Chapter 333: Arrested the Moment You Leave the City

It was still that same command vehicle, and still Yan Wenjing.

However, there was one fewer Deputy Detachment Leader assisting; only the Special Duty Team had come today.

The two stood opposite him, meticulously helping Lin Sicheng with his inspection.

His hair had been permed, slightly curled. His eyebrows had been groomed, like a sharp sword unsheathed. He had a fake beard glued on, and his face had been colored, making it much darker and also much more mature.

At a glance, he looked thirty-five or thirty-six; looking closely, he looked like he was in his early thirties. In any case, he certainly did not look like a young man in his twenties.

He wore a suit that was slightly loose, but his posture remained upright.

The makeup artist handed him a mirror, and Lin Sicheng took a look, nodding with satisfaction: "This will do!"

But Yan Wenjing still felt a bit uneasy; perhaps it was psychological, but he always felt that Lin Sicheng before makeup and after makeup didn't look much different.

Lin Sicheng was quite relaxed: "Captain Yan, those who can recognize me won't be coming here!"

"What if they do?" Yan Wenjing frowned, "Just like that day at KFC, who would have thought Ren Danhua would also go in?"

Lin Sicheng paused: When the situation changes suddenly, one must make decisions on the fly; how could one achieve perfection?

One can only adapt to circumstances.

Just like that day at the shopping mall: if he hadn't done the opposite of what was expected, feigning a retreat to draw the enemy in, which threw that man in the hoodie off balance, at least half of the Special Duty Team members arranged by Yan Wenjing would have been discovered.

Therefore, sudden changes are not scary; what is scary is not having timely and effective countermeasures.

Lin Sicheng stood up and smoothed his suit: "Don't worry!"

Even if he encountered Ren Danhua today, even if she saw through his disguise, Lin Sicheng could still fight a few rounds.

"Szz—" The vehicle door slid open, and Lin Sicheng stepped off the command vehicle.

A Honda minivan drove over, and he got into the cabin.

Yan Wenjing picked up the walkie-talkie: "All groups, prepare..."

The morning mist was about to disperse, the ghost market was just about to pack up, and dark oil lamp stains still remained on the floor tiles.

Barriers had been lowered at the exits, and police, cultural heritage inspectors, and tax officials in uniform could be seen everywhere. The vendors were gathered in groups of two or three, or seven or eight, to have their information registered.

They said there would be an operation, and there was an operation; it was swift and decisive.

Only a very small number of people knew that this batch of dumplings was specifically wrapped just for this saucer of vinegar.

There were still many tourists; some were looking at the curiosities, and others were pondering the items on the stalls.

A beautiful girl was wearing a trench coat; she had a tall figure, charming features, and a trendy big-wave perm.

Her makeup was a bit heavy, and she was clutching Lin Sicheng's arm tightly, looking exceptionally intimate.

But only the person being clutched knew how tense her body was.

Lin Sicheng said in a relaxed tone: "Don't be nervous!"

The female Special Duty Team member was stunned for a moment: "B... Boss, I'm not nervous!"

Lin Sicheng smiled again: "Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you!"

As the words fell, "Poof," the female Special Duty Team member's face turned completely red.

She was not very old, but she was very experienced; she had participated in cases involving guns, explosives, and drugs—cases far more dangerous and complex than this one.

Therefore, she wasn't entirely nervous; she was also a bit excited.

Last time, that day at the mall, she was also on the third floor. Just before the power went out, to prevent any accidents involving Lin Sicheng, Yan Wenjing had arranged for her to be at the tea shop counter, posing as a customer buying tea leaves.

When Lin Sicheng came out, he even smiled at her. She didn't react at the time, but later she realized that she had already been exposed back then.

Afterward, Captain Yan issued an emergency notification for nearby Special Duty Team members to protect Lin Sicheng. At that time, she searched for a long while but couldn't find Lin Sicheng. Later, the Group Leader reminded her, and she realized: in just a few short minutes, Lin Sicheng had seemed like a different person.

Then, she watched with her own eyes what Lin Sicheng did.

