Chapter 298: Adult Matters, Children Shouldn't Ask

Jing Zeyang smoothed out his sleeves and took out his phone to make a call, as if summoning someone.

The stall owner sneered: Want to fight?

Without three taels of mettle, how would one dare to go up to Mount Liang? Without a few helpers, how would he dare to run such a business in this place?

The stall owner beckoned, and five or six men walked out from the crowd of onlookers, each with a fierce look in their eyes.

Just as he finished his call, Jing Zeyang let out a "Ha," and held up his phone to take a picture. The few thugs didn't dodge or hide, looking smug.

Lin Sicheng watched coldly from the sidelines, long-lost memories flooding into his mind.

A few years later, scenes that felt absolutely incredible were commonplace around 2010: if you couldn't out-argue them, you cheated; if you couldn't cheat, you staged a "porcelain bumping" scam; if you couldn't do that, you forced a sale—such things were seen everywhere in places like this.

It should be said: in antique markets all over the country, such situations were universally prevalent; otherwise, how could it be called "porcelain bumping"?

Only then did the couple realize they had been set up. The man was doing a bit better, but the woman was scared deathly pale.

The two muttered a few words to each other, seemingly intending to pay to avoid disaster and settle the matter.

The little girl was extremely clever; she seemed to have already anticipated the consequences awaiting her, and the tears she had just wiped away were swirling in her eyes again.

Lin Sicheng touched the little girl's fair, tender cheek, then looked up and pointed at the book in the man's hand: "Can you let me see it?"

"Ah, this? Sigh, alright, alright..." The man was stunned for a moment, then smiled gratefully, "Thank you!"

If not for Lin Sicheng's reminder, the two of them would have truly believed their own child had damaged the stall owner's ancient book.

Although the matter wasn't resolved yet, at least it made him understand the ins and outs.

In a flash, he hurriedly handed over the loose pages.

Lin Sicheng received them in his hands and looked at the stall owner: "Don't be in a rush; whether it's worth five thousand, let's see first!"

The stall owner squinted: You don't even have a few hairs on your lip, what the hell do you know about looking at things?

"Whether it's worth it or not, it's five thousand! If you love sticking your nose in other people's business, then you pay it."

Lin Sicheng couldn't be bothered to argue with him and turned around again: "Brother Jing, don't be in a rush either, let me take a look first."

Jing Zeyang glared at the stall owner, secretly fuming: You turtle-grandson, you'll have a hard time later. Upon hearing this, he was startled for a moment, his eyes bulging again.

A broken book used for a "porcelain bumping" scam, what was there to look at?

Unless, this book wasn't simple...

Having just experienced it, and twice at that, Jing Zeyang knew all too well how much weight Lin Sicheng's so-called "taking a look" carried.

His eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and most of the Fire Qi in his heart dissipated; Jing Zeyang nodded vigorously.

Lin Sicheng picked up the book and examined it carefully.

The paper quality was uniform and dense, with fine, long fibers; although it was very brittle now and would tear if pulled, it had possessed extreme toughness when first made.

This was authentic Pingyang Hemp Paper. During the Jin and Yuan dynasties, Pingyang Prefecture (now Xiangfen County, Linfen City, Shanxi, bordering Yuncheng) was one of the four major official woodblock printing centers in China; its large-scale adoption of woodblock printing caused the technology of Pingyang Hemp Paper to improve rapidly, making it a model for papermaking in the north.

Therefore, since the Jin dynasty, whether for official supply or civilian use, the Jiangnan region basically used this type of paper.

Looking at the signs of aging: mulberry bark fibers were clearly exposed in an interlaced web, the paper base had turned from off-white to light gray, and there were yellowish-brown water stains caused by moisture erosion in some areas.

The texture was dry and rough, the edges of the paper were brittle, but the center area retained a certain degree of toughness. The ink marks had also turned from pitch-black to gray-black, with the edges slightly shimmering with silver frost. Occasionally, there were mold spots spreading in a fan shape, and there was a faint, stale, sour smell.

