Stranger Danger

Chapter 628: Red Calabash’s Counterattack

Holy shit that sent chills up my spine. You’re old enough to be my grandma, and you’re calling me big brother? Have some shame, woman!

Red Calabash Celestial’s heart skipped a beat when he heard Amorous Mother’s words. Also, Ancestor Greenwood and Weak Old Man at least offered to pay me, but the bitch wants the painting and my body for free! What the fuck!

“Hmph! Have some self-awareness, you fools. Haven’t you heard that uncontrolled avarice brings death?” Ancestor Greenwood scoffed after hearing Weak Old Man and Amorous Mother’s words.

“Cough, cough... I’m the one who should be telling you that,” Weak Old Man shot right back.

“We are, if nothing else, acquainted. I have no desire to collect the body of an old acquaintance.” Ancestor Greenwood sneered. “The same goes for the rest of you. I have zero interest in your corpses, understand?”

Neither Weak Old Man nor Amorous Mother said anything, though it was clear from their expressions that they didn’t think much of Ancestor Greenwood’s threat.

“I too am interested—that is if you are willing to part ways with the painting, celestial.”

It was at this moment Defeated looked at Red Calabash Celestial and voiced his interest. Ancestor Greenwood narrowed his eyes, but this time, he didn’t say anything at all.

He was confident enough to threaten the likes of Weak Old Man, but Defeated? That was a completely different story. Unwilling to provoke Defeated, Ancestor Greenwood chose to stare at Red Calabash Celestial and upped the intensity of his glare. He said, “What do you say, Red Calabash?”

Weak Old Man, Amorous Mother, Defeated and more turned to stare at Red Calabash Celestial as well.

“Burp... look at yourselves. You don’t even know if this is the real thing or not, and you look like you’re about to fight each other to the death. What if it all turned out to be a huge waste of time and effort?” Red Calabash Celestial asked while sipping his wine at leisure.

“That is for me to worry about, not you. Just tell me how much money you want for the painting?”

“I’m sorry, everyone, but I’m not selling this painting,” Red Calabash Celestial declared.

“Red Calabash, you’re a smart man. I’m sure you understand what kind of value this painting holds, and that it is too much for the likes of you. I’d urge you not to do something stupid,” Ancestor Greenwood clutched his fan tightly as his eyes narrowed into slits.

‘I’m well aware that this painting does not belong to me, thank you. However, it does not belong to you either.” Red Calabash Celestial said slowly, “In fact, it doesn’t belong to anyone in this hall.”

“What do you mean?” A bad feeling suddenly overcame Ancestor Greenwood.

What Red Calabash Celestial said next surprised everyone, “This painting originally belonged to the True Martial Sect. Naturally, it should be returned to them.”

“You’re planning to give the painting to the True Martial Sect?” Amorous Mother instinctively repeated.

“I’m not giving it to them, I’m returning it to them. The painting was theirs to begin with, so of course they should have it back,” Red Calabash Celestial said slowly. “On that note, can you please send True Martial Sect a message, Mr. Xi? I shall wait here until they arrive.”

“Urk!”

Xi Duoduo was enjoying a good show from the sidelines when suddenly, Red Calabash Celestial pulled a fast one on him. It was beautifully done too.

As it was, the painting was a time bomb that could explode at any moment, and the best and most obvious way to avoid the consequences was to give it up to another person. However, the painting also represented a massive opportunity. There was no one in the world who could just give it up like that without feeling at least a semblance of reluctance. It would be like telling someone to throw up the food that was already halfway down their gullet.

It was never easy to get the best of both worlds, and Red Calabash Celestial wasn’t clouded enough by greed to think that he could defend himself against all these elites. So, he made a compromise. Keeping “A Celestial Rides A Bull Across A Green Hill” to himself was impossible unless he endangered his own life, so that option was out of the question. However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t get something out of this.

And how could he maximize his gains while still preserving his own life? By trading with the True Martial Sect, of course.