Startling the snake by hitting the grass, beating the mountain to shake the tiger, feigning a retreat to draw the enemy in, making a feint to the east while attacking in the west, crossing the sea by a trick...

In less than ten minutes, Lin Sicheng had used nearly half of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough and responded in time, at least half of the Special Duty Team members on the third floor would have been exposed.

Even in the Special Duty Team, few possessed this kind of composure, this kind of calmness, and this kind of wit in making on-the-spot decisions.

The key was, he was also so young?

So when the leader notified her to cooperate with Lin Sicheng, she hadn't slept well all night, worried about not cooperating well.

She hadn't even thought about whether he was taking advantage of her or not. Besides, it was for the mission; wasn't being a little intimate normal?

Thinking this to herself, she looked back again.

Behind them was the man in the denim jacket—of course, he wasn't wearing denim today, but had changed into a suit. His body was very sturdy, and the suit was a bit tight, as if it were about to burst.

Knowing what she was thinking, Lin Sicheng lowered his voice: "Don't look at him, he's not nervous!"

The latter grinned: I'm a bodyguard, playing the mute the whole time, what do I have to be nervous about?

If I run into someone who doesn't know their place, I'll just start fighting.

Besides, with Teacher Lin's methods and mental fortitude, he could make a piece of wood look like a living person; what the hell are you nervous about?

Knowing he wasn't thinking anything good, the female Special Duty Team member glared at him, took a deep breath, and tried hard to adjust her mindset.

Lin Sicheng said nothing more.

There was no difficulty today; there was basically no possibility of exposure, and danger was out of the question.

He saw that the female Special Duty Team member was as tense as a steel bar, so he cracked a joke to help her take her mind off it.

The three of them wandered aimlessly, stopping occasionally. Every now and then, Lin Sicheng would look at the items on the stalls and spout a few lines in a Taiwan accent.

With a "mistress" by his side and a bodyguard behind him, he looked like a big spender, and the vendors were extremely enthusiastic.

But mostly he just looked, asked a couple of questions, and then Lin Sicheng would shake his head with a smile and put the items down.

It was truly a bit pathetic: they had gone around to over a dozen stalls, seen at least a thousand or eight hundred items, and regardless of whether they were valuable or not, they hadn't encountered a single real one?

It seemed they had all heard the wind, knowing that the relevant departments were coming to inspect. From this, it could be seen that even if there were genuine goods in the market, their origins were mostly problematic.

After walking for a good while and checking two more shops, Lin Sicheng stopped and peered: Jinlu Zhai?

The plaque had black characters on a gold background, and the name was quite peculiar; at first glance, one would think it sold antiques like gold, silver, bronze tripods, or tinware, but that was not the case.

Standing below the steps, one could see an offering table placed directly facing the entrance, with three tiers displaying nothing but divine statues.

There were Daoist, Buddhist, Three Pure Ones, and Bodhisattvas. There were wood, porcelain, and also bronze.

Whether it was an industry under Song Chun's name or a place for fencing stolen goods was not yet known, but there was definitely a connection.

After a rough look, Lin Sicheng stepped onto the stairs.

Presumably everyone was busy, as no one could be seen in the shop; it wasn't until the wind chime rang that a man of nearly thirty years old turned out from behind the screen.

The man pressed his palms together: "Lay Buddhist, what would you like?"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "I'll take a look around first!"

His nasal tone was quite heavy, his voice somewhat soft and glutinous; when he spoke, it was as if his tongue tip was pressed against the back of his lower teeth, with the airflow squeezing out through the gaps in his teeth, and there was a distinct trailing hook in his voice.

A faint light flashed in the man's eyes: Huh, a Taiwanese?

Looking at the side: the female companion was extremely beautiful, the bodyguard was thuggishly sturdy.

According to past experience, such an accent and such a combination basically meant: wealthy and blind.

Very shrewd, but not shrewd in the right places.

If one had high skill and reacted a bit faster, there was a high probability of being able to strike a heavy blow.

