Chapter 888: A very auspicious number. I hope everyone follows suit, and it would be even better if you could cast a monthly vote along the way. Please support us!

“If I have to say it, I don't even know I had the key myself, I wonder if you’d believe me, Elder Hou.” At the same time, Wang Guan himself felt a degree of surprise, completely taken aback by such an astonishing coincidence.

“I believe you, why wouldn't I?”

At this moment, Elder Hou’s eyes shone with excitement. He couldn't bother with digging into the details; instead, he urged Wang Guan urgently, “Wang Guan, enough small talk, hurry up and open the box.”

“Oh.” Wang Guan nodded, then carefully twisted the key, and the lock opened quite smoothly. The lid sprang up slightly, revealing a distinct gap.

Wang Guan glanced at Elder Hou, saw he made no move to stop him, and immediately reached out to flip the lid open. Indeed, there was something inside the box. It was a piece of cloth, folded neatly.

“There’s writing on the cloth.” Wang Guan looked down, seeing that the ink was incredibly deep and dark, visibly bleeding through to the back of the fabric, leaving distinct spots and stains.

“Let me see!”

As he spoke, Elder Hou gently took the cloth, carefully unfolding it for inspection. At first glance, his smile widened, and even his hands trembled slightly. “That’s it, that’s it, this is it… the Covenant, the Blood Edict!”

“It really is.”

Wang Guan’s eyes lit up, and he quickly leaned in to look. After reading a few lines, he was certain Elder Hou was right. This was less a blood-signed covenant and more a formal denouncement of Wu Zetian’s rule. Beneath the proclamation were signatures, along with remarkably clear fingerprints.

“What? Even he was involved in this matter?”

There were quite a few names on the cloth. Several of the names were incredibly familiar to Wang Guan, and seeing one particularly recognizable name left him utterly stunned, momentarily speechless.

“It’s normal,” Elder Hou said casually. “He might not have been strictly loyal to the Li Tang dynasty, but he certainly desired stability for the nation. After seeing the tyrannical acts of the Zhang brothers, he naturally wished for order to be restored.” With that, Elder Hou swiftly gathered the cloth, preventing Wang Guan from reading further.

“Elder Hou…”

Seeing this, Wang Guan’s voice was filled with dissatisfaction.

“A young man should focus on positive pursuits and not always delve into these shadowy matters,” Elder Hou admonished. “Remember, proximity to the virtuous leads to virtue, and proximity to the wicked leads to corruption. The entire Li Tang dynasty went astray because the leadership at the top was corrupt. For centuries, the court was steeped in plots and schemes, inevitably leading to collapse through internal strife. You must take this as a warning.”

“Elder Hou, why are you telling me this? Even if I wanted to engage in any political maneuvering, I wouldn't have the stage for it,” Wang Guan said, somewhat exasperated. “I think you’re intentionally changing the subject.”

“In any case, I have troubled you again this time,” Elder Hou said with a smile. “By the way, where did you get the key to open this lock?”

“It’s quite a coincidence, actually.”

Wang Guan looked strange as he held up the key, noting it was the little toy sword. After clearly explaining the item’s origin, he stated with certainty, “I am now one hundred percent sure that the owner of that major tomb which was robbed must be someone on the blood-signed list. And someone of high status, too, otherwise he wouldn’t possess the key to this treasure casket.”

“Something like that?”

Understanding the full story, Elder Hou’s face also registered astonishment. “Now I finally understand why Lingxi always said your luck was incredible.”

“It’s not my luck, Elder Hou, it’s your good fortune,” Wang Guan chuckled. “Actually, what Feibai said makes sense. After all we’ve done, it was all to make things right for you in the end.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Elder Hou chuckled, lightly scolding him.

“It’s the truth…” Wang Guan said sincerely.

“Whether it’s the truth or not, I just know you’re looking for praise and reward,” Elder Hou shook his head gently, then smiled. “You should understand, these items don’t belong to me; they are national property.”

“Understood, of course, I understand,” Wang Guan nodded repeatedly, though his spirits visibly dampened.

“Don’t look so glum; it’s not like you won’t get compensated.”

Just then, Elder Hou gestured. “Look, do you see? Everything in the carriage, apart from this treasure casket and the blood edict, consists of mechanisms and hidden weapons. If you like something, I can give you one piece.”

Wang Guan joked, “The casket isn’t an option?”

“It is!”

Elder Hou’s gaze burned with intensity. “Join our organization. If you work until retirement, you can apply to take one item you like with you. However, it will only be temporarily kept; it must be returned after your passing.”

“Such strict conditions,” Wang Guan immediately shook his head. “Then forget it.”

“Don’t be so quick to refuse; think about it again,” Elder Hou said mysteriously with a smile. “You must have some idea of the nature of our organization. The Hanzhong research institute is just the periphery, merely the tip of the iceberg. If you join, I won't boast too much, but you’ll see enough rare treasures to dazzle your eyes.”

“Uh…”

Wang Guan was tempted, but he still shook his head in refusal. “Forget it, I prefer to rely on my own efforts.”

“It seems Lingxi was right,” Elder Hou sighed at that moment. “Young people are restless and unwilling to be constrained. As you wish. Whenever you change your mind, just remember to look for me.”

“Certainly, certainly.”

