"Alright," Hu Bayi conceded, albeit reluctantly. His calm demeanor meant he often indulged Wang Kaixuan like an older brother, even if he didn't fully agree with him.
With Hu's agreement, Shirley Yang naturally followed suit.
Seeing their plans settled, Cao Yi wasted no time. He ordered the purple-gold red gourd to dock. The little boy had already run off to tell his parents. They needed to disembark quickly to avoid attracting the attention of local herders.
The gourd took nearly ten minutes to drift just a few meters to the shore, moving sluggishly—perhaps a sign of the earlier strain on its energy.
Once on solid ground, Cao Yi whispered, "Shrink and return." The gourd complied but halted mid-shrink, stuck at an awkward size.
After several attempts yielded no results, he resorted to tying it to his back with a rope he borrowed from Wang Kaixuan.
On their way back, they encountered the little boy and his parents. The father, seeing a drenched Cao Yi with a seemingly ordinary gourd, assumed his son had been deceived and promptly disciplined him, leading to the boy's tears.
At 7:15 AM, they returned to the camp, now only staffed by a handful of personnel. The foreign followers who had accompanied Ying Caihong were all dead, victims of the Goddess Tomb's dangers.
Dealing with the aftermath was essential. Hu Bayi and Shirley Yang were left to manage the unfortunate situation, fabricating a story about a mining accident leading to the discovery of an ancient tomb.
Using Ying Caihong's vehicle, the three rushed to the Inner Mongolia airport, then transferred to Beijing Airport. After a lengthy flight, they finally arrived at Yangon Airport in Myanmar.
Stepping off the plane, they were hit by a wave of heat. Cao Yi managed better thanks to his enhanced physique, but Wang Kaixuan and Big Gold Tooth, dressed in leather jackets, quickly began to sweat.
"Going from the cold lake in Inner Mongolia to this tropical heat is exhausting!" Wang Kaixuan grumbled, shedding his jacket amidst the stares of passersby.
"Just hold on; once we get to the hotel, we can freshen up and find some lovely Burmese girls to lift our spirits," Big Gold Tooth said, flashing a flamboyant grin.
Cao Yi shook his head at Big Gold Tooth's ever-present lustfulness.
"Wait, what language do they speak here? How will we communicate for the jade stone auctions?" Wang Kaixuan's expression darkened.
Cao Yi nearly laughed. Wang Kaixuan's educational shortcomings were evident in this situation.
"Many Chinese people are in Myanmar, especially in the jade business. Not knowing the local language won't be a barrier," he reassured them.
Big Gold Tooth chimed in, "You know, the jade trade is largely controlled by Chinese jewelers from Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. As long as you speak Mandarin, you can get by."
Wang Kaixuan frowned, feeling defensive. "Mandarin is different from Cantonese, and most jewelers speak English or Cantonese. Can you understand either with your 'half-baked' skills?"
Big Gold Tooth fell silent, realizing Wang Kaixuan wasn't entirely clueless.
"Come on, you two," Cao Yi called out, having already walked ahead.
They hurried to catch up, but as they exited the airport, they were met with a surprising scene. A crowd of taxi drivers, clad in colorful clothing and with sun-kissed skin, swarmed them.
"Hello!"
"Hi!"
"Ohayo!"
...
The cacophony of languages overwhelmed Cao Yi, who finally settled on a driver speaking Mandarin—though it was the Mandarin of Taiwan.
The driver, a local Chinese man in his twenties named Xiao Zhuang, eagerly loaded their bags into the trunk, despite the car's worn-out condition.
"Are you a Daoist?" he asked, glancing at Cao Yi's robe.
"Yes," Cao Yi replied.
"It's my first time seeing a Daoist!" Xiao Zhuang exclaimed, his excitement palpable.
"Which hotels are good around here?" Cao Yi cut to the chase.
"The International Hotel is just four minutes from the Shwedagon Pagoda, three minutes from the Great Lake, and four minutes from Chinatown…" Xiao Zhuang enthusiastically listed the hotel's benefits, clearly having a connection with them.
"Let's check it out. If it's good, I'll give you a tip," Cao Yi replied, keeping his options open.
Xiao Zhuang spoke non-stop during the drive, sharing details about Yangon's attractions and even mentioning his three brothers and two sisters.
Cao Yi felt a mix of amusement and frustration, glancing back to see that both Wang Kaixuan and Big Gold Tooth had fallen asleep.
"Daoist Priest, you're in luck! It's the annual jadeite auction happening in March. Are you interested?" Xiao Zhuang asked, his enthusiasm undeterred.
Cao Yi's interest piqued. "What's the jadeite auction about?"
"The jadeite auction is a major event for raw jade trading. Before the auction, all jade rough stones are cataloged, with lot numbers, weights, and starting prices, which are usually quite low. They're displayed for three days, and jade merchants evaluate each piece, choosing the ones they want before submitting their bids," Xiao Zhuang explained, clearly passionate about the subject.
Cao Yi's heart raced; this auction was precisely what he needed.
Just then, Big Gold Tooth, who had just woken, interjected, "Oh right, I almost forgot about the jadeite auction in March!"