The man hunched his waist, his face piled with smiles: "Boss, please take a look first; if there is anything you want to ask, feel free to open your golden mouth at any time."

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Good!"

Perhaps feeling that pretending to be mute all the time didn't seem right, the female Special Duty Team member pondered for a moment and pointed at the horizontal plaque above the offering table.

This time it was not "Jinlu Zhai," but "Xuanji Lou," and it was not black characters on a gold background, but red characters on a gold background.

"Boss, why is the name of this shop so strange, and why are there two?"

Lin Sicheng took a look: "The golden furnace bears the Daoist secret, the jade tablet reveals the profound mystery. It comes from the 'Daoist Four Poems' written by the Tang Dynasty writer Zhang Shuo under the order of Emperor Xuanzong, Li Longji, implying heaven-bestowed spirit and the profound meaning of the immortals."

"Black is profound, the water virtue of the five elements, symbolizing the chaos of the primordial beginning. Gold is yang, merging with the Golden Core Dao, shining like the sun, so Daoist temple plaques are mostly black characters on a gold background.

In Buddhism, gold is the dharma body of the Buddha, hence the saying 'gold-gilding the body,' and red is wisdom, as well as the sacred fire, burning away all evil, so Buddhist temple plaques are mostly red characters on a yellow background..."

A few flashes of oddity crossed the man's eyes: He speaks with such ease, this guy from across the sea is actually quite knowledgeable?

Maybe he is someone who believes in Buddhism and follows the Dao.

But it doesn't matter; no matter how much he knows, he only knows Buddhist and Daoist teachings, while what we sell here is "antiques"...

The female Special Duty Team member was startled: She had only asked casually, she didn't expect Lin Sicheng to really be able to answer.

No wonder when guests enter the door, they aren't called "Boss" here, but addressed as "Lay Buddhist"?

Looking back again: the shop was filled with either divine statues or spirit tablets. Otherwise, it was prayer beads, horsetail whisks, incense burners, or purification bottles.

Anyway, it was either Buddhism or Daoism. Whether the items were real or not, she didn't know, but they certainly looked quite old.

Secretly changing her mind, she praised him with a face full of admiration: "Boss is so knowledgeable!"

It wasn't acting, but genuine admiration.

Lin Sicheng didn't say anything, and the bodyguard behind him secretly chuckled: I let you pretend to be a mistress, not a fan girl.

Forget it, the effect is the same...

There were many items, and Lin Sicheng was indifferent. After a rough look, he picked up a silver turtle.

It was quite large, about a foot long, six inches wide, and half a foot high. It was also quite heavy, about a catty.

The design was very unique: modeled after a turtle, the turtle's back was raised, the whole body was chiseled with turtle shell patterns and brocade patterns, the mouth, nose, and neck all had openwork holes, and the four feet were hollow.

The signs of aging were very obvious: the black color was uniform, the grooves had accumulated grime with hidden crystals, the turtle's back occasionally showed cinnabar spots, and the base was as bright as a snowfield.

But the workmanship was average: the body was uneven, the thickness varied, and the belly had dense white nodules, sharp like bone spurs.

It was a standard gold-gilded silver vessel unearthed from a water pit; due to electrolyte corrosion, the gold-gilding layer had peeled off entirely.

It wasn't a "raw pit good," but it was definitely not a handed-down heirloom; if Lin Sicheng had to judge, it had been unearthed for about thirty to forty years.

Seeing Lin Sicheng looking so seriously, the female Special Duty Team member was extra curious. Furthermore, her task today, besides being a vase and playing a mistress, was to act as a straight man to his funny man.

After glancing at it a few times, she looked confused: "Boss, what is this?"

"A Turtle-Knob Gilded Silver Box!" Lin Sicheng flipped it over, "A Daoist item, it can hold pills, or it can be used as an incense burner!"

"Lay Buddhist has a good eye!" The man gave a thumbs up, "A sacred treasure decreed by the Grand Preceptor Directorate (later renamed the Shangfang Directorate, specializing in ritual vessels and palace supplies, similar to the Imperial Household Department of the Ming and Qing dynasties) in the early Tang Dynasty, a genuine handed-down piece!"