The paper was definitely correct, at least three hundred years old or more, and the ink was Jiang Ink (produced in Xinjing County, Yuncheng), which was even more identifiable than the paper.

The content was even less of a problem.

The cover was a later addition and had no name, but Lin Sicheng could conclude that this was the Heart-Intention Fist created by Ji Jike, also known as Heart-Intention Six Harmonies Fist.

It contained not only fist techniques but also spear, saber, and staff techniques, and it bore the signature of "Puzhou Longfeng," making it undoubtedly the Heart Intent Boxing Original Manual.

The value was certainly very high, though Lin Sicheng couldn't really judge exactly how high.

This was because Heart-Intention Fist had spread too widely and had too many schools, not only spreading across China from north to south but also reaching overseas.

Ji Jike first taught Ma Xueli in Henan, leading to the Henan Heart-Intention Fist. Ma Xueli then taught Zhang Zhicheng, who took in so many disciples that he couldn't even count them himself. Today, whether in Henan, Anhui, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Southeast Asia, Europe, or America, more than half originated from this lineage.

Ji Jike also taught Cao Jiwu in Anhui, who later became a Martial Arts Champion in the Kangxi reign, rose to the rank of Shaanxi Regional Commander, and brought Heart-Intention Fist to the north.

The northern Heart-Intention schools from the Qing dynasty to the Republic of China, such as the Dai Clan of Qixian (Dai Longbang), the Li Clan of Hebei (Li Luoneng), the Guo Clan of Hebei (Guo Yunshen), and even masters like Liu Qilan, Zhang Zhankui, Sun Lutang, Li Cunyi, Li Shuwen, Xue Dian, and others, were all from Cao Jiwu's lineage.

Setting aside how powerful this fist was or whether it could fight as well as the legends said, just consider its influence.

The key was that this was the original manual by the founding master. In a novel, this would be the true secret manual written by the founder himself, and even more so, a sect token; its symbolic and political significance was off the charts.

To put it simply, whoever was given this manual could pat their chest and say: I am the authentic one!

Don't believe it?

Take an example: in 2006, the first batch of the National Level Intangible Cultural Heritage list was announced, and the application work for the second batch was launched simultaneously.

At that time, more than twenty parties applied for Heart-Intention Fist, including Beijing, Tianjin, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, and others—ten provinces in total.

The most numerous were Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, and Tianjin, with three or four cities in each province applying simultaneously.

One would say I am the authentic one, another would say you're full of it, my lineage is the most complete. A third would say stop arguing, come, let's spar.

Of course, they couldn't spar, so they could only engage in verbal warfare, giving the Ministry of Culture a headache. Finally, they joined forces with the General Administration of Sport, and the two units conducted a joint investigation lasting two years, eventually ruling that three parties would be the first to be declared.

They were Shen Zhou in Hebei, Zhoukou and Luohe in Henan, and Jinzhong in Shanxi.

But even among these three, no one was convinced by the others: why are you a new project (main sect) while I am an expansion project (branch)?

The three had their own strengths, inheritances, and cultural characteristics, and it was indeed hard to measure; the Ministry of Culture considered it comprehensively: they simply made all three new projects.

But they couldn't all be called Heart-Intention Fist or Heart-Intention Six Harmonies Fist, or it would become a joke. So they were asked to change their names: Hebei was called Heart-Intention Fist, Shanxi was called Heart-Intention Fist, and Henan was called Heart-Intention Six Harmonies Fist.

Regardless of which family it was, or what the fist was called, it was all the Heart-Intention Fist originally created by Ji Jike. And the reason these three were able to stand out among more than twenty, and even force the higher-level departments to consider them comprehensively and let all three apply together, lay in their complete historical inheritance systems and influence.

One can imagine what kind of scene would unfold once this fist manual appeared in public?

In a flash, Lin Sicheng flipped through it again. Don't say, the manual was quite complete.

He carefully gathered it up and looked up at the stall owner: "Forget five thousand, two thousand, I'll pay it!"

