At the Qinzhou antiques market, Ma Sanbao unexpectedly discovers a Warring States bronze dagger-axe and enters an appraisal showdown with the stall owner, Wang Mazi. The mysterious elder Yao Sanye watches from the sidelines, using coded hints to help Ma Wanshan see through the secrets of the dagger-axe. The street-stall deal is full of underworld jargon and secret signals, while the green patina on the bronze weapon alludes to the location of a tomb. Ma Wanshan unexpectedly reveals his talent, and Yao Sanye invites him along under the pretext of “reading the star chart,” a phrase that hints at the site of a Qin-era observatory. The “Gui Mao” inscription hidden on the dagger-axe corresponds to the Twenty-Eight Mansions, foreshadowing clues to the search for the great tomb of the Duke of Qin.