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: Early Tang, you really dare to say that?

This thing was indeed quite old, and it did look like Tang craftsmanship, but it was just an imitation. The era was at most mid-Qing, only about two hundred years old.

This guy opened his mouth and moved it forward by more than a thousand years?

And a decree? With this workmanship, it wouldn't be unjust if the entire Grand Preceptor Directorate were beheaded.

Lin Sicheng shook his head and put it down: "Qing Dynasty folk Jin-style (Shanxi), inlaid with iron bones, hundred-catty hammers, bold and unconstrained, but lacking in refinement. Late Qianlong, early Jiaqing!"

The man froze, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably a few times.

The item had been in the shop for several years; whether it was Jin-style or Qing Dynasty, he knew it clearly.

But this guy from across the sea only looked at it for a few glances?

Without a doubt, this person was an expert.

He cupped his hands, looking full of admiration, and pointed to the side: "Please take a look at this one, it is absolutely a five or six-hundred-year-old item, a genuine Ming Dynasty piece..."

Lin Sicheng took a look: This time it was a bronze vessel?

Long neck, full shoulders, round belly, plain surface, tapering down to a ring foot. The bottle mouth was small and slightly flared, the neck was slender and upright, the belly was round and full, and the outline was soft. Although the ring foot was low, it was regular, and the overall appearance was stable and beautiful.

The signs of aging were even more obvious: green with a hint of blue, with hidden silver antiquity. The green rust looked like crystal clusters, the blue rust like layered velvet crystals, and the dotted red spots were as bright as cinnabar.

The female Special Duty Team member continued to act as the straight man: "Boss, what is this?"

"A purification bottle, also known as a bathing bottle, one of the eighteen items of a Buddhist monk, originally used for storing water for drinking or washing hands, later gradually evolving into a ritual vessel before the Buddha and an elegant decorative item."

Lin Sicheng picked it up: "The peacock blue is too dense, the crystal lattice is too neat, it should be chemical copper plating. The cinnabar spots float on the surface, lacking a sense of layering. The soil secretion contains sand, but it is too fine, round, and smooth, and the mouth and foot edges are sharp as knives..."

After taking a few looks, Lin Sicheng put it back down: "Sulfuric acid carbonization, then catalyzed for rust with electrolyte, then fumed with ammonia to set the rust. Finally, buried in sand to imitate soil encrustation... Forget about the Ming Dynasty, don't even aim for five hundred years, five years at most..."

The man gaped, dumbfounded: Damn it, did an expert show up?

The silver turtle from before could be called a coincidence, but could this copper Purification Bottle also be a coincidence?

Get this straight, what lies between a genuine item and an imitation is not a river, but a chasm.

But it doesn't matter, you do your thing, at worst I just won't make a move. If I like it I'll buy it, if I don't I'll walk away...

Secretly changing his mind, the man closed his mouth, not introducing anything, and certainly not pushing for a sale.

Continuing to look down, after seeing about five or six items, Lin Sicheng picked up a string of Prayer Beads.

White Jade texture, the beads were all the same size, with a few pieces of Turquoise inlaid in the middle. The head bead was Red Agate, and hanging at the bottom was an Agate gourd.

This gourd was quite strange, and what was even stranger was: it was especially long.

A rough count showed at least three hundred beads, three times that of ordinary Prayer Beads.

Lin Sicheng took a look and wrapped them around his wrist: "Manager, how much?"

The man was somewhat suspicious: Not asking about the origin, not asking about the era, but asking directly how much?

Looking closer, it was just ordinary White Wax Stone, basically sold by the pound. So even though it was an old object, the price was not high.

Recalling a bit, the cost price seemed to be just over one thousand.

The man's heart stirred: "Nine thousand!"

"Too high!" Lin Sicheng flicked the beads, "Two thousand!"

This price he offered?

Just enough to make a little profit, but not too much?

