Chapter 1 A Peculiar Village

Although Antique Village is just a village, its houses are no taller than those in other villages, its roads no wider, and the cars that come here no more luxurious. However, the people of Antique Village are truly richer than those of other villages, and those who come here are by no means ordinary people.

The ones stepping out of those cars, each worth no more than one hundred thousand, are all genuine big bosses.

"Are you Master Wan?"

I had just arrived at the village entrance when a young man respectfully greeted me and politely asked.

I laughed, "The people of Antique Village are truly extraordinary. Even a small fry like me has been thoroughly investigated. No wonder Antique Village hasn't had any trouble for so many years."

The young man chuckled obsequiously, "Master Wan, you jest. How can Antique Village be as peaceful as you say? It's impossible for us to investigate every person who comes to Antique Village in advance."

"Then how did you recognize me?" I asked very directly. I didn't think I was that famous. Although I had heard of Antique Village, I had never been here before.

The young man bowed politely again and said, "To be honest, Master Wan, it was Celestial Master Qin who asked me to wait here for you. I have been waiting here for a long time."

"Celestial Master Qin? Qin Shuguang of Fengshui Hall? What does he want from me?"

"It's best if Master Wan talks to Celestial Master Qin in detail when you meet. I'm just a gatekeeper, and I'm afraid I won't be able to explain things properly. This way, please, Master Wan."

Alright, I came to find Qin Shuguang anyway, so it's even better if he can see me directly.

I followed the young man into a private residence. From the outside, the house looked quite ordinary, but once inside, you would discover what understated luxury truly meant.

"Master Wan."

"Celestial Master Qin."

Qin Shuguang was very polite to me. As soon as he saw me enter, he immediately stood up and clasped his fist in greeting.

I returned his gesture.

"What brings Celestial Master Qin to me?" I asked directly, cutting to the chase.

Qin Shuguang said, "Isn't it you who has something to ask me? When I went to the provincial capital, you went to the provincial capital. When I went to Xiaoji Village, you went to Xiaoji Village. Now I've come to Antique Village, and you've followed me here again."

"Since Celestial Master Qin is being so straightforward, there's no need for me to hide anything. I want to know, were you the one who sent people to try to kill me several times?"

"Yes." Qin Shuguang didn't offer any excuses and readily admitted it.

"Why? I don't remember ever having a feud with Celestial Master Qin."

Qin Shuguang sighed and said, "Indeed, we never had a feud. However, you were blocking my path, so I had to get rid of you."

When I heard this, I thought Qin Shuguang was being quite honest, and immediately said, "Tell me in detail, how exactly did I block your path? Even if it's for that ranking competition, it's not like I'm the only one blocking your path. You can't possibly kill everyone who's in contention, can you?"

Qin Shuguang said, "No need. Killing you alone is enough."

"Why?"

After Qin Shuguang's patient explanation, I finally understood that I was supposed to be a judge for the provincial competition; it just hadn't been announced yet.

Qin Shuguang wanted to send a team he deemed suitable into the Mí Tiān Realm (Realm of Cosmic Mysteries) and didn't want anyone who shouldn't be there to enter, so he had made many preparations in advance and even obtained inside information through special means.

When he learned that I would be invited to be a provincial judge, his first reaction was that I was difficult to control and could potentially ruin his plans, so he became determined to kill me.

Initially, the people he sent were just probes. The final killing move was the Zhú Lóng (Candle Dragon) in Xiaoji Village.

"I never thought you would make it out of Xiaoji Village alive. However, now that you have, it means everything is fate. I truly cannot kill you. I, Qin Shuguang, have always been a person willing to comply with fate. Since heaven won't let you die, then I can only choose to cooperate with you."

"What do you mean? You want me to cheat during the provincial ranking competition and give your disciples the green light?"

"No, quite the opposite. I hope you can enforce the law impartially, judge carefully, and truly select capable people, absolutely not allowing any privileged trash to enter the team."

Qin Shuguang looked serious, not joking at all.

I was even more confused. "Celestial Master Qin, do you think that if you didn't come to me, I wouldn't enforce the law impartially?"