Wang Guan smiled. He wouldn't change his mind anytime soon. As for the future, perhaps he might not be able to resist the temptation, but that was a matter for later.

“Elder Hou, is there nothing else?”

At the same time, Wang Guan took his leave. “Then I’ll be going. I’m off to see if Feibai and the others have found any treasures.”

“Wait…”

Just then, Elder Hou smiled. “You don’t want payment anymore?”

“Forget it, it was just a small favor. If I really took payment, Elder Qian would surely scold me when I get back,” Wang Guan waved his hand, then hopped out of the carriage, preparing to hail a cab.

“…Catch.”

Suddenly, Wang Guan heard Elder Hou’s voice, then saw something being tossed over. Sometimes, bodily instinct is faster than the eyes. Before he could clearly see what it was, he instinctively reached out and caught it.

“Take it. Don’t be too conspicuous, or it will be hard for me to explain,” Elder Hou chuckled softly, then closed the carriage door and continued sorting through the contents inside.

“Thank you, Elder Hou!”

Initially, Wang Guan planned to decline politely, but the moment he saw what was in his hand, the words he was about to say died in his throat. At this moment, he felt he couldn't be overly reserved, or he would regret it immensely.

Holding this item, Wang Guan felt a stir of excitement. Even though he was accustomed to all sorts of rare treasures, as he examined the object in his hand, he couldn't suppress a surge of delight. He sincerely thanked Elder Hou for his generous gift.

However, possessing this item was indeed somewhat eye-catching. After a moment's thought, Wang Guan decided not to rush to find Yu Feibai and the others, but instead returned to the hotel where they were staying. Only after securing the item did he head to the antiques market.

Not long after, everyone gathered again. Wang Guan asked with interest, “So, what treasures did you manage to find?”

“Don’t even mention it,” Yu Feibai shook his head. “It’s lively here, no doubt, but the goods aren’t that great. It’s not that everything is fake; there are quite a few real pieces. The problem is, there’s simply too little truly good stuff.”

“Your standards are too high,” Tang Qinghua commented casually. “Actually, I thought there were a lot of good items, you just looked down on them.”

“Can’t be helped; I’ve been spoiled by someone’s collection,” Yu Feibai said, while speaking he curiously asked, “By the way, what did Elder Hou want you for?”

“Nothing much, just a casual chat,” Wang Guan said vaguely.

“Tch, who believes that,” Yu Feibai pouted. “Even we are being kept in the dark, so it must be a big deal. Hmph, hmph, our previous assumptions must have been quite on track; Elder Hou must have held something back, having discovered some treasure…”

“Maybe so.”

Wang Guan’s smile remained, his expression ambiguous, which prompted a complaint from Yu Feibai. “You’re really picking up bad habits, learning from Elder Qian. But you haven’t learned it well—Elder Qian is profound and unfathomable, whereas you are just feigning profundity…”

Wang Guan was instantly speechless and immediately suppressed his smile, changing the subject. “Since you’re not impressed with the things here, let’s go check out another antique market.”

“Fine, let’s go then.”

Seeing that Wang Guan was unwilling to elaborate, Yu Feibai and the others tactfully didn't press further. They then drove to another antiques market and browsed until evening, when they received a call from Professor Wen reminding them of their appointment at a downtown restaurant.

This restaurant might not have been the most luxurious establishment in Luoyang City, but its decor was extremely elegant, and the head chef’s cooking skills were superb, boasting several signature dishes.

Hosted by Professor Wen, they toasted each other, ate their fill, and finally departed in high spirits. After some pleasantries and heartfelt goodbyes, everyone dispersed.

Not long after, Wang Guan and the others returned to their hotel. Feeling that it was still early, they weren’t in a hurry to rest. Instead, they gathered in the lounge to brew tea to sober up and take stock of the day’s acquisitions.

Although Yu Feibai had high standards, after spending most of the day in the antique markets, he had certainly found something he liked and purchased a relatively exquisite ancient jade piece. As for Tang Qinghua and Fang Mingsheng, there was no need to elaborate—they were veritable big spenders, major patrons, and walking ATMs in the eyes of the antique shop owners. As long as they thought an item was nice, they immediately spent a fortune...

Of course, that might be a slight exaggeration, but the two of them did buy quite a lot of items.

“Having a lot of stuff is meaningless; the key is the quality,” Yu Feibai declared proudly at that moment. “The things they bought were at market price, so there’s no real profit margin. But this jade pendant I acquired, the owner thought it was Republic of China era jade, but it’s actually Qing Dynasty ancient jade. I can make at least a thirty percent profit when I sell it.”

“Thirty percent is only two or three thousand yuan,” Tang Qinghua said lightly. “That’s just the cost of one meal; what’s there to be proud of?”

“…Damn rich second generation, who doesn’t understand the fun of treasure hunting!” Yu Feibai muttered, completely forgetting that he himself was an official second generation, even surpassing the rich second generation.

While the two were bickering, Fang Mingsheng placed a cup of hot tea in front of Wang Guan, and finally asked the question he had held back for a long time.

“Wang Guan, the proposal before the Mid-Autumn Festival, you should remember it, right?” At this moment, Fang Mingsheng asked with a measure of expectation, “How have you considered it?”

“Hm?”

At this moment, Yu Feibai exclaimed in surprise, “What proposal?”

(To be continued)