Joining Tiandao Company: Starting by mending a zombie world

Chu Sheng replied, "But what?"

Duan Henian said, "However, the rules for the dark arena are different from those for the open arena."

"If you want to go in, whether you're bartering or bidding, you have to show off your goods first."

"If you don't have anything worthwhile to offer, there's no point in going in."

Chu Sheng was prepared. He took out the small celadon bottle from his pocket and placed it on the table. "Grandpa Duan, could you help me see if this is heavy enough?"

Duan Henian picked up the porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and brought it close to his nose to smell it. For the first time, a noticeable change appeared on his usually calm and composed old face.

"This is a medicinal pill? Where did you get it?"

"I was lucky enough to encounter a nest of ginseng babies that had become spirits in the mountains."

Duan Henian was reluctant to return the porcelain bottle to Chu Sheng, and his tone became more solemn, "With this, you can not only enter the dark area, but also sit in the front row."

Chu Sheng smiled and said, "I'm relieved to hear Grandpa Duan say that."

Duan Henian nodded; clearly, he was also tempted by the pill.

At 8 p.m. that evening, on the basement floor of the Chamber of Commerce building.

The moment the elevator doors opened, a long corridor covered with a deep red carpet appeared before me.

At the end of the corridor, two men in black stood in front of a carved wooden door. One of them held a gold-embossed register, while Chu Sheng handed him a black card with gold embossing.

After verifying the information, the other party glanced at Duan Henian and Dai Ran beside him, nodded slightly, and pushed open the door.

The world inside the gate is a hidden paradise.

The hall is about 200 square meters, with a mahogany negotiation table in the center, covered with a dark green velvet tablecloth, and a brass table lamp and the Four Treasures of the Study on it.

There are three high-backed official hat chairs on each side, and several rows of folding chairs behind for the accompanying personnel to sit.

Dai Ran lowered her voice and asked Duan Henian, "Grandpa Duan, why does this place feel like a conference room?"

Duan Henian sat down on the official's hat chair on the left, leaning on his cane. "Hehe, you're right, this was originally a meeting room."

Neither the buyer nor the seller will show up in person; they will only send representatives to negotiate. If the agreement is reached, the contract will be signed and the transaction completed on the spot. If the agreement fails, neither party will recognize the other after leaving the store.

Chu Sheng sat down next to Duan Henian, while Dai Ran sat on the row of folding chairs behind him.

People came in one after another and took their seats.

8:15.

An elderly man dressed in a dark blue robe walked to the head of the negotiating table, sat down, and lightly tapped the copper bell on the table.

The moment the copper bell rang, all the whispers in the hall ceased.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the first item presented tonight in the dark room, brought out by Mr. Wang from the east side, is—a piece of dark wood heartwood."

Chu Sheng's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't expected that the first treasure would be the one he wanted.

The old man took out a long sandalwood box from under the table, placed it on the velvet tablecloth, and slowly opened the lid.

Inside the box was a section of dark wood core, about the thickness of a thumb and three feet long, with a smooth, mirror-like surface that reflected a jade-like luster.

A small piece of red silk is placed at each end, making it appear even more serene and precious. "It comes from the riverbed of the Dadu River in western Sichuan and has been carbon-13 tested to indicate that it has been buried for at least five thousand years."

"In excellent condition, completely jade-like."

Submerged wood is already extremely rare, and its heartwood is even rarer. This piece is clearly genuine at a glance.

"What would Mr. Wang like to exchange?" asked a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses sitting on the official's hat chair on the right.

The old man took out a folded, gold-flecked note from inside the box, unfolded it, and read aloud: "Mr. Wang wants three things."

"First, three high-purity energy crystals. Second, a cold weapon made of special alloy."

"Thirdly, things that can change one's constitution or prolong life."

After the old man finished speaking, he emphasized, "Choose the third item first."

Upon hearing this, Chu Sheng was overjoyed. He didn't have the first two items, but the third, the Ginseng Spirit Pill, was exactly what he needed, and it was definitely a valuable commodity.

He glanced at Duan Henian, and the old man nodded slightly, indicating that he could make a bid.

"Of the three things Mr. Wang has given me, I cannot provide the first two."

Chu Sheng spoke, his voice not loud, but it landed steadily in the quiet hall, "There is only this third thing, and I happen to have one on hand."

He took out the small celadon bottle from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pulled out the cork. The rich fragrance of the cinnabar instantly filled the air, causing the faces of the elderly collectors sitting opposite him to change.

"What kind of pill is this?" asked the middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses excitedly from the official's hat chair on the right.

"Ginseng Spirit Pill," Chu Sheng answered truthfully. "It is made from century-old wild ginseng as a guide, supplemented with thirteen kinds of spiritual materials, and refined in the Xuan Tie Bagua Furnace. It is absolutely capable of changing one's constitution or prolonging life."

There was a moment of silence in the hall, followed by a suppressed murmur of whispers.

"May I ask, young brother, where did you get this elixir?" The old man at the head of the group asked, picking up the Ginseng Spirit Pill.

Chu Sheng nodded frankly: "It was made by my own hands."

The old man glanced at Chu Sheng in surprise, but did not immediately express his opinion. Instead, he got up and left.

Seeing this, Dai Ran couldn't help but feel curious and looked at Duan Henian beside her, who simply gave her a reassuring look.

After a while.

The old man returned to the head of the table and cleared his throat: "Mr. Wang has agreed. However, there is an additional condition."

Chu Sheng's heart tightened: "Please speak."

"Mr. Wang would like to know, how many of these Ginseng Elixir Pills do you have left?"

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, but finally told the truth, "There are three left."

The old man nodded. "Mr. Wang is willing to exchange a Ginseng Spirit Pill for this piece of dark wood heartwood."

After he finished speaking, he examined the elixir, and both parties signed and sealed the contract.

Duan Henian, acting as an intermediary, also affixed his personal seal.

Contract completed.

Chu Sheng took the sandalwood box; it was heavy, and he secretly exhaled a breath of stale air.

I got the first item.

He glanced at Duan Henian, already showing little interest in what was to come.

However, every place has its own rules, so Duan Henian shook his head at him, telling him to be patient and wait a little longer.

no way.

He couldn't leave, so he could only sit still.

"Gentlemen, this is the fifth item tonight."

The old man's tone became more solemn than before, "What Mr. Zhou from the west took out—was not an object, but a booklet."

The old man took out a flat, black lacquered wooden box from under the table. The box was engraved with faded vermilion characters, which were mottled but still recognizable as a document format combining Manchu and Han languages.

Upon opening the box, inside lay a yellowed and brittle thread-bound booklet, its cover bearing large, vertically written characters in regular script: "List of Eight Banners Soldiers Killed in Battle in Jingzhou Garrison."

"Old Zhou, you've brought out a roster, are you hoping we can help you check your family tree?" The middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses sitting in the official's hat chair on the right joked with a smile.

The old man did not laugh.

He carefully turned to the first page of the booklet and showed it to everyone.

"December of the twelfth year of the Shunzhi reign. Hesheli Erden, Jiala Zhangjing of the Plain White Banner. Cause of death—zombie."

Zombie.

These two characters were written with a vermilion pen, and were much darker than the other causes of death, as if the writer had deliberately dipped the pen in vermilion and pressed it so hard that it almost pierced the page.

"A zombie?" A bald collector sitting opposite Chu Sheng leaned closer to look, then leaned back, his face full of disbelief.

"Mr. Zhou, this is the antique world, not a teahouse storyteller's place. Are you trying to fool us with a book of supernatural tales?"