Chapter 325: Such a Coincidence

Applying medicine, blow-welding, quenching, mold removal, weaving.

Step by step, methodical and orderly.

One could just feel that Lin Sicheng's hands were not only steady but incredibly nimble; the ebony tweezers danced up and down, picking, pressing, nudging, twisting, or coiling, as the gold-gilded silver wire, thinner than a strand of hair, wove back and forth, constructing complex patterns at a speed visible to the naked eye.

There were seven or eight holes of varying sizes and dozens of tangled, messy silver wires, yet from beginning to end, Lin Sicheng did not make a single mistake.

Then came descaling, burnishing, inlaying pearls, shaping, and finishing... A brilliant, shimmering, filigree-inlaid pearl Scent Pouch sat on the desk.

Lin Sicheng took off his gloves, took the Towel handed over by Fang Jin, and wiped his hands meticulously.

The brother and sister suppressed the agitation in their hearts; Yu Jichuan lifted the Scent Pouch, his eyes flashing with keen light.

The color was exactly the same, the silver wires were perfectly uniform; it felt as if the object before them had never been damaged, let alone repaired.

Only by searching carefully could one see the color difference of the Welding at the original cut interfaces.

However, this was beyond human capability; never mind Lin Sicheng, even using machines, it would be impossible to leave no trace at all after hundreds of weld points.

It was a pity it was just a modern imitation. If it were real, even if it were only from around the late Qing Dynasty, it would be worth at least two or three hundred thousand.

The key was this craftsmanship, which was nothing short of miraculous...

Secretly marveling, Yu Jichuan opened his leather case and took out a square, palm-sized box.

"Manager Lin, I must trouble you again!"

Lin Sicheng nodded, glanced at it, and opened the lid.

It was a Republic of China-era Copper-body Painted Enamel Western-style music box, purely domestic, produced by China's first music clock factory, the Shanghai Meihuali Music Clock Factory.

The key was that the structure of this thing was not much different from clocks and watches, including Pocket Watches: driven by a mainspring and transmitting power through gears.

Looking closer, the exterior was fine, likely due to frequent wiping, just a bit old. But the interior was already rusted solid; the mainspring had rusted into a lump, and the gears were no longer recognizable.

In terms of the degree of damage, it was even worse than that Pocket Watch. At least the gears and the exterior of the mainspring of that Pocket Watch were entirely coated in Gold Powder, and the interior contained a significant proportion of gold, giving it strong rust resistance.

To put it another way: the Scent Pouch just now only involved filigree, Welding, Inlay Pearl, and Kingfisher Feather Inlay; if it were that gold watch, those techniques would only be enough to repair the casing.

But if one could fix this thing, repairing the gears and mainspring inside the gold watch would be a breeze.

After a rough look, Lin Sicheng's expression was intrigued: "General Manager Yu, you want this one repaired too?"

"Yes!" Yu Jichuan nodded solemnly, then gestured, "Fifty thousand!"

"Fifty thousand?" Lin Sicheng shook his head and tapped the lid of the box, "If it weren't broken, you could buy at least twenty or thirty of these!"

"I know!" A hint of embarrassment appeared on Yu Jichuan's face, "I imagine you know as well!"

Know what? Know that they were in league with that General Manager Ren?

Looking at Yu Jichuan again, his tone was humble, his attitude respectful, and his eyes revealed admiration.

Admiration for what? Just because Lin Sicheng repaired a modern craft Scent Pouch?

Precisely because Yu Jichuan was an insider, he could tell: he didn't know if Lin Sicheng could fix that gold watch, but his skill in repairing filigree, Gold-gilding, and Gold Plating Cultural Relics was absolutely top-tier.

To be able to repair this Scent Pouch to a degree where the naked eye could barely tell the difference in less than half a day—there were fewer than fifteen people in all of Beijing who could do that.

Most of them were in the Forbidden City, and the remaining few were all Engineers, designers, or master craftsmen at various jewelry companies.

With annual salaries of over a million, those people would have to be out of their minds to take on a job of unknown origin that paid little and could land them in trouble if things went wrong.

To put it bluntly, you couldn't find this kind of craftsmanship among the common folk. If you could find it, the ones who dared to take this money were at best second-rate hacks like Li Jiansheng...

In a flash, remembering his cousin's instructions before coming here, Yu Jichuan hunched his waist: "Manager Lin, my apologies."

As he spoke, he opened the case again, took out a check, and handed it forward: "The rest is for Manager Lin to have a cup of tea; please don't mind."

Lin Sicheng glanced at it: one hundred thousand.

