C20 Stealing Antiques

Everyone's gaze shifted to Ye Chen, suddenly filled with a peculiar curiosity.

Just moments ago, someone had offered to sell the item to Lin Kang for ten thousand, but Lin Kang had refused.

Now, that same person seemed to think Ye Chen was an easy mark, intent on duping him.

And the ruse was blatantly obvious.

Ye Chen examined the painting with a discerning eye, nodding thoughtfully as if he were an expert.

"This painting is authentic. I'll transfer the money to you right now."

Upon receiving the payment, the middle-aged man couldn't contain his glee, though his eyes betrayed a sense of contempt.

Ye Chen was truly a sucker, clearly swindled and yet so inexplicably jubilant.

"Ye Chen! Are you out of your mind? The blood jade you bought is flawed, and the ancient painting is a forgery. You've essentially thrown your money away!" Lin Kang cackled with smug satisfaction.

Why was Ye Chen so pleased after being conned?

"Hey, young man, my family has an heirloom chamber pot. Interested?"

"I've got a Tang Dynasty toilet bowl right here!"

"That's nothing. My dad's a hundred years old, older than an antique. Fancy taking him home to care for?"

Clearly, they all saw Ye Chen as a simpleton, hurling their sarcasm his way.

"Ding... Mission Announcement: When has our esteemed host ever suffered such indignity? Reveal the true antiques and enlighten them!"

"Mission Reward: 5 mental energy points. Mission Difficulty: One star."

Ye Chen accepted the mission, ready to respond.

But then, an angry shout cut through the noise.

"What do you all know? Just shut up!"

A refined gentleman stood by the display where the blood jade necklace had been, beating his chest in frustration.

"What's that supposed to mean? Why the insults?"

The gentleman was livid. "I'm scolding you because you're blind to the value before you, unable to recognize true quality."

"What are you getting at?" Lin Kang felt an uneasy premonition.

"Young man, my name is Suo Fei. I run a jewelry business in Jianghai. May I take a look at your necklace?"

"Go ahead."

Ye Chen smiled and nodded, pleased that Suo Fei had recognized the necklace's worth.

Ye Chen mused to himself, feeling fortunate for his timely purchase; otherwise, it wouldn't have been such a smooth acquisition.

Suo Fei gingerly lifted the necklace, shining a strong flashlight on the blood jade several times.

"Yes, this is the one. This is the very blood jade that fetched a high price of 20 million last year."

Suo Fei had long been enamored with this necklace but feared being duped. To be cautious, he snapped a photo to analyze later.

Unexpectedly, Ye Chen had gotten the jump on him.

"How can this be? This blood jade is riddled with impurities. How could it possibly sell for 20 million?"

"You're probably a shill hired by Ye Chen."

"You've made a bad deal, accept it. Whether it's 100,000 or 200,000, is there really a need to hire someone to hype it up?"

Suo Fei wouldn't stand for such an insult.

"Take a good look with your own eyes."

He illuminated the blood jade with the light once more.

"Supreme Grade blood jade, after being soaked in blood for years, develops a halo of blood around it. The striations inside are not impurities, but rather the result of blood seeping in."

Sure enough.

A halo of soft, beautiful blood light radiated from the blood jade, devoid of any ominous aura.

The crowd was astonished.

It's no wonder Ye Chen ignored the ridicule, so intent on purchasing the necklace.

He had seen the value that others had missed.

Lin Kang had suffered a significant loss, selling an item worth 20 million for merely 200,000.

Lin Kang's complexion turned a steely grey. "Ye Chen, I won't sell the blood jade after all. Give it back to me."

"Nonsense. I have the invoice and the receipt. You think you can just back out of a sale like that?"

Ye Chen stood his ground against Lin Kang, a stark shift from his previous demeanor.

"What now?"

"What, have your teeth grown back?"

Lin Kang instinctively touched his mouth, remembering how Ye Chen had knocked out his teeth before.

Even with dental work, there was still some pain.

"If Ye Chen isn't a fool, then perhaps there's something special about that painting he bought earlier?"

"There's nothing noteworthy about that painting. I've seen it before; it's a poor imitation of Qi Baishi's work, crudely made and of very low quality."

"Indeed, my eight-year-old son's bedwetting sheets would be more pleasing to the eye than that painting."

Ye Chen let out a derisive snort.

"Open your eyes wide, and I'll show you what's known as a painting within a painting!"

Initially, Ye Chen also suspected the painting was a fake.

However, it wasn't until he touched it that he discovered its secret world.

With his powerful mental energy and heightened perception, Ye Chen could tell that this painting was slightly thicker than ordinary ones, though the difference was minuscule.

After examining it closely, he realized that this was the fabled painting within a painting.

He carefully peeled back one edge of the painting to reveal a hidden compartment.

Inside the compartment was another painting, previously unseen.

"This is an original Tang Boho! The Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix!"

"How can this be? Wasn't this painting lost to history? Why is it concealed within another painting?"

"The value of this painting is immeasurable. It wouldn't be surprising if it fetched a billion at auction."

At that moment, everyone's gaze upon Ye Chen transformed into one of sheer astonishment.

Just how adept was Ye Chen at appraising antiques?

With two antiques worth over a hundred million, what did that few tens of thousands from before even mean?

"No, give the painting back to me. I refuse to sell it to you now. I never gave you a receipt!"

The middle-aged man who had been selling the painting barged in, attempting to grab the painting from Ye Chen.

"Scram!"

Thud!

With a powerful kick, Ye Chen sent the middle-aged man soaring through the air, tumbling several times before crashing to the ground.

Was his leg strength truly that formidable?

Lin Kang, poised to intervene, quickly reined in his impulse, fearing he might be the next to be sent flying.

"You tried to swindle me earlier, and now you want to renege because the painting is valuable? The world doesn't work that way."

The middle-aged man, looking decades older, slowly picked himself up and shuffled away.

His downfall was a fitting end for his misdeeds.

"Cousin, why did you have me bring so many guys?" Jia Sheng's voice had barely faded when over a hundred thugs streamed out from two buses, exuding a fierce presence.

Lin Kang's mouth twitched into a smile; his reinforcements had finally arrived.

"Sorry to inconvenience everyone. Today is the day Ye Chen and I resolve our feud. I'd appreciate it if you all cleared out to avoid getting blood on you."

The crowd didn't dare linger and quickly dispersed, leaving only Ye Chen behind.

Jia Sheng, initially taken aback at the sight of Ye Chen, burst into raucous laughter. "Ye Chen, you think you're tough? Let's see if you're tougher than my crew."

"Ye Chen, considering we were classmates, I'll make you a deal: hand over the antique, kneel and apologize, and I'll let you live."

Lin Kang's eyes shone as he gazed at Ye Chen's antique—it was worth over a hundred million.

"What are you getting at?" Jia Sheng was confused.

He recognized the necklace in Ye Chen's hands as the unsellable junk from the store. What use could it possibly have?

Lin Kang explained with a grin, and Jia Sheng's face lit up with avarice.

"Ye Chen, I know you're a fighter, but can you take on a hundred men? I've decided. Leave the antique, and you can walk away unharmed."

Ye Chen let out a scoff, his eyes devoid of fear.

"And if I refuse to leave it?"

"Then you're as good as dead!" Jia Sheng declared with a cruel sneer.