Plop!
Zhou Yacheng's knees buckled, and he knelt before Li Chonglou.
Li Chonglou had already saved him face by not making him kneel in front of Boss Chen and his subordinates; he was eternally grateful.
He wasn't afraid of Li Chonglou, but he was afraid of Zhou Sanping.
Head bowed, he mumbled, "Martial Uncle-Grandfather, I was wrong..."
"I was blind and foolish, like the Dragon King's temple flooded by the sea..."
"You are magnanimous, and seeing as I am your junior, please calm your anger."
"I'll pay the tuition for the hairpin!"
Calling someone younger than himself Martial Uncle-Grandfather was extremely humiliating.
However, reality dictated otherwise; his skills and seniority were far inferior to Li Chonglou's.
"Get up," Li Chonglou said, too lazy to torment him further.
He had Huang Yongshou and Xu Lie escort Zhou Yacheng to another room, while he and Zhou Sanping stayed.
He had come to the Wenmiao today specifically to find Zhou Sanping.
The bargain hunt was just an unexpected bonus.
His master had only one disciple besides Senior Sister Lin Ying, who was like a daughter.
However, Senior Sister Lin Ying had taken several disciples herself, including Zhou Sanping and several others who were prominent figures in official circles in Qin Prefecture, with appraisal skills no weaker than Cao Zhi's.
It was precisely because of their master Lin Zhendong's rejection of the Antique Association that none of them had joined.
This was also a significant reason why Li Chonglou was not keen on the Antique Association.
"Martial Uncle, my wayward son has been embarrassing. I hope you can overlook it."
Zhou Sanping personally brewed tea and offered it with a fawning smile, "You came to see me today. Do you have any instructions?"
"Yes."
Li Chonglou got straight to the point, "You have extensive connections and resources at the Wenmiao."
"I want to start a live-streaming appraisal platform and need appraisers. I can only turn to you."
"Within a month, help me find three senior appraisers."
"Preferably, they should have cheerful and humorous personalities."
The appraisal platform was of utmost importance.
Wu Hao was already planning the strategy while still recovering from his injuries, brimming with enthusiasm. Naturally, he couldn't be idle either.
Although he didn't understand business, he had a successful case from his previous life, "Daily Appraisal," which he could directly borrow and replicate.
Following his own ideas, he would first build the appraiser team.
"This is simple!" Zhou Sanping agreed after a brief consideration.
Li Chonglou observed his expression. Seeing that although he agreed to find people, he didn't seem particularly interested in the appraisal platform itself, he didn't press the matter further.
When it came to starting a business, he didn't want to involve anyone he knew unless absolutely necessary.
After all, human nature was realistic.
Even the best relationships could develop rifts once entangled with interests.
Next, Li Chonglou inquired about his master Lin Zhendong's imprisonment and the great tomb robber mentioned by Huang Yongshou.
He discovered that Zhou Sanping, like himself, had been kept in the dark.
It seemed they would have to wait for Senior Sister to return or ask their master directly about this matter.
In the afternoon, he left with Xu Lie.
He then browsed a few more antique shops in the market but found nothing else of value.
Before leaving, he asked for Xu Qianqian's birth date and found a white wax pendant for Xu Lie as a gift.
His trip to Wenmiao was not in vain.
Besides the main business, he also made a hundred thousand yuan.
However, this small amount of money couldn't solve his urgent needs, and finding such bargains was unpredictable. He had to think of other ways.
Li Chonglou didn't return to the hospital immediately. Instead, he took Xu Lie to buy materials for restoring antiques and returned to Donglin.
He planned to restore the pile of Yaozhou ware oil-drop glaze once his hand injury healed.
Although the value was not as high as before, they were plentiful. If all twenty-odd pieces were repaired, they could fetch nearly a million yuan.
He didn't have much time to spend in the shop. Repairing one piece a week would take about half a year to complete.
It was better than nothing.
Afterward, Xu Lie received a call from his sister and left first.
Li Chonglou returned to the hospital alone.
His mother had woken up and was in good condition. With special nurses attending to her, he didn't need to worry.
Li Chonglou's own ward was still reserved. He didn't want his mother to worry until his hand injury healed.
At night, he returned to his ward to continue practicing the sheepskin scroll cultivation technique.
The injury on his back had no major issues after a day and a night and did not affect his movement at all.
However, his palm, having been pierced, would not heal so quickly.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
As night fell.
At the Emperor's Court Club.
Xu Tianhou sat on the sofa with a frosty expression and a sinister gaze.
Jiang Tao was arrested in the morning. As the recipient of the compass, he naturally couldn't escape responsibility.
He spent nearly ten hours at the police station before being released on bail through connections.
The instigator of all this was Li Chonglou.
"A mere son-in-law of the Jiang family caused you so much trouble and even had the compass demanded by that person confiscated. How will you explain yourself?" Sitting beside Xu Tianhou was the胖子 (fatty) whom Li Chonglou had met at Dongshan.
"That good-for-nothing, I never took him seriously!"
Xu Tianhou's eyelids twitched violently, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes as he gritted his teeth and said, "But I never expected to suffer such a great setback due to carelessness."
"It's all Jiang Tao's fault, that idiot!"
"Once the storm passes, I'll find a way to get the compass."
"But in return, you help me. I want that good-for-nothing to know the price of offending me!"
As he spoke the last sentence, Xu Tianhou's entire face contorted into a hideous, dark, and twisted expression.
He wished he could flay Li Chonglou alive.
"What do you want to do?" the胖子 asked indifferently, his eyes filled with ferocity.
In the entire Qin Prefecture, fewer than five people knew his true identity, and Xu Tianhou was one of them.
The so-called help would inevitably involve borrowing the strength of the Hengmen.
Hengmen was one of the myriad branches.
Robbers and thieves were collectively referred to as such. In ancient times, from mountain bandits and horse thieves to pickpockets in the marketplace, all fell under the Hengmen.
In today's world, it had basically been unified.
He, of the Ke branch, was the head of the Hengmen in the entire Qin Prefecture.
In other words, over eighty percent of all pickpockets and thieves in Qin Prefecture answered to him.
The compass in the Jiang family's Yuling had been coveted by his superiors for several years, but they had never had the opportunity to act.
This was because that compass was no ordinary object, but a magical artifact.
Without being a member of the Jiang family, it was difficult to enter the tomb.
This was also why the Yuling had been preserved to this day and had not been plundered by grave robbers.
Jiang Tao's huge gambling debts were actually a plan designed by him and implemented by Xu Tianhou.
Now, Jiang Tao had stolen from his own post, broken the feng shui of the Yuling, and given the compass to Xu Tianhou as repayment for his debts. Just as it was within reach, it was completely ruined by Li Chonglou, the Jiang family's son-in-law.
If his superiors held him accountable, he would be severely punished.
"That good-for-nothing is a filial son. I heard his mother just had surgery today. Have your men sneak into the hospital and give his mother an injection!"
Xu Tianhou gritted his teeth and sneered, "As for that bitch Jiang Yuxin, I'll deal with her myself. After this passes, I'll find an opportunity to negotiate cooperation with the Jiang family."
"If gentle persuasion doesn't work, I'll resort to force. Find an opportunity to drug her directly. I'll see how she can continue to play the role of a chaste woman."
"Li Chonglou, I'll watch you bury your son while you're still alive, and then I'll see you with a head full of green hats."
"I'll make you wish you were dead!"
His words were filled with immense hatred.
The胖子's face twitched, and he sneered, "I'll handle this for you. You'll get your revenge by tomorrow at the latest."
"But get the compass as soon as possible, or you'll have to bear the consequences yourself!"