Qingyi glanced around and saw at least seven or eight thieves watching her closely. There was no chance to contact Zhu Yan.
She had no choice but to wait for another opportunity.
Meanwhile...
The man in chains and the man with the center part had already placed the box in front of her and Sam Li.
At the old man's command, they opened it—revealing a heavily rusted bronze cauldron.
For a moment, even Qingyi couldn't look away.
"Could this be…"
The old man grinned confidently. "You're not mistaken. This is a genuine Western Zhou bronze cauldron. My men spent half a month retrieving it from the Hollows."
He couldn't help but chuckle as he spoke.
This treasure was originally discovered by another group of tomb raiders, but they lacked the strength to retrieve it themselves. So, they sold the information to him.
Hard work paid off.
After purchasing the lead, he and his team spent half a month excavating it—losing a capable subordinate in the process—but finally, the bronze cauldron saw the light of day again.
He was in a hurry to find a buyer.
He needed to turn the cauldron into cash.
That was why he had been testing potential buyers—to find someone knowledgeable enough to pay a good price.
Now that he had found one, all that remained was to complete the deal and walk away with a fortune in Denny. He would become a millionaire overnight.
The old man was full of confidence. "Go ahead, my friend, inspect the goods."
...
Sam Li, however, made no move to do so.
Instead, he folded his arms, furrowed his brows, and took a deep sniff, his gaze locked thoughtfully on the cauldron.
Qingyi, on the other hand, was immediately captivated.
Its unique shape exuded grandeur...
The green patina bore the weight of history...
The rugged engravings—while not as delicate as Sam Li's birdcage—marked it as an authentic relic of the Western Zhou Dynasty…
In that instant, she was enamored with the square cauldron.
Once they seized it from these thieves, she would place it in her living room and admire its majesty every day.
But suddenly—
Qingyi wrinkled her nose, a trace of doubt appearing in her eyes. "That's strange... this smell… I don't think I've ever encountered it before. Let me take a closer look."
She reached out habitually, running her fingers along the cauldron's rim.
Then, without hesitation, she brought her fingers toward her mouth, ready to taste it for further analysis.
At the last second, a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.
"Wait."
It was Sam Li.
"It's filthy. If you eat that, you'll definitely get sick."
The old man burst into laughter.
"Haha! No wonder you're a professional appraiser from the city—so meticulous. Unlike us common folk, who enjoy antiques in their purest form."
As he spoke, he casually swiped his hand across the rusty surface—then, without a second thought, popped the rust into his mouth.
The taste was sharp and metallic.
But the thought of this cauldron being worth millions—enough to make someone rich overnight—made it suddenly seem a little sweeter.
However...
Sam Li simply shook his head.
"This cauldron is fake."
Qingyi: "???"
The old man: "???"
Sam Li's words were like a bomb dropping into the room.
Everyone froze.
Had he just said—this bronze cauldron, worth millions, was fake?
The old man's expression darkened as he fixed Sam Li with a sharp gaze. "Did you detect Ether inside the cauldron?"
"No," Sam Li replied.
"Are you just trying to avoid paying for it?"
"No."
"Then why are you so sure it's fake? I personally retrieved this from the Hollows. How could it be fake?"
Despite his age, the old man's voice carried weight and power—clearly, he wasn't someone to be taken lightly.
Sam Li sighed, shaking his head.
"Take a deep breath near the cauldron. Do you notice a strange, musky smell?"
The old man hesitated before leaning in for a sniff.
In an instant, his expression changed.
Sam Li was right.
That odd scent—it really did resemble a musky stench.
He had noticed it before, but he had assumed it was just something carried out from the Hollows. He hadn't thought much of it.
But now, with Sam Li pointing it out, he realized something was off.
That stench… could it be…
Sam Li glanced at the old man and revealed the truth.
"Using Ether to forge antiques is a modern technique. But before Ether existed, the ancients had their own method of rusting bronze. They would bury a brand-new bronze artifact in the ground, pour ten pounds of horse urine over it every day, and after half a year to a year, dig it up. By then, the bronze would be covered in rust, looking as old and worn as a genuine antique."
The old man was dumbfounded. "???"
Qingyi, realizing what she had just touched, hastily shook the rust off her hands. "!!!"
Sam Li continued, "This kind of forgery has a distinct, pungent smell. It's actually not hard to identify."
Upon hearing this, the old man's expression darkened.
If what Sam Li said was true... then what he had just put in his mouth...
He refused to think about it any further.
Glaring at Sam Li, he scoffed. "I personally dug this bronze cauldron out of the Hollows. How could it possibly be fake?"
Sam Li looked at him with a hint of pity. "Someone else buried it there on purpose. You've been tricked."
He had initially hoped to use this opportunity to study genuine antiques and expand his knowledge of this world's artifacts.
But all he had encountered were counterfeits.
What a disappointment.
...
At this point, the old man knew the deal was beyond saving.
If he couldn't make money from the transaction, there was only one other way to recover his losses—by robbing Sam Li and Qingyi of everything they had.
"Boys, what are you waiting for? Get them!"
"Got it! Hah, finally! I've been itching to teach this pretty boy a lesson!"
The moment the command was given—
The man in chains gripped his weapon tightly in one hand while reaching for his waist with the other, swiftly drawing a short knife.
The man with the center-parted hair was even more direct. He turned around and pulled out an old submachine gun from his back.
And they weren't alone.
The other five or six thieves all drew their weapons as well, baring their vicious fangs as they charged toward Sam Li and Qingyi.
...
Luckily, Qingyi had been prepared.
"Sam Li, stay behind me! Just hold on a little longer—Zhu Yan and the others will be here soon!"
But there were too many enemies.
Bullets, swords, maces, chains—on top of that, the old man, who could wield elemental power, was watching them closely, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Qingyi had to fend for herself while also protecting Sam Li, making her an even bigger target.
No matter how skilled she was, two hands couldn't block ten attacks.
After deflecting several strikes in a row, her three-section staff was finally knocked from her grip.
Blades flashed, bullets whistled, and chains lashed toward her—
Gritting her teeth, she instinctively reached for her pistol, ready to pull the trigger.
But just as she was about to fire, a tall figure suddenly stepped in front of her.
Sam Li had moved.
"As solid as a rock—"
A deep voice echoed through the abandoned building.
Qingyi barely had time to react before a brilliant golden light erupted in front of her.
And in the next instant, Sam Li stood before her like an unshakable wall, shielding her from harm.