The smile on Lin Xiaotian's face widened. "I'm very interested to hear this bigger secret you speak of."
"If you disappoint me, the consequences will be dire."
Zhao Feipeng deliberately put on a pained expression, as if his heart was bleeding. He said directly, "In fact, some things can no longer be hidden from you. You should have seen the semi-finished products being made. All the antiques we have here are fakes."
"And I have mastered a certain technique, a technique only I understand. I can replicate all those antiques and sell them at a high price. You don't even need to use your Mingyue Pavilion's reputation for this; you can leave it entirely to me."
"Even if you discover any precious antiques, you can borrow them from others. I can perfectly replicate them for you. Then you can keep the genuine article and return the fake."
"You can also quietly sell off all the genuine items. I have overseas sales channels. They are very fond of antiques from our region. As long as what you bring is profitable enough, they will be extremely happy to accept it."
Lin Xiaotian's eyes flickered with a hint of annoyance, but it was suppressed in an instant. Instead, a smile appeared on his face.
"I'm very curious, why don't you give those fake antiques to people overseas? Why do you keep the fakes for yourselves and give the genuine articles to foreigners?"
"Can their appraisal techniques be better than ours? They probably don't understand us well enough. After all, our language is profound, and many ancient texts are in classical Chinese."
"Even we find it difficult to learn. Teaching them these things would be like feeding pearls to pigs, wouldn't it?"
Zhao Feipeng gave a wry smile. He was now certain that Lin Xiaotian was unaware of the full picture. However, some lies are half-truths, and he couldn't expect to deceive Lin Xiaotian with everything he said.
Where he couldn't deceive, he had to use the truth to fill the gaps.
"Their appraisal techniques are indeed inferior to ours. They don't even know the true value of those antiques. But they still want to collect them, because once they take these items, they can sell them back to our own people."
"As soon as people on our side learn that there are genuine items overseas, they will immediately try to retrieve them, as they are ancestral treasures and should not be in the hands of foreigners."
"So, this creates a virtuous cycle. We can continuously harvest leeks and make money."
"As for why we don't give them fakes, it's because we fear damaging our reputation. They also have a way to directly verify the age of antiques. Some things can be faked on the surface, but not internally."
"Sometimes, those scoundrels even scrape off some powder from the antiques to verify their authenticity. Even if I wanted to cheat them, I couldn't."
A look of realization dawned on Lin Xiaotian's face. "So, you can't fool them, which is why you give them the genuine articles."
"But do you have so many precious items in your possession now?"
"How much can you transact each time with them?"
Zhao Feipeng thought for a moment and then said, "Each transaction is around one billion yuan. After all, the antiques we send out are illicit, obtained through various means."
"So they deliberately drive down the price. Those foreigners are very cunning."
"If you let me go now, I will become a profitable tool for you in the future. You might still doubt my words, but if you give me a chance, I will immediately demonstrate my immense capabilities to you and bring you a steady stream of income. Keeping me will only benefit you."
Lin Xiaotian's smile grew more pronounced. "Your words remind me of many things. Someone once said that retrieving our ancestors' belongings is a big hassle, let alone selling them directly. Do you know what your actions are called?"
Zhao Feipeng didn't believe Lin Xiaotian was a selfless person. He still wore a fawning smile. "I don't know what it's called, but I know it makes more money."
"The only practical thing now is to put money into your own pocket."
"As long as you spare my life, I will give you a massive financial chain. I currently have over two billion yuan, and I can give it all to you. Consider me your dog. From now on, I will obey whatever you command."
The smile on Lin Xiaotian's face gradually faded, replaced by a sharp glint in his eyes. "Although I like money, there are some kinds of money I will take, and some I will not touch."
"You know very well how much of a problem the money you've earned is. You'd better keep it for your coffin."
Hearing this, Zhao Feipeng's face turned pale, and his eyes widened in disbelief. "I've already told you, I can be your dog, and I can give you all my savings. Are you still not satisfied?"
"Don't be too greedy. You can't squeeze any more useful value out of me."
"If you kill me, it will be the greatest loss of potential profit for you."
Lin Xiaotian said with a half-smile, "Do you think I'm joking with you here?"
"If I wanted money, I have plenty of ways to earn a large fortune. All your income is insignificant in my eyes."
"I don't care about your paltry sum of money. What I care about is my own state of mind."
"A clear mind is what I need most. Right now, I find you extremely displeasing, especially with what you've done. I could easily kill you with a single slap."
As he spoke, Lin Xiaotian took a step forward, closing the distance to Zhao Feipeng to only half a meter.
He felt Lin Xiaotian's sharp killing intent and the overwhelming pressure of his imposing aura, causing his pupils to constrict violently and fear to spread throughout his body.
"No... don't. I am of great use to you. If you attack me directly, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"Moreover, the businesses I'm involved in have a vast network of beneficiaries behind them. If anything happens to me, they will definitely not let you go."
A faint, almost imperceptible curve appeared on Lin Xiaotian's lips. After thoroughly understanding this man's profits, he had now gotten to the crux of the matter. Once the forces behind him were identified, it wouldn't be difficult to find the mastermind.