In the room, a gaunt middle-aged man with a livid complexion pointed at Lin Zhendong and roared,
"Don't push your luck. I'm here to invite you out of courtesy. If you refuse a toast, you'll be forced to drink a forfeit. In Chang'an, even a dragon has to coil up obediently for me!"
Lin Zhendong and Lin Ying sat at the tea table, not even looking up.
As if they hadn't heard the man's angry roar, they calmly evaluated the tea.
He even smiled, "Hmm, the tea in this hotel is good. Shennongjia cloud and mist tea, with its self-developed white tea fermentation process."
"Without sterilization and rolling, the aroma is refreshing and subtly fragrant. Although niche, it is still exquisite!"
"Xiao Ying, remember to buy some to take back."
"Got it, Dad," Lin Ying replied with a smile.
This scene further enraged the middle-aged man. His expression contorted as he yelled again, "I'm talking to you, are you deaf?"
"Believe it or not, I..."
Before he could finish, his breath deflated like a balloon.
Xu Lie had already rushed into the room, grabbed the middle-aged man by the back of his neck, and lifted him off the ground by his feet.
He thrashed about.
Li Chonglou followed into the room and glanced at the middle-aged man, asking, "Master, who is this noisy person?"
"Should I throw him out?"
Xu Lie's eyes were clearly eager to act.
Lin Zhendong saw this and made a stopping gesture, "Put him down. Although this fellow is noisy, one must consider the owner when hitting a dog. Let's save some face for his master."
Hearing this, Xu Lie showed a hint of disappointment but dared not disobey his master's orders. He loosened his grip, and the middle-aged man fell to the ground with a thud.
His face was filled with shock, pale as a ghost.
Turning to Xu Lie, he shouted, feigning bravery, "You... you dare to hit me? You're dead..."
"Do you know who my boss is?"
Xu Lie, who was eager to practice his skills, became excited again upon hearing this.
He clenched his fists, making a cracking sound.
The middle-aged man, terrified, retreated several steps with his hands and feet.
"Go back and tell Boss Gao that I am occupied, and I appreciate his kindness," Lin Zhendong said indifferently, taking another sip of tea without turning his head. "If he thinks I, Lin Zhendong, am arrogant or have a bad temper, then so be it."
"If he's not convinced, tell him to come and see me himself."
Although his voice was calm, the underlying presence made the middle-aged man tremble with fear, his expression stiffening.
He was used to bullying others by association. In Chang'an, everyone gave him some respect.
His boss had asked him to invite Lin Zhendong, but he had been refused.
In his embarrassment and rage, he had resorted to insults.
To his surprise, he was not taken seriously at all, and he became even more angry and anxious.
He got up from the ground, walked to the door, and glared hatefully at Xu Lie, leaving a threat, "Fine, you remember this, just wait!"
With that, he fled in a panic.
"How did the matter go? Chonglou." After the middle-aged man left, Lin Zhendong smiled and beckoned to the two of them.
Lin Ying poured two cups of tea.
"There was a gain. Master, please take a look at this." Li Chonglou took out a rectangular seal engraved with the words 'San Wu' from his怀, placed it in front of Lin Zhendong, and said respectfully.
Lin Zhendong's eyelids twitched slightly, and his eyes lit up.
He extended two fingers, pinched the rectangular seal, and examined it for a moment.
He praised, "A fine seal! This green stone rectangular seal should be an imperial item of Emperor Kangxi, shouldn't it?"
"To attend an exchange meeting and find such a great bargain."
"I remember the 'Kangxi Encyclopedia' recorded this seal, but didn't I recall it being a pair?"
Hearing this, Xu Lie gave a thumbs up, a look of adoration on his face, "Master's eyesight is like divine judgment. No wonder Chonglou and Senior Sister are so formidable."
Li Chonglou chuckled inwardly. He had to admit that Xu Lie, though rough, was observant. In one sentence, he had praised three people.
And made them all feel very pleased.
This was the benefit of being straightforward. A casual compliment would never be perceived as flattery.
Lin Ying couldn't help but giggle.
"Master's insight is as sharp as a torch, discerning it at a glance," Li Chonglou naturally knew his Uncle-Master's abilities and said calmly, "The other seal was given to a girl named Ji Ling."
"She is like me, the daughter of Ji Cunwan."
Then, he recounted the events at the exchange meeting and his conversation with Ji Ling.
This was like dropping a stone that stirred up a thousand waves. Lin Zhendong's smile faded, replaced by a look of shock.
He exchanged a glance with Lin Ying, seeing their mutual unease.
"Ji Cunwan, shouldn't that be Ji Yun's father? Did she come from the Qing Dynasty?" Lin Zhendong immediately realized, "It's unexpected that such a coincidence exists in this world."
"I am increasingly convinced that destiny dictates human lives."
An ordinary person hearing this would surely think the speaker was crazy.
How could transmigration truly happen in reality?
But coming from Li Chonglou, Lin Zhendong and Lin Ying did not doubt it at all.
In this case, the whereabouts of the seal became logical.
This seal was carved by Ji Cunwan, and as his daughter, she transmigrated to modern times and sought a seal as a memento. It was reasonable.
"Then you didn't reveal your identity to her, did you?" Lin Zhendong asked with concern.
"No," Li Chonglou replied truthfully.
"That's good," Lin Zhendong said meaningfully.
