Chapter 15: If He Fails, He’d Better Be Ready for Her Wrath

Xu Lin walked about a dozen steps when the path opened up before her. A secret chamber, around forty or fifty square meters in size, appeared, its interior packed to the brim. There were sealed boxes, as well as vases, bronzeware, Tang sancai pottery, ancient books, scrolls, and paintings scattered about.

Xu Lin’s eyelids twitched at the sight—these were all antiques, treasures that would be sought after in another twenty or thirty years. Selling them for a million or two would be effortless; even the smallest of those bronzeware pieces could fetch tens of millions. She wondered where these people had managed to acquire such a trove of valuables.

Could their so-called transaction refer to these antiques? The thought made Xu Lin frown. These were precious artifacts that must not be allowed to circulate on the black market.

With this in mind, Xu Lin quietly retreated to the doorway, pulled out her sedative powder, and scattered it into the room using the spatial black hole. When she heard the thud of bodies hitting the floor, she gently pushed open the door and saw Brother Tiger and his men sprawled unconscious.

Xu Lin felt no sympathy for these people. She had no qualms about the black market itself—there was a demand, after all—but to steal and resell national relics was crossing a line. That was her bottom line.

She searched their bodies, finding several hundred in cash, a gold watch, and a black pistol on Brother Tiger. On the others, she found a few bills, ranging from a few yuan to several dozen, and took it all without hesitation, stowing it in her space.

Standing before Brother Tiger, she pondered a moment and drew a talisman in the air, pressing it to his forehead. This talisman would awaken the darker side of his heart, driving him to seek revenge against his enemies. To ensure he targeted the right people, Xu Lin whispered a few words in his ear, a mischievous smile on her lips.

When Brother Tiger awoke, he would believe those who had robbed him were the very ones he’d come to trade with—that it was they who had decided to double-cross him, followed him to this courtyard, and stolen his treasures.

A battle among villains—now that would be a spectacle, though regrettably she wouldn’t be there to witness it. Xu Lin smacked her lips in disappointment. After checking the room once more for anything she might have missed, she finally left, closing the door behind her and heading straight for the antiques.

It took her only a few minutes, but she was sweating profusely by the time she had gathered all the treasures from the secret chamber into her space. After confirming nothing was left behind, Xu Lin exited the chamber, stood with hands on hips in the courtyard, feeling something was amiss.

If Brother Tiger could get so many antiques, he should have been able to acquire gold bars, silver coins, and other valuables as well. Surely there weren’t just those two jars of gold coins. Xu Lin didn’t believe it.

Perhaps there was another hidden chamber beneath the courtyard. She decided to search more thoroughly. This search took over an hour, and by the time she found the secret room, night had already fallen.

The entrance was in the dried well at the back of the courtyard. The chamber was small, just over ten square meters, with ten large boxes inside. One box contained bundles of cash and several thousand dollars; the other nine were filled with gold bars or silver coins—all hard currency.

Xu Lin took everything without hesitation, packed it all into her space, patted herself off, and left the courtyard without a backward glance. What Brother Tiger and his men would do when they awoke tomorrow was no concern of hers.

To have gained so much in one outing—this trip was well worth it. Xu Lin took out her bicycle and hurried toward the machinery factory’s family compound. Nearing the compound, she stowed her bike and walked briskly inside.

By now, darkness had fully fallen. When she returned home, the five members of the Xu family were already eating. Truthfully, they all breathed a sigh of relief that Xu Lin hadn’t returned yet, feeling even their aches had eased a little.

But when they heard the gate open, they all froze, their chopsticks dropping from their hands with a clatter. Grandmother Xu nervously asked, "Is she back? She’s back—what do we do?"

Xu Kun and Xu Nuan exchanged glances, grabbed their steamed buns, and bolted—Xu Kun toward the east wing, Xu Nuan into Grandmother Xu’s room. No words needed; if they couldn’t provoke her, they’d best hide.

Mother Xu anxiously tugged at Father Xu’s sleeve, asking with her eyes what they should do. As the head of the family, Father Xu could only force himself to remain calm. He shot Grandmother Xu a look and whispered, "Wife, you go throw the black dog’s blood."

"Oh, me, I throw it?" Mother Xu’s voice trembled with uncertainty, and as the footsteps grew ever closer, tears welled from fear.

"Yes, you throw it. Remember, you must succeed, no failures. If you fail, she’ll probably beat you to death," Father Xu threatened, then turned to his trembling mother, "Mom, remember to scatter the glutinous rice for exorcism on her body—and don’t forget, the talisman must be stuck to her!"

Seeing Grandmother Xu nod firmly, Father Xu relaxed a little, gripping the peach wood sword tightly as he led the way to the main hall door.

Xu Lin walked at a measured pace, her sharp ears catching every word of their conversation. Truth be told, she had long anticipated the exorcism talisman, but the three members of the Xu family had always been too cowardly to use it.

It seemed tonight, they truly regarded her as something evil. She wondered whose methods were more effective—hopefully these three wouldn’t disappoint her, or else they’d end up crying.

Xu Lin pushed open the main hall door, stepped aside, and a basin of black dog’s blood flew past her, splashing onto the floor with a loud splash. Mother Xu stared at the empty doorway in shock for a second, then screamed, tossing away the porcelain basin and stumbling backward in panic.

Unaware, Grandmother Xu and Father Xu thought the blood had hit its mark, and rushed forward. Grandmother Xu raised her bowl of glutinous rice and threw it at the now-visible Xu Lin, but Xu Lin dodged easily. Seeing this, Grandmother Xu panicked and lunged at Xu Lin, grabbing her thigh with one hand and slapping the talisman onto her body with the other, then watched her expectantly.

Xu Lin looked down at Grandmother Xu, baring her teeth in a sardonic grin. Grandmother Xu shuddered in fright, rolling and crawling away, colliding with Father Xu as he charged forward with his sword. The two of them tumbled together.

Xu Lin bent down, tore the talisman off her leg and examined it, finally shaking her head in disappointment. It was utterly useless—a mere psychological comfort. Who knew from which charlatan Grandmother Xu had bought it?

Father Xu finally managed to scramble up, only to see Xu Lin tear the talisman directly in half. His eyelids twitched violently; this evil spirit was too powerful, the talisman was useless against her.

"That peach wood sword of yours is quite nice," Xu Lin remarked blandly, reaching out her hand. Before Father Xu could react, the sword was already in her grasp.

She gently stroked the blade. This sword was several centuries old, with a faint spiritual aura. In the Dragon Nation, it was a fine magical weapon—but unfortunately, it had never found a worthy master, leaving its potential untapped.