We entered the antique shop. The front door was wide open and there were still customers inside. The old man had the clerk attend to them, then led Old Moe and me straight to a small room on the first floor. Inside, there was only a bed and a table.
As soon as Old Moe entered, he moved with practiced ease, lifting a floor tile and pressing a switch exposed at the opening. Light flickered on below—it looked like a storage room.
We went down. There were quite a few antiques inside, and the walls all around were covered with calligraphy and paintings.
"Old Moe, tell me, what are you looking for this time?"
"A jade pendant with good quality. Old Relic, you have one, right?"
As Old Moe spoke, the old man nicknamed Old Relic slowly walked over to a cabinet, took out a finely crafted brocade box, and opened it. Inside was a brilliantly colored, translucent jade pendant carved with a dragon motif.
"That's a fine piece," Old Moe said at a glance. I looked over too—it was indeed much better than anything I'd seen at the gold shop.
"How much?" I asked.
Old Relic smacked his lips.
"Since you're Old Moe's friend, I won't rip you off. This jade has quite a history—back in the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song..."
"Stop, stop, stop! Old Relic, just name your price. All those stories about ancient history, keep them to yourself!"
My heart skipped a beat. Jade from the Song dynasty—how much would that even cost?
"This kid isn't ordinary, you know? This jade is excellent for warding off evil. Any common ghost will flee the moment you show it. Even a fierce ghost would think twice. If you use it as a magical tool, its power is even greater. You know this, Old Moe."
Old Moe nodded.
"One price: six hundred and thirty thousand. What do you say?"
I gasped, staring in shock.
"That's fair, Old Relic. Looks like you're not cheating us. What do you think, Ethan? Go ahead and buy it. This jade is worth the price."
I blinked and looked at Old Moe.
"Forget six hundred and thirty thousand—I don't even have sixty-three thousand."
"How about this, Old Relic—installments?"
Suddenly, Old Relic's face darkened. He grabbed a dragon-headed cane and swung it at Old Moe.
"Get out! If you don't have money, get out!"
"Hey, hey, don't be like that, Old Relic. We can work something out!"
"Old Moe, are you here just to mess with me?"
I awkwardly tugged at Old Moe. This thing was really out of my reach—in a less expensive neighborhood, you could buy two apartments for that price.
"Come on, Old Relic, help us out. This kid's life is hanging by a thread—he needs the jade to save himself!"
Old Relic glanced at me, then set down the dragon-headed cane.
"Old Moe, maybe we should just go?"
"Hey, Ethan, it's fine. Don't worry."
"For this one, I'll only charge you one yuan and ninety-eight cents," Old Relic said, holding a piece of red jade, its color vivid like blood.
I gasped and grabbed it. It was icy cold in my hand, but the texture felt excellent.
Old Moe glanced sideways and smiled.
"Old Relic, is there something wrong with this jade?"
"What are you talking about, Old Moe? I don't sell inferior goods. I only offered it because you said the kid's life was hanging by a thread. Besides, this thing isn't worth much. It's been in my family's pawnshop since my grandfather's time, and it's never sold."
"Alright, I'll take this one!" I said, a bit happy. I felt this jade wasn't any worse than the dragon-patterned pendant. It was diamond-shaped, had a strange symbol on it, and could be worn around the neck.
"Old Relic, you've got quite a few illegal items here, haven't you? You'd better come clean, or one day I might let it slip..."
"Getting a bargain and still complaining, Old Moe, that's not how you should act. Fine, I'll tell you the truth—this thing wasn't pawned by a person, but by a ghost. The pawn period's long expired. If you hadn't said the kid's life was on the line, I wouldn't have given it to you."
I gasped, so shocked that the jade slipped from my hand and fell to the ground with a crisp ring. At that moment, we all stared in amazement—the jade didn't hit the floor, but hovered just a few millimeters above it.
I was a little scared, but Old Moe said desperate times call for desperate measures. This jade was better than anything I'd seen at the gold shop, and would be powerful as a magical tool.
I thought for a moment and decided not to worry about it for now, so I put it away. Afterwards, Old Moe offered to take me home, but I refused—I didn't want to suffer that pain again.
When I got to the bus stop, I was dumbfounded—over thirty stops. I wouldn't get home until eight or nine at night, so I had no choice but to take a cab.
