Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

Outside a private room deep inside the Crescent Hotel, the door was pounded on loudly, followed by a slightly anxious female voice.

"You old geezer, come out and do something about this! A perfectly good auction has been ruined by four lanterns lit up! Even the Buddha only managed to fight the Japanese with two lanterns back then. What do they take my Crescent Hotel's lanterns for? Are they just tools for them to show off their wealth and power? They can just light them up whenever they want, making such a big fuss. How are we going to clean this up? You old geezer, open the door!"

"South wind."

A male voice drifted slowly from inside the room, its tone drawn out.

"If you want to get rid of me, you don't have to make up such an outrageous lie. No one has dared to light sky lanterns at the Crescent Hotel for years. How could four of them be lit at the same time?"

"If you don't believe me, go outside and see for yourself. The asking price has already reached 10 billion!"

Yin Nanfeng was furious; she hadn't believed it at first either. But when Sheng Shengman hurriedly told her about it, she was suddenly jolted, knowing that Sheng Shengman wouldn't lie. After finding out the identity of the lamplighter, she came looking for him without stopping.

Hearing Yin Nanfeng say this, the people in the room believed him to some extent, but were still quite surprised: "Really four cups?!"

"I went to check, and there are indeed four lamps."

After he finished speaking, the air froze for a few seconds, and then a casual voice drifted out from inside the room.

"Let them order what they want. Whoever wins pays in the end. We'll just watch from the sidelines; why should we get involved?"

That's the crux of the problem.

Yin Nanfeng sighed heavily: "That's the logic, but besides the Qi and Jie sects, the Zhang family is also among those who lit the lamps. Even if we win, who dares to collect the debts besides you?"

"The Zhang family?" The people inside were instantly agitated upon hearing these words, exclaiming incredulously, "Why would they come to the Crescent Moon Hotel to light sky lanterns? Could it be the clan leader's order?"

Yin Nanfeng denied it: "No, there is no Zhang Qilan."

The door was finally opened from the inside, and Zhang Rishan looked at Yin Nanfeng and asked, "Could it be the Zhang family from overseas?"

"I think so, but I don't really know them either." Yin Nanfeng only knew that the Zhang family existed, and knew nothing else.

The matter involving the Zhang family must be complicated.

Zhang Rishan frowned and murmured, "What is their purpose in coming here? Who are they here for?"

Although that's how the question was asked, Zhang Rishan had a vague guess in his mind.

It was the 1960s. Because the higher-ups wanted to learn the ultimate secret, the Nine Gates launched the world's largest tomb raiding operation. This operation was led by Zhang Qilin and was so large that almost all the elites of the Nine Gates participated.

Although they eventually brought out a large number of Warring States period silk manuscripts from Mount Siguniang and deciphered some of the codes, the operation was extremely brutal, resulting in heavy losses for the elite members of the Nine Gates.

The blame for the failed operation needed to be borne by someone, and the various factions argued endlessly. In the end, Zhang Qilin, as the leader, was pushed out.

At that time, he was the Buddha's adjutant, and his only duty was to obey the Buddha's orders; after all, they were on different sides. Each served their own master and did their own thing, and he had a clear conscience.

But he still has Zhang family blood in his veins, and from the family's perspective, his actions can be considered unrighteous.

However, decades have passed since this incident, and he has long since left his main family and almost lost contact with his maternal relatives. He really can't understand why the Zhang family waited so long before coming to his door to demand an explanation.

Whether it's a blessing or a curse, there's no escaping it. Zhang Rishan gave Yin Nanfeng a look: "Let's go, let's go meet them."

He had only taken a few steps when Zhang Rishan suddenly stopped, remembering a point he had overlooked.

Yin Nanfeng also stopped and asked, "You old codger, what's wrong with you? Surely you're not afraid to face this?"

Zhang Rishan sighed deeply: "Nanfeng, you still haven't learned to respect the elderly."

Yin Nanfeng silently rolled her eyes.

Zhang Rishan voiced his confusion: "The Qi and Jie families? Jie, is it that kid Jie Yuchen?"

"It's Master Hua."

"That's not right." Zhang Rishan frowned, his tone full of confusion: "He's not like that."