Two thousand?

This piece of junk, even two hundred would be too much.

But since the grudge had reached this point, backing down meant losing momentum; how could he continue to hang around this area in the future?

Five thousand, not a single seed less...

The stall owner was just about to speak when someone shouted: "Dongzi, that's enough!"

The stall owner paused for a moment, stretched his neck to look: among the crowd of onlookers, a middle-aged man in his forties made a gesture, meaning he should quit while he was ahead.

He hesitated for a moment and nodded.

Since it was a gang, there must be a boss. Liu Dong might have poor judgment, but the boss's eyes were not blind: these few young men were not like that couple from out of town, unfamiliar with the place and easy to manipulate however they wanted.

First was the one speaking with an authentic Beijing accent, the one currently crossing his arms and sneering. This person was definitely a local from Beijing, his attire wasn't bad, and what was even stranger was that being surrounded by so many people, he wasn't the least bit intimidated?

If things went wrong, he might have some connections. There are many officials in Beijing, and after a few twists and turns, who knows what kind of relationship one might find.

Second was the burly man standing at the very back, looking like an iron tower: one could tell from his physique that this person was either a driver or a bodyguard.

What kind of person could afford to bring a bodyguard?

And the young man holding the book, the youngest among the few, yet the most composed: he was too calm, cool-headed and unruffled from beginning to end.

Whether it was Liu Dongzi cursing loudly or making secret threats, he didn't even frown.

More importantly, no matter what he said, the remaining three followed his every word: he said let the one with glasses pick up the book, and the one with glasses picked up the book. He said let the one with the Beijing accent stop shouting, and the one with the Beijing accent shut his mouth.

Especially that burly man, whose eyes were fixed on the young man the whole time, as if afraid he might have a mishap. The key was the faint, lingering aura of ferocity emanating from the burly man.

The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt; the middle-aged man stepped out of the crowd, just about to say some polite pleasantries, when he suddenly froze.

The moment he lifted his foot, he felt a chill on his face, a sensation as if a knife were about to stab over at any moment.

Subconsciously looking up, the iron-tower-like man had tense muscles, his eyes like an eagle, staring fixedly at him.

Could this be an ordinary driver or bodyguard?

Fuck his mother?

Why bother with any more pleasantries? If he didn't run now, was he going to stand here and wait for death?

Panicked in his heart, he turned and dove into the crowd, taking advantage of his accomplices not paying attention to retreat bit by bit.

Want to run, but can you actually get away?

Jing Zeyang let out a "Heh" and took out his phone.

Lin Sicheng glanced at it and took out his wallet: "Two thousand, count it!"

The stall owner didn't even know his boss had already run away; he happily took the bright red bills, counting them one by one, verifying them one by one.

Lin Sicheng turned back, patted the little girl's head, and then looked at the couple: "Go, don't hit the child when you get back, it has nothing to do with her."

The couple nodded repeatedly, and the man opened his bag: "Thank you, I will pay you back!"

"No need!" Lin Sicheng waved his hand: "I happen to be practicing martial arts, this thing is somewhat useful, I'll go back and do some Artifact Research."

The man was half-believing, half-doubting, and left his phone number for Lin Sicheng. The implication was that if he regretted it, he should call him, and he would wire the money over.

Thoroughly shocked, and with a child in tow, the couple didn't dare stay long; they said a few words of thanks and left the market in a hurry, holding the child.

The stall owner finished counting the money and stuffed it into his bag: "The item is yours now, we're square!"

"Right, square!" Lin Sicheng smiled, "See you again!"

Jing Zeyang stared at the stall owner with interest; the stall owner sneered and tilted his chin, meaning what could you possibly do to me?

Too lazy to waste words with him, Jing Zeyang snorted: courting death.

The group left, and the crowd of onlookers pointed and whispered.

Just like that?

Think back to the beginning: that guy with the Beijing accent was furious, almost ready to start a fight with the stall owner on the spot, but in the end, he didn't even say a harsh word?