The man shook his head: "Eight thousand at the lowest!"

Lin Sicheng didn't speak, unfastened them, and just as he was about to put them into the box, the man reached out a hand to intervene: "Three thousand, take them!"

Lin Sicheng did not hesitate and paid on the spot.

Without looking again, and not wanting the box, he wrapped them around his wrist and the three of them left the shop.

This wasn't a shopping mall, so there weren't that many surveillance cameras, but everything was heard clearly in the command vehicle: Lin Sicheng had bought an antique.

This wasn't in the plan, and the female Special Duty Team member joked: "Boss, what if it gets stuck in your hands?"

Meaning what if it couldn't be reimbursed.

Lin Sicheng shook his head: "It won't get stuck, I can even make a profit."

"Huh?"

Lin Sicheng lowered the bead chain, "These aren't ordinary Prayer Beads, but Flowing Beads of the Zhengyi Sect. Different Daoist ranks use different numbers of Flowing Beads: Initial Truth (Register Students) use twelve, twenty-four, twenty-eight, thirty-two, thirty-six. Alliance Might (Purple Robe) use eighty-one, one hundred and eight, and only the Three Caves (High Merit) use three hundred and sixty-five..."

"The Supreme Three Primordial Flowing Beads Scripture: (Celestial Master) receives them using white pearls, round, upright, bright, and clear, three hundred and sixty-five pieces the size of paulownia seeds, corresponding to the degrees of the constellations and the periods of the sun and moon's meeting. It means that only a Celestial Master can use white pearls..."

Lin Sicheng pointed at the Agate gourd: "The Jade Pivot Scripture: Beneath the North Star, there are still the Three Terraces... What is the North Star? The Emperor Star. What are the Three Terraces: The Three Excellencies... Therefore, this should be a Celestial Master's Flowing Beads. Looking at the degree of aging, the era is likely late Ming or early Qing..."

Pausing slightly, he pointed at the red head bead: "The North Dipper Scripture: The North Star hangs its image, and the multitude of stars arch toward it; the Ming Dynasty was of the Fire Virtue, very high probability: Ming Dynasty, Imperial Decree..."

"Don't think the material is poor, it's just ordinary White Wax Stone. But if nothing goes wrong, this should be White Jade produced by Longhu Mountain itself. It's even possible that the Celestial Master polished it himself..."

The two Special Duty Team members blinked their eyes, looking at the Prayer Beads, then at Lin Sicheng, then at the Prayer Beads, then at Lin Sicheng.

Teacher Lin, we came here today to execute a mission, right?

And you, you're picking up leaks?

"Just a side task!" Lin Sicheng wrapped them around his wrist again, "Find someone who knows their stuff to sell them to, and just say it was bought from Jinlu Zhai. Don't worry, in less than half a day, the news will spread, and the effect will be even better. Plus, it can help you earn some case-handling funds..."

The two Special Duty Team members didn't make a sound: The leader had given very clear instructions: whatever Lin Sicheng said to do, they would do.

Furthermore, they didn't even know what the specific mission content was, so they didn't dare to interrupt at all.

But Yan Wenjing and the Deputy Detachment Leader were invigorated: You really have to say, the effect might actually be better?

Knowing they were eager to solve the case, Lin Sicheng didn't play coy. He looked left and right, and seeing no one nearby, he lowered his voice: "There are things in the shop, but not many, and they are all quite old. All over twenty years old..."

This "thing" naturally referred to Raw Pit Goods. This "twenty years" referred to the time since they were unearthed.

Yan Wenjing and the Deputy Detachment Leader exchanged a look: Twenty years, at most they could just seal this shop. Trying to find clues, trying to beat the grass to startle the snake, or lure the snake out of its hole, was likely impossible.

Just as they were sighing inwardly, Lin Sicheng pinched the button at the collar of his shirt: "But looking at the dust marks on the shelves, there should be more than just this much in the shop, and most of it was moved only between yesterday and today..."

Huh, moved overnight?

Then what was displayed before? Nine times out of ten, it was stolen goods...

