Chapter 326: He's a Talent

The autumn sun slanted across the blinds, cutting the light into fine, diamond-shaped patches.

A pothos plant hung from the top of the cabinet, swaying slightly with the breeze from the air conditioner.

"Knock, knock," someone tapped on the door, and Li Chunnan raised his head: "Come in!"

"Creak," the door was pushed open, and Chen Peng poked his head in, looking like a thief.

He scanned the room, a flicker of suspicion flashing in his eyes: the Political Commissar wasn't there, the Executive Vice Mayor wasn't there, just his master alone.

This situation didn't seem right, did it?

In the past, whenever his master used a normal tone to call him to the office, it was always one of three situations:

One was a temporary assignment; the second was encountering a major or serious case that required a small-group analysis. In these two cases, either the Political Commissar would be there, the Executive Vice Mayor would be there, or both would be.

There was another situation: he had accidentally caused trouble, and some bastard had complained to his master. If his master didn't have evidence for the moment, he would lure him over to bluff him.

At times like these, there would be no third person besides the master and apprentice. Even the secretary, unless called by the master, would never dare to enter.

Just like now.

Feeling a bit cowardly, Chen Peng's eyes began to dart around, and Li Chunnan glared at him: "Stop acting like a thief, get in here!"

"Yes, Master!" Chen Peng gave a sheepish laugh and closed the door softly. He moved his feet as if sliding, inching his way forward.

His mind raced, desperately trying to recall the cases he had handled recently to see if he had overstepped or made any mistakes.

But until he reached the desk, he couldn't think of a single one.

Seeing what he was thinking, Li Chunnan sighed: "What are you standing there like a hammer for? Sit!"

Huh, it wasn't because he had made a mistake?

If he had made a mistake, let alone sitting, he probably wouldn't have even stood steady before something came flying at him.

It could be a Tea Cup, a stapler, or even a mouse and keyboard with the wires attached; as for what would fly over, it all depended on what was at his master's hand and what was convenient.

He hadn't been hit, hadn't been scolded, and was even told to sit... it seemed there was real business to discuss?

Chen Peng felt a sense of relief, his face breaking into a smile. But he didn't sit; instead, he eagerly picked up Li Chunnan's Tea Cup: "Master, I'll make you some tea!"

This guy was truly thick-skinned; Li Chunnan couldn't help but laugh and cry, pointing a finger at him.

After making the tea, Chen Peng sat opposite him, and Li Chunnan picked up his Tea Cup and pointed to a document on the table: "Read it yourself!"

What the hell, an inter-jurisdictional Assistance Letter?

Chen Peng glanced at it, took it into his hands, and then, he froze:

Secret★Five Years

Public Assistance 【2008】 No. XX

Issuing Authority: Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Urgent (bolded).

Recipient Authority: Shaanxi Provincial Public Security Department.

Just after reading the header, Chen Peng's pupils couldn't help but shrink.

Good heavens, Secret for five years, Urgent and bolded?

And it was sent directly from Beijing to the Provincial Department; just how big could this case be?

Looking further down, sure enough:

Case Subject: Hebei Yixian Mu Mausoleum Grave Robbery Case, 928 Major Murder Case.

Date of Filing: September 28, 2008.

Assisting Personnel: Lin Sicheng...

He hadn't even had time to read the first four characters before the three characters "Lin Sicheng" pierced his eyes like three needles. In an instant, Chen Peng felt a "buzz," as if all his blood had rushed up, and his brain felt like it was about to explode.

His eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and his mind turned to mush: Lin Sicheng grave-robbing, and killing people too... what kind of bullshit is this?

At the same time, his body leaned forward, Chen Peng stood up with a "thud," and he slammed his palm onto the table with a loud "bang": "Lin Sicheng killed someone? What the hell..."

Li Chunnan held his Tea Cup, staring blankly at him. After a long while, he glanced at the document again.

"In the future, don't go around saying you're my apprentice; I can't afford to lose face like that... open your dog eyes and look properly!"

Master, how else do you want me to look?

Mu Mausoleum Grave Robbery Case, 928 Major Murder Case, Involved Personnel: Lin Sicheng... wait, that's not right?

Chen Peng widened his eyes, his gaze pinned to that line... it wasn't "involved," but "assisting"?

No... what kind of bullshit document is this?

Whose Assistance Letter is written like this?

According to the standard format of an Assistance Letter, below the date of filing must be the main involved personnel, followed by basic information. The person the letter is requesting assistance for is this person. Without exception, 99 percent of the time, it's the prime suspect.

