That's right!
This golden Buddha is a fake.
He spent four days creating it by hand.
It was a one-to-one restoration, meticulously detailed, based on the true golden Buddha.
With his skill and expertise, the perfect replica could fool ninety-nine point nine percent of experts in the world, and be enough to deceive heaven itself.
No one knew about this, except Li Duo'er.
Not even his adopted son, Ayuo Quibi.
He still believed this Buddha head was the one he'd snatched in Yucheng.
"Hmph, the leader of the National Treasure Gang, what right do they have to my real golden Buddha head!" Li Hanlong sneered inwardly, but of course, he didn't show it on the surface, his eyes fixed on Li Chonglou.
Li Chonglou remained calm and unhurried, "Evidence? That's easy."
"The person who made this replica is a genius, whether it's in skill, historical research, or mindset."
He first praised him highly, watching a hint of smugness appear in the slits of Li Hanlong's eyes.
Then he continued, "But it's precisely this kind of genius, who looks down on everyone, that always makes unexpected mistakes."
"And these mistakes are usually incredibly foolish."
"Even the most careful plans have flaws. Mr. Li, you never expected this, did you?"
Upon hearing this, Li Hanlong snorted unhappily, "Don't be so mysterious. If you can't explain yourself today, no matter who your friend is, I'll make you understand the consequences of speaking carelessly in front of me."
He assumed Li Chonglou was just trying to help Zeng Wang lower his price, hence the nonsense.
He was extremely confident in his craftsmanship.
Seeing that this "Qin Fen" was no older than thirty, how good could his eyesight be?
He was already annoyed by this ignorant junior.
After receiving Zeng Wang's money, he would definitely have Ayuo Quibi teach this Qin Fen a lesson on how to behave.
"Your threats are useless," Li Chonglou said, not only unafraid but even smiling, "The gold you used to make the golden Buddha, it should be from stockpiled gold bars, right?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Li Hanlong's voice was cold and his face darkened.
His heart, however, trembled violently.
Indeed, to maintain secrecy, he had stayed in the basement for four days, personally melting down gold bars he had stored for years as raw material.
Working sleeplessly, he had perfectly replicated the golden Buddha head.
How did Qin Fen know?
"It's okay if you don't understand. Actually, this is very common knowledge. Ancient smelting technology was limited," Li Chonglou continued calmly. "So the purity of metals was generally not high, including gold."
"Most of it was around 77.5%, roughly equivalent to our current 18k gold."
"As for this golden Buddha in front of me, I don't even need instruments. Just with my naked eye, I can tell the purity is over 99.6%."
"Genuine 24k pure gold!"
"Mr. Li, you should understand where the problem lies now, shouldn't you?"
His words struck everyone in the room like lightning, creating a moment of stunned silence.
For an instant, the entire private room fell silent.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on the golden Buddha head, as if trying to discern its purity with their eyes.
Li Hanlong's facial muscles twitched subtly, the shock in his eyes no longer concealable as he locked onto Li Chonglou.
He hadn't expected to have been so careless, so confident that he had fallen prey to a preconceived notion.
He had actually overlooked such an obvious piece of common knowledge.
At the same time, he realized that this person named Qin Fen was not simple at all.
Although he looked to be in his thirties, his experience was likely on par with that of a master craftsman in his sixties or seventies.
His eyesight and intellect were both terrifyingly sharp.
"Godfather..." Ayuo Quibi's expression also changed.
But before he could finish speaking, Li Hanlong waved him to stop.
*Slap!*
The next second, Zeng Wang slammed his hand on the table, his face filled with anger, "Li Hanlong, what do you mean? Trying to cheat me with a fake Buddha head!"
"Do you think I'm a pushover?"
The moment Li Chonglou revealed the truth, Zeng Wang's fury ignited.
With the golden Buddha head right before his eyes, its value would easily jump from 180 million to 300 million.
But now, he knew it was fake.
Li Hanlong was clearly treating him like a fool, and his pride couldn't accept it.
"Brother Li, this is very unethical. While Old Zeng likes these things, he's not stupid," Ning Lang's expression turned grim, and the imposing aura of an underground magnate emanated from him. "You dare to ask for 300 million for a fake Buddha head? This isn't just about money anymore."
Facing their accusations, Li Hanlong's expression flickered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.
With a regained smile, he said, "Gentlemen, the antique business relies on discerning eyes."
"Genuine items are not so easily revealed."
"If you can't even tell the real from the fake today, then I deserve to earn this money. This can be considered a test."
"Congratulations on passing the test. As compensation, I'll sell the real Buddha head to Mr. Zeng for 200 million. See my sincerity?"
"After all, it's not just you who wants this item."
It had to be said, Li Hanlong's composure was terrifying.
Without showing any outward emotion, he deftly shifted the blame, using Zeng Wang's psychological disparity to reduce the price by 100 million.
This difference of 100 million directly extinguished Zeng Wang's anger.
He suddenly had no reason to pursue the matter further.
Ning Lang, seeing this, felt a surge of unease.
Before meeting Li Hanlong, he had thought that as long as he and Li Chonglou were careful, there wouldn't be any major problems.
But now he knew he was terribly mistaken.
This man was cunning and his depth of scheming was like an abyss; if they weren't careful, they could face utter ruin.
"Mr. Li, aren't you being a bit too self-assured?" Li Chonglou interrupted before Zeng Wang could respond, "You're fooling President Zeng with a replica, and now you want to gloss over it with a few words."
"You want to turn 180 million into 200 million, and make President Zeng think he's getting a bargain?"
