Although I can’t be completely sure that it’s the same thing, the color and the carvings on it are at least very similar. I believe that even if they are not identical, they must belong to the same category.

I once suspected that this item was the ghost seal mentioned in the Book of King Lu Shang, and in front of the bronze door, the “Dumb Oil Bottle” holding it shouldn’t be just for show; this item should have a special purpose. I never expected to see something similar here.

I thought to myself, “What a coincidence!” With that in mind, I gave the fat man a look. He lowered his head, and I whispered to him, “Quick, go ask who the seller is!”

The fat man nodded, and beside us, Old Lady Huo took a sip of tea in a rather ambiguous manner and said, “Don’t ask. If the seller here doesn’t want people to know, no one can find out.”

“Hey, are you looking down on people, old lady?” the fat man said. “Although I don’t mix with this New Moon Hotel, I still have a bit of face in Beijing. Let me tell you, I’m not bragging; with my connections, there’s really no one I can’t find out about in Beijing.”

Without turning her head, the old lady replied, “The owner here has been prominent in Beijing since the time of the Manchu dynasty, for hundreds of years, passed down through several generations, and has never had any incidents. If you really can find out, your young master will probably have to go to the Yongding River to fish you out tomorrow. These days, the price for fishing out a corpse is high; I suggest you save some money for what’s to come.”

The fat man was angry and wanted to go out immediately to prove the old lady wrong. I quickly grabbed him, knowing that what she said was true and not an exaggeration. Moreover, since the fat man is someone who speaks harshly, if he were to confront someone and couldn’t find out anything, he definitely wouldn’t come back. He might even grab a lackey and torture them until he got his face back. If things went south, it would be a mess. We were about to start, and I didn’t want to drag things out, so I said to him, “Give her some face.”

The fat man was actually doing it for my sake, muttering something under his breath without saying more. I looked around at the gradually quieting scene and had another thought: the simplest way to meet the seller might be to buy this item. But is that feasible?

There was only one auction item here, and everyone had clear goals and were all big shots. I estimated that I wouldn’t be able to outbid them. If I bought it and defaulted, the penalty would likely bankrupt me. Moreover, this is the black market; if I defaulted, I might even lose a finger or an eye, which would be a stroke of bad luck.

Even if I managed to win the bid, that was still uncertain. In such a black market, the seller might keep everything confidential throughout the process. Even if I bought his item, he might not show up; at most, he would send an agent to sign the contract with me. Also, I suspected that the auction process and rules here were different from the formal ones.

For now, I could only take it one step at a time, first figuring out who bought it, and then plan accordingly. The unease in my heart had turned into chaos, and I had a premonition that something unusual would definitely happen here.

Things were moving quickly, and soon everything was arranged. I saw a glass cabinet placed in the center of the stage, and inside was the jade seal from the album. It was hard to see clearly, and the woman in the qipao began to speak: “Ladies and gentlemen, we will now start the auction. Please pay close attention; if you miss this opportunity, there won’t be another chance.”

As he spoke, a waiter came out from the side, wearing a sleeveless vest, with arms as thick as a cow’s legs. He held a long bamboo pole, the end of which had a hook. There was a ring above the glass cabinet, and the waiter used the hook on the bamboo pole to lift the glass cabinet as if he were fishing, raising it up and maneuvering it like one would with a clothes prop to hang clothes, sending it into the private room above.

The waiter was remarkably steady; he held the bamboo pole aloft on the second floor without the slightest tremor, delivering it one room at a time along the edge of the corridor. No one was there to receive it, nor could they reach it, maintaining just the right distance of an arm’s length away. Just enough to glance at it from below, and in less than half a minute, he was at the next room. It quickly came to my front, and the fat man immediately leaned in. I also stretched my neck to see; it was very close, and I could see clearly. I instantly realized that the material of this object was definitely made from the same kind of meteorite jade used to craft jade figurines.

In that moment, I really wanted to snatch it away and shout for everyone to run, but I managed to suppress that thought with great effort. Soon, the object was taken down and returned to the center of the stage. Then, that same waiter began to use the bamboo pole to lift up a series of small bells. The little girl next to the old lady received them and placed them by the old lady’s side, while the people in the other private rooms took theirs, but I did not.

I thought that only those participating in the auction would get bells, and I didn’t pay much attention, assuming that once the bells were distributed, the auction would begin. Unexpectedly, the last waiter came up and individually lifted an item just for me.

It was a small lantern, about the size of a small watermelon, with a candle inside. The cover was a dark green, clearly not meant for illumination. When this object appeared, there was a slight stir in the crowd, which suddenly escalated into a wave of murmurs. I noticed all eyes were focused on me.

I was stunned, and the fat man inexplicably took it and placed it beside me. Just as it was set down, the entire venue erupted into enthusiastic applause. I glanced at the fat man, even more confused, while another waiter came up from behind, took the lantern, and helped us hang it on a hook on one of the columns. The old lady beside us said softly, “Aren’t you going to acknowledge your admirers? This restaurant hasn’t seen anyone dare to light this celestial lantern for a long time. You’ve certainly brought honor to your old Wu family; soon, in the rivers and lakes, everyone will know your name, the young master of the Wu family.”

I looked at her, still not understanding what she meant, but the term “lighting the celestial lantern” seemed vaguely familiar. She looked at me with a cold smile and continued, “However, this moment of glory may very well lead your old Wu family to be burned to ashes by this extravagant lantern of yours.”