Wang Bin felt a bit uneasy under his master's gaze and smiled, saying, "Master, if you have something to say, just say it!"

Li Zhengguo chuckled, "I truly have a good disciple!"

Wang Bin replied modestly, "Thank you for the compliment, Master!"

"Not only are you talented and intelligent, but you're also humble and hardworking. Your future is limitless!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Master!"

"This Sunday is my seventieth birthday. I didn't plan on having a party, but I couldn't resist my son and grandchildren's persuasion. If you're free, come join the fun!"

"Oh! Sure, I'll definitely be there!"

"Good, come early. Now, eat up!"

"Alright!"

Wang Bin agreed and, feeling a bit restrained, added some pepper and cilantro to his lamb offal soup before starting to eat.

The breakfast shop wasn't large, but the food was authentic, and business was booming. If they hadn't arrived early, they might have had to wait for a seat.

After finishing their breakfast, they vacated their seats, and as they left, Wang Bin discreetly placed a fifty-yuan bill under the bowl.

Even though the owner offered to treat them, it didn't feel right to accept free food from someone running a business.

Li Zhengguo noticed Wang Bin's gesture and felt very satisfied with his character.

The reason he accepted Wang Bin as a disciple, aside from his martial arts talent, was because of his good character.

For martial artists, talent is important, but character is equally crucial. A person with poor character and great martial skills could be a danger to society.

After leaving the shop and greeting the owner, they walked along the road until they reached a fork, where they parted ways.

Once alone, Wang Bin began to think about what gift to give his master.

From their previous interactions, he knew that besides being a martial arts expert, Li Zhengguo also had a fondness for calligraphy and paintings, and he was quite skilled at them.

"I need to find some time to buy a painting!"

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In the apocalypse, he had seen many famous paintings, but unfortunately, those were works by renowned figures from the apocalyptic world and couldn't be brought to the real world. He figured he'd have to check out the antique street.

Arriving at the antique street, he entered a well-decorated shop. The shop had two floors, and Wang Bin glanced around, seeing many paintings, but he couldn't tell if they were genuine or not.

Wang Bin couldn't help but envy the protagonists in novels who had X-ray vision and could easily discern authenticity.

"Right, I might not have X-ray vision, but I have the System!"

Suddenly remembering his System, Wang Bin quickly inquired.

"System, can you help me authenticate these paintings?"

"Yes, one thousand kilograms of gold per item."

"Damn, a thousand kilograms each? Why don't you just rob someone!"

Hearing the System's price, Wang Bin felt a pang in his chest and couldn't help but curse the System for being so greedy.

A thousand kilograms per item, and it wasn't even guaranteed to be authentic. With that much gold, he could probably buy the whole place.

Without the System's help, he had to rely on his own judgment. Soon, he was drawn to a particular painting and called out to the nearby attendant.

"Hey, can I take a look at this painting?"

The attendant almost stumbled at Wang Bin's archaic address, thinking to himself, "Sir, did you time travel from ancient times?"

Though he was displeased with being called "hey," he didn't show it and approached with a smile.

"Sir, would you like to see this painting?"

"Yes, could you take it down for me?"

"No problem, please wait a moment!"

The attendant turned to get a tool to take down the painting from the wall, but Wang Bin asked another question.

"How much is this painting?"

"Not expensive, just fifty thousand."

"Fifty thousand? Never mind, I won't look at it."

"Ah, sir, rest assured, this painting is the work of the famous Song Dynasty painter XX. It's definitely authentic. If you take it home and keep it for a few years, its value will surely double!"

"No, it's not that this painting is expensive. Do you have anything more expensive?"

"Ah! Yes, yes, sir, please come to the second floor. The treasures are all upstairs!"

The attendant initially thought Wang Bin found the painting too expensive and was ready with a whole spiel, but it turned out Wang Bin found it too cheap, catching him off guard. Once he realized, he beamed with delight, thinking Wang Bin was a big spender, a rare opportunity not to be missed.

Soon, Wang Bin was led to the second floor, which was even more elegantly decorated. In front was a classically styled living room, and behind it seemed to be a storage area.

Wang Bin was seated at a zitan Eight Immortals table, with chairs also made of zitan wood. Just this set of zitan furniture was worth a fortune.

"Is this zitan furniture for sale?"

"Ah! Sorry, this zitan furniture is not for sale. It's specifically for entertaining guests by our boss!"

The attendant, about to pour tea for Wang Bin, was nearly startled into spilling it by Wang Bin's question.

"My goodness, this really is a big spender, wanting to buy this million-dollar zitan furniture right off the bat!"

This zitan furniture was used by their boss as a showpiece to impress esteemed guests. Every time a distinguished guest came to the second floor, they were immediately drawn to this zitan furniture, making it easier for them to believe that everything sold here was authentic.

Of course, it wasn't that the zitan furniture wasn't for sale. If the price was high enough to persuade the boss, it could be sold.

Initially saying it wasn't for sale was a tactic to drive up the price during negotiations.

But Wang Bin didn't understand these subtleties. Hearing it wasn't for sale, he assumed it really wasn't and didn't pursue it further.

The attendant felt a bit disappointed seeing Wang Bin drop the subject.

"Sir, our boss is on the way. Please enjoy our shop's special Da Hong Pao tea!"

"Alright!"

Wang Bin agreed, taking a sip. He wasn't a tea connoisseur, but he could tell this was good tea. Why? Because it was fragrant and unlike the cheap tea he used to buy from the supermarket.

As Wang Bin sipped his tea, he looked at the paintings on the wall, but he couldn't discern any difference between these and the ones downstairs. In fact, he thought some of the ones downstairs were better.

If he dared to say this out loud, anyone knowledgeable would surely scold him.

Before long, footsteps sounded on the stairs, and the attendant hurried to greet them.

"Oh, Miss Li, you're here!"

"Don't call me Miss Li, call me Officer Li!"

"Ah, yes, Officer Li, please come in!"

Hearing the voices, Wang Bin turned to see an elderly man and a young woman. The old man wore a traditional robe from the Republic of China era, while the other was a young girl.

The moment he saw the girl, Wang Bin was stunned!

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