That was why, when he saw the name Lin Sicheng, Chen Peng felt as if the sky had collapsed. He hadn't paid close attention to the fact that it didn't say "involved personnel" before the name, but "assisting personnel."

But he couldn't be blamed for that: he had been a Police officer for half his life, and he had hosted colleagues from all thirty-four provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across the country, and he had never seen an Assistance Letter like this:

An Assistance Letter that doesn't request assistance for a criminal suspect, but for an assisting investigator?

But regardless, let him breathe a sigh of relief first: these grandsons from Beijing, they could scare a man to death!

If this were anywhere but his master's office—if it were at the Bureau or the Department—it would definitely make people laugh their heads off: you can't even read a document properly, and you're a Deputy Bureau Chief in charge of the Criminal Investigation Division? What the hell are you in charge of?

But to be honest, anyone who was familiar with Lin Sicheng and close to him would be shocked to see the beginning of this document and then see Lin Sicheng's name; if they weren't, they were nothing.

If you don't believe me, call He Zhigang and Guan Xingmin over and try it?

Chen Peng exhaled forcefully twice, and seeing Li Chunnan glaring at him, he hurriedly picked up the document.

Looking further down, Chen Peng let out an "eh."

This was indeed an Assistance Letter, but there was more below:

(Top Secret★Five Years)

Public Protection Line 【2008】 No. XX

Protected subject... protection number... case category... risk level assessment... threat source... identity exposure risk... regional control...

And, specific requests: residential security, family security, operational protection, information isolation, communication security, counter-surveillance measures... and so on and so forth.

Chen Peng's eyes widened bit by bit, a light of shock and suspicion flickering in his pupils.

This was actually a Special Duty Protection Assistance Letter?

What did this mean?

Did it mean Lin Sicheng... had become an undercover for his mother's colleagues in Beijing?

Had his brain been kicked by a donkey?

Chen Peng had been panicked before, but now he was shocked, and suspicious too: he remembered Lin Sicheng went to Beijing over half a month ago, saying he was helping some Cultural Relics Research Institute with a project, so how did he end up becoming a Special Duty agent?

Also, Wang Qizhi, are you just sitting around doing nothing?

Mu Ling Grave Robbery Case, extra-large homicide case... just looking at those four characters at the very front of these two sentences, Chen Peng could imagine what type, what scale, and what style of operation these criminals had.

That was an imperial mausoleum, for God's sake; even if you brought Yu Dahai back from abroad and gave him ten more lives, you ask him if he would dare to rob it?

Oh Wang, my dear Wang, how much do you want your student to die quickly?

With his heart full of shock and suspicion, he started from the beginning again, and Chen Peng read it a full three times.

That's right, Special Duty Protection Assistance Letter.

And even more right, protected subject: Lin Sicheng.

He blinked his eyes rapidly, staring straight at Li Chunnan.

"What are you stunned for?" Li Chunnan put down his Tea Cup, "It's just normal assistance in a case; it's not like Lin Sicheng hasn't assisted while in Xijing before, right?"

Chen Peng had a look of disbelief, pointing at the document: "No... Master, of course he has assisted! But the problem is, back when Yu Kejie had over a dozen guns and he repeatedly probed the thieves' den, we didn't make such a big scene, did we?"

"The two groups of people are not even on the same level!" Li Chunnan tapped the table, "At the time, Yu Kejie didn't even know someone like him existed. As for small fry like that female leader, they all thought he was a Zhejiang person..."

"And don't even talk about those small fry; even if Yu Dahai came personally, and even back when he hadn't committed the crime yet and was still the notorious 'Yu the Pot-Breaker' of Guanzhong, you ask him: does he have the ability to go to Zhejiang to investigate whether there really is such a 'Zhe Boss'?"

After a slight pause, Li Chunnan sighed again: "But this time is different. In broad daylight, in Beijing, they kidnapped, killed, and even used guns. And even after more than a week since the case broke, they only found a few Level Three leaders? Use your dog brain and think carefully about the nature of this case..."

Chen Peng was startled: using guns in Beijing, did they not know how to write the word 'death'?

The key was, they only found Level Three leaders... how high must the rank of this mole be?

Just as he was secretly shocked and suspicious, he gave another jolt: "Was it Lin Sicheng who was kidnapped?"

"Nonsense, how else do you think he got this Special Duty status?"

"Did he get stabbed?"

