"Let's go check out your antique shop," Zhao Yan said.
"Alright, Master, this way please," Wang Xianzhi said, pointing ahead.
Zhao Yan followed his direction.
They arrived at the antique shop, and the business seemed to be doing well.
After browsing for a while, Zhao Yan was about to leave.
As soon as the shopkeeper saw Wang Xianzhi enter, he walked towards him.
"Please wait, Pavilion Master," the antique shopkeeper said.
Wang Xianzhi stopped. The shopkeeper glanced at Zhao Yan and was about to speak in a low voice near his ear.
Wang Xianzhi waved his hand, "No need to be discreet, this is my Master."
"Master?"
The shopkeeper exclaimed and looked at Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan, so young, was already the Master of the Pavilion Master.
"Shopkeeper, someone brought quite a few antiques here to sell."
"They come every day. At first, I thought it was some collector's master, but as more and more antiques appeared, I found it incredible."
"These antiques are from the Qing Dynasty, but there are simply too many of them."
"He brought more today. I'm worried this person is a tomb raider. Please, Pavilion Master, come and take a look."
"Master, I..."
Zhao Yan waved her hand, "It's fine, don't worry about me. I don't have anything pressing at the moment."
"Thank you for your understanding, Master," Wang Xianzhi said.
Seeing Wang Xianzhi's respect for Zhao Yan, the shopkeeper became curious about her.
He had seen Wang Xianzhi show such humble expressions to no important figures, yet he saw it in Zhao Yan.
"It's him," the shopkeeper said.
Zhao Yan looked over. It was a young man in his early twenties, around twenty-four or twenty-five, with a rather refined appearance.
However, his countenance made Zhao Yan frown deeply.
His complexion was deathly pale, and his face exuded a Yin energy.
This was a classic case of Yang deficiency and Yin excess.
"Shopkeeper, you agreed to buy the previous antiques. Are you not going to buy this one?" the young man said, holding a rectangular box in his hand.
"If you don't buy it, I'll take it to another antique shop."
If this antique shop hadn't offered a slightly higher price than others, he would have gone elsewhere long ago.
"Boss Dong, please don't rush. I can't quite appraise the antiques you've given me yet. Let our Pavilion Master take a look."
Wang Xianzhi chuckled heartily, "Boss Dong, is it? Let's go to the VIP room to discuss."
"Shopkeeper, please bring a pot of good tea."
Upon hearing this, the young man's expression softened considerably.
From what he understood, this person was named Dong Liang.
Upon arriving in the VIP room, Dong Liang sat down directly.
He took out the box and handed it to Wang Xianzhi.
"Take a look. This is definitely a good piece," Dong Liang said, his eyes full of confidence.
Wang Xianzhi opened the box. Inside lay a jade bracelet.
The jade bracelet appeared to have an excellent luster.
"Master, please take a look," Wang Xianzhi said, handing the jade bracelet to Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan examined it, then brought it to her nose and sniffed. A trace of Yin energy permeated the bracelet.
Looking at Dong Liang, the Yin energy on his person was very similar to this trace of energy.
If it were from tomb raiding, the Yin energy on Dong Liang wouldn't be so faint.
To verify her suspicion, Zhao Yan reached out and grasped Dong Liang's wrist.
Dong Liang's hands had no calluses, indicating he hadn't done much manual labor.
Dong Liang exclaimed, "What are you doing holding my hand?"
Zhao Yan let go and said to Wang Xianzhi, "He's not a tomb raider."
"Then can we buy this jade bracelet?" Wang Xianzhi asked.
Zhao Yan gave a soft hum. Even if they didn't buy it, the jade bracelet would end up in another antique shop.
"Then how much do you think is a fair price?"
Zhao Yan pondered for a moment, then opened her hands, revealing ten fingers.
"One hundred thousand. We'll take this jade bracelet," Wang Xianzhi said.
As he spoke, he felt a bit guilty. If the bracelet were sold, it would fetch at least two hundred thousand, and its value would be even higher at an auction.
"Alright, I agree to sell it," Dong Liang said.
Seeing Dong Liang agree so readily, Zhao Yan became even more convinced that he was a novice who knew nothing about antiques.
Truly, a son selling his father's land without a second thought.
With one hundred thousand in hand, Dong Liang quickly left the shop, feeling smug, thinking he had found a sucker.
He had shown the bracelet to some knowledgeable friends, and they had all offered around fifty thousand.
Unbeknownst to him, his friends had recognized the strong Yin energy in the bracelet. Fifty thousand was already a risky offer.
It would require a master to perform rituals. If a reliable master was found, it would be fine, but if not, one could suffer backlash.
Zhao Yan took the bracelet and touched the inside with her finger. The Yin energy on the bracelet quickly disappeared.
"Boss Dong, please wait," Zhao Yan called out.
Dong Liang stopped, thinking she had changed her mind, a hint of worry on his brow.
"I see that Boss Dong's complexion indicates Yang deficiency and Yin excess. You must have been close to a Yin entity. This talisman can protect your Yang energy."
Zhao Yan took out a talisman.
Dong Liang smilingly accepted it.
"One thousand yuan."
Upon hearing that money was involved, Dong Liang's face immediately fell, and the smile vanished.
"If I have to pay, I don't want it," Dong Liang said, waving his hand.
This talisman looked no different from those sold at street stalls, yet it cost a thousand yuan. If he hadn't just received a hundred thousand, he would have called it a scam.
Seeing that Dong Liang did not accept it, Zhao Yan said:
"Boss Dong, you have a Yin entity approaching you. If you don't believe me, when the Yin entity is not wary of you, use a mirror to reflect its face. Be extremely cautious and do not let the Yin entity discover you."
Dong Liang had already walked far away. Wang Xianzhi asked, "Master, this bracelet..."
Zhao Yan knew what Wang Xianzhi was worried about and said, "Don't worry, my disciple. I have already dispelled the Yin energy from this bracelet."
"This bracelet was likely given to Dong Liang by a Yin entity. Please show me the antiques Dong Liang sold."
Wang Xianzhi immediately made arrangements.
Several antiques were laid out on the table. These were all women's accessories, such as earrings, necklaces, and hairpins.
"These items are a set. It seems that Yin ghost has given all her burial objects to Dong Liang."
"Speaking of which, Dong Liang is truly lucky to have encountered a Yin ghost willing to give him burial objects."
Zhao Yan shook her head, "It's not necessarily a good thing."
He wouldn't be able to hold onto this kind of money. As soon as he got the money, Dong Liang would surely spend it elsewhere.
Just as Zhao Yan had predicted, the moment Dong Liang received the hundred thousand yuan, he rushed to an online gambling platform.
"Master, this way. My office is upstairs."
"If Master is willing, I can give you my office..."
Before Wang Xianzhi could finish speaking, Zhao Yan's phone rang.
Seeing Zhao Yan pick up her phone, Wang Xianzhi stopped talking.
Looking at the caller ID, Zhao Yan said, "Brother Lan, is something wrong?"
"Miss Zhao, I'm afraid I need to trouble you again. We've found a female corpse by the Jing River."
"Her skin has been peeled off from head to toe. Do you think it's related to the blood sacrifice you mentioned before?"