Meng Huaichuan said cheerfully, "I heard Mr. Chunfeng has a fondness for calligraphy and other such artifacts, so last night I had my staff prepare in advance and bring out our entire relevant collection. Please, take anything you like. Our whole family admires your Spring Breeze Body calligraphy. If you can draw inspiration from these pieces, it would be a great honor for our Dingnan King Mansion. It is a pity my father is away; otherwise, he would have rushed out to greet you personally."
The others present nodded slightly. The Dingnan King Mansion wanted for nothing, but as a family of Martial Cultivation Nobles, they lacked prestige within the Scholarly Community. Gifting these collections, which they had little use for, to Zhou Chunfeng was sure to be a great boon to their reputation.
"You are too kind, Huaichuan."
Everyone rose, and Meng Huaichuan led the group to a side room. The moment he opened the door, a view of countless calligraphy scrolls and numerous Holy Decrees, stacked in layer upon layer, greeted them.
Li Qingxian made a rough estimate—over a thousand pieces. Only then did he truly understand the meaning of extravagant wealth.
’The Dingnan King Mansion really is powerful,’ Li Qingxian thought. ’Although none of these Holy Decrees are from the current Emperor, there are some from other emperors of the Qi Country, from other nations, and from the Old Dynasty. Possessing them is a major taboo, no matter how you look at it, but Meng Huaichuan pays it no mind.’
In the eyes of others, these were just calligraphy and Holy Decrees. But in Li Qingxian’s eyes, every single one was a piece of Super-Grade Life Material.
Within every Great Seal was the Qi Fortune needed to activate a Fate Skill.
Meng Huaichuan looked a little abashed. "Unfortunately, some were sold off long ago, and others were left behind in Nanzhou. But rest assured, Mr. Chunfeng, if you just say the word, I will send a message to Nanzhou and have them deliver those pieces to Jiangnan."
"This is more than enough. Allow me to take a look."
"Please," Meng Huaichuan said, his etiquette as impeccable as a common student’s.
Ye Han gazed at the items with envy. Suddenly, on a whim, his eyes were drawn to a yellowed, old Holy Decree. He faintly felt some kind of power from it, pulling him in.
Ye Han glanced at Zhou Chunfeng and Li Qingxian, who were slowly making their selections. Growing anxious, he steeled himself, walked up behind Meng Huaichuan, and whispered, "Brother Huaichuan, I also have a habit of collecting such items. I wonder if I might purchase one or two?"
Meng Huaichuan smiled. "If it’s only one or two, there’s no need to talk of buying. They’re a gift. Take what you like."
Ye Han’s heart raced. Just as he was about to give his thanks, Meng Huaichuan continued, "As long as it’s not something Mr. Chunfeng chooses, you can help yourself to anything that’s left."
"Thank you, Brother Huaichuan." Ye Han’s feet felt rooted to the spot. He stared anxiously at Zhou Chunfeng, praying he wouldn’t choose that particular scroll.
Zhou Chunfeng paid no mind, but Li Qingxian was on alert. He first observed the direction of Ye Han’s gaze, then deliberately moved closer to that spot. Pretending to browse, he kept a close watch on Ye Han from the corner of his eye.
At the same time, he secretly channeled Magical Power into the Luck-Sensing Jade at his waist.
Li Qingxian picked up the scrolls one by one, testing Ye Han’s reaction.
The moment he picked up a yellowed Holy Decree, Ye Han’s expression changed noticeably, and the Luck-Sensing Jade trembled slightly.
Li Qingxian was secretly delighted. He grabbed the yellowed Holy Decree and handed it directly to Zhou Chunfeng. "Uncle Zhou, I’m sure you’ll like this one."
Zhou Chunfeng glanced at Li Qingxian and nonchalantly took the scroll. After examining it, he nodded. "This is a Holy Decree drafted by the famous calligrapher of the Old Dynasty, Zhu Yongzhi. Judging by the date and brushwork, it must have been written when he was a Hanlin Editor. Not bad. Huaichuan, I’ll take this one."
"As long as you find it acceptable." Meng Huaichuan was especially pleased, having been afraid that Mr. Chunfeng would find nothing to his liking.
Ye Han’s face darkened. ’Am I really this unlucky?’ he wondered. ’A while ago, I clearly sensed a Destiny Star inside that Life Ship, but I didn’t have enough money on me and had to go back for it. By the time I returned, it was gone. A golden opportunity, missed.’
’Today, there was clearly a power in that Holy Decree drawing me in—it had to be a great opportunity! How did Li Qingxian snatch it away?’
’Should I say something?’
