Volume Three: Exploring Antiquity and Seeking Immortality - Chapter Seventeen: Call Me Wife

Although Shen Yixue was eager to find out what was depicted on the murals, Lu Yi believed that the true answers lay within the genuine mausoleum of Prince Yongming. For now, their top priority was to secure enough funds and then obtain the relevant information from the stall owner.

Consequently, the three of them were once again sitting inside an antique shop.

The attendant in the main hall examined the bracelet carefully, then looked over Lu Yi and his companions before offering an apologetic smile. "Please wait a moment, honored guests. I am not entirely certain about the value of this piece, so I need to consult our chief appraiser."

Lu Yi knitted his brows slightly. Similar situations had occurred at several previous shops, and though he sensed something fishy going on, he nodded in agreement regardless.

However, after a prolonged wait with no one coming out, Lu Yi began to wonder whether he should simply take their belongings and leave. Just at that moment, a group of people emerged from the inner parlor, led by a young woman.

Upon stepping out, the woman fixed a hostile gaze upon Lu Yi. Sensing this immediately, Lu Yi stood up and asked in bewilderment, "And who might this young lady be?"

The woman widened her eyes and snapped angrily, "Young lady, my foot! Address me as Your Ladyship."

"Puff." Shen Yixue, who had just taken a sip of tea, instantly spat it out. As a woman, she had naturally sensed that the atmosphere moments ago was peculiar and had stayed aside to see how things would unfold, never expecting that this striking young woman would blurt out such words right off the bat.

For a moment, Shen Yixue could only stare in a daze at Lu Yi and the woman, while Lu Yi felt utterly helpless. What on earth was going on here?

Let us rewind to the moment when the attendant walked into the back room. At that time, a middle-aged man was cautiously accompanying a group of guests, consisting of both men and women, led by a young and beautiful woman.

Although the woman was exceedingly attractive, the attendant felt not a shred of improper desire—not because of her beauty or wealth, but because she was the daughter of a powerful faction within a prominent family, and would soon take direct control of this very shop.

The attendant hesitated for a moment, but his appearance was quickly noticed. The middle-aged man frowned and asked, "Is something the matter?"

The attendant addressed the shop manager, who was assisting the guests with reviewing documents, "Manager, the person you asked us to watch out for has arrived."

"Oh? The three individuals mentioned by Black-Heart Lu have already arrived?" The middle-aged manager furrowed his brow slightly, then turned to the young woman reading the documents and said, "Miss Yue, please excuse me for a moment. I need to attend to a small matter."

The young woman surnamed Yue raised her head and said with some displeasure, "Manager Xia, what on earth are you playing at with all this secrecy?"

Manager Xia offered a ingratiating smile. "Miss Yue, you are well aware of the situation here. That Black-Heart Lu works for the local Zhuang family. Today, the young master of the Zhuang family was humiliated here, yet those oblivious fools have no idea what they've stumbled into and are still swaggering around trying to sell this bracelet. So, they asked us to lend a hand and purchase their goods at a low price."

Upon hearing this, Miss Yue leaned back against her chair, her slender fingers tapping rhythmically against the desktop with a fountain pen while her gaze scrutinized Manager Xia intently.

Standing behind Miss Yue, an elderly man with a vigorous and sharp aura chimed in with evident dissatisfaction, "Manager Xia, the Zhuangs are merely a minor family. Must the dignified business of the Yue family bend to their whims?"

"Of course not, but it is always better to avoid unnecessary trouble," Manager Xia wiped the sweat from his brow and replied cautiously, complaining inwardly, *You naturally have nothing to fear because they can't do a thing to you, but my entire family lives right here.*

Miss Yue looked coldly at Manager Xia and demanded, "What kind of item are they selling? You should have photographs of it here."

"Yes, yes," Manager Xia replied hastily, quickly handing over a photograph.

"Oh?" Miss Yue let out a surprised murmur. "This isn't the capital of any imperial dynasty; how could such jade artifact appear here?" With that, she cast a cold glance at Manager Xia. "How much are they asking you to pay?"

"No more than... thirty thousand," Manager Xia stammered, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. He never in his wildest dreams imagined that Miss Yue would actually recognize such an item.

"Heh," Miss Yue let out a cold laugh. "Impressive indeed. And what were you planning to do after acquiring it? Were you going to inform us, or turn around and sell it back to that fellow Lu for thirty thousand?"

Manager Xia started visibly, opening his mouth in a panic without knowing what to say.

"Sister Lingshan, can you really tell what kind of jade it is just from a photograph?" Another young woman beside Miss Yue glanced at the photo and asked out of curiosity.

Miss Yue let out a light snort. "You wouldn't understand, Xin'er. If it weren't that specific kind of jade, that fellow Lu wouldn't even have offered thirty thousand."

While Yue Lingshan was conversing with the others, the elderly man standing behind her was staring at the photograph with shining eyes. He gave a light cough. "Very well, we will handle this matter. Lingshan, come aside with me for a moment."

Looking somewhat perplexed, Yue Lingshan followed the old man to the side. "Uncle Fu, what is it?"

Uncle Fu glanced at the others in the distance before speaking in a low voice, "Lingshan, you must have heard that your father arranged a marriage for you back in the day."

