Obscuris Labyrinth

Sun Qiming was silent for quite a while, as if thinking about something. Suddenly, as if he had heard the most ridiculous thing in the world, he burst into laughter. His laughter echoed in the room. With a bit of banter, he said, "Mr. Li Ruize, since you say this jade is an ill - omened object, why are you still so eager to get it? This is really against common sense. Well, well, I don't want to say any more. I will never transfer this jade to anyone. Please go back."

While speaking, he raised his voice and shouted, "Aunt Zhang, Aunt Zhang, come quickly and see Mr. Li Ruize out." There was an unmistakable determination in his voice.

At his call, Aunt Zhang walked into the room at a leisurely pace. She bowed slightly and said to Mr. Li Ruize, "Sir, it's very late at night. Please follow me out."

Mr. Li Ruize had a look of unwillingness on his face. He said anxiously, "Mr. Sun, Mr. Sun, I really didn't deceive you. Do you know? I have spent decades tracking down the whereabouts of this ancient jade and have done a great deal of research on it. It is really an ill - omened object." At this point, a deep worry showed in his eyes.

He then continued, "Mr. Sun, since you like antiques, you must be quite familiar with history. Do you know how Zhao Junxi and Sun Qihan died?"

The corners of Sun Qiming's mouth turned up slightly, revealing a faint smile. He said, "Zhao Junxi suppressed Buddhism and respected Taoism. In his later years, after taking the elixir offered by a Taoist priest, he suddenly died overnight. As for Sun Qihan's death, there are many versions. The most widely - spread one is that he was assassinated by Wu Yaxuan, the daughter of Zhou Jiahao. Mr. Li Ruize, you don't mean to tell me that their deaths are related to this piece of jade, do you?"

To Sun Qiming's surprise, Mr. Li Ruize nodded very seriously and said, "In the first month of Huichang in the sixth year of Emperor Zhao Junxi's reign, Zheng Yibo, the prefect of Jianbei County, dug up the ancient tomb of the King of Shu and presented the ancient jade to Emperor Wu. In March of the same year, Emperor Wu suddenly passed away. In April of the thirteenth year of Emperor Sun Qihan in the Qing Dynasty, Wang Shihan, the governor of Shandong, wiped out the lake bandits and obtained a strange - symbol blood - jade and presented it to Emperor Yongzheng. As a result, in August of that year, Sun Qihan suddenly passed away. These two incidents of obtaining ancient jade are all recorded in historical materials. And I believe there are still many people who were harmed by the ancient jade but not recorded in historical materials. Mr. Sun, I have all those relevant ancient books at home. If you don't believe me, you can come with me to Xiling and I'll show them to you."

Sun Qiming seemed to have heard a preposterous story and suddenly burst into laughter again. He said, "It is said that Chen Chenyang was imprisoned by Liu Yuening and had no choice but to abdicate to Yu. Huang Jincheng was a descendant of Lü Buwei. These major historical events were not witnessed by us. Who can tell whether they are true or false? There are countless unofficial historical anecdotes in the world. Sir, you don't need to say any more. However, I'm a little interested to hear how much you are willing to pay to buy the ancient jade in my hand."

Mr. Li Ruize hurriedly said, "Mr. Sun, that piece of jade is related to a huge secret. It is really very important to me. As for money, I may not be able to raise too much, but I have a jasper cup used by Feng Zixuan in my collection. It is extremely precious. How about using it to exchange with you?"

Sun Qiming shook his head gently and said, "Mr. Li Ruize, if your jasper cup was really Feng Zixuan's, it would indeed be very valuable. But I'm not interested. Moreover, this jade seems to have been transferred several times already. Why are the others all right?"

Mr. Li Ruize frowned and said, "I'm not sure either. However, after this jade comes into the world, it usually takes several months for the bad news to occur. Maybe these people were lucky and got rid of it in time."

Sun Qiming smiled indifferently again and didn't want to continue this topic. He just said, "Aunt Zhang, see the guest out quickly. Mr. Li Ruize, I know you like this jade, but I really can't bear to part with it. I'm sorry."

Mr. Li Ruize quickly said again, "Mr. Sun, could you let me have a look at that piece of jade? Just one look."

How could Sun Qiming agree to him? His tone also became serious as he said, "Mr. Li Ruize, I'm sorry. It's very late. I want to rest. Please go back."

Seeing that Sun Qiming was so firm in his attitude, Mr. Li Ruize took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and slowly followed Aunt Zhang out of the room. After taking a few steps, he still seemed unwilling. He stopped, opened the small suitcase he carried with him, took out a notebook and a pen from it, quickly wrote something in the notebook, then walked up to Sun Qiming and handed it to him, saying, "Mr. Sun, this is my contact information. If you change your mind, be sure to remember to find me."

Seeing that Sun Qiming had taken the piece of paper, Mr. Li Ruize said again, "Mr. Sun, before I leave, I also want to give you a piece of advice. You should keep that piece of jade far away. Never put it at home. In this way, you may be able to avoid the possible unexpected disaster."

After saying these words, he reluctantly left with Aunt Zhang.

As soon as Mr. Li Ruize left, Zhao Yuxuan could no longer restrain his curiosity and asked, "Dad, what did Mr. Li Ruize write?"

Only then did Sun Qiming pick up the piece of paper and have a look. He saw that "Li Ruize" was written on it, followed by a mobile phone number and an address. The address was a place called Tianwangbao in Xiling.

Sun Qiming smiled and said, "The handwriting is quite vigorous and forceful, like iron paintings and silver hooks. This old gentleman has a deep calligraphy foundation."

While speaking, he walked to the desk in front, gently opened the drawer, and casually put the piece of paper in.

At this time, Zhou Yaqi had a worried look on her face and said, "Sun Qiming, do you think this Mr. Li Ruize has any other intentions and wants to get his hands on that piece of ancient jade?"

Sun Qiming thought for a moment, waved his hand and said, "Never mind him. Only the three of us know where this ancient jade is stored. Even if he wants to make a move, he has no way. However, we should not have the heart to harm others, but we must be vigilant. We all need to be more careful."

Zhao Yuxuan and Zhou Yaqi both nodded in agreement.