Chapter 412: You Draw the Line

Lin Sicheng examined it very carefully, but it was quick, taking only three or four minutes in total.

Seeing him put down the Brush Washer, the five or six people opposite him stared at him in unison.

Shen Songcai and Wan Younian were relatively normal, their curiosity tinged with a bit of expectation, wondering if this expert, who was ridiculously young, would see something different.

Chen Weihua and Liu Zhaoting, however, were on guard, thinking about how to respond if this person said there was a problem with the item.

The funniest one was the man in the cotton-padded jacket: he appeared to have his hands in his pockets and looked very calm, but it was all a forced act.

If you don't believe it, ask him to take his hands out and see if his palms are covered in sweat.

If there had been any doubt before, seeing Lin Sicheng's appraisal technique made him completely lose hope: this was a true expert.

Just as he was feeling suspicious and uncertain, Lin Sicheng suddenly looked up: "Where did you get this?"

The others were baffled: one could tell from the soil stains that it was dug out of a tomb, though it had been excavated quite a while ago. With this person's discernment, it was impossible for him not to see that.

The eyelids of the man in the cotton-padded jacket twitched slightly: he saw it, didn't he?

He forced a smile: "Luck!"

Lin Sicheng nodded: he was honest enough not to claim it was an heirloom.

As if his hand had gone numb from holding the Brush Washer for too long, Lin Sicheng rubbed his fingers and pointed at the Brush Washer again: "There are more like this, right?"

The man in the cotton-padded jacket froze, his heart shrinking into a ball: sure enough, he had seen through it, otherwise he would never have asked that.

But it wasn't this that shocked him, but the way Lin Sicheng used his thumb to rub his knuckles: was this the Yuanliang Seal?

In this setting, in this situation, how the hell could this be a coincidence?

But, how old are you? Looking closer: from head to toe, there wasn't a trace of a fellow traveler in the underworld...

Fortunately, surprise was surprise, but he reacted quickly; after a pause of only a second or two, he shook his head vigorously: "No more, just this one!" Impossible, there was at least one more. Or even worse, there might be three or five.

But he definitely couldn't admit it, at least not here, otherwise the one at hand would become problematic even if it wasn't.

Lin Sicheng didn't press further and took the wet wipe handed over by Li Zhen.

Shen Songcai looked curious: "Lin Shifu, how is it?"

Lin Sicheng was noncommittal: "It's alright!"

That one "it's alright" almost scared the soul out of the man in the cotton-padded jacket.

This was a catch-all phrase; it could mean good, and it could mean bad. It was like crosstalk: how the punchline is delivered depends entirely on how the straight man leads it. Sure enough, Shen Songcai followed up with a question: "So, there's no problem?"

Lin Sicheng didn't answer directly; he first looked at Chen Weihua and Liu Zhaoting opposite him, then smiled: "If I say there is a problem with this item, will the two of you beat me out?"

Chen Weihua and Liu Zhaoting were stunned for a moment, then exchanged a look: the implication was, there really was a problem with this thing?

Sure enough, they hadn't guessed wrong: if this person wasn't in cahoots with that woman, how would he know what they were thinking?

Chen Weihua's expression was very faint, and his voice was even colder: "If words don't match, it's a waste of breath!"

The words were sharp and not very pleasant, but Lin Sicheng didn't care at all: "Fine, I'll shut up!"

Upon hearing "there is a problem," the man in the cotton-padded jacket was so scared that cold sweat almost broke out. But immediately after, hearing "waste of breath," his eyes flashed, glowing brightly.

He secretly glanced at Lin Sicheng: Big Brother, have mercy, you'll scare people to death...

In a flash, Chen Weihua had his secretary take the Brush Washer and looked at the Contract again.

There were basically no problems, and he shook hands with the man in the cotton-padded jacket, considering the transaction complete.

The necessary procedures were all finished; why stay here any longer when delays only lead to trouble?

The man in the cotton-padded jacket raised his teacup, toasted everyone, and after putting it down, stood up to take his leave.

Whether intentional or not, the spot where he placed it happened to form an equilateral triangle with the teapot and Lin Sicheng's teacup.

Wan Younian had his apprentice see him off, and just as they reached the door, the man in the cotton-padded jacket turned back and cupped his hands.

Everyone took it as a final farewell and paid no attention, except for Lin Sicheng, who sighed while staring at the cup on the coffee table: that bastard was signaling him. Shortly after, Chen Weihua and Liu Zhaoting also proposed to leave, and Shen Songcai and Wan Younian personally saw them out the door.

The old Hong Konger was a big client, and Shen Songcai was extremely attentive, following them all the way, saying he wanted to see them out of the market.

Watching the group walk further and further away until they turned the corner, Lin Sicheng cupped his hands: "Wan Shifu, see you again!"

