Ren Hongmei quickly pulled her son over, her face full of concern: "Kuozi, it's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright! Those damned bastards didn't do anything to you, did they?"
Xu Kuo felt a warmth in his heart, patted his wife's hand, and comforted his mother, saying, "It's alright, it's all taken care of."
Upon hearing the news, Jiang Xiuying and Ren Hongmei were stunned at first, then their faces lit up with unbelievable joy!
Xu Kuo smiled, then remembered the party and cleared his throat: "By the way, I have something to tell you. Secretary Zhou just invited me to perform at the New Year's Eve military-civilian gala."
"Perform a show?" Ren Hongmei stopped muttering and stared wide-eyed. "When did our Kuozi learn to perform? What kind of show?"
Jiang Xiuying looked at Xu Kuo curiously, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "Yes, my dear, what other talents do you have? I didn't know."
Xu Kuo touched his nose, feigning mystery: "Magic tricks are what city people call 'magic'."
"What?! Magic trick?!" The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exclaimed in unison, their faces filled with shock and disbelief. The joy they had just felt was instantly replaced by even greater astonishment.
They had no idea that Xu Kuo possessed this skill!
Seeing the surprised looks on his family's faces, Xu Kuo's heart began to pound. Indeed, where could he learn magic? In this era, in this remote and impoverished place, even traveling performers were hard to find, let alone a proper magician.
The boast has been made, but if it backfires, it will not only be embarrassing, but it will also arouse Sheng Xu's suspicion.
Just as Xu Kuo was at his wit's end, a long-lost mechanical notification sound suddenly rang in his mind!
[Ding! System upgrade available! The system has detected the host's current predicament. Upgrading will allow you to redeem the "Complete Magic Manual"!]
The system can be upgraded?! And you can even exchange for magic items?!
Xu Kuo was overjoyed! He still had a considerable amount of points left over from the last auction, and more importantly, the warehouse was piled high with antiques that he hadn't had time to deal with! These were all treasures that could be converted into points!
Xu Kuo could no longer sit still and immediately explained to Jiang Xiuying and his mother, "Ahem, this magic trick is something I secretly learned before, but I've never had a chance to show it. I need to go to the warehouse to find some props I used to practice with and prepare properly."
After saying that, without waiting for the two to react, he rushed out of the house like a gust of wind and headed straight for the warehouse not far away.
Upon arriving at the warehouse, Xu Kuo immediately locked the door. With a thought, he began to communicate with the system, exchanging a portion of the miscellaneous antiques, such as porcelain and calligraphy, which had been appraised by the system and were of relatively low value but could still be exchanged for a considerable number of points, for points.
[Ding! Points redemption successful! Current points balance: 4350.]
Seeing his rapidly increasing points, Xu Kuo did not hesitate to choose to upgrade the system.
While Xu Kuo was busy upgrading the system and learning magic, on the other side, in the county security office, Sheng Xu was giving orders to one of his trusted subordinates with a stern face.
"Xiao Li, go find me the most famous magician in our county or the surrounding area, and be quick!"
Sheng Xu tapped his fingers on the table, his eyes sharp. Xu Kuo's explanation was too outlandish; he didn't believe it!
"Captain, why do you need to find a magician?" Little Li was completely bewildered, not understanding what his captain was up to.
Sheng Xu glanced at him: "Don't ask so many questions, just go!"
"Yes!" Although he was puzzled, Xiao Li immediately accepted the order and went to carry it out.
The security department was very efficient. Before long, a middle-aged man with a goatee, sharp eyes, and a slightly worn but clean Zhongshan suit was brought before Sheng Xu.
"Reporting to the captain, we've brought him. His name is Zhang Zhihe, and he's said to be the best handyman in this area," Xiao Li reported.
Sheng Xu sized up Zhang Zhihe and got straight to the point: "Master Zhang, right? I've called you here to ask you something."
Seeing that it was the leader of the security department, Zhang Zhihe dared not be negligent and quickly bowed: "You are too kind, leader. Please feel free to ask me anything. As long as it is something I know, I will tell you everything I know."
Sheng Xu leaned forward slightly, his eyes blazing as he stared at Zhang Zhihe: "I'm asking you, is it possible for someone in your line of work to... in a very short time, like the blink of an eye, to make almost half a warehouse full of porcelain, jade, and other artifacts, piled up like small mountains, disappear without leaving a trace?"
Zhang Zhihe was stunned for a moment, then looked as if he had heard the most absurd thing in the world, his mustache almost standing on end. He looked at Sheng Xu, his eyes filled with disbelief, and cautiously asked, "Leader, you...you must have heard this myth from somewhere?"
Seeing that Sheng Xu's expression remained unchanged and he was still staring at him.
Zhang Zhihe quickly waved his hand, his tone tinged with a mixture of amusement and exasperation: "Boss, please don't joke with this old man! Our magic tricks rely on quick hands, skillful props, and the use of illusions. To put it bluntly, it's an illusion, it's fake!"
"What you're describing—making half a warehouse, a mountain of stuff, vanish instantly… That's not magic, that's something only a god could do! Don't even mention me, even if you brought in the most famous magician in the capital, you could never do it! This… this isn't magic, this is sorcery!"
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, convinced that the leader had definitely been fooled.
"Oh? Never even heard of him?" Sheng Xu's gaze deepened, his fingers pausing their tapping on the table. Zhang Zhihe's resolute denial further confirmed his suspicions about Xu Kuo. That young man was definitely hiding a great secret!
"Absolutely true!" Zhang Zhihe patted his chest and guaranteed, "I've been performing magic tricks my whole life, and I've never heard of anything so outrageous!"
Sheng Xu pondered for a moment, then suddenly a meaningful smile appeared on his lips: "Master Zhang, you don't need to perform. Here's what we'll do: on New Year's Eve, the county is having a joint military-civilian gala in the auditorium. Come with me."
"Huh? Go to the gala with you?" Zhang Zhihe was even more confused. What exactly did this leader want?
Sheng Xu stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the night outside: "Let's go see someone perform. Someone... who claims to be able to do the kind of 'impossible thing' you just mentioned using 'magic'."
What? !
Zhang Zhihe's eyes widened suddenly, his goatee trembled, and his face was filled with shock and disbelief. Then, an overwhelming sense of curiosity and curiosity surged up, along with a hint of excitement at being challenged.
"Really... really such a person?! Daring to say that?! Who... who is he?!" This is practically challenging the entire magic world's understanding! If such a person really exists, then what is he? A deity descended to earth?
Sheng Xu turned around, his face expressionless: "He will perform on stage at the New Year's Eve gala. You'll see for yourself then."
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