Chapter 9. Ghost Seal, An Unexpected Gain

"Mr. Lu, I believe you are aware of the capabilities of Treasure Pavilion," Manager Lin said with a chuckle. "Rest assured. We've already taken care of it."

He then gestured politely toward where the seating area was.

Lu Yuan nodded and chose a quiet spot by the wall. He preferred a place with more privacy.

Manager Lin instructed an attendant to prepare tea before he left the room. Clearly, he had gone to retrieve the item Lu Yuan had come for.

Lu Yuan wasn't in a rush either way. He took a slow sip of the served tea. It was light and delicate, but left a lingering fragrance on the tongue.

He didn't know much about tea, but he could tell that the current tea he was drinking was costly and not something an average household could afford. It was understandable. Anyone who could make it to the sixth floor wasn't short on wealth. Certainly, the Treasure Pavilion would serve them the best it could offer.

"Thank you for waiting, Mr. Lu."

Manager Lin returned soon enough with a tray draped in red silk. "This is the item you've requested. The seller was very decisive."

Lu Yuan nodded without a word and lifted the red cloth to reveal a square-shaped seal. It wasn't large and measured about ten inches or so. Its surface was pitch black and exuded an ancient aura.

A carving of an unknown, ferocious beast was perched atop the base. Though its eyes were unmoving, they seemed to bore straight into one's soul, giving off an ominous presence.

"Yes, that's the one," Lu Yuan commented after a single glance. He was clearly satisfied. The seal looked exactly like the one he'd seen in his past life, down to the finest detail. There was no doubt about it.

"Got it," Manager Lin said with a smile. "Once the payment's settled, this item is officially yours."

"No problem." Lu Yuan took out his phone and, after a few taps, transferred the remaining payment of ten million into Treasure Pavilion's account.

As he watched Lu Yuan's actions, Manager Lin refilled his teacup and remarked, "Mr Lu... Don't mind me for being nosy. This thing reeks of bad luck. Most collectors wouldn't even be the least bit interested in it. Fifteen million is not exactly worth the price."

Even though his words were somewhat tactless as a staff member, one didn't rise to become the manager of Treasure Pavilion's elusive sixth floor by being just anyone.

Clearly, his words came from the perspective of a friend. His only purpose was to strengthen the bond between himself and Lu Yuan. After all, only those who treated each other as equals would speak so openly.

Bad luck? That was exactly what Lu Yuan was looking for because the item was never meant for the living to begin with.

Lu Yuan chuckled inwardly. As of this point in time, only he knew of this item. It was the Ghost Seal. It might look like an ordinary antique, but it was of significant origin. In fact, it was deeply tied to the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang.

Had he not been lucky enough to be involved in that particular event in his past life, he would never have known the purpose of the Ghost Seal.

To be exact, the Ghost Seal was one of the keys to unlocking Qin Shi Huang's tomb. Fifteen million for the Ghost Seal was a bargain beyond measure. Just that to those who didn't know better, it was a major rip-off.

The Mausoleum had always been shrouded in myth and legend. It could be said to be one of the most mysterious places in all of Huaxia. Yet, no one had ever managed to enter its compounds to glimpse the secrets within.

The reason was straightforward. The site was sealed tight, and no one could enter. Holding a blueprint of the tomb was also useless. Even having the tomb's blueprints was of no use. Only by collecting all the ancient keys could one hope to unlock its gates.

Anything less was nothing short of a death sentence.

But now with the Ghost Seal, Lu Yuan had secured two keys. The other key was the family heirloom, the small cauldron at Chen Song's house.

Of course, he had no intention of explaining all of these to Manager Lin. He merely smiled and took another sip of his tea before casually saying, "Thank you for your kind advice, Manager Lin. Everyone has their own likes, after all. By the way, has anything interesting arrived on the sixth floor lately?"

Lu Yuan thought that the Treasure Pavilion was the hub for rare and forbidden items from across the nation. Since he managed to discover the Ghost Seal here, he wanted to try his luck once more.

Of course, he didn't hold high hopes about it.

Even after the global awakening, not many items evolved to become divine treasures. It was not a given that ancient items would certainly turn out to hold extraordinary power.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

If that were the case, he wouldn't need to do anything else. He just needed to hoard antiques.

"Ah, definitely." Manager Lin's eyes lit up. He knew a potential sale was on the line. He promptly retrieved a catalog from his inner pocket and presented it with both hands. "It's all in here, Mr. Lu. Take your time and have a look. If anything catches your eye, just let me know and I'll make sure to get it for you."

Every successful transaction on the sixth floor came with a commission. Naturally, Manager Lin was eager to please and close any deals.

Lu Yuan nodded and began flipping through the catalog. As per his expectations, the pages featured antique after antique. Given the reputation of the Treasure Pavilion's sixth floor, it was guaranteed that every item would be authentic.

However, he flipped page after page for a long while, and nothing caught his interest.

Not long after, he paused and was ready to return the catalog when his gaze shifted slightly. On the very last page, he spotted a photograph of a small tower.

The tower had eleven floors, and even though it bore signs of age, the high-resolution image revealed that the item had been well-preserved and showed not even a hint of damage.

And that small tower stirred something in the depths of Lu Yuan's memories.

It was an intense battle after the global awakening, one so significant that it had reshaped the very land beneath it. Back then, he had watched it unfold from afar.

During that clash, one of the combatants had unleashed a terrifying power, and the manifestation that erupted from within him bore an uncanny resemblance to this tower.

That man had gone on to become one of the world's most formidable beings.

And to think that he would come across this particular divine treasure here.

Lost in thought, Lu Yuan finally looked up and asked, "Manager Lin, what is this?"

"Oh, that?" Manager Lin took a quick glance at the page and pondered for a brief moment before he answered, "That piece is called the Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda. According to the seller, it was crimson red when unearthed. And it was found next to what seemed to be the burial site of a high monk from ancient times. Our appraisers estimate it to be close to two thousand years old. Why? Has it caught your interest?"

In Buddhist terminology, a tower was also referred to as a pagoda. There was an old saying among monks: Saving a life is better than building a seven-tier pagoda.

"Yes." Lu Yuan nodded. "Can you help me get in touch with the seller? The price is not an issue."

Manager Lin's brows furrowed and he explained, "The seller is in real estate. He was quite wealthy, but ran into financial trouble and saw his fortune plummet. That's why he wanted to sell the item to free up some cash. His asking price was twenty million. But just recently, he managed to secure a bank loan.

"Yesterday, he called us to say that he wants to take down the listing and keep it as part of his collection."

"I see..."

Lu Yuan's heart sank slightly.

He took another glance at the photo and was certain that the item was indeed the same tower that had manifested when that powerful figure fought.

After that great war, he had even gone out of his way to investigate and found out that the manifested phenomenon was because the person had fused a divine treasure into their internal organs. It unlocked the hidden potential in the human's body and tempered the five viscera and six bowels into something as indestructible as divine metal.

And this Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda—didn't it correspond exactly to the five viscera and six bowels?

There was no doubt. This was the same item.

Back then, Lu Yuan could only sigh in envy, wondering why he didn't experience such fortune.

Now that the treasure was here, right before his very eyes, there was no way he was going to let it slip through his fingers, right?