Starfall Nine Heavens

After showing Lin Fan around the first floor, Shi Yue led him up to the second-floor warehouse.

The second floor was quieter than the first, the air filled with the mixed smells of aged wood and paper. A long table stood by the window, on which lay several objects under repair. A young man wearing black-rimmed glasses stared intently at a longsword, something clutched in his hand, motionless for a long time.

"This is Qin Mo, the restorer in the shop." Shi Yue smiled and gave a thumbs up. "His skills are impeccable."

He then turned to Qin Mo: "Little Qin, this is the new guy, Lin Fan. From now on, he's one of us."

Qin Mo then looked up. His gaze lingered on Lin Fan's face for less than a second, he nodded as a greeting, and then went back to his own business.

"That's just his personality," Shi Yue said in a low voice, smiling at Lin Fan. "But he's reliable and meticulous in his work. Let's go downstairs first, and Han Feng will take you there when he arrives. He should be here by now."

Lin Fan followed Shi Yue downstairs. A short while later, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, accompanied by a loud voice: "Uncle Yue! Brother Qin! I'm here! I'm starving! Is there anything to eat?"

The door was pushed open, and a young man about the same age as Lin Fan entered. He looked similar to Lin Fan, was very tall, had dyed blond hair, wore trendy clothes, and had an expression of boundless energy. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw Lin Fan, and he rushed over, his smile almost blindingly bright.

"Hey! You must be Lin Fan? Oh my god, we finally have a new guy in our shop!" He grabbed Lin Fan's shoulder and patted him hard, so hard that Lin Fan's shoulder injury throbbed. "You wouldn't believe it, there aren't many people who actually talk to me—Uncle Yue is always busy with accounts, Brother Qin Mo is a real taciturn guy, he barely says three words a day, and Sister Su Wan always has a cold face. I'm about to go crazy from all this!"

Lin Fan was amused by his enthusiasm.

"I overheard Su—pui pui pui! I heard Sister Su Wan and Uncle Yue talking about you yesterday, wow!" Han Feng continued, pulling Lin Fan into the shop as if they were old friends. "My name is Han Feng, Han as in Han Xin, Feng as in maple leaf! From now on, we're in this together!"

"Hello, Brother Feng," Lin Fan greeted with a smile.

"Don't call me 'brother,' we look about the same age. Just call me Han Feng!" Han Feng grinned, then turned to Shi Yue and said, "Uncle Yue, leave the man to me, okay? I'll train him to the ropes, I guarantee he'll learn quickly!"

Shi Yue laughed and scolded, "You talk too much. Take Xiao Lin to the second floor and sort those documents in the third row of the west section by year. Don't be lazy, I'll check them later."

"Yes, sir!" Han Feng exaggeratedly clasped his hands in a fist salute, then pulled Lin Fan toward the stairs. "Come on, Brother Lin, let me show you our treasure trove."

The second-floor storeroom was large; one wall was lined with floor-to-ceiling camphor wood cabinets, and the other wall was piled high with wooden crates of various sizes and objects wrapped in dust cloths. Han Feng kept talking as he flipped through documents:

"Over there, yes, that cabinet with the triple lock, don't touch it. The things inside are a bit turbulent." He said this in a low voice, winking. "Our shop, you know, looks like an antique shop, but actually... hehe, it's a deep rabbit hole."

"Uncle Lu, you haven't seen him yet, have you? Our big boss is like a dragon, rarely seen. I've been here for more than half a year, and I can count the number of times I've seen him on one hand."

Han Feng's words were like opening a window, giving Lin Fan a vague understanding of the antique shop. While listening to him, Lin Fan sorted the documents by year. Although Han Feng was talkative, he was quick to work, able to recite the year and month with just a glance.

During a break from work, Su came over in the evening. She was still wearing that neat casual outfit, her long hair tied back, looking cool and capable.

"Are you adapting well?" she asked Lin Fan.

"fine."

Su Wan nodded and then said to Han Feng, "Take leading people seriously, don't just slack off."

