Little Pink Starfish

Su Wanting placed the wooden box on the table, her eyes carrying a flirtatious smile as she stared directly at Li Shu. “This is my show of sincerity.”

“What do you want?” Li Shu didn’t even glance at the box, his expression turning colder. “You set this trap just to lure us here.”

Su Wanting nodded. “That’s right. This entire auction was arranged for you, Brother Li Shu.” She glanced around the room and chuckled. “It’s really not as complicated as you think. There’s no need to be so hostile toward me. I’ve already said that we can collaborate for mutual benefit.”

The moment Zhang Qiu heard her call Li Shu “Brother Li Shu” in that syrupy tone, his head ached. Without thinking, he cut in, “Let’s put aside the question of cooperation for now. Miss Su, we don’t know you well—just call him Li Shu.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiapi Prince let out a low chuckle.

Zhang Qiu knew his Second Sister-in-law was teasing him, and though he felt embarrassed, he kept a straight face as if he were simply stating facts.

Fortunately, Li Shu didn’t embarrass him. With a cold tone, he said, “Miss Su, just call me by my name.”

Su Wanting’s confident smile faded in an instant. She glanced at Zhang Qiu, then suddenly curved her lips into another sweet smile. “It’s just a name. Li Shu, whatever you prefer me to call you, I’ll listen to you.”

Her tone was even stickier than before.

Zhang Qiu’s stomach twisted, but he didn’t want to argue over something so trivial. He got straight to the point. “Miss Su, let’s not waste time. How exactly do you want to cooperate? Just say it.”

Su Wanting didn’t want to speak to Zhang Qiu. In her eyes, he wasn’t worth engaging with—this entire setup had been for Li Shu. But after seeing how Li Shu seemed to side with Zhang Qiu just now, she had no choice but to suppress her frustration and put on a more businesslike attitude.

“You all know my father is an antiques dealer,” Su Wanting began. “But over a decade ago, he was actually a grave robber. This box was something he bought from an old associate.” She tapped the wooden box casually, as if revealing her father’s past meant nothing. Then, she changed the topic. “Do you know where this box came from?”

She paused, clearly waiting for Li Shu to respond.

Zhang Qiu, sensing her little trick, refused to take the bait. If you have something to say, just say it. Stop looking at Li Shu for a response.

The room fell into an awkward silence.

Su Wanting had always been admired wherever she went, thanks to her beauty and wealth. She had never been ignored like this. But in this group, aside from Pei Qing, every man here was either taken or uninterested.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she finally continued.

“My father’s associate found this box seven years ago in a burial pit in Changsha,” she said. “The pit wasn’t large—it was the tomb of an old gentryman. The only remarkable thing inside was a bizarre legend. My father, however, took it very seriously.”

She glanced around again, noticing that no one seemed particularly impressed. Annoyed, she continued in a more rigid tone, “The tomb was from the Eastern Han dynasty. When my father’s associate took this box from the corpse’s arms, he noticed that the tombstone had an inscription detailing a strange story.”

“In The Book of Later Han – Five Elements Annals, there’s a recorded legend. During the Eastern Han, a grave robber stole from the tomb of the servant of Fan, who was the son-in-law of Huo Guang. But that servant, who had been long dead, suddenly came back to life. The story was only briefly recorded, but it has survived through the ages. I’ve seen jiangshi before, but someone actually coming back to life? That’s pure nonsense. The servant buried in the Changsha tomb was supposedly that same man from the legend.”

“My father’s associate became more interested in the map found in the gentryman’s arms. He thought it might be related to the secret of resurrection. If he hadn’t been desperate, he never would have sold it to my father. My father has always been fascinated by these kinds of supernatural tales. He doesn’t believe in the idea of people rising from the dead, but that’s why we set up this meeting.”

Throughout her explanation, Su Wanting never once referred to her father’s associate as “Uncle” or anything affectionate. She spoke about resurrection with complete disdain—clearly, she was a firm believer in science.

Zhang Qiu couldn’t help but think of himself back in the day—he had been all about science and logic. Now, every time he entered a tomb, he was practically drowning in superstition.

“And how does this relate to your proposed deal?” Li Shu asked coldly.

“My father wants the servant’s corpse,” Su Wanting said, her tone clearly disgusted by the idea. “He believes this map holds a secret technique for resurrection. The site marked on the map requires two groups to enter at the same time.”

