I insist

Chapter 175: The Scroll

Just from the shop's exterior, the two of them could tell that although the shop didn't seem very big, its background must be quite impressive.

The two of them walked inside with a sense of awe, and Song Miqiu looked around.

Suddenly, the sound of a wooden stick hitting the ground caught Song Miqiu and Qingzhi's attention. They turned around and saw an old man suddenly appear behind them.

Song Miqiu's eyelids twitched in fright.

She had just come in, but she was certain that no one was where the old man had been standing. In the blink of an eye, he had appeared.

The old man, leaning on his cane, walked step by step to the counter, his back bent. He had probably climbed the steps when Song Miqiu looked at the old man kneeling before him and realized that he was a head taller than before.

"Have you come here to store or retrieve something?"

A deep, weathered voice rang in his ears, and Song Miqiu barely came to his senses. He quickly explained his purpose to the old man and handed him the jade pendant in his hand. "I heard that you use this jade pendant to retrieve things here. Do you see, is this the jade pendant?"

Song Miqiu tiptoed and gently placed the jade pendant on the counter. Her fair and slender fingers pressed against the pendant as she pushed it towards the old man.

Upon seeing the jade pendant, the old man glanced at Song Miqiu with surprise.

With just one glance, Song Miqiu could tell that something was amiss.

She glanced down at the jade pendant on the counter, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes. Just as the old man was about to pick up the jade pendant, Song Miqiu slapped it down, covering it.

"Do you know the person who owns this jade pendant?" Song Miqiu wanted to remove his human skin mask to find out, but he refrained from doing so.

After all, in this chaotic world, she wasn't sure if the people around her, including the old man in front of her and this shop, were of any benefit to her.

She needs to protect herself well.

Song Miqiu clearly saw the old man's surprised expression when he saw the jade pendant, and realized that the other party must know his father.

Thinking of this, Song Miqiu felt a little happy. If the person in front of her knew about her father, perhaps she could learn some information from him. She wouldn't have to spend her days like a headless fly, searching for clues everywhere.

"I don't know," the old man replied coldly, realizing what had happened.

How long have you been operating here?

The old man stood there, his hand resting on the counter. Perhaps because of his advanced age, he took a while to catch his breath before responding to Song Miqiu's words, "I've probably been here for thirty or forty years."

"Since you've been here for about thirty or forty years, you must know who owns this jade pendant and have seen them, right?" Song Miqiu asked anxiously, blurting out the question she wanted to ask.

The old man glanced up at Song Miqiu and replied in a calm voice, "I don't know her."

“But your reaction just now definitely indicates that you know about the jade pendant!” Song Miqiu couldn’t help but become agitated.

She had just taken a step forward when her arm was grabbed.

Song Miqiu turned to look at Qingzhi, who shook his head and whispered, "Right now, we don't know how deep the water is in this shop or how powerful its background is. It's best not to mess with this old man."

"After all, your identity is special. Although you are wearing a human skin mask, we must be careful in everything we do, lest we ruin our previous plans."

Upon hearing this, Song Miqiu hurriedly retorted, "But..."

"I know what you're thinking and how you feel right now, but we can't just make any rash moves, can we? After all, this is their territory."

Seeing that Song Miqiu had gradually calmed down, Qingzhi thought for a moment, then took the initiative to walk up to the old man and subtly inquire about some things.

The old man understood perfectly well that although the questions asked were extremely simple, they would have been met with sharp rebukes from anyone else.

He gave a few brief replies, then lowered his head and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Qingzhi also sighed helplessly.

He turned his head, spread his shoulders, and shrugged helplessly at Song Miqiu.

"Alright, come with me."

The old man didn't bother to look at the people behind him and turned to walk in one direction from the shop.

Qingzhi and Song Miqiu exchanged a glance and quickly followed each other.

They walked through a corridor, made several turns, and finally arrived at a group of cabinets.

After examining the jade pendant carefully, the old man looked up at the many cabinets in front of him. After searching for a while, he finally stood in front of one of the cabinets.

Song Miqiu and Qing Zhi stood not far away, watching the old man's movements, their gazes involuntarily drifting to the other cabinets.

Each cabinet has its own lock, and only the old man knows how to unlock them.

Song Miqiu initially thought these locks were keys. She was wondering why anyone would choose to leave things here, especially since there were no guards around.

Aside from the fact that the shops here appear to have a very dark background, there's not much else to tell.

"What do you think the old man's reaction would be if we pried everything off and took it all?" Song Miqiu joked.

She looked up at the things in front of her and was quite certain that they contained some treasures.

If I take these treasures, not only will my points skyrocket, but I might also become a local tycoon!

Thinking of this, a golden light flashed in Song Miqiu's eyes. She subconsciously licked her lower lip, a hint of regret in her eyes.

How wonderful it would be if all these things belonged to me.

Countless treasures are placed here. If she is worried about them being stolen, she can put them into the system to exchange for points. In this way, she can exchange them for many precious medicinal materials to expand her network and save lives.

They could even provide the prescriptions to Ming Taicheng so he could produce even more products.

Thinking of this, a hint of regret flashed in Song Miqiu's eyes.

Qingzhi, who was standing to the side, saw through Song Miqiu's thoughts and advised him in a low voice: "Put those thoughts away. This shop is definitely not simple. Have you forgotten?"

He unlocked the cabinet, opened the door, and inside was a painting.

After he finished doing these things, he did not stay in the same place for long, but turned around and strode away from the place.

Song Miqiu turned to watch the old man's departing figure, then took out the painting with a puzzled look. The man beside her quickly stepped behind Song Miqiu and asked, puzzled, "The clue related to this jade pendant is actually a painting?"

"I suppose this painting is the murderer, otherwise Consort Can wouldn't have hidden it so well, right?" Song Miqiu nodded solemnly. She opened the portrait in front of her and swallowed hard after seeing the person in it.

She now understood why her father had met with such an unexpected disaster.

The man and woman in this portrait are none other than the current emperor and empress dowager!