Gzi Beads, also known as “stones fallen from the sky,” are the most precious of the seven treasures of the Western Regions. The most valuable of all Gzi Beads are the “Zhangzhung Gzi Beads,” originating from the ancient Zhangzhung Kingdom that once spanned Central Asia and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau!
Zhangzhung Gzi Beads have been blessed and passed down for thousands of years by Great Adepts and Venerable Monks. Legend says there are nine in total, each with nine eyes, named Lotus, Longevity, As-You-Wish, Treasure Vase, Pestle, Dragon Eye, Sun and Moon, Black and White, and Heart.
Most of them have been lost to the tides of history. Only three remain: As-You-Wish, Dragon Eye, and Sun and Moon, carefully treasured in the Louvre Museum, the Forbidden City, and the Potala Palace, respectively. The whereabouts of the other beads have long been unknown, but recently, rumors have surfaced that the “Heart Bead” has appeared…
One, Heart Bead
If rain were likened to the scale of an earthquake, it would be about magnitude eight at this moment.
Jiuhuang Valley Scenic Area, a five-A rated tourism area, is nestled deep in the southern part of the Minshan Mountains in southwestern China, home to plateau karst lake clusters, a giant panda breeding corridor, 74 species of nationally protected rare flora and fauna, and also contains rare cultural landscapes, such as rarely seen Lamaist Temples.
The downpour was torrential. Rainfall in the past twenty-four hours had already reached 170mm. The time on the watch showed 23:36. The rain fell like a waterfall, with no sign of stopping.
Luo Kang raised his wrist again, 23:37. There were still more than six hours until he got off work. Knowing that it was impossible for any guests to arrive in such terrible weather, he still had to stand upright in the water mist that occasionally swept over him.
Normally, even raising his wrist would not be allowed during his shift. As the only five-star hotel in the entire scenic area, the concierge department would usually be the first to contact arriving VIPs, and even the slightest extra movement would violate the job operation manual.
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[Please go to the source webpage to read, the following content is automatically replaced to prevent collection] You──I, Big──Small, More──Less, Up──Down, Left──Right….
Although the dark red welcome uniform was already stained with a layer of water mist, even in the canyon where annual rainfall approached 200mm, such heavy rain was not uncommon. The cliffs on both sides of the National Highway exiting the scenic area were composed of sandstone and shale, and heavy rain easily caused landslides and mudslides.
“Swish!”
A beam of straight headlights shot out from the “crashing” rain, piercing the straight rain curtain and treading waves along the waterlogged asphalt road.
“So late? A guest?” Luo Kang instantly stood up straight.
It was a van painted with the words “Aviation Freight,” which was rarely used to transport passenger luggage. Guests booking the hotel were at least picked up in business vehicles.
The driver, Basang, slammed to a stop in front of the hotel portico, the wheels splashing water that soaked Luo Kang’s Songba Boots.
Luo Kang didn’t even glance at the person who came down, assuming that in such a small rain night guests would reluctantly take the luggage car.
Basang jumped out of the car, opened the back door, and dragged out a suitcase. The white luggage tag on the handle was printed with the word “PARIS.”
“Where’s the guest?” Luo Kang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there was no one else besides the luggage. Usually, the guests arrived first, followed by the luggage; he had never seen the situation before him.
“How would I know?” Basang dragged the luggage to Luo Kang’s feet. “I’m leaving!” He jumped into the driver’s seat, which had not been turned off, and sped away.
“Wait! Where’s the person?” The red taillights disappeared into the vast, torrential rain.
At his feet was a standard suitcase, leather, with the PRADA pattern. Just the suitcase alone was worth at least fifty or sixty thousand, suggesting that the guest who was about to check in was rich and powerful.
Luo Kang tried to lift the suitcase. It was quite heavy. He pushed the luggage cart out of the lobby to put the suitcase down first, waiting for the VIP to arrive so he could lead them directly to the back desk to check in.
The luggage cart was also covered with a layer of water. Luo Kang put the suitcase on it and was about to push it to the side of the portico when something unexpected happened as he passed the slope in front of the door—
One of the wheels on the suitcase slipped on the wet metal surface. Before he could react, the entire suitcase lost its balance and rolled out, tumbling twice before completely falling apart at the bottom of the slope!
Luo Kang’s pupils shrank sharply. He had messed up such a simple thing. If he were held accountable, he might lose his job. He rushed out to pick up the items scattered on the ground!
There were neatly folded clothes, personal toiletries for travel, a razor, a book, and a box of considerable size, all soaked in the rain.
He picked up the rest and put them back in the suitcase, leaving only the last box—it was not exactly a box, but more accurately a casket, with simple patterns, dark red texture, and quite heavy in the hand.
Luo Kang didn’t think much, quickly gathered everything up, just praying that the surveillance camera above his head was blurred by the rain and fog. He carefully placed the suitcase on the luggage cart and pushed it into the lobby, reminding the drowsy staff at the back desk that a guest was about to check in.
The rain was still heavy, with no thunder or wind. It was as if the drain was open, and all the rainwater was pouring down from the sky.
The white rain night made even the streetlights appear dim. The “Wow” sound was endless. Besides the sound of rain, no other sound could be heard.
Luo Kang returned to the welcome position. Sure enough, not long after, an airport MVP drove through the rain and stopped at the door. The car door was pulled open, and a man in a gray coat stepped out. He was not tall, and his face was not clear as he wore a hood. He looked a little weak in the black night.
The spotlights in the lobby shone brightly, illuminating the hall like daylight. No guest would be willing to stay in a hotel that saved electricity even at the front door, including the artificial fountain inside the revolving door, which sprayed water in colorful neon lights.
“Sir, hello,” Luo Kang gave a standard welcome greeting. Although he bowed enough, he was still much taller than the guest in front of him. “Welcome to the Molton International Holiday Inn. Is it just one person?”
The guest nodded under the hood, without saying a word. Luo Kang immediately extended his left hand and made a “please” gesture, “This way, sir!”
Luo Kang pushed the luggage cart, guiding the guest through the portico and into the hotel. Two sweet receptionists in uniform gave professional smiles, and the check-in procedures were completed in a few minutes. It was a simple business standard room, located on the fifth floor of the hotel, room 509.
After welcoming the guest into the room, Luo Kang returned to the lobby and looked at his wrist, 23:52, complaining in his heart how quickly time passed.
The corner of his eye fell on a corner of the ground not far away. There were a few pieces of white paper in his field of vision. After confirming that he was not mistaken, he picked them up. Maybe the guest had accidentally dropped them, or he hadn’t noticed when the suitcase fell apart?
He subconsciously opened the top one—it was all in English, which he couldn’t understand, except for a string of numbers, $23,000,000. At least he knew it was twenty-three million US dollars.
Taking a few steps back to the blind spot of the corner surveillance camera, Luo Kang quickly took out his mobile phone and opened the translation app, typing in one word at a time…
As the meaning of the sentence became complete, his eyes widened, and his brain even started buzzing!
This was a delivery note from the Paris Auction House: the auctioned item “gZi Beads” was auctioned for 23 million US dollars and was purchased by a trustee named Ningma.
Luo Kang immediately checked the strange English, and the result showed—”Gzi Beads,” a Gzi Bead that was auctioned in a foreign auction house for as much as twenty million US dollars!
Steadying his mind, Luo Kang walked to the front desk, casually glancing at the computer where the guests were registered—the name of the guest who had just checked in was “Ningma.”
The guest’s full name was: “Ningma. Riguang Benbo.”