The Lost Tomb Vol. 7

Chapter 10: Memories (Part II)

Although I wasn't entirely sure that it was the same thing, the color and carvings on it were at least very similar. I figured that even if they were different, they had to be of the same class.

I once wondered if that was the ghost seal mentioned in King Lu's book. Poker-face wouldn't have been posing with it in front of the bronze door unless it had a special function. I didn't expect to see anything similar here.

Shit, I said to myself, it would be better to catch up as soon as possible. When I finally remembered, I gave Fatty a wink. He lowered his head and I whispered to him, "Go and ask who the seller is."

Just as Fatty nodded, Granny Huo coolly took a sip of tea and said quietly from the side, "Don't ask. If the seller here doesn't want to be known, then no one can ask."

"Well, old lady, you're not looking down on us, are you?" Fatty asked. "Although I haven't mixed with this Crescent Hotel, I can be regarded as a man with a face of one acre in Beijing. Let me tell you, it's not just boasting. With my personal connections, I can really find anyone in Beijing."

Granny Huo didn't look at him: "The boss here was a dignitary when the Manchu Dynasty in Beijing had an emperor. It has been passed on for hundreds of years and handed down for several generations. Nothing has ever happened. If you can really find out, your young master will have to go to the Yongding River tomorrow to fish you out. These days, the price of collecting corpses is very high. I think you should save some money to deal with things later."

Fatty was angry and immediately wanted to go out to prove it to the old woman. I knew that what she said was true, and wasn't an exaggeration, so I quickly grabbed him. Moreover, Fatty was the one who said malicious words. Even if he had been caught up in the moment, if he really went out and asked, he definitely wouldn't come back until he had some information. Maybe he would also grab a fellow to torture and extort a confession from in order to earn his face back, and something might happen. The auction was about to start, and I didn't want to cause any trouble, so I said to him, "Give her some face."

Actually, Fatty was giving me face, and even though he was still muttering, he didn't say anything more. As I watched the scene gradually quiet down around me, another thought occurred to me. The easiest way to meet the seller might be to buy it, but was it feasible?

There was only one item for sale here. Everyone had a clear purpose and was a big boss, so I figured the price was beyond mere competition. If I bought the seal and breached the contract, the liquidated damages alone would make me bankrupt. Moreover, this was a black market. If I broke the contract, I might even have to cut off a finger, or dig out an eye or something, which would ruin my life.

Even if we did manage to buy it, we might still be left hanging. In this kind of black market, the seller may keep the whole process confidential. And even if he sold his things, he may not show up. At most, he might send an agent to sign the contract with you. Moreover, I figured that the auction process here was different from normal ones.

For today, we could only take it one step at a time. We'd first determine who bought it, and then take a long-term view. The unease in my heart had turned chaotic and I had a hunch that something was going on here.

They were moving in an orderly fashion down below, and it wasn't long before everything was arranged. I saw that a glass cabinet had been placed in the middle of the stage and the imperial seal from the roster was placed inside, but I couldn't see it clearly. The cheongsam woman began to speak: "Ladies and gentlemen, we are now going to start taking bids. Have a good look. If you can't get it, there won't be a next time."

As she said this, a man wearing a sleeveless waistcoat came out from the side. He had two thick arms and was holding a long bamboo pole. There was a hook on the head of the bamboo pole and a ring on the top of the glass cabinet. The man used the hook to lift the glass cabinet as if he were fishing. He then hoisted the bamboo pole up, lifting the glass cabinet into the air as if he were hanging clothes with a clothes fork.

The man's hands were very steady as he held the bamboo pole up to the second floor. They didn't even shake at all as he walked along the outer edge of the balcony galleries.

No one spoke as they looked at it a few times while maintaining a distance of about an arm's length. It arrived at the next room in less than half a minute, before eventually arriving in front of me. Fatty immediately leaned over and I also craned my neck to see. It was very close and I could finally see it clearly. I immediately noticed that this thing was made of the same stone as the meteorite jade that made the jade figures.

For a moment, I really wanted to snatch it and tell them to run, but I was able to resist the idea.

It was soon pulled back and returned to the center of the stage, and then the same guy started to lift up bells with his bamboo pole one at a time. When it was her turn, the little girl next to the old woman picked it up and placed it beside the old woman. Those in the other boxes also took one, but I didn't. I figured only those who participated in the auction had bells, so I didn't care too much.

I thought the auction was going to start soon, but at the last minute, the man unexpectedly forked something up to me.

It was a small lantern that was the size of a small watermelon and had a small candle inside. The cloth was blue and very dark, and at first glance, it was clear that this lantern wasn't used for lighting.

When that thing appeared, there was a small commotion in the area that suddenly turned into an uproar. I noticed that all eyes were now focused on me.

I was stunned as Fatty inexplicably took it and put it next to me. As soon as he put it down, a burst of warm applause suddenly broke out from the whole venue.

I looked at Fatty and was even more confused. One of the men came up from behind and picked up the lantern to hang on the hook of a nearby pillar. Granny Huo whispered from the side, "Won't you give your admirers your regards? In this restaurant, no one has dared to light this sky lantern for a long time. You're giving your old Wu parents some face. In the future, everyone in this circle will know who you are, young master of the Wu family."

I looked at her and didn't understand what she meant, but I seemed to have heard the words "sky lantern" somewhere before.

She looked at me with a sneer and continued: "However, I'm afraid the old Wu family will be burned down by the lantern you've lit today."