"Lin Shifu is leaving too?"

Lin Sicheng was stumped by the question: the show was over, why stay here?

"Lin Shifu, have another cup of tea?"

He hadn't even had lunch yet and had only filled his stomach with tea; how could he drink any more?

"Thank you, Wan Shifu, no more!"

"Then I'll see you off!"

Wan Younian stood up, and the two walked out side by side. When they reached the door, he stopped, looked left and right, and lowered his voice: "Lin Shifu, that Brush Washer, is it not quite right?"

Lin Sicheng paused and looked at Wan Younian.

This man was quite interesting: although his discernment wasn't top-tier, his experience was extremely rich.

He didn't answer directly but asked instead: "Why is Wan Shifu so certain that I am not in cahoots with that woman who is a Scavenger of Broken Pieces?" Wan Younian sighed: "Lin Shifu, I have eyes!"

Just as Lin Sicheng guessed, it had nothing to do with discernment, but underworld experience: Wan Younian could at least tell that this person and that woman were not on the same path at all.

To use an analogy: this person was at least in the clouds, while that woman was at most on the ground.

To take a step back: with this person's skill and ability, he would never stoop to the level of being a shill for someone.

The reason Wan Younian suspected there was a problem with the Brush Washer was also based on underworld experience: with this person's discernment, if it were a genuine Ming Imitation, why be so curious? Why go as far as using methods like lighting a lamp and pulling a wick, or prying open a coffin to release a tiger?

Lin Sicheng didn't answer directly, but instead let Wan Younian guess seven or eight out of ten. He was secretly surprised and cupped his hands again: "Lin Shifu, it was presumptuous of me!"

"Not presumptuous at all!" Lin Sicheng smiled, watching the backs of the Hong Kong businessmen as they walked away, "If I say there is a problem, will they believe it?" Lin Sicheng had said as much before, but Chen Weihua had told him to shut up.

But this time, he said it again; would he dare tell him to shut up now?

Wan Younian froze, his pupils involuntarily shrinking: just a moment ago he had only guessed seven or eight parts, but now it was already ninety-nine percent?

That Brush Washer really did have a problem...

After being stunned for a long while, Lin Sicheng said goodbye, and only after he had already lifted his foot did Wan Younian react.

Lin Sicheng, who had rushed down the steps, cupped his hands in a salute: "Lin Shifu, I understand the rules!"

The meaning was that he would keep his mouth shut.

Lin Sicheng smiled: It didn't matter if he didn't keep the rules, because that Boss Chen and Expert Liu had already entered a dead end.

Whoever said there was a problem with that Brush Washer was simply jealous that he was making a fortune.

Don't disbelieve it; old hands in the trade still get fooled, sometimes even more obsessively than a woman who has fallen for a pig-butchering scam.

Therefore, there is a saying in the Antique Trade: what is being swindled are the experts, and what is being slaughtered are the insiders.

To be able to lead insiders and experts around by the nose, and have them help count the money even after being slaughtered, shows the methods of this group.

How formidable they are, Lin Sicheng did not yet know, but he could be certain that this setup today had definitely been prepared for a long time.

At the very least, it had to be measured in years, and it was even hard to say if it hadn't been two or three years.

Seeing him bowing his head in deep thought, no one dared to disturb him; even though Jing Zeyang's heart was about to explode with curiosity, he didn't dare ask a single word.

Walking continuously until they had passed through three alleys, Lin Sicheng raised his head to look around, then stopped again.

Unknowingly, they had actually walked to the back street?

Two antique shops with locked doors looked as if they hadn't opened for a long time. Besides that, there were a few restaurants and two shops.

Tsk, they certainly know how to pick a place?

Jing Zeyang leaned over: "Cousin Lin, why aren't we walking anymore?"

"Wait a moment, waiting for someone!"

Jing Zeyang was baffled: "Waiting for whom?"

As the words fell, a figure darted out from a restaurant. Seeing Lin Sicheng, he pointed at the restaurant and made a gesture of invitation.

Jing Zeyang took a look: Isn't this the man who sold the Brush Washer earlier?

How did he know Lin Sicheng would come here?

No, how did Cousin Lin know this person would be waiting for him here?

Recalling carefully: ever since they entered Rao Yu Zhai, the two had only spoken two sentences:

"Where did you get it?"

"Luck!"

"There are more like this, right?"

"Really none left!"

While he was suspicious, Lin Sicheng walked over. Five or six steps away, the man solemnly smoothed his cotton-padded jacket and bowed again: "Lin Shifu, many thanks!"

He truly should thank him: if Lin Sicheng had said one more word today, it wouldn't have been as simple as whether he could swindle a few million. Not to mention that Hong Kong businessman, Liu Zhaoting alone could have skinned him alive.

