Otherworldly Merchant

One month after the fatty was burned to death, Li Mazi returned from the United States. Looking at his glowing face, I knew that his son’s operation had gone well.

He told me that his son’s bone marrow transplant was successful, but that he’d spent almost all his money. So, he could only bring him back to China to continue the treatment.

After a while, asked me, “Did you seal any deals while I was away?”

I told him about the Myriad Corpses Lamp, and he immediately inquired, “How much did you make from that deal?”

I was rendered speechless. Couldn’t this guy think of anything else besides money?

I decided to ignore him.

Li Mazi saw that I didn’t feel like replying, so he didn’t ask again.

In the evening, he came over to my place with wine and food.

I was happy for him, so I drank more than usual. When I couldn’t resist anymore, I lay on the table and fell asleep. 

When I woke up the next day, I had to pass quite some time vomiting in the toilet.

It was at that time that I heard someone knocking on the door.

I frowned. It’s just 6 AM, so who’d be knocking on my door this early? Is it a customer?

It had been a month since I last did business, so I was looking forward to some work.

I wasn’t really in need of money, but I was very curious when it came to otherworldly items; it was almost like an addiction. I wonder if it was due to the things my father and grandfather had taught me when I was younger...

I opened the door and saw a middle-aged man standing at the entrance. He was wearing a tuxedo with a nice bow tie, and there was a Rolls Royce parked behind him. He resembled the butler of a wealthy family.

“Excuse me, are you Mister Zhang?” asked the man.

I nodded at him.

“In that case, please follow me,” said the butler. “Someone wants to see you.”

"Who?"

“You’ll know when we get there.” The butler smiled. “It’s a big job, I dare say.”

Li Mazi also woke up. Seeing the Rolls Royce Phantom outside, he gasped. “I’m gonna get rich again!”

I knew that I couldn’t afford to offend any rich families, so I gritted my teeth and got into the car with Li Mazi.

The butler brought us to an entertainment club in the city center. 

Seeing the club, I started to become nervous. The place was only 500 meters away from the local government building. Money alone wasn’t enough to open a club in this super expensive area; one needed to have a certain influence or backing.

Who’s the other party...?

I was growing increasingly anxious.

The interior of the club was incredibly lavish with gold-plated ceilings, red carpets, diamond-studded walls... those who could enter this place were all celebrities. Li Mazi and I were dressed like beggars in comparison, and we immediately attracted the attention of the other guests.

The butler brought us to a luxurious private room and told us to wait there before leaving.

Li Mazi was overwhelmed by the lavish decorations. He looked and touched everything, wishing that he could also live in such a beautiful place.

I didn’t have the mood to enjoy the view and asked him, somewhat worried, “Who do you think wants to see us? Why did they decide to meet us in this place? Is it someone related to the Longquan Villa...?”

Maybe I was being paranoid, but the Longquan Villa was very powerful, to the point that even the man in the Kumamon t-shirt was scared of them. I had to constantly be on the alert.

Li Mazi smiled and hinted for me to calm down. “If the Longquan Villa had wanted to deal with you, they would’ve dispatched their assassins already. Why would they invite you to this lavish place?”

Well, he has a point. I calmed down and kept an eye on the entrance, wondering who’d step into the room next.

When the door was pushed open, a familiar figure appeared before my eyes.

It was the man in the Kumamon t-shirt!

He was as cold as usual, and even if he was in such a worldly place, his lotus-like and detached appearance made my eyes brighten.

I stood up in excitement. “You’re also here?”

He faintly smiled at me, warming my heart despite his stiff smile.

Li Mazi grinned and greeted him as well. “Brother, long time no see. I just came back from the States, and I have a gift for you.” 

Then, he took out an iPhone from his bag, giving it to the man in the Kumamon t-shirt. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you using a mobile phone. So, I decided to get you one.” 

The mysterious man glanced at him and didn’t decline. He even politely nodded at Li Mazi. 

I glared at Li Mazi. This guy really knows how to earn someone’s favor! Still, why have I never received such a gift?! 

“They invited you as well?” I asked the man in the Kumamon t-shirt.

He shook his head and said, “I’m the one who invited you here.”

“What? You invited me here?” I was startled. I didn’t expect him to be this influential.

He’d invited us to this lavish place where only the rich could enter... and here I thought he was a Daoist priest that had left behind worldly pleasures!

However, what he said next made me return to my senses. 

He’d invited us here because he needed our help!

The mysterious man had received a commission from the boss of the entertainment club, who had a son born with congenital blindness.

The boss got wind that there was a ‘corpse pearl’ with the ability to treat his son’s illness. Therefore, he’d spent a huge sum to invite the mysterious man from Hong Kong to help him find this pearl.

I also knew about the item, and it wasn't easy to find or buy. 

To put it bluntly, it was the eye of a dead person.

Of course, it couldn’t be the eye of a random corpse. It had to be the eye of someone that had been dead for hundreds or thousands of years.

In addition, the body had to be preserved in a mummified state, because only then would the eyes not rot but harden, gradually becoming solid.

It was extremely difficult to find a several hundred year old, let alone thousand year old tomb in China that had a mummified corpse stored inside. If we carelessly dug up an evil spirit, we’d all lose our lives. 

I looked at the mysterious man, somewhat worried. “Did you accept the commission?” 

The man in the Kumamon t-shirt kept silent for a short moment before saying, “I had no choice but to accept. A certain organization is also involved in this matter, and if the corpse pearl were to fall into their hands, things would end badly for you.” 

 “What? Things would end badly for me?” I was startled and couldn’t help but ask.

He nodded and explained, “Yes, you heard it right. After the jade lamp went missing, the Longquan Villa mobilized all of their resources to look for the corpse pearl…”

“But, what does that have to do with me? Why should I care if they’re looking for the corpse pearl?” I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. 

The mysterious man didn’t reply and lifted the hem of my shirt so that Li Mazi could see my back. 

Li Mazi immediately cried out, “Holy shit! Little Brother Zhang, what are those things on your back?” 

His reaction scared me, and I hurried to ask, “Why? What did you see?”

Li Mazi said while shaking, “Y-You’ve got two big eyes on your back. Fuck, they’re disgusting…”

What?

I felt my scalp go numb. I quickly found a mirror and used it to check my back. 

Sure enough, there were two strange ‘eyes’ growing on my back!

There were two lumps on each side of my spine that looked rather similar to human eyes. Therefore, at first glance, people might mistake them for eyes.

After the man in the Kumamon t-shirt had made me notice the eyes, I felt a strange itch on my back. I raised my hand and went to scratch it. 

However, the mysterious man stopped me from touching the ‘eyes’ on my back. “If the eyes get damaged, you’ll die.” 

I started sweating and hurriedly asked, “W-What’s happening?”