After getting rid of the group of tomb robbers, Qi Lin found a secluded pavilion and sat down.
"After chasing me for ten minutes, the group of tomb robbers were so exhausted that they almost died but still didn't want to give up. I wanted to see what these two groups were trading."
Qi Lin was in a good mood, smiling.
Opening the shoulder bag of the tomb robber leader, Qi Lin found that there was only an antique-looking sandalwood box inside.
The box was engraved with dragon patterns using gold powder paint, making the wooden box look extremely mysterious.
Apart from this wooden box, there was nothing else inside the shoulder bag.
Qi Lin casually tossed aside the shoulder bag and slowly opened the wooden box.
The moment the box was opened, there was a sharp, metallic impact.
The movement was too fast for his eyes to catch, but Qi Lin keenly sensed the approaching danger.
Had it been the old Qi Lin, he would have already been done for.
But now, Qi Lin had Bolt's running speed, Phelps's swimming prowess, and his reaction time was top-notch.
"Hiss~"
Qi Lin felt a sharp pain in his palms. Before he could check his hands, his neck suddenly jerked to the right.
"Ding ding ding~"
The next second, several crisp metallic sounds echoed.
"Damn! I was too careless! There's actually a trap inside!"
Qi Lin's dark eyes flashed with a glimmer of joy.
He saw that his previously unharmed palm now had three tiny wounds from which blood was slowly dripping.
The tingling sensation was likely caused by a hidden needle piercing his palm.
If he hadn't dodged quickly enough, his head might have been pierced by the trap.
"Tomb robbers truly are the most devious group in the world. Everything they trade is rigged with traps. It's criminal, really."
Qi Lin's eyes gleamed with thought.
Because the wooden box had been stolen, Qi Lin had let his guard down and almost paid the price.
"Actually, this trap is pretty interesting, and it can be reused..."
As if struck by an idea, Qi Lin grinned.
He stood up and retrieved the three flying needles that had struck the marble pillars.
After securing the needles, Qi Lin examined the contents of the wooden box.
Anything stored in such a sophisticated hidden weapon case had to be extraordinary.
"What a beautiful piece of jade. This thing seems to be polished, right?"
Qi Lin picked up a ring and examined it from every angle.
"Hey! There's a seal engraving on it. Could this be the legendary micro-carving technique?"
"There's also a four-character inscription at the end: Emperor Qianlong..."
After reading these four words, Qi Lin's eyes widened in shock.
"Damn! No wonder the tomb robbers were chasing them! This... this is actually Emperor Qianlong's imperial jade ring!!!"
"Wait a second, if this one was used by Qianlong, what about the remaining six?"
Qi Lin immediately picked up the remaining six rings and checked the inscriptions.
As expected, they were all made exclusively for Emperor Qianlong.
At that moment, Qi Lin's heartbeat quickened.
"Not only did Emperor Qianlong use these, but it's also a complete set of flawless white jade rings. Their value must be immense."
With a sense of anticipation, Qi Lin took out his phone and searched: "How much is Emperor Qianlong's imperial jade ring worth?"
Soon, the webpage refreshed, displaying several top auction results.
[Christie's auction house recently sold an imperial coral ring used by Emperor Qianlong for 6.17 million.]
According to historical records, during the Qianlong period, Emperor Qianlong ordered craftsmen to create a set of seven rings, made from white jade, coral, agate, and other precious materials. The set was extremely valuable, but its whereabouts remain unknown.
After reading this, Qi Lin had a rough estimate of the value of this set.
"One ring is worth more than 6 million, and there are seven in a complete set. Less than 50 million would be an insult to Emperor Qianlong's imperial treasures."
Speaking to himself, Qi Lin smiled and glanced at his still-bleeding palm. "A treasure worth 50 million yuan, and you expect me to be worried about a minor injury?"
Packing up the box containing the white jade rings, Qi Lin was ready to leave and head quickly to the central hospital.
A penetrating wound could become infected and lead to complications, including amputation.
Moreover, he wasn't sure whether the tomb robber leader had poisoned the hidden weapon.
If it was poisoned, things could get really troublesome.
---
Jiangcheng City, Central Hospital.
"I'm sorry, sir, it's lunch break right now. The doctors are on their break. Please return in the afternoon."
Taking a taxi to the Central Hospital, Qi Lin's wound had already started showing signs of infection.
Qi Lin was about to register for a consultation but was told by the nurse at the front desk that the doctors were off-duty.
"What about the emergency room? I have a penetrating wound. Isn't that serious enough?"
Qi Lin asked, clearly irritated.
The nurse kept her professional smile. "Although you have a penetrating wound, it doesn't qualify as an emergency. Please return in the afternoon or visit a small clinic for bandaging."
Qi Lin, not known for his patience, was about to lose his temper.
"Qi, Mr. Qi Lin?"
Suddenly, a soft and somewhat surprised voice came from behind him.
---
Escape Room Base
After a night's rest, the boss felt refreshed and was ready to check how the group of young people had played the previous night.
"Not bad, you even know how to lock the door."