"He did, but fortunately, it didn't hit any vital parts: two stabs on the back, one on the shoulder, one on the arm!" Li Chunnan gestured, "He was wounded in the process of self-defense!"

Self-defense?

Chen Peng's hand couldn't help but tremble: No... Lin Sicheng, did the other side have guns?

There was no need to ask; Chen Peng could visualize the scene himself: one hundred percent, Lin Sicheng had been cornered by the other side with guns.

For an ordinary person, it would be one hundred percent surrender. But for Lin Sicheng: Screw your grandfather...

Thank goodness!

He let out a sharp breath: "How many did he wound?"

Li Chunnan looked at his disciple strangely: no wonder they were birds of a feather, he really understood him well?

Chen Peng could think of it immediately: as long as Lin Sicheng didn't fall, the other side had to fall...

"He wounded five..." Li Chunnan paused, "Three were crippled!"

Chen Peng clapped his hands with a "slap": they were all in public security, so when Master said "crippled," it meant truly crippled, the kind that lasts a lifetime.

They deserved it.

Suddenly, he became excited again: "They couldn't have just stood there and let him hit them; I bet the people who kidnapped him were at least double that number... not only knives, but also guns? This kid is good, this kid is good..."

Muttering, he picked up the Assistance Letter again, but it only contained the coordination content; the case details were not written at all.

Chen Peng flipped through it repeatedly: "How did he provoke this group of people, did he point out their pit (tomb)?"

How could Lin Sicheng be so reckless?

"It is said he ran into them while strolling through Panjiayuan..." Li Chunnan shook his head, "By a stroke of luck, by a twist of fate..."

He gave a rough explanation, and Chen Peng sorted out the clues: he blamed Lin Sicheng's bad luck; two groups of grave-robbers and artifact-dealers were fighting, and one side used him as a scapegoat. The other side thought he was an accomplice of their opponent, which was why they sent people to kidnap and slash him.

The two groups never imagined this was a Jade-Faced Tai Sui: he wasn't big, but his methods were sophisticated, and he was even more capable of striking hard.

These people were likely miserable: who couldn't you provoke, and you had to provoke him?

He would definitely be dug out to the very bottom by Lin Sicheng.

Then everything that followed made sense: Lin Sicheng couldn't have taken a few stabs for no reason and acted like nothing happened, right?

If he didn't dig this group out, he would regret it for the rest of his life... Lin Sicheng's Special Duty status was one hundred percent how he got it.

Hiss, but wait?

Chen Peng pointed at the document again, "He was slashed while strolling through Panjiayuan, so what is this Mu Mausoleum in Yixian, this extra-large homicide case, all about?"

"You hang out with Lin Sicheng all day, you know him so well, can't you guess?"

Li Chunnan gave a "heh," "Of course he dug it out... it is said that based on a copper coin, Lin Sicheng followed the vine to find the melon, first finding a robbed imperial concubine's tomb, and then digging five skeletons out of the Tomb Tunnel..."

Holy crap?

Brother, you are amazing... the colleagues in Beijing have hit the jackpot.

If this were in Xijing, if this were his own case, it would at least make it to the Provincial Department's year-end meeting.

As for whether he would receive an award or be reprimanded, God only knows...

Chen Peng pondered secretly, then picked up the document again: "Master, I will handle this, I guarantee it will be done beautifully!"

"Hmm, make the files look authentic, it's best to link it to Yang Bin and the Lv Brothers (a Shaanxi extra-large grave-robbing gang)... also, the other side might investigate around Zhao Xiuneng's identity, you can make something of that.

Also, wipe out all information related to the school and create a fake one. You had better go personally and communicate with the school leaders... In addition, just in case, have the Research Center send two experienced hands, preferably younger ones, don't be too conspicuous..."

Chen Peng patted his chest: "Master, don't you worry!"

After giving a salute, Chen Peng left the office.

Li Chunnan thought for a moment, then picked up the desk phone and dialed the department leader's number: "Leader, it has been arranged. I have let Chen Peng handle it personally... Yes, that's right, the investigation process of this Mu Ling Grave Robbery Case is indeed quite typical. After Lin returns, I will take Chen Peng and go to the school to communicate in person..."

"Yes, good, good... Director, don't you worry!"

Hanging up the phone, Li Chunnan leaned back and muttered to himself: "Like an awl in a bag, its point is revealed; even if one wants to hide it, one cannot?"

Beijing.

The sky was high and the clouds were thin, the sunlight was just right, and the woman was leaning against a lounge chair, sunning herself by the window.

