Chapter 22

Suo Etu, Lin Yi, and Wei Xiaobao bowed to each other eight times, then stood up and burst into laughter.

All three had their own ulterior motives, and none of them was truly sincere during the ceremony.

Lin Yi was secretly delighted, never expecting that he would one day form a brotherhood, and with Wei Xiaobao and Suo Etu, no less!

After bowing eight times, they were now sworn brothers!

Suo Etu laughed and said, "Brothers, we are now sworn brothers, closer than blood. If you need any help in the future, just speak up, no need to be polite."

Lin Yi smiled and said, "Sure! We are brothers, so there's no need to be polite."

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, "Needless to say! Since I came out of my mother's womb, I've never understood what 'politeness' means!"

The three of them laughed heartily again.

Suo Etu said, "Brothers, we mustn't tell anyone about our sworn brotherhood, to avoid others being wary of us. According to court rules, we as outer officials cannot be too close to you inner officials. As long as we know in our hearts, that's enough."

Lin Yi nodded and said, "That's right."

Wei Xiaobao also said, "Right, right! Like a mute eating dumplings, we know in our hearts."

Suo Etu, seeing their quick wit and understanding, was even more pleased. He said, "Brothers, in front of others, I will still call you E Gonggong and Gui Gonggong, and you can call me Suo Daren. In a few days, come to my house, and I will treat you to wine and opera. We can have a good time together."

"Great!" Lin Yi's eyes lit up, and this time he genuinely agreed.

When the time comes to go to Suo Etu's house, he could start a live stream, putting on a live show of a grand Qing dynasty opera, and earn a lot of gifts!

The audience would at most think he had hired some extras.

Unless he showed the entire panoramic view of Beijing, few would believe he had really traveled through time.

Wei Xiaobao was also delighted. Though he didn't drink much, the word "opera" was more appealing to him than anything else. He clapped and laughed, "Wonderful, wonderful! I love opera. When is it?"

The salt merchants of Yangzhou lived extravagantly. Whenever there was a wedding, a birthday, or any celebration, they would often put on several days of opera.

Wei Xiaobao, when such days came, would naturally be busy running around the stage, watching the free performances. People, being in a festive mood, wouldn't take him, a little rascal, seriously and would often invite him to eat a bowl of rice, with a few large pieces of meat piled high on top.

Mentioning "opera" made his heart bloom with joy.

Suo Etu laughed and said, "Since you like it, I will invite you often. Whenever you have free time, just let me know."

He paused and added, "Brothers, you have been promoted to chief eunuchs and are now very close to the Emperor. You can leave the palace at will, and no one will dare to stop you."

Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.

Lin Yi was slightly taken aback, realizing that as a chief eunuch, he now had the right to leave the palace freely!

He was somewhat amused and frustrated, realizing how much he still needed to learn about the Qing dynasty's rules and customs.

Suo Etu then affectionately took their hands and said, "Let's go to Ao Bai's room to pick some treasures."

The three returned to Ao Bai's room. Suo Etu carefully examined the items taken from the underground chamber and asked, "Brothers, which ones do you like?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "I don't know which ones are the most valuable. You pick for me."

Lin Yi nodded, indicating the same. Except for the white jade bracelet, he didn't understand the rest.

Suo Etu laughed and said, "Alright!" He picked up two strings of pearls and a jade horse carved from emerald, saying, "These two pieces of jewelry are very valuable. Brothers, take them."

Lin Yi took the jade horse. Jade is a type of stone, and over 95% of the world's gem-quality jade comes from Myanmar.

Generally, when people talk about Chinese jade, they refer to Hetian jade. The difference between Chinese jade and Myanmar jade is essentially the difference between soft jade and hard jade.

Lin Yi, having some knowledge, wasn't very familiar with jade but thought that since it was part of Ao Bai's collection, it should be good.

Wei Xiaobao took the two strings of pearls and put them in his pocket.