Su Wanting was confident that Li Shu would agree to these terms. She rested her chin on her hand, smiling playfully. “I’ve heard from some guy named Jin Laoda that you’re very skilled, Li Shu. But I didn’t expect you to be this good-looking.”

The moment Zhang Qiu heard her mention Jin Laoda, he felt sick. He was so grossed out that he forgot to snap at her flirting.

Jin Laoda’s horrifying image immediately surfaced in his mind—that jiangshi-eating lunatic should have been sealed inside the Shandong general’s tomb, yet he just kept coming back like a cockroach.

“When did you hear about Jin Laoda?” Xiapi Prince suddenly asked.

Clearly, Zhang Qiu wasn’t the only one haunted by nightmares of that guy.

Su Wanting tilted her head, thinking for a moment. “I don’t remember exactly… maybe half a month ago?”

Hearing that, Zhang Qiu let out a sigh of relief. At least Jin Laoda hadn’t escaped.

“Fine,” Li Shu said, agreeing to the deal.

Su Wanting stood up and handed the box to him. But instead of a business transaction, it looked more like a confession of love.

Zhang Qiu couldn’t stand it anymore. He coughed, and Li Shu, without hesitation, passed the box straight to Zhang Qiu’s arms.

Feeling the heat of Su Wanting’s envious gaze, Zhang Qiu immediately grabbed Li Shu’s arm and pulled him away.

If we stay any longer, I might actually get into a fight with a girl. This is all Li Shu’s fault for attracting trouble!

---

Back at Lu Feng’s house, Hua Hua was still at Yang Bao’s place, and Xiao Jiang was disappointed not to see his big brothers.

Zhang Qiu gave him a couple of kisses, and he quickly perked up again, curling up in Zhang Qiu’s pocket with just his little head peeking out.

“Judging from Su Wanting’s words, once we’re in the tomb, it’ll be every man for himself,” Lu Feng said.

This deal was already skewed against them. But given the circumstances, it actually worked to their advantage—Zhang Qiu believed that with Li Shu’s abilities, ordinary people wouldn’t stand a chance of taking the map from them.

“Give the box to your senior brother,” Li Shu said.

Zhang Qiu handed it over. “Sorry to trouble you, Senior Brother.”

“It involves me, too,” Hua Ting said casually. Seeing Lu Feng’s worried gaze, he added with a smile, “I’ll be careful. If I get tired, I’ll rest immediately.”

Lu Feng finally relented.

Now, their fates were tied together. Zhang Yu Shui’s resurrection depended on the Divine Vein. Li Shu wanted to repay Hua Ting for saving him in the past, which also meant finding a way to extend his life—likely through the Divine Vein.

What exactly was the Divine Vein? A person? Something else? No one knew, but it was crucial.

And to find it, they needed to piece together the map.

Whoever was behind this had planned everything meticulously.

And now, they were merely chess pieces on the board.

The map that Su Wanting provided fit perfectly with the one they had taken from the general’s tomb. Before long, they pinpointed the next location—Luoyang, Henan, an ancient capital with a long history.

Once the news was confirmed, Su Wanting’s side also finalized their preparations. The plan was to depart in a day, first heading to the gentryman’s tomb in Changsha before moving on to Luoyang.

However, on the night before their departure, Hua Ting suddenly fell ill.

They rushed him to the hospital. Outside the operating room, Lu Feng’s hands trembled—he was terrified that Hua Ting wouldn’t make it.

Zhang Qiu and Xiapi Prince also felt guilty. Hua Ting had always been in poor health, yet he had been pushing himself to analyze the maps for their expedition, exhausting himself to the point of collapse.

Li Shu placed a hand on Lu Feng’s shoulder and said, “You should stay behind this time.”

Lu Feng nodded. Right now, he only wanted to stay by Hua Ting’s side. He was afraid that if he left…

“He’ll be fine,” Li Shu’s voice was calm, but there was an undeniable sense of reassurance in it.

Hearing that, Zhang Qiu also calmed down.

At 11 p.m., the light above the operating room switched off.

The doctor stepped out and nodded. “His condition is much better than before. However, there’s still a bullet pressing against his heart. Surgery should be scheduled as soon as possible—don’t delay any longer.”

