Chapter 33: These Vases Are Pretty Good
Mei Xing’an’s pupils constricted slightly. Mei Chao was secretly speechless.
Long Lake District was one of Luocheng’s most exclusive neighborhoods, half of which consisted of sprawling luxury apartments, the other half a villa district.
The property’s centerpiece, the No. 1 Villa—the "Building King"—had a total construction cost of a staggering 260 million!
’This kid has some nerve!’
But Mei Xing’an had no choice. Forcing down the painful sting of the expense, he said, "Fine! If Master Cheng can truly resolve the paranormal incident at the construction site, then Long Lake No. 1 Villa is yours!"
Seeing Mei Xing’an agree so readily, Cheng Yuan couldn’t help but wonder, ’Did I ask for too little?’
"Alright, it’s a deal. First, I’ll take a look around the Mei Mansion to see if there are any issues."
"Excellent! Master Cheng, please. I will show you the way."
"I’ll look around myself. I’m afraid you won’t be able to keep up with me, Boss Mei."
"Ah... very well. Please, Master Cheng, look around as you see fit. I will await your return in the reception hall."
Cheng Yuan gave a slight nod. He silently began to circulate the Celestial Witch Heart Method, channeling True Qi into his legs as he started walking forward at a leisurely pace.
Though Cheng Yuan appeared to be walking slowly, his figure vanished in a flash, quickly disappearing from Mei Xing’an and Mei Chao’s view.
The two brothers’ faces filled with astonishment. Master Cheng was an expert martial artist!
No wonder Master Cheng said they wouldn’t be able to keep up.
The Mei Mansion was enormous. A normal tour would take several hours, but by circulating the Celestial Witch Heart Method, ten minutes or so would be plenty.
「Ten minutes later.」
Cheng Yuan had searched the entire Mei Mansion without finding anything out of the ordinary.
’Cheng Yuan relaxed. Since there were no issues at the Mei Mansion, the problem must be at the construction site.’
On his way back, Cheng Yuan’s head snapped around to look at a small pavilion in the middle of a covered walkway.
More precisely, he was looking at the four vases placed at the four corners of the pavilion.
Three of the vases were perfectly normal, but one was faintly emitting wisps of a white aura.
Cheng Yuan strode forward and gently caressed the vase. From within it, he felt an aura that was incredibly pleasant.
Cheng Yuan was absolutely certain: this vase was, without a doubt, a treasure.
...
Mei Bin got a call from his father. Hearing that Master Cheng had arrived, he hurried toward the reception hall.
As he walked, Mei Bin spotted a familiar figure from behind, fiddling with the vases in the small pavilion.
Mei Bin rubbed his eyes hard. ’Am I hallucinating?’
’How could that guy Shen Manwen is seeing be here at the Mei Mansion?’
’Impossible!’
"Hey, you! Stop! Yeah, you, up front!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Cheng Yuan instinctively turned around.
Huh?
’This kid is Mei Xing’an’s son?’
’If I’d known, I would have asked for more.’
Seeing it was really Cheng Yuan, Mei Bin’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You bastard, you’ve got some nerve! Daring to trespass in the Mei Mansion! Are you here to steal something?"
Cheng Yuan’s expression darkened. "Mei Bin, I suggest you watch your mouth. I am an honored guest, invited by your father. Apologize to me at once, or I’m leaving!"
"My dad would invite a pretty boy like you? Don’t make me laugh! You think you can just trespass in the Mei Mansion and walk away? Guards! Seize this punk! Strip him down and search him! Don’t let him get away with a single thing!"
Mei Bin’s shouts brought several bodyguards running. They surrounded Cheng Yuan, their faces impassive.
"You’ve got some nerve, kid, trespassing in the Mei Mansion! What did you steal? Hand it over now! Or we’re gonna have to get rough!"
Cheng Yuan laughed in exasperation. "Even your chairman has to treat me with respect. I’d love to see just how ’rough’ you can get."
