In the hospital room, as the anesthetic wore off, his mother slowly woke up.
However, her vitality was greatly depleted, and she appeared very weak. The doctor also did not allow her to talk too much.
Although the surgery was successful, post-operative recovery was paramount.
Jiang Tao had been completely dealt with, leaving no worries behind. As soon as his mother was discharged, she could be sent back to their hometown.
Li Chonglou and others were driven out of the room.
Li Chonglou, who should have returned to his ward for further IV drips, insisted that his hand and back injuries were minor. After changing his bandages and medication, he asked Xu Lie to handle the discharge procedures.
Poverty forced him to race against time to earn money.
He planned to return to Donglin first, then visit the antique market to find Huang Yongshou and get some clues about finding hidden treasures.
Afterward, he would meet his senior sister's disciple, Xiao Zhou, to discuss the formation of an appraisal team for the live-streaming antique appraisal platform.
Just as he reached the hospital entrance, he was blocked by a young man dressed in Hanfu, adorned with various jade ornaments, and wearing an arrogant expression. "Are you Li Chonglou?"
Xu Lie immediately and subtly shielded Li Chonglou behind him.
His eyes were filled with vigilance.
Since the assassination attempt during the car accident, Xu Lie, who was supposed to be looking after Zheng Xiumei, insisted on staying by Li Chonglou's side.
This was to prevent any further attacks.
"Don't be nervous. My name is Lin Ao, and I represent President Lu Weishen of the Antique Association to inform you that you are invited to a banquet at the Fenglinxue Hotel tomorrow afternoon at five o'clock," the young man said, tilting his chin upward.
His voice was not loud, but his tone was imperious and condescending, as if he were issuing orders to a subordinate servant.
"I'm busy!" Li Chonglou calmly refused.
The Antique Association again.
It seemed that slapping Cao Zhi's face at the Qin Yun Villa last time had drawn out President Lu.
Such self-serving interest groups were the most corrupt and dirty places.
As for the so-called President Lu, he was not worth mentioning.
Lin Ao hadn't expected Li Chonglou to be so ignorant. His face immediately fell, and he snorted, "Li Chonglou, I heard you are unbelievably arrogant."
"Turns out you're just a straw-filled pillow, cowardly as a rat."
"Are you afraid to go?"
Those who could afford antique collecting were either rich or noble. Lin Ao was a prominent figure among them.
He came from a scholarly family with a solid financial background.
Since childhood, he had handled countless heirloom collections.
At the age of twelve, he was noticed by Lu Weishen and taken as his personal disciple. Although he was not yet thirty, he had already reached forty percent of Lu Weishen's skill.
He was the widely recognized successor.
He obeyed Lu Weishen implicitly and admired him immensely.
It already made him feel incredibly unbalanced that Li Chonglou, an unremarkable nobody, could receive a personal invitation from his master.
Now, Li Chonglou dared to dismiss it with disdain.
It was no different than slapping him hard across the face.
It ignited a nameless rage within him.
"If you want to invite me, have Lu Weishen come himself."
Li Chonglou said calmly, his expression unchanged, "You are not worthy!"
With that, he turned to leave.
He had seen plenty of young, hot-headed, and outwardly polished young men from prominent families like Lin Ao.
What others thought of him had nothing to do with him.
If the banquet offered any benefits or profits, he might reconsider attending.
Otherwise, it would just be a waste of time.
This statement made the faces of Lin Ao's followers turn ashen.
Lin Ao's eyes flashed with hostility.
How proud he was. Apart from his master, very few people in the entire antique circle could catch his eye.
Now, he was being looked down upon by a young man in his early twenties.
He couldn't help but become enraged and shouted, "Stop!"
"Li Chonglou, my master inviting you is giving you face, but you are ungratefully refusing!"
"You learned a few superficial tricks somewhere and think you're flying high on good luck."
