Chapter 59

"Ha ha, why are you in such a hurry? Stay for dinner." Zhu Qiao chased to the door and shouted from a distance. Seeing Qiao Shen walk even faster, he felt satisfied and returned to the hall in high spirits.

As soon as he came back, he praised, "You did a great job, I am very satisfied. Laifu, give him double the appraisal fee as a reward!"

"Sure, Young Master." The middle-aged man nodded with a smile.

"Having someone share my misfortune, I feel much more balanced." Zhu Qiao laughed heartily. "Laifu, go prepare lunch. I want Sichuan cuisine, extra spicy, the spicier the better..."

After giving the order, Zhu Qiao was about to leave.

At this moment, Qi Xiang took a step forward, slightly blocking his way, and said calmly, "What about the painting? Do you still want it appraised?"

"Painting?" Zhu Qiao was taken aback, then said irritably, "What painting? I don't know. It's your thing, take it away. Remember, I never bought any painting!"

As he spoke, Zhu Qiao held his head high and chest out, strutting away like a proud rooster.

"Is it that simple?"

Qi Xiang was stunned. This was too smooth, making him somewhat disbelieving.

At this moment, the middle-aged man was very diligent. He picked up the scroll from the ground, slightly straightened out the wet and wrinkled parts, then rolled it up and handed it to Qi Xiang, saying, "After you take it back, handle it properly and don't leave any traces."

"Don't worry, we know what to do." Xiao Ding nodded hurriedly, tugging at Qi Xiang and nodding his head.

Qi Xiang took the scroll, somewhat confused, and followed Xiao Ding, slowly leaving the living room. Just as they reached the villa's entrance, someone handed them two leather bags.

The bag given to Xiao Ding was smaller, while the one given to Qi Xiang was larger.

The leather bags were bulging and quite heavy.

Xiao Ding picked up the bag without opening it, nodded, and smiled. He was very considerate, leading Qi Xiang out of the teahouse and back to the car.

The car started and drove for a while before Xiao Ding wiped his sweat and said, "Mr. Qi, you scared me to death."

"I scared you?" Qi Xiang was puzzled. "How did I scare you?"

"Are you saying you didn't scare me?" Xiao Ding said helplessly. "You didn't even say hello and directly revealed the inside story of the tea mountain in the teapot. Isn't that asking for trouble?"

"I was telling the truth..." Qi Xiang shrugged.

"Exactly, the truth is even more frightening." Xiao Ding sighed. "You know the tea mountain in the teapot is artificial and has certain risks."

"Qiao Shen, the young master, will go back and verify your words. He will definitely seek revenge on the person who tricked him."

Xiao Ding was uneasy. "In that case, your words just now are no different from ruining someone's livelihood. If those people find out the truth, they won't let it go!"

"Don't worry." Qi Xiang smiled. "They won't find me."

"Yes, they won't find you, but they can find me." Xiao Ding said pitifully. "Brother, I have elderly parents and young children. I can run away, but I can't escape my responsibilities."

"What if they can't find you and come to block me?" Xiao Ding said with a sad face. "At that time, I will be in big trouble."

"It's fine." Qi Xiang patted his shoulder. "I believe you will find a way to solve the problem. If not, it's just a beating. After a few days of rest, you'll be fine..."

"Uh..." Xiao Ding was stunned. This script doesn't seem right. Normally, when someone hears such complaints, they should feel guilty and offer some compensation.

He forgot that Qi Xiang is not an ordinary person but his colleague.

As a colleague, Qi Xiang knew very well that people like Xiao Ding, who are local strongmen, are as cunning as foxes and have their own ways to avoid risks. They can't be easily cornered.

Even Qi Xiang himself has multiple hideouts. If he can't stay in Jinling, he can immediately go to Huzhou to avoid trouble.

Compared to Xiao Ding, he would probably disappear at the first sign of trouble. Believing he would be cornered and beaten is like believing a sow can climb a tree.

Seeing that Qi Xiang was unmoved, Xiao Ding had to give up and drive back to Huzhou.

Soon, the car stopped in the city center of Huzhou. The two were about to part ways. Just before they parted, Xiao Ding called out to Qi Xiang, his expression serious and his voice low, "Mr. Qi, if there's nothing urgent, you should go back to Jinling as soon as possible to avoid any unexpected events..."

"Sure, thanks for the reminder." Qi Xiang smiled and waved goodbye to Xiao Ding. He hailed a taxi in the city center and soon arrived at the foot of a mountain in the suburbs.