When he walked to the door and saw that it was locked, the boss nodded with satisfaction.
But.
The moment he took out the key and opened the door to the escape room, he was shocked.
"F**k! Who are you?"
Behind the door, a man was sitting there. His face was pale, and his eyes were empty, as if he had been humiliated all night and had lost all his energy.
No need to guess; this person was none other than Chen Dongxi, who had been tricked by Qi Lin.
"A-Are you okay?" the boss asked with a worried look on his face. He didn't want anyone to have an accident in his store.
As the door opened and light poured in, Chen Dongxi stared blankly outside. Ignoring the boss's question, he stood up and stumbled out of what had become a lifelong nightmare.
Staggering forward, Chen Dongxi suddenly stopped. He had spotted his phone lying on the grass. With a gloomy look in his eyes, he picked it up.
The first thing he saw was a dozen missed calls from his wife, Wang Yunzhi. But he didn't dare call her back now.
Suppressing his anger, Chen Dongxi dialed Pintian's number. She was the woman who had deceived him the night before, stolen his phone, locked him in the terrifying escape room, and chosen the scariest mode possible, which had almost frightened him to death.
"What do you mean by what happened yesterday? Do you even know what I went through? I almost died in there! Do you understand that?"
Xiao Tian: "???"
"What's wrong with you now?"
Chen Dongxi, gritting his teeth, said, "Is this because I haven't left my wife for you yet? I've told you to wait just a little longer. I'm already working on it. Why won't you believe me?"
The events of the previous night had been orchestrated by Qi Lin, without Xiao Tian's knowledge. Now, Chen Dongxi was furious, and although Xiao Tian didn't know what had happened to make him so angry, she got upset too.
"How do you expect me to believe you? I've been waiting for you for five whole years!!! How many five-year stretches of youth does a woman have? And now you have the nerve to yell at me? Let me tell you something: You either choose between me and your wife, or I'll find another man! You have one month. If you don't divorce her, I'm done!"
Xiao Tian's tone was sharp and furious. After speaking, she hung up on him.
Due to a strange set of circumstances, neither of them clarified the situation, and their argument, driven by misunderstanding, only deepened their conflict.
If Qi Lin had been there, he probably would have chuckled. Locking Chen Dongxi in that secret room, Qi Lin clearly wanted to create trouble between him and his wife. But unexpectedly, it ended up pushing Chen Dongxi and Xiao Tian further apart — a double victory for Qi Lin.
"Bch! Little bch! How dare you threaten me! How dare you hang up on me!" After being deceived by Xiao Tian the previous night and nearly losing it, and now being hung up on, Chen Dongxi was so furious that he almost suffered a stroke.
He threw his phone to the ground, smashing it into pieces.
"I, Chen Dongxi, have always been the one to toy with others. No one plays with me. Xiao Tian, just wait for me! You still want to marry me? Just wait. Once I'm done playing with you, you'll be the first one I dump!"
Chen Dongxi's face darkened, revealing his true, selfish nature.
Full of anger, Chen Dongxi drove home. While driving, he mocked Xiao Tian's naivety. "Yunzhi is gentle and considerate, and she comes from a scholarly family. Only a woman like that is suitable to be a wife. Who cares if your family is wealthy? My family isn't rich, but do I have a bad temper and act like a princess? Only a fool would marry a woman like you."
At that moment, Chen Dongxi began to miss Wang Yunzhi. Because of their busy schedules, they hadn't been intimate for several months. He rubbed his chin and thought, "Yesterday was Yunzhi's birthday. I missed it by accident. I need to find a way to make it up to her."
Wang Yunzhi and Chen Dongxi both came from middle-class families and were relatively well off. After their marriage, they bought a house in Jiangcheng City with support from both families — a large, luxurious flat.
After taking the elevator and arriving at their lavishly decorated home, Chen Dongxi called out tentatively, "Honey, are you home?"
"Da da~"
The sound of slippers echoed, and a graceful figure stepped out of the bathroom.
The moment he saw Wang Yunzhi's face, Chen Dongxi's heart skipped a beat. "Uh-oh, why is Yunzhi crying? Did she get this upset because I missed our date yesterday?"
But this time, Chen Dongxi was mistaken. Wang Yunzhi had indeed been angry about him breaking their date. But her teary eyes were due to something else entirely: her concern over Qi Lin's uncertain fate. Qi Lin had lured the gangsters away for her. In Wang Yunzhi's eyes, this newly acknowledged "brother" was much more reliable than her own husband.
Summoning his courage, Chen Dongxi approached her. He reached out, trying to wipe away her tears. "Honey, I'm sorry for what happened yesterday. It was my fault. My friend dragged me out for a late-night snack and insisted I have some drinks. I ended up sleeping at his place all night. I didn't forget your birthday on purpose."
It was the excuse he had already prepared.
Slap!
Before Chen Dongxi could touch Wang Yunzhi's soft, smooth face, she slapped him, hard. The blow was so strong that he stumbled backward.
"Yunzhi! You—"
Chen Dongxi covered his cheek, staring at his beautiful wife in disbelief.
(What a big chapter, bro)