Wu Gaoyang was already in unbearable pain. After a few silver needles were inserted into his body, the agony gradually receded like a receding tide.
He lay on the ground, not even wanting to move a finger.
Cold sweat poured from him as if he had just been fished out of water.
"Speak, who instigated you?"
As Lin Xiaotian's voice rang out, Wu Gaoyang couldn't help but shiver, his voice trembling as he said, "It was Ye Wenqiang. I knew him before, and he invited me to Songzhou this time."
"He offered me a very generous price, and I couldn't resist."
"My master forbade me from descending Mount Cang, saying my temperament was too impetuous and that I would cause trouble if I went down. I ran away secretly."
Thinking of this, Wu Gaoyang couldn't help but cry.
If he had obediently listened to his master, he wouldn't be in this predicament.
Now, even if his intestines turned green with regret, there was no medicine for it.
Lin Xiaotian said with a smile, "Stop crying. You have a few more unfortunate brothers. You can all get together and form the seven Calabash Brothers."
"Follow me from now on, and maybe you can even go back up the mountain to save your grandfather."
Wu Gaoyang was unwilling a million times over, but he didn't dare to refuse.
"Unwilling?" Lin Xiaotian asked with a half-smile, "I respect others' opinions very much and never force them."
"I'm absolutely willing. I was just crying from excitement."
Wu Gaoyang quickly explained, not wanting to experience that kind of pain again.
Lin Xiaotian showed a satisfied smile. "Ye Wenqiang should be from the Ye family. Wait a moment, I'll ask who he is."
He took out his phone and called Ye Wantong.
He hadn't heard the name Ye Wenqiang before and was a little curious.
The call was answered almost instantly.
"Where did you go? Why did you leave my cousin alone at the entrance of the venue?"
"We're all being pestered to death."
Ye Wantong's voice came from the phone.
There was also some noise around her.
"I thought the event hadn't started yet, so I went out to recruit a errand boy. It's a busy day today, and I can't possibly make you, a delicate beauty, run errands for me, can I?"
Lin Xiaotian's eyes were thoughtful. He had already vaguely guessed some things.
"My cousin has so many employees, and she still wants me to run errands for you. You wish!"
"Hurry up and come over, it's about to start here!"
After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiaotian didn't rush to ask questions. Instead, he threw the key to Wu Gaoyang. "I'll give you the address. Go and get something for me."
Wu Gaoyang could only respond helplessly. He had become Lin Xiaotian's puppet.
At least for now, Lin Xiaotian seemed relatively easy to get along with, and he might not be so unlucky.
Lin Xiaotian didn't ask him anything else. He walked back to the entrance of the venue with his hands behind his back.
A crowd had gathered there, mostly discussing the Zhong Kui Ghost-Catching Painting with Chu Nianxue. Many of them were local collectors who wanted to acquire it.
Tang Jingde was standing next to Chu Nianxue.
"Xiaotian, come here!"
Tang Jingde immediately greeted him, and Lin Xiaotian was called to the front.
Not just anyone could enter the exhibition entrance. Although the booths had been set up, there were still about two hours until the opening. Exhibitors could enter first.
And entry was also in order. Tang Jingde's wave meant Lin Xiaotian could skip the queue.
Everyone looked over with curiosity. When they saw Lin Xiaotian, their eyes were filled with awe. He had been ruthless just now.
Seeing everyone make way for him, Lin Xiaotian smiled and took Chu Nianxue's hand.
"Wife, let's go to the front. The old man is calling us!"
Countless men watched with envy and jealousy. Everyone knew that Chu Nianxue was in charge of the Chu Group now.
Marrying Chu Nianxue was equivalent to taking the Chu Group as her dowry. Many people were already sour.
"Old man, you look even more energetic than usual."
Tang Jingde couldn't help but laugh heartily when he saw Lin Xiaotian. "I heard you taught a scumbag a lesson just now?"
Lin Xiaotian nodded with a smile. "Just a small fry. I didn't even take him seriously. But that guy said he wanted to set up some 'Double Dragon Formation.' I'm a little curious, how would that be set up on the exhibition stand?"
"There's such a thing?"
Tang Jingde's expression immediately turned cold. "It seems someone has tampered with this exhibition. I want to see how the organizers will explain this to me."
At this moment, the doors opened.
Everyone entered in an orderly fashion. The booth was originally reserved by Tang Jingde, so they were in the first position.
After entering the venue, Tang Jingde headed straight for his booth.
The exhibition organizers had already received the news. A fat man in his thirties, with eyes that squinted into slits when he smiled, hurried over.
"Elder Tang, I'm truly sorry. We didn't know someone had tampered with your booth, so..."
"Don't give me that nonsense. There are cameras everywhere here. I just want to know who tampered with it. I must know who this person is." Tang Jingde was very amiable when facing Lin Xiaotian.
But when facing the exhibition staff, his aura was imposing.
In the antique world, the Double Dragon Formation involved dividing a table into two layers, yin and yang, allowing the genuine item to be swapped out in an instant.
Lin Xiaotian looked at the surface of the exhibition stand. The stable tabletop showed no obvious problems. When he placed his hand on it and sensed the spiritual energy, he discovered a small laser inside. He lightly pried at the edge of the table, and a spring-loaded trigger was activated. The tabletop instantly flipped over, leaving no trace and making almost no sound.
"This thing is quite good!"
"Wife, let's put this in our shop. It can fetch a good price, and someone might be interested in it."
Chu Nianxue nodded. She knew Lin Xiaotian wasn't really interested in the table itself.
Tang Jingde also looked puzzled. "Xiaotian, have you made some new discovery?"
Lin Xiaotian chuckled proudly, then jumped onto the table and said, "Old man, there's no rush to talk about this discovery. After all, it's a treasure that someone else sent us. Wouldn't it be more impactful to reveal it in front of them when they arrive?"
"Besides, old man, your eyes can tell that this table is at least a hundred years old, and there's a nail in it. Made solely with riveting techniques, it's so exquisite. This is a master-level work."