Imperial Treasure

Chapter 637 - 414 Rongwei Armor, Human Skin!

--------

Who was that extravagantly wasteful person? Among those present, very few actually guessed it, at least not for now. Fu Ling and the others weren’t new to this world. A person capable of such a grand display must have significant backing. Recklessly clinging to someone’s coattails could easily offend, so they must take things slowly.

Therefore, there were no objections to Yi receiving Misty the Pearl. However, Mr. Fei and Sherlock felt quite conflicted. Happy? Very happy, but also eerily weird...

The higher-ups wanted Misty the Pearl, but it was a personal gift to Yi. If it had to be handed over...

Misty the Pearl was brought to a room, where Yi placed it on a table without saying anything.

After hanging up the phone, Sherlock said to Yi with a laugh, "The boss’s idea is to first use it for research, and as for what comes after..."

"Hmm."

Yi seemed indifferent, but it was this attitude that slightly darkened Sherlock’s gaze.

If it had been any other member, not just an object, even their life belonged to the organization. But Yi was different, more like a senior employee in a company, where even the boss must consider their personal desires, otherwise the organization would eventually fall apart due to dissent...

"If it turns out to be of no research value, it’s just a jade pendant, and will be returned to you," Sherlock said, causing Mr. Fei’s gaze to flicker, suggesting Yi’s importance to the organization was not low...

While Yi remained indifferent, on the other hand, Gong Jiu and the others were in complete disarray.

"What’s going on here?"

"That old man is too powerful."

"Sui Yi, did you do this?"

Xu Zhengmao felt like he knew too much, starting with Misty the Pearl...

He should have avoided this earlier. Now he always felt he had entered a bizarre circle, like when Gong Jiu asked Sui Yi how he managed that...

"What do you mean by ’do’?" Sui Yi retorted to Gong Jiu.

"Well, that compass, how come it just..."

"If I were to explain in detail, you wouldn’t understand," Sui Yi said dismissively, taunting, "You foolish mortals."

Even Yhan Qingwu laughed, "What about a more general explanation?"

"Fate."

Nonsense~ Gong Jiu puffed his cheeks, rolling his eyes, "Since when did you know this technique? Don’t tell me you learned it from reading books again..."

"Last night."

"Last night?"

"While reading a book last night."

Xu Zhengmao watched as Gong Jiu, who could tear apart China with either martial or debate skills, was infuriated by Sui Yi’s brief words till his eyes nearly popped out... (Some say the auction setting doesn’t fit, I just want to say if everything we see from ordinary realities is how we judge urban novels, then all contemporary urban writers would be unemployed~ What I write is urban light fantasy, not historical drama~~ and not all auctions are the same, my depiction of the auction isn’t a traditional official charity dinner, the rules are different~~~~PS: Real-world philanthropists donating hundreds of millions for charity isn’t unheard of, don’t think too poorly of everyone~ At least I think the billionaire Bill is decent~).

At this moment, the auctioneer below turned into Zheng Yu, who first officially summarized the previous auction and "games," then announced, "The items in everyone’s hands have been successfully sold. In line with the spirit of this charity auction, the total amount from donated goods sold for 54.67 million, and the non-donated goods auctioned off amount to three hundred and fifty million seven hundred and eighty-eight thousand at the earlier set rate of twenty percent as donation amount... Both portions of the funds will be entrusted to the Capital City Love Foundation for use to help disaster victims.... After this, Duke Zheng’s Mansion will fully record the fund’s actual operations and timely hand over the management to all participants for supervision and auditing..."

A donation of over four hundred million, although not as high as the double-digit billions seen abroad, was still an impressive sum coming from an auction initiated by Duke Zheng’s Mansion. Originally, some thought it would be good to reach one hundred million.

Yet, it turned out to be four times that. Both officials and the TV station were very pleased; indeed, this live broadcast was quite risky—if the total donated funds turned out too low, the outside public opinion would sound terrible... Perhaps it was the live broadcast that encouraged these wealthy individuals to open their wallets...

No matter their inner thoughts, these people were outwardly very happy at this moment, with many clapping, although Wang Feng seemed less pleased and Qiao Yu’s expression was somewhat forced.

She felt uneasy. The compass had clearly pointed at her, yet Wang Feng unjustly blocked her path... Although it ended up being a mistake, it still gnawed at her.

Why could some women effortlessly receive treasures worth five hundred million while she...

Under the bright surface, human hearts were like dark currents.

Just when many thought it was time to leave, Elder Zheng stepped onto the balcony and said, "Everyone, please hold a moment, the auction isn’t over yet."

Huh?

What’s going on, is there more to auction?

"What we’re going to auction next is an item I acquired thirty years ago."

These people were keen observers and immediately knew something was up.