"You're a nobody from the bottom of society who doesn't even understand the most basic manners and respect. If your parents didn't teach you, I can teach you on their behalf!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Lie's expression turned fierce. He pointed at Lin Ao and shouted, "Shut up! If you dare to say another word, do you believe I'll knock your teeth out?"
His parents had both passed away, and he and his sister relied on each other. He hated it most when people said such things.
Although Lin Ao was speaking about Li Chonglou, Xu Lie immediately identified with himself.
If it weren't for his consideration for Li Chonglou, with his fiery temper, he would have already sent Lin Ao flying without knowing where he was.
"Brother Xu, there's no need to get physical with this kind of person."
Li Chonglou's expression turned cold, and he said, "Your respect means letting others be dictated by you?"
"Anyone who doesn't go along with your wishes is labeled with all sorts of crimes."
"Lu Weishen's disciple is nothing more than this. Not only is his appraisal ability mediocre, but his character is also average."
This Lin Ao was clearly a pampered child, accustomed to being catered to and expecting everyone to comply with him.
Coincidentally, Li Chonglou never liked to comply with others.
If he wasn't provoked, he wouldn't bother. But if provoked, he would make sure they knew the consequences.
Lin Ao's eyes blazed with anger at the insult. "What did you say?"
As soon as he finished speaking, his followers immediately chimed in with mockery, "Kid, how dare you say our Young Master Lin's appraisal skills are mediocre? You truly don't know your place."
"Young Master Lin comes from a scholarly family. He became President Lu's disciple at twelve. He has handled over a hundred thousand artifacts over the years!"
"You, a nobody, how many genuine pieces have you touched? You're not even fit to carry our Young Master Lin's shoes."
...
The crowd's words filled Lin Ao with confidence.
He was recognized as a genius in the circle.
He never believed that someone like Li Chonglou could force Qin Muyang to quit the circle and make Cao Zhi vomit blood.
Furthermore, Qin Muyang himself remained tight-lipped, and Cao Zhi, deeply humiliated, would not publicize it.
Therefore, he believed Li Chonglou was nothing special, and everything was a pretense, with no real skill.
"Did you hear me? I'll give you another chance."
Lin Ao arrogantly snorted, "Either you attend the banquet, or you admit right now that you're just a bumpkin!"
His mission was to make Li Chonglou attend the banquet.
Once at the banquet, he could do whatever he pleased.
At that time, he would make Li Chonglou kneel and apologize!
Li Chonglou remained unperturbed, pointing at the jade ornaments on Lin Ao's person. "Wearing Hanfu and jade, gilded on the outside, rotten on the inside!
"Calling yourself a collector, and resorting to newly made imitation ancient Hanfu is one thing, but even the jade you wear is newly made imitation ancient jade. It's truly a mess.
"To say your appraisal ability is mediocre is an understatement."
Li Chonglou was pointing at the chicken-heart pendant meticulously carved from Hetian white jade on Lin Ao's waist.
The entire piece was a blend of white and red, with natural沁.
It was generally flattened, with a circular hole in the center shaped like a chicken's heart, through which a cord was tied.
On both sides, sinuous dragons and phoenixes were carved, with beautiful patterns and superb craftsmanship, and flowing lines.
At first glance, it was clear it was no ordinary item.
Hearing this, Lin Ao's expression changed slightly. He reached for the pendant and sneered, "You're saying I misjudged? Ridiculous!"
"Who am I, Lin Ao? My family's collection exceeds a thousand items. I would misjudge?"
"It's only someone like you, a half-baked amateur, who would think so presumptuously."
"It seems your decision not to attend the banquet is indeed wise. Otherwise, with your ability, you would immediately be exposed and utterly disgraced in front of my master!"
Boom...
The people behind him burst into laughter.
All of them wore mocking expressions.
Xu Lie's face tightened, and his eyelids twitched.
Li Chonglou, however, remained calm and slowly said, "To collect without authenticity is to be a ghost."
"To collect without refinement is to be trash."
"To collect without study is to be foolish!"
"You actually took this jade hairpin as a primary piece. It's not just mediocre appraisal skills, you're blind!"