Chapter 34

An unexpected discovery, amidst perilous surroundings.

"How does he plan to transfer ownership?" Shi Mei asked, "Sell it?"

"I doubt it'll be that simple," Bai She replied with a slight raise of his eyebrows. "The old man is quite eccentric, who knows what he might do. He might just give it away to someone he likes on a whim."

"Really?" Shimei looked at Baisha, surprised.

"Yes," Bai She whispered in her ear. "But I know this old man has a weakness for beautiful women. He becomes overjoyed at the sight of a beauty, so it's better to have you with me."

Shi Mei's face flushed slightly, thinking to herself that it explained why he had insisted she dress up nicely.

At the same time, Shi Mei sensed something amiss in the atmosphere around her, feeling many eyes on her. Especially some sword-wielding female warriors seemed to harbor hostility towards her. She instinctively moved closer to Bai She, wondering what was going on.

Noticing Shi Mei edging closer, Bai She looked down and asked, "Tired? Want to sit for a while?"

Shi Mei shook her head, noticing a female warrior glaring at her fiercely, as if ready to kick her. Glancing at Bai She, who seemed oblivious, she lamented inwardly about the trouble men cause.

At that moment, the crowd stirred slightly, and an elderly man with a lean figure and white beard stepped onto the stage. Shi Mei looked up at him, noting his spirited demeanor and raffish air, which seemed quite unserious.

"Heh heh heh."

The old man, upon reaching the stage, scanned the crowd below and started with a peculiar laugh.

Shi Mei felt uneasy about his lecherous smile, especially knowing how happily he had reacted to his wife's death, concluding he was not a good person.

The old man, still laughing, looked around and said, "Ah, what a gathering of friends from the martial world! I'm truly honored."

The crowd was uncertain how to react to the old man's speech, considering his inappropriate joy at a time of mourning...

"That old hag finally kicked the bucket today!" The madman laughed heartily, slapping his chest. "From now on, I'm going to live a carefree life, haha!"

A few curious onlookers asked, "Hey, old man, how do you plan to enjoy your carefree life?"

"Heh heh, well, first I'm going to find the most beautiful woman in the world to be my wife!" the old man chuckled mischievously.

The crowd from the martial world jeered, "Old man, look at your white beard! You might fancy a beauty, but why would she choose you?"

The madman roared with laughter, "I have money, and a great dowry! I possess a treasure related to immense wealth."

The eyes of the martial artists around him gleamed at this revelation.

Shi Mei turned to Bai She and asked, "Is it the jade Buddha?"

Bai She frowned slightly, murmuring softly, "Something's off here."

"Huh?" Shi Mei, confused, wondered what was strange.

At that moment, the madman clapped his hands, and an attendant stepped forward, presenting a case.

The old man opened the case and announced to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, please have a look."

Everyone craned their necks to see.

Inside the case lay a half-sculpted white jade Buddha statue.

Shi Mei thought to herself, indeed, and began to scrutinize the jade Buddha closely.

Bai She asked her, "Can you tell if it's real or fake?"

Shi Mei stared at the white jade Buddha for a while, then shook her head, "It's hard to tell from this distance."

Bai She nodded, then pulled Shi Mei closer, placing his hands on her shoulders. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Take a closer look. If it's fake, we'll leave and investigate another lead."

"Oh." Shi Mei perked up at the idea of exploring another lead. She secretly hoped the jade Buddha here was fake, as she couldn't shake the feeling of unfriendly glances and the chilly atmosphere around her.

Behind the madman, his attendants carried the box containing the half-sculpted jade Buddha around the platform for everyone to see.

The madman said, "Experts all know the purpose of this half-sculpted jade Buddha. I won't say much more. There are so many martial arts sects in the Central Plains. If any of you beautiful ladies have the confidence to be the top beauty in the martial world and don't mind an old man like me, come up here and become my wife. As a betrothal gift, I offer this jade Buddha with both hands. Haha."

The martial artists exchanged glances. While they were initially intrigued by the jade Buddha, they hesitated for two reasons: first, its authenticity was questionable, and second, obtaining the jade Buddha required sacrificing a beauty. Even if there was a top beauty in the martial world, marrying her off to this old man seemed like a waste.

Many were hesitant, especially the female disciples of various sects who were reluctant to sacrifice their youth and beauty to an unsavory old man.

Shi Mei strained to see, but from this distance, she couldn't make out the patterns on the jade Buddha's body. She subconsciously moved forward, and although Bai She tried to hold her back, many people were pushing forward, and he couldn't stop her in time.

