novelaction Chapter 207 Bad things
Chapter 207 Bad things
Chapter 207
After their success, the man calmly and carefully filled the grave, making it appear as if it were new. However, a careful inspection would have easily revealed the obvious signs of disturbance: the new soil was tangled, and the surrounding grass was severely damaged. In his haste to leave, the man accidentally dropped a handkerchief. It was late at night, and the moonlight streamed down like water. On the handkerchief, the word "East" meticulously embroidered in gold thread shone brightly and clearly in the moonlight.
.........
The largest pawnshop in South City was undoubtedly Yong'an Pawnshop. The pawnshop clerks had been busy all day and had long since retired. In the silence, a knock suddenly sounded outside the pawnshop. The clerk, sound asleep, was startled by the sudden noise. While such a late-night knock on the door wasn't unheard of, it still felt a bit unsettling in the stillness of the night.
The waiter turned over and sat up, put on a piece of clothes casually, picked up an oil lamp, and walked towards the door in his slippers.
The door creaked open, revealing a tall, black-clad man standing in the doorway. His features were obscured by the darkness, making it difficult to discern his features. He was clutching a bundle in his arms, looking hurried, as if he had something urgent to do.
The clerk carefully looked at the visitor, swallowed his saliva, and asked tentatively, "Sir, you come so late at night, are you here to do business with our store?"
The man in black's face was hidden beneath his black robe, so others couldn't see his expression clearly. Fortunately, they could still see him nod slightly. The clerk breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this. As long as he was here to do business, it was fine.
"Why don't you come in first, sir, and sit in the guest room for a while. I'll go call our boss." The waiter said to the man with a smile on his face and nodded.
The man nodded again, and the waiter led him into the guest room on the side. After pouring the cold tea and settling everything, the waiter bowed and said goodbye, then made a gesture to call the head chef.
As he turned, the clerk's eyes occasionally glanced at the bag in the man's arms, intentionally or not. He had a rough idea in his mind: those who had been in the pawnshop business for a long time knew that when someone came to pawn something at night, the items were likely not to be seen in public. As a small clerk, he had no authority to deal with it. For now, he should appease the man and find the owner as soon as possible.
The waiter was so focused on the large bundle in the black-robed man's arms that he was completely unaware of the sharp, ferocious look that flashed across his eyes as he glanced over. Those eyes were like cold stars, terrifying, as if they read the waiter's thoughts. However, the waiter was completely oblivious, completely oblivious, his only concern being to quickly find the shopkeeper to handle the matter.
A short while later, a slightly plump, middle-aged man hurried into the reception room. He wore a faint smile, and upon seeing the man in the black robe, his eyes showed no surprise. He simply smiled and greeted him warmly, "Sir, you've come so late at night, are you looking for something to pawn? Why don't you open the bag and let me take a look, so I can give you an estimate of its value?"
The man in black robe was still holding the bundle, without moving or answering.
The shopkeeper didn't get angry and continued, "It's late now, and there's no one else in this shop. Young master, don't hesitate. Everyone in Kyoto knows that my pawnshop is the fairest. Other shops can't offer more than mine. I'm sure you've heard of this, so you've come here."
The man in black robe finally took action, placed the bag on the table beside him, and untied it in two or three moves.
The shopkeeper took a few steps forward, lamp in hand. His eyes lit up as he took in the contents of the bundle. He fumbled around, then picked up a piece of jade ornament and examined it for a long time by the light of the lamp. Then, he glanced calmly at the man in the black robe, his cheerful expression fading as he feigned composure. "Sir, wait a moment while I examine it."
The man in black robe said nothing, just nodded slightly.
Upon seeing this, the shopkeeper immersed himself in examining the items. However, the more he looked, the more doubts he felt. He couldn't help but ask tentatively, "Sir, where did these items come from? They don't look ordinary."
The man finally moved, picking up the teacup on the table. With a slight force, the cup crackled and shattered into powder. The black-robed man loosened his grip, and the powder fell from his fingertips.
The shopkeeper gasped at the sight, not daring to ask further questions. He hurriedly lowered his head, hastening his inspection of the treasures within the bundle. After a long pause, the shopkeeper finally looked up. He was no timid man; in his line of work, he'd seen all sorts of people. Furthermore, he had the backing of a powerful figure. While startled, he wasn't frightened enough to lose his composure.
He carefully examined all the items and covered them with his bundle. Then he looked at the man in black robe again and asked softly, "How much do you want to be?"
The man's face remained hidden beneath his black robe until he finally responded. His voice was so cold that one couldn't tell his age. One could only sense a deep chill as he said, "Twenty thousand taels."
The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed slightly, and he sighed inwardly. This man was clearly not easy to fool. However, he didn't show any surprise on his face. He continued calmly, "Sir, are you kidding? These items are not worth 20,000 taels. The most I can give you is 15,000 taels, no more."
"Okay, deal." Unexpectedly, the man in black robe immediately agreed.
Hearing this, the shopkeeper was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses and hurriedly replied, "Oh, okay, sir, I'll go get the banknotes right away."
The shopkeeper never expected that this man, who had acted like he was not easy to fool, would ask for 20,000 taels at first, but he ended up giving him 5,000 taels less. He actually didn't even bother to argue and just closed the deal. He secretly regretted that he should have offered 10,000 taels earlier.
But the words had already been spoken, and this person didn't look like someone to be trifled with. If he went back on his word, he would probably be asking for trouble, so he had to take out the silver reluctantly.
The man in black stepped forward to take the silver, turned around and walked out of the pawnshop quickly. He soon blended into the thick night and disappeared.
.........
In the alley not far from the side entrance of the Jing'an Marquis's residence, the atmosphere was at a stalemate. Han Feng was trembling with anxiety. To hold Yang Wei back, he could only rack his brains to find something to say: "Sir, I just want to ask, how should I take this medicine? My young master's condition has been improving more and more slowly since he took it. Could you please explain it to me in detail?"
But Yang Wei seemed not to hear him. He folded his arms, leaned against the tree trunk beside him, and glared at him coldly.
Seeing this, Han Feng secretly groaned in pain, muttering in his heart, "Master, what kind of job are you assigning me? Asking me to hold back this killer god? What if he gets impatient and steps on me to death?"