The True Martial Sect was one of the Three Temples of Dao and a famous orthodox sect. If he returned the painting to them, he would earn their favor and gain a powerful connection.

Second, the True Martial Sect was famous for their righteousness. If only for the sake of their reputation, they would never receive the painting without giving him something valuable in return.

Again, the True Martial Sect was one of the Three Temples of Dao. Even their garbage would benefit him substantially more than whatever Ancestor Greenwood or Weak Old Man could give him.

But of course, it was the favor and connection he obtained from this trade that was truly valuable. Admittedly, connections were ephemeral, intangible things that were useless in many situations. But when they were useful, their value was usually immeasurable. It could even mean the difference between life and death.

For example, he could call upon this favor if he ever encountered some sort of obstacle or a life-or-death crisis. He could ask for their help or their protection, and that was something Ancestor Greenwood and the others could not offer him.

Even if the painting was fake, True Martial Sect should still appreciate his effort. No matter how he looked at it, returning the painting was by far the superior option.

To begin with, he had gotten the painting via pure luck. It would cost him nothing to give it away.

Of course, those after the painting would surely keep a close eye on him until the disciples of the True Martial Sect showed up. That was why he set his sights on Xi Duoduo. He wasn’t going anywhere until he successfully transferred the painting to the True Martial Sect.

And what could Xi Duoduo do to combat this?

Nothing of course!

It was the Hill Carriers’ rule after all!

There was nothing more a businessman valued than prestige. If he shunned Red Calabash Celestial because he was afraid of the danger it entailed, then who would ever trust his protection again? It wasn’t just him who would suffer either. The integrity of every Hill Carrier in the world would be called into question.

Worse, if he chased Red Calabash Celestial away, and the painting was stolen by his killer, the True Martial Sect would surely turn their wrath against him.

As massive as the Hill Carriers were, there was no way they could withstand the True Martial Sect’s wrath.

Therefore, Xi Duoduo had no choice but to endure even though he knew full well that the painting was a time bomb.

“You are most noble, celestial. Just leave it to us,” Xi Duoduo replied while hiding his disgruntlement. He was a businessman for countless years, and he had always been the scammer, not the victim. To think that there would be a day where he would taste his own medicine!

“If you play with fire, it’s only a matter of time before you get burned.” The ancients did not lie about this for sure.

“Thank you, Mr. Xi.” Red Calabash Celestial saluted the Hill Carrier and slowly sank back into his seat. He drank his wine and paid the unfriendly looks from Ancestor Greenwood, Weak Old Man, Amorous Mother and more no heed whatsoever.

Come bite me if you dare, bitch!

“Tsk tsk... a shame.”

Ye Qing was feeling a twinge of pity as well. Had Red Calabash Celestial chosen to sell ‘A Celestial Rides A Bull Across A Green Hill’, he would’ve gotten involved as well. But since the elite made a wise decision, the idea died before it could ever bear fruit.

With that finally behind them, the Treasure Appreciation Auction finally resumed its course. Thanks to Red Calabash Celestial’s precedent, everyone wanted to try their luck and see if they could be as dogshit lucky as him. As a result, many people generously loosened the string around their wallets and purchased all sorts of weird stuff such as a tree bark that wouldn’t stop bleeding, a fruit that was shaped like a smile but really induced tears, a block of metal that weighed tens of kilograms but would never sink to the bottom, a broken sword that would cut your palms everywhere if you gripped it, so on and so forth.

This turn of events delighted Xi Duoduo as a matter of course. “To lose at sunrise, but gain at sunset.” It still didn’t quite balance out the scales, but it sure was better than nothing.

As for whether the buyers could actually get dogshit lucky, that was completely up to fate.

“Alright! We’ve finally arrived at the finale! Can you feel the anticipation, dear customers?”

Several long hours later, the Treasure Appreciation Auction finally approached its end. As usual, Xi Duoduo gave a flamboyant, almost long-winded introduction before he finally showed off the item: a human hand.