I have no memory of what happened at the foot of the snow mountain that day.
When I woke up, I was already on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, discovered by a local Tibetan.
According to him, he found us at the foot of the sacred mountain. He brought us back when he saw we were still alive. We were in a coma for several days.
He had planned to send us to a clinic, but due to inconvenient transportation, he hadn't acted on it.
So, Fatty and I lay in the tent, barely eating or drinking anything.
In the Tibetan's words, he was very afraid we would die, as being unconscious without food or drink was extremely dangerous.
If we were in a hospital, our lives could have been maintained through intravenous drips.
He was greatly puzzled that we woke up so full of life.
He said it must have been the Buddha's blessing that saved me.
I really couldn't figure out how Fatty and I ended up from the snow mountain to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
And what exactly happened that day, where did An Ying and the others go?
Had she already returned to her hometown?
At first, these questions constantly troubled me. No matter how much I thought, I couldn't figure it out. It wasn't until I had stayed on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for a month that I made a decision not to think about these things anymore.
Whether An Ying went back, or where she went, I might never know.
She was like a dream; after waking up, I still had to return to reality.
I suddenly felt that the years I had been out were like a dream, with many of the events and people I encountered feeling both real and illusory.
After staying on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for a month, Fatty and I embarked on our journey back to Guangling.
Sitting in a logging truck, looking at the azure sky, I asked Fatty, "Do you think An Ying made it home?"
Fatty, from somewhere, produced half a cigarette, managed to light it with a match, took a puff, and then replied, "I don't know if she went home, but Mr. Xiang, this trip of ours was a complete loss."
I glanced at him. He said, while smoking, "Wherever we went before, we could at least go down a tomb. Even if we didn't get anything good, we could broaden our horizons. Now, we've gained nothing and almost died."
"You talk about wanting to go down tombs every day, aren't you afraid that one day you'll go in and never come out?"
"What's there to be afraid of? My master calculated my fortune, saying I'd live to at least eighty. I won't die."
"Your master can also tell fortunes?" I asked, somewhat surprised.
Fatty said proudly, "Don't underestimate him. He knows many things. Otherwise, why do you think I run to Yanjing without anything to do? I just want to learn more skills from him."
I said with a wry smile, "So, what have you learned from him so far?"
"Plenty, but I haven't mastered anything yet."
...
When I returned to Guangling, Bai Hanyan had already gone abroad and hadn't left any contact information.
As for Hong Yunpeng, he and Ni Li had already had their wedding, and Ni Li was surprisingly pregnant.
Uncle Hong's attitude towards Ni Li had also changed significantly. It seemed he had completely accepted this daughter-in-law.
The business at Anyuantang was as usual. Although the income wasn't much, it was enough to support our group.
Wu Tingxiu was extraordinary. She opened an online antique trading platform, and the business was booming. Combined with her hotel business, she had now thoroughly become the richest woman in Guangling.
In the blink of an eye, more than half a year had passed since I returned to Guangling. During this time, I settled down and thoroughly studied the "Seven Stars Nine Skills Profound Space Secret Arts" from my family, mastering the skill of restoring antiques.
Initially, I didn't intend to make a living from this. One time, Bai Zhujing asked me to help him restore a porcelain bowl. From then on, my reputation for restoring antiques spread, and many people came to me for help.
In this way, I became an antique restoration expert in the industry, and even experts with formal training would come to me for assistance.
To avoid being too busy, I set a rule that I would only take on one restoration job per month, and the price was not cheap.
I thought this would allow me to have some leisure time, but I ended up with orders booked for over three years, one per month, with a waiting list of three years.
In order to restore antiques, I converted the old house in the suburbs into a studio specifically for antique restoration.
Fatty was initially interested in antique restoration and learned some from me, but later he found it too boring and ran off.
As for where he went, he didn't tell me. However, every ten days to half a month, he would mail me some strange antiques, either for appraisal or restoration.
After they were appraised and restored, they would be put in Anyuantang for sale.
I guessed that he had most likely gone tomb raiding. Given his personality, he would definitely do that.
One day, as I was leaving the studio, I was planning to have dinner at Hong Yunpeng's house when Wu Tingxiu called me, saying she needed me to come over.
I took a taxi to her office. As soon as I entered, I saw several people gathered around something. I went closer and saw it was an exquisite wooden box.
Wu Tingxiu was standing nearby. Seeing me arrive, she beckoned me over and called me to her side.
I asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
Her expression was somewhat uncertain. After a moment, she said, "I spent money to buy this from a grave robber..."
"What is it?" I glanced at the exquisite wooden box.
"It's the Marquis Sui's Pearl inside," Wu Tingxiu said gravely, looking at me.
I was stunned, "Marquis Sui's Pearl?"
"En."
"Are you sure?"
"It's precisely because I'm not sure that I called you here."
Saying that, Wu Tingxiu pulled me to the table and handed me a pair of white gloves, wanting me to take a look.
I put on the gloves and gently opened the wooden box. Inside was a beautiful gem, bright in color, emitting a strong radiance, crystal clear, and sometimes flashing with multicolored light.
This was the first time I had ever seen the Marquis Sui's Pearl. Although I had heard many people describe it, seeing it with my own eyes was a first.
I was also somewhat unsure if this was indeed the Marquis Sui's Pearl. When I gently took it out of the box, everyone around was staring at my hands, as if afraid I would break it with one wrong move.
Inside the pearl, there was a wisp of mist, as if it were moving. I could feel its coolness in my hand.
Just as I was about to examine it closely, the mist inside the pearl suddenly dissipated...