That afternoon, Gu Shuo, Qian Fanji, and Zhan Chi arrived one after another. Along the way, they had heard that the Immortal Sea Building was buying bottles containing strange notes for one hundred taels, and they had a good idea of what was going on.
They rushed to the Immortal Sea Building, but Dean Chen was out and hadn't returned. They waited until nearly noon the next day before a travel-worn Dean Chen finally came back.
"Dean, where have you been?" Zhan Chi was the first to step forward and greet him.
Dean Chen took off his bamboo hat. "I went to the sea domain outside the city to investigate something. Come, follow me upstairs. I have something to tell you."
The men had a vague idea of what it was about and followed Dean Chen upstairs.
Once inside the private room, Dean Chen retrieved a porcelain bottle and some notes from a hidden compartment in a cabinet and placed them on the table.
"What does this say?" Zhan Chi picked one up and examined it closely.
