Chapter 4: Unforeseen Changes in the Deal, Crisis!

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Unexpected turns in business are common—what matters is a good outcome. Sui Yi was in no rush; she simply raised an eyebrow and sat back calmly. “This is none of my concern. If you want to break the agreement with my boss, then this is no longer the same deal. You can go discuss it with him yourself… In that case, I’ll take my leave.”

Clearly, Sui Yi’s reaction was not what Blackhide anticipated. He abruptly stood up, blocking her path, one hand pressing down on the black bag, a cold sneer twisting his lips. His voice was low and menacing, like a jackal grinding its teeth. “Why so hasty? I’m not backing out of the deal for this jar. I want the money, but not the amount we previously agreed upon.”

So he wasn’t satisfied with the sum? Was it greed? Sui Yi looked at the scars on his hand—sharp, fresh cuts left by a blade.

He was a tough one. No wonder Old Tang had come to her in such a panic, offering three thousand with no hesitation.

“You know I’m not in charge here. I don’t know if this jar was used as a chamber pot or to feed pigs before. If you’re unhappy with the price, you need to take it up with the boss. Keeping me here won’t help.”

Sui Yi leaned back in her chair, still appearing unhurried.

Blackhide eyed the young woman, not much older than his niece, and wondered if all city girls were this shrewd and composed—sharper than seasoned old-timers. But he’d heard stories: some city girls were as foolish as pigs, some as cunning as foxes. His own niece barely knew a handful of characters and could only manage chores and herd cattle… Compared to this girl, not just in looks but in bearing, the gap was vast.

“I know, but talking to your boss is a headache. He’s too timid—this won’t do, that won’t do, as if I’m trying to cheat him. I’ve brought some other goods as well, and I’m here to unload them.”

Was he trying to add more items to the deal?

Old Tang could be annoyingly indecisive, and the complaint was justified.

Just as Sui Yi was thinking this, Blackhide yanked open another bag. The chain rattled, and a jumble of bottles and jars, encrusted with dirt, spilled out, along with what looked like jade shards.

This was becoming a headache.

To be honest, this wasn’t a call she could make. But the man had opened the bag and shown her the goods directly. In this business, once you’d seen the merchandise, you were involved—no room for scruples or honor. If you didn’t go through with it, you wouldn’t make it out of the private room unscathed. At the very least, there would always be a reckoning later.

These wild grave robbers were all like this—ruthless.

This man certainly looked tough.

Sui Yi had no choice but to stay seated, feigning expertise. She reached out, wrapped two fingers in napkins, and probed the bag.

Freshly unearthed artifacts shouldn’t be touched with bare hands—not only to preserve their patina but also to avoid any lingering bad luck. That was common knowledge in the antiquities trade.

Sui Yi wasn’t deeply versed in the field, but she wasn’t ignorant either. Her deliberate gesture softened the hard glint in Blackhide’s eyes.

He’d been gambling that if Sui Yi knew nothing about the trade, she’d be useless—a mere pawn. But the knife scars on her hands suggested otherwise.

Sui Yi wasn’t interested in the other odds and ends. She reached in and picked up a clod of earth—a small, shard-like sliver, elongated and thin, about a third of a centimeter thick, still caked in fine brown soil.

She examined the fragment with practiced poise, her expression calm and focused, exuding the air of an expert appraiser.

Blackhide’s suspicions eased, and he turned his attention to his beef noodles.

“Can I clean it?” Sui Yi asked.

Blackhide paused, then waved his chopsticks dismissively. “Go ahead. We don’t have your taboos. Just don’t break it.”

Sui Yi almost wanted to say, “It’s just a shard—if it was ever a grand porcelain piece, it’s still a shard now. Maybe it was just an ancient chamber pot!”

How much worse could she make it?

She took a few more tissues and began to wipe away the dirt. The soil clung unusually stubbornly, almost like glue. As she wiped, the strangeness deepened, but she betrayed nothing. Moistening the tissue, she found the mud came away more easily, and soon the brown layers began to peel off.

If a true expert were present, they’d have scolded her—freshly unearthed relics should never be washed with water. Water could destroy fragile remnants, especially with items like scrolls and paintings.

Luckily, Blackhide was just as ignorant.

The shard was flat, its surface uneven, with dark, silvery patterns—clouds, perhaps, or the remains of a flower, or maybe the limb of some mythical beast. The touch was chilling.

Strange.

That was Sui Yi’s first impression.

She ran her finger along the back, which was much smoother. With a glance at Blackhide, she turned the shard over.

And there, she saw an eye.

It was uncannily familiar—cold and piercing, staring straight at her. She froze, her mind reeling as a flash of white light stabbed her eyes with pain.

The sensation was bizarre, deeply unsettling, yet somehow…familiar.

She forced herself to look again, and in the mirror-smooth silver surface, she realized—the eye she’d seen was her own.

A shard of a mirror!

“A mirror fragment?… That really is rare,” Sui Yi murmured in surprise.

One edge retained the original curve—clearly a small piece, perhaps palm-sized, much like the compact mirrors girls used to touch up their makeup in class these days.

Did such small mirrors exist in ancient times? Historical records suggested that noble families who owned mirrors would never prefer small ones, especially not as burial objects.

Mirrors were an oddity in the antique trade. In China, bronze mirrors appeared over two thousand years ago, and in world history, Egypt had them even earlier. Yet, mirrors were fragile and rarely survived the centuries, their association with curses and ill omens making them unpopular among collectors.

This mirror, with its workmanship and mercury surface, struck Sui Yi as odd.

At first glance, it seemed almost modern, not an ancient artifact at all. Could it be a forgery by Blackhide’s gang?

That would be quite the scam…

She glanced at Blackhide, and suddenly, something felt wrong.

What was it?

The mirror shard seemed to be stuck to her palm. She turned her hand over; it hadn’t fallen. She pressed her thumb against it—it wouldn’t budge, as if it had fused with her flesh, nailed to her palm.

Sui Yi’s lips tightened into a thin line. In that instant, she felt a trace of panic—this fragment was too strange.

Just moments before, it had been smooth and cool. Now it was…stuck.

A mirror shard glued to her palm?

Too strange—and deeply ominous.

Suppressing her alarm, Sui Yi looked at Blackhide. To her surprise, he’d already finished eating. He looked up.

“So, what do you think? But don’t just look at that little fragment—I’ve got other good stuff. Ancient jade, all the real deal…”

He muttered, but his eyes were fixed on Sui Yi, his brows knitted in suspicion.

He’d sensed something was amiss.