Chapter 158: The Beauty of Huaxia

Beijiang Camp.

Xiao Moting turned around and saw Xiao Liujin enter.

Compared to half a year ago, Xiao Liujin had shot up, growing half a head taller; he was no longer the sallow, skinny bean sprout he had been six months prior.

The Xiao Liujin of today was already a handsome youth with delicate features.

The only thing about this child that did not match his age was that his gaze was too cold and his murderous intent too heavy.

Xiao Liujin kept a cold face and saluted expressionlessly.

"Greetings, Prince."

Xiao Moting knew his personality and did not mind.

"Wu Da is trapped in Yannan, his life or death unknown. You are to take one hundred members of the Assault Team there, ascertain his whereabouts, and bring him back to the Beijiang safely if possible. There is a unit of the Yuan Family Army around the village; do not alert them."

Xiao Liujin nodded.

"Understood, I will kill them all."

Xiao Moting knitted his sword-like brows. "You are to act in secret and kill as few people as possible. If you find Wu Da, try not to disturb the Yuan Family Army and just bring him back."

"Understood."

"Oh, right." Xiao Moting remembered one more thing. "Take your homework with you; remember to do it when you have time."

At this moment, the usually cold-faced Xiao Liujin finally had a flicker of emotion in his eyes, and he raised his head to stare at Xiao Moting.

Qin Zhan stood to the side, also a bit bewildered.

"Prince, you are sending Liujin on a mission, and he still has to do homework on the road? Does he even have time to do homework?"

Xiao Liujin remained silent, his eyes fixed on the ground.

He was protesting with silence!

... He was clearly already a Squad Leader of the Assault Team; now he was going out to execute a dangerous mission, having to track down news of Wu Da, assassinate enemy troops, and rescue Wu Da... and in the end, he was still expected to do homework?

Was he destined to never escape doing homework no matter what he did!

He was done with this job!

Let whoever wants to do it, do it!

Xiao Moting saw Xiao Liujin's deadpan expression and knew he was engaging in passive resistance, so he explained.

"Liujin, your stealth and assassination skills are the best in the Beijiang Army, which is why I am sending you."

"Wu Da has Talisman Water in his possession, and the Goddess wants to study it, but she is afraid that you might fall behind in your studies, so..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Liujin raised his head.

"The Goddess wants the Talisman Water?"

"I will go, and I will do my homework properly."

"I only have one request—no rewards."

He agreed so readily that even Xiao Moting was caught off guard.

"Try your best to find news of Wu Da. After you find him, bring both the person and the Talisman Water back. But first, you must ensure your own safety."

"Order received."

Xiao Liujin was concise and comprehensive; after receiving the mission, he turned and walked out of the tent.

Since the Goddess wanted the Talisman Water, he would definitely bring it back.

If he couldn't find the Talisman Water, he would kill everyone in the entire village and search them one by one.

If he still couldn't find it, he would go and kill Yuan Canghai.

Early morning.

The weather was clear and fine.

Bai Wei had already changed into a formal suit, hung her ID badge on her chest, and arrived at the entrance of the Exhibition Center where the Antique Exhibition was being held.

It was still early, but the entrance was already crowded with people.

Most of them were reporters from countries all over the world—blonde hair and blue eyes, brown hair and gray eyes, red hair and green eyes... they were chattering away in various languages.

Bai Wei saw Zhou Yuchuan and hurried over.

Zhou Yuchuan had changed into a black suit; the suit was well-tailored, accentuating his slender figure and making him appear even more refined and gentle, drawing many gazes.

"Zhou Yuchuan, I have a question to ask you." Taking advantage of the fact that the reporters were not paying attention to them, Bai Wei pulled Zhou Yuchuan over and spoke impatiently, "Do you know about ancient Talisman Water? After drinking it, it can make people go mad."

Zhou Yuchuan raised an eyebrow. "There is such a thing as Talisman Water? But as far as I know, the Talisman Water recorded in history was just something Taoist priests used to deceive believers by burning yellow talismans into ash and dissolving them in water; it had no divine power."

"What if it really exists?"

"Then it definitely isn't Talisman Water." Zhou Yuchuan smiled slightly. "It would be some other liquid."

"Ah?"

"Also, there is a type of mushroom in the south of Caiyun that makes you see little people after eating it; perhaps it has a similar effect to the Talisman Water you mentioned." Zhou Yuchuan smiled gently. "However, you can get a sample of the Talisman Water for me, and I will take it to our university laboratory to analyze it."

