Siheyuan: The Temptation of the Mountains

The old scholar carefully examined the jade pendant, and after a long while he slowly spoke: "This jade pendant is very old, and the patterns on it seem to be part of an ancient formation. If we can gather the other parts, we may get unexpected rewards."

Lin Ze and Su Yao looked at each other, feeling both excited and worried.

Excited that I finally got some useful clues, but worried that I didn't know how to find the rest.

After saying goodbye to the old scholar, they decided to start with the antique shops in the city.

However, when they stepped into the first antique shop, they found the atmosphere in the shop was weird. Several burly men were staring at them fiercely, obviously coming for the jade pendant.

Lin Ze clenched his fists and protected Su Yao behind him. A crisis was about to come.

Lin Ze whispered to Su Yao, "Be careful, these guys are not easy to deal with." Su Yao nodded slightly and secretly clenched a small knife for self-defense in her hand.

At this time, one of the burly men laughed and said, "Boy, if you know what's good for you, hand over the jade pendant, otherwise you won't walk out of here alive today." Lin Ze sneered, "If you want the jade pendant, it depends on whether you have the ability." As he said that, he rushed towards the burly man closest to him.

The big man didn't expect Lin Ze to be so brave, and was beaten back a few steps. But the other big men also surrounded him. Although Lin Ze was good, he couldn't beat four hands with two fists, and gradually lost the upper hand. Just when the big man's fist was about to hit Lin Ze, a black shadow flashed and kicked the big man away in an instant. Everyone was shocked and saw a mysterious man in black standing in front of Lin Ze.

"It's not glorious for so many of you to bully two young people." The mysterious man's voice was low and hoarse. The big men were angry and said, "Who are you? Mind your own business!" The mysterious man ignored them and turned to Lin Ze and the others and said, "Let's go. We need to think about finding the jade pendant." Lin Ze hesitated for a moment, pulled Su Yao and turned to leave the antique shop. There was a sound of fighting behind them, and they ran towards the next place where they might find clues to the jade pendant with full of doubts.

Lin Ze and Su Yao came to an antique shop in a remote alley. The shop looked inconspicuous, but according to previous information, the owner might know some secrets of the jade pendant.

As soon as the two entered the store, a stale and decayed smell hit them in the face.

The store was dimly lit, with only a yellow oil lamp flickering. The owner was a hunchbacked old man, looking at them with cloudy eyes.

Lin Ze took a deep breath, then walked forward quickly, and sincerely explained to the old man the purpose of his visit. After listening to him, the old man first squinted his eyes and looked Lin Ze up and down, and then uttered two low and slightly cunning laughs.

"As for the matter of the jade pendant, I do know a thing or two, but... if you want to get information from me, you'll have to pay a price!" The old man said as he stared at Lin Ze with his cloudy yet shrewd eyes.

Lin Ze's heart tightened, but he still hurriedly asked: "Old man, I wonder what the price you are talking about is?" The old man slowly raised a hand as dry as a branch, stretched out a finger that was also dry and wrinkled, and pointed directly at the jade pendant hanging on Su Yao's neck who was standing beside him.

"Just exchange it for the jade pendant she's wearing." The old man's voice was not loud, but it seemed to carry an unquestionable power.

Su Yao's body trembled when she heard this, and she subconsciously reached out to cover the jade pendant on her chest. Because this jade pendant was of great significance to her. It was the only relic left to her by her mother before she died, carrying her deep longing and attachment to her mother.

Seeing this, Lin Ze's brows instantly wrinkled into a knot, and he refused without hesitation: "No! Absolutely not! Old man, please change the conditions."

However, at this moment, the old man, who was originally smiling, suddenly changed his expression, and a chill flashed across his eyes. He snorted coldly and said, "Humph! In this case, don't blame me for being rude!"

Before he finished speaking, many mechanical puppets of various shapes and agility suddenly appeared around him. These puppets quickly surrounded Lin Ze and Su Yao like a tide, and they were threatening and fierce, looking very scary.

Faced with such a critical situation, Lin Ze gritted his teeth, secretly clenched his fists, and was ready to fight a desperate battle with these puppets at any time.

At this moment, a melodious, clear and pleasant flute sound suddenly came from outside. The flute sound was like the sound of nature, echoing in the air. Surprisingly, when the flute sound came into the store, the mechanical puppets that were originally surrounding Lin Ze and the others like ferocious monsters suddenly stopped all their movements and stood there motionless as if they were cast under a spell.

Then, a figure slowly walked in from the door. This person was the mysterious person who had saved Lin Ze and Su Yao in the antique shop before. He walked lightly, with an upright posture, and a thin veil on his face, making it impossible to see his true face.

"I never thought that I would meet you two here again. It seems that we really have an indissoluble bond! I guess next we will work together to uncover the mystery hidden behind the jade pendant." The mysterious man's voice was soft and gentle, like a spring breeze, which made people feel good about him.

Lin Ze heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the visitor. He clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "Thank you for your help again, Excellency."

The mysterious man waved his hand gently, his eyes falling on the jade pendant, "This jade pendant is the key item. I have been tracking it down for a long time, and now all the clues are here."

Su Yao asked curiously, "What secrets does this jade pendant hide?" The mysterious man pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "Legend has it that it is related to an ancient relic with endless treasures and peerless skills. But it is full of dangers and countless forces are coveting it, so we must be careful."

As he spoke, the man with a mysterious aura led Lin Ze and Su Yao to slowly walk out of the store. Just as they reached the door, something unexpected happened - a group of people in black clothes with grim faces suddenly appeared like ghosts and blocked their way.

The leading man in black sneered and said, "Humph, you want to leave so easily? Just hand over the jade pendant obediently!" However, faced with such a scene, the mysterious man was calm and composed, without any sign of panic.