Qi Xiang climbed up the mountain path and slowly approached the mountain gate.

The guard at the mountain gate was very observant. Seeing Qi Xiang from a distance, he stood up and greeted him, "Mr. Qi, you're back!"

With the previous experience, every guard on the mountain remembered that Qi Xiang is a very pretentious person. Despite living in a luxurious villa, he doesn't buy a good car.

He usually travels on foot. Such low-key behavior is quite rare...

Qi Xiang didn't know what the guard was thinking. After nodding politely, he crossed the mountain gate and walked lightly toward the villa on the mountain.

The mountain was high and the path long. The villa seemed close but actually took some time to reach. After walking for a few minutes, Qi Xiang suddenly heard a car horn, making him instinctively move to the side.

In an instant, a very eye-catching sports car with an extremely luxurious and sleek design slowly passed by, weaving through the path.

The luxury sports car, with its metallic luster, shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

Qi Xiang wasn't unfamiliar with such luxury cars. Even if he hadn't driven one, he had seen them. Jinling, after all, is a famous international metropolis, and even the most luxurious cars are not rare.

However, the luxury car in front of him seemed a bit strange...

He carefully examined it and watched it drive away, suddenly noticing something. On the roof of the car, he saw a very long... package?

The object was wrapped in layers of fabric, looking like a long bamboo pole, fixed to the roof. The addition of a long pole to such a cool sports car made it seem odd and uncoordinated.

This was clearly an unnecessary addition, ruining the aesthetics.

After evaluating it in his mind, Qi Xiang continued walking. A few minutes later, he returned to his villa's entrance and was surprised to see that the sports car had stopped at the villa on the opposite hill.

"Huh?"

At first glance, Qi Xiang was intrigued and naturally thought of the strange light he saw in the villa on the opposite hill last night. He couldn't help but stop to observe. He saw the car door open, and someone got out.

Qi Xiang took a look and was immediately stunned. In his impression, the owner of such a cool sports car should be a young, wealthy playboy.

But at this moment, a slender figure got out of the driver's seat, removed the long pole from the roof, and closed the car door...

At this point, the person took out the car key and pressed it, and the sports car automatically started, smoothly entering the garage. Then the person turned and disappeared into the villa without looking back.

Qi Xiang watched for a few minutes until the person was gone, then blinked and opened the door to go home. Back in the villa's living room, his attention focused on the scroll in his hand.

This was a blank scroll, which had been crumpled by Zhu Qiao. When Zhu Qiao was angry, he even stepped on it, making the white paper dirty.

Qi Xiang gently unfolded the scroll. The tea stains were not yet completely dry, and the paper was dirty, wet, and wrinkled. If it weren't for the scroll's shape, it would be no different from a rag.

Qi Xiang examined the scroll, pondered for a moment, and then brought a basin of water. He scooped up water with his hands and gently sprinkled it on the scroll, making it completely wet...

The white paper, when wet, spread the dirt, which seeped into the silk. At this moment, Qi Xiang suddenly flipped the scroll, placing the paper side down and the back side up.

The back of the scroll was made of high-quality silk, carefully mounted by an expert.

The scroll, when placed on the table, showed the intricate and fine patterns of the silk, formed by many different colored threads, with a complex and tight texture, extremely beautiful.

Qi Xiang touched the silk and felt that it was made of natural silk, smooth and shiny, with a delicate and light texture, yet very thick.

He thought for a moment, found a place in the living room, and hung the scroll.

The wet scroll continuously dripped water.

Qi Xiang didn't pay attention to this but focused on observing the silk on the back of the scroll. He noticed faint light, barely visible, within the silk.

The light was faint, seemingly hidden between the silk threads, but not very obvious.

If not observed closely, it wouldn't be noticed. Even if a faint reflection was seen, it would likely be mistaken for the silk's natural luster.

Qi Xiang, however, was different. After a period of cultivation, his eyesight and spiritual senses were very sharp. When he noticed the fine light threads in the silk, he knew they were unusual.

Of course, he couldn't specify what was unusual, so he needed to study it carefully. He squinted, took a magnifying glass, and examined the silk inch by inch.

"Huh?"

At this moment, Qi Xiang was surprised to find that when the magnifying glass was placed over the silk, the light threads disappeared. When he moved the magnifying glass away, the faint light threads reappeared.

"Strange..."

Qi Xiang frowned, deep in thought.

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