Subtracting the thirty thousand for the Scent Pouch and the fifty thousand for the music box, there was twenty thousand left. That was about half a year's salary for a white-collar worker in Beijing, just to express an apology?

"General Manager Yu, you are too kind. It's a fair trade, both sides willing, no need for apologies!" Lin Sicheng smiled and pointed at the box, "It can be repaired, but it's time-consuming—a week at the earliest, half a month at the latest!"

"I understand, just do your best, Manager Lin!" Yu Jichuan pointed at the woman with peach-blossom eyes, "This is my younger sister; she will come to bother you often in the future, please excuse her, Manager Lin."

This was to be expected: they didn't even frown while spending one hundred thousand to repair two items that might not be worth three or five thousand—was money burning a hole in their pockets?

It was nothing more than wanting to verify if it was as Lin Sicheng had told that woman at Qianjin Lu: his skills were extremely high, and he knew a little bit of everything?

Never mind the future; even if they only cooperated this once, they had to first make sure Lin Sicheng could truly repair that gold watch to a working condition.

For something worth millions, or even tens of millions, spending one or two hundred thousand to test the waters was just a drop in the bucket.

And while at it, observe if there were any issues with Lin Sicheng's background or if there were any shady characters around him, to lay a foundation for future cooperation.

So, having already spent one hundred thousand, sending a supervisor was perfectly reasonable.

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Only natural!"

"Then I'll trouble you, Manager Lin!" Yu Jichuan cupped his hands, "We shall take our leave!"

"Alright, I'll see you both out!"

They left as soon as they stood up, crisp and efficient; when they reached the door, the woman turned her head and gave a soft smile.

With a flick of her eyes, her gaze was filled with deep allure: "Manager Lin, if it's convenient, could I have your contact information?"

Of course he could.

Even if this woman hadn't asked, Lin Sicheng would have found a way to let her know.

Lin Sicheng gave his number, the woman saved it in her phone, and even gave him a missed call.

The siblings got into the car, the Pasat drove out of the parking lot, and Lin Sicheng let out a long breath: had they taken the bait?

Watching the receding taillights, Zhao Xiuneng looked suspicious: "Didn't they say it was urgent? I thought they would take out the gold watch on the spot after the Scent Pouch was fixed."

"For something worth millions or tens of millions, it's not that easy." Lin Sicheng shook his head, "Even if they aren't worried about me being a plant (an undercover agent, implying a connection to the Police), they still have to guard against me Intercepting the Arena and Planting a Stake (setting a trap)."

Zhao Xiuneng paused, lost in thought.

In this line of work, which master craftsman with top-tier skills wasn't fifty or sixty years old? And Lin Sicheng was only in his twenties, which in itself was the biggest absurdity.

And he appeared too coincidentally: just like being sleepy and suddenly having a pillow fall from the sky?

But these were secondary; the most critical thing was: he was too seasoned.

Their speech and conduct were seasoned, their minds were seasoned, and their experience in the underworld was even more seasoned. Putting oneself in their shoes, anyone would think: could this be fellow travelers in the underworld looking to Intercept the Arena and setting a trap for them?

To be safe, they would definitely have to inquire and observe a bit more. But it wouldn't drag on for too long, and certainly wouldn't drag on until that music box was actually repaired.

Suddenly, Zhao Xiuneng grew worried again: "Since this group is with Ma Shan, could something go wrong? For instance, internally..."

"Senior Brother, rest assured!" Lin Sicheng was exceptionally calm. "The Police departments in Beijing aren't that incompetent."

On the day the incident occurred, there were leaders from the Security Unit and leaders from the ministry; the commotion was by no means small.

But to tell the truth, those who truly knew what had happened and what role Lin Sicheng played in it were all leaders at the level of detachment or higher.

If there were problems at this level, there would be no need to wait for Lin Sicheng to find anything about Mu Mausoleum, let alone see anyone like Ren Danhua. They would have long since fled completely from top to bottom, dumping all the blame, real or imagined, onto Ma Shan.

Moreover, Lin Sicheng's level of involvement was so deep that it could be said: the case had reached this point, and at least half of the progress was due to his contribution.

Even if they were unprofessional, the General Manager and the General Team would have thought to protect his identity; they had, one hundred percent, already been in contact with the side in Xijing.

Even if this group wanted to inquire internally, at most they would only ask about the background of this junior brother of Zhao Xiuneng and what business he ostensibly engaged in.

But don't doubt it, they wouldn't be able to find a single hair...

