Courtyard Check-in: Starting with a Small World of Cultivation

August 5th, 9:45 AM.

Chen Yu stood outside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong, looking at the sixteen-story building—Christie's Hong Kong preview was being held in the banquet hall on the second floor. Today, he was wearing a light gray thin suit, a dark blue tie, and the Shanghai watch on his wrist gleamed with a calm luster in the morning light. He looked like a successful businessman from Southeast Asia in his thirties.

"Mr. Chen, this way please." The hotel doorman opened the glass door attentively.

Chen Yu nodded and walked into the lobby. A blast of cool air washed over him, dispelling the humid heat outside. The lobby was already quite full, mostly men in suits and women in well-tailored outfits, chatting quietly in small groups. The air was filled with the scents of perfume, cigars, and coffee.

He walked to the registration desk and handed over his invitation. The person in charge of registration was a middle-aged man wearing glasses. After carefully checking the list, he handed him a number plate—077—and a beautifully illustrated catalog of the auction items.

"The preview starts at 10 a.m. You are free to look around, but you cannot touch the exhibits. If there is anything you would like to see, you can ask the staff for assistance," the man said in English with a standard Oxford accent.

"Thank you." Chen Yu took the items and walked towards the banquet hall.

The banquet hall was very large, covering over a thousand square meters. It was divided into several areas by deep red velvet curtains, and in the center were rows of display stands covered with white tablecloths, displaying various antiques: porcelain, jade, calligraphy and paintings, furniture, clocks and watches... Each exhibit was protected by a transparent glass cover, with a label and number below it.

The lighting was carefully designed, soft and not glaring, perfectly highlighting the texture and details of the exhibits. Soft classical music played in the hall, but it was mostly drowned out by the hushed whispers of the people.

Chen Yu opened the catalog and found "L-087 Vermilion Bird Bronze Lamp". The photos in the catalog were much clearer than those given by Li Guoan, and the details on the bronze lamp could be clearly seen: the lamp base was octagonal, with different cloud patterns engraved on each side; the lamp post was in the shape of a swirling Vermilion Bird, with its beak slightly open, which should have originally held the wick; the edge of the lamp plate had twelve grooves, which may have been inlaid with gemstones or some kind of talisman.

The description reads: "A Tang Dynasty Vermilion Bird Bronze Lamp, 28.5 cm high and weighing 3.2 kg. Made of high-quality bronze, with natural red spots and green rust on the surface. It is believed to have been used in Tang Dynasty court rituals. The lamp oil had a special formula, allowing it to burn continuously for seven days. It comes with a certificate of authenticity from the Guimet Museum in France, dated 1932."

Starting bid: HK$80,000.

Chen Yu closed the catalog and walked discreetly toward the area where the bronze lamp was located. Several people had already gathered there, including the elderly man in the long robe from the catalog—Gu Wenyuan, a Hong Kong collector whose ancestors were said to be scholars in the Qing Dynasty, with a long family tradition of learning.

Gu Wenyuan was examining the bronze lamp closely with a magnifying glass. Standing next to him was a blond, blue-eyed foreigner in his fifties, wearing a three-piece suit. He was John Carter, a specialist from Christie's.

"...Mr. Gu has a good eye. This lamp is indeed the highlight of this preview." John said in fluent Cantonese. "We have done scientific testing. The copper is of very high purity. The red spots on the surface are not ordinary copper rust, but a special oxide layer, which may be related to the ancient lamp oil formula."

"The lamp oil formula..." Gu Wenyuan pondered, "Are there any residues?"

"A small amount has been sampled and analyzed, and the results will be announced at the official auction." John smiled mysteriously. "All I can say is that it's very special, containing some rare mineral components."

Obsidian powder. Chen Yu understood. He stood on the outskirts of the crowd, his spiritual eye technique quietly activated.

Through the glass cover, the bronze lamp presented a different scene to him: the lamp body emitted a faint red spiritual light, mainly concentrated on the lamp plate and the Vermilion Bird's beak; three of the twelve grooves on the edge of the lamp plate still had faint spiritual energy fluctuations, which should have been inlaid with some kind of spiritual material; most special was the inside of the lamp base, where the outline of a rune could be vaguely seen - a simplified version of the "Li Huo Ju Ling Array" mentioned in the silk book!

