Chapter Eighty-Nine: A Beauty Beyond Compare (Fifth Update, Let’s Go~~~~)

Yue Leiting told me that the person who wanted to see me was the chairman of Shengtang Group. He was said to be a man who seldom appeared in public, so few people had ever met him. Even Yue Leiting did not know his name. Again and again, he urged me to seize this chance with both hands.

From the sound of it, the chairman of Shengtang Group must have been a man of immense power and influence. Yet he actually wanted to see me. What could someone like that possibly have to discuss with me?

The next day, with all these doubts in my mind, I got into the car under Yue Leiting’s highly excited gaze. The place seemed to be very far away.

When I woke from the ride and looked out the window, I was speechless for a long while. For a moment, I even suspected I was still dreaming.

Since getting out of the car, my expression had remained exactly the same: astonishment, hesitation, and even a hint of envy. I supposed anyone standing here would show the same look.

With my mouth slightly open, I lifted my head in uncertainty. I had never seen a house of such enormous scale before. Not even Yue Leiting’s villa, nor the Huashui Bay villa that Gu Xiaotian could easily fill with two hundred people, could compare with the place before me. In fact, they were not worth mentioning at all.

What shocked me even more was that this house had been built entirely in the style of the Tang dynasty. For a moment, I almost could not believe where I was.

I had read about ancient architectural styles in old books, but I had rarely seen them in person. For example, Gu Xiaotian’s villa, designed in the style of the Ming and Qing dynasties, did look antique from afar, but compared with what the books described, it fell far short. It had the appearance of antiquity without its soul, always bearing a faintly forced and awkward air.

But this house in front of me gave me none of that feeling. Standing at the gate, I even had the illusion that I had somehow returned to the Tang dynasty in a dream.

I took a step forward and raised my head to admire this architectural masterpiece with full attention. It still possessed that ancient elegance, yet the weathered lintel above the gate could still be made out, along with the pair of stone lions outside, their necks held high in proud repose.

Frowning in hesitation, I reached out and touched a seemingly ordinary stone placed prominently at the entrance. Soon I realized that this house was not a replica at all, but a genuine old residence of great age. It seemed to have stood here through countless years, weathered by wind and time. Judging by the smoothness of that stone, it had existed for at least a thousand years.

This was not the Tang dynasty.

I reminded myself of that again in my heart so I would not sink deeper into the illusion of space and time. I lightly touched the stone with my foot and suddenly understood why I had felt this way: every material used in this house, down to every brick and tile, was ancient. Each piece had a history of hundreds of years. Only by using such materials could the original spirit of the building be preserved so completely. The entire house exuded the weight and desolation of history.

Someone had actually managed to gather these ancient building materials and construct an entire house from them. Not to mention what the house was worth overall, even a single piece of material must have been priceless.

“Mr. Qin, please come inside. I will show you the way.”

The voice came from behind me, brief and refined. When I turned around, I saw that the gate had already been opened. Standing behind me was a man in a silver-gray suit. He was not very tall, but his build was somewhat stout. His eyes drooped faintly, giving him a listless look, while his round face was piled high with smiles, the flesh on both cheeks pressed together as though it might spill down at any moment.

Suddenly I thought of Hu Qian. The man in front of me had the same wonderfully comic air about him. It seemed people like this shared a peculiar trait: approachability. The moment one saw their smiling faces, all wariness seemed to melt away, leaving no sense of estrangement.

Only, there was something about his voice that struck me as strange. Soft and delicate, it even carried a touch of charm and coyness. If I had not seen the Adam’s apple in his throat, I might have thought he was not a man at all.

“Where is this place?”

“North of Agarwood Pavilion.”

The name was indeed fitting. No matter from what angle one looked at it, it gave the impression of having wandered back into the glorious Tang.

After entering, we moved steadily inward, passing through a courtyard and then along a covered corridor before arriving at a room with a rosewood door nearly five meters high. The furnishings inside were simple. Two guest chairs stood at the side, clearly for appearances only; a large round table sat in the center; and a few yellow hanging tassels surrounded the room. That was the sum total of the interior.

Only after looking closely did I realize that the chairs and table were all made of yellow rosewood.

The whole room was yellow rosewood!

I smiled bitterly to myself. In today’s market, yellow rosewood was practically the gold of the timber world. That was before even considering its price once fashioned into furniture. A room full of yellow rosewood furniture that would sink straight to the bottom if thrown into water—its value was beyond my imagination.

After I entered the room filled with yellow rosewood, I had not even had time to exclaim in admiration before I turned to say something to the person behind me, only to discover that he had not followed me in. Clearly this was my destination for the day, and the person who arranged for me to come here should be waiting in the room.

The woman who walked in had a figure and form so perfect they were beyond reproach. She possessed a rare kind of classical beauty. Whether in appearance or bearing, she fell into my eyes as one thing and one thing only.

A woman of incomparable grace.

If every brick and tile in North Agarwood Pavilion was flawless and preserved the scenery of the glorious Tang in its original splendor, then the woman before me elevated the atmosphere here to its very peak.

