Chapter 217: Guhua Pavilion

According to Chen Canghai, there was very little information available regarding Northwest Outdoor from the last century. Its predecessor was a munitions factory that supplied military equipment to the higher-ups, so all records of its previous incarnation were reduced to ashes when the system was dismantled. Later, the original site was acquired, which was how the name Northwest Outdoor came to be.

The logging camp where we now stood was the former site of Northwest Outdoor. The old factory buildings had been forcibly demolished several years ago, leaving behind nothing but this dilapidated cellar.

After listening to Chen Canghai, I stroked my chin and paced around the cellar, hands behind my back, observing every inch of the place as I thought. Although Northwest Outdoor no longer existed, these scattered black boxes proved that the items on the research vessel had been shipped from here. We could even speculate that those black boxes had likely been buried deep underground, which would explain the thick layer of snow accumulated on the lids.

If that were the case, with the original site of Northwest Outdoor gone and everything washed clean by the blizzards, it would be impossible for us to find any clues. Our trail of information had been cut off once again.

Just as I was at my wit’s end, a specific detail suddenly occurred to me. I turned to Chen Canghai and asked, “Do you know which company acquired the original site and established Northwest Outdoor? Did you find anything on that?”

Chen Canghai rolled his eyes back slightly, thinking for a moment before answering, “Guhuaxuan Collectibles Co., Ltd.”

I froze. That name sounded incredibly familiar. Where had I heard it before?

A bolt of lightning suddenly flashed through my mind, and my blood began to boil. My thoughts became exceptionally clear. Because the realization was so stark, my legs felt weak, and I had to lean against the wall for support.

Well, well. Guhua Pavilion.

He Yu noticed my expression was off and immediately took a few steps toward me, perhaps thinking I’d been possessed by something. I waved him off and said, “I’m fine. Hearing that name made me realize the answer has been right in front of me all along. I just didn’t notice it and ended up taking such a long detour.”

He Yu looked pleasantly surprised. “What is it? What did you think of?”

“Guhuaxuan Collectibles Co., Ltd. I went to Shennongjia with a nouveau riche fellow. Hou Jinshan told me the man was very interested in the Map of the Nieyao Ghost Market. The company printed on that man’s business card was this very Guhuaxuan Collectibles Co., Ltd. I should have realized it sooner,” I replied.

He Yu tried to piece it together. “So you’re saying this Guhua Pavilion bought the Northwest Outdoor site, and Northwest Outdoor shipped those black boxes. Then we found the corpses of some version of Tian Xiao inside those boxes on the ship. Does that mean Guhua Pavilion was the one who ordered the transport? What about that nouveau riche guy who went to Shennongjia with you?”

I waved my hand dismissively. “Long dead. He was dragged into the water by a statue and drowned. Li Wantian was a simple-minded man; he couldn’t have planned something this intricate. He was likely just a small shareholder in the company.”

“Collectibles?” Lu Ayao looked up, putting down the wood in his hands to look at me. “I actually know someone whose family has been in the collectibles business for generations.”

I slowly turned my gaze toward him, narrowing my eyes. In truth, I already had an answer in my heart.

“Who? Who is it?” He Yu still hadn’t caught on.

Beside us, Qian Deli stroked the stubble on his chin and clicked his tongue twice. “In our circles today, the only family we know in the collectibles business who has been so successful in recent years is the Han family of the Jade Ruyi. They’ve been at it for quite a long time. Young Master, isn’t the current head of the Han family supposed to be your stepfather?”

I immediately snapped at him, “What are you talking about? Who says I’ve accepted Han Cheng as my stepfather?”

“Oh, come on. I see the Eldest Miss gets along with him quite well. Changing how you address him is just a matter of a few years. Isn’t it basically the same thing now?” Old Qian gave a cheeky grin.

I picked up a stone by my foot and threw it at him. “Basically the same? Hmph! Not even close! You’re the one who should call him stepfather! Your whole family can call him stepfather!”

“Hey, hey, hey! Mercy, Little Grandpa! Don’t throw things!”

Qian Deli shouted as he scrambled to hide behind Lu Ayao. I didn’t want to hit Lu Ayao by mistake, so I stopped throwing, though I gave the man named Qian a resentful glare before leaning back against the wall.

He Yu finally had his epiphany. “Oh! So that’s it! If the Han family ordered those black boxes onto the ship, it makes perfect sense. Because it was the Han family’s doing, your mother didn’t make a scene. She kept the black boxes in the cargo hold and piled ordinary crates outside to hide them. In that case…”

“Hey, Old Qian!” he called out. “Do you know if there’s any history of bad blood between the Han family and the Tian family? Even something as small as a sesame seed counts.”

Qian Deli was a veteran in the field; he had actually entered the trade a few years before my Fourth Brother. If you really looked at it, he could be considered half a mentor to my Fourth Brother, who was now so successful and well-versed in the business. Furthermore, Old Qian’s ancestors had always made their living following my family, remaining loyal and devoted. I’d heard that when my great-grandfather Ye Yuzhu was a bandit leader in the Central Plains, he had even become sworn brothers with Old Qian’s ancestor. Their friendship was supposedly extraordinary, though I didn’t know if the story was true.

At this point, Qian Deli shifted into a more comfortable position. “Well, to be honest, the Jade Ruyi and Master Xiao shouldn’t have anything to do with each other. The Jade Ruyi family knows how to make money; they’ve been producing wealthy merchants since the Republican era. Master Xiao was an expert in divination, yin-dwellings, and fortune-telling. He shouldn’t have crossed paths with people who deal in antiques, unless…”

“Unless what?” I asked.

Qian Deli smiled. “Unless there was a middleman from the Thieves’ Sect to bridge the gap. Only then would it be possible for these two families to have some private dealings. But there are so many factors involved that we outsiders naturally wouldn’t know the details.”

Qian Deli had a point. These families had existed for too long. Even if there had been some grievances between their ancestors, the people who knew the specifics had long since vanished in the changing of the eras. Some had passed away before they could even leave word for their descendants.

The deeper I delved, the more I realized this was a dead end. If I continued investigating based on the direction suggested by Tian Xiao’s corpse, I would likely find nothing at all. From the very beginning, we hadn’t even confirmed which Tian Xiao the body in that black box belonged to. If the corpse actually belonged to the fake Tian Xiao, it was entirely possible his own people had killed him.

Among the many suspicious points, the one that struck me as most bizarre was Han Cheng’s company, Guhuaxuan Collectibles Co., Ltd. How could it be such a coincidence? I had always believed Han Cheng was an innocent man, independent of the Five Masters. But looking at things now, I had to start questioning Han Jian’s original motive for coming to Henan, as well as my mother Gan Rong’s true purpose in dating Han Cheng.

A key point to note here: Gan Ji’s great-great-grandfather, Ye Yuzhu, was also a most extraordinary man.