Bai She furrowed his brow slightly and moved upward. However, at that moment, someone suddenly pushed Shi Mei from behind.

"Oops." Shi Mei was still holding Little Lucky in her arms, afraid to let go in case someone stepped on him. She stumbled a few steps forward, and the crowd happened to part at that moment. Shi Mei walked out, luckily remaining on her feet. She saw that Little Lucky was unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief, and looked around to realize she was outside the crowd. She quickly retreated.

Just then, she heard several girls behind her exclaim, "Hey... this young lady seems to want that jade Buddha."

Shi Mei was puzzled and turned to look. On the stage, the madman laughed, "Hehe, this young lady, raise your head and let this old man have a look. From your figure, you seem quite good."

Shi Mei furrowed her brows slightly and glanced back at the old man, thinking that he was being quite disrespectful for his age.

However, when Shi Mei turned around, Madman's gaze was fixed on her face. He was momentarily stunned, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

Bai She, who was behind, saw Madman's expression and was also taken aback. After a moment of contemplation, he sensed that something was amiss.

The martial artists in the vicinity began to whisper to each other. Some asked about Shi Mei's background, while others expressed pity, wondering how such a beauty could be paired with such an old man.

On the other hand, a few people from the martial world were goading from the sidelines, urging the old man to claim his prize quickly, saying he was getting a bargain. But Madman continued to stare at Shi Mei, wearing a perplexed expression. His gaze made Shi Mei feel uneasy. Was she that frightening-looking?!

Bai She saw that Shi Mei had been pushed out and knew that some martial artists were targeting her. He blamed himself for not keeping a closer eye on her. He tried to approach to rescue her but was blocked by a few people in front. Bai She noticed that the ones stopping him were women and didn't want to push them aside, so he frowned.

The old man continued to gaze at Shi Mei, and after a long while, he finally regained his composure, gave a slight smile, and asked, "This beauty... which martial sect do you belong to?"

Shi Mei thought for a moment, feeling that she had come this close and might as well take a look at his jade Buddha. She asked, "Is the one you have a jade Buddha?"

The crowd was puzzled and looked at Shi Mei in confusion.

Shi Mei squinted and said, "I couldn't see clearly from afar, it just looked all white."

"Miss, do you have poor eyesight?" asked a martial artist nearby.

"Yes," Shi Mei nodded, pretending to have poor eyesight. She squinted at the jade Buddha and said, "Is it a jade Buddha? Don't tell me it's a jade pig or jade dog trying to fool people?!"

The martial artists laughed, and some of the martial women who had been skeptical of Shi Mei and Bai She's proximity earlier were now wondering if this girl was a bit naive, carrying a cat and having poor eyesight. Little did they know, Shi Mei was just pretending.

Without much ado, Madman took the jade Buddha from one of his followers and handed it to Shi Mei, saying, "Beauty, take a look. Is it a jade Buddha?"

As the jade Buddha came closer, Shi Mei immediately understood... The Buddha's body was indeed white, not made of Xiu Jade, but it was too white! It wasn't aged jade either.

In order to help Bai She find this jade Buddha, Shi Mei had done some research and even consulted the owner of a jade shop to learn about the basics of jade artifacts. Generally, newer jade was less valuable, while older jade was more precious. The term "陈" (Chen) might seem simple but held significant meaning in this context.

The half jade Buddha that Madman showed her was neither the poisonous fake Xiu Jade Buddha nor a real jade Buddha. Instead, it was... another fake Buddha made more recently.

After realizing that the jade Buddha was fake, Shi Mei immediately lost interest and turned to leave.

Seeing Shi Mei turning away, Madman became unhappy and asked, "Ah, young lady, you don't want this jade Buddha?"

Shi Mei shook her head and said, "No, I don't want it. You're deceiving people. That's not a jade Buddha; it's an imposter posing as a Bodhisattva."

The onlookers stifled their laughter. This girl had such a poor eye for appraisal, or perhaps she was simply naive.

At this moment, Shi Mei finally spotted Bai She and quickly joined him in the crowd. Bai She pulled her to his side, and she saw that he was furrowing his brows, as if he had noticed something.

Madman raised his eyes, glanced at Shi Mei, and then looked at Bai She beside her. He smiled faintly and said, "Oh, the Jade Bodhisattva..."

"Is everything okay?" Bai She whispered to Shi Mei.