“Thank you for coming so far, Mr. Qin. I hope we have not disturbed you.”

I had just lifted my teacup when I heard this and froze, asking in great surprise, “You... you were the one who asked me here?”

The door in front of me was pushed open, and the girl who came in from outside startled me even more.

“Qiu Nuo? You... what are you doing here?”

“This is my home, of course I’m here.”

Qiu Nuo still wore that faint, serene smile. Then it suddenly dawned on me: ever since this woman had entered, I had vaguely felt that the aura she exuded, even the smile on her face, seemed strangely familiar.

Now that I saw Qiu Nuo, everything became clear at once. The two of them had the same temperament, identical in every gesture and movement.

This was Qiu Nuo’s home, then what relationship did this woman have with her? My eyes were full of questions, but Qiu Nuo seemed to have already seen through them.

“This is my aunt, and also the chairman of Shengtang Group. Today, she especially wanted to meet you.”

“The chairman of Shengtang Group? A... a woman?” I stared at the woman before me in shock, but I quickly regretted saying it. From temperament alone, this woman was far more formidable than most men. For her, managing Shengtang Group would be effortless.

“What is it? In Mr. Qin’s eyes, can women not accomplish great things?” the woman asked with a light smile after taking a sip of tea.

“The last Mountain-and-River Riverbank Map was brought out by my aunt,” Qiu Nuo said calmly, glancing at me. “My aunt’s name is Qingyang. Outsiders all call her the chairman.”

I hurriedly stood and said gratefully, “Chairman, I cannot thank you enough. The true Mountain-and-River Riverbank Map is worth a fortune. If you had not been so generous, I truly do not know what the consequences would have been for my rashness.”

“They are only worldly possessions. There is no need to mention them,” Qingyang said with a faint smile, signaling for me to sit. “And there is no need to address me so formally. Chairman, chairman—it sounds awkward. Since you are Qiu Nuo’s friend, if you do not mind, just call me Aunt Qing like she does.”

I nodded and smiled awkwardly as well. “Then I will call you Aunt Qing. And you need not call me Mr. Qin either; I am not used to it. Just call me Yanhui.”

“Qiu Nuo rarely speaks about matters outside, but after she returned and asked me for the Mountain-and-River Riverbank Map, I began hearing about you from her,” Qingyang said leisurely after taking a sip of tea. “Especially that secret contest held in Gu Xiaotian’s villa. It made your name spread far and wide. So I became curious and wanted to see what kind of man Qin Yanhui really was, the one who could stun everyone and take first place alone.”

“Aunt Qing, he is truly remarkable. I watched all five rounds of the contest, and I had no choice but to admire the profound depth of mystic learning,” Qiu Nuo said with some excitement.

“Yanhui, I hear you are skilled in all five arts of Daoist learning. Since you are here today, why not also help us read our faces?” Qingyang said with a meaningful smile.

“Read faces?” I said, staring at her in confusion.

“What, inconvenient?” Qingyang lifted her head, and in that look there was no room for anyone to disobey her meaning.

“No, of course not.”

I let out a long breath of relief. Before coming here, I had imagined many possibilities, but I had never thought that Qingyang had only invited me here to read faces.

I studied Qingyang carefully again and again, and the longer I looked, the wider my mouth opened, until I was left speechless for a long time.

“Your features strike me as very unusual. I do not know whether I should say this...”

“Speak freely. You are not one to boast without substance. Just tell me plainly according to my features. No matter how poor it sounds, it does not matter,” Qingyang said with complete composure.

“It is not that your features are poor. It is that... judging by your face, you should not be someone engaged in commerce.”

“I should not be someone in business?” Qingyang said calmly after another sip of tea. “I have been managing Shengtang Group on behalf of Qiu Nuo’s mother for several decades. Though I keep to myself and seldom go out, most of those I deal with are people from the business world. Why do you say I should not be in commerce?”

“Looking at Aunt Qing’s bone structure, the left sun ridge and right moon ridge are well formed. There is a straight bone rising high and wanting to grow long and broad from the elbow to the wrist, known as the tiger bone. It signifies a minister, with rank reaching the Three Excellencies. And Aunt Qing’s eye shape is that of dragon eyes. Dragon eyes mean clear distinction between black and white, strong spirit, large pupils, and hidden vitality. Such fortune is no small matter; it can serve a brilliant emperor and hold the highest offices!” Holding my teacup, I spoke with great composure. “And looking at Aunt Qing’s mouth, your upward-curving crescent lips signify wealth and nobility. Your mouth is like an upturned moon rising to court, your face fair and your lips red as if touched with cinnabar. Your bosom is full of literature and grace, and you could attain wealth and rank among the court ministers.”

Then I looked at Qingyang’s hands and became even more certain.

“Your palm lines are like a lute. In ancient times, Zhang Liang of Han had such lines. This is the pattern of one destined to receive an appointment as minister. Such palm lines are sought in the Qian position; they resemble a jade-waisted lute. Your temperament is broad and generous, your scholarship and character extraordinary, and you are often deeply favored by rulers.”

Knowing your message has been fully received, we now pause here.