Imperial Treasure

"No, I couldn't see who it was… Just knew someone fired a shot, and it was aimed at Hei Pi. Maybe you should start from why their whole gang ended up dead. At that time, Hei Pi seemed to have mentioned to me that someone was after him, wanting his goods,"

"Of course, whether you believe it or not is up to you," Sui Yi turned around, not looking at Lin Quan again.

Lin Quan watched her figure for a while before quickly turning to leave with Zhang Xiao and others who had finished questioning Elder Tang. Elder Tang, with his hands clasped behind his back, watched Lin Quan and the others depart, his face expressing a sigh.

"This Lin Quan is indeed a man, pity he doesn't have the connections. He can only be a team leader…"

"It's different, still eliminating harm for the people," Sui Yi said indifferently.

This guy was a good person, otherwise, she might not have been able to dodge so many times, considering he abided by the law, understood it, and had principles.

At the core, she was thankful that he was a good public servant, even though he always wanted to capture her and send her to prison.

"The wages are too low!" Elder Tang sighed earnestly.

So, this was the difference between a profiteer and a good man.

"My wage seems too low as well… Give me the money. I need to pay my school fees,"

"...."

While waiting in the hall for Elder Tang to withdraw the money, Sui Yi figured that this guy was always slow and reluctant to hand over money to others, so she looked for something to pass the time...

— It wasn't about having a chat with Zhou Ran, the sunshine good looking guy. To be honest, he talked a bit too much, more than usual.

Sui Yi started to examine some of the antiques in the shop on her own. Strangely enough, she usually wasn't interested in these things. In her eyes, porcelain was just porcelain; what should be a jar was a jar, what should be for flower arrangement was a vase, and of course, what should be a chamber pot was, naturally, that thing.

After a while, she saw a painting.

Huge rocks and towering pines, with twisting stones of the midground connected behind them, shrouded in mist, two mountain peaks rose abruptly in the distance, standing tall at the center, overlooking an abyss, with grand palaces and pavilions hidden within the deep mountains. To the left, the gentle slope meandered, giving a sense of depth and expanse.

The scene was majestic and grand, giving a sense of the impressive stature of the mountains and rocks.

At the bottom was a red seal mark — Early Spring, the year of Renzi, by Guo Xizhi's brush.

"Sui Yi, are you interested in Guo Xizhi's paintings?"

Just by looking at the seal, she knew this was a work by Guo Xizhi, but Sui Yi was only experimenting with the idea of the painting. Since Zhou Ran had been quite thoughtful of her on ordinary days, it wouldn't be nice to just walk away without saying a word, so she responded lightly, "I don't know much about this area."

Zhou Ran stole a few glances at Sui Yi, cleared his throat, and smiled.

"This is the 'Early Spring Picture' by Guo Xi of the Northern Song Dynasty, painted in the fifth year of Xining during the reign of Emperor Shenzong. It depicts the landscape after the melting of the auspicious snow, when the heaven and earth undergo misty changes, and the earth revives; the grass and trees start budding, a scene of thriving early spring. The use of ink wash is rich and profound, creating an unforgettable impression,"

Zhou Ran spoke with confident enthusiasm, his expression bright when he saw that Sui Yi was actually listening intently; he felt a mild joy and became more articulate.

What he didn't know was that Sui Yi, due to changes in her body bringing about alterations in her future and present outlooks, was unusually patient with this subject matter.

But concerning the painting, there always comes an end to its explanation. Zhou Ran felt an emptiness inside and nothing more to say, his mouth dry when someone heavily patted his shoulder.

"Hey, kid, you've improved a bit... Have you been studying my treasures lately?"

Elder Tang approached with a small black pouch, smiling with his teeth shining brightly as he came up close to Zhou Ran.

"Uh, Shopkeeper, you flatter me…" Zhou Ran said modestly, glancing at Sui Yi, "It's just rare for Sui Yi to take an interest in this area; otherwise, I really wouldn't know who to show off to,"

While the two were talking, her hand had already reached out, touching the painting that had already aged a bit. Elder Tang was startled and couldn't help but exclaim, "Hey, girl, you can't touch this... hey, hey, be careful,"

Sui Yi's hand had already made contact, but girls were girls after all, moving gently, and with her slender and soft fingers caressing the painting carrying the aura of ancient culture, it had a charming and lingering presence.

