Chapter 549: Chapter 56: Emerging Talent (Part 2)
"The craftsmanship is pretty good, and there seems to be a layer of Spiritual Energy flowing on the surface," the young man turned out to be a Cultivator. He roughly recognized the Spiritual Energy on the Purple Bamboo Mat but he didn’t look closely. Like many people, he just thought that the sheen was caused by the natural bamboo markings. "Purple bamboo can be used to treat rheumatism, but those are of no use to our family."
Everyone knows about the Wang Family; they robust body constitution makes it difficult for minor diseases to affect them. Even the eighty-year-old in the family can swing a Shaolin Demon Subduing Stick vigorously.
"Paying too much attention to appearances won’t get you far," the middle-aged man’s hand flashed with a cold light, and there was suddenly a sharp dagger in his hand. The blade shimmered, clearly no ordinary item.
The dagger only slightly missed its target and sliced through the locust wood box like tofu. "Look closely."
The middle-aged man spread the mat over his knees, and forcefully stabbed down with the dagger. His stab targeted the mat on his knee, but it was also aimed at his own thigh. Before the young driver could stop him, the dagger had already plunged down.
There was no ripping sound from the mat, nor was there any blood splattering the cabin. The dagger seemed to have met resistance and stopped at the surface of the Purple Bamboo Mat, penetrating just over an inch deep and going no further, not creating the hole through the mat that the young man had expected.
"!!" The young man pulled the car over to the side, grabbed the mat, and tried tearing it apart with his hands. Known for his immense strength, he had once torn apart a ferocious Tibetan Mastiff with his bare hands.
The hide of the Mastiff is extremely tough, but the toughness of this mat was even greater. Despite his efforts, he only managed to crease it slightly. No matter how much force he used, it was dissipated when applied to the mat.
"Dad, what’s this?" The young man initially thought his father had impulsively spent 300,000 on this mat to honor an elder in their family, but now it seemed his father had other designs.
"Think about it, if the owner of this mat had put more effort into making it into a defensive item to block enemies’ attacks, it would have been very effective," the middle-aged man revealed a slight smile. He was right not to misjudge as what his son described as a flowing gleam should indeed withstand quite a few attacks.
"Impossible, only if a Gold Peak Cultivator appeared. And even if such defensive gear existed, it wouldn’t be of any use to the Wang Family descendants," after the initial surprise, the young man regained his composure. He had momentarily lost his wits, almost forgetting that even if the mat proved useless, his father’s personal strength would prevent any harm from the knife’s descent.
"Grandma was right about you, you’re all about individualism, the country really wasted resources on you. When did I say it was meant for the Wang Family members? I was talking about using it in military and police equipment," the middle-aged man had a shadowy expression, blaming people like his son for the saying "muscular yet simple-minded."
Rebuked like this, the young man didn’t dare to talk back, only mumbling: "It’s a good idea, but the seller, Qiu Shiben, also said that the mat is unique and refused to disclose the identity of the weaver. With just this single mat, what use could it possibly have?" He wasn’t one of those overly muscular thinkers from the genius class who could outwit his father.
"Why can’t we study it if we can’t use it? Keep focused while driving, take me to Huake Institute first. I’ll have someone analyze this mat," the middle-aged man waved his hand, and the young man obediently drove towards the research base of Huake Institute.
During this appraisal event, although Mrs. Zeng didn’t acquire any suitable artwork, she didn’t return empty-handed either, having negotiated a deal with President Qiu for a batch of Nanmu furniture.
On the way home, Xuerou and Xiao Xian shared the incident involving Wang Keke at the parking lot earlier. Mrs. Zeng smiled after hearing about it: "Low buy, high sell — that’s the essence of a businessperson. What have you learned from this? Let’s hear it."
Xuerou pondered for a moment and said, "There’s no business without deceit."
Xiao Xian added, "Even the best wine won’t sell if it’s kept in a deep alley."
"Let me tell you, you think that the mat sold for a sky-high price and consider President Qiu an exaggerating swindler? That’s where you’re wrong, the company under President Qiu employs over a hundred staff and covers office space of over two hundred square meters. The annual expenses for utilities, property charges, and global art purchases barely make a small profit. This appraisal event was just a pretext, also helping him to explore new clients. In China, connections are everything. That’s the real lesson you should learn." Mrs. Zeng’s words made Xiao Xian and Xuerou ponder deeply.
Mei Nian’s suggestion to have her join the Reverse Genius Class at the Chinese Academy of Sciences was under similar pretext. Mrs. Zeng and Mei Nian, one being a businesswoman who struggled her way up and the other a strong Cultivator who stood firm throughout centuries, their insights were experiences for Xiao Xian.
This reinforced Xiao Xian’s resolve to attend the Reverse Genius Class at Huake Institute.
"Xuerou, I’m transferring schools after class starts," Xiao Xian said to Yu Gang after returning to the Zeng Family home, having arranged for a meeting at the Agricultural Science Academy residential area tomorrow to discuss her transfer.
Only after matters were nearly settled did Xiao Xian reveal her impending school transfer to Xuerou.
"Why transfer when you’re studying fine?" Xuerou was quite surprised by Xiao Xian’s sudden decision.
Xiao Xian briefly explained what Mei Nian had told her; upon hearing that it was to transfer to the Reverse Genius Class of Huake Institute, Xuerou thought for a moment, "I’ve heard of the genius class, but since it’s established by Huake Institute, this Reverse Genius Class should also be good. Senior Mei’s analysis is reasonable; staying with us not only won’t help you, it might even hold you back."
Hearing this, a thoughtful look crossed Xuerou’s eyes. She didn’t say much, but as long as it benefited Xiao Xian, she respected her decision.
"How can you say that? No matter where I transfer to, we’ll still be in Beijing; we’ll still be good friends," Xiao Xian reassured Xuerou.
As they were talking, Grandma Zeng shouted from downstairs: "Xiao Xian, your aunt and uncle-in-law are here."
**
All day begging, you kids must feel numb, huh, sigh, Fu Zi shrieking for tickets here~
Only the start of the month, steady support is needed~~~
**(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian () to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)