The entire dinner time

Although the old man's tone was unpleasant and cold.

However, they were not criticized.

After dinner

Bai Qianmo made an excuse and left the old house with Gu Jueye.

After getting into the car, she took out her phone and glanced at it.

A message caught her eye.

"Go to the pawn shop!"

Gu Jueye raised an eyebrow: "Have you reached an agreement?"

"Even if we can't reach an agreement, there are still ways to get in."

Gu Jueye smiled with interest: "Let's go, I'll go with you!"

Half an hour later

Bai Qianmo and Gu Jueye arrived at the pawnshop.

This is a two-story building, not very large in scale. The exterior is decorated with black bricks and white lines. A black plaque hangs on the central beam, with the name "Shi Pawnshop" written in large, golden characters in a flamboyant style.

It was already late at night, and under normal circumstances, the pawnshop would have been closed long ago.

At this moment, two lights were still on inside. Although it wasn't brightly lit, it still stood out conspicuously on this antique street.

The whole street was pitch black, without even a streetlight.

The houses are all century-old, bustling during the day, but eerie and mysterious at night.

As you step into the store, you are greeted by the aroma of antiques and calligraphy.

Opposite the entrance is a counter about half a person's height, with bulletproof glass on top and only a window about a foot long and wide.

This is where the shopkeeper usually checks the goods and talks with customers. There is a security door on the left, which is currently open, and you can vaguely hear people talking inside.

Gu Jueye glanced at Bai Qianmo and walked towards the door first.

Bai Qianmo followed closely behind.

Inside the door was a room full of ancient charm. At this moment, a group of people were sitting at a table, one of whom was tied up tightly.

Upon seeing Bai Qianmo and Gu Jueye enter, one of them stood up and walked over.

“Brother Ye! This person is the manager of Shi Pawnshop. According to him, he doesn’t know who their boss is. He usually contacts the big boss through a person with the code name 03. This is that person’s mobile phone number.”

Jiang Xiaoyu handed the phone number she had copied in her palm to Bai Qianmo.

"Have you made a phone call?"

"Not yet, for fear of alerting the enemy. This shopkeeper seems to genuinely not know who his boss is. Speaking of which, the owner of this pawnshop is quite mysterious. This shopkeeper has worked in his shop for almost thirty years, and the owner has never shown his face once."

Bai Qianmo looked at the shopkeeper. He looked to be in his fifties, thin and small. Perhaps because he was too thin, his cheeks were deeply sunken, making his face look sharp and monkey-like. He wore black-rimmed glasses and looked frail.

However, the eyes hidden behind the glasses gleamed with a sharp light when they looked at Bai Qianmo.

Bai Qianmo walked towards the table, and Gu Jueye followed her without saying a word.

The shopkeeper looked Bai Qianmo up and down.

"Did you order them to tie me up? Little girl, who are you? What's your name?"

The shopkeeper spoke with a hoarse voice, which sounded rather harsh.

When he saw Bai Qianmo, he was truly taken aback.

He had been wondering who had their eyes on Shi Pawnshop, and he knew quite a few of the big shots in Beijing's social circles.

But the pretty young girl in front of him, with an unfamiliar face, left him somewhat puzzled.

"Shopkeeper, have you ever heard of a kidnapper announcing their own identity?"

The shopkeeper chuckled and said, "Anyone who can break through the three major mechanisms of the pawnshop and crack my combination lock to get into the inner room can't be an ordinary kidnapper. Young lady, please state your affiliation so I can know whether you're after money or something else."

Jiang Xiaoyu chuckled twice: "I thought you were saying we were just after sex."

The shopkeeper chuckled as well: "Thirty years ago, I might have had this idea, but not now!"

"You're just bragging. Anyway, I wasn't even born thirty years ago, so I wouldn't have seen what you looked like."

"Hehe, little girl, I never brag. If you don't believe me, go open the cabinet on the left side of the room. There's a photo album in the third drawer with pictures of me when I was young."

Jiang Xiaoyu's interest was piqued, and she glanced at the shopkeeper suspiciously.

"Fine, I'm going to see how handsome you were when you were young. If you dare to lie to me, I'll shave your beard off."

"I'm tied up here right now, so I wouldn't dare lie to you."

Jiang Xiaoyu walked to the cabinet the shopkeeper had mentioned, reached out to open the door, and was about to open the third drawer as instructed by the shopkeeper when a voice sounded behind her.

"Don't move!"

Upon hearing Gu Jueye's voice, Jiang Xiaoyu quickly withdrew her hand.

Bai Qianmo glanced at Gu Jueye curiously.

Is there something wrong with that cabinet?

"This cabinet is a music box, isn't it?"

Upon hearing "Bayin Ge", the shopkeeper's expression suddenly changed.

His gaze was fixed on Gu Jueye.

"What is 'Bayin Ge'?" Jiang Xiaoyu asked curiously.

"It is a kind of intricately crafted mechanism of the Mohist school. The eight-tone grid can be large or small. In ancient times, this mechanism could be used to secretly transmit information. The vibration frequencies of the eight tones are different, and the sounds produced are different. Each mechanism hides a crystal ball in the dark. As long as the corresponding mechanism is triggered, the crystal ball will pop out, thus letting the companion know what kind of danger they have encountered."

Jiang Xiaoyu pondered for a while, then turned around and studied the cabinet.

"There are exactly eight drawers. Does that mean if I touch the third drawer, news will get out?"

"That's roughly the idea. Where there's a drawer with a musical scale, there must be a hidden compartment or secret room. The crystal ball will send messages through special channels they've established, so as soon as you open the drawer, the message will be sent out quickly. Shopkeeper, are we right?"