I took out the blood-red jade and played with it in my hand. This time, though, I didn't feel that chill. As I wondered about it, the driver asked me a question.
"Wow, that jade in your hand must be worth a fortune, friend. Such a vivid green color."
"It's alright," I replied, but suddenly, I stared at the driver in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"Green! It's the first time I've seen jade so vibrantly green!"
"Isn't it red?" I asked, and the driver's eyes went wide with disbelief.
"Sorry, sorry, I must be half-asleep."
I felt uneasy, staring at the blood-red jade.
By the time I got home, it was already past four. My dad was back, and as soon as I walked in, I took out the jade.
"Dad, look at this."
"Oh, Ethan, where did you get this? It's a fine piece of jade."
"Dad, tell me, what color is this jade?"
My dad paused for a moment, then replied.
"It's green, Ethan. What's wrong with it...?"
"Oh, it's a friend's. He got drunk last night and left it here. I'll return it to him later."
I went to the bathroom, filled a basin with water, and put the jade in. What happened next shocked me even more—the water slowly turned red. My dad walked in.
"Hey, Ethan, why are you soaking jade in water? That's a valuable piece—if you ruin it, it's no small matter." My dad hurriedly fished the jade out. The water was completely red, but he seemed not to notice. My heart skipped a beat.
This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Click next page to continue reading!
"Great, looks like I'm mixed up in something weird again."
I lay on my bed, staring at the blood-red jade in my hand, muttering to myself.
Thinking about it, it's all Old Moe's fault. He said desperate times call for desperate measures, and I believed him—so I brought it home.
I left the house and went to the courtyard, by the flowerbed. After making sure no one was around, I buried the jade.
"Sorry, I don't know what you are. If I've offended you, please forgive me." With that, I covered it with soil.
My heart was pounding as I returned home.
"Hey, Ethan, don't just toss things around. What if you lose something so valuable?"
My dad said this as he handed me the blood-red jade. I gaped, staring in shock.
"Dad, where did you find it?"
"It just rained. When I closed your window, I found it on the ground. Luckily it didn't break. Hold onto it."
He said this, taking my hand and placing the jade in my palm. At that moment, the chill returned, and thunder rumbled outside. I rushed inside—sure enough, it started pouring, even though it had been sunny just moments before.
I sat helplessly in my room, tossing the jade onto the table and staring at it.
Looks like I can't get rid of it. Whatever—desperate times call for desperate measures.
I decided not to think about the jade anymore. Instead, I worried about the rain—what would I do tomorrow morning? Rufina Howard said I needed clean, clear water, preferably dew.
For three days straight, it kept raining outside. I had to stay home. Rufina Howard had told me what to prepare, and I'd gotten everything except for the clean water needed to soak the jade for three days and nights.
Every morning for those three days, I'd find the jade in my hand, warm to the touch—even now, it's still warm.
It was noon, and my dad had gone out to play cards. Ever since he retired, he goes out every day at noon, rain or shine, to meet his card buddies.
I fiddled with the blood-red jade, pondering what Old Moe had said about a disaster looming.
Just then, my phone rang—it was Hugh Thompson.
"Ethan, I've found something about that Eternal Life Society—Helen Chen's enemy is apparently a city official. Roy Chen should know; he's now the Director of Education. I'm going to start with him. Where are you?"
"Sorry, Hugh, I've got things going on these days. Let's talk in a few days when I'm free."
"Is it about Wisteria Estates?" Hugh suddenly asked.
"How did you know?"
"The 13th Squad from the Ghost Burial Squad was sent to handle it, but that ghost is tough. We had to put it on hold for now. I'll have Howard Lee and a few others come help you."
"No need, Hugh. Thanks for the offer, but please let me handle this one myself, okay?"
I said this seriously, and there was silence on the other end.
"I don't know why you're so determined, Ethan, but hang in there. If you can't handle it, call us anytime. The Ghost Burial Squad will always have your back, no matter what. Remember that."
I nodded gratefully, thanked him, and hung up.
Bang bang bang—a sudden knocking on the window startled me. For an instant, I seemed to see the ghost from my childhood, grinning viciously and saying, "Found you."
I screamed, jumped up, and tumbled off the bed onto the floor with a thud.
"The delivery's here—open the door! Wait, no, open the window!"
I rubbed my eyes and finally saw—it was Evan Zhao, holding a white bundle and smiling as he kept knocking on the window.