Dragon Coffin

Chapter 4 Ghost Pile

Su Bo smirked. "Kid, I've been listening to your crazy talk for a while now. Can we stop joking around? Besides, even if you don't sweep up that molar stone powder, the cleaning crew will handle it."

He moved closer to the boy until their noses were almost touching and then burst out laughing. "My IQ is 180. I'm not that easy to fool."

"Your height is 180, I believe," Yue Qing, whose pale skin had a sickly hue, said with a faint, fleeting smile. The boy was as cold as an iceberg. "Follow me."

Su Bo, as if under a spell, followed him. They walked one behind the other without speaking, yet their steps were perfectly synchronized. They eventually reached a narrow alley where Yue Qing stopped. He suddenly moved to a tree at the entrance of the alley and started digging with his bare hands. It didn't take long before a white marble pillar was exposed.

"A ghost post must be made of white marble and inscribed with the Soul Guiding Scripture. Wandering souls gather here first, then follow the ghost path to their destination. Still don't believe me?"

It was hard to disbelieve him. Would anyone go to the trouble of burying a white marble post just to deceive him? Su Bo swallowed hard and checked his watch. "Kid, I can't do this right now. I have to get to work. We'll talk about this ghost post later. BYE!"

He turned and sprinted away. After ensuring Su Bo was gone, Yue Qing looked around to make sure no one was watching. He then spat a drop of true yang saliva onto the white marble post. The saliva sizzled like acid on the inscribed surface, emitting a puff of blue smoke. Once the Soul Guiding Scripture was destroyed, the ghost path vanished. Yue Qing breathed a sigh of relief, but he couldn't help wondering, "Who set up this ghost path?"

Carrying a heart full of mixed feelings, Su Bo arrives at the antique shop, number 104. He hoped he wouldn't encounter anything strange again. Thankfully, the shop door was open, and the beautiful woman, who looked like an immortal, was already sitting behind the counter. When she saw Su Bo, she merely raised her hand slightly in greeting. "You're here?"

"Yes, I'm here." Su Bo plastered on a big smile. "Uh, you probably don't know my name yet. Let me introduce myself. I'm Su Bo, 20 years old, and, uh..."

"I know, IQ 180, height 180," the beauty responded coolly, not showing the usual reaction girls had to a face resembling Daniel Wu. "Let me brief you on your job. From now on, you're the store manager of this antique shop. The space here isn't as confined as it looks. Don't go to the right side of the yard unless necessary, and if you see unfamiliar faces, don't approach them randomly. Anyone who comes here is part of our group. If a customer comes in, you don't need to explain anything to them. They will select what they want, and I'll handle the transaction. Your job is to summarize daily sales and report them monthly to the boss. We have more than one boss, but the main one in charge is Mr. Bai."

This... Su Bo felt disoriented. This job didn't seem like managing a*****e; it felt more like freeloading. "This is way too easy," he blurted out, noticing the beauty's slight frown. "I mean, I need more rigorous work."

"That's how it is in an antique shop," the beauty said. "By the way, the most important thing is there's a room with a dragon-shaped lock at the back. Never go inside. You don't have the key anyway. Let me introduce myself; my name is Xue Fen."

Xue Fen's fairy-like demeanor captivated Su Bo, but what intrigued him even more was the room with the dragon-shaped lock and the backyard. Using the excuse of familiarizing himself with his surroundings, Su Bo slipped into the backyard. The front yard and the backyard were separated by a pitch-black door without a lock. It seemed like an open invitation to enter. Su Bo pushed the door, but it didn't budge. After trying again with no success, he noticed wheels under the door and realized, "It's a sliding door!"

This was a perfect example of fixed thinking. Typically, such wooden doors open inward. Who would have thought the owner would use a sliding mechanism? When Su Bo slid the doors open, he was shocked by what he saw inside – it was a teahouse!

Despite lacking practical experience, Su Bo's IQ of 180 helped him understand that a teahouse needed to be in a busy area to thrive. This alley was already secluded, and the teahouse was hidden in the backyard, which made no sense. The teahouse, however, was quaint and charming, with traditional decor and paintings on the walls exuding an ancient ambiance. Instead of flowers or plants, there were plums blossom stakes at the entrance. Peering inside, the teahouse was empty, without a single customer or staff member in sight. Su Bo's curiosity got the better of him, and he stepped inside. As soon as he did, a voice rang out, "Hey, kid, what are you doing?"

A tall man suddenly appeared in front of him. Su Bo hadn't heard his footsteps and had no idea where he had come from. His heart raced, nearly leaping out of his chest. "Uh, I'm the store manager of the antique shop in the front..."

Mentioning his position gave Su Bo more confidence, and he stood up straighter. The man was about the same height as him but exuded a stronger presence, making Su Bo feel instantly inferior. The man's expression softened after hearing this. "This place and the front are separate. Don't wander in here again."

Under the man's watchful eyes, Su Bo left and returned to the antique shop. He saw a customer examining the antiques, finally picking up a jade pillow. Xue Fen approached, "This jade pillow was used by Princess Gaoyang."

With that brief statement, the customer didn't hesitate and immediately decided, "I'll take it."

Su Bo's jaw almost dropped. The jade pillow looked no different from the ones sold at street stalls. And how could a single sentence about Princess Gaoyang's use convince the customer without any doubt? After the customer left, Xue Fen turned and said, "Our shop never sells counterfeits. Just remember that."

Impressive. Su Bo was speechless. Just then, he noticed someone peeking in through the door. To his surprise, it was the peculiar boy Yue Qing.

Yue Qing had followed the ghost's path to the shop and was equally shocked when he saw it. The shop was full of hidden mysteries, with both good and evil energies perfectly balanced and intermingled—a rare occurrence. As Yue Qing was about to investigate further, Su Bo rushed out. "Kid, what are you doing here?"

The boy, who was both spiritually sensitive and attracted malevolent forces, was now at a shop harboring both good and evil energies. What was going on? Yue Qing frowned slightly. "This is the endpoint of the ghost path!"