Lin Xiaotian's smile widened. "Tell me, what kind of antique is it?"
"After all, your life is quite precious in my eyes. If it doesn't match the value of your life, you might not even be qualified to speak of it."
"You'll have to bleed some money to make up for it then."
Li Tian's face was etched with pain. He gritted his teeth and said directly, "It's a painting."
"You're so skilled at appraising antiques, you must have heard of the 'Ghost Valley Descending the Mountain' painting."
"Originally, it was carved onto a piece of blue and white porcelain, but there's an original drawing. And this painting is indeed a treasure. I've spent countless hours appraising it to reach this conclusion. That guy wants a million to part with it."
"This old man is in the hospital now. His wife has a serious illness. If he weren't in desperate need of money, he would never take out this painting. He said it's their family's heirloom and can't be sold easily."
"As long as you promise to let me go, I can give you his contact information right away."
"You just need to take a million to the hospital to find him. He'll definitely hand over the painting obediently. After all, his wife is lying in the hospital, and their family can't afford the surgery fees."
Lin Xiaotian's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this. "You're quite good at taking advantage of people's misfortune."
"Such a valuable painting, and you've managed to suppress its price to a million."
"But how can I believe that the information you've provided is true?"
"So, you'll have to come with me. If you dare to fool me, you won't be able to bear the consequences."
"Don't worry, I'll set an example for you before that."
"If you want to trick me, you'll have to consider the consequences."
With that, he looked at Master Liu. "Keep an eye on this guy, don't let him escape. Take people with me to Zhou Chenghai's antique shop."
"If they want to scheme against our Mingyue Pavilion, they'll have to pay a heavy price."
Master Liu's face showed excitement. Since he arrived, he had vaguely sensed that Zhou Chenghai was not a good person, yet everyone else saw him as a kind old man.
Competitors are natural enemies.
It was inevitable that conflicts would arise between them sooner or later. It was better to resolve some matters early.
"Mr. Lin, please wait a moment. I'll gather everyone from our shop immediately and close the shop. Today, I'll lead everyone to deal with this scoundrel."
Li Tian had caused him quite a bit of embarrassment when he was here before.
While his appraisal skills were top-notch, he couldn't identify those fakes.
Being publicly scolded by others had filled him with suppressed anger.
He wanted to vent his anger and also let everyone in the antique street know that Master Liu was not someone to be trifled with. Moreover, with Lin Xiaotian backing him now, what was there to fear?
When they arrived at Zhou Chenghai's antique shop, they found a crowd gathered there, their faces filled with anticipation.
The main door had been kicked open, but Zhou Chenghai was nowhere to be found inside. Not even any of the antiques in the shop had been taken.
Lin Xiaotian glanced around inside, a cold curve forming on his lips. "This old fellow is quite clever, knowing when things are bad and leaving immediately."
"And not a single antique he left behind is genuine."
"I don't know who spread the word that he was a kind old man. This is clearly a treacherous and wicked person. Many people probably bought antiques from him, and even more were swindled."
"The items here are essentially low-cost replicas. The genuine ones have likely been collected by him."
"If you want to recover your losses, you can search the backyard. However, I wonder if you dare to take anything away."
The crowd's eyes suddenly lit up at these words.
Sometimes, it was simply blind conformity. Once someone dared to make the first move, others would naturally follow suit, especially when it came to grabbing things.
Moreover, Zhou Chenghai's past actions had indeed caused great losses to many people.
Their eyes were already turning red.
Lin Xiaotian did not participate. Instead, he whispered something with a mischievous smile into Master Liu's ear.
Master Liu became even more excited and directly led the charge towards the backyard.
"I want to see if this scoundrel took all his possessions with him."
"If even one precious item is left behind, I will appraise it."
Upon entering the backyard, they discovered that several doors were locked.
Everyone's gaze turned to Master Liu.
Master Liu did not hesitate. He stepped forward and kicked open a door. Inside the room, they saw unfinished antiques displayed on shelves. This was a workshop for making replicas.
The crowd was astonished.
Just then, someone suddenly shouted, "Look! This room is full of finished products, and they're identical to the antiques displayed outside. He couldn't possibly make two fakes."
"Then there's only one possibility: these antiques are likely genuine."
Upon hearing this, everyone rushed over.
Only Lin Xiaotian remained in the front hall.
Li Tian was obediently squatting on the ground by the entrance, with several burly men watching him. He had no chance to escape.
"Old man, you finally decided to come out!"
"You can't possibly escape in such a short time, so you can only hide. And I've already discovered your hiding place."
A middle-aged man, who had just run out from a corner, was caught red-handed by Lin Xiaotian.
The middle-aged man looked to be in his fifties, with streaks of white in his hair. He wore a light-colored Tang suit and had a neat haircut. When he smiled, he appeared very honest and sincere.
He was Zhou Chenghai.
However, his expression was stiff at this moment, and his eyes held disbelief.
"You're still waiting for me here?"
"Shouldn't you have gone into the backyard with them to grab my things?"
Lin Xiaotian said with a half-smile, "This was originally a business location you could abandon at any time."
"Now that you're trying to flee, how could you possibly leave your treasures behind?"
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"Besides, if I capture you, won't all the treasures in your possession be mine?"
"I don't want to compete with those people for useless fakes. I want the genuine items. If you don't pay a price for causing trouble for our Mingyue Pavilion, I'll feel displeased."