In the following days, everything was calm and peaceful.
With Zhou Jiao personally leading the search, not even an ant could sneak in.
Qin Zhou was even more secure. Master would be released from prison soon, and with his senior sister and the Eagle Warriors there, there were no worries.
His mother's health also improved day by day.
He got along reasonably well with his father-in-law and mother-in-law. However, his mother and mother-in-law had different living environments and habits, so minor disagreements and friction were normal.
But they all overlooked it for the sake of their children, letting it pass with a smile.
While video chatting with Jiang Yuxin and listening to her talk about these trivial family matters, Li Chonglou felt a sense of peace welling up in his heart.
"When will your business in Yong'an be finished?" Jiang Yuxin's beautiful eyes gleamed with a hidden meaning.
She had already fully accepted Li Chonglou, and his mother at home urged them to have children every day.
She had also thought that since they were husband and wife, these matters were inevitable.
It might as well be faced sooner rather than later.
"It might take some more time..." Li Chonglou felt a touch of helplessness and said with a forced smile, "At least a year, or perhaps three to five years."
The surname Huang was not that easy to deal with; they were completely different from the scum in Qin Zhou.
Even if he resolved this, he had also promised Fan Da that he would serve under him after a year.
He hadn't told Jiang Yuxin about this yet, fearing she would overthink it.
Did he not want to return to Qin Zhou, to his wife, children, and a warm hearth?
But reality wouldn't allow it.
"It's good that it's later. Coincidentally, I've just started a new company producing clothing," Jiang Yuxin's eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment, but she quickly concealed it. "I'm currently shouldering the responsibility of reviving the Jiang family. It's good that you're not here, so I can focus without distractions."
Despite saying this, who wouldn't want a capable husband by their side to help?
Unfulfilled desire could only lead to settling for less.
Fortunately, Jiang Yuxin was unlike ordinary women who craved affection; she was never clingy and had a strong career drive.
This allowed her to quickly regain her balance.
The fleeting sadness in her eyes, though it might fool others, could not escape Li Chonglou's notice.
Seeing his wife like this, he also felt bad.
But a man should have ambitions for the world.
The continuous troubles that had appeared all along proved every word of his master's teachings: the road ahead was fraught with difficulties.
If he didn't strengthen himself, he feared he would struggle to deal with future problems.
A peaceful life necessitated the maintenance of extraordinary means.
For this reason, they had to be separated, enduring the loneliness.
They chatted for a few more words, and after hanging up the phone, Li Chonglou's gaze became even more resolute.
With Lü Yunxu's help, Wu Hao's project was on the right track.
A press conference would be held in mid-next month to officially launch the app.
There were less than half a month left. He wondered if the renovation of his shops in Yong'an would keep up.
Lin Weiwei was quite diligent in her work.
"Old Ning, Zhang Dongxu is being sentenced tomorrow. Accompany me to see him off." A hint of melancholy surfaced in Li Chonglou's eyes as he closed them.
Ning Lang nodded without speaking.
During their time together, he had come to understand Li Chonglou's temperament well.
He appeared cold but was actually very sentimental. It was precisely because he valued emotions that he feared losing them, constantly presenting himself as unsympathetic.
Such a person, once recognized, would never betray you.
Zhang Dongxu, with his fiery passion, had successfully entered Li Chonglou's heart.
For the rest of his life, as long as he served his sentence, his future would be limitless!
He was happy for Zhang Dongxu, but he didn't know that Li Chonglou's heart was heavy.
Recalling his journey so far, his fate had been fraught with hardship.
Although he had saved his mother and Jiang Yuxin, he had also dragged many innocent people into the vortex. Zhang Dongxu taking the blame for him was not his wish.
The trajectory of fate had already changed, being completely different from his previous life.
Except for his mastery of antiques and human nature, his past experiences were no longer applicable.
The remaining path could only be navigated by his own judgment.
The task was heavy and the road was long!
In the evening, Ning Lang went out. Li Chonglou sat alone in the courtyard and went back to sleep around ten o'clock.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, he drove Ning Lang to the Yong'an Detention Center.
Xiao Yun had already made arrangements and specially looked after Zhang Dongxu.
Thus, the meeting was smooth.
"Master!" Upon seeing Li Chonglou, Zhang Dongxu's eyes welled up.
The nearly 1.8-meter tall man showing such girlish emotion made Li Chonglou feel a pang of sympathy.
He feigned a calm demeanor and asked, "Have you been suffering?"
"I'm fine, Master. Don't worry, no one bullies me." Zhang Dongxu grinned.
Having a background as a ruffian, he was already adept at navigating social situations. When others heard he was a murderer, they were even more afraid to cause trouble, so he thrived inside.
This was just the detention center; his life in prison might even be better.
Others were serving sentences, while he was acting as if on vacation.
"Strive for an early reduction of your sentence." Li Chonglou didn't want to dwell on the past and then asked, "I heard Sister Yun say that there's a mission for you from above?"
"Yes, Master. They want me to be an undercover agent. I don't know the specifics yet, but I'll probably find out when I get to prison," Zhang Dongxu lowered his voice, covering the microphone with his hand.
Undercover?
Li Chonglou's pupils contracted.
Xiao Yun, out of consideration for Zhang Dongxu and himself, had pulled all the strings she could.
However, he had killed someone and was sentenced to life imprisonment. It was impossible to get an immediate reduction through connections; the only way was to redeem himself through meritorious service.
It was likely that this undercover mission was the result of that.
