Chapter 80: Into the Thieves’ Den

I was a little surprised by He Yu’s conclusion. He spoke with such certainty, which probably meant he’d seen plenty of these kinds of antique markets before. But he also said places like this were full of hidden traps, and without someone familiar to guide you, you were bound to get ripped off.

I gave a noncommittal “oh” and lifted my leg to step into the village, but He Yu grabbed my arm. He was so nervous he started stammering, “Y-you-you’re just going in like that? What if this is Qiao’s turf? What if they’re setting a trap?”

As he spoke, he stuck out his tongue and widened his eyes, making a slicing gesture across his neck.

I rolled my eyes at him and patted his increasingly rounded belly. “We came all this way to find Qiao Sangui. If this really is his territory, then that means we’re in the right place. If you’re scared, wait outside. I’ll go in and take a look.”

Before I could finish, He Yu grabbed my arm again. “Hey hey hey, who’s scared? You stay behind me. Follow me.”

Ignoring my protest, He Yu shoved me behind him and strode confidently into the village with the rest of the crowd who had come from far and wide to hunt for treasures. We had barely turned a corner when the space around us suddenly became crowded.

It looked like your typical antique market, just a lot more informal. The mud-brick houses on either side were spaced about a few dozen meters apart. Vendors squatted along the walls, with colorful cloths and mats spread out in front of them, displaying all kinds of items.

I squinted and stood in front of one stall for a while. Aside from the basic porcelain pieces, I couldn’t really make out anything special. Most of the items looked uglier than the last—except for one Luban Lock.

He Yu noticed I had stopped and came over to take a look.

The Luban Lock that caught my eye was made of Hetian jade. Its design was simple, without elaborate carvings. Judging by its texture, I guessed it had been soaked in water at some point. The surface featured a roughly carved beast head and still carried a faint earthy smell.

He Yu whispered, “What’s up? You like this one?”

Before I could answer, the stall owner noticed us. He grinned, revealing his teeth. He wore a baseball cap and was chewing gum. Picking up the Luban Lock from the cloth in front of him, he said to me, “This one’s a beauty. The jade is super smooth.”

He smiled and extended the Luban Lock toward me. I didn’t reach out or take it. I might not be like Fourth Brother, who practically lived in antique markets, but I wasn’t a fool either. My family had some ties to this line of work, and I’d picked up a few things over the years.

Judging by this bald vendor’s demeanor, he was a seasoned player. In their trade, there’s a saying: “Porcelain doesn’t pass hand to hand.” Meaning, valuable or fragile items like porcelain or jade shouldn’t be handed directly to someone. If it breaks during the exchange, it’s hard to say whether the seller or the buyer is at fault.

His move made me suspect he was testing me, trying to see if I was a clueless outsider.

I didn’t take the jade. Instead, I tugged at my muddy pant leg and squatted down, tapping an empty spot on the cloth in front of me to signal him to set it down.

Seeing I didn’t take the bait, the bald man didn’t get upset. He just smiled and placed the jade on the cloth in front of me. “Take a look. This is the best piece I’ve got!”

Only after he let go did I pick up the Luban Lock and examine it carefully. The craftsmanship was truly beautiful, and the jade was quite clear. I shifted slightly to make room for He Yu, who squatted beside me to get a closer look.

“Old piece, no idea where it was dug up from. If you really like it, just watch me get you the lowest price,” He Yu said as he rolled up his sleeves, looking like he was ready for battle.

I really did like the design, but we weren’t actually here to haggle or shop, so I quickly nudged him with my elbow and said to the bald vendor, “It’s nice. Give me a price so I can get a sense of it.”

The vendor grinned and held up eight fingers. “Lowest price. No joke. This is a quality piece. You won’t find better jade in this whole village.”

“That’s a bit steep,” He Yu countered. “Sure, it’s nice, but look at the color. It’s yellowed from being soaked in water. We’ve seen good stuff before. If my buddy here didn’t really like the design, we’d already be walking. Think it over and quote us a fairer price.”

“No can do. Any lower and I’d be losing money,” the bald man said, waving his hand.

I followed his lead and said, “Boss, I’m serious about buying. Don’t think just because we’re outsiders you can rip us off. Honestly, we didn’t come here to shop. We’re looking for someone we know. Can’t you give us a friendly price?”

Hearing that, the vendor suddenly seemed interested. “Oh? To be honest, there’s no one in this market I don’t know. Who are you looking for? If you’re really buying, I can knock off two hundred for you.”

“Qian Chuan’er,” He Yu jumped in, knowing exactly what I was trying to do. He dropped the nickname of someone who used to work under Qiao Sangui, someone known for shady dealings. He was testing the vendor’s reaction. “You know Qian Chuan’er?”

The moment the name left his mouth, the vendor’s expression changed—blatantly so. He Yu hadn’t spoken quietly, and as soon as the words were out, I sensed a shift in the atmosphere around us. The previously noisy and bustling market suddenly quieted. People were still bargaining, but the volume had noticeably dropped.

Something was off.

That thought flashed through my mind, and my body reacted instantly. I put down the Luban Lock and stood up. Could it be that Qian Chuan’er had done something shady here and skipped town? These people couldn’t find him, and now we’d walked right into their trap? No way we were that unlucky… right?

The bald man let out a cold chuckle, stuck a cigarette between his lips, and said, “You know Qian Chuan’er? What’s your relationship with him?”

Hearing the tone in his voice, my suspicion grew stronger—maybe this guy named Qian really had done something so vile it brought down divine retribution.

He Yu’s hand was already reaching for the back of his belt. Before we came, he insisted on buying a kitchen knife no matter what. I told him we were looking for someone, not robbing a bank, but he wouldn’t listen. In the end, he bought two small daggers and tucked them into his belt, hidden under his jacket.

I swallowed hard, thinking to myself, just my luck—at this rate, we might actually need them.

Seeing the two of us staying silent, the bald man suddenly yanked off his baseball cap and slammed it down on the stall. His expression turned vicious, not the kind of street-tough angry, but the kind of ferocity that made you feel like he could tear someone apart on the spot.

I’ve always found it strange how some people, who usually seem so easygoing, can suddenly radiate such a terrifying aura. This bald guy was like that. Fourth Brother was like that. Tian Yuqing was like that. Even Lu A’yao had her moments.

“Speak. What are you looking for him for?” The bald man clenched a cigarette between his teeth and spat on the ground.

As soon as he said that, I caught movement from the corner of my eye—people at the nearby stalls were starting to stand up from their stools. One by one, they glared at us like we’d just dug up their ancestors’ graves. I hadn’t noticed before, but now that I looked around, there had to be dozens of them. If this turned into a fight, we wouldn’t make it out in one piece.

Realizing things were about to go south, He Yu quickly tried to smooth things over. “Hey hey hey, brother, no need to get worked up. We don’t even know the guy that well. If he pissed someone off here, that’s got nothing to do with us, alright? Please don’t take it out on us.”

As he spoke, He Yu started nudging me toward the village entrance, smiling as he backed away. “We just came to find him, that’s all. No other reason. Since he’s not here, we’ll be on our way. Wishing everyone great business, really, great business, haha.”

“Hold it.” The bald man stepped out from behind the stall. As he moved, the people around us closed in. In less than a minute, we were completely surrounded.

The bald man blocked my path and asked, “Did I say you two could leave?”