A few days had passed, and Tian Lingli's attire was significantly more demure than their last meeting.
However, the inherent allure within her remained undiminished.
Without sunglasses to obscure her face, passersby couldn't help but turn their heads.
While Tian Lingli might not match Jiang Yuxin or Lü Yunxu in pure beauty, the world often favored the alluring and flashy. Such a sexy and vibrant type was more eye-catching.
"What is it?"
Li Chonglou remained unfazed.
Tian Lingli's type was not his preference.
If it weren't for needing her to pry information from Jiang Tao to help his father-in-law, Jiang Hongyi, out of a bind, they would have had no interaction whatsoever.
Now that Jiang Tao was apprehended, he did owe her a favor.
"I heard from Wu Hao that you're working as an appraiser at a pawnshop and planning to launch a live-streaming antique appraisal platform, right?" Tian Lingli smiled enchantingly, her eyes sparkling. "So, you must have some knowledge of antiques?"
"An uncle from my hometown dug up quite a few bronze coins and mirrors in the fields."
"He wants me to find an expert to take a look. When do you have time?"
Upon hearing about antiques, Li Chonglou's previously indifferent expression softened. "Send me the photos."
Seeing his agreement, Tian Lingli sent over twenty photos in one go.
They were close-ups of various bronze coins and mirrors.
They were covered in verdigris.
The inscriptions were faintly discernible. Most of the coins were Han Dynasty Wuzhu, with a few Han Banliang.
Such items were abundant and not very valuable.
However, the dozen or so bronze mirrors caught Li Chonglou's attention.
These mirrors had four larger bosses on the back, serving as the base for the entire pattern, employing the advanced tin inlay technique of the Western Han Dynasty.
They were clearly Han Dynasty "Star Cloud Mirrors," academically known as arc-bossed bronze mirrors.
A single mold could cast multiple mirrors, making early-stage molds far more valuable than later productions.
Among these Star Cloud Mirrors, one exhibited characteristics consistent with an early-stage mold.
Estimating its market value, it was around eighty thousand yuan.
The others were around twenty thousand yuan each.
While the unit price wasn't high, their sheer number made up for it.
There were over a dozen in the photos alone, all in good condition and of regular shape.
How could such a large-scale excavation of cultural relics have come from fields?
Without a significant tomb, they couldn't have been preserved so intact.
"Where is your hometown?" Li Chonglou asked, looking up after examining the photos.
"Shu Ning County."
"What a great place!" Li Chonglou's eyes lit up.
Shu Ning County was known for the Shu King's Tomb and countless other Han Dynasty burial sites.
It was indeed possible to excavate such bronze coins and mirrors there.
"Have your uncle bring the items to Qin Zhou. I'll help him find a buyer," Li Chonglou said nonchalantly.
For such an obvious find, the fewer people who knew, the better.
The sooner, the better.
He couldn't wait to get on a car and have Tian Lingli take him there immediately.
But his mother's surgery wasn't finished, and he couldn't go anywhere.
"Okay, I'll call him later." Tian Lingli finished, then asked in a low voice, "That thing you promised me..."
"Don't worry, it's been deleted," Li Chonglou interrupted before she could finish.
He hadn't saved the recording at all.
Tian Lingli wasn't his enemy. Even if she hadn't helped him deal with Jiang Tao, he never intended to ruin her reputation.
"Then I have to go." Tian Lingli breathed a sigh of relief and took her leave.
After she left, Wu Hao asked conspiratorially, "What was that just now? You two acting like secret agents meeting. What's the secret?"
"If it's a secret, it shouldn't be spoken of," Li Chonglou said.
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Hao feigned a grimace and playfully punched Li Chonglou's right arm. His hidden right hand brushed against his pants.
The pain made him gasp and reflexively pull it out.
Seeing Li Chonglou reveal his right hand wrapped in bandages, Wu Hao's eyes widened. He asked with concern, "Louzi, what happened to your hand?"
