Folklore and Strange Tales: At the Start, You Retrieve the Sea-Suppressing Black Iron

As night fell, the second basement level of the antique market had already been cleared out.

The passageway where the stalls usually set up was covered with a red carpet, soft curtains were hung on the walls, the lights were dimmed, and even the elevator entrance had two security guards in black suits.

Luxury cars entered the underground parking garage one after another.

Cheng Xiaojin, wearing the black coat of Boguzhai's assistant and with a temporary ID hanging on his chest, followed behind Han Shaobai.

Han Shaobai still had the air of a returned overseas young master, his hair was neatly styled, and he held an invitation in his hand.

He lowered his voice and said, "I'll say it again, don't cause me any trouble tonight."

Cheng Xiaojin looked at the metal detector gate in front of him.

"Young Master Han, rest assured, I am a cultured man."

Han Shaobai glanced at him.

"You slapped Boss Lin's face like that in Liulichang, and you call yourself a cultured person?"

"I didn't lay a hand on him."

"You're more ruthless with your words than with your fists."

Security personnel reached out.

"invitation."

Han Shaobai handed it over.

Security personnel checked the name and then looked at Cheng Xiaojin.

"assistant?"

Han Shaobai said, "Temporary appraisal assistant at Boguzhai."

Security personnel allowed Cheng Xiaojin to pass through the detection gate.

Cheng Xiaojin had no coins, no ashtray, and even the Zhonghua cigarette tucked behind his ear was left in the car.

The Qianlong Tongbao coin is still under Aunt Zhang's pillow.

The ashtray was handed to Tong Kexin to keep.

Tonight, he entered the yin energy field empty-handed.

The fake bag had already been hidden by Tieguai Li, who disguised himself as a repairman, in the ventilation opening of the men's restroom on the second basement floor.

The detection gate didn't sound.

The security guard raised his hand.

"Go in."

Cheng Xiaojin's shoulders and back finally relaxed a little after he entered the room.

A small earpiece was hidden in his ear, and Tieguai Li's voice came through intermittently.

"The fake bag is above the third stall in the men's restroom, inside the ventilation vent. It's sealed with a maintenance sticker on the outside. Don't touch the faucet when you take it."

Cheng Xiaojin said in a low voice, "I know."

Han Shaobai frowned.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Let's report our safety to the ancestral master."

"Cheng Xiaojin, I really regret bringing you in."

"It's too late, the tickets have already been checked."

There were quite a few people sitting in the venue.

There were antique dealers, collectors, and a few peddlers whom Cheng Xiaojin had only heard of in rumors.

The first item on the stage was a bronze incense burner from the Ming Dynasty.

The furnace body is beautiful, and the patina is smooth, but the fumes are not clean; it has probably been handled by shady dealers.

Cheng Xiaojin didn't look at it much.

His gaze swept across the front row.

Mr. Lin sat at the front left, with his secretary standing beside him, still carrying that black leather briefcase.

The man with the nose scar stood in the back row against the wall, his hands hanging at his sides, his sleeves covering his wrists.

Cheng Xiaojin sat in the back row.

Han Shaobai said in a low voice, "Why are you staring at Boss Lin?"

"He looks expensive, so I'll take a second look to broaden my horizons."

"Don't take me for a fool. If you drag my Boguzhai down with you tonight, I'll really turn against you."

Cheng Xiaojin looked at him.

"Young Master Han, are you afraid?"

Han Shaobai pursed his lips.

"nonsense."

"Are you afraid you'll still bring me in?"

Han Shaobai looked at the stage, the invitation in his hand folded so that a white edge appeared.

"I don't want the antique market to become another Panjiayuan."

Cheng Xiaojin looked away.

"That's enough for a braised pork dish."

Han Shaobai said disdainfully, "I don't eat offal."

"Then you'll miss out on a large part of the joy in your life."

The auction has begun.

The auctioneer on stage gave a splendid presentation, but there weren't many people raising their paddles below.

Few people actually come to buy anything; most are just looking at people.

Mr. Lin showed no interest in the items up for auction; his hand remained resting on the handle of his briefcase.

