CHAPTER 151: CHAPTER 150: ELDER FU

Yu Xiaolian stretched her neck to look downstairs. When she saw that treasure clearly, she couldn’t help but exclaim, "Oh my, isn’t that Slow Sheep the village chief?"

What is Slow Sheep the village chief doing all the way in Bohai City? And it’s all alone, where are the other sheep from the village?

After looking for a while and not seeing any other sheep, Yu Xiaolian realized that this Slow Sheep was the one Yu Zishu had sold, not the one from the complete set they had sold.

"I’ve heard for some time that a rare thing called plastic has appeared in the Northern Land. Today, I have the fortune of seeing it; it’s truly a rare blessing."

"Shopkeeper Wang, how much does this unparalleled treasure cost? Tell us so we can give up!"

"This plastic thing is rare overseas too, and something this exquisite is even more so. The price can’t be low!"

"For such a magnificent and rare treasure, we can only feast our eyes on it."

Shopkeeper Wang watched the lively discussion in the venue with a beaming smile.

Those short on money will naturally be outshone by those who aren’t. A hoarse and elderly voice came from a private room on the second floor, "Bring the item up here, let me have a look."

No one knew the identity of the elderly man, but when he spoke, the entire room immediately fell silent. Shopkeeper Wang’s expression changed, and he personally took the tray to present Slow Sheep upstairs.

As it turned out, there wasn’t an outcome. The item wasn’t auctioned at all; the old man on the second floor just kept it.

Someone complained, "Doesn’t this break the rules?"

"Exactly, once it’s up for auction, we should be allowed to bid on it!"

"Right, I came here for this treasure, but I came for nothing..."

Shopkeeper Wang also knew that doing so broke the rules of the auction house, but he couldn’t say anything against it as he couldn’t afford to offend the man upstairs.

It’s over; he messed up the task given by the Prince.

Although the man also paid, it was only ten thousand taels. He felt he had lost out.

If it had been auctioned, it surely would have fetched much more than ten thousand taels.

Shopkeeper Wang sighed inwardly, thinking the Princely Heir would surely scold him later.

Jun Mobai looked at Fu Qing, "Go ask Old Wang what’s going on?"

When he previously bid on the Glazed Cup, he felt the voice was familiar. Now that the voice was not concealed, his heart tightened.

Shopkeeper Wang was explaining to everyone, promising to notify all the masters the next time they acquired plastic items and begging to be spared just this once.

Seeing Fu Qing coming to call him, Shopkeeper Wang felt a headache, blaming everything on his misfortune.

Jun Mobai raised an eyebrow, looking at the troubled Shopkeeper Wang, "What’s going on? Tell me!"

Shopkeeper Wang leaned in to Jun Mobai’s ear and whispered a few words, causing Jun Mobai to briefly close his eyes.

"... Is it really that old fellow?" He thought the raspy voice sounded familiar, and it really was him.

Shopkeeper Wang nodded bitterly.

Jun Mobai frowned, "Why would that old guy come to Bohai City?"

Who knows? Shopkeeper Wang sighed.

He didn’t even know when the old man arrived or which servant led him to the second floor.

He promised to investigate and deal with whoever it was harshly.

Realizing there were still many auctioneers waiting outside for him, Shopkeeper Wang quickly spoke to Jun Mobai and left the room.

Jun Mobai gestured to Fu Qing, who bent down.

"That old guy probably came by boat from Jizhou, and he’s surely heading to Linzhou too. You leave immediately, right now!"

"Is Fu Yi’s trip also aimed at the Witch Clan girl?"

"I recognized his voice, and he’ll surely recognize mine too. I’ll hold him here, and you must go to Linzhou right now and bring back that Witch Clan girl alive."

Jun Mobai’s long fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, showing some unease, "Go!"

Fu Qing knew the Witch Clan girl was important; whether the Princely Heir’s beloved could recover depended on her. He dared not delay and quickly exited.

Not long after Fu Qing left, Jun Mobai’s private room door was pushed open.

"I knew it was you, kid. I thought the voice sounded familiar!"

Fu Yi’s unique hoarse voice was unforgettable once heard.

Fu Yi slowly rotated the ring on his thumb as he sized up the room.

"Usually that kid Fu Qing is always by your side, why isn’t he here this time?"

Jun Mobai replied with a question, "And Liu Feng isn’t at your side either!"

Who knows how long ago Liu Feng had left, perhaps even before Fu Qing.

"The one contending with me for the Glazed Cup wasn’t you, was it?" Jun Mobai was seething inside.

Fu Yi laughed heartily, "Not too shabby, young one indeed has potential!"

With that, he turned and left.

Jun Mobai was furious, grabbing a cup and smashing it on the ground.

Only after it shattered did he realize it was the Glazed Cup he had just bought at a high price.

He didn’t care about the Glazed Cup; his anger was directed at having been outwitted by Fu Yi, that cunning old fox, once again.

Four thousand five hundred taels minus a five percent commission meant four thousand two hundred and fifty taels. The father and son took the Silver and didn’t linger, quickly exiting Juming Pavilion.

Before leaving, Shopkeeper Wang warmly encouraged them to bring any future treasures to Juming Pavilion, for auction or sale, promising to reduce the commission next time.

Stepping out into the darkened street, Yu Xiaolian put the silver note into her space.

What’s valuable as an antique in the modern era turned out to be even more valuable in ancient times.

"Dad, someone’s following us..." Yu Xiaolian whispered, "Let’s hide in the space."

The father and daughter pretended nothing was amiss as they entered an alley, slipping into their space under the cover of darkness.

The pair trailing them entered the alley, realizing they had lost sight of their targets. One said, "Turns out these two are martial arts experts; they must have noticed us long ago."

The two brothers cupped their hands in gratitude, "Thank you, great warrior, for sparing our lives!"

After that, they hurriedly left, afraid the warrior might change their mind and harm them.

Yu Changhe and Yu Xiaolian were oblivious to the fact they had been taken as great warriors. They feared their trackers hadn’t gone far and might be waiting nearby.

Yu Xiaolian and Yu Changhe sat on the ground, munching on peaches as they bided their time.

There’s no harm in waiting a bit longer.

What if they went out and got attacked?

About half an hour later, Yu Xiaolian decided it was safe; the followers were unlikely to be lingering in the dark alley for so long.

Yu Xiaolian exited first and, seeing it was safe, released Yu Changhe.

When the two returned to the inn, the inn’s attendant was just about to close up for the night. Curious to see them returning from outside, he asked, "Why are you returning so late, guests?"

Yu Xiaolian replied, "After dinner, we went for a stroll to digest a bit and got lost. It took us a while to find our way back!"

The servant thought: These two are quite daft.

"Take care going up the stairs, customers. The steps are freshly mopped and might be slippery."

He sighed as the steps got dirty again; he hadn’t noticed them leaving earlier. Had he known, he would have mopped later.

Yu Xiaolian noticed the attendant’s frustration and casually handed him a handful of Copper Coins, without counting, "This is for you."

The attendant received the coins with both hands, displaying a delighted smile, "If you plan to go out tomorrow night, I’ll make sure to leave the door open for you, mister and miss."