"It really is a magical artifact!" Chen Yu was shocked. This lamp was no ordinary antique, but a genuine magical artifact for cultivation. Although it was old and its functions might have declined, its essence remained. If it could be restored, its value would be immeasurable.

As he was observing, he sensed someone approaching. Turning around, he saw it was Liu Zhenbang, the middle-aged man who had been reading an English newspaper on the train.

Today, Liu Zhenbang was dressed in a dark blue suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and holding a catalog in his hand. He strolled around seemingly casually, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle's. He stopped in front of the bronze lamp, not getting close to examine it like Gu Wenyuan, but simply looking at it from a distance, his fingers lightly tapping on the catalog, as if he were calculating something.

Chen Yu's spiritual sense stirred slightly, sensing a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy emanating from Liu Zhenbang—very faint, almost imperceptible, but it was indeed the aura of a cultivator, probably around the third or fourth level of the Qi Refining stage.

"The middleman in Scarface's team is actually a cultivator," Chen Yu thought to himself. "It seems this team is more complex than I imagined."

At this moment, another person walked over—Lin Yongchang.

"Mr. Chen, you're here too!" Lin Yongchang greeted him warmly. "So, what have you got your eye on?"

"Just browsing," Chen Yu smiled. "Mr. Lin, are you also interested in antiques?"

"I'm interested, but I lack discernment," Lin Yongchang waved his hand. "I'm just here with a friend. By the way, let me introduce you to someone."

He waved to a woman in her thirties, wearing a cheongsam, who walked over. She was beautiful and had a gentle demeanor, but her eyes revealed a shrewdness.

"This is Ms. Su Zhiqing, a famous antique appraiser in Hong Kong. Sotheby's often invites her to be their consultant," Lin Yongchang introduced. "This is Mr. Chen Yuyu, a businessman from Southeast Asia who is looking for some distinctive antique decorations for his restaurant."

"Hello, Mr. Chen." Su Zhiqing extended her hand, her fingers slender and her nails neatly trimmed.

"Hello, Miss Su." Chen Yu gently shook her hand and then let go.

Su Zhiqing looked at the bronze lamp: "Mr. Chen, are you interested in this lamp?"

"I think the design is unique and I'd like to learn more about it."

"This lamp..." Su Zhiqing paused, "is actually somewhat controversial."

"Oh?"

"Three years ago, it appeared at a small auction in Paris. At that time, it was identified as a Ming Dynasty imitation of a Tang Dynasty piece and only sold for three thousand francs," Su Zhiqing said in a low voice. "But this time, after being re-identified, it was dated to a genuine Tang Dynasty piece, and the price has increased more than twenty times. Some people say that Christie's manipulated the price to inflate it."

"What do you think, Miss Su?"

“I’ve seen the test report. The bronze and the corrosion are consistent with the characteristics of the Tang Dynasty, but…” She hesitated for a moment, “The grooves on the edge of the lamp plate were originally meant to be inlaid with gemstones, but now they’re empty. Christie’s says it’s due to natural wear and tear over time, but I feel that those grooves are too new, not like the wear and tear of over a thousand years ago.”

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat. Su Zhiqing's observation was very sharp. Those grooves were indeed added later, or more precisely, left over from the repair process—the original owner may have tried to restore the artifact's spirit-gathering function, but failed.

"Miss Su has a very good eye."

"Not at all, I've just seen too much." Su Zhiqing smiled slightly. "If Mr. Chen is really interested, I can help you find some information. But I must warn you, the competition for this lamp will be fierce."

She glanced in Liu Zhenbang's direction: "See that man? Liu Zhenbang, from Singapore, has a big buyer behind him. And there's Mr. Gu Wenyuan, who has been collecting Tang Dynasty bronzes for decades, he definitely won't let this one slip by. I heard the Ho family from Macau are also interested."

The Ho family of Macau, the family of the gambling tycoon, is incredibly wealthy. Chen Yu frowned; the competition was fiercer than he had anticipated.

Just then, a commotion broke out in the preview hall. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man in a suit lying on the ground in the porcelain exhibition area, convulsing and foaming at the mouth. Next to him, a glass case had been overturned, and a blue and white porcelain vase had fallen to the ground and shattered into several pieces.

"What happened?"

