Grave Robbing

Xu Xianfeng's words were full of respect and humility, without the slightest trace of resentment, anger, or unwillingness, as though he truly meant to give up his wealth to save his life.

In truth, that was indeed the case.

Though this batch of goods was worth over ten million, what was that compared to his life?

As soon as he said that, Dart Woman and Entrenching Tool Man also looked dejected. They raised their weapons with both hands and took half a step back, making their stance clear.

However, they did not put down their weapons. If Su Ti refused, they might still be able to fight to the death and get one or two people out alive.

Putting down their weapons would mean being completely at the mercy of others. That would be utterly foolish, and after so many years in the martial world, there was no way they did not understand that.

Yet in response to Xu Xianfeng's offer to surrender his wealth for his life, Su Ti merely shook his head slightly and released him.

Xu Xianfeng dropped onto the ground, still somewhat bewildered. Only when he saw that Su Ti had no intention of attacking did he slowly get up and cautiously make his way toward Dart Woman and the others.

He could not afford to be careless. He did not know any martial arts at all; from this distance, Su Ti could kill him as easily as killing a chicken.

By the time he had fully reached Dart Woman and the others, the three exchanged looks and saw the surprise in each other's eyes. None of them understood what Su Ti was trying to do.

He asked tentatively.

"Sir, what is this...?"

"Just a small misunderstanding."

As he spoke, Su Ti removed the magazine from the black pistol in his hand, took out the bullets, and tossed them onto the ground.

He looked at his palm. His skin was fair again, with none of its previous slight darkness remaining, while the wound on his hand had become only a thin line.

After the Copper Skin Skill reached mastery, the membrane beneath his skin looked ordinary, but it was actually nearly twice as thick as before. Not only was it as tough as cowhide, it also possessed an extremely high degree of control.

The wound Dongzi had cut into his palm had already been forcibly closed under the control of his skin membrane, and it was no longer bleeding.

Moreover, his skin membrane recovered far faster than the rest of his body.

A blade wound like this would heal completely in less than two days.

Taking his gaze off his palm, Su Ti looked at Xu Lao and the others.

"What happened just now was only a misunderstanding. I can let it go, and I'll still pay for the goods as usual. But if you have any more goods like these in the future, you must give me priority."

Although things had seemed rather dangerous just now, it had ultimately all stemmed from a misunderstanding.

Su Ti himself had not expected that absorbing the energy from the Cursed Antique would completely destroy the antique's yin-energy magnetic field, making the four sellers think he had switched the goods. That was why they had attacked.

Under the current circumstances, he could have simply taken everything by force. However, Su Ti felt that he was still a man of integrity—if others did not offend him, he would not offend them. Besides, in the past twenty days, this was the first time he had encountered sellers with genuine goods. A long-term partnership was better than a one-time deal.

At those words, the three were stunned.

The other party had already taken control of the situation, yet he was letting them go. That meant...

Maybe it really had been a misunderstanding all along!

Hmm.

At that moment, Dongzi, whom Su Ti had sent flying with a palm strike, also got to his feet while clutching his chest.

Su Ti had used a pushing force in that strike, not explosive force. Therefore, Dongzi had only been knocked away and temporarily lost his fighting ability.

If Su Ti had truly wanted to kill him, the explosive power he had displayed would have been more than enough to kill Dongzi with a single palm strike.

Seeing Dongzi get up, how could Xu Lao fail to realize that Su Ti had shown mercy earlier? He hurriedly clasped his fists and apologized.

"Sir, you are truly magnanimous. We were the ones who offended you. Dongzi, Xiaoman, Lao Li, get over here and apologize to him!"

The four hurried over, clasped their fists with both hands, bowed deeply, and apologized to Su Ti.

Xu Lao had traveled far and wide for many years and had a sharp eye. How could he fail to understand that anyone capable of cultivating such skill had to be a member of the Ancient Martial Arts world? That was why he used the martial arts salute of clasped fists.

Su Ti waved his hand slightly, indicating that he accepted.

"Boss Xu, I don't care much for such formalities. Please open all the remaining goods and let me inspect them, all right?"

"Yes, sir, you're right. Quickly, open everything and let him inspect the quality."

