Otherworldly Merchant

Chapter 504: Heshibi

I didnt talk, but slowly limped toward him. With the last bit of my strength, I took out a talisman and palmed it on him. Zhou Tian shook a little bit when I hit him.

What are you doing? He was puzzled. 

No Nothing. 

He was the real Zhou Tian. I exhaled in relief. My eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I lost consciousness.

When I woke up again, I found myself in a hospital bed. I was the only person in the patient room. I sat up and shook my heavy head, realizing that I had fainted due to blood loss. 

I didnt know how long I had been sleeping or what had happened during the time I was knocked out, so I felt really worried. 

If that otherworldly item attacked while I was in the hospital, Zhou Tian must have encountered grave danger. 

I decided to get out of bed, but I felt a sharp pain in my feet. I lifted the blanket and saw that both of my feet were bandaged. 

Damn it! A flame of anger burned in my heart. I punched the wall. 

Hurting the soles of your feet was different from having a wound elsewhere. If I couldnt walk, I wouldnt be different from a wolf without fangs. I could only wait for death. 

I understood that I couldnt finish this case alone. I decided to call Chuyi and Senior Shu and ask for their help, but I couldnt find my mobile phone anywhere. I was at a loss and didnt know what to do. 

Then, the door to my room was pushed open, and a man wearing a lab coat entered. He wore a pair of thick glasses and a big surgical mask. He smiled when he saw me. 

I could see only his eyes, but I noticed a trace of malicious intent in them. I suddenly had a bad premonition. I hurried to grab the fruit knife on my bedside table and asked, Who are you? 

Umh He looked embarrassed when he saw that I was stirred up. Someone sent you an express delivery parcel. Im here to give it to you. 

Then, he moved a big carton box into the room and left. 

I exhaled in relief. Although I still felt something was wrong, I couldnt point out what it was. I didnt think much of it and tried to get off my bed to open the box.

Who sent this box to me? Besides Zhou Tians family, did someone else know that I was hospitalized? 

My intuition told me that this box didnt contain anything good. However, my curiosity got the best of me. I couldnt help but use the fruit knife to open the carton box. 

I was shocked at first glance as the bronze box was inside the carton box! 

I now remembered what it was that made me feel uneasy. That doctor must be the culprit behind all this. Perhaps I had met him before. That was why he wore a mask when he came into my room.

But why did he want to return the otherworldly item to me? 

Before I could figure out the reason, my chest felt heavy. I lowered my head and saw the spirit getting out of the box. It had turned into a red mist and surrounded me. 

Soon, everything in front of me became blood red. My entire body was in pain. I couldnt breathe, and I felt my vitality being sucked away. 

As I thought I was about to die, the pressure on my body disappeared. I was surprised to see that the mist had transformed into a human shadow and fled through the open window. 

Then, I heard hurried footsteps outside. The door sprang open again. This time, it was Chuyi. He had come to my rescue! 

When I saw him, I felt a lot better. I wanted to greet him, but I was too weak to get up. I couldnt even make a sound. I tried my best to squeeze out a smile.

Chuyis sword-like brows slammed together when he saw my state. When he noticed the box next to me, his eyes immediately turned to the window. 

He shouted, Stay here, dont move.

Then, he jumped through the window like a lightning bolt. 

After Chuyi left, Zhou Tian came in. He carefully walked over the bronze box, then lifted me to the bed. Next, he took my phone out of his pocket and gave it back to me. 

I looked at him, and he understood what I meant. He smiled and told me the details. I had been unconscious for one night and one day. During this time, Zhou Tian went to pick up Chuyi. 

It turned out Chuyi had recently wanted to release around one thousand caged animals to collect good karma. He wanted to take me with him, so he tried calling me. However, Zhou Tian picked up the call in my stead and told him everything. As such, Chuyi immediately came over to help me. 

Zhou Tian couldnt help but praise him. Master Zhang, your friends really incredible. When he reached the corridor, he already knew that the spirit was in your ward 

Haha. I felt much more at ease now. 

That spirit was hurt last night, so it didnt trouble Zhou Tian. Today, it came to kill me but Chuyi interfered. Was this fate? 

I guessed so. 

Around half an hour later, Chuyi returned. He didnt look pleased and sounded a little frustrated. That thing ran too fast. I couldnt catch up with it. 

