The old man finally managed to exhale, his eyes filled with fear and trembling, a hint of misty tears appearing. He looked at Lin Xiaotian's voice and said with a tremor, "I originally hid the words here, but now I don't know why I lost them."
"I didn't lie to you..."
By the time he finished the last word, his voice was choked with sobs, unable to speak.
A faint smile appeared on Lin Xiaotian's face, "Weizi, when you last placed this painting, did anyone see you? Are there any other people in your house?"
"Could it be that someone in your family took the painting? You can call them now and ask. If they took the painting, you can contact them. I'll give at least eighteen million for this painting."
"But the premise is that the painting must be genuine."
Upon hearing this, the old man immediately took out his phone, a last glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Call my nephew. He might know the whereabouts of this painting now. After all, he was watching when I put this painting away. I just never told him how valuable this painting is."
"He didn't ask much at the time. I thought he didn't care about this thing at all. It's also possible that he found a way to raise money and took the painting out."
The phone rang for a long time without an answer, and the old man's eyes grew dimmer and dimmer. At this moment, his breathing was already disordered.
Lin Xiaotian smiled and said, "Old man, it seems the situation is very clear now."
"You thought your nephew didn't know the value of that painting, but he probably knows how precious it is even better than you. If I'm not mistaken, he probably hasn't gone far, and might even be watching us nearby."
"After all, some people, after making a mistake, are afraid of being directly sent in, so they will observe your reaction immediately."
"If you are ruthless, he might come out and beg you."
"For example, if you directly call the law enforcement officers and tell them that your peerless treasure is lost, and that this peerless treasure painting is worth eighteen million."
When the old man heard this, his eyes showed reluctance and hesitation.
But soon, thinking of his wife lying in the intensive care unit, he gritted his teeth and took out his phone, "Okay, I'll call immediately. After all, eighteen million is also my wife's life."
Just as he was about to dial the number, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.
Lin Xiaotian's lips curved into a wicked arc, and he looked towards the door.
Everyone's gaze turned to the door.
More than a dozen people walked in, all burly men, well-built.
The leader was in his forties, with a distinct scar on his face, especially his eyebrows, which were very faint.
It was as if he had no eyebrows, giving him a fierce appearance.
When the old man saw the leader, the man without eyebrows, he trembled and asked, "Xiao Zheng, did you take the painting?"
"Pah!"
"What kind of thing are you, an old man, to dare call me Xiao Zheng? Do you know why I approached you? Promising to take care of you in your old age was all for that painting."
"Although we both have the surname Zheng, you should know that our relationship is miles apart."
"I'm telling you, if you dare to call and report me today, I'll make sure you never leave this courtyard. At worst, I'll say you have heart disease, and you died of a heart attack. My brothers have connections and can handle you directly."
At this point, his gaze towards Lin Xiaotian became even more fierce. He pointed at Lin Xiaotian and said coldly, "You little brat, I advise you not to cause trouble here, otherwise, I'll kill you too today. You also said that painting is worth eighteen million."
"I'm going to earn this money myself. You'd better not meddle in other people's business, or you might lose your own life in the future."
"After all, people die for wealth, and birds die for food."
"Even if I rob, I can't get so much money. Moreover, it's just getting his inheritance from this old man. He already wrote a will for me, and everything after his death belongs to me. I'll be taking it rightfully."
Old Zheng almost fainted from anger when he heard this. He never thought he had invited a wolf into his house.
And this was clearly aimed at his treasure. Now that his wife's life was hanging by a thread, selling the treasure could bring back money.
"It's okay if you, Xiao Zheng, sell the painting. I only need one million, and it can save your aunt..."
However, before he could finish speaking, Xiao Zheng immediately sneered, "Get lost. How much is that old man's life worth? It's not as important as me making money."
"You have the nerve to ask. When you wanted to sell this painting, you only asked for one million today."
"Because I didn't know about your cooperation? In fact, this guy had already approached me before. At that time, he wanted to give me fifty thousand to steal the painting, but did he think I was an idiot? I didn't believe him at all."
"Since he's willing to spend fifty thousand to get me to do such a thing, there's no need to think about how valuable this painting is."
As he said this, a smug look appeared on his face, "This bastard doesn't know what I do."
"In this area, who hasn't heard of my reputation as Zheng Laohu? I advise you to get as far away as possible. If you dare to cause trouble here, I will dismember you and throw you into the river to feed the fish."
His ferocious demeanor made Li Tian couldn't help but shiver.
His gaze involuntarily turned to Lin Xiaotian.
Lin Xiaotian had a half-smile on his face, "Should I say you're stupid, or should I say you're an idiot?"
"You found such a fierce-looking guy to cooperate with. Aren't you afraid of seeking skin from a tiger?"
"Now, not only have you trapped yourself, but you've also dragged me down with you."
When Li Tian heard this, he finally reacted. Looking at Lin Xiaotian's playful smile, he knew what Lin Xiaotian meant.
He forced a smile that was more ugly than crying, "Brother, with your strength, do you still care about these petty nobodies?"
"They are nothing in front of you. It's easier for you to crush them than to crush an ant."
"Everything that happened before was my own foolishness. I will never make such a mistake again."