Yin Nanfeng shrugged, completely bewildered, having no idea what Xie Yuchen was up to.

Let's just assume that Xie Yuchen was drunk and acting irrationally. Zhang Rishan is more concerned about something else right now.

"That Qi is... Qi Qiu?"

Zhang Rishan remained silent. As the president of the Nine Gates Association, he was aware of the movements of the various families within the Nine Gates. The Qi family of the Nine Gates, which had almost disappeared due to the lack of a leader, had indeed caused quite a stir recently.

It is said that the young master, who had been away from home for many years, suddenly returned in a grand manner and swiftly purged disloyal members of the family.

Having just taken over the headship of the Qi family, he came to the New Moon Hotel to light the lamps. Is the Eighth Master's grandson really such an arrogant person?

Zhang Rishan's eyes were deep and contained a profound meaning that others could not understand. Upon suddenly hearing news of the descendants of his old friend, certain old memories uncontrollably surged up.

"The Qi family of the Nine Gates has always been a single-lineage family. With this child, Eighth Master can be considered to have a successor, so that the family line will not be cut off."

After sighing, Zhang Rishan suddenly turned to Yin Nanfeng and smiled slyly: "Nanfeng, I have some past friendship with Eighth Master, and I cannot let this junior run wild and ruin the Qi family, which has just begun to prosper. I think it would be better to discard this Qi family's lamp."

Yin Nanfeng rolled her eyes again and said irritably, "Why should my New Moon Hotel repay the favors you owe, you old codger? There's no such thing as discarding this lamp unless he takes it down voluntarily."

This is already considered a concession.

Zhang Rishan nodded: "Don't worry, Nanfeng, I will explain it to this junior."

As they approached the main hall, Zhang Rishan suddenly noticed a blind spot: "Wait, Nanfeng, you said there were four lamps, but Qi Jie and Zhang only have three. Who is the other lamplighter?"

Yin Nanfeng didn't explain, but instead looked towards a room on the second floor.

With curiosity, Zhang Rishan followed Yin Nanshan's gaze and saw a purple figure standing under the corridor, her back to them, with a slender waist and graceful figure.

Recalling the recent rumors circulating in the underworld, a hint of interest flickered in Zhang Rishan's eyes. Even though various factions were deliberately suppressing the news, they couldn't hide it from him.

If he remembered correctly, the girl who had connections with everyone in the Nine Gates was named... Shen Mingchao.

The Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, I await the Ming Dynasty; I only wish that you, my beloved, may live a carefree life.

What a lovely name, full of love!

*

Meanwhile, Shen Mingchao himself was somewhat confused. He had only accepted the lollipop offered by the other party, yet the other party seemed to have been struck by lightning, looking shocked and unable to stop backing away, clutching his chest and panting heavily.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Having received the candy, Shen Mingchao, out of politeness, offered a few symbolic words of concern.

Seeing this, Aluminum Triangle and Kan Jian were utterly stunned. The three of them glared angrily at Kan Jian, wishing they could tear him to pieces.

There were already too many wolves and not enough meat, and now they've brought another one over. Doesn't that make things even more chaotic?

Kan Jian's smile froze on his face. He hadn't meant it at all; who the hell would have thought Luo Que was like that too?!

"I..." Luo Que finally came to his senses. He stared wide-eyed at the girl in front of him who had a normal expression. He had just uttered the word "you" when an iron arm reached out from behind and locked his neck tightly.

Before things got even worse, Kan Jian quickly tried to salvage the situation, desperately dragging Luo Que towards the door while saying with a smile, "Ming Chao, we have some urgent business to attend to right away, so we won't keep you any longer. See you later."

Luo Que's kung fu was no less than Kan Jian's, but he couldn't break free because his whole body was sore and numb, so he couldn't exert any strength, and he was also disturbed by the scenes.

Finally, with a "crack," the lollipop in his mouth was bitten to pieces, just like his worldview shattered into pieces.

Luo Que could no longer hear what Kan Jian was muttering in his ear. He only felt dizzy and his vision blurred. Only one thought remained in his mind.

This world is ultimately a fantasy.