Suddenly, Zeng Wang was enlightened by Li Chonglou.
That's right!
It started at 180 million, then went up to 300 million. Before he could even vent his anger, the item turned out to be fake.
But his mind had been anchored to the price of 300 million. When Li Hanlong lowered it by 100 million, he instinctively felt he was getting a deal.
If Li Chonglou hadn't reminded him, he would have been severely ripped off.
Not only would he have overpaid by twenty million, but he would have also been treated like an idiot.
In that moment, he felt a sense of gratitude towards Li Chonglou; the ten million he had given him earlier was well worth it.
"Then what do you suggest?" Li Hanlong understood. The most troublesome person was this Qin Fen.
"President Zeng wants to establish a museum. One treasure to anchor it is good, but two would be even better," Li Chonglou replied slowly. "From what I know, Mr. Li also possesses another rare treasure. If you can sell it to us together, then this matter will be considered settled."
"What treasure?" Li Hanlong's pupils constricted to their limits.
"The Three-Chain Seal!" Li Chonglou said, each word landing like a heavy hammer.
It struck Li Hanlong like a thunderclap, his eyes filled with suspicion.
His voice turned icy cold, "Who exactly are you? Why do you know I have the Three-Chain Seal?"
This matter was his great secret.
Several years ago, he had encountered the Three-Chain Seal abroad and successfully acquired it through a stroke of luck. He had kept it secretly ever since, never showing it to anyone.
How did this Qin Fen find out?
"Don't be agitated. You can hide it from anyone, but you can't hide it from customs," Li Chonglou explained with a smile. "Coincidentally, I have a friend who loves Tianhuang stone very much and wants that Three-Chain Seal.
"Why don't you be generous and sell it, Mr. Li?"
"Are you one of Shi Jianming's men?" Li Hanlong's suspicion vanished, replaced by a cold smile as he identified Li Chonglou's affiliation.
Shi Jianming had approached him before.
He wanted to buy the Three-Chain Seal from him.
No matter the price.
Unfortunately, he had major plans for that seal and couldn't sell it, so he hadn't shown Shi Jianming any courtesy.
He hadn't expected Shi Jianming to send someone to disrupt his transaction with Zeng Wang.
He couldn't help but feel a surge of hatred.
"I don't work for anyone. Business is about profit. If there's profit to be made, I can be anyone's man," Li Chonglou said with underlying meaning.
This was both to reassure Zeng Wang and to make it clear to Li Hanlong that his sole interest was money.
Li Hanlong chuckled coldly, "And what if I refuse to sell?"
"That's not up to you."
Li Chonglou's face also showed a cold smile, "That golden Buddha head is your death warrant!"
"What do you mean you acquired it from an old farmer? I suspect you might have robbed a Western Xia royal tomb!"
"A while ago, I heard about the collapse of the Western Xia royal family. Connecting that with the present, it must have been you."
"I don't even need any evidence from you. All I need to do is tell the police that you have the Buddha head, and do you think you can escape anywhere on earth?"
Every word was like a knife, piercing straight to the heart.
Li Chonglou decided to stop pretending.
Originally, he had disguised himself and changed his name to gather evidence of Li Hanlong's illegal smuggling of cultural relics during the transaction.
But now, evidence was impossible to obtain, as there were no surveillance cameras or mobile phones.
Moreover, the golden Buddha head was fake.
With Li Hanlong's cunning, continuing to play along would eventually lead to exposure.
It was better to force his hand directly.
"I think you're courting death!" Li Hanlong was completely taken aback that someone would dare to threaten him in return, and he couldn't help but laugh out of anger.
A killing intent flashed in his eyes, and he secretly gave Ayuo Quibi a look.
The latter immediately understood.
This "Qin Fen" was too unfathomable; keeping him alive would be a great disaster for him.
He absolutely could not let him leave alive today.
Otherwise, as he said, if the police started investigating the theft of the golden Buddha head, he would have no escape.
This was a national-level super cultural relic case.
If the country hadn't been investigating, and Lian Zijian had died, Huang He had disappeared, and his contacts were unreachable, he wouldn't have resorted to finding a fool like Zeng Wang.
Of course, he never intended to sell the real Buddha head to Zeng Wang.
"Whether I die or not is not for you to decide, but before I die, I will definitely drag you down with me, unless you give me the Three-Chain Seal," Li Chonglou adopted a posture of extortion.
Zeng Wang watched dumbfounded, completely bewildered.
Wasn't he here to help negotiate for the Buddha head? Why had it suddenly turned into a discussion about the Three-Chain Seal?
What was the Three-Chain Seal?
And the situation had become so tense, they might start fighting at any moment.
This...
He was a businessman, not a martial artist.
He quickly tried to mediate, "Gentlemen, listen to me, give Old Zeng some face..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ayuo Quibi shot towards Li Chonglou like an arrow.
His speed was so great that only a blur could be seen.
His heroic face was filled with murderous intent, and a cold gleam appeared from his palm as he thrust it towards Li Chonglou's neck.
The sudden outburst made Zeng Wang tremble, almost falling off his chair.
"Watch out!" Ning Lang roared, his hand reaching for his waist.
Before coming today, he had resolved to bring a gun, specifically to protect Li Chonglou.
He hadn't expected to use it so soon.
"Put your hand back. If you draw your gun, you'll die," but the next second, Li Hanlong's voice sounded in his ear.
Ning Lang felt as if his arm was being crushed by Mount Tai, unable to move an inch.
He could only watch helplessly as Ayuo Quibi's palm blade was about to pierce Li Chonglou.