Mei Bin, of course, was not intimidated. He roared, "Get him!"
"Yes, sir!"
The bodyguards closed in on Cheng Yuan, their expressions menacing.
To Mei Bin’s surprise, the bodyguards were no match for Cheng Yuan at all.
In fact, he couldn’t even clearly see Cheng Yuan’s movements!
Cheng Yuan’s figure merely flickered. With a series of muffled thuds—BAM, BAM, BAM, BAM—the bodyguards collapsed to the ground, clutching their stomachs.
Cheng Yuan dusted off his hands and looked at Mei Bin with a cool, indifferent gaze. "If I want to leave, no one can stop me. Just you wait for your father’s wrath."
With that, Cheng Yuan turned to leave.
Of course, Mei Bin wasn’t about to let Cheng Yuan leave so easily. He quickly called his dad.
"Dad! That kid who ruined things for us earlier, he broke into the Mei Mansion! He beat up our bodyguards in the back garden and now he’s running for the front gate! Get Master Liang over here now and teach this arrogant punk a lesson!"
Mei Xing’an was instantly furious. ’That kid dared to break into the Mei Mansion?’
’He’s got a death wish!’
"Ah Chao, wait here. If Master Cheng returns, please explain to him for me. Old Liang and I have to take care of something."
"You got it, boss."
Radiating fury, Mei Xing’an stormed out of the reception hall with Liang Zhen, the head of security at Mei Mansion, and headed straight for the front courtyard.
After rushing over, Mei Xing’an and Liang Zhen finally caught up with Cheng Yuan and Mei Bin.
Seeing Mei Xing’an and Liang Zhen, Mei Bin’s eyes lit up. He pointed at Cheng Yuan and shouted, "Dad, that’s the guy! Have Uncle Liang cripple him!!"
Mei Xing’an raised his hand, about to give the order instinctively, but when his gaze followed Mei Bin’s pointed finger and landed on Cheng Yuan, his face instantly changed!
’Shit!’
’Why is it Master Cheng?’
’The very survival of our family is in Master Cheng’s hands. How could Xiaobin dare to offend him?’
Mei Xing’an’s expression darkened. He strode forward and, without hesitation, swung his hand in a slap!
SMACK!
Mei Bin’s face swelled up. He instinctively clutched his cheek, staring at his father in a daze.
"Mei Bin! Have you lost your mind? This is Master Cheng! I went through hell and back to get him here, and you dare to offend him? Apologize to Master Cheng this instant! Otherwise, I’ll throw you out of this family!"
’Master Cheng??’
’A torrent of curses flooded Mei Bin’s mind. How could this wet-behind-the-ears kid possibly be Master Cheng?’
’Has Dad been scammed?’
But under his father’s stern gaze, Mei Bin didn’t dare question Cheng Yuan’s identity. He could only apologize reluctantly.
"Master Cheng, I... I was wrong!"
"An honest mistake. Let’s just leave it at that."
Cheng Yuan put on a magnanimous air. As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Jade Token—one that had already been shattered two years prior.
Cheng Yuan acted as if he’d just discovered the Jade Token was broken, his face twisting into an expression of utter agony.
"Grandma, I’m so sorry! I failed to protect the heirloom you passed down to me! It’s all my fault!!"
’Mei Bin was about to lose his mind. Those bodyguards hadn’t even touched the hem of Cheng Yuan’s clothes, so how could they have possibly broken a Jade Pendant?’
’This guy is running a scam!’
Mei Bin instinctively wanted to call his bluff, but Mei Xing’an offered a sincere apology.
"It is my unworthy son’s fault for damaging Master Cheng’s heirloom Jade Pendant. I am willing to compensate for his mistake. The Mei Family has a considerable collection of jade, jadeite, and other antiques. Please, Master Cheng, take whichever piece catches your eye!"
Those were the words Cheng Yuan had been waiting for. Naturally, he wouldn’t be shy.
"Boss Mei, my grandmother is rather fond of arranging flowers. These vases look quite nice."