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Shifu, there's no need for such a grand gesture!"

"I wouldn't dare!" The man stepped back, his attitude respectful, "I had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai before, not knowing you were an unworldly Grand Master, please forgive me!"

Lin Sicheng paused: "If I said I am not a Grand Master, would you believe me?"

The man didn't speak, squeezing out a trace of a smile.

If not a fellow traveler in the trade, how could one strike the secret sign?

If not a master holding the fort, how could one understand the Dragon Gate Array?

The Tea Cup he set down after finishing his tea had only one purpose: to point the way.

Without understanding Dragon Seeking and Dividing Gold, it was impossible to understand the orientation, yet this person had found this place without missing a meter. And it was fast: only a few minutes from front to back.

Even for an old master accustomed to seeking graves and fixing burial spots, wouldn't they have to take out a Compass to calculate?

Therefore, how high must this person's craft be?

If he joined the group, he would be at least the second-in-command.

He bowed again: "Lin Shifu, let's go inside to talk!"

"Good!"

Saying this, Lin Sicheng stepped over the threshold.

Jing Zeyang was completely confused and didn't understand.

He looked at the three people behind him: whether it was Fang Jin, or Li Zhen and Xiao Yuzhu, they were all indifferent, without the slightest look of curiosity. He followed them in with patience; the man in the cotton jacket had booked a private room in advance: one for him and Lin Sicheng, and one for the others.

The dishes were already ordered and served as soon as they entered, along with two bottles of liquor: Wuliangye.

Looking at the environment of the small restaurant, then at the big fish and Painting of Shrimp on the table along with the two bottles of liquor, Jing Zeyang felt: it was indescribably strange, and strange everywhere...

He tugged at Fang Jin and pointed at the table: "What's the situation? We don't even know each other, yet he treats us to a meal, and such a good one?"

"It's not treating us, it's treating Brother Lin; we are just tagging along!" Fang Jin pointed at the next room with his chopsticks: "That person should be a fellow traveler in the underworld." Jing Zeyang was stunned: What underworld are you talking about?

When did Lin Sicheng enter the underworld, and why didn't I know?

Huh, it seems Jing Zeyang really didn't know?

Fang Jin lowered his voice: "Brother Jing, you've met General Manager Zhao, right?"

"I have!"

And he had met him more than once.

Jing Zeyang knew even better: Zhao Xiuneng's two sons were Lin Sicheng's apprentices.

"To give an analogy, in ancient times, General Manager Zhao would be the fence for the Grave-robbing trade in the four northwestern provinces."

Jing Zeyang knew Grave-robbing, which was tomb raiding, but "fence"... it was his first time hearing it?

"What is a fence?"

"Probably similar to the supreme leader of the greenwood underworld: suppressing the mountains and halls, sitting in place to divide the loot!"

Jing Zeyang's eyes widened: No... Fang Jin, what kind of joke are you telling?

"Brother Jing, don't disbelieve it: the time General Manager Zhao has spent in prison is longer than your age!"

Is that for real?

He looks quite kind, doesn't he?

Jing Zeyang looked completely incredulous: "Then what about Cousin Lin?"

"Cousin Lin doesn't touch this stuff, but his skills are higher than General Manager Zhao's, and he understands more than General Manager Zhao: whether it's authentication, grave-robbing, Scavenger of Broken Pieces, or even porcelain-swindling and setting up schemes, he is proficient in everything. So, it's fine if you don't run into him, but once you run into someone in these trades, they all show him great respect..."

Great respect?

Subconsciously, Jing Zeyang thought of that master craftsman at Rao Yu Zhai, and the man in the cotton-padded jacket sitting at the next table, who was chatting with Lin Sicheng about who knows what. It should be fear, right?

"He even knows how to swindle with porcelain?"

"Of course, otherwise how was that female grave-robber caught?"

Once the female grave-robber was mentioned, Jing Zeyang didn't dare to make a sound. Because Yan Wenjing had placed a gag order on him: even if someone held a gun to his head, he could not speak of it to outsiders.

He suddenly remembered something else: "What is a 'Grand Peak'?"

"Is it like a sect leader or a grandmaster?"

"Is Cousin Lin's status in the underworld that high?"

Fang Jin smiled: This was still because Lin Sicheng was low-key enough and didn't want to get involved in this line of work, otherwise it would be even higher.

Jing Zeyang had a moment of realization, then reacted: But that's not right, the person at the next table, wasn't he in a hurry to get surgery for his wife? When did he become an underworld figure?

Thinking it over carefully, he suddenly understood: "That person... is a swindler? That Brush Washer, there's a problem with it..."

He had only said half a sentence when he froze again: the three people opposite him were exceptionally calm, as if they had known all along.

But it wasn't strange: having followed Lin Sicheng for so long, when had they ever seen him be this curious about an object?

