Land in this district was worth its weight in gold.
Every skyscraper seemed built to pierce the very clouds, all in the pursuit of greater profits.
Yet this building was different.
Its overall structure resembled a small-scale Chinese garden.
Outside, a vast, rolling green lawn had been intentionally landscaped.
Within the black-tiled, white-walled enclosure stood a Chinese-style building of varying heights, surrounded by oddly shaped rockeries and artificial waterways.
It was so unique, utterly different from the surrounding forest of skyscrapers and the clamor of the streets.
It clashed completely with the city’s urban planning, exuding an air of casual nobility, elegant and serene.
Xuanyuan Gulun.
That was the name of the building, written on the plaque by the entrance.
“This isn’t some kind of sacrificial altar, is it?” After the three of them snuck in, a large pool in front of the main building caught Xin Huohuo’s attention.
The pool was square, and in its center sat a group of black stone statues…
A four-faced man gazed toward the north, south, east, and west, riding in a mythical treasure chariot.
The chariot wasn’t pulled by horses, but by six dragons.
Beside it stood a one-legged crane with a human face, while several smaller statues of tigers, wolves, and demonic monsters were scattered around.
In the four corners of the pool were carvings of a dragon, a phoenix, a qilin, and a figure that resembled a turtle.
“That’s just a sculpture depicting the Yellow Emperor gathering gods and demons on Taishan,” Bai Qi said, wiping sweat from his brow.
“The same Yellow Emperor who fought Chi You.”
He and Mr.
Hei could enter and exit places like this with ease, but bringing the mortal Huo’er in had utterly exhausted him.
The Wall-penetrating Skill was a favorite trick among the Daoists of Laoshan.
Luckily, he’d found it amusing back in the day and learned a bit of it.
“But that crane…”
“That’s a Bi Fang,” Mr.
Hei cut in, interrupting the ever-curious Huo’er.
“The details aren’t important.
What’s important is…
where there’s smoke, there’s fire!” To cover up her ignorance, Xin Huohuo quickly voiced her opinion.
“Why would a place like this exist in the most prosperous part of the city center?
It looks refined, but it was clearly built with mountains of money.
It might as well just scream: ‘I’m the king of the nouveau riche, ridiculously wealthy.’ Besides, I was born and raised here.
I’d never seen this place a few years ago, so how did it suddenly appear?”
“Let’s check the area first,” Mr.
Hei said to Bai Qi.
“You stay here.” The last part was directed at Xin Huohuo.
“Making me stand watch outside again!” Xin Huohuo was displeased but only muttered it under her breath.
She knew Mr.
Hei was resolute; once he said something, it was basically a final decision.
He wasn’t easy to sweet-talk like Bai Qi.
‘It’s not that I’m eager to jump into the action or lead the charge,’ she thought.
‘It’s just that staying behind alone feels even more dangerous.
What with the spirit hearse, the puppet, that terrifyingly mysterious bird…
and who knows what else…’
“Just hang in there.
I don’t think I can carry you again,” Bai Qi said, patting Xin Huohuo’s head.
“Are you calling me fat?” Xin Huohuo fumed.
“You’re not fat, but mortal bodies are just dead weight…”
Bai Qi was about to explain further, but his partner yanked him away.
Xin Huohuo’s vision blurred for a moment.
Two graceful figures, one black and one white, slipped silently into the two-story building ahead.
The doors and windows remained untouched as they moved, unseen and unheard.
She had to admit, the sight was strangely beautiful.
But now she was in a miserable spot.
The moment they left, she felt utterly alone, as if abandoned by the entire world.
She also sensed prying eyes around her.
This kept her rooted in front of the pool, too scared to move rashly.
A night breeze swept by, carrying an inexplicable chill.
She couldn’t help but hug her arms and scan her surroundings.
Inside the walls, the space in front of the building was quite large, but thanks to the embellishments of pavilions, small bridges, and flowing water, it didn’t feel empty at all.
Near and far, there were flowers and trees of all kinds, some withered and some blooming, as if displaying all four seasons at once.
Then she looked at the black statues again…
She wondered if it was because she had been standing still for too long and was getting light-headed, but she could have sworn they were coming to life.
She shook her head and suddenly realized something: a place like this ought to be a magnet for thieves, right?
So why weren’t there any security guards on patrol, surveillance cameras, or iron bars on the windows?
There wasn’t even a vicious watchdog.
Was there some more advanced security system in place, or did they think no thief would dare to strike, being right in the city center?
Just as she was thinking this, Bai Qi and Mr.
Hei returned.
“That was fast,” she said, stunned.
“Nothing unusual inside, and no people,” Mr.
Hei said, clearly frustrated by the lack of findings.
“It can’t just be an empty house, can it?” Xin Huohuo asked.
“It’s probably some kind of museum,” Bai Qi said, scratching his head.
“You should come back during the day tomorrow to confirm.”
“Are museums open to the public?
They’d charge for tickets, right?
I didn’t see a ticket booth or a place to check tickets,” Xin Huohuo wondered aloud.
“Is the stuff inside very valuable?”
“A few ancient books and stone rubbings, plus a large number of weapons and such.
They should be pretty valuable, right?
But I don’t really have a concept of human money, which is why we need you to come by tomorrow,” Bai Qi said with a look of disinterest.
‘That makes sense,’ she thought.
‘He and Mr.
Hei have been around for so long, what kind of ancient relic could possibly pique their interest?
From what I’ve seen these past few days, he’s much more into new video games.’
“As if I’m some kind of expert,” she could only mutter under her breath again.
She was just a commoner.
How was she supposed to appreciate high-class things like ancient books and cultural artifacts?
The only valuable things she recognized were gold and diamonds; her taste was tacky and unsophisticated.
Because of this, on a day that should have ended in a fruitless retreat where she could have caught a little sleep before dawn, she instead had to spend her time buried in online research.
She didn’t want to show up at the museum and have people think she was a complete fool.
A search on the latest digital map revealed that the place was indeed a museum—a private one, established two years ago.
That explained it.
Although she lived in the city, her life was exceptionally monotonous: work to home, home to work.
She even did most of her shopping online, so there were many places she rarely visited.
This was especially true for prosperous areas, which had basically nothing to do with a penny-pincher like her.
Why torture herself by looking at things she couldn’t afford?
It was better to just follow the “out of sight, out of mind” principle.
The rise of private museums, however, was linked to the booming global art market.
In other words, many of them were involved in the public and legal trade of artworks.
Considering the value of art, that would explain why it could be located in a district where land was worth its weight in gold.
The value of several mansions and a fleet of luxury cars couldn’t compare to a single Ming Dynasty Chenghua-era *doucai* “chicken cup” sold at a sky-high auction price.
Next, she did some digging on the museum’s founder and its collection, discovering that Bai Qi had been right.
The main exhibits at “Xuanyuan Gulun” were indeed ancient books and weaponry.
This came as a bit of a surprise.
In her mind, private museums were usually about things like rosewood furniture, jade carvings, porcelain, or calligraphy and paintings—items steeped in China’s rich cultural heritage.
But Xuanyuan Gulun?
Ancient books were one thing, but weapons…
Was the owner some kind of warmonger?