Yue Lingshan nodded. "I have, but didn't that family suffer an accident and disappear without a trace long ago?"

Before she even finished speaking, her expression shifted. "Uncle Fu, why bring this up now? Could it be—?"

"Precisely," Uncle Fu nodded. "This bracelet looks remarkably like the token agreed upon back then. However, whether it truly is must be confirmed in person."

Yue Lingshan's expression turned sour as she muttered despondently, "No way. What era is this? Besides, our Yue family is now a powerful household of great influence, while that family is utterly obscure. Is there really any need to honor such an old agreement?"

Uncle Fu shook his head. "No, this concerns the future of the family. Even now, several factions within the clan are strongly supportive of this decision."

"A bunch of unenlightened traditionalists," Yue Lingshan mumbled, puffing out her cheeks. Then, her eyes rolled as a mischievous smile spread across her face. "Back then, that family's situation was abysmal. Now, after so many years, what if the bracelet has changed hands multiple times and the person who arrived isn't even a descendant of that family? Must we still bind ourselves to that agreement?"

Yue Lingshan felt immensely pleased with herself upon saying this. Events from decades ago, especially during a time when science and technology were underdeveloped, could hardly leave behind irrefutable proof. As long as those people could not prove they belonged to that family, it wouldn't be her problem.

"Lingshan, you still don't understand," Uncle Fu shook his head. "Back then, although the Yue family was not as powerful as it is today, we certainly had the capacity to help that family, yet the Yue family chose to stand by and watch."

Hearing Uncle Fu's words, Yue Lingshan's expression changed. If they valued the agreement so much, why stand by idly back then? An ominous premonition began to bloom in her heart.

Uncle Fu stated slowly, "What matters is not that family, but the person who would later reappear bearing that bracelet."

Yue Lingshan's face froze instantly, and the next moment she burst out in exasperation, "This is even more absurd than an arranged marriage from the cradle! What are they even thinking? Whoever shows up with that bracelet is supposed to be my destined true love?"

Uncle Fu hastened to clarify, "Of course not. The family intends to verify things through various events. Furthermore, those who believe in this also place great store in fate. If you refuse, they will simply believe the time is not yet right."

"Think about it this way: the family didn't completely keep this matter a secret from you. Moreover, while the family has never forgotten, they have never actively searched for the people or objects involved either, always maintaining a natural, let-it-be attitude."

Hearing this, Yue Lingshan's mood improved slightly. "Uncle Fu, how could such a thing even exist? If I told this story to someone else, they'd think I was living in some ancient blood-pact tribe."

Uncle Fu looked at Yue Lingshan with affectionate concern. "Lingshan, our Yue family holds certain secrets, which is how we managed to survive and grow strong in the past. Because of that, they hold firm faith in those pieces of intelligence."

"What kind of secrets exactly?" Yue Lingshan looked at Uncle Fu with profound incomprehension in her eyes.

Uncle Fu sighed. "Those are matters of the past, and they have already been proven true; there is no need to dwell on them. What you should care about is what you will witness hereafter."

"Me?" Yue Lingshan pointed at herself in astonishment.

Uncle Fu nodded heavily. "Indeed. According to that legend, once the bracelet appears, the Yue family will undergo a tribulation. When the tribulation reaches its peak, you will embark on a mysterious journey and touch upon hidden truths we have never before encountered."

"Fine, whatever," Yue Lingshan rubbed her temples. "That person has waited long enough anyway; let's go over and verify it first."

Despite saying that, Yue Lingshan thought to herself: *A mysterious journey? With that guy? Do they really believe such nonsense?*

Yet, upon second thought, the person might well have informants from the family watching her side, and perhaps the matter had already been reported. Though Uncle Fu claimed they respected fate, who could say if they would resort to coercion?

Viewed in this light, a man without much background actually seemed rather tolerable. Running into him herself was far better than being matched with someone hunted down by other clan members. At the very least, she would hold the initiative and occupy a superior position to lay down the rules for him. Should this bizarre matter prove inescapable, she could use the prestige she established to suppress him and leave him hanging with an empty title.

At this thought, Yue Lingshan felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, she happened to be here today; if she had let Manager Xia acquire the bracelet and cheaply gift it to the Zhuang family, it would have escalated into a dispute between two clans.

She despised Manager Xia to the core—he had nearly pushed her into a pit of fire. She would definitely overhaul this shop later. Furthermore, could the Zhuang family's involvement mean they knew something? It seemed she would need to investigate thoroughly afterward.

*Wait a minute,* Yue Lingshan's expression shifted abruptly as her thoughts progressed. Why did the man appear neither too early nor too late, but chose precisely to sell the bracelet while she was here? Could the so-called fate actually be real? The mere thought of this left Yue Lingshan feeling gloomy once more.

However, not long after, as she walked swiftly from the back room toward the main hall, the very first sight that met her eyes was Lu Yi and Shen Yixue laughing and chatting together, with Lu Yi even patting the head of the other young woman from time to time. This scene made Yue Lingshan's anger flare up instantly.

This was utterly intolerable! If he acted this way when they had nothing between them, wouldn't he fly up to the heavens if she didn't keep him under control?

Thus, the scene described earlier came to pass.