"Someone has fallen ill!"

"Security! Call an ambulance!"

A commotion arose in the crowd. Chen Yu instantly scanned the area with his spiritual sense and discovered that the man who had collapsed was breathing erratically, but it wasn't a sudden illness; rather… he had been poisoned! And the poison was extremely potent!

He looked at the shattered porcelain bottle. Among the shards was a small piece of paper, rolled into a thin tube, which should have been hidden inside the bottle. Now the paper was unfolded, and there seemed to be writing on it.

Several security guards rushed over and helped the fallen man to his feet, while staff members hurriedly cleared away the debris. A man in a suit, who appeared to be a manager, loudly reassured everyone, "Please remain calm, everyone. This is an accident, an accident! Please step back and don't obstruct the paramedics!"

Chen Yu noticed that Liu Zhenbang took advantage of the chaos to quietly move a few steps toward the bronze lamp, his eyes fixed on it, his hand reaching into his pocket—inside was a small object shaped like a miniature camera.

Was he trying to secretly photograph the details of the bronze lamp? Or...?

Chen Yu moved silently behind a pillar, activating his Concealment Technique to its maximum. He locked his spiritual sense onto Liu Zhenbang, to see what he was up to.

Liu Zhenbang didn't approach the bronze lamp directly. Instead, he stood three meters away, pretending to look at the exhibits next to it, while his hand moved inside his pocket. Chen Yu's spiritual sense "saw" a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy emanating from the small object in his pocket—it wasn't a camera, but some kind of detection artifact!

He was probing the spiritual energy structure inside the bronze lamp!

"This guy really is after the magical artifact," Chen Yu thought to himself. Ordinary antique dealers wouldn't use cultivation techniques to detect it; only someone who knows it's a magical artifact would do that.

The probe lasted about half a minute. Liu Zhenbang withdrew his hand, turned and left with a normal expression, heading towards the door. As he passed the pillar where Chen Yu was hiding, Chen Yu heard him whisper, "Confirmed, it's real."

Who is he talking to?

Chen Yu used his spiritual sense to track Liu Zhenbang and discovered a miniature earpiece hidden under his collar—a wireless communication device! This technology was absolutely top-notch in 1970, and was generally only possessed by intelligence agencies or top-tier criminal groups.

The Scarface team's equipment was beyond imagination.

Paramedics arrived and carried the man away. Workers began cleaning up the scene, but the crowd's attention had already been drawn away. Taking advantage of the situation, Chen Yu approached the bronze lamp, activating his full spiritual vision to carefully observe the runic structure inside the lamp base.

Although the rune was incomplete, the core part was still intact. Chen Yu had an amazing memory and quickly memorized the rune pattern, preparing to study it against the silk scroll when he returned.

As he was memorizing, he felt a gaze fall upon him. Turning his head, he saw Su Zhiqing. She stood not far away, her eyes filled with a hint of inquiry.

"Mr. Chen really cares about this lamp." She walked over.

"A rare find like this deserves to be examined more thoroughly."

"That person just now..." Su Zhiqing gestured in the direction Liu Zhenbang had left, "Do you know him?"

"I don't know him. What's wrong?"

"He stood in front of this lamp for a long time, and his eyes were off," Su Zhiqing said in a low voice. "I've been in this industry for ten years, and I can tell who genuinely appreciates something and who has ulterior motives. He belongs to the latter."

Chen Yu was wary inside, but smiled and said, "Businessmen always put profit first."

"That's true." Su Zhiqing didn't say anything more. "Mr. Chen, would you like to see anything else? I can show you around."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Miss Su."

The two strolled slowly through the preview hall. Su Zhiqing, as expected of a professional appraiser, could offer insights into each exhibit: the characteristics of the glaze on this porcelain piece, the lineage of the brushwork in that painting, the carving style of this jade piece… Chen Yu listened attentively and took notes, as this knowledge would be very helpful for his future activities in Hong Kong's antique circle.

When Chen Yu reached the calligraphy and painting area, he suddenly stopped. There was a landscape painting on the display stand, signed "Shi Tao," but what attracted him was the inscription on the painting—the strokes of the characters were seven-tenths similar to the characters on the Xishan Silk Manuscript!

"This painting..."