"Okay..."

Before Bai Wei could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a burst of noise.

She turned her head and saw Dr. Luo arriving with several blonde-haired, blue-eyed assistants.

The exhibition had begun.

Bai Wei hurried into the exhibition hall; as the Image Ambassador for the China Hall, she was responsible for explaining the exhibits to visitors.

There were many people visiting the Antique Exhibition, among whom were quite a few people from the antique circle.

The exhibition hall was divided into left and right wings; the left side was the China Hall, and the right side was the England Hall.

At this time, the England Hall had already opened its doors early, and reporters and crowds squeezed inside to view the antiques, letting out bursts of exclamations from time to time.

Everyone was gathered around a majestic Dragon Head, vying to take pictures.

"This is the Dragon Head of the Twelve Beast Heads; this is a world treasure!"

"It is so exquisite, a crystallization of art."

"I want to take a picture and post it to my Moments."

There were five minutes left until the exhibition time; the China Hall remained closed, with a row of guards standing at the entrance.

Dr. Luo walked into the exhibition hall with a face full of smiles, followed by several foreign female models dressed in ancient Yinglun court attire.

The female models had graceful postures and were made up like noblewomen of that era, causing another sensation!

Dr. Luo pulled back the curtain of a glass case, inside which hung an exquisite Imperial Coronation Robe; the gold and silver embroidery was extremely intricate, shining brilliantly under the lights.

"This is the best-preserved Imperial Coronation Robe in the world, showcasing ancient Yinglun's high-end embroidery craftsmanship and court culture..."

There was a chorus of admiration, and camera flashes went off incessantly.

Richard and several senior executives stood to the side, revealing satisfied smiles.

They came to Huaxia to hold an Antique Exhibition, firstly to break into the Huaxia market and boost the company's fame; secondly, to show the world the strength of the Roth Family, possessing the world's largest and most precious collection—they were wealthy and powerful!

Now, the goal had been achieved.

Just at this moment, the crowd suddenly began to disperse toward the back.

"Quick, the China Hall has opened!"

"My god, so much exquisite embroidery, it's even more beautiful than the England Hall's."

"Why look at an Imperial Coronation Robe? The China Hall has an Emperor's Dragon Robe, preserved quite perfectly; everyone, go take a look!"

Half of the reporters and the crowd that had originally been squeezed into the England Hall ran off all at once.

Richard and several senior executives all revealed displeased expressions.

Their thunder had been stolen!

Richard looked toward Dr. Luo, his brows tightly furrowed.

Dr. Luo also had an ugly expression as he looked up toward the China Hall.

At this look, he was instantly so shocked that he held his breath!

Under the bright lights, countless antiques shone brilliantly; they were all rare treasures!

A Golden Sword, a General's Jade Seal... and countless precious porcelains and Bronze Ware...

Every single piece was incomparably exquisite.

In the center of the exhibition hall, a Dragon Robe hung inside a glass cabinet; it was bright yellow and brilliant, with nine lifelike giant dragons embroidered on the fabric with real gold and silver thread, adorned with pearls and gemstones!

Standing before it, a sense of ancient imperial majesty rushed toward one, as if facing a real emperor.

Over the past thousands of years, the clothing and ornaments passed down by the ancients were few, and all had been oxidized, their colors gray and faded, having long lost that vitality, including that Imperial Coronation Robe in the England Hall, which had already become dull in color.

Yet this Dragon Robe seemed as if it were new; it was bright yellow and vivid, its color had not changed in the slightest, and even the jewelry was as bright as new.

"How was this Dragon Robe preserved to have resisted the oxidation reaction?" Dr. Luo was stunned.

In less than ten minutes, two-thirds of the crowd in the England Hall had run off.

The reporters all crowded in front of the Dragon Robe, vying to take pictures.

This was a one-of-a-kind Dragon Robe in the world!

Clearly, the antiques exhibited in the China Hall were all listed on the inventory, with photos attached.

Yet the actual items on site were a hundred times more exquisite than in the photos!

The photos simply could not capture the elegance of these national-treasure-level antiques!

Each antique condensed the painstaking efforts of a dynasty's craftsmen, whether gentle and grand, simple and natural, or small and exquisite... all contained profound historical depth and shone with the brilliance of national wisdom!

They were the pinnacle of aesthetic crystallization that had condensed the beauty of Huaxia over thousands of years!