"Car accident." Li Chonglou didn't want to elaborate and steered the conversation towards the antique appraisal platform proposal.
Over two hours slipped by unnoticed.
The operating room lights flickered on. Huang Qishan emerged with his assistant, removed his mask, and his face looked weary.
"Young man, your mother's situation was rather complex, but thankfully, the surgery was successful."
"Moving forward, medication needs to be regulated, and lifestyle adjustments are necessary to prevent blood clots!"
Li Chonglou expressed his gratitude.
He helped the nurses wheel his still unconscious mother out of the operating room, a heavy burden finally lifted from his heart.
As soon as his mother was settled, Lü Yunxu called, inquiring about the surgery.
She also complained to Li Chonglou about how bored she was being under house arrest.
————————————————
Meanwhile.
Inside a meticulously decorated Hui-style building with intricate carvings and interlocking beams.
The Qin Zhou Antique Association Headquarters, President's Office.
"President Lu, I... I never expected Lü Yunxu to be involved with that brat..." Cao Zhi's face was pale, his eyes darting around as he spoke in a low voice.
He didn't dare look up at the middle-aged man with a narrow forehead and an aquiline nose before him.
This man was Lu Weiming, the head of the Qin Zhou Antique Association.
The antique trade, by its nature, had always been insular and self-important. In the circle, it was arduous for anyone to gain recognition.
While "literature has no first, martial arts no second" was already considered brutal, in the antique world, merely having one's name acknowledged by others was incredibly difficult.
Lu Weishen hailed from a renowned lineage, his appraisal skills originating from the Qing imperial court.
Over fifty years ago, when most people considered antiques to be part of the "Four Olds," his father had secretly collected and protected many cultural relics.
To this day, he owned his own private museum, his wealth astonishing.
He was undoubtedly recognized as the undisputed number one in the entire Qin Zhou antique circle.
"Idiot!"
Lu Weiming's eyelids twitched as he coldly berated him. "If he was taken in as a disciple by Lin Zhendong, he must possess some skill!"
"Even Qin Muyang concedes defeat to him. How dare you underestimate him?"
"If you lose, you lash out in anger."
"Let alone Lü Yunxu being almost implicated."
"You even used Zhang Daocheng as a scapegoat. You should know how much effort I put in to obtain Lin Zhendong's secrets!"
"And you ruined it all with your momentary impulsiveness. If it weren't for your twenty years of service to me, do you think you'd still be standing here?"
His voice was not loud, but it carried immense authority.
Cao Zhi trembled, feeling as if he had plunged into an ice cellar.
He had served Lu Weiming for many years. Lin Zhendong's imprisonment was orchestrated by him, and Zhang Daocheng had received significant benefits from him.
After the Qin Yun Mountain Villa incident, he had lost face and was consumed by rage.
He found a recently released murderer.
Using Zhang Daocheng's identity, he contacted the killer, instructing him to assassinate Li Chonglou to vent his anger.
Who would have thought that Li Chonglou would be with Lü Yunxu?
Not only did he survive, but he also dragged the Lü family into it.
And now he was being thoroughly berated by Lu Weiming.
"President, my motive for killing him was not personal revenge, but for our Qin Zhou Antique Association and for you."
Cao Zhi's eyes darted around as he said tremblingly, "Do you know how arrogant that brat is?"
"He said he wants to be the president and dissolve the Antique Association."
"He clearly doesn't respect the Antique Association, nor does he respect you, the President."
"Although Tang Xiuzhu has silenced everyone, walls have ears. So many people witnessed it that day. If this bastard Li Chonglou is allowed to live, it would be the greatest humiliation to our Antique Association and to you!"
He knew that Lu Weiming valued the Antique Association greatly, and even more so, his reputation.
By addressing his concerns directly, he might be able to use him to deal with Li Chonglou.
As expected, Lu Weiming's expression turned grim, and he fell silent.
After a few minutes, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes. "In my name, host a banquet at Fenglinxue and invite him to attend!"