Chapter 132: In the Company of a Beauty

The young man tilted his head, staring at the jade bracelet in his hand for a long time. It was indeed intact, without even a single crack. What the hell was going on? He looked down at the floor where he had just dropped the bracelet and saw a few tiny fragments. Wait, there were fragments, yet the bracelet was whole?

Not only was the young man baffled, but everyone present—save for Ling Tian—was equally confused. If Ling Tian had been given enough time, he could have easily refined the entire bracelet; as for minor tricks like repairing cracks, it was a piece of cake that he could accomplish in an instant.

"You have the bracelet now, so get lost. If you cause any more trouble, don't blame us for being impolite," Ling Tian said coldly. While the young man was distracted, Ling Tian discreetly flicked a gust of energy from his finger. It wasn't very powerful, but it was enough to make the young man lose his grip on the jade.

*Clatter...*

With a crisp sound, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the young man’s hand shook, and the bracelet dropped to the floor, shattering into pieces. This time, there wasn't even a whole piece left to be found—just a floor covered in tiny shards. The young man was instantly dumbfounded. How, in the blink of an eye, had he managed to smash the bracelet himself?

Ling Tian turned to An Qi and said, "Now the evidence is conclusive; it proves he shattered the bracelet himself. If he continues to make a scene, you can call the police."

An Qi gave Ling Tian a look of gratitude, then whispered to a waiter, "Delete the previous security footage, clip out this segment, and save it." Previously, An Qi hadn't wanted to involve the police because the situation was messy, and even if they arrived, they wouldn't be able to sort it out quickly, which would disrupt business. Now, however, it was different. With ironclad evidence, all they had to do was pull up the footage, and the young man would be headed straight for the station.

"Consider yourselves lucky," the young man snarled, preparing to leave with his two cronies.

Ling Tian stepped forward to block their path and smiled, "Leaving just like that?"

"We come and go as we please. Don't tell me you want us to stay for dinner?" The young man realized he had kicked a steel plate this time and became immediately vigilant.

"What kind of place do you think this is? You think you can come and go as you please? You're far too full of yourself. Now, we need to discuss your suspected extortion and harassment of the staff," Ling Tian said calmly.

He really had kicked a steel plate this time!

Having never encountered such a situation before, the young man became flustered. The calmer Ling Tian appeared, the more panicked the young man became. Seeing that he couldn't leave safely, the young man considered resorting to violence.

"Don't... don't push your luck," the young man said with a sinister glint in his eyes, reaching into his pocket as if to pull out a weapon. "Don't force me. Once I lose my temper, even I am afraid of myself."

Ling Tian let out a disdainful scoff and said, "I'm actually curious to see what you're like when you lose your temper. Come on, let's go outside and talk properly." With that, Ling Tian walked out first. The three men exchanged glances and followed.

Zhang Ding, who had been browsing the jade, hurriedly followed as well.

The waiters in the store looked at An Qi nervously and asked, "Store Manager, should we call the police? Those thugs have bulging pockets; they’re probably carrying weapons. It’ll be dangerous for your friend to go out there alone."

An Qi smiled and said, "We should be worried about those thugs instead—hopefully they don't get beaten too badly. Alright, everyone disperse and return to your posts."

After the store returned to normal, An Qi hurried to the door. Although she trusted that with Ling Tian’s abilities, dealing with a few thugs wouldn't be an issue, she still worried about any potential mishaps. Just as she reached the door, Ling Tian returned. They met face-to-face, and when An Qi saw him, a flash of pleasant surprise crossed her delicate, pink-tinted cheeks.

"Is it handled?" Facing Ling Tian alone formally for the first time, An Qi found herself becoming nervous. Her heart was racing like a startled deer, and a faint blush appeared on her face. She remembered their first meeting at Bao Lan City, where she had been so anxious to buy spirit talismans that she hadn't even registered his appearance...

The distance between them was only two fingers' width. She could even hear their breathing, mixed with her own elegant, faint scent, which seemed a bit rapid—she was clearly nervous. Ling Tian, accustomed to all kinds of beauties, remained relatively calm, though her elegant fragrance left him slightly intoxicated, having not been near a woman for a long time.

Ling Tian broke the silence first, smiling, "It's all handled. I gave them a good beating and had my driver take them to the police station. I reckon they won't be coming out for at least eight to ten years."

An Qi remained immersed in the subtle sensation of the moment, her face flushed, her eyes shy—the elegant store manager had transformed into a beautiful young girl.

"An Qi? I've already taken care of it..." Ling Tian repeated, raising his voice slightly. An Qi snapped back to reality, cast a shy glance at him, and smiled, "Thank you. If it weren't for you, this would have been quite a hassle."