Holding a mobile phone in her hand, the calls had been non-stop; after finishing one batch, another would follow.

Ren Danhua waited quietly to the side, occasionally glancing at the phone screen: Big Boss, Second Boss, Third Boss, such-and-such Bureau Chief...

She was only looking for a Scavenger of Broken Pieces, yet the Big Sister had made such a big fuss, as if this kid were a police undercover?

But she only thought about it in her heart...

After nearly an hour, the woman finally put down the phone, a few flickers of suspicion flashing in her eyes.

Thinking she had heard bad news, Ren Danhua's eyelids twitched: "Big Sister, how is it?"

The woman slowly straightened her waist.

Ren Danhua was quick-handed and sharp-eyed, placing a cushion behind the woman's waist.

"I'm not seventy or eighty yet!" the woman laughed, then clicked her tongue in wonder, "Is he really such a prodigy?"

Ren Danhua was stunned for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief.

As long as there was no problem, that was fine. If there really were a problem, whether the item could be repaired or not was secondary; the several bosses would definitely hold someone accountable, and she would certainly be the one to take the fall.

Now she was relieved; the person's background was fine, and not to mention anything else, at least he could fix that watch...

The woman put down the phone: "The Second Boss personally used his connections to ask: he said this kid is Yang Bin's nephew. You know Yang Bin, right?"

Ren Danhua nodded: South Dahai, North Dashan, Guanzhong Yang San.

These three were famous grave-robbing experts in the Shaanxi region, and even in the four provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Shanxi.

Yu Dahai had long since fled and was now in exile overseas. Miao Taiyue (North Dashan) seemed to have committed a crime too; she didn't know if he had been caught, but in any case, she hadn't heard any news for nearly a year.

Only Yang Bin had been inside for several years; his death sentence was commuted to a suspended death sentence, and then to life imprisonment.

And among the three, this one was the most special: besides robbing, he also trafficked, appraised, and was a Scavenger of Broken Pieces.

Especially in the areas of appraisal and Artifact Restoration, Yang Bin had specifically built a large building in Xijing as an appraisal center and Restoration Center, inviting experts in appraisal and Scavengers of Broken Pieces from everywhere. Whether in scale or technique, it was second to none in the entire Northwest region.

Moreover, Yang Bin himself was a famous appraisal expert and restoration expert in the Northwest. It was said that whether it was gold, silver, copper, tin, or pottery, porcelain, paper, wood, or even jade, silk, horn, or materials, there was nothing he could not appraise or repair.

"No wonder he's so young yet has such a high eye for detail and even higher craftsmanship?" Ren Danhua suddenly realized, "Did he learn from Yang Bin?"

"Not just that!" the woman shook her head, "It is said that when he was twelve or thirteen, he followed Yang Bin to learn appraisal and restoration, spending all day and night soaking in that building of Yang San's. After learning for five or six years, Yang Bin had nothing left to teach, so he sent him to Zhao Laotai, where he has been learning until now. It is also because of this reason that he wasn't implicated by Yang Bin..."

"According to the news the Second Boss's friend inquired about: they say he is better than his master, and this kid's craftsmanship is not only higher than Yang Bin's, but even higher than Zhao Laotai's..."

Ren Danhua was stunned for a moment: "Yang Bin knows Zhao Laotai?"

"More than just knows? Yang Bin was originally Zhao Laotai's apprentice; he followed her for five or six years, and his craftsmanship is several levels higher than Zhao Polan (Zhao Xiuneng)..."

Huh, so everything could be explained now?

Ren Danhua had never met Zhao Laotai and wasn't sure if this kid's craftsmanship was higher than the legendary Zhao Baixian. But she had had Zhao Xiuxian repair items before, so she knew very well that this kid's craftsmanship was at least higher than Zhao Xiuneng's.

The key was the attitude of the two brothers and the three father-and-son figures toward that kid: they followed his lead and obeyed his every command.

Thinking about it, the Zhao Family relying on him to revitalize their reputation was one aspect, but his ability to win people over with his skills was the key...

Just as she was thinking this, the woman stretched out her hand: "Where is that Scent Pouch? Let me take another look."

Ren Danhua hurriedly opened her bag and took it out.

The woman took it in her hands, examining it back and forth, over and over again.

She was a handler who specialized in dealing with tail-end goods. But years ago, she had gone into graves, sold goods, and even collected goods.