"It's fine," Shi Mei shook her head and whispered to Bai She's ear, "It's fake!"

Bai She raised an eyebrow, his face showing a knowing expression, and he led her away.

The two of them smoothly exited the mansion, but Shi Mei realized that someone seemed to be following them from behind. "Uh..."

"It's fine," Bai She smiled slightly and winked at Shi Mei. "Just another thread."

Shi Mei was momentarily stunned, realizing that Bai She had already planned this.

The two of them boarded the carriage, and Bai She instructed the driver, "Let's go." Then he lowered the carriage curtain.

The carriage moved forward, and Shi Mei peered out the window to check behind. She saw a few people from the Madman's mansion chasing after them. When they noticed the carriage had left, they turned back.

"Who are those people?" Shi Mei asked Bai She.

"People from the Madman's mansion," Bai She replied, pausing for a moment before suddenly smiling.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Serendipity," Bai She said, "We might have a good lead today."

"What lead?" Shi Mei was about to ask when she saw Bai She make a "shh" gesture, indicating that there were people around.

At the same time, their carriage turned into a small alley and came to a stop. The driver raised the curtain and whispered, "Master, someone is blocking the road."

Bai She lightly raised the corner of his mouth, leaving Shi Mei puzzled about their current situation.

Just then, they heard a familiar laughter from outside, "Hehe..."

Shi Mei recognized the laughter; it was Madman's laughter, wasn't it?

Bai She muttered under his breath, "So it's him."

"Who?" Shi Mei was puzzled.

Bai She turned to look at her, his tone calm. "The one who tried to kill you."

Shi Mei was shocked, her eyes wide as she stared at Bai She.

Bai She reached out and gently pinched her chin. "Do you want me to seek revenge for you?"

Shi Mei lowered her head in silence. Bai She's words had thrown her into confusion, realizing that she was not dealing with Chen Maelstrom anymore.

Seeing her bewildered, Bai She reminded her, "Previously, only people from the martial world were vying for the jade Buddha."

Shi Mei nodded, still puzzled, as she looked at him.

"The authorities were not involved, and only those from the martial world knew about the secret of the jade Buddha," Bai She explained coldly. "Since only half of the jade Buddha has been obtained, they must want to acquire the other half..."

"Ah..." Shi Mei immediately understood. "The person who got half of the jade Buddha would undoubtedly want the other half. In other words, anyone interested in the jade Buddha, whether they are the killer or not, will be watching me. That's why I'm a target."

"Yes," Bai She nodded in satisfaction. "But I didn't expect it to be that Madman." After saying that, he stood up, ready to go out.

Shi Mei quickly grabbed his arm. "Be careful, that old man looks pretty cunning!"

Bai She paused, then reached out to pinch Little Lucky's ear and reassured her before stepping out of the carriage.

Shi Mei leaned against the carriage window and looked outside. Her ears felt warm, and it was strange. Bai She had clearly pinched Little Lucky, but she felt as if she had been pinched herself.

Ahead of the carriage, Madman was standing on a wall.

Seeing Bai She stepping out of the carriage, the old man leaped down, saying, "Oh... I was wondering how this young lady dared to claim her eyesight wasn't good in front of me. It turns out she's found quite the powerful backing."

Bai She glared at Madman and asked, "Do you know how Qiao Lao Kuan died?"

Madman chuckled, stroking his chin, and replied, "Hmm... it seems like I killed him with a single palm strike."

Shimei listened intently, her face changing colors. Was this old man spinning tales, or was he telling the truth?

"Hehe," Madman continued to smile and provocatively asked Bai She, "So, Bai Master, are you planning to avenge your brother?"

Bai She stared at him for a while, his expression unchanged, and then asked, "Who killed Qiao Lao Kuan?"

"I've already said, it was me with a single palm strike," Madman said, "Don't believe it?"

"I don't believe it," Bai She shook his head slowly, "You don't have the guts or the ability."

A sinister expression appeared on Madman's face.

At the same time, Shi Mei heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned and saw a group of armed men, at least a dozen of them, approaching. They surrounded Shi Mei, Bai She, and their carriage.

Bai She glanced briefly, wearing a somewhat amused expression on his face.

"Baisha."

At that moment, the madman spoke up, "I know your Ghost Blade Sect fears no one in the martial world, and you, Baisha, are a notable figure. But this old fool might not be worth your attention. However, today you've come at the wrong time and with the wrong people, so I must take your and your little lover's lives."