Since the hospital was owned by Lu Feng, there was no need for secrecy regarding the bullet.

That night, Lu Feng stayed at the hospital with Hua Ting while Zhang Qiu, Li Shu, and Xiapi Prince returned to the villa to prepare for departure.

---

Early the next morning, Pei Qing showed up at their door with his luggage.

“I’m coming with you guys,” he said. “Lu Feng’s my brother. If he’s in trouble, I’ll help.”

Li Shu had no objections. Pei Qing didn’t seem like an ordinary soldier—his skills were likely well above average.

They agreed to meet at the airport.

Zhang Qiu had assumed that Su Zhichai would hire a group of grave robbers to accompany them into the tomb. What he hadn’t expected was that Su Wanting herself would be joining.

She arrived dressed in a short dress, showing off her long legs, and stepped gracefully out of the car, removing her sunglasses before flashing a playful wink at Li Shu.

Zhang Qiu felt like his stomach was about to explode with jealousy.

Li Shu, amused, pulled Zhang Qiu close and, without hesitation, planted a kiss on him.

They were standing at the airport entrance, a place bustling with people.

Since Li Shu and Xiapi Prince were both exceptionally handsome, they had already drawn attention. Now, with this public display of affection, a crowd gathered. Some people even took out their phones to snap pictures, and others whistled and cheered.

When the kiss finally ended, Zhang Qiu’s face was as red as a cooked crab.

“In broad daylight, you—” He stopped mid-sentence when he caught Su Wanting’s jealous glare.

Instead of scolding Li Shu, he pretended to be calm and nodded approvingly. “Not bad.”

At least this way, they could nip the problem in the bud.

Having a bunch of girls pining after Li Shu all the time was not ideal.

Zhang Qiu had thought that after this, Su Wanting would finally give up. But he had underestimated her persistence. She continued to stick to Li Shu’s side, acting as if nothing had happened.

Even when Li Shu ignored her, she simply smiled and introduced the four men she had brought with her.

“My father hired these men. The older one is Ping Quan. The two brothers—the tall one is Da Liu, the short one is Xiao Liu. And the bald one… well, everyone just calls him ‘Baldy.’”

Ping Quan was in his forties, with dark skin and a fierce expression. He was tall and well-built, and he merely nodded in acknowledgment.

The Liu brothers looked similar—one was tall and chubby, the other short and skinny. They had broad foreheads and thick lips, their features blunt and unrefined.

Baldy, meanwhile, had a long, jagged scar running across his head, as if it had been burned. He was quiet and sullen.

When Su Wanting spoke, Baldy turned to look at her, and Zhang Qiu immediately felt uneasy—there was something off about the way he stared at her.

Su Wanting continued nonchalantly, “Baldy here is the one who sold my father the box.”

Zhang Qiu noticed that whenever she mentioned the box, Baldy’s gaze toward her darkened with an almost menacing glint.

Pretending not to see it, Zhang Qiu exchanged a look with Xiapi Prince. Both of them understood—they’d have to keep their guard up. These four didn’t seem trustworthy.

Li Shu, clearly annoyed by Su Wanting’s constant chatter, took Zhang Qiu’s hand and simply said, “Let’s board.”

---

Their plane landed at Changsha Airport, where a car was already waiting to pick them up. Two vehicles had been arranged—one for Su Wanting and her men, the other for Zhang Qiu’s group.

They drove straight to a rural area on the outskirts. Avoiding the main village roads, they headed directly toward the riverbank.

Ping Quan stepped out first, sweeping his flashlight over the dark water before turning to Baldy. “Is this the place?”

“It doesn’t look like it.” Baldy squinted at the river, then shook his head. “But it’s close. I need to take another look.”

Standing by the riverbank, Zhang Qiu overheard their conversation and turned to Li Shu with wide eyes.

Is the tomb underwater?!

“Seems like it,” Li Shu replied.

Just as they were discussing, Su Wanting got out of the car. She was wearing sportswear and carrying a flashlight as she walked toward them.

Zhang Qiu, already in a bad mood, was about to snap at her when—

“Ah!” Su Wanting suddenly stumbled, tripping over something.

Pei Qing quickly stepped forward to help.

Then, her flashlight beam hit the ground.

Su Wanting’s face went pale. “There… there are bones here!”