An item reserved for the finale must surpass Misty the Pearl in value, otherwise Duke Zheng would lose face.

And considering it wasn’t in the original plan, curiosity outweighed everything for everyone involved.

Old Master laughed gruffly, "Old Man Zheng, you’re not thinking of bringing out that long-hidden treasure, are you?"

"It’s like you really know me~" Duke Zheng smiled and replied, "Exactly, the Rongwei Armor" (I made this up, don’t bother googling it).

Rongwei Armor! A famous armor from the Han Dynasty, worn by a commander whose military feats were legendary. It was said that whoever wore this armor would possess invincible power in battle. The legend was further mystified by the armor’s resistance to decay and rust. Successive emperors sought the Rongwei Armor to solidify the military’s loyalty across the dynasty, and to the soldiers, obtaining it was a matter of great honor and ambition.

"Recorded history shows that several emperors from the Tang and Song dynasties had obtained the Rongwei Armor. During the upheavals of different dynasties, it repeatedly fell into the hands of civilians. The last recorded time it appeared was during the Later Tang period, owned by a martial arts master. This master was later hunted by the Imperial Court along with other martial artists, his fate unknown, having vanished without a trace..."

Xu Zhengmao saw once again how knowledgeable his boss was, narrating the origins of the Rongwei Armor as if he had witnessed them first-hand...

"This Rongwei Armor seems to have quite the background, much more so than Misty the Pearl. Calling it an imperial regalia wouldn’t be an exaggeration," he said.

"Indeed," Sui Yi nodded, glancing at Duke Zheng, "but such items are much more dangerous than Misty the Pearl. The latter is jade, which nurtures those who possess it. Even if it harbors evil spirits, it usually does not harm the owner. The Rongwei Armor, however, is steeped in bloodshed. Its previous owners were often embroiled in endless slaughter, making it a beacon of malevolence. Prolonged contact can easily corrupt one’s mind..."

This sounded somewhat superstitious, but there were numerous legends of ominous relics both domestically and abroad, such as the King’s Dagger from Hungary, which heralded the ruin and identical gruesome deaths of all its bearers—no laughing matter indeed.

As a result, Xu Zhengmao and others felt a chill, but those below were becoming even more agitated.

Unlike the King’s Dagger, which was notorious for its deadly lore, the Rongwei Armor carried the essence of imperial authority, sparking intrigue among many high-ranking officials present.

As he spoke, Duke Zheng produced a remote control and pressed a button.

The platform that initially held the auction items began to descend, revealing that it was a mechanical mechanism. As it descended, a large bulletproof glass display case rose, showing a dark-red and black armor hanging on a cross-shaped stand. One glance was enough to reveal its majestic nature...

"It’s been hundreds of years, and the color is still so vivid... Truly a treasure!"

"Yes, and it’s still dripping blood..."

"What about this patch of dark fur..."

The conversation of the two came to a sudden stop, followed by dozens of shrieking voices!

Gong Jiu and others were dumbstruck, while Sui Yi stared at the imposing armor. At the collar of the armor was a tuft of hair, covering... underneath, inside the armor, was a complete set of... human skin.

A complete, blood-drenched skin.

Fitting neatly on the cruciform stand, with a little blood dripping beneath...

The lights were brilliant, the glass was clear, that scene starkly assaulting everyone’s psyche.

In the first second, the people were terrified.

In the second second, they suspected that it was a prank from Duke Zheng’s Mansion.

In the third second, everyone was horrified! This was no prank!

The facial features were unmistakable...

"It’s him!"

"Oh my God!..."

After a stunned pause, the photographers were quickly stopped by others nearby who turned off the cameras...

It was Duke Zheng’s Mansion staff! Zheng Yu reacted swiftly, having already instructed people to turn off the cameras.

God, if this were broadcast live...

The entire society would be in turmoil!

This could be one of the most horrific cases since the founding of the nation!

And unimaginably foul.

At the TV station, it was total chaos. "Quick, cut off the live feed, it was broadcast? Just say there was a glitch in the screen... Never mind, just go with that," the director said, sweating profusely, acting on reflex, and then quickly making calls...

At Duke Zheng’s Mansion, Sui Yi stood by the railing, looking down at the Rongwei Armor... and the human skin inside it.

"Is it really human skin?" Lin Yun’s hands were shaking, Xu Zhengmao put his hand on her shoulder, instinctively glancing at Sui Yi.

All the experience learned from Wall Street was useless here!

And Xu Zhengmao’s expression was complicated... very complicated.

The dead person was...

"Hmm," Sui Yi tapped his finger on the railing, his eyebrows furrowed.

"The situation is quite serious, I think we need to consider how to extricate ourselves first," Yhan Qingwu said gravely.

Sui Yi nodded, thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Pu Qinghan."

This is bad!

The lady is in an unfortunate situation! (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)