"For safety's sake, we still need to take precautions early! How about this..." Zhao Xiuneng thought for a moment, "I'll have the second one go stay in the Xie for a few days!"

The Xie, Baoji?

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: "Senior Brother, is that necessary?"

"Better safe than sorry! What if he runs into a master like Junior Brother? He's not even as good as Ma Shan; he'd give himself away with one bluff." Zhao Xiuneng's tone was firm. "I'll have him leave this afternoon."

It must be said, Zhao Xiuxian's mental acuity was indeed a bit lacking.

Lin Sicheng did not object further and let Zhao Xiuneng make the arrangements. He thought for a moment and took out his phone: "I'll ask Captain Yan again!"

Although the fish was a bit small, only by catching the small ones could one lure out the bigger ones. Since they had shown their heads, they definitely had to be investigated.

No sooner said than done, Lin Sicheng dialed the number.

After talking for a long while, he hung up the phone. Seeing Wang Qi Zhi with his brows tightly furrowed and looking troubled, Lin Sicheng smiled: "Teacher, you don't need to worry; I definitely won't take risks this time."

That wasn't what Wang Qi Zhi was worried about; with him watching, Lin Sicheng would certainly be a bit more restrained.

He lowered his head: "You have to be on guard against that woman!"

"Teacher, which one do you mean? That General Manager Ren?"

"No, I'm talking about the one today, Yu what's-her-name?"

"Yu Jiyao!" Lin Sicheng recalled, "Inner corners like moons, outer corners like wings, red veins piercing the pupils, faintly revealing spring desire... Teacher, eyes like these, they look affectionate even when looking at a dog!"

Is that what I'm talking about?

I'm not even worried about the Tang girl, and I'm worried about some low-life from the underworld with an unknown background?

Lin Sicheng's taste wasn't that bad...

Wang Qi Zhi glared at him: "When I was watching you two trade barbs on the monitor, General Manager Zhao said this: a thousand soldiers are easy to find, but one general is hard to come by.

In terms of appraisal, your eye for detail is superb. In terms of Artifact Restoration, your technique is masterful, and in terms of wit, you are ingenious and ever-changing. What's more rare is that you also understand Feng Shui and geomancy.

In the eyes of these people, you are a natural-born genius and all-rounder for this trade. Therefore, they will definitely put in the effort to investigate you and test you. Once you pass, they will spare no expense to pull you into their fold... This woman is very likely here for that!"

"Is that so?" Lin Sicheng looked bewildered, "Doesn't really seem like it?"

Wang Qi Zhi let out a "Hmph": Still "Is that so"?

The day before yesterday at Qianjin Lu, and today here, Lin Sicheng was putting in more effort each time; what was it for?

He was practically stating it outright: Look, my eye for detail is good enough, and my craftsmanship is good enough, am I qualified to join the fold?

If the other party still wasn't moved, Lin Sicheng would, one hundred percent, have revealed his secret skill of Dragon Seeking and Dividing Gold at the right moment.

There is no turning back once the arrow is shot. From the moment that woman casually set the trap and pulled Lin Sicheng into the game, the ending was already doomed: someone had to fall.

Therefore, either don't do it, or do it to the best of your ability.

Wang Qi Zhi frowned: "My meaning is that you need to consider things more comprehensively. I'm afraid of it turning into a half-cooked meal. As the old saying goes: don't fear the thief stealing, fear the thief coveting..."

"Teacher, you have to trust the ability of the Police. Unless they don't show their heads, as long as they show their heads, they'll be taken down in a second..." Lin Sicheng pointed toward the shop, "Besides, Captain Yan has already made arrangements!"

Wang Qi Zhi nodded: that was exactly what he meant.

What if they slipped up somewhere and that woman saw a clue? If she steeled her heart and stabbed Lin Sicheng, what then?

There is no logic in being a thief for a thousand days, but there is no logic in guarding against a thief for a thousand days either. Besides, there were so many loopholes?

Lin Sicheng wasn't too worried: the loopholes were many, but the Police weren't pushovers, were they?

Wherever there is a hole, they will patch it.

The tea table carved from old ship wood had light like Amber congealing in the chisel marks.

The door was pushed open, the Wind blew in, and the copper bell rang softly.

Yang Xin walked in with his head hanging low, not daring to speak, and silently handed over a piece of paper.

Feng Shizong took it with a cold face, scanned it roughly, and his expression improved slightly.

Li Jiansheng stretched his neck to peek, then let out a sharp breath: "Luckily, not much was lost, all small items!"