This eased Elder Tang's heart somewhat. If it were a big burly man poking at it with his huge hands, you would have seen if the old man wouldn't have picked up the Guan Sword to fight to the death...

Zhou Ran and Elder Tang were silent for a moment, both waiting for Sui Yi to withdraw her hand.

The time was brief, but the touch on Sui Yi's fingertips felt prolonged, a sensation that faintly stirred her soul, cool and clear, yet that lasted only for a moment.

Elder Tang noticed that Sui Yi's tired brows had slightly furrowed but quickly relaxed, regaining her usual composure as she withdrew her hand.

This girl usually keeps her emotions hidden, but just now, she seemed a bit unusual. Could it be...

"Is there something strange about this painting?" Elder Tang didn't even know why he would ask such a question, especially to a girl who knew nothing about antiques.

Sui Yi snapped back from her thoughts, hummed lightly, and then focused her gaze, glancing at the label at the bottom right corner of the frame.

Five hundred and eighty thousand?

That's expensive.

"Fake?" That was Sui Yi's voice. Zhou Ran was taken aback and immediately responded, "What fake item? Sui Yi, don't talk nonsense..."

Elder Tang was also surprised, but his face remained stern as he stared at Sui Yi. Zhou Ran began to perspire slightly from his forehead and became more puzzled by Sui Yi.

Strange, how could she, who usually speaks so cautiously, suddenly speak without regard?

Could this painting be fake?

Would Elder Tang, who always prides himself on good appearances, hang a fake painting here for customers to see?

In just a short while, Elder Tang clutched the black bag he was holding tighter, and his little beard twitched as he chuckled, "Why do you think it's fake? Go on, tell us..."

That tone sounded off!

Zhou Ran looked at Sui Yi, signaling for her to apologize quickly, but Sui Yi stared into Elder Tang's eyes for a moment, gently swept her hand across her brow to calm the faint glimmer in her eyes, and spoke in a very serene voice.

"I guessed right."

"Guessed?" Elder Tang looked at her skeptically, "Then tell us why you guessed that way?"

Why would there be a reason for a guess? Sui Yi knew he was just being difficult on purpose. Thinking for a moment, she pointed to the label below with her finger.

"The price isn't right."

She couldn't possibly say that it was the text and ink marks on the painting that had given her the clue!

The feeling brought by the Magnetic Sensation was that the cultural atmosphere embodied in it was not strong.

Although she didn't know the exact history, it felt even less substantial than the hand-copied poetry collection on Mr. Yi's bookshelf, which Sui Yi had once seen...

It's probably not an ancient masterpiece~~

At the very least, it's not authentic!

"The price?" Elder Tang stared at her intently for a while, then his gloomy face suddenly brightened, and he laughed: "I thought you had improved, girl, knowing how to discern between real and fake..."

He paused, then turned his head sharply towards a stunned Zhou Ran and gave him a scolding, "Look at you, always remembering the origins of the paintings and calligraphy, yet you don't know the authenticity of this painting!"

Indeed, Zhou Ran felt very wronged at that moment. Well, this painting is displayed for sale in your shop, I'm working for you, how could I doubt the authenticity of your painting?

"You must be thinking, if it's fake, why would I hang it up for sale? Isn't that fooling people?"

"Shopkeeper, I wouldn't dare..."

"Daring or not, that's exactly what you're thinking!" Elder Tang glared at him, took a deep breath, and snorted, "I'm selling this painting right here, and nobody can do anything about it. After all, the painting is worth this price..."

He paused, then looked towards Sui Yi, "Though the painting is fake"

To blatantly sell a fake painting for five hundred and eighty thousand?

Sui Yi's gaze flickered, clearly astonished.

Is it the world that's in chaos, or have the people in it gone mad?