Chapter 6

After finishing her conversation with the manager of Cuihui Eight Treasures Pavilion, Wu Yinyu promptly sent a message to Wu Wanying. The two rarely chatted, and she had to scroll through her contacts for a while before finding Wu Wanying’s name.

Wu Yinyu got straight to the point: “The new head of the Yu family snatched that item right from under me. I want to have a talk with her.”

“Snatched it? You mean at the auction?” Wu Wanying paused, puzzled. “If she bought it, it’s hers. What is there to talk about? If you really wanted it, you should have bid higher while you were at Cuihui.”

Wu Yinyu replied slowly, “She didn’t win the bid. It’s too complicated to explain in a few words. If you have her contact info, just give it to me.”

Wu Wanying rarely visited the Cuihui Eight Treasures Pavilion and was genuinely unclear on its inner workings. After a moment of silence, he said, “Two minutes.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Yinyu immediately hung up. She flipped over the five-minute hourglass on her desk, propped her chin on her hand, and stared at it listlessly.

Wu Wanying was always punctual. Before half the sand had even fallen, a string of digits was sent over. It looked like Yu Zezhi’s number.

In a rather good mood, Wu Yinyu saved it and promptly sent Yu Zezhi a message. She wasn’t in the habit of disturbing people’s sleep; if Yu Zezhi wasn’t asleep, she would naturally see the text.

A moment later, the person on the other end sent two words.

-Who is this?

-Wu Yinyu.

Wu Yinyu didn’t beat around the bush. She stated directly that she was interested in the other piece of red jade Yu Zezhi had retrieved from Cuihui Eight Treasures Pavilion and immediately began to inquire about the price.

-Then you should inquire about the price with the owner.

Wu Yinyu glanced sideways at the brocade box from Cuihui, then turned to rummage through a cabinet for her tobacco box.

The enamel tobacco box was heavy, but there wasn’t much tobacco left inside. Rolled together, it was only a tiny clump.

Truthfully, Wu Yinyu didn’t have much of a smoking addiction; she simply loved watching the swirling smoke. She had gone to great lengths to acquire the tobacco in this box. Unlike other cigarettes, which were bitter and harsh on the throat, this one was light and fragrant, considerably more pleasant to smell.

She lit the tobacco, took a light drag, and exhaled as she leaned against the headboard. She pondered for a moment before picking up her phone to type.

-I thought the jade could already be considered yours.

In the dim lamplight, the smoke she exhaled looked remarkably like ink bleeding into water.

-You misunderstood. I haven’t yet managed to contact the original owner of the red jade. I’m merely holding onto it for safekeeping.

Wu Yinyu made a suggestion.

-Why not let me take over its safekeeping? What does Boss Yu think of that?

-It’s not impossible. This jade was originally a pair, so it must be fate that you encountered the other piece so quickly. If we can contact the original owner, I imagine you would certainly buy it.

Wu Yinyu typed: Thank you for your generosity, Boss Yu.

-No need for thanks. Since they are a pair, it’s only right that they be kept together. Owning just a single piece feels somewhat cheap, no matter who holds it. I might as well give it to you and earn a favor in return.

So, the moment Yu Zezhi laid eyes on the other piece of jade, she had already decided to have Wu Yinyu owe her a favor?

Impressive. Truly impressive.

Wu Yinyu took another drag of her smoke. The scent mixed with the incense burning in her room, the combined odor suddenly becoming muddled and peculiar.

-Is it possible Boss Yu knows the art of mind-reading, and knew I absolutely had to complete this jade pair?

-Miss Wu is a regular at Cuihui Eight Treasures Pavilion and surely someone who treasures precious objects. Who would willingly part with one of a matched set? Furthermore, Miss Wu was the first to ring the bell at the auction.

Barefoot, Wu Yinyu walked over to the window and pulled aside half the curtain, leaning against the half-covered pane.

-In that case, what handling fee does Boss Yu propose?

-I’m the one seeking a favor, so naturally, I won’t make Miss Wu pay extra. If Miss Wu truly wants it, join me for a meal at Shengxian Treasure Shop at noon tomorrow.

Wu Yinyu agreed immediately. She racked her brains but could not fathom what favor Yu Zezhi wanted from her. Asking for a favor from the Wu family would make more sense.

In truth, the appearance of the other jade piece was all too coincidental. It was as if the later consignor, knowing one piece had already been auctioned, was anxious to offload the other.

