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墨書 Inktalez
Gravekeeper
Liang Shengqiu's shop was quite large, beautifully decorated, with the words "Serene Autumn" written above the entrance. As I stepped inside, I was greeted by an atmosphere of classical elegance.
Inside, there were many jars and bottles displayed, though I couldn't tell if they were antiques or not.
A girl with long braids was sitting at the counter, working on her homework. Beside the counter was a redwood tea table.
I approached her and asked, "Excuse me, is Boss Liang Shengqiu here?"
The girl looked up at me. Her round face appeared youthful; she seemed to be a high school student.
"Yes, my grandfather is the boss of this shop. Are you looking for him?" she replied.
I nodded and said, "I have some matters to discuss. Where is your grandfather?"
"He went out today, so I'm here watching the shop for him. If it's urgent, I can give him a call," she offered.
Upon hearing this, I realized she was Liang Shengqiu's granddaughter. It was likely that she didn't have school on weekends, which is why she was doing her homework here.
"That's fine. Just ask your grandfather when he might return; I can wait for him," I replied.
The girl nodded and turned to make a phone call. Soon after, she informed me that her grandfather would be back around four in the afternoon.
I glanced at the time; it was still not even eleven o'clock yet, meaning I had five hours to wait. I acknowledged this with an "Oh," and thanked her.
The girl was quite polite; she invited me to sit at a table by the window and brought me a glass of water, placing it in front of me.
At that moment, a man in a black jacket walked in. He appeared to be in his forties, with a dark complexion. Although he wore upscale clothing, his skin suggested he had previously engaged in manual labor.
The Jacket Man entered and placed a cloth bag on the counter. He opened the bag and said to Liang Shengqiu's granddaughter, "Boss, I have something good here. Come take a look."
The girl looked up and replied, "My grandfather isn't here. If he has something to sell, he'll come back in the evening."
The Jacket Man chuckled, "This is really something special. Come on, just take a look. I'm not asking you to make a decision right now."
The girl seemed quite interested in antiques. She stood up and said, "Alright, I'll take a look."
She glanced at the item and then turned to find a magnifying glass. At that moment, as she turned her body, the Jacket Man subtly nudged the antique vase closer to her elbow.
With a crash, the vase was knocked to the ground and shattered into pieces.
"Ah! My treasure, the Celadon Vase from the Ming Dynasty!" the Jacket Man shouted.
The girl was extremely flustered, repeatedly apologizing, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't think it would hit!"
Of course, the Jacket Man was unforgiving, insisting that his item was very valuable.
I was sitting nearby sipping water, observing everything unfold.
Indeed, the world is full of dangers, especially in the antique business. It requires not only keen eyesight but also vigilance against being swindled.
I noticed how anxious the girl was. Considering that I needed something from Liang Shengqiu as well, I picked up a teacup from the table and walked over.
I certainly wasn't there to fight.
I walked over and stood behind the Jacket Man, who was excitedly shouting, trying to extort money from the girl.
As he moved his arm back, it brushed against my hand, causing the teapot I was holding to clatter to the ground.
Both the Jacket Man and the girl turned to look at me.
I suddenly shouted, "Oh no! My Song Dynasty Blue-and-White Porcelain Teapot! It's my family heirloom! I never wanted to sell it, but I had to for my mother's medical treatment! You bastard! You owe me for my Song Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain!"
I was overacting so much that even the girl beside me could probably see through it. The key point was that what fell on the ground was just an ordinary porcelain cup, completely unrelated to blue-and-white porcelain.
The Jacket Man frowned, looking at me. "You dare to mess with me?"
I stood my ground. "Who has time to mess with you? Let's call the police! This isn't over; we're going to the station!"
He pointed at me. "Where did this kid come from, daring to provoke me?"
I swatted his hand away. "Don't point at me! It's fine for you to extort the girl, but I can't mess with you? If you think you're right, let's call the police right now and see whether your Ming Dynasty Porcelain Vase is worth more or my Song Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain."
"Fine, just wait! You brat!" The Jacket Man seemed to realize I was young and impulsive, so he didn't continue the argument and turned to leave.
I scoffed; I really looked down on people like him.
The girl nervously rubbed her hands and looked at me. "Thank you so much! I was really scared just now."
"It's nothing. If you encounter something like this in the future, just call the police, okay?" I replied.
The girl quickly nodded. "Yes, thank you so much!"
I smiled lightly.
The girl chatted with me for a while; her name was Liang Ying, and she was in her second year of high school, doing quite well academically.