An image of Li Qingxian’s methods back in Deceit Village flashed through Ye Han’s mind. He gritted his teeth and thought, ’Forget it. It’s just some unknown Treasure. It’s not worth making an enemy of him over this.’
But the more Ye Han thought about it, the more he couldn’t stomach it. A knot of frustration tightened in his chest.
Zhou Chunfeng selected works from famous artists, while Li Qingxian picked out items thick with Qi Fortune. Among them were Holy Decrees from special historical moments—for instance, an Emperor’s edict of self-blame, a law that affected the entire nation, or the proclamation of a Crown Prince. Such decrees contained ten, or even dozens of times, the power of an ordinary one.
In no time, the two had selected over a hundred scrolls.
Ye Han cursed their insatiable greed under his breath, while everyone else looked on with envy.
Meng Huaichuan, however, only grew more delighted. Using these useless items to curry favor with the highly respected Zhou Chunfeng was a small investment for an enormous return.
Zhou Chunfeng and Li Qingxian knew not to take too much, so after selecting two hundred scrolls, they stopped.
Zhou Chunfeng then took out a copy of the *Holy Words* and presented it to Meng Huaichuan. "This is one of my handwritten copies of the *Scriptures of All Saints* from recent years. I have not made many. Please accept it as an exchange, to be kept in the Dingnan King Mansion."
Meng Huaichuan and the scholars standing behind him were so excited their eyes shone.
"Mr. Chunfeng, you’re far too generous, far too generous..." Meng Huaichuan hadn’t expected to receive such a great Treasure in exchange for those useless items.
A complete volume of the *Holy Words* handwritten by Zhou Chunfeng was a Treasure that scholars and collectors all over the world would scramble to obtain. Not just the Dingnan King Mansion, but even a Super-Grade Family would treat it as a priceless heirloom.
Meng Huaichuan cradled the book and examined it, laughing to himself. ’I’ve found the perfect birthday gift for Grandfather this year! I have to hide it well so Father doesn’t snatch it away.’
Meng Huaichuan felt he was getting far too much out of the deal. "Mr. Chunfeng," he said, "you know that no matter how fine these calligraphy scrolls and Holy Decrees are, they’re just ordinary objects. They cannot cultivate Literary Qi. Your *Holy Words*, however, if passed down through generations and infused with Literary Qi, could very well mature into a Cultural Treasure of immeasurable value. You’ve taken so little in return. If word of this gets out, our Dingnan King Mansion’s reputation... COUGH COUGH, we’ll just be secretly celebrating..."
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh. Meng Huaichuan was still a young man, after all.
Meng Huaichuan continued, "How about this? Men, bundle up another hundred Holy Decrees as a bonus for Mr. Chunfeng. Furthermore, Mr. Chunfeng, please feel free to take any of the miscellaneous items in the courtyard. Even if you took them all, the Dingnan King Mansion would not be at a loss."
Li Qingxian’s eyes lit up, and he looked at Zhou Chunfeng.
Zhou Chunfeng shook his head and smiled. "The Marquis is too generous. I’m not particularly interested in other things. However, the Dingnan King Mansion is vast and prosperous, so I suppose taking a few more items won’t matter much. I’ll let Qingxian take a look for me."
"Whatever Mr. Chunfeng says," said Meng Huaichuan.
"My thanks to Marquis Nanxiang. In that case, I will be bold," Li Qingxian said.
"Take plenty! If you take too little, I’m afraid the Scholarly Community will accuse our Dingnan King Mansion of taking advantage of you." Meng Huaichuan clutched the book, unable to wipe the grin off his face.
A Retained Guest from the Royal Mansion standing nearby couldn’t help but ask, "Marquis, would you allow this old one a look?"
"No. Not until I’ve had my fill," Meng Huaichuan said, quickly shielding the book.
The crowd laughed.
Everyone walked out of the room and stood in the courtyard.
"Qingxian, go ahead and choose whatever you want." Meng Huaichuan unfastened the Gold-Inlaid Jade waist token engraved with the character for "Nan" and tossed it to Li Qingxian.
Seeing this, Ye Han’s eyes went red with envy.
"Marquis Nanxiang is too kind. I don’t know much about collecting; I simply have a fondness for certain antiques from the Old Dynasty," Li Qingxian said with a faint smile, activating his Spiritual Eye and observing Ye Han from the corner of his vision.
Ye Han’s expression shifted subtly once more.
Li Qingxian was now even more certain. ’Ye Han came to the Dingnan King Mansion for a reason. Besides the Holy Decrees, there must be another Treasure here.’