"You'll know when the time comes. Things are definitely not as simple as you think. The water in the provincial capital is much deeper than you imagine. If it were just an ordinary ranking, those old monsters who have been hidden away for years might not care. However, this time, the top ten can enter the Mí Tiān Realm.

"The Mí Tiān Realm contains hidden Heavenly Dao luck. Even if you don't find any great luck, just being touched by a little bit of it is an unparalleled fortune. No one can resist such temptation, and anything could happen then."

I laughed, "Is it because the forces in the provincial capital are so complex that they found an outsider like me to be a judge and deliberately delayed the announcement of the judge's selection?"

"That's right."

I took a breath and said, "Okay, I understand. Does Celestial Master Qin have anything else? If not, I'll be leaving."

"Hold on." Qin Shuguang stopped me and said, "Now that Master Wan is here, you should do something for Antique Village before you leave."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Help find a coffin, Mí Tiān Yīng's coffin."

"Mí Tiān Yīng?" Isn't that the beggar from Xiaoji Village? This place is dozens of miles away from Xiaoji Village. How could his coffin be here? Could it be someone with the same name?

Qin Shuguang must have seen my surprised expression and explained directly, "Yes, Mí Tiān Yīng, you heard correctly, the beggar who once went to Xiaoji Village.

"You must have been curious about his background, right? Although you arrived relatively late, and the traces he left in the village have mostly disappeared, you must have suspected that he wasn't an ordinary person."

"Of course. Are you going to tell me his background?"

"That depends on whether Master Wan is willing to agree to my conditions. My conditions are simple: please, Master Wan, be fair when judging in the provincial competition. No matter what pressure or temptation you face, you must select the most outstanding people.

"This is a rare wave of Heavenly Dao luck, and only talented young people are qualified to receive it. I can't let any trash muddle through."

Qin Shuguang's eyes were serious. I couldn't see any flaws on his face.

"Are you really that concerned about fairness?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Then why did you send Qin Tianming to Hua City?"

"Because you are in Hua City. The judge not only has a say during the competition but is also the leader after entering the Mí Tiān Realm. I wanted Tianming to get to know you first."

"How many slots does each city have to enter the Mí Tiān Realm?"

"If we don't count you, there are nine slots left in the province."

"Do you think Qin Tianming is qualified?"

"He isn't, but Ding Kan is. I sent Tianming to Hua City so that Ding Kan could kill him. I know Ding Kan hates him, and I also know that Ding Kan has been plotting revenge. Ding Kan is a true talent. I don't want these bonds to affect his performance.

"So I gave him the opportunity to take revenge. Only after he has avenged his great hatred can Ding Kan truly unleash himself. Only then can he enter the Mí Tiān Realm without any worries and seize the great fortune within."

"A madman!" I threw down these two words and prepared to leave.

"That's right, I'm a madman. I'm very aware that I'm a madman, but I wasn't born a madman. Don't you want to know how I went mad?"

Qin Shuguang chased after me, with no intention of letting me leave.

"How did you go mad?" I asked, following his words.

"Because I bought a coffin in this village, a coffin with a corpse inside, a complete set, never opened. From then on, I became a madman, a complete and utter madman, with only the Mí Tiān Realm in my mind, only seizing luck. I even sacrificed my own son's life and wouldn't give up. Don't you want to know whose coffin it is?"

Qin Shuguang said a lot in one breath, then squatted on the ground, holding his head in pain, as if he was struggling to fight against something invading his consciousness.

"Whose coffin is it? Mí Tiān Yīng's?" I finally asked this question.

"That's right, Mí Tiān Yīng," Qin Shuguang struggled to say. "I opened that coffin, and then, the person inside ran away. Later, even the coffin ran away. I tried to chase the corpse, but I couldn't catch up. However, I'm sure the coffin is still in Antique Village. Wan Qian, find that coffin, and many things will have answers. Ah…"

Qin Shuguang screamed in pain and began to roll on the ground, clutching his head.

I pulled Qin Shuguang up from the ground. "Qin Shuguang, Qin Shuguang, look at me, look into my eyes."