Since it was a prison visit with guards present, Li Chonglou couldn't ask for more details.
After a brief chat, they said goodbye and left.
With Ning Lang driving, as soon as they were out of the detention center, Li Chonglou called Xiao Yun.
"Sister Yun, do you know about Zhang Dongxu becoming an undercover agent?"
"I've heard some hints. It's related to Li Hanlong, whom he killed, and involves an overseas cultural relic smuggling group," Xiao Yun whispered. "That's all I could find out. This matter seems to be highly classified. If I didn't have some connections, I wouldn't even know this much."
Xiao Yun was being modest, but Li Chonglou knew how influential her connections were.
This kind of internal undercover mission, to ensure the safety of the undercover agent, was top secret. Apart from the individuals involved and the operational team, no one else knew.
It was a testament to Xiao Yun's influence in Yong'an.
This matter was not suitable for further discussion, so Li Chonglou hung up after asking.
"Chonglou, I have nothing to do today. How about I take you to the Yong'an Antique Market?" Ning Lang asked at the opportune moment.
"Let's go!" Li Chonglou's eyes lit up.
Antiques were his greatest interest, but since arriving in Yong'an, he had been embroiled in various matters.
He had to set aside his hobby. Apart from one national treasure appreciation meeting and one exchange meeting, he could practically only talk with Ning Lang.
Upon hearing that they were going to the antique market, he became eager.
Even though he knew that the current antique market was not what it used to be, with very few genuine items, his heart still pounded with excitement.
It was like someone who endured arduous work every day suddenly being able to go to a foot massage parlor to relax.
There were two antique markets in Yong'an.
One was the original Chenghuang Temple street, which had a boom in the seventies and eighties. During that time, antiques, especially porcelain, were in high demand, and there were many stall vendors.
Later, it was unified and regulated into an antique market.
Another place was called Dongmen Fishery Village, which was a bit special.
It used to be a fishing village by Anyuan Lake outside Yong'an City. Later, because many Song Dynasty artifacts were salvaged from the lake, many fishing families turned to the antique business.
Gradually, seeing the huge profits, more and more people got involved.
Of course, most of the items here now were imitations and goods from outside; those salvaged from the lake had long since disappeared.
"Overall, Dongmen Fishery Village is more interesting to browse than Chenghuang Temple," Ning Lang said, concluding his introduction.
The two of them drove straight to Dongmen.
Anyuan Lake was a lake bordering Yong'an and another city called Pucheng, with each city owning half.
Dongmen Fishery Village was located on the west side of the lake.
When they arrived, it was around ten o'clock. It was already early winter, and the weather was not hot. The crowd was bustling and lively.
Upon reaching the entrance, a quick glance revealed that the market offered a dazzling array of goods, with everything imaginable.
The most common items were jewelry and jade cultural relics, followed by various fakes and imitation antiques.
As soon as Ning Lang entered the market, his eyes began to shine.
He looked around and said as he walked, "I've found a few bargains here. Even though the items weren't worth much, the feeling was incredibly satisfying."
The greatest charm of the antique business was finding bargains.
It was a comprehensive test of one's eyesight, experience, and judgment, and of course, luck.
The sense of accomplishment from obtaining something that others couldn't, anyone who tried it would become fascinated and addicted.
Li Chonglou was no exception.
Listening to Ning Lang ramble, his gaze also scanned across the various stalls. However, the more he looked, the more disappointed he became.
Ten out of ten stalls were fake; there was nothing genuine at all.
It might fool the ignorant, but in his eyes, it was just a pile of junk.
He decided to treat it as a way to relax.
As they walked forward, they turned a corner and saw the road ahead blocked by people.
A crowd had gathered, creating a dense circle, with loud chatter erupting, and no one knew what was happening.
"Let's go take a look!" Ning Lang's eyebrows twitched slightly.
He was usually a person who preferred quiet and disliked crowds, but he was an exception in this antique market.
If a crowd had gathered, something valuable must have appeared.
Li Chonglou didn't object and followed Ning Lang into the throng.
In the middle of the crowd was a middle-aged man with sunken eyes, prominent cheekbones, and a thin, tall physique.
He held a long tobacco pipe.
The pipe was made of small-leaf sandalwood, oxidized to a deep purple close to black. Its patina was thick, but it couldn't hide the unique "bull hair" texture formed by long-term weathering.
An expert could tell at a glance.
However, this small-leaf sandalwood was not special. What was special were the mouthpiece and the bowl.
It looked like jade but wasn't. There were many white particles on it, appearing like efflorescence, very rough.
This significantly affected the overall aesthetic.
"For this item, eight thousand is already a very high price. Are you going to buy it or not?" the man said, his voice tinged with annoyance.
He had searched the entire market and found only one item that caught his eye.
If it weren't for the old sandalwood, eight thousand? He might not even offer eighty.
As a result, the stall owner, seeing that he was willing to pay, immediately changed his mind and insisted on twenty thousand, selling it for no less.
This was clearly treating him as a fool to be fleeced.
"Zhu Changjiang? Why is he back!" At this moment, Ning Lang saw the man speaking, his pupils contracted, and he muttered with a frown.
This person was a prominent figure in the Yong'an antique circle, apprenticed to Lu Weishen of Qin Zhou.
He had made a name for himself in his early years, was arrogant, and they had had a past conflict. Later, he found the Yong'an circle too small and went to Beijing to develop.
He never expected to return to Yong'an, and to run into him at this antique market.
It was truly a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road!