Chapter 248: How come this bracelet is in your hands?

Wang Xiaodao, despite trying to appear genial, couldn’t hide the ominous air beneath his gaze.

If it had been the Tang Feng of the past, being stared at by those eyes, he would probably stutter as he spoke.

But now he had the strength of a foe to a hundred, and having tested his power, his courage had substantially grown.

He calmly met Wang Xiaodao’s eyes, showing an innocuous smile, “Nothing much, we’re all neighbors here, just getting to know each other a bit.”

“My name is Tang Feng, you can just call me Tang,” he said, reaching out his hand first.

After a moment of hesitation, Wang Xiaodao eventually shook it.

His hand was very rough, with many calluses, slightly uncomfortable to the touch.

“I work at Mrs. Qin’s antique shop, what do you do for work, Brother Wang?” Tang Feng naturally took out a pack of Furong Wang cigarettes from his pocket, pulling one out and offering it to him.

Wang Xiaodao still wore a wary expression, but he accepted the cigarette nonetheless.

Tang Feng enthusiastically lit it for him, then lit one for himself.

“I… I just loiter around, don’t have a real job,” Wang Xiaodao dissembled with feigned indifference.

“Oh, I thought Brother Wang worked in tomb raiding,” Tang Feng said, shaking his head in feigned disappointment.

Tomb raiding was, of course, a euphemism for grave robbing.

For a stranger, who wasn’t particularly familiar, to immediately suggest someone was a tomb robber was obviously quite abrupt.

Wang Xiaodao’s face changed, and he scoffed coldly, “What do you mean by that?”

Tang Feng suddenly acted as if he realized he had said the wrong thing, hastily apologizing, “My apologies, Brother Wang, I saw you going out mostly at night and thought… Haha, just a joke.”

“Humph, are we that acquainted?” Wang Xiaodao said coldly, and was about to turn back to go upstairs.

“Ah, what a pity,” Tang Feng sighed lightly, shaking his head as if he was going to leave.

“What’s a pity?” Wang Xiaodao stopped again and looked back at him.

“Nothing, I originally… well, never mind, you wouldn’t be able to help anyway,” Tang Feng said, cutting himself off, playing the trick of arousing interest through half-disclosures.

As expected, Wang Xiaodao’s curiosity was piqued, and he walked back over, “If you have something to say, say it. Maybe I can help after all?”

Tang Feng shook his head with a sigh, “This favor, most people really can’t help with.”

“I had thought Brother Wang was in the tomb raiding business and might know some big bosses. But since you’re not, I guess you probably can’t help much.”

Having said that, he moved to continue downstairs.

Wang Xiaodao was getting impatient, “What’s with you, why can’t you just speak plainly?”

“Though I don’t raid tombs, I do know quite a few wealthy people, maybe I can be of help?”

Tang Feng hesitated for a moment, then looked around before lowering his voice to say, “I have an antique in my possession that I urgently need to sell, but I really can’t find a buyer.”

Wang Xiaodao watched him neutrally, “What kind of antique is it?”

Tang Feng looked back at him cautiously, wariness in his eyes.

Wang Xiaodao’s laughter erupted upon seeing his guard, “It’s inconvenient to talk here, come, sit in my room. I just bought some beer and snacks, let’s have a drink.”

“How about we skip the drink?” Tang Feng protested feignedly.

But in the end, he was half-pulled, half-dragged by Wang Xiaodao to his room.

Wang Xiaodao’s room was on the fourth floor, and upon entering, a strong scent of smoke was evident.

The room was sparsely furnished, with only a few pieces of furniture provided by the landlord and added only a bamboo mat and some toiletries.

From this, it was clear that the man had no intention of staying long.

“Brother Wang, don’t you buy some household goods for your home?” Tang Feng asked knowingly.

“Haha, men, you know, we’re not fussy. Since it’s just me, I can’t be bothered to make the effort,” Wang Xiaodao laughed heartily, as if he were a man without a care in the world.

Tang Feng silently chuckled to himself, but outwardly, he appeared indifferent, “Brother Wang, you’re married, aren’t you? Didn’t your wife come with you?”

As Wang Xiaodao was taking things out of a plastic bag, he answered with a sheepish smile, “With my financial situation, living meal to meal, which woman would want to be with me?”

While speaking, he took out two cans of beer from the plastic bag, “Come on, Mr. Tang, have a drink with your brother.”

Tang Feng took the beer, took a sip, and then chatted idly with him, intentionally avoiding the topic of antiques.

After holding back for a while, Wang Xiaodao couldn’t help but ask, “So, Mr. Tang, that antique you mentioned earlier, what exactly is it?”

Tang Feng took a sip of beer and gnawed on a chicken claw, speaking mysteriously, “I have to tell you, this is strictly between us, if word gets out, I am done for…”

“I understand, I understand. Rest assured, I won’t blab,” Wang Xiaodao reassured him repeatedly.

Tang Feng played coy a little longer, and just when Wang Xiaodao was about to lose his patience, he finally changed his tone, “It’s a bracelet.”

“A bracelet? What kind of bracelet?” Wang Xiaodao’s action of drinking paused, his curiosity piqued as he looked at him.

“It’s a bracelet from the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, said to have been worn by Empress Ma.”

“Empress Ma?”

Wang Xiaodao slowly put down his beer, his eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty as he looked at him, “How did you end up with this bracelet?”

Tang Feng feigned surprise, “Brother Wang knows about this bracelet too?”

Wang Xiaodao realized he might have overreacted, and quickly laughed it off, “How would I know about it?”

“But I’ve heard of Empress Ma before, they used to show her in the TV dramas, I guess that bracelet must be worth quite a bit, huh?”

Tang Feng nodded, “Yeah, exactly why it’s hard to find a buyer. It’s such a worry.”

“Let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s drink,” he continued.

Wang Xiaodao was itching with curiosity, almost wishing Tang Feng would just spill everything.

But fearing he might arouse Tang Feng’s suspicion, he reluctantly joined him for another round of drinks.

Eventually, he couldn’t resist asking again, “Actually, I do know a few rich people, I could maybe make some introductions for you.”

“Really?”

Tang Feng’s eyes suddenly lit up, but they quickly dimmed again, “No, that won’t do, this bracelet is not ordinary valuable, the average rich person can’t afford it.”