"This is what's known as a 'burial cicada.' It's placed in the mouth of the deceased, hoping that after death, they can molt like a cicada, forgetting all their pain and suffering."
Qin Shou stared at the object in his hand in disbelief, his face contorted in anguish.
'How have I never heard of this before? But the way Gu Shengsheng explains it, it sounds completely plausible, and even I'm getting scared listening to her...'
Before Gu Shengsheng could say more, Qin Guocheng snatched the object away.
"When the hell did you start wearing this kind of garbage, you little brat! How did I not know!"
"Grandpa, you taught me how to appraise Jade Pendants. Didn't you say this type of jade has a fine texture? 'Good jade nurtures the living,' so I..."
Qin Guocheng said, his voice laced with frustration, "It does nurture someone. A dead someone."
"Anyone in this business knows this basic principle. Why are you such a damn idiot, just running around making trouble all day?"
"Qin Shou, you're going to come the hell home and study under me for a few years before you even think about appraising treasures on your own. Just look at yourself."
Looking at this hopeless, good-for-nothing grandson, Qin Guocheng only grew more furious.
How could a young girl like her be so brilliant at everything? Meanwhile, his own grandson, Qin Shou, was not only talentless but also acted like a lunatic.
Qin Shou was also terrified of the Jade Pendant now.
He hastily tossed the item to Qin Guocheng. "Grandpa, you deal with it!"
Gu Shengsheng reminded him, "That's three items appraised, just as you asked."
Her implication was clear: it was time for him to honor the bet.
Gu Shengsheng wasn't prepared for what happened next. Qin Shou just lay down on the ground. Then, as if he'd come to a major decision...
He said, "Miss Gu, I ran my mouth and was disrespectful. Now I know you're the real fucking deal."
"My skills really are inferior." He was mainly just freaked out by the cicada he'd been wearing around his neck.
'Grandpa said most Treasure Appraisers know about this, but I had no idea...'
'I really am incompetent. There's no excusing this. Now I don't even have the brains for dirty tricks.'
Gu Shengsheng said, "Yes, I told you to get out of my sight. Why are you lying down?"
'Is he trying to extort me in broad daylight?'
The result was that Qin Shou began to literally roll around on the ground.
Sounds of ridicule filled the air. Qin Shou himself was even live-streaming, so this, along with his other recent humiliations, was being broadcast for all to see.
"At least he keeps his word," Qin Guocheng said, nodding in approval. "Now he's finally acting a little like my grandson."
"Miss Gu, please don't mind him. He's just a brainless, overly-confident-for-how-ordinary-he-is neurotic. I don't pay much attention to this grandson of mine. A specimen like him is a rare find indeed."
His words made her chuckle. It was the first time she'd ever heard a grandfather describe his own grandson that way.
"I'm fine," she said.
"It's about time. I need to get to the airport."
Qin Guocheng seemed reluctant to see her go. "Oh, I was just thinking how much more fun I'd have if you were always around, Miss Gu. I suppose I'm in for a lonely spell now!"
'Gu Shengsheng didn't think for a second that this old man had a good heart. He was just a spectator enjoying the drama.'
'She didn't want to get too involved with someone like him. Maintaining a polite facade was the most she was willing to do.'
She had intended to offer a few polite words and leave, but Qin Guocheng kept pressing.
"Miss Gu, what time is your flight? The six o'clock evening one, or the one at seven-thirty?"
"..." Gu Shengsheng wondered if all older people were this nosy.
"The six o'clock flight." As she spoke, Gu Shengsheng pulled out her ticket information to show him.
As soon as she said it, Qin Guocheng quickly pulled out his own phone and, right under Gu Shengsheng's nose, bought a ticket.
He was buying it for someone else, though.
Gu Shengsheng: "..." The corner of her mouth twitched. 'This old man is nuts.'
Qin Guocheng even selected a seat—the one right next to hers.
"You see, I have this troublesome old friend who came here to pick up some 'goods.' I was supposed to escort him to Beijing City, but when I heard you were going, I figured you'd be far more useful for the task than I would."
"You don't have to do anything, really. Just keep an eye on an old man."
Before Gu Shengsheng could even agree, Qin Guocheng was already on the phone, having made contact with the person.
He'd even sent her name and was now telling the person on the other end, "I've found a very beautiful, kind, and incredibly talented young genius to travel with you."
"She'll be looking after you, you old dog, so don't you be ungrateful."
Gu Shengsheng: "..."
She watched Qin Guocheng bickering heatedly on the phone. 'His relationship with this "old friend" probably isn't that great, is it?'
While she was still thinking about this, Qin Guocheng had already arranged a private car to take her to the airport.
Seeing Gu Shengsheng's look of refusal, he quickly adopted a pitiful tone. "I'm an old man! My bones are about to fall apart! I have more than thirty different illnesses—bursitis, tendonitis, arthritis..."
"It's on your way anyway. Please, just help this old man out!"
'She knew he was deliberately playing the victim. She'd just seen the seventy-year-old moving as spryly as a young man, even carrying his own grandson.'
She could have refused, but she figured it wasn't a big deal.
"I'll travel on the same flight. I'm not taking responsibility for anything else."
"No problem, no problem!"
But when Gu Shengsheng actually saw the sharply dressed old gentleman at the airport, her composure vanished.
'How could she not recognize him? Wasn't this Zhao Dehai, the head of the Bureau of Cultural Relics?'
Gu Shengsheng stood frozen, wanting to turn and walk away, but the man spoke first. "So you're the genius Qin Guocheng told me about?"
"..." 'It would be a bit much to just admit to being a genius,' so Gu Shengsheng said nothing.
'As one of the Huaxia people, one had to be modest. You couldn't just admit to being a genius—you had to let them assume it.'
Zhao Dehai chuckled. "From the look on your face, I take it you've heard of me?"
"I've seen you on the news."
He burst out laughing.
"Let's go. I just came to pick up a batch of cultural relics. Most of it has been shipped ahead, but I'm carrying the most important piece on me. You're a young lady who doesn't know any martial arts, yet Qin Guocheng said to leave everything to you. He's really not a reliable man."
Gu Shengsheng was surprised. "Are you saying we might get robbed? Is that why you need martial arts?"
Zhao Dehai just smiled without saying a word.
Gu Shengsheng didn't dwell on it. "I'll only see you to Beijing City," she said. "I'm not responsible for anything else, especially not your cultural relics."
'Who was she to be responsible for the artifacts of these bigwigs? She valued her life too much for that.'
'In any case, Gu Shengsheng's primary principle was self-preservation.'
'If a robbery really did happen, it would have nothing to do with her.'
'If she just stayed quiet and acted like an idiot, with that clear yet foolish look in her eyes, the so-called robbers probably wouldn't even give her a second glance, right?'