"Shi Tao's 'Sea of ​​Clouds over Huangshan Mountain' is an authentic Qing Dynasty work, but its condition is only so-so, with several repairs," Su Zhiqing explained. "Is Mr. Chen interested?"

"I find the brushwork quite unique." Chen Yu moved closer to examine it more closely. Under his spiritual eye technique, he could see extremely faint traces of spiritual energy on the paper—not from the painting itself, but from someone who had seen it!

This spiritual energy fluctuation... is similar to the aura of Scarface's team, but purer and more ancient.

"Who was the original owner of this painting?" Chen Yu asked the staff member next to him.

The staff member opened the record book: "It was commissioned by an anonymous collector. All we know is that it came from Taiwan, and the original collector was a retired Kuomintang officer."

Kuomintang officers… Chen Yu’s heart skipped a beat. When they retreated to Taiwan in 1949, quite a few cultural relics were indeed taken with them. If Scarface’s team also had activities in Taiwan, then their network extended beyond mainland China and Hong Kong, reaching not only Taiwan but also mainland China.

Just then, Lin Yongchang rushed over: "Mr. Chen, Ms. Su, something's happened!"

"What's wrong?"

"The person who just had a seizure died in the ambulance!" Lin Yongchang said in a low voice. "The police are here and said they need to cordon off the area; no one can leave for the time being!"

The banquet hall erupted in chaos.

"Dead? How could that be?"

"When can we leave?"

"Is it dangerous?"

Several uniformed Hong Kong police officers walked in, led by an inspector in his forties with a serious expression. He gestured for everyone to be quiet: "Gentlemen, I am Inspector Cheng Kwok-hung of the West Kowloon Regional Crime Unit. There was an accidental death just now, and we need your cooperation in the investigation. Please go over there and register your names and contact information. We will handle it as soon as possible."

The crowd reluctantly began queuing to register. Chen Yu noticed that Liu Zhenbang was gone—he must have left before the police arrived.

"Mr. Chen, don't worry, you should be able to leave soon," Lin Yongchang reassured him. "These kinds of things are not uncommon in Hong Kong; it's probably just a sudden illness."

"I hope so," Chen Yu said. But he knew it wasn't a sudden illness, but poisoning. And the person who poisoned him had a clear goal—to create chaos and give their accomplices an opportunity.

Who are their accomplices? Liu Zhenbang? Or someone else entirely?

When registering, Chen Yu gave the alias "Chen Yuyu" and the hotel address. The police asked a few simple questions: when did you arrive, what unusual things did you see, and did you know the deceased? Chen Yu answered them all flawlessly.

After registration, the police allowed everyone to leave, but asked them to keep their communication channels open, as they might be contacted again at any time.

It was 12:30 PM when Chen Yu stepped out of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The sun was blinding, and a wave of heat hit him. Standing at the entrance, Chen Yu looked at the bustling traffic on the street, his thoughts churning.

The fact that something went wrong on the very first day of the preview was no coincidence. Was someone trying to sabotage the auction? Or were they trying to achieve something else amidst the chaos? What was the connection between the deceased and that note?

"Mr. Chen, would you like to have dinner together?" Su Zhiqing walked over. "I know a good Cantonese restaurant nearby."

"Okay, it's on me."

"How could I possibly accept that..."

"Consider this a thank you to Ms. Su for her explanation today."

The three—Chen Yu, Su Zhiqing, and Lin Yongchang—walked east along Queen's Road Central. As Chen Yu walked, he used his spiritual sense to scan the surroundings, confirming that no one was following them.

The restaurant was on a small street, with a small but clean storefront. The owner knew Lin Yongchang and warmly led them to a private room.

After ordering, Su Zhiqing finally spoke: "Mr. Chen, what are your thoughts on today's events?"

"Unexpected, isn't it?" Chen Yu said ambiguously.

"I don't think it was an accident." Su Zhiqing shook her head. "I knew the deceased. His name was Zhang Zhiqiang. He was a small antique dealer who specialized in high-quality replicas. He came to the preview today, probably to see the real items so he could make replicas. But he shouldn't have died."

"Miss Su means..."

"Zhang Zhiqiang is in good health. He even played badminton with me last month," Su Zhiqing said in a low voice. "And the timing of his collapse was too coincidental—right next to that blue and white porcelain vase. That vase... I suspect there's something hidden inside."