The secretary was one step away from him, while the nose scar was three steps away from the secretary.

Cheng Xiaojin asked the headset in a low voice.

"Brother Li, did you see that?"

Tieguai Li said, "I saw it. The bag was always in his hand. There's a small safe on the left side of the front seat, the kind next to the seat, unlocked with a fingerprint sensor."

Cheng Xiaojin looked over.

There was a small black box next to Boss Lin's chair, which was mixed in with the venue decorations and could not be seen at all without close inspection.

Tong Kexin's voice also squeezed in.

"There are two shift workers at the back door on the second basement level, changing shifts every ten minutes. You have twenty minutes until halftime."

Cheng Xiaojin said, "Boss lady, what are you doing on the channel?"

"I'm in the car."

"Didn't you say you weren't coming?"

"I said I wouldn't go in."

Han Shaobai turned his head to the side.

"Who are you talking to?"

Cheng Xiaojin looked very serious.

"There are many founders of Boguzhai."

Han Shaobai closed his eyes, as if trying to calm himself down.

The second item to be auctioned was a bronze wine vessel with an animal mask design.

People in the room were whispering among themselves.

Cheng Xiaojin only needed one glance to know that the thing did not come from the ground.

After the negative energy of Yin water spreads, old objects exhale, and these objects, which have been buried deep in the earth, are most likely to react.

The lamplight shone on the bronze goblet's eyes, and layers of dampness seeped out of those two protruding eyeballs.

Cheng Xiaojin tucked his hands into his sleeves.

Don't touch it, don't read it, tonight it's all about the bag.

Before halftime, Boss Lin suddenly stood up.

The secretary immediately grabbed her bag and followed, and Cheng Xiaojin's heart tightened.

Tieguai Li said into his earpiece, "Is he going to the lounge?"

Cheng Xiaojin stared at the front row.

Instead of going to the lounge, Boss Lin took the briefcase from his secretary and placed it on the small safe next to the chair.

The fingerprint scanner light is on.

Click~

The box door opened.

Mr. Lin put his briefcase inside, and his secretary asked something in a low voice.

Boss Lin shook his head and closed the box door.

Cheng Xiaojin narrowed his eyes.

Han Shaobai said in a low voice, "Why do you look so pale?"

"I'm poor, and I can't stand seeing others cover my safe."

Tieguai Li cursed.

"The plan is ruined. The safe can be opened with fingerprints, the bag doesn't leave the premises, and the window of opportunity is gone in thirty seconds."

Tong Kexin said, "Don't rush, look at the nose scar."

Cheng Xiaojin looked at the nose scar.

The man with the nasal scar stood to the side and behind him in the front row, not looking at him, but only lowering his head to pour wine for Boss Lin.

The secretary was holding a cup of coffee and talking to a collector next to her.

When pouring wine, the person with the nose scar accidentally shifted their elbow slightly backward.

The impact was slight, but it struck the secretary's wrist.

Half a cup of coffee was spilled, splashing onto the secretary's suit jacket.

The secretary muttered a curse under her breath, her face turning pale.

The person with the nasal scar immediately grabbed a tissue.

"Sorry, damn it."

The secretary pushed him away.

"Get out of here."

Boss Lin glanced at them.

"Go to the restroom to take care of it."

The secretary didn't dare say anything more and walked towards the restroom with a tissue in hand.

The man with the nasal scar lowered his head and stepped back, dropping a tissue from his hand.

He bent down to pick it up.

In that instant, his hand approached the safe door, his fingertips holding a small wad of crumpled paper, and he slipped it inside along the edge of the door.

The box door, even when closed to the last bit, couldn't be fully locked.

A half-inch gap was left.

Cheng Xiaojin heard Tieguai Li's hushed voice.

"I see it, the door is ajar."

Tong Kexin said, "The secretary went to the restroom and will be back in two minutes at most."

Han Shaobai also noticed something was wrong.

"Cheng Xiaojin, don't tell me you're going to do it here."

Cheng Xiaojin stood up. "I'm going to the restroom."

Han Shaobai grabbed his sleeve. "You dare?"

