After the auction, Chen Yong signed the transfer documents with a satisfied smile. Four items, wrapped in elegant boxes, were handed over by uniformed assistants: the book, the amulet, the ceramic piece, and the broken pot.
Li Wei stood silently, arms crossed, his brow tight. He said nothing.
Chen Yong held the boxes like trophies, walking confidently through the last murmurs of the hall. His goal was clear: Bai Xue.
She stood alone by an ivory display, gazing at a fragment of ancient painting. Her expression didn't change. Not when she saw him approach. Not when he stopped in front of her.
"Bai Xue," he said, lifting the items. "They're yours. I got them for you."
She looked at him. Just once. Then turned back to the display.
"Why would you do that?"
"Because you wanted them."
"I didn't," she replied calmly. "I was just observing."
"But you were bidding—"
"Watching isn't the same as wanting, Chen Yong. That's something you should learn."
The young master stood frozen, arms full of things, while a few assistants pretended not to stare.
Finally, Bai Xue turned to face him. Her eyes were clear. Cold.
"You don't understand me. You don't understand art, or silence. Or anything. You only understand spectacle. And now… you've become part of one."
With that, she turned and walked away with soft steps, never looking back.
A few stifled laughs cut through the air.
Chen Yong didn't move. He didn't even breathe.
Li Wei approached slowly.
"You should leave the objects here. You've made enough noise."
Chen Yong clenched his teeth, silent. But his hands were shaking. The boxes felt like lead.
And in that moment, he finally understood—what he'd lost… could never be bought.
Chen Yong clenched his fists. Bai Xue's words still echoed in his head like stones inside an empty box.
He was about to scream. To break something. To smash the items on the floor, as if destroying them might erase the humiliation.
"Don't," warned Li Wei, already sensing the disaster coming.
And then—the lights went out.
The entire hall was swallowed in sudden darkness. There were no screams. Just a dense silence, broken only by the rustle of fabric, soft footsteps… and the appearance of three hooded figures.
They emerged from the shadows with inhuman fluidity. They didn't strike at random. They went straight for the artifacts.
Li Wei didn't hesitate.
"Drop them!" he shouted, pushing Chen Yong back.
But the young master froze. The boxes trembled in his hands.
"Chen Yong! Let them go!"
Nothing.
Li Wei turned just in time to intercept the first shadow. A blade flashed in the dark. He blocked with his forearm, but the impact jolted through his entire body.
The other two intruders were already flanking the hall, searching. They moved like silent predators.
Li Wei couldn't be everywhere at once.
"Damn it," he muttered. "Move, Yong!"
The only response: a step back and more shaking.
Li Wei had no choice. He moved forward alone—a living shield.
The second attacker lunged.Li Wei met him barehanded. No time to think.
Everything became reflex.Strikes.Darkness.