Lin Ying's beautiful eyes rippled with emotion.
She knew Professor Song’s character, but this was too much.
Her junior disciple was indeed an unparalleled talent, otherwise, he wouldn't have caught her father's eye. Coupled with his performance during this period, she herself was full of admiration.
However, even so, it shouldn’t have warranted such a reaction from Professor Song, right?
“Professor Song, you exaggerate,” Li Zhonglou gently helped Song Hongjun up.
Although his demeanor was humble, Cheng Gong saw it as blatant showboating.
He cursed, “What is this guy? Give him an inch, and he takes a mile!”
Even Zhao Zheng and his wife exchanged glances, seeing the worry in each other’s eyes.
Li Zhonglou was too good at playing coy.
Professor Song had merely been polite, and he had readily accepted.
He was still young, completely clueless about social graces.
Lin Ying bringing him into the team was a gamble with uncertain outcomes.
“Shishi, would it kill you to be a little more low-key?” Zhang Chen sidled up to Li Zhonglou and whispered, “Being so high-profile will implicate Senior Aunt Lin!”
He didn’t care about Li Zhonglou at all.
His only concern was whether Lin Ying would be wronged.
“Professor Song, since everyone is here, let’s depart,” Lin Ying interjected, suggesting.
In this team, she was the true leader.
Professor Song was a scholar, a fanatic. The others had their own areas of expertise.
Only she was a jack-of-all-trades, skilled in artifact appraisal, security, and team leadership.
Even though Cheng Gong was resentful, this had always been the arrangement.
Continuing this conversation would only make the atmosphere more awkward and detrimental to team collaboration.
Zhang Chen was completely obedient to Lin Ying, far more effective than Li Zhonglou, his nominal “master.”
Seizing the opportunity, he urged everyone to leave the lounge and proceed to check in and board.
Rain City was about two thousand kilometers from Qin Zhou. The flight would take two and a half hours to reach the provincial capital of Shuzhou.
After getting out of the car, Zhang Chen had already arranged for a seven-seater Mercedes-Benz V-Class van; the team’s funds had always been provided by him.
Despite being a troublemaker, this kid consistently excelled in logistics.
Seven people in one car, they headed straight for Rain City, a hundred kilometers away.
By the time they reached the booked Red Pearl Hotel, it was past five in the evening.
Rain City was located in the southwest of China. Two thousand kilometers also meant a time difference of nearly an hour. Although the sun wasn't visible, it was still daylight.
A fine drizzle fell, soft and gentle.
“What a beautiful place, the air is even sweet,” Lin Ying said, holding out her hand to catch the fine mist.
“Rain City was originally named Anya. It has three excellences: elegant rain, beautiful women, and a type of fish called Ya Yu, whose skull contains a sword-like bone,” Zhao Zheng and his wife, being locals, introduced enthusiastically. “I’ve already made arrangements to try it later.”
“Beautiful women are heartless, the elegant rain never stops, and Ya Yu is hard to find. Brother Zhao, you only mentioned the good parts,” Zhang Chen teased.
Clearly, this wasn't his first time here.
He seemed more familiar with the place than Zhao Zheng, the local.
“You guys go ahead, I have something to do,” Cheng Gong said coldly, showing no interest, and returned to his room alone.
“His personality has always been quite forthright,” Professor Song, despite his slowness, sensed the tense atmosphere and explained for his student.
Li Zhonglou knew these words were directed at him.
Of course, he wasn't that petty. People like Cheng Gong, if they weren't on the same team, he wouldn't even bother with, let alone be angered by.
He nodded with a smile and said, “Dinner isn’t for a while. I’ll go check out the market ahead first.”
With that, he left the hotel alone.
He had been to Rain City in his previous life, more than once.
The most famous thing here wasn't the "three excellences" but golden nanmu wood. A few years ago, when golden nanmu wood became a craze, this place attracted wealthy merchants from all over the country.
In a single transaction, a few rotten roots with beautiful patterns could fetch sky-high prices of tens of millions.
The cash flow consequently drove up consumption in this mountain town.
Later, as the economic environment worsened, it became difficult for Rain City to regain its former glory relying solely on golden nanmu wood.
Merchants in the ebony market began to venture into other areas.
Antiques and cultural relics became the main focus.
The Shu region had a long history and a profound civilization, with countless unearthed artifacts.
Within a few years, it had become the second-largest antique market in the entire Shuzhou province.
The Red Pearl Hotel was directly opposite the market, only a few minutes' walk away.
Li Zhonglou casually entered the market. It was bustling with noise and activity.
Unlike the layout of the Temple of Literature, which combined street stalls with shops, there were no street stalls here, only antique and cultural relic shops.
“Why are you being unreasonable? This item is clearly fake. It’s true I accidentally broke it, but you can’t possibly expect this much compensation!” After browsing just a few shops, Li Zhonglou suddenly heard a somewhat familiar voice.
Following the sound, he looked towards an antique shop called "Nantian Pavilion." Inside, a young beauty in a white lace dress was angrily arguing with the shop owner.
The woman had a slender figure and skin as white as snow.
Her features were delicate, her hair styled in soft curls, and her alluring eyes were very striking.
High heels further enhanced her glamorous aura.
She was no less attractive than Tian Lingli.
However, at this moment, her eyes held more anger than allure.
Pointing at a broken jade cong in front of her, her face was flushed red.
“Fan Meng?” Li Zhonglou looked at the woman, a deep sense of melancholy rising in his eyes.
In his past life, after leaving Qin Zhou, he had drifted through several cities and experienced a few relationships.
One of them was with the woman in front of him.
However, that was a few years later. He hadn't expected to meet her so early in this life in Rain City.
“Stop the nonsense. If you break my things, you have to compensate according to my terms!” The shop owner was a lean, shifty-eyed middle-aged man with a shrill voice, acting with impunity.
A few of his friends, drinking tea in the shop, were clearly there to back him up.
One of them blocked the shop door, cutting off Fan Meng’s escape route.
“Three hundred thousand. Not a penny less, or you’re not leaving today,” another threatened with a cold smile.
The shop owner’s eyes were brimming with greed, and he said smugly, “Beauty, there are rules in this business. If you can’t hold onto it, you can’t blame anyone else.”
“You’re paying your tuition today!”
This jade cong was indeed a modern imitation, but gold had value, and jade was priceless.
After half a year of slow business, this woman looked like she didn't know the trade and also liked these things.
She didn't even understand the rule of not handling jade and porcelain before purchasing. If not her, who else could he con?
Even if the police came, he wouldn’t be afraid.
“You…” Fan Meng’s face turned pale, but she was helpless.
She had come here to relax and travel, and she genuinely liked these old items. She had wanted to pick them up and examine them, but she hadn't expected the shop owner to seize the opportunity to swindle her.
It wasn't until it fell to the ground that she realized something was wrong.
But it was too late.
Unfamiliar with the place and caught in someone's trap, judging by the situation, she had no choice but to comply.
Three hundred thousand to buy a costly lesson.
She had to accept the loss.
In desperation, Fan Meng had to take out her wallet.
Just then, a calm and gentle voice sounded from outside the shop: “A modern pale-green jade jade cong, acid-washed, the proportions are all wrong, and you dare to ask for three hundred thousand.”
“The reputation of Rain City is utterly ruined by unscrupulous merchants like you!”