Shi Taiping nodded and said, "That’s right. I heard you bought some dragon bones from Sun Changli. My client is also very curious and wants to exchange their dragon bones with yours to share resources."

Bai Mushan hadn’t expected such a development. He looked at Xu Chunliang, who shrugged, implying, don’t look at me, I’m just a broker, I’m not involved.

Bai Mushan asked, "How’s the exchange supposed to go?"

Shi Taiping replied, "One item for one item, one piece for one piece, so no one loses. The two million will serve as a deposit for the transaction and will be returned upon completion."

Xu Chunliang started to find it interesting. He had thought that Shi Taiping’s seller was after money, but now he realized they were also interested in the "Inner Canon of Huangdi," indicating that these people understood the extraordinary value of the dragon bones.

Bai Mushan said, "Let me think about it." He left to make a phone call and returned shortly, agreeing that an exchange was possible, but only as a direct swap. The oracle bone script is inherently obscure, and if the other party altered the rubbings, a minor discrepancy could lead to major errors. As for the specific time for the trade, this time they would decide.

Xu Chunliang saw that both sides had reached a tacit understanding and did not rule out the possibility of being left out of the transaction. However, he had already photographed the rubbing Shi Taiping provided, so he wouldn’t leave empty-handed.

Xu Chunliang had a feeling that the forces behind Shi Taiping were not simple, as they were extremely cautious during the negotiation, making the situation increasingly complicated and hard to control.

After leaving Qingshan Village, Xu Chunliang hitched a ride to Jizhou Ancient City, staying the night at a traditional inn on Xu Family Street.

Bai Mushan and his group stayed in Jizhou New City, and they parted ways. Before leaving, Bai Mushan specifically explained to Xu Chunliang that he needed to consult Luan Yuchuan first, as he was the owner of the dragon bones. Once they had a decision, they would inform Xu Chunliang right away and hoped he could be present during the transaction.

Xu Chunliang detected that this guy was trying to alleviate his concerns, suggesting that he needn’t worry about getting left behind after connecting the parties.

It was already ten o’clock at night. After washing up, Xu Chunliang called Mei Ru Xue, telling her he was visiting to assess Jizhou’s tourism development on behalf of Hu Shan Town and would return to Dongzhou the next day.

Mei Ru Xue had heard about the agreement between Huayuan Group and Equatorial Capital, assuming Xu Chunliang had brokered the deal. However, after asking him, she found out he wasn’t involved.

Xu Chunliang asked Mei Ru Xue to find out Equatorial Capital’s plans for Weishan Island, feeling that Mo Han’s sudden intervention was rather unexpected.

Just as Xu Chunliang was about to go to bed, Liu Haiyu called him.

"Is what you said still valid?"

Xu Chunliang was taken aback, remembering his earlier joke about buying the dragon bones for thirty grand.

Xu Chunliang said, "Of course it’s valid. Did you get them?"

Liu Haiyu said, "Come out, I’ll take you somewhere."

Xu Chunliang went to the window and saw someone outside on a motorcycle wearing a helmet. From the build, it seemed to be Liu Haiyu.

Xu Chunliang had no idea how he discovered his location, but considering Liu Haiyu’s ability to evade both police and private pursuers, it was clear the man was quite capable.

Xu Chunliang dressed and went outside to find the person on the motorcycle was indeed Liu Haiyu.

Liu Haiyu said, "Get on!"

Xu Chunliang asked, "Where are we going?"

Liu Haiyu replied, "To the Ghost Market!"

Xu Chunliang couldn’t believe there was a Ghost Market in this day and age, but he got on Liu Haiyu’s motorcycle, and they headed west.

Despite the darkness of night, Xu Chunliang realized Liu Haiyu was taking him toward Beihu Fish Village. The early spring wind carried a biting chill, and Xu Chunliang speculated about Liu Haiyu’s motive. Could he truly value the thirty grand?

Liu Haiyu drove to a small dock near Beihu Fish Village where a speedboat was already berthed.

On the boat was a skinny man in a military coat, his hair messy. He had been waiting for some time, hands tucked into the coat’s sleeves, a cigarette hanging from his lips. As he squinted at the newcomers and recognized Liu Haiyu, his lips moved, and the half-inch long ash fell from his cigarette, only to be blown away by the night wind.

"Old Hai, what took you so long?" he greeted Liu Haiyu.

Liu Haiyu chuckled and replied, "Picking up the big boss."

Liu Haiyu invited Xu Chunliang onto the boat. The skinny man started the boat, breaking through the veil of mist over the lake and heading into the dark waters.

Xu Chunliang nudged Liu Haiyu with his shoulder and whispered, "Where the hell are we heading?"

Liu Haiyu acted mysteriously and said, "You’ll know when we get there."

"How long?"

