Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 153 Lei Xianming

"Um?"

Dongzi, with his slicked-back hair and powdered face, suddenly felt a cold wind rise from behind him, and a chill inexplicably ran through his heart.

It was as if, suddenly, they had been targeted by some terrifying ancient beast.

"It's just an illusion..."

Dongzi looked around and muttered to himself unconsciously.

"Ahem, Mr. Hu and Ms. Yang, our boss sincerely invites you to discuss some antique business. If it's convenient, please come with me to meet him."

"The car is already waiting for several experts at the entrance of the alley."

Seeing Yang Xueli come out of the room with tea, Dongzi put on a fake smile again and invited her.

Dongzi drove over and took the waiting passengers, who were struggling, to his boss's old house.

However, Fatty did not leave with them because Hu Bayi and Big Gold Tooth were afraid that Fatty would cause trouble, so they left him at home to guard the house. Fatty originally disagreed, but was directly and forcefully suppressed by the two brothers, Hu Ming and Hu Bayi.

Along the way, Hu Bayi and Da Jinya exchanged glances, their eyes darting around. Yang Xueli, nestled in Hu Bayi's arms, shook her head helplessly at this.

It's obvious that these two have ulterior motives and want to find a way to rip off the boss.

After all, in business, especially in the antique business, it's either me cheating you or you cheating me.

This is how this industry is these days; it purely tests the eyesight and knowledge of both parties in a transaction. If you get ripped off, don't blame anyone but yourself for being incompetent.

Given this, Hu Bayi and his companion naturally intended to trick others.

Dongzi drove them to a quiet courtyard house.

Hu Ming couldn't help but scoff at this. Lei Xianming's two spendthrift sons had squandered all his wealth in Hong Kong and Province, leaving him with a mountain of debt, yet he hadn't even considered selling this courtyard house?
Being fussy about nothing!
The furnishings in this courtyard are extremely exquisite, with many antique-style playthings displayed on the sandalwood shelves inside the house.

Big Gold Tooth was a discerning person. After looking around, he knew that the owner of this place was no ordinary person, and that everything displayed here was genuine. He couldn't help but marvel at it.

While Dongzi went to invite his boss, Big Gold Tooth lowered his voice.

"Gentlemen, Miss Yang, have you seen this?"

"The enamel-painted hibiscus and pheasant jade pot, the gilded purple clay square teapot, and the doucai high-earth ring—these are all rare treasures!"

"If you just throw any one of these items into Panjiayuan, it would shock a lot of people. Compared to what's inside the house, my little thing is really too embarrassing to take out!"

As he spoke, Big Gold Tooth instinctively covered his pocket.

Before he came, he even brought some "good stuff" to swindle people.

Regardless of whether it's real or fake, the things Big Gold Tooth brought are not even in the same league as the treasures in this room.

"Mr. Ming, look at that porcelain piece enshrined in the middle of the room. I feel like I've heard my grandfather mention it before?"

"Could that be the thirteen-whiskered porcelain cat that the corpse-carrying family keeps?" Suddenly, Hu Bayi looked at the center of the room with suspicion.

"Hmm!" Hu Ming gave a lazy hum and didn't say anything more.

"We're in the same industry... So, it seems this boss invited us here for more than just a simple business discussion."

Hu Bayi stroked his chin thoughtfully and muttered to himself, "Tomb raiders seriously discussing antique business with other tomb raiders? Nonsense!"
"Old Hu, what is the Corpse-Carrying Family?" Yang Xueli asked Hu Bayi with a curious look.

"The so-called corpse carriers are a kind of livelihood in the Xiangxi area, which is also a business of tomb raiding. In the homes of corpse carriers, there will be a porcelain cat like this." "Before each tomb raiding, a stick of incense must be burned and the thirteen-whisker porcelain cat must be kowtowed several times. If the whiskers of the porcelain cat are broken, you must not go out that night, as this is an omen of disaster."

"It is said to be effective in every way, and it is said to be incredibly miraculous among the people, but nowadays no one does the job of carrying corpses anymore."

Hu Bayi said to the people standing to the side.

At this moment, Hu Ming patted Hu Bayi, and Hu Bayi heard footsteps and shut his mouth, not continuing to speak.

Lei Xianming was a man in his early fifties, short and fat, who called himself Uncle Ming.

Upon meeting, he immediately struck up a conversation with Hu Ming and the others.

Hu Ming knew that the pair of "dragon-shaped jade discs" that he, Hu Bayi, and Fatty had taken from the general's tomb were eventually sold to his mistress by Big Gold Tooth.

There is indeed a connection between these people.

"Mr. Lei, let's not waste any more time. Everyone's time is precious, so let's get straight to the point."

"What kind of business are you trying to do by calling us brothers here?"

Hu Ming stopped Big Gold Tooth from trying to sell the guy he brought, and looked at Lei Xianming with an inscrutable smile, saying calmly.

"Um... Mr. Hu Ming is quite impatient. In that case, I won't beat around the bush and let's get straight to the point!"

Lei Xianming was taken aback. After a moment of contemplation, he picked up a photo album from the coffee table and handed it to Hu Ming.

He realized that Hu Ming was the one in charge among this group.

"Mr. Hu Ming, these items are all from my collection in Hong Kong and Guangdong. They are all extremely valuable. If any of them catch your eye, please feel free to ask!"

"Of course, I also hope to obtain something from you all: the bronze mirror you brought back from the tomb of the King of Xian in southern Yunnan, which was used to suppress the corpse!"

Hu Ming took the photo album, opened it, glanced at it briefly, and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement...

As expected of a descendant of the corpse-carrying family, at least 60% of this collection consists of various kinds of mummified corpses, if I may not say 80% or 90%.

"Wow, that's quite a taste, collecting mummies?" Big Gold Tooth couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

“Many museums abroad specialize in collecting mummies. These bodies are of great research and aesthetic value, and even slightly aged mummies can fetch a good price,” Yang Xueli explained softly.

Of the group, she was the one who knew the most about the business of selling mummified corpses.

"This ancient bronze mirror is from the pre-Qin period and is a symbol of Legalism. When placed on a bronze coffin, it can effectively suppress the resurrection of corpses. It is a rare treasure."

"If I'm not mistaken, you have a big business deal, but that mummified corpse is extremely dangerous, so you're thinking of using a corpse-suppressing mirror to ensure the corpse doesn't turn into a zombie during the journey, right?"

Hu Ming chuckled, tossed the picture book to Big Gold Tooth who wanted to take a closer look, and looked at Lei Xianming with a half-smile.

"Mr. Hu Ming, you truly live up to your reputation as a legendary tomb raider. You actually saw through me... Well then, I won't hide it from you anymore. Some time ago, an overseas museum came to me to discuss business, and I obtained an ancient scroll from the Western Regions from them."

"It records that a princess of a demon kingdom died from a strange disease and turned into a glacial crystal corpse. People at the time considered it a miracle and buried it under the snow mountain in a nine-story demon tower. The scroll also mentions specific clues about this ancient tomb."

“This is a huge business deal. If it goes through, it will be enough to feed four or five generations. However, according to the scriptures, this ancient glacier crystal corpse is extremely cold and has a heavy yin energy. Without the right methods, an ordinary person will die immediately if they get close. So I think that only by using the Corpse-Suppressing Mirror can we possibly carry that ancient corpse out of the Nine-Story Demon Tower.”

Lei Xianming gave a wry smile and could only recount the whole story.

(End of this chapter)