At this point, they naturally knew how to behave.

They hurriedly opened all the suitcases they had brought and laid them on the ground for Su Ti to inspect one by one.

There were five suitcases in total.

Aside from the Sword Dance Girl Jade Sculpture that Su Ti had already absorbed, there were four more Cursed Antiques.

Su Ti stepped forward to inspect them, while Xu Lao introduced them.

"These four Cursed Antiques are all antiques from the Hundred Kingdoms period. Though their historical value is not as high as those from the Qian Dynasty, you know that the value of a Cursed Antique has never been measured by its age, but by what it is."

Su Ti nodded slightly. Although he had not acquired a single Cursed Antique during this time, he had become increasingly familiar with the market for such items.

Anything priced at a few hundred thousand was basically a scam. These things started at a million at the very least!

"Indeed. As long as it's a Cursed Antique, it'll definitely be worth millions. I understand the rules."

Xu Lao relaxed slightly, while Su Ti crouched down and touched them one by one.

The four Cursed Antiques were the Mutton Fat Jade Pendant, the Aries Jade Sculpture, the Black Wood Token, and a Brass Wine Vessel.

Su Ti touched each one in turn.

Mutton Fat Jade Pendant: yes, energy 130%.

Aries Jade Sculpture: yes, energy 180%.

Black Wood Token: yes, energy 140%.

Brass Wine Vessel: yes, energy 210%.

Although these four antiques did not provide as much energy as the first Sword Dance Girl Jade Sculpture, they were all genuine. After touching and absorbing them all, they gave Su Ti a full 660% energy!

After finishing the absorption, Su Ti kept his expression calm, but inwardly he was ecstatic. This was an enormous haul for him!

"Good, good! I'll take all of these antiques!"

He waved his hand grandly, unable to stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.

At those words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the deal went smoothly, everything was fine.

"Name your price."

Su Ti did not waste words and spoke directly.

Though the Cursed Antiques on the ground had already been completely absorbed by him, Su Ti still decided to pay for them.

He was not short on money. Li Zong's five-million compensation payment, plus ten million from the arena bet, meant he now had a full fifteen million on him!

Xu Lao was about to quote a price, but after pondering for a moment, he said sincerely.

"Sir, your noble character and integrity put this old man to shame."

"You are a businessman who truly values honesty. Though this deal was a misunderstanding, we were still the ones who attacked first. Choose any one of these four antiques as compensation, and for the rest, together with that Qian Dynasty antique, just give us this amount."

Xu Lao held up his thumb and index finger in the shape of an eight.

Su Ti nodded slightly. The other party's price was indeed not a rip-off.

During this period, he had looked up and crammed information about antiques from various dynasties online.

A jade sculpture like the Sword Dance Girl Jade Sculpture from the Qian Dynasty, given its exquisite craftsmanship and excellent condition, would be worth over three million even if it were not a Cursed Antique.

If it was a Cursed Antique, that would be even more extraordinary. Doubling the price would be more than reasonable.

As for the other four Hundred Kingdoms antiques, although their age and historical value could not compare with the Qian Dynasty piece and they were only worth anywhere from a hundred thousand to several hundred thousand, Cursed Antiques had always started at around a million. Xu Lao's quote was indeed giving him a great deal of face.

But Su Ti was not a stingy person either. He directly handed over a bank card.

"There are eight million in here. I'll give you another million in cash. Nine million total. It's settled."

Without waiting for Xu Lao to decline, Su Ti made the final decision.

"But there's one condition. If you get goods this good next time, come to me first. I'll say it again: money isn't a problem."

Su Ti made money easily and did not care much about it. To him, modifier energy, which concerned his own strength, was what truly mattered.

"Certainly, certainly."

Xu Lao and the others had brought a card reader with them for this transaction. After some operations and a successful transfer, they beamed with smiles.

Large bank card transactions did cause some trouble in the records, but they had their own methods.

Although the process had been somewhat turbulent, the deal was ultimately completed. Both sides got what they wanted and were satisfied.

After exchanging contact information and agreeing to trade immediately whenever goods became available next time, Su Ti picked up several cases and prepared to leave. However, Xu Lao suddenly called out to stop him.

