The atmosphere inside Cloud-Deep Pavilion grew ever more congenial.
Hearing Lu Changfeng's curiosity, Luo Qingge began enthusiastically recounting how she had obtained the treasures.
"It was quite a coincidence, really."
Luo Qingge told her story in a gentle, unhurried voice. "A few days ago, Mingxiao and I had nothing to do, so we went browsing at the Ghost Market. We happened upon a group of rather harried-looking people selling several freshly unearthed 'funerary objects.'"
"As you know, sir, Mingxiao cannot abide even a grain of sand in her eye. But given the Ghost Market's peculiar nature, she couldn't act rashly, so she struck up a casual conversation instead. They weren't seasoned hands, and a few questions from Mingxiao were enough to expose their secrets."
"According to their leader, they had come from Shanzhou in Longyou Circuit. In other years, the spring breeze would never reach that place at this time of year; it would be dry, with little rain. But this year was eerily different. In early April, torrential rain fell for several days straight, and the mountain floods washed open a corner of an ancient tomb buried deep underground."
"They stumbled upon the tomb's treasures by chance and got ideas. They took a few things that looked valuable and hurried to Chang'an's Ghost Market to sell off their loot..."
At this, Lu Changfeng's brows stirred slightly. "Shanzhou in Longyou, torrential rain for days in early April... That weather was certainly abnormal," he mused.
He privately suspected that this was another of the strange phenomena brought about by the revival of the world's spiritual energy.
"Precisely."
Luo Qingge nodded in agreement and continued, "They knew little of their trade and recognized only gold, silver, pearls, and jade. The jade ring inscribed with the art of 'observing birds and discerning feathers'