Lin Xiaotian followed the people and quickly walked inside. The room was very well sealed, and with the air conditioning circulating, it didn't have the stench from outside.
At this moment, the black-robed man walked over with a pained expression and dragged out a safe from behind the cabinet's obstruction.
The safe, as tall as a person, weighed over a ton. However, it had wheels at the bottom, so it didn't seem extremely heavy.
As soon as the safe was opened, the contents were visible.
A flicker of surprise flashed in Lin Xiaotian's eyes, but he quickly broke into a smile.
"Are you guys playing with me? You bring a broken bowl and tell me it's your treasured collection. Why don't you put a broken shed inside and tell me it's a treasure-gathering basin?"
This remark made the black-robed man pause slightly.
He knew Lin Xiaotian's appraisal skills well and quickly explained, "You've misunderstood. This is not an ordinary bowl. Take a closer look, especially at the characters at the bottom of the bowl."
"And you definitely won't guess where we dug this bowl out from."
"You might not believe it, but this is actually a bowl belonging to Emperor Taizu of Ming, Zhu Yuanzhang."
"Everyone knows Zhu Yuanzhang was a beggar in his early days, and he kept that bowl with him. When he died, it was placed in his coffin. We personally dug this item out. Other treasures were sold off, but this bowl holds immense significance for us."
"It was the first time we dug up the tomb of a truly remarkable person."
As he spoke, a hint of pride flickered across the black-robed man's face. However, when he met Lin Xiaotian's predatory gaze, he immediately deflated.
His eyes held embarrassment. "This is the only treasure we've kept. The other items are not worth much and don't warrant your personal attention."
"If you let us go, we'll definitely come back and give you more treasures if we find them in the future. Perhaps we can even establish a cooperative trading relationship."
"Your company specializes in buying and selling antiques, and your Mingyue Pavilion has such large daily sales of antiques. You must need a stable supply of goods. While I can't guarantee a constant supply, I can guarantee that the items will be exceptional."
Lin Xiaotian's face broke into a radiant smile. "Your suggestion is quite good, but..."
He deliberately drew out the word, and everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
"But what?" the black-robed man asked nervously.
He had a feeling that Lin Xiaotian's gaze held a certain meaning, and it made him very uneasy.
Lin Xiaotian's smile became even more pronounced. "But I won't accept the items you've brought. After all, these things might bring me bad luck."
"Perhaps you don't know that some people are destined for all their wealth from birth."
"Like you. You shouldn't have obtained these things, but you've done such wicked deeds."
"And you're still continuing to do so. The best outcome for you is a miserable death in the future."
"But no one has punished you, which is why you've been able to live so freely. However, now that you've encountered me, I am your retribution."
Upon hearing this, the black-robed man's expression changed drastically.
His eyes burned with anger. "You're going back on your word. You intend to make a move against us?"
"You're planning to betray us!"
Lin Xiaotian's smile grew even brighter. "You guessed right. I intend to betray you, and I plan to take all of you down."
"Everyone present today, one and all, don't even think about leaving."
"The road to the Yellow Springs may not be easy. Your wrongdoings are unforgivable, even if you were to be cut into a thousand pieces."
"Now, please embark on your journey!"
The black-robed man's eyes were now bloodshot, filled with venom.
"Lin Xiaotian, since you're forcing us to die, don't blame us for being impolite."
"Did you think I brought you here just to give you treasures? Look at your hands. What happened to them?"
"We already coated those treasures with enough poison. The moment you picked up that bowl, your fate was sealed."
He said this with a suddenly ferocious expression. "Did you think my things were so easy to take?"
"I've survived in the martial world for so many years without being captured, mainly thanks to my wits."
"Did you think I was just a brute like others? I tell you, if you're in this line of work, you need to pay attention to..."
His words were cut short as he saw Lin Xiaotian turn over his palm, smiling. "There's nothing wrong with my hands. However, this bowl is indeed as you said."
"It was coated with quite a bit of poison, and these toxins did not harm the bowl itself."
"But you made one mistake."
The black-robed man's voice trembled. "What mistake did we make?"
"You still haven't told me why you aren't poisoned?"
Lin Xiaotian shook his head with a smile. "You really have a short memory. Why aren't you poisoned? Don't you have any idea?"
"The poison was applied at night, and after such a long time, and kept in a safe, these toxins have long since lost their potency. Even if you touched them yourselves, you wouldn't be poisoned."
"Why be so cautious?"
"The biggest mistake you made was opposing me."
"Otherwise, even if you dug up the tomb of the King of Heaven, I wouldn't bother with you. But you insisted on coveting the treasure in my wife's possession, which made me a little impatient. That was something I painstakingly collected, meant to bolster my wife's status."
"You always wanted to get something for nothing. Now, I'll make you hoist yourselves by your own petard and send you all to the King of Hell."
"Tell me, who wants to go first?"
The expressions on the faces of those people turned grim. It was only then that they realized Lin Xiaotian was not joking with them at all.
All eyes turned to the black-robed man.
The black-robed man gritted his teeth. "Lin Xiaotian, if you intend to make a move against us, you'd better weigh your own strength."
"We admit that your strength far surpasses ours, and we are no match for you. But don't forget the saying 'a cunning rabbit has three burrows'."
"Since we hid poison on those antiques, we naturally wouldn't leave only one escape route."