He then picked up a dagger, feeling its weight. The dagger, including the handle, was only about a foot and two inches long, but it was as heavy as a regular long sword or saber, encased in a sharkskin sheath.

Wei Xiaobao drew the dagger and felt a cold chill, his nose tingling, and he sneezed. When he looked at the dagger, the blade was as black as ink, with no luster.

He had thought that since Ao Bai kept this dagger in the treasure chamber, it must be a valuable weapon, but it looked so ugly, like a wooden knife, and he was somewhat disappointed.

He casually threw it to the side, but heard a light "swoosh" as the dagger embedded itself in the floor, up to the hilt.

Wei Xiaobao and Suo Etu both exclaimed in surprise, while Lin Yi's eyes flickered slightly, showing no reaction.

He knew this was the dagger Wei Xiaobao would later use for self-defense, a valuable weapon that saved his life many times.

Wei Xiaobao, throwing it casually, hadn't used any force, yet the dagger had embedded itself in the floor, and its sharpness was astonishing, as if it had pierced through mud.

"This short blade is quite unusual," Wei Xiaobao said, bending down to pull it out.

Suo Etu, knowledgeable, said, "It seems to be a valuable weapon. Let's test it."

He took a saber from the wall, drew it, and held it horizontally, saying, "Brother, use the short blade to strike this saber."

Wei Xiaobao raised the dagger and struck the saber. With a "swish," the saber broke into two pieces.

Both of them exclaimed, "Great!" The dagger was undoubtedly a rare and valuable weapon, and what was strange was that it cut through the saber as easily as cutting wood, with no metallic clanging sound.

Suo Etu laughed and said, "Congratulations, brother. This valuable weapon is the best treasure in Ao Bai's collection."

Wei Xiaobao was very pleased. He hesitated, looking at Suo Etu and Lin Yi, and said, "Brother, cousin, if you want it, you can have it."

Suo Etu shook his head, "I used to be a military official, but now I'm a civil official. This valuable weapon is better for you two to play with."

He looked at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi smiled and said, "I'm not interested in weapons. Cousin, you can keep it."

After all, they were now sworn brothers, and he didn't want to take away something that had saved Wei Xiaobao's life multiple times.

If he wasn't careful and Wei Xiaobao died, he would have to fulfill the oath too!

Previously, Lin Yi didn't believe in oaths, but now that such a strange thing as time travel had happened, he couldn't help but think more about it. What if the oath was real? What would he do?

Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed, put the dagger back in its sheath, and tucked it into his boot.

Suo Etu carefully examined the other treasures in the chamber and took out a few more items, giving them to Lin Yi and Wei Xiaobao.

He was determined to please his sworn brothers.

Then, he took out a black, lightweight vest, which was very soft and not made of silk or wool, and he didn't know what material it was.

He handed the vest to Wei Xiaobao and said, "Brother, this vest will keep you warm. Take off your outer clothes and put it on."

Wei Xiaobao was curious, "What kind of treasure is this?"

Suo Etu said, "I don't know either. Put it on!"

Wei Xiaobao took it, feeling its lightness and softness. He remembered last year when he asked his mother to make him a silk cotton jacket, but she couldn't afford it. This vest seemed just as good, except for the dull color.

He thought, "Alright, I'll take it back to Yangzhou and show it to my mother."

He took off his outer shirt, put on the vest, and then put his outer shirt back on. The vest was soft and thin, and didn't cause any inconvenience.

Lin Yi watched Wei Xiaobao put on the Qing dynasty version of a "bulletproof vest" but didn't reveal that it would be another "lifesaving item" for Wei Xiaobao in the future.

This vest was not only impervious to blades and bullets but also had good defensive properties, making it a decent piece of "equipment."

This kid's luck was really good.

Lin Yi just smiled and didn't compete with Wei Xiaobao. Since the kid had good luck and Suo Etu had given it to him, he could keep it.

If Suo Etu had given it to him, Lin Yi wouldn't have refused.

This was fate and destiny.

The three continued their actions and quickly divided the treasures in the chamber. Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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