"How could that be, Sister Su Wan? Don't you know how reliable I am?" Han Feng patted his chest.

Su Wan ignored him and turned to leave.

The first day of work passed by with Han Feng cracking jokes and Lin Fan diligently familiarizing himself with the tasks.

As the days went by, Lin Fan gradually got used to the rhythm of Chenyuan Pavilion.

He discovered that this place was indeed unusual. Besides the common antiques found in the market, the shop would occasionally acquire some strange items—broken statues with a chilling aura, metal pieces with bizarre patterns, and jade pendants sealed in specially made wooden boxes that would occasionally make a soft tinkling sound. Shi Yue or Qin Mo would handle them personally, sometimes using gestures that Lin Fan couldn't understand, their fingertips seemingly gleaming with a very faint light.

Han Feng was his main partner. This guy loved to slack off, often dragging Lin Fan along to the backyard courtyard after finishing part of the work to share his secret stash of snacks and drinks, chatting about everything under the sun. From him, Lin Fan learned some fragmented information about the "revival of spiritual energy" and "abnormal events." Han Feng himself didn't know everything, but it was enough to piece together a picture of a world that was broader and more dangerous than the average person could comprehend.

Qin Mo remained largely silent. Perhaps it was because Lin Fan was meticulous and patient, but a week after joining the company, Qin Mo asked for his help for the first time—handing him a disc of a specific shape. Later, such moments became more frequent: helping to steady a painting, handing him a can of adhesive, or, following his instructions, brushing dust off certain objects with a soft brush. Qin Mo never explained why he did these things, but Lin Fan learned diligently, and the two gradually developed a tacit understanding that didn't require words. Lin Fan could sense that beneath Qin Mo's silent exterior lay an almost reverent focus on these old objects.

Su Wan often went out, and each time she returned, it was as if she had just finished something. She would occasionally ask about Lin Fan's adjustment, her gaze sharp, but without any sense of oppression.

The mysterious "Uncle Lu" never showed up. He existed like a background figure, present in Han Feng's admiration and in the calm and peaceful atmosphere of the building. Although Lin Fan was full of curiosity about him, he also understood that such a person was not someone he could meet at will.

For the past month, the world seemed to be running on its usual track. Lin Fan worked at Chenyuan Pavilion during the day and went home at night. He told his parents that he had found a stable job at an antique shop in the city center, that his boss and colleagues were nice, that the salary was good, and that the job was easier and paid more than when he was delivering food.

The worry on Mother Chen Xiuzhi's face eased considerably. Father Lin Jianguo didn't say much, but the satisfaction in his eyes was undeniable. Younger sister Lin Xiao was even happier because her brother had promised to send her to her favorite art training class next month.

He also called Chen Hao. Chen Hao yelled and shouted on the other end of the phone, demanding that he treat him to a meal.

Calm, fulfilled, and with a faint expectation for the future. This is how Lin Fan felt over the past month. The "abnormalities" at Chenyuan Pavilion were kept out of his life by Shi Yue and Su Wan. At most, he came into contact with some old objects that carried a bit of "coolness" or "distractions," which quickly "quieted down" in the hands of Han Feng or Qin Mo.

Until one day a month later.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Lin Fan arrived at the shop on time and, as usual, checked the previous day's accounts with Shi Yue. At ten o'clock, they began organizing the work, registering and cataloging newly acquired items, or retrieving and delivering repair materials to Qin Mo from the warehouse. In the afternoon, Lin Fan usually checked the inventory and maintained the items with Han Feng.

That afternoon, the shop was unusually quiet. Shi Yue had taken Qin Mo to the suburban warehouse early that morning, saying there was a batch of newly acquired old utensils to be inspected. Su Wan had received an urgent notice and left hurriedly half an hour earlier. Even Han Feng, who usually slacked off in the warehouse, had taken sick leave—saying he had an upset stomach from eating something bad the night before.

Lin Fan sat alone behind the counter on the first floor, idly flipping through a book called "An Introduction to Antique Appreciation" that Shi Yue had given him.

Lin Fan was the only one left in the huge antique shop.