It was three months ago during the dog days when the atmosphere was very stuffy, making people feel like they were being locked up inside a steamer basket.
On that day, fatty had sold a batch of funerary wares in the Luo Yang black market. On the way home, he met an acquaintance, and they went to an Inn to have a meal and two cups of iced beer each. The man mysteriously took out a piece of ancient jade that was half a palm wide from his pocket. Although fatty had worked as a grave robber for many years, he was unable to determine which dynasty it was from.
Fatty asked for its origin and that friend answered that it was from an antique marketplace. He found this item to be of value and slightly spent a bit more money to buy it.
At that time he thought that it was a treasure, but when he attempted to sell, nobody wanted it and he was unable to make a profit out of it. There was nothing he could do with the ancient jade. He wanted fatty to sell it when he was free, and it would be fine as long as it was not a to a loss. Once sold, the profit would be fatty’s.
Fatty thought that since he would not be making a loss, he agreed. He held the beer cup with both his hands and just when he was about to drink it all in one go, the other waved his hand. That man stood up, but still continued to remind him to remember to sell it and also to give him a call when it was done. After that, he hurriedly left. Fatty patted his chest and vouched that when he took action to sell it, he absolutely would not make a lost. As he had already eaten, he also left the Inn.
However, he didn’t expect to incite a huge problem.
Very quickly, fatty had sold the ancient jade to a wealthy collector. Afterward, he had not even rested for two days when the police came knocking at his door. Fatty thought that he did not properly cover up his business and gave himself away. This time, he had really failed miserably.
On second thought, I had always been cautious. It couldn’t be that the cop came to pay him a visit ah! Fatty made a firm resolution not to admit even if beaten to death, at most he would be detained for a while. If there’s no evidence, they would not be able to do anything to him. However, what’s unexpected was the shocking news the police delivered to him and that scared fatty till he was half dead.
The leader of the police asked, “Zhang Xing, do you know him?”
Fatty thought for a while before remembering the person who gave him the ancient jade. All the time he had always been calling that person second brother Zhang so fatty was unable to remember his actual name. Hence he just nodded and agreed, “Yes, what happen?”
The police said, “He’s dead. He died at home and when his neighbors found him, he nearly turned into a dried corpse. His door and window were all locked from the outside. His death was bizarre. From his phone, the last call from his phone’s call history was your phone number.”
That phone call to second brother Zhang was after he had sold the ancient jade.
Fatty’s heart was in turmoil. That guy was fine two days ago, why did he die?
Fatty asked, “It can’t be right? Two days ago, I even drank beer with him. Even if he got into an accident, it’s impossible to turn into a dried corpse in two days, ah!”
The police frowned. He turned to his back and got the people behind him to record the conversation. “The forensic detective examined that the corpse was dead for around a week. All his blood in his body had congealed. There was also signs of poisoning but the type of poison was still under investigation.”
Dead for around a week?! Then what about that time when we went to drink? Thinking back, that person did not touch the food and beer, and he was also acting weird. Cold sweat trickled down fatty’s back!
What came after, fatty was unable to clearly remember. He vaguely sent the police away. He naturally would not disclose his and second brother Zhang’s shady business deal. If he did not settle this properly, he would even have to squat in there.
After the police had left, he went to sit on the sofa. In his mind, there were only the words the police had said. In the end, it turned into sounds of sardonic laughter from second brother Zhang.
But who was fatty? He had been making a living as a grave robber and is known as Mo Jin Xiao Wei, ah! Fatty touched the fake wooden gold finding charm that was on his neck and immediately recovered. He tried to remember any strange things that had happened from his memory.
Since the incident with second brother Zhang, it added onto an even more terrifying speculation as for the wealthy collector that brought the ancient jade had called his phone. This number was only used when fatty had good things to sell to him. After the call was connected, the person who answered was a woman. That person cried as she told fatty that she was the wealthy collector’s wife. Last night, her husband died in a car accident!
This news was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue that exploded in fatty’s mind.
It looked like his guess was really on point. That jade had a problem!
After asking for that wealthy man’s address, fatty did not pack his things and immediately set out to Da Lian. With the consent of that wealthy man’s relatives, fatty found the ancient jade in his study room.
The next day, fatty went to the police station to get the autopsy report. On the white paper, the black words stated: From the blood of the dead body, an unknown yet latent poison was found!
What did this show?
All those that came in contact with the ancient jade would mysteriously die!
However, why was he alright? With this question on his mind, fatty put the ancient jade in his pocket and went back to Luo Yang. Immediately after arriving back at Luo Yang, he went for a physical examination. Unfortunately, his body, too, contained that virus!
This time fatty would really cause God to panic. He shut himself behind closed doors in his house, and for a month, he did not come out till there was once again news of somebody’s death.
This time it was an antique shop’s old man. Cause of death: suicide.
Fatty could no longer sit still. He went to a small private courtyard and quietly paid a visit to the families of the deceased. From the old man’s son mouth, fatty was able to know that that old man was an archaeologist. After retiring, he started an antique business. After listening, fatty did not speak further and took out that piece of ancient jade.
Unexpectedly, once the old man’s son saw that ancient jade, it was like he saw a ghost. He immediately fell out with fatty and became hostile. He roared and pushed fatty out the door, “Leave! Leave! Immediately leave! Leave as far as possible and don’t ever come back!”
Fatty knew something wasn’t right. This old man’s son definitely knew something but no matter how much he knocked on the door, that old man’s son would ignore him. In the end, that old man’s son secretly moved his family away.
Without a choice, fatty went around to inquire for information relating to that old man. Finally, he learned about a clue——before the old man retired, he participated in a local archaeological activity and afterward, he started his retirement.
As for what that activity was, fatty was unable to find out. But this jade must have landed on the old man’s hand in Luo Yang or he would not suddenly retire here.
Following this clue, fatty was able to find the names of some old pedant who once worked with the old man.
However, the result caused fatty to be speechless. Though the result was beyond his expectation, it was also still within his expectation.
Those people had all died.
The discouraged fatty did not think that there would also be someone looking for those dead people and that someone was Xing Man Tian. After finding him and talking to him, they both understood each other’s purpose and it was related to the ancient jade that seemed to be able to curse.
After discussing, the two once again paid a visit to the deserted courtyard.
The courtyard still contained traces of the old man’s family leaving in a hurry and the door was locked tightly with a huge lock. Just as the two people were about to pry open the locked door to investigate the inside of the house, suddenly a cat jumped out of the window.
To be exact, it was a black cat.
At that time the two did not think too much about it and assumed that the stray cats were using this place as their new home.
The black cat silently dragged a piece of paper. It’s agile and quick-witted actions attracted Xing Man Tian’s attention. That paper was a remnant of a book.
On seeing the picture, his mind was like being struck by lightning and he blanked out on the spot. After a while, he took the page that was torn from the remnant of a book and gave fatty to see. In the picture, there was an ancient jade which was around half a palm size and it was exactly the same as the jade in fatty’s hand.
Below the picture, there were two handwritten words which were written using a fountain pen, Li Jiang.
