For the past few months, Uncle Diao’s shop had been rather quiet; a customer would occasionally drift in just to look around and leave, and the regular patrons hadn't shown up at all. Perhaps it was the current economic trend, or maybe even the feng shui was fading.

Just then, Bai Bing approached Young Master Liu, carrying a cup of tea. "Young Boss, you've been reading for so long, you must be thirsty. Have some tea to quench your thirst." With that, she bent slightly to place the tea on the low table.

Young Master Liu, caught off guard, couldn't help but glimpse her cleavage. A sudden rush of blood heated his face, and he instantly knew he was about to get a nosebleed. He quickly averted his head. "Sister Bing, that’s fine. Just leave it here, you go attend to other things."

At that moment, someone came running toward the shop in a flurry. Young Master Liu looked closely—wasn't that Old Wu, one of Uncle Diao’s regulars? Old Wu usually arrived laden with packages and bags; why was he showing up empty-handed today?

Seeing a customer arrive, Bai Bing quickly moved to the entrance to greet him. As Old Wu burst in, he called out, "Welcome!"

Old Wu nodded to Bai Bing and headed straight for Young Master Liu.

Old Wu reached Young Master Liu, catching his breath, and asked, "Young Boss, you're here. Where is your Master You Qi?"

With Young Master Liu around, Uncle Diao tended to wander off; one couldn't find him before eight or nine in the evening. Young Master Liu nodded and replied to Old Wu, "I have no idea where Uncle Diao is carousing, but why are you looking for him?"

Old Wu declared, "Of course, it's about something big, something good, something with potential!"

Hearing this, Young Master Liu let out an 'Eh?' and said, "Hey, Old Wu, did you dig up a bronze tree a hundred meters tall from a tomb raid? You usually carry your good finds with you; why don't you have anything now? Be honest."

Old Wu sighed dramatically. "Ah, Young Boss, stop embarrassing me. Where in this day and age can one dig up a bronze tree? Even if I did, a couple of branches would be enough for me to live comfortably for the rest of my life."

His response suggested he hadn't found anything substantial, yet his urgent search for Uncle Diao indicated otherwise. Young Master Liu pressed on, "Since you didn't get anything good, why are you looking for my Uncle Diao? Don't tell me you've found a Qi Dou [Mysterious Tomb] and need me to call Uncle Diao out of retirement?"

Old Wu froze for a moment, perhaps finding it strange that Young Master Liu knew Uncle Diao had been involved in tomb raiding. He replied, "This is not something you need to know about, Young Boss. Even if you knew, you couldn't help."

Old Wu’s tone made Young Master Liu indignant. He thought to himself: I've been in the resting place of the Ming Dynasty emperors, and I've entered the corpse cave of the Yellow Turban rebel Zhang Jiao—is this guy dissing me? He responded, not too subtly, "Old Wu, are you looking down on me? Think about what line of work I'm actually in."

Old Wu’s expression cleared as if waking from a dream. He slapped his thigh. "Right! The Young Boss is a Daoist priest! How could I forget?" Saying this, he pulled out a small wooden box and offered it. "Young Boss, take a look at this and see if you can figure out anything about it."

Young Master Liu took the wooden box. Carved onto its surface were Buddha statues. He recognized immediately that it was made of Huyang (Poplar), which originated in Xinjiang. He remarked, "Isn't this just a Huyang box? It might be valuable, but you don't need to make such a mystery out of it."

Old Wu sighed. "Young Boss, I didn't ask you to study the box; I want you to look at what’s inside."

Young Master Liu felt a bit awkward. He opened the box, and immediately a rich fragrance wafted out. His first thought was that the box contained poison, making him suspect Old Wu was deliberately trying to kill him. He quickly brought his hand up to cover his nose.

Old Wu burst into laughter from the side. "Don't be scared, Young Boss, it's not poison! I've opened this box many times; it’s fine."

Hearing this, Young Master Liu let out a breath of relief, feeling a little embarrassed. He thought Old Wu must be secretly chuckling at his inexperience. No, I have to explain what’s inside thoroughly later, or I’ll lose too much face.

He took out the contents of the box and was instantly dumbfounded. It was a piece of sheepskin, densely covered with markings he couldn't decipher, but it was clear to see it was something from the Western Regions.

Since arriving in Hong Kong and studying under Uncle Diao for two years, Young Master Liu had gained significant practical, real-world experience—about half a year of genuine fieldwork. He was knowledgeable about artifacts and burial customs spanning the Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn/Warring States periods, Qin/Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. However, items from the Western Regions always left him scratching his head.

So, he tactfully said to Old Wu, "Sir Wu, Xiao Xuan really cannot make sense of this item. You should find my Uncle Diao instead." With that, he carefully placed the ancient sheepskin scroll back into the box and handed it back to Old Wu, feeling deeply embarrassed.