Racking his brains and trying every possible method, just to get a look at it?

It wasn't as if the Center at Northwest University didn't have Ru Porcelain; even if they were just two shards, they were still genuine Ru Porcelain.

Therefore, there was only one answer: there was a problem with this item.

Stunned, Jing Zeyang gasped: No way... this is worth millions, right?

Having swindled so much, that person didn't even blink, and what's more, he disguised himself as a farmer so convincingly?

The key point was that the Hong Kong businessman and that Expert Liu were not novices. On the contrary: they were both professionals who made their living in this field, yet they were both led around by the nose by him. How high must this underworld figure's cultivation be?

The problem was, he hadn't run away, and he even had the leisure to invite Lin Sicheng to dinner?

Even more bizarrely: he was so respectful toward Lin Sicheng?

As if guessing what he was thinking, Fang Jin nodded: "Grand Peak!"

Jing Zeyang was left speechless.

Once you've reached the level of setting up schemes and traps, can you still talk about underworld morality with someone?

There might be a little gratitude, after all, Lin Sicheng really did show mercy. But more than that, it was deterrence.

The man in the cotton-padded jacket held his wine glass, respectful and deferential, but before he could open his mouth, Lin Sicheng waved his hand first: "Sorry, I don't drink!" He sat back down, not a hint of impatience on his face: "Lin Shifu, then please eat, have some food!"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Logically speaking, you should have run away by now. But you set up a Dragon Gate Array for me and asked me out to talk?"

Pausing slightly, Lin Sicheng smiled: "It couldn't be that the Hong Kong businessman left some loose ends, could it?"

The man in the cotton-padded jacket froze, a flash of panic crossing his eyes: Damn it, is my luck really that bad?

They had spent two whole years preparing this scheme, and they were just one step away from the finish line when this person suddenly popped up.

At first, the man in the cotton-padded jacket only thought: this person was at most an expert who knew how to authenticate and repair.

Because age can be faked, but those hands absolutely cannot be faked.

So when Lin Sicheng wanted to see the Brush Washer and he refused, although the man in the cotton-padded jacket's tone was firm, he hadn't said anything excessive.

Later, when he entered the shop, he thought this kid wanted to blow the whistle, which scared him so much that he was even prepared to fight to the death.

But fortunately, it was a false alarm; Lin Sicheng had only quietly intimidated him a little.

Afterward, when Lin Sicheng displayed that Yuanliang Seal, he realized: he had encountered a peer with top-tier discernment.

At that moment, he knew that today's matter probably wouldn't end well: the other party must have some ulterior motive, otherwise they wouldn't have revealed their identity.

But he didn't know how big the other party's appetite was.

Wanting a cut of the loot was fine, after all, his leverage was in their hands. But it wasn't a matter of him deciding how much to split: did you have the background and strength to handle it?

Therefore, he had set up the Dragon Gate Array. Firstly, to probe, and secondly, to test the waters.

Seeing this person find his way here without bias, the man in the cotton-padded jacket was so shocked his scalp went numb: today, he had really kicked an iron plate; this person wasn't just a peer, but a master of the trade?

Knowing how to authenticate, how to repair, and how to Seek Dragon Divide Gold—the key was that every skill was shockingly high. If this isn't a "Grand Peak," what is?

But he didn't expect that it wasn't over yet: before he had even spoken three sentences, the other party had already laid it all out: if that old Hong Konger hadn't left some loose ends, he would have already taken the money and run, so why would he need to waste his breath here?

The man in the cotton-padded jacket felt his heart turn to ash, and he no longer dared to harbor any shred of wishful thinking.

Thinking of this, he stood up and bowed deeply: "Lin Shifu, please set the terms!"

I'm not a robber, am I?

Lin Sicheng shook his head: "I don't split loot!"

The man in the cotton-padded jacket was not happy but alarmed, looking up and staring at him.

"I mean it, you don't need to doubt me, but there is one thing!"

The man in the cotton-padded jacket felt slightly relieved: he wasn't afraid of him making demands, he was only afraid of having a noose around his neck that was neither loosened nor tightened...

"Lin Shifu, please speak!"

"Bring that Brush Washer for me to take a look!" Lin Sicheng emphasized, "I mean the real one!"

The man in the cotton-padded jacket suddenly straightened his back, a flash of determination and ferocity in his eyes: You really dare to ask for that?

"Don't panic, I really just want to take a look!" Lin Sicheng tapped the table and smiled again, "I'm just curious: how similar must the real one be to this Japanese Imitation Ru Ware?"

The man in the cotton-padded jacket had an expression as if he had seen a ghost: he actually knew that the one today was a Japanese Imitation Ru Ware?

This type didn't even exist in the country; where did he find out about it?