Liu Haiyu replied, "Twenty minutes. Remember, when we get there, you can’t use your phone or take pictures, and whatever you see at the market stays with you. If you fancy something, you can buy it, but only with cash. If you don’t have enough, I can lend you some. Just pay me back when we’re back, with two percent interest."

Xu Chunliang thought to himself, this guy is really greedy, but he made sure to bring three thousand yuan in cash for this trip.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived deep within West Mountain Lake. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

On the dark lake, there was a freighter about forty meters long, weighing one thousand tons, with twin engines and twin propellers, brightly lit.

Surrounding the freighter were dozens of motorboats and speedboats.

Xu Chunliang sighed. He hadn’t expected there to be such a place under the cover of night at Weishan Lake. Liu Haiyu handed him an old man’s hat, pulled down to reveal only his eyes, to prevent others from recognizing him.

Many people who come to the Ghost Market don’t want to be recognized, so they try their best to hide their identity. Liu Haiyu was thoughtful, but he didn’t offer it for free, charging a thousand. Xu Chunliang knew he was being ripped off but still bought it because he needed it. The most annoying part was that it was a green hat. He felt Liu Haiyu had purposely chosen this color to mess with him, proving he wasn’t a good person either.

The speed boat approached the freighter, and Liu Haiyu climbed up the gangway, with Xu Chunliang following closely behind.

Two burly men guarded the entrance to the deck. Liu Haiyu pulled out a thousand yuan he had prepared in advance. This was the entrance fee to the Ghost Market, treating everyone the same regardless of status or wealth. Xu Chunliang looked at Liu Haiyu’s entrance fee, thinking that money came from me.

Xu Chunliang stepped onto the deck, seeing a small but well-organized market with people setting up stalls to sell goods. It was bustling with people haggling and negotiating.

The Ghost Market has a long history, usually operating at dawn because most of the goods sold are of dubious origin, some even illicit, needing to be fenced. There are also substandard products or even counterfeits that offer no guarantee. Therefore, it’s basically a one-time deal, testing both your eye and luck.

In ancient times, even some royalty and nobles would secretly sell valuable items, avoiding public scrutiny. In today’s society, corrupt officials also use the Ghost Market to fence stolen goods, avoiding unnecessary trouble.

Businesses neither have licenses nor reveal their identities. After all, if something goes wrong, you probably won’t find me.

Xu Chunliang put on the old man’s hat in advance, revealing only his eyes. Being a part of the system, it wasn’t good to be recognized here. However, once on the ship, he realized no one else wore an old man’s hat, not even Liu Haiyu, making him seem a bit out of place.

Xu Chunliang thought, basically everyone here is a bad guy, making him the only normal one looking abnormal.

Liu Haiyu introduced the place to Xu Chunliang. After wandering around for a while, Xu Chunliang felt at ease. There were hundreds of people, all busy selecting goods and haggling, with no time to pay attention to others.

Liu Haiyu took Xu Chunliang to a place selling dragon bone. Xu Chunliang squatted down to look. The dragon bone was real, but not what he wanted.

After looking at a few pieces, Xu Chunliang shook his head at Liu Haiyu, thinking if this was all Liu Haiyu brought him here for in the middle of the night, it was meaningless.

Liu Haiyu whispered, "Here they come!"

Following his gaze, Xu Chunliang saw the short-statured Shi Taiping appear in the Ghost Market.

Xu Chunliang quickly lowered his head, pretending to select items to avoid being spotted by Shi Taiping. To his surprise, Bai Mushan was beside Shi Taiping. Although Xu Chunliang was concealing his face, it was hard for them to recognize him.

Xu Chunliang cursed in his heart. Bai Mushan, you damn fool. When we parted tonight, you swore to invite me to the transaction, and now you just leave me out. He didn’t expect the two sides to hook up so quickly, as if they instantly clicked. He thought it might take a few days before they traded. Does Bai Mushan carry those few pieces of dragon bone with him at all times?

Xu Chunliang had long lost faith in Bai Mushan’s character, believing that the disappearance of the Xu Family’s donated dragon bone was related to him. But Mo Han wasn’t fair this time either. Such a big matter, she couldn’t possibly not know, yet she didn’t give him any hint.

Mo Han had recently done two unkind things. Secretly reaching a transfer agreement with Hua Nian Group, keeping him in the dark. The little girl’s wings have hardened, wanting to break away and fly solo. Does she believe I won’t clip her angel wings? The Grandmaster Xu silently vowed in his heart.

Liu Haiyu patted him on the shoulder and said, "Being abandoned doesn’t feel good, does it?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Who are they trading with?"

Liu Haiyu said, "Not sure, but the Qiong Men are involved."

Xu Chunliang was slightly startled. Was it Han Tianchi’s group? The plot was thickening.

Liu Haiyu asked, "Do you know Meng Xuefeng?"

Xu Chunliang shook his head, but he remembered hearing Meng Xuefeng’s name back when avenging at Da Hu Recycling Company.

Liu Haiyu asked, "Will you keep your word?"