But before the action document was issued, there were undercover lookouts watching this place, so the goods definitely hadn't been shipped away yet.

The problem is how to investigate, just seal it?

Without proof or evidence, even if Yan Wenjing dared to, the Detachment Leader and Vice President Sun would not agree.

Just as they were racking their brains, the communicator pressed his headset: "Captain, Team Three reports that a van has stopped at the Backdoor of Jinlu Zhai. Two men got out and knocked on the door for a long time, but no one opened it, and they are now circling toward the front door..."

Sure enough, they want to move the stolen goods?

Yan Wenjing gripped the walkie-talkie: "Teacher Lin, you all withdraw first..."

Before the words were finished, Lin Sicheng shook his head: It's too late, and there's no need to withdraw.

Not far, just about ten meters away, an old man and a young man came out of the alley and walked toward this side.

Their eyes were bloodshot, and one look told you they hadn't slept much. Their clothes were wrinkled, and their hair was as messy as a chicken coop.

Their complexions were not good, clearly carrying Fire Qi. Just as they stepped over the threshold, the cursing came out first: "Sheng Qingfeng, you idiot, you don't answer the phone, you don't open the door when we knock..."

The man from before greeted them from behind the counter, likely trying to explain, but the older man waved him away: "So what if the boss gave orders? The boss has to be reasonable too...

Seeing that we were about to break the well (open the tomb roof), he said stop and we stop? Stopping is one thing, but he also had to make me come to pick up the goods?"

"Do you know where that place is? Desert! Aside from sand, it's just sand; never mind cars, even a tank would get stuck if it drove in. I walked out for an entire night... No, why am I yelling at you, where is Lao Sheng..."

Lin Sicheng's heart stirred, and he glanced inside.

The man from before wanted to close the door, but was scolded by the people inside. Then, with a "Bang!", the old man and the young man were pushed into the back room.

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment and squeezed his microphone: "Team Leader Yan, is the van still there?"

"It is, right at the Backdoor!"

"Let's go, let's go take a look!"

He set off immediately, following the path the two men had come from, and Lin Sicheng passed through.

He knew it would be like this; fortunately, they were well-prepared, and Yan Wenjing hurriedly sent people to provide support.

It was not a long corridor; by the time he got out, his suit shirt had already been changed for a wool cardigan. His beard was gone, and he had a hat on his head.

The two members of the Special Duty Team did not follow; Lin Sicheng strolled along, unhurried, just like a passing tourist.

The vehicle was very old, a nine-seater Jinbei van with a "Ji G" license plate. A toll receipt was tossed under the windshield: Zhangji Toll Station.

The vehicle was covered in dust, and chunks of dry mud mixed with sand remained in the window crevices.

The glass was tinted, so he could not see if there was anything inside. Fearing someone might be watching from within, Lin Sicheng did not dare to circle around, only taking a few glances as he passed by.

Just as he was about to pass it, he looked at the running board, then at the wheel hubs and tires. Suddenly, Lin Sicheng's pupils constricted, and he bent down sharply.

He pretended to be picking something up and wiped the running board. But it was extremely fast; he stood up as soon as he crouched, taking less than two seconds in total.

Continuing to walk forward, Lin Sicheng tried hard to recall.

A Zhangjiakou accent, a Zhangjiakou license plate. They had just come out of the desert, having passed the Zhangji Toll Station in Kangbao County at the border of Hebei and Inner Mongolia.

The key was the soil residue left on the running board: red and yellow Sanhe Soil, rammed earth with cinnabar, Kaolin Clay, blue paste mud with tung oil, willow charcoal dust...

They had truly broken into the golden well; the next step would be opening the coffin...

"Team Leader Yan, keep an eye on the two who just went in; arrest them as soon as they leave the city!"

"Ah, the ones picking up the goods?" Yan Wenjing was stunned for a moment. "What if they aren't?"

"They just came out of the pit; arrest them even if they aren't picking up goods." Lin Sicheng sighed. "They are digging up the Gurun Princess Tomb..."

(End of chapter)