Youre too intimidating. He was so scared that he ran for his life! I could joke now that my strength had recovered a bit. 

I got off the bed and went to open the bronze box. After I gave Chuyi the gold-threaded handkerchief and the piece of broken jade, I stopped smiling and said seriously, This is the otherworldly item. Do you recognize it? 

Chuyi didnt answer me right away. At first, he studied the gold-threaded handkerchief. Then, his cold eyes assessed the jade, his face quickly turning serious. 

When I saw his reaction, my heart became tense. Zhou Tian also didnt dare to breathe aloud. The two of us nervously watched Chuyi. 

A moment later, he said, I got it! 

What is it? 

This is Heshibi! Chuyi showed an excited face for the first time. His fair-skinned, oval face flushed with color. 

I couldnt hide my shock, either. I never would have imagined that this ordinary-looking jade was the legendary Heshibi. It was Mr. Hes jade!

However, my enthusiasm soon disappeared. I thought Chuyi was wrong.

I didnt doubt his keen eyes, but according to historical records, after the Kingdom of Qin destroyed the six other kingdoms, Emperor Qin Shihuang ordered his men to carve the Heirloom Seal of the realm out of the Heshibi. 

From that day on, the Heirloom Seal became the supreme symbol of the emperor. Generations competed for it before it disappeared in the long river of history. 

Even though it was a long time ago, the Heirloom Seal shouldnt be this low-quality piece of jade. 

Chuyi understood my doubts and explained, Heshibi was a perfect and flawless jade, but the Heirloom Seal didnt consume the whole thing. If Im not wrong, this otherworldly item is the jade that was left after they made the Heirloom Seal. 

Its possible, Zhou Tian said. He stroked the broken jade. It looks like the extra material left after something was made out of it. 

Chuyi nodded. Do you know Bianhe, the man who lived in the Spring and Autumn Period?

I do. Bianhe sailed to the West. Hes in every textbook. Before I could answer, Zhou Tian spoke. He even smiled at Chuyi to earn his favor. It seemed he had become Chuyis new fan.

I felt awkward and let out a dry cough. I corrected him. Zheng He was the one that sailed West. Bianhe was the first one in history to discover Heshibi. 

Then, I suddenly realized something and asked Chuyi in fright, Are you saying that Bianhes the spirit? 

Yeah. Otherwise, how could you explain his legless shape? Chuyi said firmly.

I remembered the story now. 

It was said that Bianhe was a very hard-working farmer who lived in the Chu Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period. One day, he found a stone that contained an uncut jade. He offered it to King Li of Chu. King Li asked jade experts to assess the stone. They concluded that it was just a stone. King Li was angry and accused Bianhe of fooling him. Bianhes punishment for his apparent deception was amputation of his left foot.  

Soon, King Li died, and King Wu took the throne. Bianhe offered this rough jade to him. King Wu also asked jade experts to examine the jade. The result was the same. It was just a stone. King Wu punished Bianhes deception by chopping off his right foot 

After King Wu passed away, King Wen took the throne. Bianhe held his jade and cried for three days at a mountain foothill. When his tears dried, his eyes started bleeding. King Wen heard his story and sent his people to ask him a question. There are many people who have received the foot amputation punishment, but they didnt become like this. Why are you desperate? 

Bianhe answered, Im not crying because of the amputation. Im crying because people have said that my jade is just a stone. The future generations will never be able to see this precious jade! 

King Wen asked people to cut the stone. Indeed, the stone contained a crystal of magnificent jade. King Wen then named the jade Heshibi. 

Later on, Emperor Qin Shihuang received Heshibi and made his Heirloom Seal out of it. They carved a line that wrote, Having received the Heavenly Mandate, may (the emperor) lead a long and prosperous life. This imperial seal became the symbol of the emperors of all dynasties. 

I had to admit that Chuyi had sharp eyes. That spirit didnt have feet and he cried every time. These features matched Bianhe. However, I didnt understand why Bianhe had become a spirit. After all, Heshibi was now well-known all over the nation. Moreover, who was that old man? Why did he want to use the otherworldly item to kill Zhou Tian? 

I threw these questions at Chuyi. He rubbed his temples and thought for a moment. Then, he picked up the gold-threaded handkerchief and studied it carefully. 

I understood that Bianhes actions probably had something to do with this gold-threaded handkerchief!