"He would have to be able to carry out the large items for that to matter!" Feng Shizong snorted coldly, "Three people on duty at night, and you actually let a thief in. How did you arrange this?"

Yang Xin mumbled, unable to offer an excuse.

It was truly haunted; the doors and windows were tightly shut, and there were people on duty on all three floors. How could a thief get in and steal things without anyone noticing?

They even went as far as to pull the rug out from under them, stealing the computer tower containing the surveillance footage as well. Now, even if he wanted to check where the person came from or how the items were moved, there was no way to investigate.

"Boss, should we call the Police?"

Feng Shizong's face turned black: "Was your brain kicked by a donkey? Have you forgotten what we do?"

Yang Xin didn't think much of it: although they were all Police, the ones catching thieves and the ones managing Cultural Relics weren't the same department, right?

But he didn't dare to make a sound.

"Could it be related to the one surnamed Ren?" Li Jiansheng had a sudden thought, "Afraid we'd turn on them and wanted to grab some leverage?"

It's not impossible, but it shouldn't be this fast.

After all, it's only been three or four days; there's no reason to tear off the mask so quickly.

Even if there is a falling out, we must finish repairing the items sent over, deliver the goods, and get the final payment first.

Feng Shizong shook his head: "The safe is fine, and the thief didn't even enter the finance office!"

That is true.

To get a handle on us, they would definitely have to steal the account books.

"It was probably just a passing thief!" Li Jiansheng looked at Yang Xin, "The first time is strange, the second time is familiar; since it was so easy to succeed the first time, maybe they'll come a second time. Arrange for more people these next few days!"

"Master, I understand!"

Li Jiansheng waved his hand, and Yang Xin went downstairs.

He pressed the button, the electric kettle hummed, and Feng Shizong sat down and took the tea leaves out of the drawer.

Having been busy all morning, only concerned with being frightened, the two of them hadn't even managed to drink a drop of water.

He took the Tea Cup and divided it; the water had just boiled, so he poured a cup and Li Jiansheng blew away the foam: "It's already the fourth day, why hasn't that Ren woman made a move, or sent anyone to ask for the watch?"

"I don't know!" Feng Shizong pondered for a moment, "I guess they haven't reached an agreement, or perhaps they have reservations about that kid!"

That's true; after all, it's a business where you could be eating a lead bullet at any time, so one can never be too careful.

Secretly turning the thought over, Li Jiansheng had a sudden inspiration: "What if she's just an errand runner and can't make the decisions?"

Feng Shizong held the Tea Cup and paused: "It doesn't really seem like it."

No errand runner is that arrogant, moving millions in funds just like that.

And no boss could be that trusting, so easily throwing treasures just dug out of an imperial tomb to a subordinate and letting her handle them as she pleases.

"It shouldn't be! If that Ren woman is just an errand runner, then how big must her boss's business be?"

Li Jiansheng didn't speak; the scene from that day appeared in his mind.

At the time, Feng Shizong was in a fit of anger and didn't pay much attention, but he had seen it very clearly: when that little thief cupped his hands, he made two gestures.

He had only heard people mention it occasionally and didn't know exactly what they represented, but Li Jiansheng at least knew this: unless one was from a family of Grave-robbing and Grave Robbing, no one understood that.

But that Ren woman looked as if she had been stunned; she clearly understood it.

Someone who just receives and sells goods couldn't possibly understand that, unless that Ren woman is also someone in the trade?

Since she is in the trade, there must be someone behind her. If that's the case, then the Intercepting the Arena we discussed with old Feng earlier is like a joke: playing with our own lives.

Thinking of this, Li Jiansheng raised an eyebrow: "Old Feng, this matter must be slowed down."

"What, the Ren woman?"

"Yes, in any case, we can't be hasty. At worst, we break it off, return his shares, and from now on, the road is the road and the bridge is the bridge!"

Li Jiansheng's thoughts raced, "Also, inquire about the background of that little thief... that kid appeared too coincidentally."

"That's true, better safe than sorry!" Feng Shizong put down the Tea Cup, "But I suspect that even if there is a problem, it isn't aimed at us!"

Li Jiansheng gave a thumbs up: Great minds think alike.

If things go wrong, it might just be a setup for Intercepting the Arena.

In the antique-style attic, the blue brick floor had been polished until it was warm and shiny.

Pine resin popped in the red clay stove, silver-thread charcoal shrouded the vermilion fire, and fine beads of water condensed on the walls of the urn.

The room was full of the scent of medicine.

After it had boiled three times, Ren Danhua lifted the urn handle and poured the medicinal soup into a porcelain Bowl.