As the saying goes, by understanding one thing, one understands all; although she wasn't a Scavenger of Broken Pieces, she definitely understood: just like this Scent Pouch, it could no longer be described with words like "superb craftsmanship," but rather "transcendent."

Compared to Zhao Laotai, it was even better...

The woman sighed again: "I heard that what he is best at is also porcelain. Compared to that, his craftsmanship in repairing gold and silver can only be considered average."

"Ah?" Ren Danhua was stunned for a moment and looked at the Scent Pouch in the woman's hand, "Repaired like this, it can only be considered average?"

Then what should something repaired well look like?

"Zhao Laotai has two broken Chicken Cups, and they are right there with him. I don't know if they have been repaired, but if he couldn't do it, Zhao Laotai wouldn't have handed such rare items to him. It's even less likely she would let her eldest son and two grandsons follow him around all day like lackeys..."

The woman put down the Scent Pouch, "Setting aside the doucai, at least the Second Boss's friend can confirm: whether it is blue and white, polychrome, or Enamel-colored, he handles them with ease..."

"And he has inherited Yang Bin's true teachings: Watching Stars, Surveying Mountains, Surveying Water, Dragon Seeking, Dividing Gold—there is nothing he does not understand, and nothing he is not proficient in..."

Ren Danhua opened her mouth, ripples of water flowing in her peach-blossom eyes.

Knowing how to appraise and how to repair... she had seen these two skills with her own eyes: a glance from afar, without even needing to touch it, and he could determine the era, material, and origin of an object with 99% accuracy.

He could even clearly identify where it had been broken, where it had been repaired, and how it had been repaired.

As for the restoration... the Scent Pouch was right there before her eyes. The Big Sister had been immersed in this for half a lifetime, with more knowledge and experience than her; if she said it was good, then it was definitely good.

And he could also repair ceramics, and even repair them better than gold and silver ware?

And what were the most common funerary objects in ancient graves? Naturally, ceramics. And what was the easiest to break and damage? Also ceramics.

More importantly, he also knew how to survey, and how to perform Dragon Seeking and Dividing Gold.

Grave-robbing was easy to do, and selling the goods was even easier; as long as one was bold and not afraid of death, anyone could do it.

But finding a grave—that was a purely technical job. Including the Big Sister and Ma Shan, how many losses had they suffered and how many times had they stumbled on this?

It was precisely because they didn't have such talent under their command, and even more so because of fighting over talent, that people who once ate from the same pot turned into enemies.

In the end, they had to change professions: one became a middleman, the other a handler...

The more excited Zhao Xiang became, the more the woman's eyes gleamed, her lips moving: "Big Sister, this is a talent!"

As long as we can rope him in, there will be endless money to be made...

The woman was noncommittal: He is indeed a talent, and an all-around one at that. But she always felt that something was not quite right.

So young, such strong ability, such high-level craftsmanship—why do anything else, why come to do Grave-robbing?

And there is a precedent: his uncle is still locked up in prison...

"Don't panic, haste makes waste, finish repairing this piece first!" The woman tapped the table, "Find an opportunity for me to see the person..."

Ren Danhua perked up: "Meet in person?"

"Seeing him isn't impossible, but it's best not to let him know my identity. But I'm also afraid, what if he already knows who I am?"

The woman thought for a moment, "Do this, you arrange it, I will take a look through a mirror."

"Alright, Big Sister!" Ren Danhua agreed, then suddenly remembered, "Oh right, Qianjin Lu definitely has surveillance, will a recording do?"

"To judge a person, one must look at them; the face reflects the heart. How can you judge someone just by looking at a recording? You definitely have to see the person..." The woman shook her head, "But you get him over here first, I will evaluate him first..."

Ren Danhua nodded and immediately called Feng Shizong. After saying only two sentences, she froze subconsciously: "What, the surveillance was stolen? Heh, Boss Feng, do you dare to make up a more believable lie?"

Not knowing what else was said, Ren Danhua hung up the phone angrily, gritting her teeth: "The river hasn't even been crossed yet, and he already wants to tear down the bridge... Feng Shizong, do you not want to live anymore?"

The woman, however, felt something was not right: such a large Baizhai was sitting right there, and it wasn't as if they couldn't be contacted, there was no need for this kind of trick.

"When was the surveillance lost?"

"They said the day before yesterday, a thief broke into the shop and stole a few pieces of silverware."

The woman frowned: Breaking into a gold shop to steal silverware—are they blind, or is their brain filled with water?

(End of this chapter)