Qin Shuguang didn't look at me. His eyes kept darting away, but I could feel that it wasn't that he didn't want to look at me. He still wanted to continue communicating with me, but he couldn't control himself at all, not even his own eyes.

"Qin Shuguang, come back, Qin Shuguang, come back, Qin Shuguang, come back!" I shouted three times and suddenly pressed my palm onto Qin Shuguang's forehead.

Qin Shuguang's eyes did clear up, but he didn't speak again. He just hid his fingers in his sleeves and quickly slid them across my hand.

"Wan Qian, you are my last hope. From now on, don't believe anything I say. You must stick to yourself, stick to yourself."

Then, Qin Shuguang fainted on the ground.

Qin Shuguang's performance just now was indeed like a madman's. I didn't even know which of his words I could believe and which I couldn't.

I rubbed my brow in a headache, beckoned for someone to carry Qin Shuguang to bed, and walked out on my own, aimlessly wandering around the village.

"Boss, come to browse, huh? First time here, right? What are you looking for? I'll help you find a seller. I can't guarantee you'll find the cheapest thing, but I guarantee I'll find you something real." A boy of about ten years old followed me from behind.

Antique Village makes its living this way. Men, women, young, and old in the village are all naturally friendly and can strike up business deals upon meeting.

"Can you find anything I want?" I looked at the boy half-jokingly.

The boy immediately laughed. "I know, boss, you think I'm too young and can't find good things. However, antiques are different from other things. It's all about fate. If you have a connection with an antique, even if you find someone who's just learning to walk to take you there, you'll still take a fancy to it if you're meant to. If you don't have a connection with it, it's useless no matter how much the middleman says. I'm just responsible for taking you there, right?

"To be honest, the biggest deal made in this village this year was introduced by me."

"Oh, so amazing? Then aren't you very rich?" I still spoke in a half-joking tone.

The boy laughed, "Boss, look at you, asking that question means you look down on me, right? You think that with the way I'm dressed, running around the village barefoot every day, I could be making big money?

"However, you really can't say that. I'm really not short of money. After that last deal went through, I bought a house in the provincial capital, a large flat with five bedrooms and three living rooms. It's beautiful.

"I just don't like living there. I prefer to drum up business in the village, barefoot and comfortable. The bosses also like to see me like this. If I were dressed neatly, with my hair slicked back, you might not even look at me, boss. With no earthy smell at all, how would I seem like someone who could introduce you to real things?

"Boss, you think so too, right?"

I was amused by this kid and casually asked, "Then tell me, what did you sell in that big deal?"

The boy immediately said, "I sold a bead, a very beautiful bead. Although it was only a small one, it was more expensive than the coffin with a corpse that Old Qi sold, and the boss was very happy. He even said he would come back to me next time."

"Has that boss come back to you yet?"

"Well, not yet, but it's normal not to come back for a while after buying something big. Who doesn't need to take a break after spending so much money?"

"That boss won't come back again."

"Why?" The boy was immediately unhappy. That boss was his god of wealth. Of course, he wasn't happy when I said his god of wealth wouldn't come back again.

"Because that boss is already dead. If a dead person comes to find you again, then you've really seen a ghost."

"There's no need to curse others just because you're not buying anything."

The boy snorted and turned to leave, but he didn't walk fast, as if he was waiting for me to call him. However, I didn't call him but instead asked other villagers about Old Qi, who sold coffins, and went directly to Old Qi's house.

Old Qi was a bachelor. His yard was very large but messy, as if he never cleaned it up. Inside the house, it was colorful and surprisingly had a lot of things for women. Looking at Old Qi's face, which looked like he had overindulged in pleasure, I knew what he had encountered.

However, before I could speak, Old Qi said, "If you want to persuade me to break up with that female ghost, there's no need to speak. I won't leave her. Even if I know she will drain my yang energy, I won't regret it."

Okay, Old Qi is still a sentimental seed. Since he doesn't want to listen, I won't say more.

"I didn't come for the female ghost. I just wanted to ask about the coffin you sold some time ago."