And the taller, more handsome one, knowing full well that Liu Dongzi was staging a scam, still spent two thousand yuan to buy a broken book; was his brain short-circuited, or was he just throwing money around?

They were all in this line of work; their judgment could be poor, but their minds couldn't be unclear. Gradually, some people realized: it couldn't be that these young men thought that broken book was a hidden treasure, could it?

Don't be ridiculous: Liu San'er had used that thing to scam people so many times, and once he even tricked a somewhat famous collector in Beijing. If it were a treasure, would it still be here?

The crowd discussed it heatedly, pointing and whispering, but Lin Sicheng remained calm, walking straight through the crowd.

There is an old saying: different trades are like different mountains. There is another: every profession has its own specialty.

For example: those who do Artifact Research on ancient books focus mostly on historical materials, classical literature, poetry, and songs. Those with broader involvement might study Calligraphy and Painting, stone rubbings, or stone inscriptions; who would be bored enough to study martial arts?

Even if one recognized this as Shanxi Pingyang hemp paper and could conclude it was an item from the early Qing Dynasty, once they saw the content, their heart would turn cold: a hand-copied manuscript, and a boxing manual at that?

Aside from being old, it basically had no other value.

And those who study martial arts while also understanding ancient books, and having a high level of Appraisal ability, couldn't be found in the whole country.

It is truly because the two are too far apart, having nothing to do with each other.

Unless it's someone like Lin Sicheng, with extremely high talent, money, and leisure, who spent eight years in the Forbidden City and learned a little bit of everything.

And the reason Jing Zeyang didn't explode on the spot, and Lin Sicheng deliberately sent the couple away, was precisely this: bad guys can be dealt with at any time, there's no rush for this minute or two.

Because a case like today's doesn't even count as a scratch; even if their scamming were verified, at most it would be public security education, which wouldn't solve anything. It's even worse if the public security department asks an expert to look at this book. If they happen to see something, the stall owner and his accomplices would wake up laughing in their dreams.

A broken book that would be considered expensive at two hundred could suddenly sell for hundreds of thousands; what's a few days of detention?

Jing Zeyang wasn't that stupid, and Lin Sicheng was even less so. Therefore, the matter definitely had to be handled, but there was no need to get involved with this book.

That stall owner, those few thugs, and the middle-aged man who finally reminded the stall owner, were clearly a gang; they definitely hadn't done this kind of thing just once.

If you don't investigate, it's fine, but once you do, they're covered in filth, so there's even less need to get involved with this book...

In a flash of thought, Jing Zeyang pointed outward: "Cousin Lin, look!"

Lin Sicheng looked up: a Santana was parked outside the market, and a man in his thirties was leaning against the car door smoking.

Through the glass, one could see three people sitting in the back seat.

Lin Sicheng paused: the middle-aged man who had been hiding in the crowd and telling the stall owner to quit while he was ahead was sitting in the middle? A closer look: he was wearing a silver Bracelet on his hand...

Impressive, this speed is truly fast enough...

Just as he was stunned, a cry of surprise came from behind, and the group subconsciously turned their heads.

Not far away, at that very stall, a group of men suddenly rushed up, including the stall owner, including those few thugs who had been looking fierce and hostile earlier, all of whom were pressed to the ground.

"Cousin Lin, how about it? My speed is fast enough, right?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "It is indeed quite fast!"

Jing Zeyang gave a smug smile, "Let's go, I'll introduce you to a friend!"

As he spoke, the two left the market.

Seeing Jing Zeyang, the man stepped on his cigarette to put it out, his face full of disdain: "San'er, are you getting more capable? When I received your brother-in-law's call, I thought you had discovered an international Cultural Relics smuggling ring, but it turns out to be just a few street thugs who stage accidents for compensation?"

Jing Zeyang argued with conviction: "Flies and mosquitoes are still meat, Brother Yan, just tell me, did this group of people commit a crime or not?"

Yan Wenjing let out a "hiss," too lazy to argue with him.