The woman picked it up, and just as she brought it to her lips, the steam rushed into her throat, triggering a fit of violent coughing.

"Big Sister, don't rush, let it cool a bit!" Ren Danhua rubbed her back, "If it really doesn't work, let's go to the hospital!"

"It's not like I haven't been there; it's a root cause from many years ago, isn't it?" The woman caught her breath and shook her head, "Corpse Qi has entered the Lung Pulse; only Chinese medicine is of any use!"

Ren Danhua curled her lip: Are you listening to those old charlatans spouting nonsense?

But she didn't say a word, took another Bowl, and kept pouring the liquid between the two bowls.

"I think it would be better to stay in the hospital for a few days. If you don't like Western medicine, then we'll see a Chinese medicine doctor. Besides, Ma Shan is already inside, so there's no need to fear anyone coming for revenge..."

"Even though he's inside, his boss isn't!"

After saying this, the woman laughed again, "When the sky is crazy there is Rain, when a person is crazy there is disaster; he deserves this tribulation."

Ren Danhua deeply agreed: In broad daylight, kidnapping on the street, and even using a gun?

This is Beijing; if you, Ma Shan, don't go inside, who will?

Cursing inwardly, Ren Danhua felt a bit worried: "I always feel uneasy: I pulled several strings, yet none of them know where he is being held? I'm just afraid that they'll dig up his past affairs, and he'll sell us out to earn merit?"

"I heard that after the 110 call, the Police Station didn't dispatch officers for half an hour, and it backfired. The impact was too terrible, and it involved internal matters; who would dare tip you off? You'd have to be a ghost to get any news..."

"But it's not a big problem. If there really were a problem, his boss wouldn't be sitting securely on the fishing platform, as motionless as a mountain. Furthermore, Ma Shan wouldn't dare: this time, at most, it's just hiring someone to cause injury. The people who did it were hired by his subordinates with money; he can't even be considered an organization leader. At most, three to five years."

The woman shook her head, "If he sold us out, the things he's done would be dug up, and being shot ten times wouldn't be enough. Which is more, which is less?"

"I'm afraid his boss holds a grudge against us; if it weren't for us Intercepting the Arena, Ma Shan wouldn't have gone in!"

"If Ma Shan hadn't robbed us, would I have been bored enough to rob him? Even if it's reported to the boss, we are in the right. Rest assured, he can't make any waves."

The woman gave a cold snort, "At worst, we return those few yellow dragons!"

Ren Danhua felt the same: this is what they call settling things peacefully. Money can be earned slowly; it's just a small loss. Since the troublemaker Ma Shan is inside, there's no need to fight to the death.

Secretly turning the thought over, she blew on it again, and only when the Bowl was no longer hot to the touch did she hand it to the woman.

The woman sipped it slowly, as if she had suddenly remembered something: "By the way, how was that last batch of goods handled?"

"The good ones are basically all out; there are only a few scattered pieces left, and they can be repaired this month!"

After replying, Ren Danhua had a thought, "Big Sister, I'm planning to change to another one!"

The woman looked up: "What's wrong, is that Qianjin Lu playing tricks again?"

"Those two old things, they really aren't things..."

Ren Danhua gritted her teeth and recounted what had happened.

At first, the woman hadn't paid it any mind.

In this line of work, being a bit cautious is normal. Those who dig tunnels guard against those who move the goods, those who move the goods guard against those who sell them, and those who sell them guard against those who receive them.

Just like her and Ma Shan; they worked for the same boss and ate from the same pot, yet didn't they still fight to the death?

If it's like that even within the same gang, let alone a mere cooperative relationship?

But immediately, the more the woman listened, the more she felt something was wrong.

Able to appraise, able to repair, resourceful and adaptable, worldly-wise and experienced.

The key was the timing: just as Danhua was anxious about repairing the yellow goods, a master with peerless craftsmanship suddenly dropped from the sky?

How could there be such a coincidence?

"I had Yu Jichuan and his sister test him; the Dragon Gate, the secret jargon, and the Yuanliang Seal all match up. The key is that he paid respects to Zhao Laotai, and he even took Zhao Polan's son as a disciple, so his background shouldn't be a problem."

"It's not his background I suspect, but his purpose..."

Halfway through her sentence, the woman suddenly paused, "Wait, you just said, how old is he?"

"Twenty-two!"

Twenty-two... Heh, has he even grown his hair out yet?

It feels even more like a coincidence...

The woman frowned: "You had better make some thorough inquiries..."

Then, she shook her head again: "Forget it, I'll do it!"

(End of chapter)