Ling Tian smiled and said, "It was just a coincidence. I came here to pick out some jade, and I didn't expect to run into you."

An Qi whispered to herself, *Perhaps this is fate!*

"So you're here to pick out jade? Let me take you upstairs. The quality on the first floor is quite average; the real treasures are on the second floor," An Qi said with a smile, walking with elegant steps as she led Ling Tian upstairs.

The waiters in the store saw An Qi leading Ling Tian upstairs, and their gossiping nature exploded: "Is our manager interested in that handsome guy? Look at those eyes; they're sweet enough to drip honey."

"Definitely! Look at how cool he is; he looks very composed, much better than those spoiled heirs who chase after her."

"That guy is so amazing! Is he a magician?"

The beautiful appraiser waved her hand and said, "Stop gossiping and get back to work."

The appraiser was also puzzled. Could that young man really be a magician? But what kind of magic could restore a shattered jade bracelet to its original state? No, she had to check the security footage. When she pulled up the recording and watched it carefully for a long time, she still couldn't make sense of it. In the video, Ling Tian simply brought the shards together, and the shattered bracelet was as good as new.

The second floor was a high-end jade exhibition area, open only to the store's gold card members. Ling Tian took a casual look; the price tags were all over 100,000. He thought to himself, no wonder it’s only for gold card members—the items here are too expensive, each piece worth at least 100,000. The average person simply couldn't afford them.

Not to mention anything else, even the glass cabinets housing the jade were high-end, bulletproof items. Ling Tian had seen these while on missions in the Middle East—that place was so chaotic that if you didn't have high-tech gear, you'd be robbed every few days.

He remembered once, while strolling through the streets, he saw a group of thugs raiding a jewelry store in a pickup truck. They had brought a giant cutter because the bulletproof glass in the store was so tough that ordinary weapons could hardly break it, and it was a waste of time.

"Unidirectional bulletproof glass. It can withstand close-range handgun fire. Good stuff," Ling Tian said with a faint smile. "Your security system is very professional. Not only do you have high-strength bulletproof glass, but you also have a perfect security setup. Three-hundred-sixty-degree surveillance with no blind spots, an emergency alarm system..."

An Qi looked at Ling Tian in astonishment and said, "You actually understand these things?" In her impression, Ling Tian belonged to the category of "mysterious monks"—no, mysterious cultivators—and shouldn't have much knowledge of modern technology. To her surprise, not only did he know about it, he was quite knowledgeable.

"Are you surprised?" Ling Tian smiled.

An Qi nodded obediently and said, "I thought you were an immortal cultivating in the deep mountains who wouldn't know much about modern tech."

Ling Tian laughed, "Your perspective is too old-fashioned. Nowadays, even Taoist priests and nuns use air conditioning. Someone like me, who is relatively normal, should know even more." To Ling Tian, technology and cultivation were the same; as long as he could make use of them, they had value and were worth studying.

An Qi was amused and smiled, "You're truly witty. I always thought you were one of those reclusive masters who didn't care for worldly things. By the way, what kind of jade are you looking for? Would you like me to help you choose? My family has been in the jewelry business for over a hundred years, so I'm quite an expert."

Facing An Qi's small display of pride, Ling Tian didn't have the heart to say that he only needed to scan them with his divine sense to determine the quality. To satisfy her enthusiasm, he made a gentlemanly gesture and said, "Miss An Qi, please lead the way!"

"Certainly!" An Qi smiled elegantly, naturally hooked her arm into Ling Tian's, and pointed to the nearest counter, "This counter contains rubies from Mozambique. The quality is very high. Sir, would you like to take a look?"

Ling Tian enjoyed this touch of romance and let her hold his arm, saying like a gentleman, "Miss An Qi, rubies are like diamonds—they only have a glamorous appearance but lack spiritual energy. Could you take me to see the jade instead?"

"Of course!" An Qi agreed readily and led him to the jade section. Jade is a type of mineral that the Chinese have cherished as a treasure since ancient times. As the saying goes, "People nourish jade, and jade nourishes people." Wearing high-quality jade for a long time can have a protective effect, calming the mind, soothing fears, and warding off evil.

Why jade can nourish people, while jewelry like diamonds and gemstones does not have this effect, science cannot yet explain. But Ling Tian knew it was because jade contained pure, heavenly spiritual energy, and after wearing it for a long time, it could form a blood-connected bond with the human body.

This was why, in the country, high-quality jade was far more expensive than diamonds and other jewelry.

The bulletproof glass could not block Ling Tian's divine sense. He spent less than a minute scanning it carefully. There were thirty-eight pieces of jade in this cabinet, all of them raw Burmese jadeite. The colors were incredibly vibrant—a transparent, rich green, with the crystalline structure filled with dense spiritual energy.