I asked Liang Ying what her grandfather did, trying to steer the conversation towards Tomb Raiding, but it seemed she had no idea. She only mentioned that her grandfather was an ordinary businessman, nothing particularly special about him except for his keen eyesight.
I nodded, thinking that perhaps Liang Shengqiu had long since left the Tomb Raiding business and didn’t want to burden Liang Ying with those unsavory details.
I didn’t press further.
After chatting for over an hour, I started to feel a bit hungry. I said, “Well, Liang Ying, I’m going to step out for a bit. I’ll come back around four or five this afternoon.”
Liang Ying nodded in response.
I walked out of Autumn's Whisper Antique Shop and wandered around the area, looking for a place to eat. I was running low on money; initially, I had planned to treat Liang Ying to a meal, but I needed to save enough for my return trip to Donghai City. It was just… sigh, so pitiful.
The restaurants around here seemed quite expensive, so I decided to look for a street vendor selling dumplings and grab a quick bite.
As I walked along, suddenly—bang!
I felt a sharp pain in my head, followed by a buzzing sensation as everything went dark…
…
I lost track of time.
My consciousness slowly returned.
Damn it, who the hell hit me from behind!
I felt my body moving, as if someone was carrying me.
I gradually opened my eyes, every part of me aching painfully. It must have been when I fainted that this group of bastards gave me a good beating.
Damn it.
It was very dark in front of me.
I took a couple of breaths and a foul odor wafted in.
I quickly realized that they had stuffed me into a sack. I had no idea what this sack had contained before, but it reeked of rotting flesh!
I panicked, but I didn’t dare to move. What if they noticed I was awake and gave me another beating? Or worse, what if they decided to kill me?
The thought of possibly being killed made me freeze in place.
It sounded like someone was opening a door.
Then a hoarse voice asked, “Fourth Brother! What are you carrying?”
“Big Brother, don’t even mention it. Some blind fool popped up out of nowhere. I was about to get some money from the shop when this brat suddenly appeared and gave me a hard time. I brought him here to teach him a lesson.” A voice replied.
Hearing that voice, I immediately recognized it. This person was the Jacket Man, the bastard who had tried to swindle me at Liang Ying's shop!
I never expected that today's scammers could be so ruthless.
Once I understood the situation, I became even more worried about my life. If I had known this group was so domineering, I wouldn't have meddled in their affairs.
The Raspy Man snorted, "You're making a fuss! This is our brothers' hideout. Bringing a stranger in here? Do you want the police to find us, Seven Brothers?"
The Jacket Man quickly replied, "It's fine, boss. When we leave, we'll take care of him. We'll gouge out his eyes; those cops won't get anything from him."
"Hmph! Fine! Once we get rid of the stuff in our hands, we'll leave immediately."
"Right. Hey, boss, how much can you sell that jade for..."
After that, they started discussing other matters.
Hearing their conversation from inside the sack made my heart race. They really intended to gouge out my eyes—what the hell! I can't end up blind!
Suddenly, someone threw me directly to the ground.
I hit the ground hard and felt dazed, nearly throwing up.
But I held it together.
At that moment, someone began to untie the sack.
I immediately closed my eyes and pretended to be unconscious; I absolutely couldn't give myself away.
I was dragged out, the sack pulled off my head.
I remained motionless.
Before long, someone kicked me in the stomach twice.
I bit back the pain, not daring to open my eyes.
"Fourth Brother, we didn't kill this brat with that stick, did we?" one person asked.
"Killing him would be just fine. Damn it, who told him to meddle?"
"Then let's tie him up first."
Someone bound my hands and feet tightly.
I endured the pain, refusing to move.
Playing dead is a skill in itself.
But no matter how skilled I had to be, I needed to keep it up; I didn't want these people to gouge out my eyes.
Before long, the group started eating nearby.
The food smelled delicious.
My stomach growled loudly.
I slowly opened my eyes, and there was no one around. Looking around, I realized I was in a rundown warehouse with dim lighting. I saw seven men, known as the Jacket Men, sitting there with their shirts off, enjoying some barbecue.
Damn it, it would be great if these guys got food poisoning.
I endured the pain in my body and tried to move my arms, but they wouldn't budge. A glance revealed that both my hands and feet were tightly bound to a pillar behind me.
This is infuriating!
What should I do now? Just lie here and wait to die?
As I was growing anxious, one of the Jacket Men approached me, holding a bottle of beer.
I quickly closed my eyes; who knows what this bastard is planning to do.
Before long, a splash of beer drenched my face and nose...
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