Chen Yu inwardly praised Su Zhiqing's keen observation: "What is she hiding?"

"I don't know, but it's definitely not an ordinary item." Su Zhiqing paused. "Mr. Chen, I don't know who you are, but let me warn you: this auction is not simple. Several items have questionable provenance, and the people involved are quite complicated. If you just want to buy decorative items, you'd better look elsewhere."

That was quite a direct statement. Chen Yu looked at Su Zhiqing; her eyes were clear, and she didn't seem to have any ulterior motives.

"Thank you for the reminder, Ms. Su. I will be careful."

The food was served, and the three ate and chatted. From their conversation, Chen Yu learned that Su Zhiqing came from a scholarly family; her grandfather was a scholar during the Republic of China era, and her father was a professor at the University of Hong Kong. She had been exposed to antiques since childhood, later specializing in appraisal and gaining some renown in the field, but this had also exposed her to many darker aspects—forgery, tomb raiding, smuggling, black market transactions…

"Hong Kong is a free port; anything can come in, and you can meet all sorts of people," Su Zhiqing sighed. "Sometimes, the truth or falsehood isn't that important; what matters is who wants it and how much money they're willing to pay."

After finishing their meal, Lin Yongchang left first because he had something to do. Su Zhiqing was going to see a client in Central and said goodbye to Chen Yu at the street corner.

"Mr. Chen, this is my business card." She handed over an elegant business card. "You can contact me if you need anything. Antique appraisal, or anything else... I can help you with."

"Thank you." Chen Yu accepted it. "Take care, Miss Su."

Back at the hotel, Chen Yu closed the door and drew the curtains. He took out his notebook and began to organize his findings for the day:

1. The Vermilion Bird Bronze Lamp has been confirmed as a magical artifact, containing runes for a spirit-gathering array. Further research is needed to determine how to repair it.

2. Liu Zhenbang is a spiritual practitioner with advanced communication equipment. He left after confirming the value of the bronze lamp.

3. A poisoning incident occurred during the preview. The deceased was Zhang Zhiqiang, a small antique dealer. A note (the contents of which are unknown) was found hidden in the broken porcelain bottle.

4. The presence of residual spiritual energy from the Scarface team in Shi Tao's paintings indicates that they were also active in Taiwan.

5. Su Zhiqing's identity is questionable, and she is overly enthusiastic. We need to be wary of her, but we can make appropriate contact with her.

After finishing writing, he leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and pondered. There were too many things to do today, and the clues were complicated; he needed to sort them out.

The most crucial thing is that note. What did it say? Why was it hidden inside the porcelain vase? Who was it meant for?

And then there's Zhang Zhiqiang's death. Was he silenced, or was he accidentally poisoned in the passenger car? Who poisoned him?

Chen Yu recalled Liu Zhenbang's composure as he left, and his words, "It's confirmed, it's true." The Scarface team's objective was clear: to confirm the value of the bronze lamp and prepare for the auction. They didn't need to cause a death on the first day of the preview; that would only attract police attention and complicate the operation.

Therefore, the poisoning may have been caused by a third-party force.

"It's getting more and more complicated." Chen Yu opened his eyes and looked out the window. The sky over Hong Kong was overcast, as if it were about to rain.

He took out the miniature secret writing pen given to him by Huang Wenyuan and wrote a brief report on the paper: "On the first day of the preview, the bronze lamp was confirmed to be a magical artifact with residual runes. Liu Zhenbang appeared to investigate and possessed advanced equipment. A poisoning incident occurred, resulting in one death, with suspected third-party involvement. It is recommended to strengthen security for the auction."

After writing it, he burned the paper with a match and flushed the ashes down the toilet. This was a method of secrecy taught to him by Huang Wenyuan.

After completing these tasks, Chen Yu sat cross-legged to cultivate. Hong Kong's spiritual environment was indeed suitable for cultivation; in just half a day, he could feel a subtle increase in his cultivation level.

But he couldn't calm down. What else would happen at tomorrow's preview? What would happen on the day of the auction? How would Scarface's team act? Who were the third-party forces involved?

A series of questions swirled in my mind.

Outside the window, dark clouds filled the sky, and thunder rumbled faintly.

A heavy rain is coming.