At once, the situation within the antique shop became clear to Wang Guan, leaving him astonished, wide-eyed, and laced with a distinct air of disbelief.

“This is almost too…” Wang Guan was deeply shocked, stopping himself just short of letting out a gasp.

Just then, under the shop owner’s persistent persuasion, Pi Qiushi looked genuinely hesitant, clearly tempted but seemingly held back by some unspoken reservation, lacking that final spark of resolve.

Seeing this impasse, the owner decided to ease up, lest pushing too hard prove counterproductive.

“Sir, please take more time to consider; this is truly a rare and exceptional item, seldom seen on the market.” As he spoke, the owner felt his own throat grow dry. He turned toward a small back room, intending to fetch a glass of water, perhaps offering a cup of tea to his guests.

However, in that very moment, the owner naturally noticed Wang Guan’s peculiar stillness.

But Pi Qiushi was quick on the uptake. The instant the owner looked away, he called out, “Brother, did you spot something good?”

This shout snapped Wang Guan back to reality, and he played along with a ready smile. “You know what? I actually did find something quite interesting.”

As he spoke, Wang Guan blinked, preparing to grab any random item to feign discovery. After all, he was playing the role of a novice, and a clear trait of a novice is the tendency to view everything as a treasure. If he presented a piece of junk as a masterpiece, the owner likely wouldn't question it; he might even solemnly affirm Wang Guan’s misplaced judgment.

Thinking this, Wang Guan glanced down, and in that instant, he froze again. For right under his nose, a blinding, brilliant gleam of gold had suddenly erupted, strikingly dazzling.

“Truly, darkness under the lamp,” he mused. A wave of unexpected delight washed over him. Then, his gaze sharpened. Once he clearly saw the source of the radiant treasure light, his expression became rather strange.

Meanwhile, Pi Qiushi asked with keen interest, “What did you find?”

“A box…”

Timing it perfectly, Wang Guan’s eyes darted down. He reached out and dragged forth a small, dusty, square wooden box from the lowest shelf.

“Ahem, ahem…”

Dust billowed into his face, making Wang Guan cough a couple of times before he carefully carried the small chest over and set it gently on the table next to Pi Qiushi for inspection.

“Brother, you must be mistaken. This thing doesn't look like much,” Pi Qiushi said, dismissing it outright before even looking, perfectly fitting his persona of a dabbler.

“Sir, you can’t say that. This box is an antique…” The owner felt compelled to explain, naturally glossing over the strange look of distraction on Wang Guan’s face.

That was the desired effect. Pi Qiushi, though pleased, scoffed, “An antique covered in dust? Even you don’t value it; that tells me everything I need to know.”

“Uh…” The owner was momentarily speechless, offering an awkward smile. Truthfully, he hadn't even known the item existed in his shop before Wang Guan pulled it out.

“Big brother, it can’t be that bad, can it?”

Wang Guan countered, shaking his head. “Look at the styling of the box, it looks like older furniture. I remember seeing an identical one on television.”

‘Rookie, utterly green, without an ounce of real experience,’ the owner secretly chuckled. In buying antiques, one never praises an item openly; one must always devalue it first.

Seizing the chance, the owner quickly chimed in, “Right, right, this is old furniture from the late Qing or Republican era. But nowadays, people aren’t interested in old wooden pieces, so I just tucked it away in a corner. If the young man wishes to buy it, I’ll definitely give you a preferential price.”

“How much of a discount?” Wang Guan inquired, looking like he would buy it immediately if the price wasn't too steep.

“Fifty thousand.”

The owner declared the high price without hesitation. Indeed, it was high. When moving the box, he had subtly touched it and determined the wood was relatively common. For a common wood box, even one from the late Qing or Republican era, fifty thousand HKD was certainly steep. This was only because the owner feared a higher price would scare them off, so he intentionally pitched it a bit lower. Otherwise, he’d have been inclined to fleece them, perhaps asking for seventy or eighty thousand. After all, business is business; start high, and wait for the counteroffer.

As expected, before Wang Guan could speak, Pi Qiushi shook his head dismissively. “Too much, too much. It’s way too expensive. Twenty or thirty thousand would be acceptable, but fifty is simply too much.”

“Fine, just as the gentleman suggests, thirty thousand,” the owner smoothly agreed, a flicker of a smile crossing his eyes.

