Leaving Feng Lai Lou, Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong, who hadn't walked far, suddenly stopped in their tracks.
Both clutched their hearts, feeling a pang of palpitation.
Lin Zhitong frowned and said, "Tao Hua Ying must be up to something with our blood."
"It's pretty much what I guessed," Yan Shouyi said, holding Lin Zhitong's hand. "Don't you need someone to take care of you? Why don't you let Tao Hua Ying be your personal maid from now on."
Lin Zhitong was taken aback, thinking Yan Shouyi was joking.
Long Feicheng, however, was unusually excited, "Sister-in-law, if you don't want a maid, that's fine. I'm in need of a wife."
"Do you really want to be Ning Caichen?" Yan Shouyi kicked Long Feicheng. "Can you handle that woman, Tao Hua Ying?"
Weng Qianxiang patted Long Feicheng's shoulder, "I can help."
"Get lost!"
Long Feicheng was just joking, after all, Tao Hua Ying's beauty was truly captivating.
"We can put Tao Hua Ying aside for now, let's go find the Yangling Tiger Tally first," Yan Shouyi said.
The Yangling Tiger Tally was not the most important item in the Ghost Market, and its origin was questionable. A thief would not likely display it openly for sale.
They would most likely observe quietly, find a suitable buyer, and approach them proactively.
So, Yan Shouyi led everyone to look around the Ghost Market, appearing as if they were browsing for treasures at the East Gate.
As expected, soon some people quietly approached Yan Shouyi, but unfortunately, none of them had what Yan Shouyi wanted.
For two consecutive hours, their legs grew sore from walking, and they still hadn't found the Yangling Tiger Tally.
Moreover, the Ghost Market was becoming even more bustling.
Lin Zhitong suggested they rest at a roadside teahouse, which Yan Shouyi agreed to.
But as soon as they sat down, Wei Changqing suddenly patted Yan Shouyi's shoulder.
Yan Shouyi looked at Wei Changqing, who pointed towards the entrance of a small alley not far away.
At the alley entrance stood a short man wearing a hooded sweatshirt. He wore a hat and a mask, seemingly trying to conceal his appearance.
His stall displayed a variety of strange and peculiar items. Most of them Yan Shouyi couldn't even be bothered to look at, except for a golden sculpture placed in front of the short man.
With just one glance, Yan Shouyi's eyes were fixed on it.
"Uncle the Second still has good taste. I think we've found the person we're looking for."
Yan Shouyi told everyone to wait at the teahouse and walked towards the short man.
However, he stopped a few stalls away from the short man, deliberately examining items at other stalls first, even inquiring about prices with a serious demeanor, but buying nothing.
Seeing Yan Shouyi's actions, Wei Changqing couldn't help but smile inwardly.
Even after spotting the target, one shouldn't appear too eager, otherwise, the other party would either become wary and slip away or seize the opportunity to demand an exorbitant price.
Creating this sense of "coincidence" was the best way to understand the other party's true intentions.
After spending five or six minutes, Yan Shouyi finally "strolled" to the short man's stall.
He first picked up a string of prayer beads, fiddled with them, then smiled and shook his head, putting them back.
The short man's eyelids flickered open and he said, "Those are prayer beads from a high-ranking monk of the Tang Dynasty."
"A certain one? Which one?" Yan Shouyi asked with a smile.
The short man didn't reply, implying he thought Yan Shouyi was ignorant of its value.
Yan Shouyi looked at a few more items before his gaze fell upon the golden sculpture in front of the short man.
The sculpture was in the shape of a bird. Ordinary people might not be able to identify it, but Yan Shouyi could recognize it as a wild goose.
It was not an ordinary piece of art either.
This item, called the Golden Wild Goose, was a legendary burial artifact of Qin Shi Huang!
The "Book of Han: Biography of King Yuan of Chu" described Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum as follows: Mercury for rivers and seas, gold for wild geese.
This refers to the Golden Wild Goose.
It was said that a large amount of mercury was poured into Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum. Qin Shi Huang's bronze coffin floated on the mercury, like a great ship, drifting back and forth in the mausoleum with the mercury's fluctuations. Thus, Qin Shi Huang, in this "sea," patrolled the Nine Provinces day and night.
However, the sea was empty without life, so Qin Shi Huang ordered the creation of the Golden Wild Goose, circling above the mercury sea, simulating the appearance of the living world.
The Golden Wild Goose was made of gold, with a mechanical structure inside, capable of flying incessantly.
"Yi Wei Ji" also described the Golden Wild Goose: Zhang Shan, as the Prefect of Sunan, received a golden wild goose from the county's people. Zhang Shan, being learned and widely informed, examined its age and concluded that it was a golden wild goose from Qin Shi Huang's tomb.
This record stated that during the Three Kingdoms period, Zhang Shan, who was the prefect of Sunan, obtained a golden wild goose. According to his deductions, this golden wild goose was indeed a burial artifact of Qin Shi Huang, and at that time, more than three hundred years had passed since the Qin Dynasty.
This meant that the Golden Wild Goose had flown for over three hundred years without stopping!
Later, this cultural relic was excavated by archaeologists and sent to the National Museum. Because of its connection to Qin Shi Huang, it was placed alongside the Yangling Tiger Tally.
However, the Golden Wild Goose now appeared in the Ghost Market. Yan Shouyi had reason to believe that the short man before him was the one who stole the Yangling Tiger Tally!
Suppressing his excitement, Yan Shouyi pointed at the Golden Wild Goose and asked, "What dynasty is this treasure from?"
The short man replied, "The Qin Dynasty."
"Nonsense, did the Qin Dynasty have this kind of craftsmanship?" Yan Shouyi appeared very skeptical.
This wild goose was lifelike, with intricate details, even carved feathers. In the Qin Dynasty, given the level of craftsmanship, abstract art would have been quite good; achieving such realism was unlikely.
Although Yan Shouyi knew perfectly well it was the real deal, he deliberately provoked the short man.
The short man angrily said, "If you don't believe me, then scram. I don't care to sell it anyway!"
"Why are you getting so worked up?"
Yan Shouyi smiled and said, "The prayer beads plus this bird, give me a price."
"Didn't you suspect that what I have is fake?" the short man asked.
"Those who enter the Ghost Market are not ordinary people. I presume you wouldn't dare to sell fakes, but more importantly, I find these prayer beads pleasing, and I'll take this bird back as a decoration."
Yan Shouyi's true target was the Golden Wild Goose, but he deliberately added the prayer beads to distract the short man.
Seeing that Yan Shouyi seemed genuinely interested in buying, the short man's eyes showed contemplation.
Suddenly, the short man stood up and called out a few times in a certain direction, seemingly calling out someone's name.
Shortly after, another masked short man ran over. The two walked a little further away, as if discussing something.
Yan Shouyi smiled; it turned out they were working together.
He was also quite curious about what kind of people could steal such treasures.
After a while, the two came to an agreement, and the short man with the hat said to Yan Shouyi:
"Thirty million, paid in full. Transfer the money first, then we'll deliver the goods."
Yan Shouyi narrowed his eyes and said, "You have quite the appetite. I thought you might have other demands. It's rare to ask for living people's money in this Ghost Market."