Old Wu demurred. "Just leave this here with you. When Master Qi returns, please give it to him and ask him to notify me immediately after he examines it." Saying this, he turned and hurried away.

Young Master Liu watched Old Wu’s retreating back and murmured, "What a strange fellow." Then he returned to reading his book.

At nine o'clock that evening, Uncle Diao returned humming a little tune, walking with a leisurely air. Bai Bing quickly went up to greet him, and Uncle Diao didn't forget to tease her a bit.

Seeing Uncle Diao back, Young Master Liu quickly handed him the wooden box and relayed Old Wu’s instructions.

Uncle Diao listened, expressing surprise. He took the box, opened it, and his expression immediately darkened. Without a word, he took it back into his room to study.

"Young Boss, your phone," Bai Bing said from behind the counter, holding the receiver.

Young Master Liu wondered who would be calling so late. He asked Bai Bing, "Whose call is it?" as he slowly walked over.

Bai Bing replied, "It's that Boss Wang again; he said he needs to speak with you."

Hearing this, Young Master Liu quickly calculated the date and understood instantly. He hastened his steps, picked up the receiver at the counter, and said, "Hello, this is Young Master Liu."

A voice came from the other end: "It’s your Elder Brother Wang. Have you made up your mind?"

"We'll make do! As long as you don't mind," Young Master Liu replied with a wry smile.

"Good, I knew my Brother Liu was straightforward! Don't worry, we won't mistreat you. This time, we're heading to the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang. Get ready; you don't need to bring food or clothes—we have everything. Be here tomorrow morning!"

Young Master Liu was somewhat shocked and momentarily disbelieving. He repeated in an astonished tone, "What? Where are we going?"

The truth was, Young Master Liu had heard perfectly well, but he couldn't quite accept it. Xinjiang? Doesn't that mean going back to the mainland?

And specifically, the Taklamakan Desert, that barren wasteland the Western adventurers called the Sea of Death. Even locals claimed that once you enter, you never come out. Frankly, if it were anywhere else, Young Master Liu would have been thrilled—money and adventure, who wouldn't want that? But the desert made him uneasy. Alas, he had already accepted the substantial deposit; he had no choice but to bite the bullet.

Young Master Liu replied, "Alright then, I'll head back tomorrow." He hung up the phone.

Since he was going to that scoundrel Wang Zhicai's house the next day, he couldn't stay up too late. After washing up, Young Master Liu decided to inform Uncle Diao.

He arrived at Uncle Diao’s door and saw only a faint glimmer of light from the window. Had Uncle Diao gone to sleep? No, that wasn't his habit. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Inside, he saw Uncle Diao completely absorbed in examining the ancient sheepskin scroll. Young Master Liu thought it was strange; Uncle Diao had seen countless high-grade antiques—why was he so fixated on this shabby piece of sheepskin today?

Young Master Liu walked up beside him and asked, "Uncle Diao, what are these scribbles? Can you make any sense of them?"

Uncle Diao was startled by his sudden presence and carefully put the scroll away. "I find it strange too. I wonder what Old Wu’s purpose was in giving this to me."

He then took a sip of tea and asked Young Master Liu, "What brings you here so late?"

Young Master Liu told him, "A friend called just now, asking me to prepare to accompany him to Xinjiang tomorrow."

Uncle Diao started, asking in surprise, "What? Go there?"

"To the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang," Young Master Liu confirmed.

Hearing this, Uncle Diao nodded, his face etched with anxiety. He looked genuinely worried for Young Master Liu.

Young Master Liu bid his uncle goodnight and returned to his room to lie down. But tossing and turning, he couldn't sleep. Thoughts of the desert's horrors occupied his mind until he made a foolish decision: counting sheep.

After counting sheep for what felt like half the night without success, an idea flashed through his mind. He got up, turned on his computer, and began researching the deserts of Xinjiang.

He hadn't looked into this area before and didn't even know what a Xinjiang desert looked like. Now, a quick search flooded his screen with information.

Young Master Liu studied the data intently and learned that several archaeological teams had ventured there previously, all with significant findings. This confused him: why would tomb robbers bother with a desolate desert that seemed to hold little value now? Based on his understanding of the trade, no valuable activities were undertaken without profit. Why would they suddenly decide to go to the Taklamakan, a place already visited by other teams? Had this fellow Wang hit his head and started thinking nonsense?

The thought amused him, but the fact that others had preceded them meant the danger this time wouldn't be as great—at least he wouldn't be wandering around like a headless fly. This realization instantly eased his tension, sleepiness washed over him, and he collapsed onto the bed, sleeping soundly.

He awoke past nine the next morning. The expedition team would provide the equipment, so Young Master Liu didn't pack much. He went out, hailed a taxi, and headed to Wang Zhicai's opulent mansion.

As soon as Young Master Liu stepped out of the cab, he bumped right into Wang Zhicai and quickly went over to greet him, inquiring about the trip to Xinjiang.