The Songhe Tower was much livelier. The first floor was filled with realistic antique crafts, so that tourists visiting the area could take home souvenirs.
The three of them headed straight upstairs.
As soon as they reached the second floor, a professional staff member greeted them. "Are you three here to choose antiques?"
The speaker was a beautiful young lady, very polite and courteous.
"Yes, let's go directly to the third floor," Ye Kunlun replied, pointing to the staircase leading to the third floor.
"Sir, please wait a moment. We need to verify your funds to enter the third floor."
The young lady busied herself introducing the process to Ye Kunlun. "We hope you could register here, sir."
Liu Meng quickly took out her bank card and handed it to the staff member. "Please verify mine."
After all, Liu Meng was the one buying, so it wouldn't be appropriate to use Ye Kunlun's or Qian Rourou's cards.
The young lady glanced at the balance on Liu Meng's card and respectfully returned it to her. "The three of you may proceed upstairs."
The third floor.
As Ye Kunlun and his two companions reached the top of the stairs, they overheard two elderly men arguing about something.
"Old Li, listen to me, this calligraphy and painting is definitely not authentic."
"How could it not be? I've studied An Shishan's calligraphy and paintings. This one cannot possibly be fake."
"An Shishan's paintings are characterized by unrestrained boldness, but although the brushwork here is a very close imitation, there are still slight differences. Look here."
The two old men argued incessantly, while a middle-aged man standing nearby watched them with a smile.
However, upon seeing people coming upstairs, the middle-aged man put away his smile and went to greet Ye Kunlun and the other two.
"Greetings, sirs. You can call me Zhang Yuan. What can I help you with?" Zhang Yuan casually appraised the three of them.
As for Qian Rourou and Liu Meng, there was no need to mention them. He had seen countless people and could tell at a glance they were young ladies from wealthy families.
As for Ye Kunlun, he looked extremely ordinary, making him unable to discern anything about him.
"Boss Zhang, I'd like to buy a piece of calligraphy and painting as a birthday gift. Do you have any recommendations?"
Liu Meng asked Zhang Yuan.
"Calligraphy and paintings? We have works by several famous painters from the previous dynasty. Miss, you can take a look and see if you like them."
"Of course, we at Songhe Tower are a reputable establishment. All calligraphy and paintings sold here are guaranteed to be authentic. We offer tenfold compensation for fakes!"
Zhang Yuan walked with Liu Meng and the other two, introducing Songhe Tower.
"Old Li, since neither of us can determine the authenticity of this painting, why don't we hand it over to the cultural relics department?"
"Old Xu, are you out of your mind? Aren't all those youngsters in the cultural relics department trained by us?"
"That's true, but having more people authenticate it will help us get results faster."
Liu Meng, feeling a bit curious, asked Zhang Yuan, "Boss Zhang, what are those two old gentlemen arguing about? I heard something about An Shishan?"
Zhang Yuan glanced at the two people arguing and smiled as he explained, "Ah, Elder Xu and Elder Li are titans of the cultural relics world. Songhe Tower recently acquired a 'Crane and Pine Painting' by An Shishan, and I've invited the two elders to help authenticate it."
"Really!" Ye Kunlun said calmly.
As soon as he spoke, not only Zhang Yuan but also Elder Li and Elder Xu in the distance were stunned.
Especially Elder Xu, after recovering his senses, questioned Ye Kunlun, "Young friend, you haven't even seen the 'Crane and Pine Painting,' so how do you know it's real?"
He had already determined that the 'Crane and Pine Painting' was fake, so when Ye Kunlun declared it to be genuine, he naturally felt displeased.
Although Elder Xu was pleased that someone agreed with him, he was not foolish.
As Elder Xu had said, it was somewhat far-fetched for Ye Kunlun to assert it was authentic without even seeing the painting.
Hearing the two elders' questioning, Zhang Yuan quickly smiled at Ye Kunlun and said, "Young fellow, do you perhaps have some insight?"
"An Shishan was not only a painter but also a grandmaster of martial arts, which is why his paintings often had a bold and unrestrained style.
From what I know, the 'Crane and Pine Painting' was a late work of his. At that time, An Shishan had already integrated his true qi into his brushstrokes.
Therefore, his paintings must retain some residual true qi. Well... of course, it's already negligible to the point of being unnoticeable. You definitely wouldn't be able to sense it."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuan's eyes lit up. Records indicated that An Shishan was indeed a grandmaster of martial arts.
In that case, Ye Kunlun's words might hold some truth.
"Kid, isn't that a bit far-fetched? There are many grandmasters of martial arts in the world, and it's not impossible for true qi to be faked."
Elder Xu remained silent for two seconds before speaking again.
Based solely on Ye Kunlun's statement, it was not yet enough to prove that An Shishan's 'Crane and Pine Painting' was authentic.
"If I can prove that it is indeed An Shishan's 'Crane and Pine Painting,' I will sell it to her, what do you say?"
Ye Kunlun pointed at Liu Meng and said to An Shishan.
The 'Crane and Pine Painting' had excellent symbolism, making it a perfect gift for a birthday celebration.
Zhang Yuan thought for a moment and gave a sheepish smile. "Young fellow, this 'Crane and Pine Painting' was originally genuine, and I intended to keep it as our shop's treasure. However, since you've said so, I will sell it to this young lady."
Zhang Yuan was also a straightforward person. He could tell that with Ye Kunlun's discernment, he was no ordinary individual.
Selling the 'Crane and Pine Painting' to Ye Kunlun was a gesture of goodwill, leaving a good impression on him, which would not do him any harm.
Ye Kunlun walked towards Elder Li and Elder Xu.
"You only know this painting is called 'Crane and Pine Painting,' but do you know that this painting is actually incomplete?"
Ye Kunlun seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps speaking to the two of them.
"Incomplete?"
Elder Li and Elder Xu were taken aback, not quite understanding the meaning of Ye Kunlun's words.
They examined the 'Crane and Pine Painting' again. It was exactly as described in historical texts, otherwise, they wouldn't have argued for so long.
"An Shishan integrated his true qi into his brushstrokes, but not the entire painting has residual true qi; it is in specific places."
Saying this, Ye Kunlun picked up a cup of water from a nearby table.
Before anyone could understand what Ye Kunlun meant by his words, they saw him directly splash the water from the cup onto the painting.
Elder Li and Elder Xu were dumbfounded. Zhang Yuan was also momentarily stunned.
Paintings are afraid of water; everyone knew that. Ye Kunlun had actually splashed a cup of water onto the 'Crane and Pine Painting.'
Whether the 'Crane and Pine Painting' was authentic or not, it had been ruined by Ye Kunlun.
"Kid, you, you, do you know what you're doing?"
Elder Li's face was filled with anger, his whole body trembling from Ye Kunlun's actions.
An Shishan's surviving works were not many, and the 'Crane and Pine Painting' was a rare piece in good condition. Now it had been ruined by Ye Kunlun.
His heart was bleeding.
"Old, Old Li!!"
Elder Xu exclaimed.
He looked incredulously at the 'Crane and Pine Painting' that had been soaked with water, rubbed his eyes, and shouted again, "You, you quickly look!"
The others were also pulled back from their shock by Elder Xu's exclamation, and they all looked towards the 'Crane and Pine Painting.'
Upon looking, they were utterly astonished!
Everyone was mesmerized by the scenery within the painting!