Chapter 22

At that moment, Hu Bayi pulled a pair of Jade Pendants out of his bag.

"Jade Pendants?" Big Gold Tooth took them from him the moment he saw them.

He examined them closely. Both jade discs had been carved into shapes resembling moths, complete with brows, whiskers, scales, and feathers. Their surfaces were covered in strange patterns, some resembling animal designs and others like totems.

"Let me think..." Big Gold Tooth seemed hesitant, worried he might say the wrong thing.

Hu Ming, who had been watching from the side, said, "Big Gold Tooth, these are Moth-shaped Twin Conch Jade Discs. During the Jin Dynasty, only generals who had rendered great service could own them. They were the highest honor and a symbol of a warrior's status.

"So these are from the Song Dynasty. Big Gold Tooth, give us an estimate. Do you think they're worth tens of thousands?"

"Tens of thousands?" The Fatty's eyes lit up as he stared at Big Gold Tooth, clearly hoping for confirmation.

Hu Ming's words seemed to jog Big Gold Tooth's memory. He slapped his thigh.

"Now I remember! Something like this really did turn up a while back, gentlemen. It was valued at around forty to fifty thousand. Overseas, it would definitely fetch more."

As soon as he heard that, the Fatty snatched the jade disc pendant from Big Gold Tooth. "Damn, that much?"

Hu Ming shot him a sidelong glance. "The jade itself isn't worth that much, but these have extraordinary symbolic significance and considerable collectible value."

After he finished speaking, Hu Ming turned to the Fatty. "Take out my stirrups and saddle."

At that, the Fatty pulled the stirrups and saddle out of his bag. Big Gold Tooth froze for a moment, then examined the two blackened objects closely. He licked his lips in excitement. "These are gold!"

The Fatty and Hu Bayi were both stunned. "Big Gold Tooth, are you serious? These filthy black things are gold?"

Big Gold Tooth glanced at the unruffled Hu Ming. "They look like this because they're coated in corpse oil. I'm sure Master Ming knows all about that."

Hu Ming nodded. "Both items are gold. They'd sell for at least over a million on the market."

The Fatty swore in shock. "Holy crap, are you serious? And Big Gold Tooth was licking them!"

Hu Ming replied irritably, "Even if you melted them down and sold them as gold, they'd fetch at least hundreds of thousands."

Big Gold Tooth nodded in agreement. "The gold isn't pure, but there's a lot of it. They'd sell for hundreds of thousands."

He turned to Hu Ming. "Master Ming, let me check the market price for these first."

Hu Ming nodded. "All right, no problem."

Just then, the Fatty pulled out a mask. "Mingzi, this is black, too. Could it be gold as well?"

Hu Ming nodded. "That's right. And it's no ordinary Gold Mask. Let Big Gold Tooth have a look."

Big Gold Tooth examined it carefully and spotted tiny writing on the mask. Its craftsmanship was exquisite.

It took him more than ten minutes to make out a line that read, "Gifted to the Great General by Jin Dynasty Royalty..." He couldn't decipher what came after that. But he couldn't remove the corpse oil from the mask; the coating was what gave it greater collectible value.

After thinking it over, Big Gold Tooth said to the group, "Gentlemen, this item has extraordinary historical significance. I wouldn't know how to put a price on it."

Hu Ming replied, "I understand. Help us get in touch with someone who might buy it. We'll leave it with you."

Big Gold Tooth said, "Master Ming, I never expected you to trust me so much. Don't worry, I'll make sure they fetch a good price."

Hu Ming said, "Gold Tooth, you can handle the sales. You'll be responsible for whatever happens while selling them. If the underworld tries to double-cross you, we can take care of it behind the scenes. But you'll have to handle the legitimate side yourself. Whatever happens, keep your mouth shut. You'll take a twenty-percent commission, as we discussed before. How does that sound?"

With someone as shrewd and capable as Big Gold Tooth handling the sales, Hu Ming could save himself a lot of trouble.

Big Gold Tooth said, "Thank you again for trusting me, Master Ming. But you risk your lives tomb-raiding, so taking twenty percent would feel like I was getting far too good a deal. How about this, Master Ming: I'll introduce you to buyers, and I won't take a cent from the sales. We can consider it a gesture of friendship."

Hu Ming thought it over briefly, then nodded. "That's fine, but you have to take a commission. We can't leave you out when there's money to be made, Old Gold. Whenever our goods are sold through someone you introduce, whether now or in the future, you'll get a twenty-percent commission."

Hu Ming had a reason for making this offer: he wanted Big Gold Tooth to work for him and give it his all. Without some benefit, even a brother wouldn't bother helping you.

Big Gold Tooth froze for a moment, then felt a surge of admiration for Hu Ming. A man who could accomplish great things truly had a generous heart.

In truth, Hu Ming was also trying to pull Big Gold Tooth into their criminal enterprise.

Hu Bayi and the Fatty exchanged glances, both completely baffled. They had no idea what Hu Ming was up to.

Hu Ming turned to Hu Bayi. "Old Hu, take the porcelain out of your bag."

At that, Hu Bayi took out six pieces of porcelain, all fine-quality antiques. Big Gold Tooth's eyes lit up. "I never expected these to be such fine porcelain."

Hu Ming said to Big Gold Tooth, "I'm leaving these with you, too."

Big Gold Tooth nodded solemnly.

Hu Ming then had Hu Bayi and the Fatty put everything away.

Once the items had been packed, Hu Ming told the waiter to hurry up with the food. Big Gold Tooth then asked, "Master Ming, do you remember Professor Chen?"

Hu Ming was taken aback for a moment. "I remember him. What's up?"

Big Gold Tooth continued, "His team found an American who's funding an expedition to Xinjiang to search for Jingjue Ancient City."

Hu Ming nodded and scoffed. "Oh, Jingjue Ancient City? Do you really think those people can find it?"

Big Gold Tooth chuckled. "They know they can't, which is why they came to me and asked me to contact you."

Hu Ming lit a cigarette. "What's the pay?"

Big Gold Tooth said, "They'll pay each person ten thousand up front and another ten thousand when the job is done."

He added, "Oh, right. It's US Dollars."

Hu Ming nodded, then looked at the Fatty and Hu Bayi. "Should we go take a look?"

The Fatty and Hu Bayi furrowed their brows, then both agreed.

Hu Ming turned back to Big Gold Tooth. "We'll go see what they have to say."

Big Gold Tooth looked surprised at first, then nodded. "All right, I'll give you their address."

Seeing Big Gold Tooth's surprise, Hu Ming smiled. "I won't turn down money. But if they give us any attitude, we won't work with them."

Big Gold Tooth said, "That's true."

Hu Ming smiled. "I know Jingjue Culture quite well. If it weren't for various circumstances, I might have taken the Fatty and Old Hu to search for Jingjue Ancient City on our own. I already know quite a bit about it."

Big Gold Tooth couldn't help giving Hu Ming a thumbs-up.

After they'd eaten their fill, they went to Big Gold Tooth's shop and left the items there. They also asked him to help find three Siheyuan. Once everything had been sold, they would buy them.