The fewer people who knew about Li Chonglou's rebirth, the better. He was already an enemy on all sides. If this secret were to be known, the consequences would be unpredictable.
He was different from Ji Ling. A girl could rely on others.
But as a man, if Li Chonglou could not forge his own path, it would be a dead end.
After speaking, the four of them tacitly avoided the topic.
"Master, what did that Boss Gao want?" Li Chonglou, remembering the middle-aged man who had fled earlier, finally voiced his question.
He knew his master's temperament; he wouldn't easily fall out with people. Having said that much, something must have offended him.
His enemy was his enemy.
Knowing oneself and the enemy meant winning a hundred battles. Naturally, he had to understand the situation.
"He's surnamed Gao. He's a businessman I knew many years ago. He's made some money over the years and has gained some fame in Chang'an," Lin Zhendong said slowly, seeing Li Chonglou and Xu Lie looking at him expectantly. "Now he's also become interested in antiques. However, people like him can get rich through unconventional means, but their eyesight is not worth mentioning."
"It's inevitable that he becomes part of the so-called 'National Treasure Gang' online, but he's still a bit different from other National Treasure Gang members."
"He wants to use his capital to make fakes appear genuine."
"He's looking for me to be his endorsement."
Upon hearing this, Li Chonglou finally understood. It was about this matter, no wonder his master was displeased.
His master, though appearing calm on the surface, was as unyielding as iron.
He was deeply stubborn.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent so many years searching for his deceased wife and still be unhesitating.
Expecting him to endorse fakes was a pipe dream!
Gao was simply asking for trouble, utterly ridiculous.
"With a little bit of money, they think they can rule everything. These capitalists are arrogant and ignorant," Lin Ying also expressed her dissatisfaction.
If Xu Lie hadn't returned earlier, she might have been the one to act.
"The usual stench of capital, the survival of the fittest where the bad drives out the good," Li Chonglou also felt a wave of disgust.
Any healthy industry, once capital enters, would be turned upside down.
Those who worked diligently would be forced into a corner, while speculators would profit handsomely.
Antiques and cultural relics were a special case.
However, the situation was becoming unsustainable. Countless large capitals wanted to use money to sway conscience, attempting to bring the monopolistic tactics of other fields into the antique circle to wreak havoc.
Gradually, many "masters" and "experts" who thought they had integrity fell into the trap, becoming their tools.
They treated the collectors, who were their patrons, as leeks, ruthlessly harvesting them.
One batch after another.
In Yong'an, there was Zeng Wang. At that time, due to Ning Lang, Li Chonglou had not spoken up.
Now, someone had approached his master.
This market would undergo a collapse lasting nearly twenty years.
But after twenty years, it would turn for the better, re-establish order, and continue to develop.
Capital was indeed detestable, but from a long-term perspective, it was merely passively allowing the market to self-regulate.
For short-term gain, it made everyone see the true nature of capital and the market. Whether it was beneficial or detrimental, it was unknown.
And it wasn't just antiques; almost every industry would go through such a process.
Ultimately, the dust would settle.
"Let's just ignore him. If he dares to come and bark again, Xu Lie will beat him up. I'll take responsibility," Lin Ying was even more hot-tempered than Xu Lie.
"Listen to Senior Sister," Xu Lie grinned, agreeing.
Lin Zhendong, however, shook his head and smiled, "It's not that simple. Gao is vindictive. If I reject him, he'll consider me an imaginary enemy."
"He has considerable influence in Chang'an. Of course, we are not afraid of him, but there's no need to create unnecessary trouble."
"After visiting Kunling tomorrow, regardless of whether we find Chonglou's father, we must first return to Qin Prefecture and then make plans."
As Lin Zhendong spoke, although he tried to sound casual, Li Chonglou could still see a hint of worry hidden in his eyes.
It seemed this Gao was even more malicious than his master had described.
Or perhaps his influence was so great that he was difficult to provoke.
Otherwise, with his master's personality, why would he be worried?
However, Li Chonglou never cared about such matters. At worst, he would deal with any situation as it arose.
His current focus was on descending into Kunling to find his father, to fulfill a lifetime's regret.
After the master and disciples finished their conversation, they changed the topic. Xu Lie and Lin Zhendong exchanged martial arts insights.
Li Chonglou, on the other hand, discussed tea ceremony and antiques with Lin Ying.
Until dark, after having a meal together, they each returned to their rooms.
Anticipating the next day, Li Chonglou did not sleep well. People say the closer one gets to home, the more timid they become. He was so excited at the thought of his father that he felt like a child.
He had lacked fatherly love since childhood. Therefore, the first half of his past life was lived cowardly, without courage.
He was bullied in school, and after growing up and joining the Jiang family, he endured constant cold shoulders.
Looking back now, the Jiang family at that time wished they could eat his flesh and drink his blood.
If he hadn't met his master, he might never have been able to hold his head up, let alone become a towering figure in the world of antiques and cultural relics.
However, times had changed.
Now, the Jiang family had vanished, and his mother-in-law had changed her attitude due to his value.
The hidden dangers behind him had also been eliminated.
His father had naturally become his obsession.
As dawn broke, Li Chonglou got out of bed and washed up.
He wanted to greet his father, who had been missing for over twenty years, in the best possible state.
Even if he couldn't find his way back, he had to maintain the sense of ceremony!