After hearing what I said, Song Laosan quickly explained, "The things we took out are indeed old, but they don't have much historical value. They weren't taken from the tomb of any prince or nobleman; they were just burial items of a foreign monk."

"That's not right. Although these items were brought back from abroad, they originally came from the Tang Dynasty. The workmanship and style are from the early Tang Dynasty. This batch of goods meets the criteria of craftsmanship, research value, cultural value, historical value, and scarcity. Their collection value is very high."

I refuted Song Laosan's words, and then added, "I happen to have a few friends who like to collect antiques. You can keep this batch of goods for now, and I'll handle it myself when I get back to China. Don't worry, even if I leave on my own, you won't be shortchanged on your 'tea money' (a form of payment for the goods). You'll take 20% of the proceeds from the sale, as a way to cover the cost of transporting the goods back home."

I'm just bragging.

Tomb raiding is an extremely complex and systematic project. It involves observing the atmosphere to locate the tomb, determining the burial site, collecting soil samples, concealing the tomb raider's tunnel, and then using different methods depending on the type of tomb. After obtaining the funerary objects, how to leave safely and how to sell them safely are all matters of expertise. If any link in the chain goes wrong, it can lead to utter ruin.

Raw, unearthed goods are most vulnerable to being stolen and robbed. Even if you manage to sell them, if the buyer is unreliable, both the legitimate and criminal worlds will come after you and devour you completely.

Although I understand antique appraisal, I can't be considered an insider, nor do I know any collectors or dealers.

If they really kept that batch of goods, the only way to cash in would probably be to melt down the gold artifacts and sell them at the price of ordinary gold, which would be no different from begging for food while holding a golden bowl.

However, I didn't have much contact with Song Laosan, and my words successfully fooled him.

When he heard that I wanted to sell the goods myself, he immediately became anxious: "Xiao Duan, there is no precedent for this in the industry. There are rules in the antique business. I am currently selling this batch of goods, and no one else can get involved before the results are in. If you suddenly go against the grain, I will have no way to explain it. Moreover, the Song family is the one who sells the goods among the four families. I have already been more than generous by not giving the Qu family and the Wei family any money because you provided the goods!"

Seeing Song Laosan's tone, I knew he must have made a lot of money in the process: "Third Master, I never authorized you to sell these items."

"Xiao Duan, I admit that the price of this batch of goods is indeed a bit low, but I have my reasons! I've been abroad for so many years and have long lost contact with buyers in China. Now that I'm suddenly back, I have to use these presentable yellow goods to impress people. Selling them at a low price is also to win people over and do them a favor!"

Song Laosan cried pitifully, "How about this? We'll still sell this batch of goods at this price, and I'll only take 20% of the 'tea money'! Xiao Duan, we're brothers who've been through thick and thin together, you can't just watch me suffer, can you?"

It was only at that moment that I realized I was still too inexperienced.

At first, I thought Song Laosan was slick and cunning, but later events made me feel that he was very righteous, and my opinion of him kept changing.

But in fact, both his smooth-talking side and his righteous side are part of his personality.

Just as my grandfather told me, this line of work, in the end, is all about manipulating people's hearts.

Hearing Song Laosan constantly discussing things with me on the phone, I composed myself and said, "Fine, let's go with your price for this batch of goods, and you can still keep 40% of the 'tea money'."

I did this for a reason. For me, my father's whereabouts are far more important than money. Wei Shengnan and Qu Ruilin both harbor hatred towards me. In the end, only Song Laosan can be my teammate and help me find out some information that the other two sects don't want me to know.

The more than three million yuan I was able to get was a windfall for me, especially since I didn't have any distribution channels myself. My friendship with Song Laosan was also based on this.

Old Song was a quick-witted man and didn't refuse me: "Little Duan! I won't thank you for your kindness. Don't worry, I won't make money off you for nothing!"

I didn't dwell on the matter: "After the Wei family obtained the immortal scripture, what was their reaction?"

"Although I am a few years older than you, I am also a fourth-generation member like you. Grandpa Wei is an elder, how could I possibly have any access to his affairs?"

After a moment of contemplation, Song Laosan said, "Xiao Duan, I know that your cooperation with the Wei family this time is to investigate your father's affairs, but I really don't know much about this matter. You'll probably have to ask Old Master Wei about it! I can see that the Wei family really wants to reunite the four families this time, so you don't need to worry about their promises."

I thought for a moment and said, "I will contact the Wei family and ask to return to China as soon as possible. Let's talk about it when we meet."

"You're so badly injured this time, you should rest more."

"The reason I got injured was to find out the truth, otherwise I wouldn't be able to sleep soundly."

After ending the call with Song Laosan, I turned my gaze to Monkey: "Song Laosan sold the goods we brought out for six million. After deducting his 'tea money' (bribe), there's still three million six hundred thousand left. We'll split that money 50/50, each of us..."

“Young Master Duan, we were able to go abroad to raid tombs this time entirely thanks to you. I didn’t help much; at most, I was just an assistant. If we split the money in half, I’d feel guilty taking it!”

The monkey waved its hands repeatedly: "If you really want to give me a commission, just give me 100,000 or 200,000, that will be enough!"

The monkey made me laugh: "What, do you still think money is too hot to handle?"

"You get what you put in. I only take what I feel I'm worth. I don't feel at ease if I take more."

The monkey looked at me with a simple, honest expression and gave a completely different answer from Song Laosan: "Although I'm not as smart as you, I've been exposed to society earlier and have a wealth of experience. Over the years, I've seen countless examples of people turning against each other over money, and I don't want to end up like that with you. If you really want to help me, then take me out to see the world and teach me some skills to make a living. That way, I can earn my own money and spend it with confidence."

"Alright, I'll give you a third of this money. If you ever need money in the future, just ask me."

Although I'm used to a hard life, I'm not someone who's obsessed with money. After finalizing the profit-sharing ratio with Monkey, I said, "Pack your things, we're going back to China. I need to see the Wei family as soon as possible."

...

Three days later, my flight landed at Taoxian Airport.

Just as the monkey pushed my wheelchair away from the exit, Song Laosan came up to me with a bouquet of flowers: "Xiao Duan, welcome back to China."

"You've got me all confused about how to arrange this bouquet of flowers."

I accepted the flowers from Song Laosan, looked around, and realized that only he had come to greet me: "Where is everyone else?"

"When Grandpa Wei learned that you were back, he decided to hold a meeting of the four families. Qu Ruilin, that poker-faced guy, already disliked you, so naturally he couldn't come to pick you up. Wei Shengnan is the representative of the Wei family, and in order to balance the relationship between you, it's also inconvenient for her to come. However, she prepared a driver and vehicle for you. All things considered, I'm the only one who can come."

After the monkey took over my wheelchair, Song Laosan sighed, "Time flies. I remember the last time the four families gathered, my dad gave me a piece of candy and told me to wait outside. I never imagined that so many years later, I would be the head of the Song family. Sometimes I think life really is like an antique... the world changes so much!"

Sitting in my wheelchair, looking at the familiar airport, I didn't feel joy; instead, I felt heavy-hearted.

After surviving a near-death experience in India, I finally returned home, about to learn the whereabouts of my father and the secrets behind the disintegration of the four families.

And what kind of answer awaits me?

It is still unknown!