"Sir, please wait."

"What advice do you have, Boss Xu?"

Xu Lao looked hesitant, but after a while, he finally spoke.

"I can see that you truly like Cursed Antiques. I have a major deal here, and I wonder whether you might be interested."

"Oh?"

The mention of Cursed Antiques immediately caught Su Ti's interest.

"Go ahead."

"Before I discuss this business, may I ask whether you know the specific origins of Cursed Antiques?"

Su Ti found that strange. "Antiques come from every dynasty, don't they? There are too many origins to count. Aren't all antiques that harm people collectively called Cursed Antiques, regardless of where they came from?"

Xu Lao shook his head.

"Then do you know how these Cursed Antiques come into being?"

Su Ti froze. He really did not know that. He had learned about Cursed Antiques from Xu Shouyang, but even Xu Shouyang was still researching them.

He had also looked up a great deal of information during this time, but the subject was obscure and there was very little material available. He had no idea how they were created.

Now that Xu Lao had brought it up, Su Ti became deeply curious as well.

If he learned how Cursed Antiques came into being, it would certainly greatly benefit his collection efforts. Perhaps he might even be able to create them himself.

"I really don't know. Please explain."

"If I tell you, don't let it disgust you. Even many collectors of Cursed Antiques don't know about this."

"Go on. I can handle it."

Seeing his expression, Xu Lao lowered his voice.

"They're burial objects. Ninety-nine percent of Cursed Antiques are burial objects."

"And not from ordinary tombs, either. Many are buried in special locations, with large numbers of living people sacrificed as burial attendants, then interred alongside the coffin. Only then is there a chance of producing Cursed Antiques."

Su Ti was stunned. He had never expected Cursed Antiques to have such an origin.

"Then doesn't that mean the things in my hands were all dug out from piles of corpses?"

Xu Lao and the others exchanged glances. Xu Lao chose his words carefully.

"If you put it that way, that's not wrong. More or less, that's how it is."

Su Ti finally understood completely.

So the creation process of these Cursed Antiques with their horrifying effects was itself extremely ominous.

But...

"What does it matter? Never mind if they were dug out of piles of corpses—even if they were dug out of a latrine, I wouldn't mind."

Su Ti laughed heartily. So long as they could provide him with energy, he did not care whether they came from a pile of corpses or a latrine.

It did not bother him anyway. He had not killed those people; he was merely collecting their remains. Besides, reclaiming these harmful Cursed Antiques was a good deed that benefited society.

At that, Xu Lao and the others relaxed.

They had truly been afraid that Su Ti would no longer want the Cursed Antiques and demand a refund after learning the truth.

Seeing that he had no psychological reservations, Xu Lao stepped forward and probed.

"Let me ask you something, sir. What do you think we do?"

Su Ti looked the four of them over from top to bottom.

Other than Xu Lao, who wore a traditional long robe, the other three were all dressed for close-quarters action. Even Dart Woman, despite being a woman, wore camouflage clothing, with her cuffs and pant legs tightly bound. She looked exceptionally capable.

Such attire was not only suitable for fighting, but also for moving through the complex environments of deep mountains and dense forests. It prevented branches from scratching them and snakes, insects, rats, and ants from crawling up their pant legs.

Combined with what they had said about the origins of Cursed Antiques and their identity as sellers, the answer was already obvious.

"You rob tombs?"

"Cough, cough!"

Xu Lao coughed heavily upon hearing that.

"We explore burial sites. In our trade, we call it exploring burial sites. Tomb robbing is merely a worldly prejudice against us. Without us, where would all those precious antiques on the market come from?"

After hearing so much, Su Ti could sense there was more behind his words.

"Boss Xu, what are you trying to say? Speak freely."

Xu Lao glanced at the three people behind him and lowered his voice.

"It's like this, sir. Besides trading with you, we came to Nanjiang Province this time for another matter. There's a tomb here in Nanjiang, and we want to explore it."

"Then go explore it. Why tell me?"

Xu Lao shook his head and spoke quietly to Su Ti.

"You don't understand, sir. That tomb is dangerous."