Li Yuan's expression grew increasingly grim as Ye Huohuo spoke, his face eventually turning ashen.
"You... you mean someone is trying to harm me? Just like that painting?"
No one had told him that the painting was meant to harm him, but Li Yuan, having navigated the business world for so many years and built the Li Corporation from scratch, was no simple-minded individual.
He had long suspected that the painting was intended to harm him. However, the old man had never mentioned it, and Li Mohan and the others hadn't told him, wanting to spare him worry.
Little did they know, they had all been deceived by the elder. His acting skills were the best; he had kept everyone in the household in the dark, making them believe he knew nothing.
In reality, he understood everything.
Ye Huohuo, being sharp herself, realized the elder already knew about the painting after hearing Li Yuan's question.
"Grandpa, the painting last time was a gift from an old friend. Mohan investigated, and it turns out he was also tricked by that Master Peng. He merely wanted to curry favor; he had no malicious intent. So, the person who sent you the wine vessel this time might also have been exploited."
Ye Huohuo knew Li Yuan was a man who valued loyalty. If one of his old friends had truly intended to harm him, he would be heartbroken.
However, to Ye Huohuo's surprise, Li Yuan shook his head and gave a wry smile. "Good child, I know you're saying this to spare me from sadness. In fact, I knew that old friend who sent me the painting had a favor to ask. He had no intention of harming me. He's a minor shareholder of Li Corporation and wanted to use me to have Mohan help arrange for his grandson to work at the company.
There has always been a rule at Li Corporation: even shareholders are not assigned positions without genuine capability. His grandson, I know, is a good-for-nothing who would only cause trouble in any department. So, I never mentioned it to Mohan. But he did trust me when I was starting out, investing money to help me through difficult times. I couldn't just reject him outright, so I thought I'd accept his painting first and then give him some money to start a small business for his grandson. I didn't expect... alas!"
Li Yuan sighed heavily.
Ye Huohuo didn't know what to say for a moment.
"This wine vessel is different from that painting. This wasn't given to me; I bought it at an auction. So, there shouldn't be any talk of someone trying to harm me... Could it be that the auction house is shady?" The old man's mind was perfectly clear; he immediately grasped the crux of the issue.
"You purchased this at an auction?" This took Ye Huohuo by surprise.
She wasn't familiar with the auction house business. In her understanding, items at auction houses were always authenticated originals. If there were problems, not only would clients demand compensation, but the auction house's reputation would be ruined, making it impossible for anyone to trust them or buy from them in the future.
However, upon further thought, she realized this wasn't necessarily contradictory. After all, this wine vessel was indeed an authentic Qin Dynasty antique. In that sense, the auction house hadn't lied or deceived anyone. Few people could discern the potential misfortune associated with an antique, and the auction house's promise only extended to its authenticity, not whether it might cause trouble for the buyer's household after purchase.
Ye Huohuo nodded. "I'm not sure about that either. But judging solely by this wine vessel, it's highly probable that the auction house has dealings with tomb raiders. Grandpa, how long have you had this wine vessel?"
Li Yuan thought for a moment and then shook his head. "I can't quite recall. Ah, right, I have this!"
As he spoke, the elder took out a small notebook from a desk drawer. He then retrieved a pair of reading glasses, put them on, and held the notebook far away, squinting as he searched for something.
Before long, he exclaimed, "Ah!" and handed the notebook to Ye Huohuo.
"Huohuo, come, come, look at this. This is my ledger where I record every calligraphy, painting, and antique I buy or receive. It lists the purchase date and price of this wine vessel, as well as the name of the auction house."
Ye Huohuo took it and looked down. Although the notebook was small, the entries were meticulously organized. The elder had excellent penmanship, with strong, vigorous strokes. Each page contained records of a single antique, and as the elder said, the information was recorded in great detail.
If it was a gift, he would record the time of acquisition and the giver's name, sometimes even noting the estimated price of the item at the time. If he bought it himself, he would record the seller's information—name, phone number, contact details, date of transaction, and price. For auction purchases, the auction house's name, price, and time were all clearly noted. It was hard to believe that such a ledger was kept by an elder in his seventies. Li Yuan's meticulous approach to his affairs was evident from this small notebook, truly befitting the founder of the Li family.
Ye Huohuo found the page Li Yuan had handed her, which contained the record of the bronze wine vessel. It clearly stated that the elder had purchased a bronze wine vessel from Xingtai Auction House three years ago, an ancient Qin Dynasty artifact. The price was five hundred and sixty thousand.
Xingtai Auction House? Ye Huohuo repeated the name silently in her mind twice to commit it to memory. She thought she might ask Xiao Lingzi about it later. His primary business involved selling items related to the Xuanmen (esoteric arts), and most Xuanmen practitioners in Hai City knew him. It was possible he could find a Xuanmen practitioner who had performed purification rituals for this auction house. She had already sensed that someone had purified this wine vessel before, otherwise, with the malevolent energy emanating from it, the auction house itself would likely have been ruined before Grandpa Li even bought it home.
However, this also made Ye Huohuo more indignant. The person who performed the purification must have known that this item could never be completely cleansed, yet they allowed it to enter circulation. Wasn't that essentially harming people? Thinking of this, Ye Huohuo became even more determined to find out who this purifier was. There was an unwritten rule in the Xuanmen: those who disregarded others' lives were to be punished by all.
"Alright, Grandpa, I've noted it down. I'll investigate this auction house when I have the chance. The most important thing now is to keep it properly stored so it doesn't harm anyone. Its malevolent energy has already started to spread, and it cannot be handled carelessly. Even burying it deep underground won't work. We need to find a suitable opportunity to dispose of it completely, or it will bring disaster to countless families. We cannot act like that."
Her tone was firm and unquestionable, almost commanding. Li Yuan, however, didn't seem to mind at all, even showing a hint of admiration in his eyes. "Good, do as you say. As long as it doesn't harm anyone, our Li family can afford to compensate for that few hundred thousand. Grandpa fully agrees with your viewpoint: not only must it not harm anyone in our Li family, but it also must not harm others. That is the true spirit of our Li family. Very good, very good."
Ye Huohuo couldn't help but feel an even greater fondness for the understanding elder. People often said family values were important, and with such an elder establishing these values, it would be difficult for the descendants of the Li family to stray from the right path.
Soon, Ye Huohuo got to witness Grandpa Li's collection, which was like a treasure chest, containing everything. He eventually found a peach wood box from the late Qing Dynasty. The box looked ordinary, with no elaborate decorations or carvings by renowned masters. Li Yuan had found it from the bottom of a cabinet, and it was covered in dust when he brought it out. Ye Huohuo, seeing the thick layer of dust, thought it hadn't been taken out for at least ten years.
The reason Grandpa Li had acquired it back then was the mark on the box that resembled a lightning bolt, seemingly scorched by fire. He had bought the box from an antique dealer who was emigrating overseas with his family and wanted to sell all his antiques. Li Yuan had originally gone to buy a jade bottle from him, but he was too late; the jade bottle had already been sold, and this box was what had originally contained it. The buyer found the box too unsightly and only bought the jade bottle, leaving the box behind. The antique dealer, having some prior dealings with Grandpa Li, didn't want him to have made a trip in vain and offered him the box as a gift. Li Yuan hadn't wanted it initially. Considering its age, the peach wood box wasn't particularly old, the wood wasn't precious, and it lacked fine craftsmanship, making it of little collectible value. It was only after the antique dealer's remark that Grandpa Li decided to take it back.