Even if we have to build a brand new exploration team for you, we will not hesitate."
Chu Ziyi looked at Jiang Xian with envy, and then sighed secretly.
He remembered what he had said to Temulun: In this line of work, it depends on whether God will give you a chance to make a living.
Some things cannot be envied.
"Let's talk about it later." Jiang Xian picked up a piece of beef head with chopsticks, tasted it, and finally said: "Any cooperation must have a good start, right?"
Liu Jinchun was not surprised to not get a positive answer. He smiled and nodded: "Now, Mr. Jiang, do you believe in our sincerity? Can you tell us...what exactly is there in Foping County?"
Jiang Xian nodded, and while inviting everyone to eat, he told them every detail of his experience at Wowokeng.
When Li Jinchun heard about the killing moves of the luminous spores and bats, the strange poems of the Fairy Cliff, and the mimicry of the lampreys in the water, he was already sighing with emotion. In the end, he survived among countless monsters... Everyone at the scene changed their expressions.
Jiang Xian finally stopped talking after talking for more than half an hour. There was only a slight chewing sound at the scene. After a full ten seconds, Ling Xiaozi made a "tsk" sound and frowned "Strange... Really strange."
"According to what you said, from the Immortal Cliff where the tomb owner declared his territory, to the underground lake, it's probably several kilometers long. Who in the Qin Dynasty had such a big face to enclose several thousand meters of land to build a tomb for himself?"
Liu Jinchun frowned: "Isn't the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang only a few dozen kilometers away?"
"That's the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor." Chu Ziyi held up the wine glass, his brows so furrowed that they could almost kill a fly: "Qin Shi Huang conquered the world and was the greatest emperor of all time. His tomb can be as big as you want. But..."
He paused and said in a deep voice: "The tomb of Prime Minister Li Si, one of the Three Dukes, is only a few hundred meters long. There is no decoration, only a stele. The Qin Dynasty did not have a Grand Commandant. The tomb of Imperial Censor Feng Jie, who was also one of the Three Dukes, is even simpler than that of Li Si."
"That's why I can't tell whose tomb it is." Jiang Xian tapped the table lightly with his fingers, staring at the ceiling in a trance, and muttered, "The scale of this underground cemetery has surpassed the three dukes and is close to the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. But... I really can't think of anyone else in the Qin Dynasty whose cemetery is worthy of this scale."
"Such a large underground cemetery requires a lot of manpower, and it is impossible to hide it from Qin Shi Huang. And given Qin Shi Huang's character, he would not tolerate the existence of a cemetery that surpasses the three dukes. Only he could. Because surpassing the three dukes means approaching the emperor's nine-five position. No emperor would allow such an existence."
Silence again.
After a long while, Liu Jinchun finally couldn't help but ask, "So what is your conclusion?"
Everyone shook their heads. Jiang Xian said, "No matter who it is, this represents a secret in the pages of history. Once unearthed, it will surely shock the whole country. What do you think? Do you want to join?"
He pushed a folder in front of the other person.
"I think we have expressed enough sincerity." Liu Jinchun looked over without showing any weakness, licked his lips and said, "On September 1st, the Shenzhou Exploration Team 3 will move into Chang'an. We will solve all your worries for you!"
"However, once this cemetery is excavated, all the information must be presented first-hand at the Shenzhou Auction House! Don't worry, we will take care of it at the Archaeological Bureau of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences!"