This was a small trick in the antique trade: quote an inflated price. If the buyer thinks it’s dear and casually throws out a lower figure without much thought, and the owner senses a profit, he immediately agrees. In such cases, regardless of the buyer’s original intent, the price was stated by them, and the owner accepted it, thus establishing a preliminary agreement—time to pay. If the buyer then feels the owner agreed too quickly and they were cheated, and tries to backtrack, that’s their fault for violating the established etiquette. Of course, an utter novice wouldn’t care about etiquette and would likely try to renege, leaving the owner helpless—which is one reason why shopkeepers dislike amateurs.

However, the owner wasn't worried about Pi Qiushi backing out, as Pi Qiushi’s hesitant, half-baked act suggested a personality type driven by saving face, incapable of going back on his word.

The owner’s guess seemed correct. A flash of annoyance crossed Pi Qiushi’s eyes, and he looked helplessly at Wang Guan, shrugging. “Thirty thousand. You want it or not?”

“I’ll take it, thirty thousand,” Wang Guan said casually. “Can I pay by card?”

“Certainly no problem.” The owner smiled warmly, taking the bank card to the counter to process the transaction, naturally missing the whispered exchange between the two.

Pi Qiushi asked softly, “How is it?”

“No one’s inside; they must be hiding,” Wang Guan murmured. “Very cautious.”

“Mm,” Pi Qiushi nodded slightly, then whispered with a quiet laugh, “Brother, you’ve worked hard, spending all this wasted money to gather information. I’ll have Mr. Feng reimburse you later.”

“Heh heh, whether it’s wasted money remains to be seen.” Wang Guan smiled, then walked over to the counter, swiftly entering his PIN and successfully transferring the funds to the owner.

“Where is the person…”

Just then, a group surged into the shop from outside. Leading them was the security supervisor for the Liang Yi Zang Museum, flanked by seven or eight burly guards.

Seeing this, the shop owner was visibly startled, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes that Wang Guan clearly observed despite the owner’s attempt to hide it. With a slight smile, Wang Guan smoothly took the receipt from the owner’s hand, quickly scribbled his signature, and pressed it back into the owner’s palm, finalizing the deal instantly.

The owner, however, had no mind for receipts. Seeing the supervisor arrive with his men, he hurried out from behind the counter to greet them, forcing a look of surprise. “Supervisor Huang, what a surprise to see you stopping by for tea!”

“You know me?” Supervisor Huang asked sharply.

“I visited the Liang Yi Zang Museum for a tour once, and I recall seeing Supervisor Huang,” the owner explained, a story without obvious holes, as supervisors wore name badges while on duty.

Of course, whether the owner knew him was secondary; the main objective was catching the culprit. With that in mind, Supervisor Huang rushed toward Wang Guan, urgently asking, “Mr. Wang, where is that fellow?”

“He should be hidden inside,” Wang Guan replied, pointing casually. Supervisor Huang didn't hesitate, waving two imposing guards to scout ahead.

“Supervisor Huang, what are you doing?” the shop owner demanded, looking utterly bewildered. “There’s no one inside…”

Whether someone was inside was not for the owner to decide. The moment the two guards lifted the curtain, Supervisor Huang took the lead, pressing forward with the rest of his team into the small, ten-square-meter room. The sudden crowd of eight or nine large men made the space feel cramped, and they found no sign of the person.

But Wang Guan had mentioned the person might be concealed, so the absence of the target in the main area didn’t surprise Supervisor Huang and his men; they immediately began a thorough search.

Before they could uncover anything, the shop owner burst in behind them, shouting in exasperation, “Supervisor Huang, you are trespassing without my permission and moving my property! This is illegal. If you don’t stop immediately, I’m calling the police!”

“Go ahead and call. I’m very eager to hear how you explain this situation when the police arrive…” Wang Guan didn't wish to prolong the conflict. As the owner was shouting, Wang Guan walked in and gave a push against a cabinet situated against one wall.

Instantly, the tall cabinet moved away with surprising ease, revealing a dark, deep hole in the corner of the wall, stretching down into an unseen abyss.

Seeing this, the shop owner’s face drained of color. He wheeled around and bolted toward the exit. But the door frame was built too narrowly. The two sturdy guards were positioned like sentinels; noticing someone trying to break past, they instinctively reached out and blocked the owner, and when he struggled, they swiftly twisted his arm—without hesitation.

“Ah!”

With a sharp cry, the world suddenly became much quieter.

“Call the police, now!”

Simultaneously, Supervisor Huang reacted, shouting excitedly, “This is a major case! A massive case, far more serious than we imagined!”

Supervisor Huang’s intuition proved correct. While others might have doubts, Wang Guan, using his special ability, could clearly see that the deep opening was not just a hiding spot; the tunnel within was incredibly long and profound. The instant he spotted the passage, Wang Guan’s first thought was that he had stumbled upon a real-life prison break…