A local Police officer could have handled it, but Jing San'er had to go and make a big fuss, getting him to bring a group of criminal Police?

The man stepped on his cigarette to put it out, and Jing Zeyang stood in the middle to introduce: "Cousin Lin, this is my cousin-in-law's childhood friend, he's in the Municipal Bureau's criminal police team!"

"Brother Yan, this is Lin Sicheng!"

"Nice to meet you!"

Yan Wenjing reached out his hand to shake his, looking at Jing Zeyang with a few traces of suspicion on his face, "A cousin surnamed Lin, a relative of your brother-in-law's family?"

"No, Cousin Lin is Wang Sanshu's student. He calls Sister Anning and Sister Ye 'cousin', so my sister and the others just call him Cousin Lin..."

"Oh, oh, so he is Professor Wang's brilliant student..."

Yan Wenjing suddenly realized, but then, he froze again.

As if he had suddenly remembered something, Yan Wenjing's neck jerked forward: "Wait, what is your honorable surname?"

Hadn't he just introduced him?

Lin Sicheng was baffled: "Surname Lin, Lin Sicheng!"

Lin Sicheng, Lin Sicheng?

Yan Wenjing's eyes were fixed squarely on Lin Sicheng's face: "The 'Lin' with two trees, the 'Si' from 'soothing my thoughts' in the Book of Songs?"

Lin Sicheng nodded.

"A student at Xida, studying archaeology?"

Lin Sicheng nodded again.

It matched; it was that very Lin Sicheng.

Yan Wenjing's pupils suddenly constricted, and two beams of light shot from the depths of his eyes.

This was the fourth time he had heard this name.

The first time was last year, also before the eleventh, when the Ministry issued instructions: the Municipal Police, Customs, and the Cultural Relics Bureau Inspection Department were to conduct a joint operation for a major inspection of the city's Cultural Relics market. That was when he learned that the nuclear material used to make an Atomic Bomb could actually be used to imitate ancient porcelain?

That was the first time he saw Lin Sicheng's name in a file, and he thought this college student was impressive; his eyes were more useful than an X-ray. If he hadn't been in Beijing, he would have filed a report to his superiors on the spot to apply for a special recruitment.

The second time, it was also related to Cultural Relics: Xijing cracked a major Hetian Jade forgery case, and many fake jades flowed into Beijing. Colleagues from the Xijing Municipal Bureau came to Beijing to investigate, and Yan Wenjing was responsible for assisting them.

Out of curiosity, they chatted at the time, and whenever the name Lin Sicheng was mentioned, the colleagues from Xijing would give a thumbs up. And every time they mentioned him, it was always "Teacher Lin," never by his name, which showed how much they respected him.

Later, he asked and found out that Lin Sicheng had helped the Xijing colleagues more than just those two times: two were Cultural Relics cases that had been judged long ago, and another was a fraud case about to be sentenced, all of which were overturned by him.

To put it bluntly: he had saved the jobs of several colleagues again...

The third time was during New Year's Day: Xijing cracked the "Zhang Anshi Tomb major Grave-robbing case."

This case did not just alarm the Municipal Bureau, but the Ministry.

In order to cut off Yu Dahai's claws, the Ministry supervised the case, and the Police from Shaanxi, Beijing, Guangdong, and Inner Mongolia conducted a joint investigation that lasted for more than four months.

It was then that Yan Wenjing learned that this "Lin Sicheng," who appeared in the Ministry's files from time to time, was Wang Qi Zhi's student.

The key was, he was incredibly brave?

Single-handedly, deep into the tiger's den, pulling chestnuts from the fire... the process of Lin Sicheng helping the Xijing Police crack the Zhang Anshi Tomb Grave-robbing case could be written into a legend.

That was a thug who held a loaded gun in his hand, had explosives tied to his waist that would detonate with one pull of the fuse, and still dared to fight the Police to the death in broad daylight under heavy encirclement?

Asking himself, if his superiors asked for his opinion and let him go undercover, Yan Wenjing would definitely hesitate.

