My Pretty Campus Queen

"Ah? Your family has an alchemy furnace? That’s great. I feel like the items in that antique trading house are a bit fake, many are high-quality replicas," Tan Xianglan expressed her thoughts.

"Yes, most of the items there are replicas, except for some small trinkets that are genuine. The more expensive ones are generally fake," Yan Zheng replied.

"Well, then it seems I need to visit your home. What I’m looking for is not an ordinary pill furnace, but a third-grade pill furnace," Tan Xianglan revealed directly.

"Huh? A third-grade pill furnace? That’s a rare one; my father has only one, and I’m not sure if he would sell it to you," Yan Zheng was uncertain because such an item was indeed precious. Although he didn’t know much, his father had taught him some basics about furnaces.

"Oh, that’s alright. It’s all about giving it a shot, isn’t it? You never know, your father might be willing to sell it to me," Tan Xianglan said optimistically, as she was adopting a ’let’s try’ attitude.

"Alright, then. I’ll take you there. It’s not far, just an hour’s drive," Yan Zheng said with a slight smile.

The two nodded, and soon, the three hailed a taxi and set off for the Antique Manor...

About an hour later, the three arrived at the entrance of a manor. It was much quieter here, without the crowds of the antique trading house.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our Yan Family’s Antique Manor. Although we don’t have as quite a range as the trading house, our items are all authentic, though very pricey. Most of the time, collectors purchase them through the manor’s auction," Yan Zheng explained.

"Wow, that’s impressive," Tan Xianglan was evidently very interested. She didn’t mind high prices, but she worried about buying counterfeit goods.

Chen Tianlong remained silent, absorbed by the beauty of the surroundings. The scenery here was truly beautiful, not only filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers, but also blessed with clear hills and waters, making it a delight to the spirit.

The Guiyang area was known to be a bit cold, but here something was peculiar: it wasn’t as cold as expected. Early winter was the time for snow to melt, which should have been quite chilly, yet the sun was shining brightly, warming the place comfortably.

Carried by his curiosity, Chen Tianlong followed the two into the manor, where he discovered that a celebration seemed to be taking place, with decorations creating a festive atmosphere everywhere.

Yan Zheng was taken aback, as even he was unaware of any major events happening at the manor recently. It could be that, being away at school, his father, Yan Zheng, chose not to disturb him by mentioning it.

"Young master, why have you come back? Weren’t you supposed to be in town?"

A familiar voice suddenly called from behind, familiar at least to Yan Zheng. He turned hurriedly to find Mr. Feng, the butler.

Mr. Feng, in his late forties, already had graying hair due to an unspecified illness, though Yan Zheng wasn’t quite clear about it. It seemed that even when he was younger, Mr. Feng had developed quite a bit of gray hair, which might not have been an illness but rather a lack of certain elements in his body.

"Haha, Uncle Feng, it’s the weekend, so I came back to see Father and all of you," Yan Zheng quickly explained.

In fact, if not for meeting Tan Xianglan and their need to buy a pill furnace, he might not have returned. Usually, each trip took about a month. His father had told him to get used to living independently and adapt to society instead of always running home, which wouldn’t benefit his social experience.

"Alright, then... Who are these two? Your classmates?"

Mr. Feng nodded, his gaze suddenly falling on Chen Tianlong and Tan Xianglan. Their fair skin didn’t quite resemble that of locals, so he asked curiously.

"Haha, no, they’re not. They are my new friends, and this lady here wishes to buy some antiques, so I brought them along," Yan Zheng replied honestly, a sudden thought crossing his mind as he curiously asked, "By the way, Uncle Feng, has there been any major event at the manor recently? It’s so festively decorated everywhere."

"Haha, young master, you might not know, but many friends from afar have come to join the auction," Mr. Feng started, as they all walked along, "Recently, there’s been word that our manor will be holding an antique auction. Not only domestic collectors, but also international ones are here to compete for items. The items up for auction this time are quite expensive, yet these visitors remain, indicating they must be heavyweights."

"Haha, so Father’s business has gone international," Yan Zheng was a little excited, as it was the first time hearing that people from overseas had come.

"Yes, but as for overseas, it’s only people from Japan who have come, and among them are some of the more prominent representatives," Mr. Feng said.

"Japan?"

Chen Tianlong was somewhat sensitive to this word, considering the Celestial Eye was from Japan. If any Celestial Eye members were present, things might not be straightforward. They would definitely not follow the usual route to purchase items but instead resort to other methods.

Speaking of the Celestial Eye, Chen Tianlong couldn’t help but think of the Celestial Pill Sect, so he continued to ask, "Are there any people from the Celestial Pill Sect?"

"Ah? Young man, are you acquainted with the Celestial Pill Sect?" Mr. Feng did not directly answer but asked in return. However, even with this response, Chen Tianlong had already grasped the answer.

"Not exactly acquainted, I’ve just heard of them. Haha," Chen Tianlong didn’t want to reveal his identity so quickly; if it turned out that the manor had friendly ties with the Celestial Pill Sect, then perhaps the Antique Manor might not be so welcoming to him.

"I see. This time, not only people from the Celestial Pill Sect came, but reportedly other major factions from Japan as well, like the Scorpio Gang and the Butterfly Assassin Group. From domestically, the Mo Family from the Capital City, the Huang Family, and several local collectors have arrived, totaling over a dozen people, making this lineup significantly large compared to previous years," Mr. Feng explained.

By now, they had already reached the entrance to the main hall. From afar, Yan Zheng saw his father, Yan Zheng, sitting on the main chair and hurried inside, happily saying, "Dad, I’m back."

"Huh? Zheng’er? What brings you back?" Yan Zheng was quite surprised, as it had only been a few days since he left. Upon counting the days, it hadn’t even been a full month, and logically, he wasn’t supposed to return until the weekend next month. Why was he back already?

"Hehe, I missed you, Dad," Yan Zheng said with a touch of sentiment, causing Tan Xianglan and Chen Tianlong to get goosebumps.

"Haha, tell me the truth. Dad won’t believe that. If I’m not mistaken, it’s probably because of these two young folks here, right?" Yan Zheng had noticed Chen Tianlong and Tan Xianglan’s presence as soon as they entered.

"Haha, Dad is sharp, figured it out right away. These are my new friends, very polite, and we get along well. They wanted to come to the manor to pick up some antiques, so I took the opportunity to come home," Yan Zheng explained directly.

"Alright then, since they are Zheng’er’s friends, I won’t say much. Butler, please arrange rooms for these two guests later," Yan Zheng said here, suddenly recalling tomorrow’s event, continuing, "If you need any antiques, the manor’s antique exhibition and auction will be held tomorrow. If you’re interested, you can attend."