Chapter 379: Qionglong Stone Shadow: Memories (Part 2)

Although I couldn't be completely sure it was the same thing, the color and the carvings were at least very similar. I believed that even if they weren't identical, they definitely belonged to the same category.

I once suspected that that thing was the ghost seal mentioned in King Lu Shang's earth book. In front of the bronze door, Poker-face holding that thing couldn't have been just for show; it must have had a special function. I never expected to see something similar here.

Damn, I thought to myself, it's really a case of 'the early bird doesn't catch the worm, but the timely one does.' I signaled to Fatty with my eyes, he lowered his head, and I whispered to him: "Go ask quickly, who is the seller?"

Fatty nodded. Beside him, Old Mrs. Huo took a sip of tea in a sour tone and said faintly: "Don't bother asking. If the seller here doesn't want to be known, no one can find out."

"Hey, old lady, you're underestimating me, right?" Fatty said. "Your Fatty may not hang out at this New Moon Hotel, but I still have some face in Beijing. I'm telling you, don't think I'm bragging. With my connections, if I want to find out about someone in Beijing, there's no one I can't track down."

The old lady didn't turn her head: "The owner here has been distinguished since the days of the Manchu dynasty with an emperor in Beijing. Hundreds of years, passed down several generations, never had any trouble. If you really could find out, your young master would probably be fishing you out of the Yongding River tomorrow. These days, the price for retrieving corpses is high. I think you better save your money for what's coming."

Fatty was annoyed and wanted to immediately go out and prove the old woman wrong. I quickly stopped him, knowing that the old lady wasn't exaggerating. And Fatty, having said such harsh words, was now picking a fight. If he went out and really couldn't find out, he definitely wouldn't come back, and might even grab a staff member for severe interrogation to save face. If something went wrong, it would be bad. The event was about to start, and I didn't want any more complications, so I said to him: "Give her some face."

Fatty was actually giving me face, muttered something, and stopped talking. I looked at the gradually quieting scene around me and had another thought: The simplest way to see the seller might be to buy this thing. But was that feasible?

There was only one auction item here. Everyone had a clear purpose and were all big shots. I figured I couldn't outbid them. If I won the bid and then defaulted, the penalty would at least bankrupt me. And this was a black market; defaulting might mean losing a finger or an eye. That would be disastrous.

Even if I actually bought it, it was dicey. In this kind of black market, the seller might remain anonymous throughout. Even if you bought his item, he might not show up, at most sending an agent to sign the contract. And I guessed the auction process here had different rules from legitimate ones.

For now, I had to take it step by step, first determine who bought it, then plan from there. My unease had turned into confusion, and I had a premonition that something would go wrong here.

Down below, preparations were made quickly. I saw a glass case placed in the center of the stage, containing the jade seal from the brochure. It was hard to see clearly. The qipao-clad woman started speaking: "Gentlemen, we are now presenting the item. Take a good look, because once it's sold, there won't be another chance."

As she spoke, a worker came out from the side, wearing a sleeveless vest, his arms as thick as ox legs, holding a very long bamboo pole with a hook at the end. There was a ring on top of the glass case. The worker hooked the ring with the bamboo pole, lifted it like fishing, and raised the glass case. Then, holding the pole, he lifted the case into the air, as if using a clothes hanger to hang laundry, and sent it up to the private rooms. The worker's technique was extremely steady; holding the pole above, his hand didn't shake at all, and he moved it along the outer edge of the second-floor gallery, sending it from room to room.

No one reached for it, and they couldn't. It was kept exactly an arm's length away, so they just looked at it in the air for a few seconds. In less than half a minute, it moved to the next room. Soon it was in front of me. Fatty immediately leaned in, and I craned my neck to look. At such close range, I could see clearly. I immediately realized that the material of this thing was definitely the same kind of meteorite jade used to make the jade burial suit.

For a moment, I really wanted to grab it and tell them to run, but I forcibly suppressed that thought.

Soon the item was taken down and returned to the center stage. Then, the same worker used the bamboo pole to hook up bells one by one. The little girl beside the old lady took them and placed them next to the old lady. The people in other private rooms also received them, but I didn't.

I figured that only those participating in the auction got bells, so I didn't pay attention. I thought it would start after the bells were distributed. But unexpectedly, the worker finally hooked up a single item and sent it to me.

It was a small lantern, only the size of a small watermelon, with a small candle inside. The cover was blue and very dim. It clearly wasn't for illumination.

As soon as that thing appeared, there was a small commotion in the venue, which gradually turned into a wave of exclamations. I saw all eyes focus on me.

I was stunned. Fatty took it in confusion and placed it beside me. As soon as he put it down, a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted throughout the venue.

I looked at Fatty, even more bewildered. A worker came from behind, took the lantern, and helped hang it on a hook on a pillar beside us. The old lady beside me said faintly: "Why don't you acknowledge your admirers? It's been a long time since anyone dared to light this heavenly lantern in this hotel. You've brought face to your Old Wu family. From now on, everyone in the jianghu will know the prestige of the Young Master of the Wu family."

I looked at her, still not understanding what she meant, but the phrase "light the heavenly lantern" sounded familiar, as if I had heard it somewhere.

She looked at me with a cold smile and continued: "But this moment of glory might just burn your entire Old Wu family to ashes with this prodigal lantern of yours."