Meanwhile, unaware of anything, the three returned to Qin Prefecture and temporarily parted ways. Li Chonglou, with the spoils of his trip, returned to a residence and began to sort through his treasures.
First was the Chunshui Jade Pendant that Chen Youliang had borrowed from him. This item was clearly no ordinary object. Li Chonglou handled it carefully for a while before setting it down.
Next came the ancient stone tablet obtained in Shanxia Town, the sixteen dynasty Buddhist sculptures from the broken temple on the mountaintop of Gujizhai, the Wuyang one-liang misprinted three-holed bronze coin snatched from Huang Chengjiu, and finally, the renowned sword 'Chunjun' that he had obtained from Zhao Lifeng.
There were a total of five treasures here. Besides the jade pendant, the item Li Chonglou was most interested in at the moment was the renowned sword 'Chunjun'.
Although this was a replica, it would be hard for another person to tell it apart. Its manufacturing technique was extremely advanced, even to the point where it could be considered different treasures made by the same master.
Of course, this was merely a comparison in praise. If one were to scrutinize the differences, they still existed. Li Chonglou picked up the sword and examined it closely again, finally concluding that this treasure sword must have been crafted by a renowned craftsman from the Qing Dynasty.
Li Chonglou had no idea why someone of the craftsman's skill and standing would create such a replica. However, Li Chonglou guessed that there must be an interesting story behind it.
"It's a pity that everything has changed. This item can be considered a pseudo-rare edition."
Li Chonglou sighed, then carefully put away the treasured sword.
His gaze swept over the bronze coin. To be honest, if it weren't for his identity as a member of the Eagle Special Forces, this matter would have been quite troublesome.
What was most unexpected was Zhao Lifeng's scheme. If he had truly been convicted of murder at that time, it would have been more of a loss than a gain.
"Fortunately, Fan Da did not disappoint me. As expected, he sent people to follow me secretly."
Li Chonglou suddenly wore a half-smile, and after a long moment, he regained his composure.
However, there was one other thing that touched Li Chonglou.
Before leaving the police station, Li Chonglou learned from the chief that Tian Lingli and the other two had an unexpectedly unified stance in such a situation. No matter how the police questioned them, they all insisted on Li Chonglou's innocence.
It was known that under normal circumstances and environments, people's emotions could easily get out of control, and in such a state, human instinct was to seek advantage and avoid harm. Yet, despite this, the three of them were able to maintain a consistent story, which indicated that they genuinely cared for Li Chonglou from the bottom of their hearts.
Li Chonglou, though he didn't say it, understood this point very well.
And now, besides these five treasures, Li Chonglou also had five more collectibles sent by his brother Ning Lang from Yongan. This meant that Li Chonglou now possessed a total of ten treasures.
Ten treasures. Li Chonglou pondered for a moment, then took out his phone and dialed a number.
The call was answered quickly, and Li Chonglou said calmly, "It's me. I'm back in Qin Prefecture now."
On the other end of the phone was Lu Weishen.
After identifying himself, Li Chonglou went straight to the point, "Don't forget about that matter. I'll be waiting for you at the association then."
Their agreement was for the twenty-eighth day of the lunar year, to decide the victor at the Qin Prefecture Antique Association.
Li Chonglou's phone call was to remind Lu Weishen not to forget the duel, as he was determined to proceed this time.
After ending the call with Lu Weishen, Li Chonglou suddenly felt a sense of relaxation. Two figures appeared in his mind.
"It's time for me to go and see them."
A smile spread across Li Chonglou's face. After tidying up his belongings, he left the residence.
Li Chonglou first went to a high-end care facility. His mother had been admitted to the hospital due to heart disease. Although she had been discharged temporarily, she had not yet fully recovered. Out of concern, Li Chonglou had arranged for her to recuperate in a place with professional nurses.
As soon as he entered the main gate, Li Chonglou saw a nurse pushing his mother for a walk in the sun from a distance. Li Chonglou tiptoed over, quietly greeted the nurse, and took over the wheelchair.
"Girl, I can walk now. You let me down, and you rest for a while," said Zheng Xiumei, patting the hand on her shoulder. However, she noticed something was not right. Turning her head, she saw Li Chonglou leaning his head over with a smiling face.
"Mom, I'm not tired. You old lady, just sit comfortably," Li Chonglou said with a chuckle.
"When did you come?" A look of surprise immediately appeared on Zheng Xiumei's face, but it quickly turned into a glare. "You came without saying hello first."
Li Chonglou chuckled and offered no explanation, beginning to inquire about his mother's condition. Zheng Xiumei once again beamed with joy and began to tell Li Chonglou about everything here.
Li Chonglou listened patiently, responding occasionally. The two of them went around the garden for several laps like this.
Finally, it was Zheng Xiumei who ended the conversation, asking, "Have you gone to see Yuxin since you came back?"
"Not yet. I came to see you first thing when I got back."
"Then now that you've seen me, hurry back and see Yuxin. You're a person of status now."
Li Chonglou understood his mother's meaning and nodded.
After talking for a while longer, Li Chonglou left.
After leaving, Li Chonglou, as his mother had instructed, returned to the Jiang family. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the door, he ran into his mother-in-law, Liu Zhiru.
"Oh, it's Xiaolou. You're back. How was it? Have you eaten? I'll arrange something right away!"
She was enthusiastic, extremely enthusiastic. Li Chonglou even had the illusion that she wasn't his mother-in-law but a younger brother.
It was known that she hadn't been like this before. She was snobbish and harsh, always targeting him. If an outsider were to see her, they might think it was a different person.
Li Chonglou could only show understanding, and after spending some effort to finally send her away, Li Chonglou met his wife in the hall.
As soon as Jiang Yuxin saw Li Chonglou, her face lit up with a surprised smile. She quickly walked up to Li Chonglou and said gently, "You're back. How was it? Was everything smooth?"
Li Chonglou hugged Jiang Yuxin tightly and said tenderly, "You must have been worried. It's fine, everything went smoothly."
"Mmm," Jiang Yuxin nodded gently, resting her head on Li Chonglou's shoulder, and chuckled softly, "It's good that you're back."
The warmth of family suddenly filled the atmosphere. Li Chonglou felt a sense of relief, and a long-lost calm and relaxation surged within him. Li Chonglou took Jiang Yuxin's hand and said, "Let's go for a walk. We haven't taken a stroll in a long time."
"Mmm-hmm," Jiang Yuxin nodded with a happy smile, and then the two of them walked out of the hall hand in hand.
The two of them had nothing to hide from each other, exchanging words and laughter, much like young lovers in the street, strolling through nature.
However, as they were talking happily, Jiang Yuxin suddenly stopped, a look of discomfort on her face, and bent over to vomit.
Seeing this, Li Chonglou was immediately alarmed and quickly asked about her condition. But Jiang Yuxin only shook her head. Seeing that Jiang Yuxin's complexion was not right, Li Chonglou no longer asked further questions and rushed her to the hospital.