A simple sentence, yet it exuded extreme dominance.
It caused Shen Yishou’s face to turn ashen, and he involuntarily retreated a few steps.
The meaning behind the four words, "Yong’an Xiao Family," might not be clear to everyone.
But as a true man of the martial world, how could he not understand that they represented power, status, and influence?
For a presence of this caliber, money was barely worth mentioning; it was merely a tool, a string of numbers.
"I have no feud with the Xiao family. Why are you interfering in my personal affairs?" Shen Yishou, unwilling to give up, asked with forced courage.
"The item you are seeking is desired by our Xiao family," Xiao Yun said with a smile that sent shivers down his spine. "If you still don't want to leave, I can fulfill your wish."
Hearing this, Shen Yishou’s heart pounded, and a flicker of fear crossed his single eye.
He gave Li Chonglou a deep look and said, "Youngster, the mountains are high and the waters are long. Be careful."
With that, he left Donglin in a dejected state.
This time, he had failed.
He had failed at the hands of Li Chonglou, a junior who hadn't even fully grown, and he had no explanation for not obtaining the item.
This feud was now thoroughly established!
Watching his stumbling figure, a cold light flashed in Li Chonglou’s eyes.
He understood Shen Yishou’s threat.
Without the Xiao family, he would have been no match for Shen Yishou, unable to even resist.
If his senior sister hadn't been clever enough to notify Old Cao and Sister Xiao, he would likely have died here today.
But what of it?
He had survived in the end.
He wouldn't make the same mistake twice; the outcome would be uncertain the next time they met.
The grievance of today would be repaid tenfold in the future!
Li Chonglou swore silently in his heart.
"Young friend, Lin girl called me saying you were in danger. I, this old man, am powerless, so I had to trouble Xiao Yun to rescue you. It’s good that you’re alright," Cao Chunhua said, patting Li Chonglou’s shoulder.
The pat made Li Chonglou wince in pain.
Shen Yishou’s kick had clearly injured his shoulder bone, but with the cultivation technique from the sheepskin scroll, it wasn't a serious matter.
"Old Cao, Sister Xiao, I am eternally grateful for your life-saving grace. Chonglou remembers this debt," Li Chonglou said, cupping his fists with neither subservience nor arrogance.
Xiao Yun nodded approvingly.
This young man, barely in his twenties, was so composed when facing a life-or-death situation.
Not only did he find a way to inform Lin Ying, but he also managed to stall Shen Yishou until she arrived with reinforcements, demonstrating remarkable composure.
And now, he was polite and respectful.
Coupled with his appraisal skills that had swept through the Qin Prefecture’s antique circle, he was bound to grow into a powerful force in time.
Befriending such a person was undoubtedly an excellent investment for her and the Xiao family.
Xiao Yun smiled. "Chonglou, you are too kind. I will have people tidy up Donglin. Go back and rest early."
"Okay," Li Chonglou said, not lingering, and turned to enter the shop, inputting the first set of passwords.
As expected, the safe clicked open.
Inside, besides the box containing the sheepskin scroll’s cultivation technique, there were also some evidence contracts, property deeds, and other miscellaneous items.
The document bag his senior sister mentioned was pressed at the very bottom.
He took it out, closed the safe, and got into a Maybach arranged by Xiao Yun, heading straight for the hospital.
Upon arriving at the hospital, he called Lin Ying again.
"Chonglou, it was my oversight that almost put you in danger. Old Cao has told me everything," Lin Ying’s voice was filled with apology.
She was in a hurry to decipher the contents of the document bag, which was why she had to ask Li Chonglou to make a trip late at night.
Although she knew she was being watched, she hadn't expected the person to send someone to forcibly snatch it.
How audacious!
"I’m fine. Old Cao arrived in time. The one trying to steal it was Shen Yishou from Jinmen. Do you know him, Senior Sister?" Li Chonglou casually brushed it aside.
"I know him. For Shen Yishou to be dispatched, they truly think highly of me," Lin Ying said, clearly a little surprised. "This Shen Yishou holds some status within Jin Dian Zi; people don't easily mobilize him."
"For him to be sent, it seems the other party is very interested in what I have."
"He seemed quite afraid of Master and didn't dare to kill me," Li Chonglou continued. "Otherwise, my situation today would have been dire."
He was growing increasingly curious about his Master, Lin Zhendong.
In his past life, he had always believed his Master was merely an appraisal expert who had offended a powerful figure and was eventually murdered in prison.
Now, it seemed that assumption was incorrect.
How could a pawnshop owner, imprisoned, even with some fame in the appraisal circle, be able to subdue a martial man like Shen Yishou?
"Some things are not yet appropriate to tell you," Lin Ying said, sensing there was more to Li Chonglou’s words, and politely declined. "I will protect myself first, then take photos of the documents and send them to me."
"Then, keep them safe, and I’ll ask my father when I get back and tell you in more detail."
Clearly, Lin Ying had something she couldn't disclose.
Li Chonglou grunted. Everyone had secrets. He only knew that in both his past and present lives, his Master and Senior Sister had helped him immensely.
They were among his few remaining family members in this world, and they would never harm him.
That much was enough.
As for secrets, knowing them sooner or later made no difference to him.
After hanging up, he took out the documents and sent the photos.
Li Chonglou was looking at a rubbing of a stele, the characters on it resembling earthworms.
"Kuchean?" Li Chonglou frowned slightly.
Throughout his life, he had studied archaeology and appraisal, dabbling in various fields, including ancient languages.
The script on it was a form of Tocharian, a lost language, using an alphabet derived from the Central Asian Brahmi italic script, likely popular between the 6th and 8th centuries.
This period corresponded to China's Northern and Southern Dynasties up to the Tang Dynasty.
However, he had not studied this language, so he recognized its form but not its meaning.
But with a little deduction, he knew this item was related to the information his senior sister had obtained during her recent archaeological expedition.
Could it be related to the Qin Dynasty treasure?
Or perhaps it was an inscription detailing clues to the whereabouts of the Qin Dynasty treasure?
It seemed he could only subtly inquire about it from his senior sister upon her return.
Before then, he had many things to do.
Placing the document bag under his pillow, Li Chonglou lay on the bed, contemplating the events of the past few days.
Although he had not been reborn for long, many things had happened.
Jiang Tao had been brought to justice, but Xu Tianhou, the person behind Jiang Tao, was still living comfortably. Since Xu Tianhou had orchestrated the previous events, he would certainly not stop there.
It was just that Li Chonglou had been too occupied to attend to him these past few days.
Furthermore, Jiang Tao's father must be restless now.
Additionally, it was urgent to find the person who orchestrated his mother's harm within the Yanmen sect.
Beyond these, there was another important matter awaiting his attention.
That was the Shi Qiang Pan, still being used as a tool for making Jianbing.
This national treasure was something he was determined to acquire.
He would have to visit the Jianbing stall tomorrow. Rescuing the Shi Qiang Pan from the stall owner as soon as possible was the right course of action.
Having made up his mind, Li Chonglou did not sleep immediately but instead circulated the sheepskin scroll’s cultivation technique to heal his injured shoulder bone.
"I now possess strength and reaction speed beyond ordinary people, but I have no systematic fighting techniques. Facing someone like Shen Yishou again puts me at a severe disadvantage." Today's events made Li Chonglou realize his own weakness.
He was no longer the greenhorn who had focused solely on antiques and appraisal.
He would have to face all sorts of crises and troubles, and he couldn't even protect himself, let alone his family!
At this moment, Li Chonglou made up his mind: he had to change!