Chapter 121: Claim It!

Yu Qian was pleasantly surprised. He had originally come just to try his luck, considering even obtaining one pup a full success. Yet now, Old Qiao, the village chief, had proactively offered to supply native mastiffs on a long-term basis.

“Actually, my greatest hope is to build a school near the village, to have teachers come and teach the children to read,” Old Qiao said with a hint of helplessness. “But unfortunately, it’s simply unrealistic. We can only sell some pups to send them to schools in nearby cities, so they can get a taste of the outside world.”

Zhuang Chen remained silent, understanding the old man’s wish. If a school could be built in the village, from primary all the way to high school, and then let the youth choose their own path to university, they wouldn’t have to leave their families to receive an education—an ideal solution.

Once the charity foundation was established, the first task would be to help build a school in Hashi Village, ensuring the children’s right to fair education.

He handed all the cash from the car to Old Qiao and received two native mastiff pups in return. From then on, Baza would serve as the contact, responsible for transporting other pups to the capital.

After discussing with Yu Qian, they decided to partner up and establish a mastiff breeding park—Zhuang Chen would invest, Yu Qian would manage it. They could profit from breeding in the future. Nowadays, a single purebred mastiff stud service could easily fetch two or three hundred thousand yuan, no less.

On the way back to the city, Yu Qian seemed energized, enthusiastically outlining plans for the mastiff park. Xia Long and Xia Hu were equally excited, not only offering ideas but also recommending two comrades who were special forces dog trainers, highly skilled.

Zhuang Chen, however, had no interest in cats or dogs; they required too much care, like children. He couldn’t take them on trips, and maybe in a few years when he felt less restless, he’d consider having a few pets for leisure.

Yu Qian made no stops, rushing back to the capital to arrange for the native pups. Zhuang Chen called Song Qiao to arrange a Tibetan guide for a full-service tour of food, drink, and entertainment.

Upon meeting Zhuoma, a tall, bright-eyed young woman full of warmth, she eagerly pulled Zhuang Chen out, heading straight for the city center.

“We have everything on the plateau: sacred mountains and lakes, circumambulation and debate rituals, snow-covered highlands, blue skies and white clouds—a pure paradise...” she said.

“But the most famous place in Lhasa is Barkhor Street. To come all this way and not take a stroll there would be such a pity!”

As they walked, the crowd grew thicker. People clad in white robes, red garments, simple attire, and vibrant clothing mingled together.

Each person held prayer beads, some also carrying prayer wheels, murmuring prayers as they briskly circled the Jokhang Temple clockwise.

Zhuoma’s face was filled with reverence as she whispered, “This is the renowned circumambulation path, known in Tibetan as the ‘middle circle,’ contrasting with the inner circles within the Jokhang and Lingkhor. At certain times near dusk, all the devotees, strangers to each other, seem summoned by the Buddha, strictly following the clockwise route along this circular path...”

“Inside the Jokhang Temple is a life-sized statue of the twelve-year-old Shakyamuni, crafted entirely from pure gold. Surrounding Barkhor Street, we call this the Holy Road. No matter the time, you’ll always see the steady flow of circumambulators, especially bustling at dawn and dusk...”

Zhuang Chen observed as they walked. The crowd was vast. Barkhor Street preserved the original appearance of the old city, paved with hand-polished stone blocks, flanked by many traditional Tibetan houses.

In the center of the street stood a massive incense burner, billowing smoke day and night. Shops lined both sides, selling religious items, daily necessities, thangka paintings, handkerchiefs, Tibetan carpets, various handicrafts, antiques, and specialties—an endless array of goods.

At the intersection where the circular road met the highway stood a tall pillar called Jueyadajin. Zhuoma explained that when a Tibetan girl turns sixteen, she must hold a coming-of-age ceremony before this great mast.

Continuing along the circumambulation path, at No. 24 North Street, there was an unassuming two-story building named Qujie Pozhang—famously known as the Palace of the Dharma King. It was the first of the four main palaces and was built by Songtsen Gampo as a modest palace before the Jokhang Temple was constructed.

They arrived at the white herbal incense stupa’s northern side, topped with red grass walls and a three-story building—once the office of the Qing dynasty’s Resident Commissioner in Tibet. At the end of the Barkhor circumambulation route lay the Songqure ruins, a site of great significance in Buddhist history.

Tuba, located at the southern end of Barkhor Street’s circumambulation route, was a three-story building that served as the birthplace of the Tibetan language. It now functioned as the local residents’ committee office.

As they walked, it was clear why this famous commercial street thrived: lingzhi mushrooms, saffron, cordyceps, Tibetan antelope horns, snow lotus blossoms were everywhere. There were also lamas offering mysterious Tibetan medicines, expertly prepared and processed.

Zhuoma noticed Zhuang Chen squatting down to pick up a Tibetan knife. She whispered, “You can’t bring Tibetan knives on planes, not even in checked luggage. They can only be sent through the post office. The main post office is north of the pedestrian street; sending it from there is much faster.”

Zhuang Chen waved her off and stood up, moving to a nearby stall filled entirely with dzi beads.

Zhuoma discreetly poked him and gave a knowing look. After the crowd had passed, she slapped the bustling street and said, “Good thing you’re smart, or you’d have definitely been scammed!”

Zhuang Chen smiled slightly. He wasn’t foolish—how could such treasures as dzi beads be so common?

In the world of collectibles, when it came to dzi beads, two names always came up: Jet Li and Yang Zi. The martial arts superstar, after narrowly escaping a tsunami, devoted himself to Buddhism. It was said he spent twenty million yuan to bring a dzi bead from Dabao Monastery, and the nine-eyed dzi bead he carried daily was worth over a hundred million!

As for Yang Zi, Zhuang Chen had first heard of him because he owned Asia’s only ultra-long Hummer, a $220,000 VERTU phone, and an emerald ring said to have formed over 4.6 billion years—then there was his dzi bead collection.

As the heir to a secretive financial empire worth billions, Yang Zi collected every kind of rare dzi bead—from one-eyed to twelve-eyed, Daluo to Tiandi beads. Over twenty years, he amassed more than 3,300 pieces, earning the title “King of Dzi Beads.”

After the release of the film “Silent Separation,” Na Ying’s theme song sparked a craze. In the music video, the lead actor wore a black vest and a dzi bead around his neck—a precious wedding gift from Yang Zi.

An online photo circulated showing actor Chen Kun alongside Yang Zi; Chen Kun wore a string of phoenix-eye bodhi beads around his neck and a tiger’s tooth dzi bead bracelet on his wrist. Experts claimed the tiger’s tooth bead was nearly flawless and worth at least several million.

Celebrities like Han Geng, Wen Zhang, Ma Yili, Wu Zhenyu, and Vivian Hsu were also loyal dzi bead enthusiasts, frequently wearing them at public events, each piece highly valuable.

At the 2013 Poly autumn auction, a millennium-old pure lotus twelve-eyed dzi bead sold for 31 million yuan; a double-line nine-eyed dzi bead fetched 27.5 million; seventeen two-eyed beads went for 23.5 million; single-line nine-eyed beads for 13.5 million; and single-line twelve-eyed beads for 12.5 million...

When collectibles intersect with religion, their value becomes truly staggering...

Zhuang Chen had no interest in dzi beads. He preferred wood—warm in winter, cool in summer, full of character, and most importantly, two words:

“Play with it!”