Chapter 69

"Yo, Hai Sheng, don't you have class today? How come you have free time to wander around Uncle Zhao's shop?" Old Zhao's eyes are sharp; as soon as I stepped in, he spotted me.

I chuckled, teased his little grandson a bit, then got straight to the point and said to him, "Uncle Zhao, do you have any top-quality Maoshan jade? I want to buy a piece."

"What's up? Did Master Wang send you for this? Is he taking the jade to refine something?" Old Zhao raised his head, asking doubtfully.

I hurriedly waved my hands, repeatedly saying no, I explained to him that it was just a sudden whim, I couldn't resist wanting to buy a piece of jade to wear.

Old Zhao said okay, wait a moment, I'll go get it for you. After saying that, he put the child on a nearby chair and walked into a small room at the back of the shop.

That small room was like a storage warehouse; inside the shop, besides the boss, no one is allowed to enter.

Bored and idle, I wandered around his shop a bit, looking at all those curious antiquities and calligraphy paintings; although I'm a clueless novice, just strolling around felt quite pleasant.

After less than two minutes, Old Zhao came out of the small room; seeing him come out, I followed him back to the desk at the entrance.

Old Zhao opened this antiquated box, pointing to the three jade pendants on the three sides and said to me, "Just pick one; the material of all three is top-notch."

The three jade pendants: one is fish-shaped, one is tiger-shaped, and the other has a Little Flower carved around its edge, the craftsmanship being the best of the three. After thinking, I pointed to the flowered jade and said, "That one."

I chose this jade not because of its craftsmanship—the tiger-shaped jade has too much killing aura, I don't like eating fish, and after thinking it over, this jade pendant just looks pleasing to the eye.

Old Zhao wrapped the flower-patterned jade and handed it to me. After paying, I sat there and casually chatted with him for a couple of sentences.

I glanced at my watch; it was already approaching afternoon. This jade pendant still needs to be refined before it can be used, and I also hope Murong Jiaja can come out soon. So I bade farewell to Old Zhao, turned around, and prepared to head home.

With a bang, as I turned around I bumped head-on into an unknown object; I covered my forehead and hissed lightly, and in my ears I heard a man continuously apologizing to me.

Although it hurt, I thought maybe he didn't do it on purpose, so I let it go. Just as I was about to tell him it was fine, I opened my eyes and saw a scene that made me startle.

He was a young person about my age, very thin and weak, with cheeks almost sunken. If I had to describe his build in one sentence, it would be like a sheet of paper— a gust of wind could easily knock him over.

What struck me as strange was that a seemingly tangible black energy seemed to be spreading around the corners of his eyes. When he lifted his head and I got a clear look at his face, I was shocked. Indeed, there was a black energy flowing from the fish-tail straight into his eyes; this black energy cannot be seen by ordinary people, only a Daoist who has opened their spiritual eyes can perceive it.

Moreover, this phenomenon has been mentioned in physiognomy texts: "Fish-tail linking to the yin, wandering soul unsettled, death approaches." The meaning is simple: if a person's face has darkened fish-tail and eye areas, or there is a black energy flowing from the fish-tail into the eyes, it indicates that the person's soul is unsettled, and soon their soul will go to the underworld.

While I was dazed, the young man quickly pulled something from his pocket and shoved it into Old Zhao's hand, anxiously saying, "Old Zhao, please take a look and see how much this is worth." While speaking, he glanced sideways at the shop's exterior, acting like a thief.

Old Zhao's shop not only sells items, but also buys them; normally, if someone brings something here to pawn, regardless of authenticity or whether the deal goes through, Old Zhao always treats them with a cheerful smile.

However, this time was strange: the young man shoved the item into Old Zhao's hand, but Old Zhao didn't even look at it before pushing it back and directly issuing an eviction order.

"I won't take it, I won't take it; no matter how valuable the thing you, Scoundrel Li, bring, I, Old Zhao, can't afford to bear it."

The young man called Scoundrel Li became anxious, pleading with Old Zhao: "Sir, just take a look, even a glance would do; this is absolutely a good thing." Then he shifted his tone, continuing to beg Old Zhao: "Or, I'll leave the item here as collateral, and you lend me some money to get by— that would work too."