Cheng Xiaojin looked down at him.

"Young Master Han, you just said you don't want the antique market to become another Panjiayuan."

Han Shaobai loosened his grip a little.

"If you get arrested, I will disown you."

"Don't worry, I won't acknowledge you either, so as not to implicate your ancestors."

Cheng Xiaojin walked around from the back row.

The venue was dimly lit and filled with noise; it was the most chaotic time during the intermission.

He went to the restroom first.

The third compartment has a repair seal affixed above it.

He stepped onto the toilet seat, avoiding the water tank, unscrewed the vent screws, and touched the fake bag inside.

Tieguai Li said, "Move gently, there's a fake lure underneath the fake bag, don't bump into it."

Cheng Xiaojin took off the fake bag and hid it under his coat.

The secretary's cursing could be heard from outside.

"What lousy coffee."

Cheng Xiaojin stopped in the cubicle.

The tap is on.

The sound of water sent a chill down his spine.

There was a small patch of water glistening on the tiles under the door, which slowly spread outwards.

He closed his eyes, pressed his tongue against the old wound, but didn't bite down.

You cannot touch Xin metal, you cannot get it wet, and you cannot count it here.

The secretary finished washing her clothes and left.

Cheng Xiaojin waited for three breaths before pushing open the door and going out.

In the mirror, his face was pale, and the knife wound on his neck had not yet faded.

He wiped his hands with a dry paper towel, avoiding getting them wet.

When they returned to the venue, the nose scar was standing next to the safe, blocking half of their view.

Cheng Xiaojin walked forward from the back aisle.

Tieguai Li began the countdown.

"Thirty steps."

"Twenty-five steps."

"Twenty steps."

The fake bag in Cheng Xiaojin's arms grew colder and colder, and the brass buttons in his pockets began to feel prickly.

The real bag is in the safe.

Within ten steps, the copper buckle can indicate direction.

Cheng Xiaojin slowed down.

Boss Lin was talking to the person next to him, holding a wine glass in his hand.

The secretary hasn't returned yet.

The man with the nasal scar looked up at him, then looked down again.

The gap in the safe door is still there.

Tieguai Li lowered his voice.

"Fifteen steps, and the bodyguard turned around."

Tong Kexin said, "Cheng Xiaojin, don't be greedy. If there aren't enough windows, we'll leave."

Cheng Xiaojin did not reply.

He walked to the front row and pretended to look at the paintings on the wall.

A bodyguard stopped him.

"Sir, this is the VIP area."

Cheng Xiaojin pointed to the painting on the wall.

"Han Shao from Boguzhai asked me to take a look; there's something wrong with the inscription on this painting."

The bodyguard frowned.

"go back."

Cheng Xiaojin smiled.

"Okay, don't rush me. I'm poor. Even just looking at the carpet in the VIP area is an eye-opener for me."

He turned and took half a step back.

Just then, the nose scar knocked the tissue box over.

Tissues were scattered all over the floor.

The bodyguard looked down.

Cheng Xiaojin's hand slipped from her sleeve, and the fake bag fell from her coat to her feet.

At the same time, he bent down to pick up the tissues.

The safe door was only an arm's length away from him.

Tieguai Li uttered two words into his earpiece.

"Open the window."

Cheng Xiaojin reached for the safe.

The cold air from the real bag seeped out through the half-inch crack in the door, making his fingertips go numb.

He didn't touch the bag buckle, but only grasped the outermost leather cover of the handle.

Behind me, Boss Lin's voice came.

"Mr. Cheng?"

Cheng Xiaojin's hand stopped by the safe door.

The voices in the hall were still there, and the lights were shining on the red carpet in the front row.

The man with the nose scar was bent over, clutching a wad of paper in his hand.

The bodyguard's gaze fell on Cheng Xiaojin's shoulder.

Cheng Xiaojin turned around and looked at Boss Lin.

"Boss Lin, what a coincidence."

Boss Lin held his wine glass, his gaze moving from the man's face to the tips of his shoes.

The fake bag was right next to Cheng Xiaojin's shoe.