It wasn't just him who admired him; which of the colleagues and leaders who understood the case didn't admire him?

At the time, he had thought: it's a pity I'm not very familiar with Wang Qi Zhi, otherwise I would definitely have to meet this student of his.

Unexpectedly, he could actually run into him one day?

Yan Wenjing grabbed Lin Sicheng's hand and shook it vigorously: "Cousin Lin... oh no... Teacher Lin, nice to meet you!"

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: where did this "Teacher" come from?

Seeing his blank expression, Yan Wenjing explained in a low voice: "I am mainly responsible for Cultural Relics protection and inspection at the Municipal Bureau. When colleagues from Xijing come to handle Cultural Relics cases, I basically receive them and assist them!"

Oh, oh, oh... Lin Sicheng understood immediately.

"Captain Yan, you are too polite, I have to thank you for today's matter!"

"Yes, yes, we are all friends, there is really no need to be polite..." Yan Wenjing paused, "Then Teacher Lin, I won't be polite!"

Huh?

Lin Sicheng was still a bit confused, but Yan Wenjing's face was full of smiles, and his eyes were glowing, "Teacher Lin, look, if it's convenient, could I invite you to the team to give some guidance? If you could help us check some things, that would be best. It definitely won't take too long, half a day is enough... of course, if Teacher Lin is busy, then forget it..."

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: I was just being polite, and you really aren't being polite; you're quite good at taking advantage of the situation?

But it wasn't a big problem, it was only half a day, a matter of convenience. And strictly speaking, today's matter was caused by himself, and this person had indeed helped.

Although he thought so in his heart, Lin Sicheng still kept his guard up, as the impression left on him by Deputy Bureau Chief Chen Peng was too deep:

Breaking promises was a common occurrence; he would turn around and deny what he had said. And he would argue with conviction: as long as the case could be solved, words were as good as farts...

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "Captain Yan, are there many items?"

"Not many, just a few pieces. I mainly want to ask you to explain the common knowledge of Cultural Relics appraisal to my colleagues. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me: just like the fake Hetian Jade case cracked in Xijing, when real jade and fake jade are placed together, we know one is real and one is fake, but looking with our eyes, we can't tell the difference at all..."

It was indeed not easy to distinguish.

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Captain Yan, I'll leave you my phone number. I'll be in Beijing until the eleventh... but there is one thing: I'll have to trouble your unit to notify the Cultural Relics Research Institute. I'll apply to Dean Ma, and it should basically be no problem..."

"Cultural Relics Research Institute?" Yan Wenjing was stunned for a moment, "Did Teacher Lin come to Beijing to work?"

"No, it's just a temporary secondment; I'm still a graduate student at Xida."

"Sigh, alright, alright... thank you, Teacher Lin!"

Official business between organizations is more convenient and can avoid many potential troubles...

Yan Wenjing was visibly delighted and hurriedly saved the phone number.

He wanted to drive Lin Sicheng, but Lin Sicheng said the Cultural Relics Research Institute had sent a car.

The two said their goodbyes and parted ways there.

Yan Wenjing watched Captain He's retreating figure, trying hard to recall: "Old Deng, is that big guy the Captain of the Inner Guard at the Cultural Relics Research Institute?"

A colleague in the back seat poked his head out: "That's Captain He. I originally wanted to remind you, but seeing him pretend not to know you, I didn't say anything!"

Yan Wenjing nodded, thoughtful: Is this student of Wang Qi Zhi that impressive?

After thinking for a moment, he sent another text message to Jing Zeyang: Serve him carefully; when I have time one of these days, I'll treat you to Moutai.

Looking at the text, Jing Zeyang was completely bewildered: Serve whom, Lin Sicheng?

Judging by the tone, it was actually Yan Wenjing who owed him a huge favor?

He glanced at Lin Sicheng in the front seat and typed rapidly with two fingers: Brother Yan, what did Cousin Lin do to make even you call him Teacher?

Not long after it was sent, the phone screen lit up: Grown-up business, don't ask, kid...

(End of chapter)