But she didn’t understand why the consignor had left without even signing the consignment agreement, not even taking the jade with her.

Recalling what she’d seen on the surveillance footage, that consignor’s expression had been strange. She kept glancing around furtively, as if the jade had been stolen…

Every time she thought of Cuihui Eight Treasures Pavilion, she couldn’t help but recall that fleeting glance she’d caught there before.

Yu Zezhi, standing below the pavilion, possessed a pair of phoenix eyes. Her expression was apathetic, and her features indeed looked intelligent and sharp enough, forcefully subduing the bright colors of the clothes she wore.

That night, Wu Yinyu did not dream of the White Jade Capital. Instead, she dreamed of a long, cinnabar-red robe, worn over a white gauze outer garment. The wide sleeves were loose, making their wearer seem utterly unrestrained.

When that cinnabar-red fabric pooled on a rock, it looked as though red lotuses were blooming from the stone, startlingly beautiful.

The next morning, Wu Yinyu learned from Wu Wanying that Lu Yiqi’s disappearance was practically confirmed. Wu Wanying had other matters to attend to, leaving Wu Yinyu alone to handle things at the Lu residence.

Accompanying Lu Yiqi was Fourth Feng. This young man had also vanished without a trace.

Fourth Feng was just another idle, dissolute playboy, spending his days in pleasure haunts like bars. He hadn’t learned a single scrap of the Five Gates’ skills. And yet, he had dared to follow Lu Yiqi to perform a soul summoning?

With Feng Qingshuang lost too, the Feng family was naturally frantic. The old family head, Feng Pengqi, rushed to the Lu residence. Fortunately, he was still in robust health and good spirits, and wasn’t frightened into a worse condition.

Because of this incident, the Lu family’s council hall was packed with people from the Five Gates. Everyone present, save for Wu Yinyu, was an elder with ample experience.

Fortunately, Wu Yinyu wasn’t afraid of strangers or prone to timidity. She even fiddled with a pinch of tobacco. Considering the number of old men present, however, she refrained from packing it into her pipe.

Feng Pengqi, his expression grim, said, “If not for you seeking me, Elder Lu, I wouldn’t have known my boy’s night out turned into a disappearance. He often spends the night away, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it normally.”

“Let’s check the surveillance first,” Lu Dongqing said.

At his words, the assistant standing beside Lu Dongqing turned on the projector, and the surveillance footage began to play.

Because it was nighttime, the footage was exceptionally dark, and the image quality wasn’t clear enough. Lu Yiqi and Feng Qingshuang could be seen leaving the City First Hospital together. As expected, one held a weighing beam, and the other carried a red lantern.

The one holding the lantern was Lu Yiqi. He was also scattering rice as he walked, furtively glancing around, afraid of being seen.

Late at night, there weren’t many people on the streets. He scattered rice, then tea leaves, and even bent down to place the Five Emperor Coins that Wu Yinyu had previously instructed him about, setting them down one coin every ten steps.

Feng Qingshuang, beside him, used the weighing beam to carry the clothes and shoes, holding it exactly like a clothes prop.

Lu Yiqi seemed to be shouting something. After shouting, he cast a glance at Feng Qingshuang, who responded while trembling with fear.

There was almost full surveillance coverage along the route from the City First Hospital to Cuihui Eight Treasures Pavilion, so the footage on the screen played in segment after segment.

Midway, the two of them entered a bar’s parking lot together. After that, they no longer followed the prescribed rules. Driving their car, they perfunctorily tossed glutinous rice and Five Emperor Coins out the window.

This scene silenced all the gathered elders. It had to be said, Lu Yiqi and Feng Qingshuang were quite skilled at cutting corners.

For the latter half of the journey, they drove leisurely. The Five Emperor Coins were tossed from the car window, rolling who knew where. Yet, luckily, they reached Cuihui Eight Treasures Pavilion without incident.

Up until their arrival at Cuihui Eight Treasures Pavilion, Lu Yiqi and Feng Qingshuang were still safe and sound. Judging from their movements getting out of the car, there were no villains lurking nearby. The two even started smoking outside the pavilion.

While smoking, Lu Yiqi picked up his phone to make a call. It seemed no one answered. So, one after the other, they turned to head back. Before they could even get into the car, they simply vanished into thin air.

In the footage, the two suddenly disappeared, the weighing beam and lantern clattering to the ground one after another, their phones falling right after.

The flame inside the lantern flickered. In the blink of an eye, the bamboo frame and silk cover were burned to ashes.