"Mr. Li, Boss Jin, congratulations on your bountiful harvest," Zhang Liang said with a forced smile. "It's getting late, so I won't keep you. Please take care."
"Mr. Zhang, what happened today ends here. I hope that when we meet again, you won't provoke us again," Li Yang said to him.
Zhang Liang immediately nodded. "Yes, yes, yes. Thank you for your magnanimity, Mr. Li. I'll see you out."
"No need," Li Yang replied, shaking his head and walking directly out of the villa.
After a few steps, he noticed a brass toad placed in a nearby room. His brow furrowed, and he asked, "Mr. Zhang, how long have you had this toad in your room?"
"It's been over a month. A old friend from Southern Myanmar insisted on giving it to me, so I accepted. I thought its design was quite nice, so I placed it in the bedroom as a decorative item."
Hearing this, Zhang Liang thought Li Yang was interested in the brass toad. He immediately said with a fawning smile, "I don't usually take an interest in such things. Mr. Li, our meeting is fate. I'll give it to you."
"You think I want your things?" Li Yang glanced at him.
Zhang Liang quickly replied, "No, no, I just thought since this is your first time visiting, and you didn't bid during the auction, it wouldn't be right for you to leave empty-handed."
"Heh, Mr. Zhang, you are indeed still concerned about the auction. But you must understand, that was the price you had to pay," Li Yang said, pointing at the toad. "However, we have benefited from this. I'll save you this once."
"This toad has been cursed. If you keep it in your room for another ten days to half a month, you'll fall seriously ill."
"And if it stays for a year or so, you might just meet your end."
"Ah?" Zhang Liang was startled. But looking at the festive design of the brass toad, a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, he didn't believe Li Yang's words. He smiled and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Li. I'll dispose of it later."
"It seems you don't believe me," Li Yang said.
Zhang Liang replied, "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I'm busy now. It's the same if I dispose of it later."
"As you wish. I don't sleep here anyway, so it's not me who will suffer," Li Yang chuckled and turned to leave.
Zhang Liang forced a smile. "Yes, yes, yes. Mr. Li, don't worry. After I see you off, I'll dispose of that brass toad immediately."
"One can only hope," Li Yang said indifferently. He had said what he needed to say. For those who were destined to die, no amount of good words would help.
Watching them leave in their car, Zhang Liang sneered, "Hmph, what's with all the pretense! You're just relying on your connection with Miss Long to threaten and intimidate me!"
"If it weren't for Miss Long, you little brat, I would have dealt with you earlier! Even after leaving, you're still causing trouble, fabricating such baseless things! I'd be a fool to believe you!"
Saying this, he turned back into the villa and looked at the brass toad in the room. He couldn't help but smile and pat its head. "Some say you're an unlucky item, but I say you're the luckiest... Ah!"
Suddenly, he felt something bite his palm. He quickly raised his hand to look. There was a tiny bite mark, like a pinprick, on his palm, causing a tingling pain.
Normally, he would have dismissed it as a scratch from the toad and not given it a second thought. But Li Yang's words echoed in his mind.
Zhang Liang immediately shouted, "Someone, take this brass toad out and throw it away!"
"Yes, boss," a henchman replied. He walked over and carried the item, looking a bit confused.
But when he threw the brass toad towards the trash can, he missed. With a thud, the brass toad hit the ground and a crack appeared.
Startled by the sound, Zhang Liang walked over, annoyed. "You can't even handle such a small matter properly, and you make such a racket. Ah! What is this!"
Suddenly, he saw many poisonous insects, like centipedes and spiders, crawling out from the crack in the toad. The scalp on his head tingled.
The henchmen were also pale with fear. "B-boss, these are the five poisons! Which one bit you?"
"I, I don't know. Quickly, call a doctor!" Zhang Liang was terrified. What Mr. Li said was actually true! This thing was indeed problematic!
Damn it, I almost didn't believe him.
If I had kept this thing in my bedroom, I might have really died after a while!
"Also, quickly prepare a gift and send it to Mr. Li, to thank him! It would be even better if you could invite him over to take a look!"
"Yes, boss!" everyone responded quickly.
However, Li Yang and the others were already on their way to Jiangcheng by car.
In the car, Jin Buhuan asked in a low voice, "Mr. Li, was that brass toad really cursed?"
"Yes," Li Yang nodded.
Jin Buhuan asked in surprise, "Does such a thing as cursing people really exist in this world?"
"It does, but it's not as mystical as you might imagine," Li Yang said with a smile. "It's like in ancient times, when people with fevers and colds drank charm water for treatment. Essentially, it's not that the charm itself has healing properties, but because when burnt to ash and mixed with water, it would cause diarrhea, which in a way, could expel some harmful substances and achieve a therapeutic effect."
"Cursing works similarly. Through various mediums, it aims to harm people."
"If Mr. Zhang didn't believe you, wouldn't he be doomed?" Jin Buhuan asked, his curiosity piqued as he began to understand.
Li Yang replied, "Since I told him those words, he won't die. Unless, when he falls seriously ill, he still doesn't remember my words, then he'll truly be on the path to death."
"But I don't think he's foolish enough to play with his own life."
"That's unlikely," Jin Buhuan said with a smile.
Looking at the increasingly familiar scenery ahead, Li Yang asked, "Boss Jin, are you heading to the pier?"
"No, we're going to some jade bosses. Waiting at the pier isn't ideal. It's better to deliver directly and finish the transactions quickly to move on to the next place to restock," Jin Buhuan shook his head. Then he said, "Mr. Li, thanks to you for this auction. How about you choose half of the stones and take them at their original price?"
"Boss Jin, please don't be so polite. It's not too late to find a way to repay me after you've overcome this difficulty," Li Yang said with a smile, shaking his head. "Besides, I've already bought a lot of stones last time; my warehouse is full."
"Great kindness needs no thanks. Mr. Li, if you ever need anything in the future, just say the word. I'll do my utmost, even at the cost of my life, to fulfill it," Jin Buhuan said, gratefully gripping his hand with a serious expression.
Li Yang smiled, about to say it wasn't necessary, when a flash of light appeared in his mind. "Huh, what's this?"