As soon as I put it on, I met a sickly man

The old scholar pushed the heavy glasses on his nose. The dim light shone on his wrinkled face, reflecting an inexplicable solemnity.

He stroked the words on the pages that were twisting like tadpoles over and over again, muttering to himself, but he could never decipher the meaning.

"Strange... Really strange... I have studied ancient characters for decades, but I have never seen such strange symbols..." He sighed and put the book down dejectedly.

The feeling of disappointment spread like a plague.

Ding Chen clenched his fists, Xiaoxuan's face lost its former radiance, General Lin paced back and forth irritably, and even the usually stern Yingfeng couldn't help but frown.

At this time, the mysterious businessman who had been silent rubbed his hands, with greed flashing in his eyes.

"Sir," he said, leaning in front of Ding Chen, "this book is so mysterious, I'm sure it must contain some shocking secrets. How about... selling it to me? I'm willing to pay a high price!"

Ding Chen glanced at him coldly and said, "Not for sale."

The mysterious businessman refused to give up. "Sir, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! The words in this book are incomprehensible, and in your hands they are just a pile of waste paper. Why not exchange them for real money? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"I said I won't sell it." Ding Chen's tone was firm and left no room for doubt.

The mysterious businessman's eyes rolled and a plan came to mind.

He raised his voice and sighed with feigned regret, "Alas, what a pity! Such a precious treasure is going to be wasted. Sir, you are so stubborn, could it be that... you want to keep the treasure for yourself?"

When these words came out, everyone was stunned.

The originally harmonious atmosphere suddenly became subtle.

Xiaoxuan looked at Ding Chen worriedly. General Lin also stopped and looked back and forth between Ding Chen and the mysterious businessman with suspicion.

Ding Chen sneered in his heart, thinking that this businessman's tricks were too crude.

"If I wanted to keep it for myself, why would I show it to others?"

"Who knows..." The mysterious businessman smiled sarcastically, "People's hearts are hidden in their stomachs. You can only know a person's face but not his heart..."

Xiaoxuan stood out, her almond-shaped eyes slightly narrowed, carefully examining the words on the ancient book.

A sense of familiarity came over her heart. These tadpole-like characters were somewhat similar to the sacrificial characters she had seen in an ancient medical book!

That medical book was obtained by her master by chance. It contained some unusual and strange prescriptions and rituals, including the sacrificial texts of this ancient tribe.

"Wait," Xiaoxuan pointed to a symbol on the page and said, "I seem to have seen this symbol somewhere..." She recounted her memories of the ancient medical book, and everyone's spirits lifted after listening. A hint of vitality seemed to be injected into the originally dead air.

The old scholar rubbed his hands together excitedly, looking at Xiaoxuan with admiration: "This young lady has excellent eyesight! These characters are indeed similar to the sacrificial characters of ancient tribes! I am so old and blurry that I didn't even notice the clue!"

The mysterious businessman's face changed. He originally wanted to take this opportunity to sow discord, but he didn't expect to be seen through by Xiaoxuan. He cursed "bad luck" in his heart.

He coughed dryly, trying to hide his embarrassment: "I see... It seems I was worrying too much..."

With Xiaoxuan's discovery, the old scholar rekindled his fighting spirit.

Based on the clues provided by Xiaoxuan and his own knowledge, he began to interpret the ancient books word by word.

As the interpretation deepened, the old scholar's expression became more and more excited. Sometimes he frowned, sometimes he clapped his hands in admiration, as if he was in a wonderful world.

Everyone held their breath and watched the old scholar's every move nervously, afraid of missing any details.

However, just when the interpretation was about to be completed, the old scholar suddenly stopped, and the excitement on his face was gradually replaced by solemnity.

He pointed to a blank space on the page and said in a trembling voice, "Here... here... a part of the text is missing!" Everyone hurried forward and saw that there was indeed an obvious blank space on the page, as if it had been deliberately erased.

The fire of hope that had just been ignited was instantly extinguished by a basin of cold water, and the feeling of disappointment once again enveloped everyone's hearts.

"How could this happen..." Xiaoxuan murmured to herself, her eyes full of disbelief.

The old scholar sat dejectedly in his chair and sighed, "It seems that this is God's will..."

Seeing Xiaoxuan's somewhat lost expression, Ding Chen gently held Xiaoxuan's hand and patted the back of her hand. His gentle yet firm strength silently conveyed encouragement.

Xiaoxuan felt Ding Chen's support, looked up at him, and their eyes met. No words were needed, trust and love flowed between them.

This warm power cheered Xiaoxuan up, and an eternal light of hope flashed in her eyes.

At this moment, the mysterious businessman who had been hiding in the corner with a sullen face became angry and humiliated. He spat viciously and secretly ordered several ferocious thugs he hired to rush in and snatch the books.

The thugs were like wolves and tigers, waving their weapons and rushing towards the crowd while shouting.

"Protect the ancient books!" General Lin roared and rushed into the crowd first, waving the long sword in his hand with great vigor. Each move was filled with the force of thunder, making it difficult for the thugs to resist.

He was a veteran and experienced fighter, with ruthless and precise moves. After a few rounds, he knocked down several thugs.

Ying Feng shuttled between the thugs like a ghost. The dagger in his hand flashed with a breathtaking cold light from time to time. Every move he made was extremely precise. New wounds kept appearing on the thugs' bodies, and wailing sounds came one after another.

Even though the thugs were numerous and powerful, they gradually felt overwhelmed by the joint attack of General Lin and Yingfeng, and were defeated step by step. However, they still fought stubbornly, trying to find an opportunity to snatch the ancient books.

In the chaos, the mysterious businessman saw that his men were defeated, his eyes turned, and a plan came to his mind.

He took advantage of everyone's unpreparedness and secretly tore a page from the ancient book with lightning speed, then turned and fled towards the door.

By the time everyone noticed him, he had already disappeared into the night.

Although they eventually defeated all the thugs, a crucial page of paper was lost, which made the interpretation of the ancient book more difficult and plunged everyone into a deeper mystery.

And what conspiracy does the mysterious businessman have with that piece of paper?

He smiled grimly and held the paper tightly in his hand. "This thing is priceless..."