"Get lost… if you don't leave right now, I'll call the police immediately." Old Zhao issued his final ultimatum.

In the midst of their shoving, the cloth holding that object opened a small corner; it seemed to be a piece of red, translucent jade pendant, but this jade made my heart leap.

"Wait a moment, let me see any good stuff first—I was just about to buy two jade pendants as gifts." Seeing Scoundrel Li about to walk away with the item, I quickly spoke up to stop him.

Upon hearing that I wanted to discuss business with him, Scoundrel Li quickly turned around, put his arm on my shoulder, and excitedly said, "Brother, I can tell at a glance you're someone with good judgment; come, let's go inside and talk in detail."

Without further ado, Scoundrel Li hastily dragged me into the shop; Old Zhao was about to speak up to stop me, but I quietly gestured to halt him, and I also really wanted to know what exactly Scoundrel Li was wrapping, and where this feeling that made my heart race came from.

After Scoundrel Li pulled me to a secluded spot, he quietly opened the black cloth, letting me see clearly what was inside.

As the black cloth opened, what appeared before me was a piece of fully translucent red Maitreya Buddha jade pendant; the Buddha figure has a big belly, squinted eyes, and a smiling face. Yet it was exactly this seemingly harmless blood Buddha that made me gasp in cold air instantly.

"Tomb……" I furrowed my brow, and those two words involuntarily surfaced in my mind.

Grave goods, by definition, are the burial items placed in tombs. During the late Qing and early Republican period, large quantities of grave goods flooded the market. Because that era was when the tomb-robbing specialists were most active— moving mountains, digging gold, the likes— they poured out incessantly. However, these grave goods that flowed out due to the specialists' digging are not necessarily priceless treasures; on the contrary, they are very likely lethal poisons that could take your life.

Just like the urn in Old Chen's house last time, the burial items in tombs are even more sinister; some not only are tainted with the tomb's foul aura, but are also easily possessed by the spirits that arise from the tomb, or corroded by yin energy, giving rise to sentience.

"Tell me…… where exactly did this blood Buddha come from?" I grabbed Scoundrel Li's hand and asked solemnly.

Scoundrel Li gave a hehe laugh and said, "This jade…… is a family heirloom." His eyes darted around as he came up with this excuse to cover up.

I gave a cold smile and warned him: "You'd better tell me how this blood Buddha came to be, or you'll soon face great disaster." The blood Buddha is filled with a terrifying killing aura that ordinary people cannot resist. If Scoundrel Li still doesn't repent, it won't be long before his soul goes to the underworld.

But I didn't expect Scoundrel Li to misunderstand me; he thought my warning of impending disaster was because I recognized the blood Buddha's origin and was preparing to call the police to arrest him.

So he suddenly wrenched free of my hand, shoved me hard, and cursed: "Go to hell."

I fell onto a nearby shelf, and Old Zhao, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, helped me up.

"I told you not to meddle, but you wouldn't listen; these junkies have no humanity, their stuff is not to be touched." Old Zhao helped me while complaining.

Only then did I learn Scoundrel Li's identity— he's just a white powder addict. However, this blood Buddha remaining in his hand is ultimately a disaster; if he really managed to sell it, it would only harm more people. Saying it killed a bad person would be one thing, but what if it killed a good person?

Although I'm not exactly a paragon of virtue, nor am I as stubborn as Pangzi, seeing an innocent good person lose their life still brings me to tears and sorrow.

Thinking of that, I ignored the pain in my leg, asked Old Zhao for Scoundrel Li's address. In Old Zhao's shop I took some cinnabar yellow paper and drew a few talismans to slay evil and dispel malevolence, then rushed out toward the entrance.

As I rushed out the door, Scoundrel Li had already vanished, but fortunately Old Zhao knew his address; Old Zhao said Scoundrel Li's house is located in Dongtian Street, two streets over, where a left turn on Dongtian Street leads to a small alley, his home is very conspicuous, right next to the public toilet at the entrance of that alley.