Evil Spirits Carrying A Coffin

Chapter Ten Liangshan County

Huang Degui had done a very good job. No one else noticed anything unusual.

While Li Yuan and I were still immersed in the events, a notification sounded on the train. We had arrived at Liangshan County in Jining, Shandong Province, the very place where Yuan Li and Li Xin lived, near the Yellow River, in a small village.

We watched the two of them walk away little by little. Li Yuan and I stood there with our luggage, unsure of where to go. After all, this was our first time leaving Beijing for another place, so it was only natural that we felt lost.

At that moment, a three wheeled vehicle stopped in front of us.

“Hey, you two taking a ride? Three yuan per person.”

The man spoke with a strong Jining accent, which made both of us frown. He looked honest and simple enough, but Li Yuan and I were still wary. An unlicensed vehicle like this was best avoided if possible.

Seeing that we had no intention of getting on, the man cursed under his breath and rode off to the side to continue soliciting passengers.

Li Yuan nearly exploded. If I had not grabbed him in time, he might have gone over and beaten the driver. We had just arrived, though, and it was better to avoid trouble. In a place like this, unfamiliar with both the people and the surroundings, there was no one to complain to if something went wrong.

Just then, a taxi stopped in front of us. After agreeing on a price, we tossed our luggage into the trunk and got into the back seat.

“Master, where is the nearest antique market around here?”

Li Yuan could not wait to ask as soon as we got in.

“You two are from Beijing, right?”

The driver guessed our origin just from our accents. That surprised me, and I looked at him instinctively.

“How did you know?”

The driver laughed and said he had once spent time in Beijing himself. He had been one of those so called Beijing drifters, but after failing to make a name for himself, he returned home and started driving a taxi. As for the Beijing accent, he was very familiar with it.

I nodded. To be honest, my family was not originally from Beijing either. My ancestors had moved there later and lived there for a long time.

“I didn’t expect you two to be so young and already so interested in antiques.”

Li Yuan and I exchanged a glance, understanding each other immediately. For disciples of tomb raiding families, the ability to appraise antiques was an essential skill. If you entered an ancient tomb and could not even tell what was valuable and what was worthless, that would truly be a tragedy.

“The place you’re staying is actually very close to an antique street. If you’re interested, just ask around when you get there. It’s nearby.”

The driver chatted as he drove, telling us many interesting things about Liangshan County. The conversation was pleasant the whole way. In the end, he even charged us only half the fare. Li Yuan sighed, remarking that there were still plenty of good people in Jining.

As he spoke, he looked at the fifty yuan bill in his hand. The next second, his expression changed, and he cursed quietly.

“I’ll kill him.”

“What’s wrong?”

I was puzzled and looked at him.

“Look.”

Li Yuan angrily handed me the bill. I took it and examined it more closely. My heart sank when I realized there was no watermark.

“This damn thing is fake.”

The driver had long since disappeared. Li Yuan cursed him nonstop. He had thought the driver was a good person, but the change turned out to be counterfeit. We were both speechless. Later, we learned that it actually took less than twenty minutes to get from the train station to where we were staying.

“Forget it. Let’s go.”

Seeing how indignant Li Yuan looked, I shook my head, grabbed him, and headed toward the hotel.

At least the driver had not lied about one thing. There really was an antique street near the hotel. It was right behind it, something we discovered after checking in.

Since it was still daytime, we decided to go there after dinner to take a look. After locking the door, we headed toward the antique street.

“This should be the place.”

The street was sparsely populated, with stalls on both sides displaying jars and bottles that looked like antiques. A closer look made both of us shake our heads. Some of them even had “Made in Jingdezhen” printed on the bottom. The lack of effort was astonishing.

One stall owner, seeing our interest, claimed that his item was from the Ming Dynasty and offered it for only five hundred yuan. Li Yuan and I exchanged another glance. Neither of us looked like complete fools. We had no idea what that man was thinking.

Being cheated by the taxi driver during the day was one thing. If we got cheated again now, we might as well pack up and go back to Beijing.

Ignoring the stall owner’s persistent chatter, we went deeper into the street. After wandering around for quite some time, we found nothing of value, not even anything from the late Qing Dynasty. The disappointment was obvious.

Just then, a slovenly looking man tugged at my sleeve.

“Need anything?”

I immediately became alert. What had happened earlier in the day still weighed on my mind. I had learned that you could not judge people by appearances. Sometimes, those who looked the most honest were the most cunning, and the better they were at deceiving others.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Li Yuan was right beside me, so I was not worried about being robbed.

“I mean antiques and related things.”

I was taken aback. Antiques were one thing, but the way he said it made him sound like a swindler. There were antiques everywhere on this street. Did he really think we were clueless?

Still, since I was new here, I chose my words carefully and did not mock him outright.

“Can we take a look? If it’s really good, we might buy it.”

At the same time, Li Yuan tugged at me, clearly telling me not to waste time on someone like this. I ignored him.

Seeing that I seemed genuinely interested, the man quickly pulled us under a street lamp.

“Take a look at this.”

He glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention, then slowly took out an object covered in green copper rust.

The moment we saw it, both Li Yuan and I felt our eyes light up, though we kept our reactions in check.

“This…”

The man hesitated for a moment, then understood and introduced himself.

“My name is Huang Degui. Most people just call me Old Huang.”

“Old Huang, this thing of yours is badly damaged,” I said.

Hearing that, Huang Degui nodded without arguing.

“But it’s genuine.”

Seeing my interest, Huang Degui was clearly delighted. He had kept this item hidden at home for half a year before daring to sell it. If the police discovered it, not only would he fail to make any money, he might even end up in jail. Because of that, he had been extremely cautious and only now brought it out.