Two men were stunned by Zhou Huan's technique, their eyes dazed as they watched the two vases rise from the ground.

"Big Brother, your vases... how did you conjure those?"

"You want to learn? Why should I tell you? I only want to tell you this: don't provoke me, or I’ll teach you a lesson." After saying this, Zhou Huan suddenly collapsed onto the straw, turned over, and fell asleep.

The two fools by the door stared at the two vases, completely unable to figure them out. Their study eventually devolved into near-fisticuffs.

"I'm telling you, these vases are at least from the Ming Dynasty. If we keep them, they’ll fetch a good price someday," one petty thief muttered.

The other thief scoffed, "Forget it. Let's sell him, and the two of us can go have a good drink and enjoy the day. If we wait until we strike it rich selling these things, you know what? It’ll be too late."

This time, both men secretly glanced back at Zhou Huan, who lay motionless on the ground. Seeing no reaction, they slowly began to move the two large vases. These two were indeed experts; they managed to shift such large vessels without making a sound. In the pitch-black night, one kept looking back at Zhou Huan while carrying his part forward.

Zhou Huan wasn't actually asleep. He had seen their shifty eyes and knew they were greedy. That's why he used a trick, conjuring the two large vases. In truth, these vases were woven from two large tree roots. Come dawn, the helping spirits would vanish from the roots, and the vases would cease to exist. As the two men painstakingly moved the vases away, Zhou Huan was already quietly trailing them.

Zhou Huan followed the pair for a long time, perhaps for a full hour. The two men entered a silent, small town. Zhou Huan hid himself against the outer wall of a dwelling. The two thieves rolled the vases into a courtyard, then lightly knocked on the door, whispering, "Uncle Huang, are you home, Uncle Huang?"

Through the thin, paper-paned window, characteristic of older years, the faint glow of a gas lamp could be clearly seen inside, followed by an old, yet remarkably strong voice answering, "Who is it, in the middle of the night!"

"Uncle Huang, it's Xiao San and Xiao Si!"

"You two sons of bitches! You still haven't paid me back the money you owe me from last time. What are you doing here now? Are you looking to die!" The voice boomed like a clap of thunder, splitting the still night sky, and with a bang, the small house door was violently thrown open.

The person emerging held a lamp. By its weak light, Zhou Huan assessed the elder. He had a head full of white hair and a face etched with wrinkles. Though his frame was large and coarse, it was clear he was ancient, well over seventy years of age.

A hint of astonishment flashed in Zhou Huan's eyes—it was more like admiration. What a fine old man! His face was ruddy, and even under the dim light, he appeared as robust as a young man. Yet, there was one thing amiss: a faint shadow of gloom seemed to cling to his body, and his gait was noticeably lame.

"Uncle Huang, don't raise your voice so high. Let’s talk inside. We’ll settle the debt from last time along with this," one of the thieves said, presenting the vases they had stolen from Zhou Huan right in front of the old man.

Uncle Huang shone his lamp onto the vases, scrutinizing them repeatedly. As he looked, the old man became completely absorbed, running his hands over the two vases as if he couldn't bear to part with them.

"Uncle Huang, look at this..." The two petty thieves crouched down to examine the items alongside the old man.

The old man casually waved them away. "Get aside. I need a closer look. But I’ll be clear with you: I can’t give you much for this haul this time. After settling last time’s debt, I’ll only give you half of the value."

"No, no, Uncle Huang, we haven't eaten a full meal in days. Just give us a little more, or my brother and I won't be able to eat!" The thief speaking was Xiao Si. Seeing how slick they were, the old man turned his gaze to Xiao Si, then back to the vases.

"Uncle Huang, look, we only owe you those few copper coins. This time, we didn't even try to sell them elsewhere; we brought them straight to you. Logically, everyone knows these vases are priceless treasures. They'd be a fortune in anyone’s hands. Frankly, they could fetch dozens of silver dollars from the devils. We’re just asking for a pittance." Xiao San chimed in, adding fuel to the fire.

This time, the old man was truly enraged. Gripping his lamp, he turned and seized an axe. "Bastards! I told you to talk less to me. I don't like listening to you." As the old man finished speaking, the axe flew, startling the two thieves who scattered like mice seeing a cat, scrambling away in a flurry.

"Crash!" With a sharp sound, only one vase remained standing; the other shattered into countless pieces.

The two thieves looked back and were instantly dumbfounded. "Uncle Huang, you... are you insane?"

"Hahaha! You two little bastards know nothing! Come here and help. Pack up the broken shards of the vase, and move the remaining one into the house. If someone comes later, keep quiet if you want to live, and we'll negotiate the rest later." The old man's words left the two thieves utterly confused. What in the world was going on?

The two thieves exchanged glances, then somewhat hazily followed the old man as he cleaned up the scene, carrying the two vessels back into the house.

Zhou Huan, crouched by the corner of the wall, could see and hear everything happening in the courtyard clearly. He prepared to get up and enter the courtyard to listen in further on what these people were plotting. But just as he moved to rise, he felt a sudden chill against his lower back, followed by a sharp object pressing against him.

"Pal, what are you doing? What are you doing squatting here in the middle of the night?" Behind Zhou Huan stood someone holding a knife, asking in a raspy voice.

Zhou Huan slowly raised both hands above his head, murmuring, "Brother, I was just passing by. It’s late, and I was thirsty, hoping to borrow a bowl of water. I got scared when I heard people smashing things and talking inside the house! Please, have mercy."

"Oh? How many people are inside now?"

"One came out just now, plus the one who followed in—that should be three. I don't know if there are any others inside," Zhou Huan said after a moment's thought. "Brother, don't worry. You have a knife to my back; I wouldn't dare lie."

"Hmph. I trust you wouldn't dare." The newcomer’s raspy voice truly possessed a magnetic quality. After another short silence, the man remained quiet.

"Big Brother, don't be like this. It's tiring to keep my hands up like this. If I lower them, be careful not to strike. I don't want to fight back," Zhou Huan continued.

The newcomer lowered his knife, reached out, and patted Zhou Huan’s shoulder, then pulled him down into a crouch. He then whispered, "Brother, listen closely. You need to do me a favor tonight. Go in and help me establish presence. Otherwise, I’ll just stab you, and you can decide what happens next."

"Don't worry, I’ll do whatever you say, as long as you feed me!"

"That's easy. Big Brother is about to do something major. Once it’s done, never mind feeding you—I could give you a mansion!" The newcomer, whether boasting or deceiving Zhou Huan, remained expressionless.

Only then did Zhou Huan turn his head to properly examine the newcomer in the dim light. The man was bald, with a ten-centimeter-long scar across his forehead, giving him a frightful appearance, and he wore a full beard around his mouth. Hearing his words, Zhou Huan feigned surprise. "Really? Then I’ll recognize you as my boss right now, and follow you from now on."

"Less nonsense, come with me first." As the newcomer moved to stand and enter the courtyard, Zhou Huan grabbed his arm.

"Big Brother, my name is Zhou Huan. What should I call you? Don't mess up when we get inside!"

The bald man scratched his head when he heard this. "Just call me Scar Brother. Everyone calls me Scar. Let's go in. Remember, you say you’re my sworn brother and that you're participating in tonight’s talk. We're taking a cut!"

"Got it, got it. Don't worry, Scar Brother!" At this point, Zhou Huan realized he was already caught up with this group. He didn't know what they were up to, but he was certain it wasn't anything good.

As the two were just stepping into the courtyard, they heard a small window in the house being pried open, and a throwing knife flew out, lodging itself precisely between Zhou Huan's and Scar Brother's feet.