Chapter 59

Wang Mian, with the courtesy name Yuanzhang and the pseudonym "Cooking Stone Mountain Farmer," also known as "Old Man of the Middle of the Meal" and "Master of the Plum Blossom Cottage," was from Fengqiao, Zhuji, Zhejiang, and was a famous painter, poet, and seal engraver of the Yuan Dynasty.

He came from a poor family and, as a child, worked as a cowherd. He became a poet and painter through self-study.

He was renowned for his plum blossom paintings, especially his ink plum blossoms.

Wu Xie's gaze was drawn to a painting in front of him. With his discerning eye, he could already tell that it was a genuine work by Wang Mian, and it was an ink plum blossom.

If this painting were to be sold on the market, it would start at millions!

"Alas..." Wu Xie sighed and said with a bitter smile, "This painting is too valuable for my small shop to afford."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but take a few more looks; genuine works by Wang Mian were rare.

Lin Yi smiled slightly. The antiques and paintings he had taken from the Qing Dynasty treasury were undoubtedly treasures. He wasn't surprised by Wu Xie's reaction and said calmly, "Then I'll ask you to help me resell it."

He wasn't really there to sell the painting; his main goal was to build a friendship with Wu Xie and become his friend, so he could join him in tomb raiding and adventures.

Mostly, it was for his streaming career!

"Resell? Alright!" Wu Xie's eyes lit up. He had some channels, and by reselling it, he could make a profit.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in a gray suit walked into the shop, scanned the room, and asked Wu Xie, "Do you buy rubbings?"

"I do, but the price isn't high," Wu Xie replied indifferently. Having just acquired a genuine work by Wang Mian, he wasn't interested in these small deals, implying that if the man didn't have anything good, he should just leave.

The middle-aged man didn't mind Wu Xie's attitude and asked, "Then can I ask if you have any rubbings of the Warring States silk manuscripts? The ones that were stolen by tomb raiders in Changsha 50 years ago and then taken by an American?"

"You say they were taken by an American, so where would they be?" Wu Xie rolled his eyes. "If you want rubbings, you should look in the market. How could you find a specific one?"

The middle-aged man whispered, "I heard you have connections. I was introduced by Old Itch."

Wu Xie was slightly taken aback, "Which Old Itch? I don't know him." He thought, "Didn't Old Itch go to jail two years ago? Did he rat me out?"

"I understand, I understand." The middle-aged man chuckled and took out a watch from his pocket, "Look, Old Itch said you'd recognize this."

Wu Xie looked at the watch in surprise, then sized up the middle-aged man and said directly, "Sir, if you're a friend of Old Itch, what can I do for you?"

The middle-aged man smiled, showing a large gold tooth, "A friend of mine brought something back from Shanxi and wants you to appraise it to see if it's genuine."

Wu Xie immediately understood that this man was likely involved in tomb raiding. He probably had something valuable and wanted it appraised. "What a diverse crowd," he thought. "There are even people who dare to bring things to a legitimate antique market."

But since the man was introduced by Old Itch, he couldn't offend him. He had to take a look. Thinking this, Wu Xie glanced at Lin Yi, who was a big customer.

Lin Yi watched Wu Xie and the middle-aged man converse, thinking, "This scene is so familiar! If I remember correctly, the item this middle-aged man is about to show is the map to the Seven-Star Lu King's coffin!"

Seeing Wu Xie look at him, Lin Yi smiled and was about to speak when the middle-aged man said, "It's just a Warring States silk manuscript. This friend can also take a look."

"Sure!" Lin Yi was slightly surprised but immediately agreed with a smile.

Wu Xie thought for a moment and didn't object. He couldn't afford to offend this big customer, as he was counting on him for business.

The middle-aged man took out a piece of white paper from his pocket and said with a smile, "Real treasures can't be carried around. They would break easily. This is a photocopy."

He unfolded the white paper and placed it on the table.

Lin Yi and Wu Xie looked at it together.

Lin Yi examined it carefully but couldn't make sense of it. He thought, "This is the map to the Seven-Star Lu King's coffin? What is this? I can't understand it at all!"

Wu Xie took out a magnifying glass and examined it closely. After a while, he looked up and said, "From the lines in the photocopy, it appears to be quite old, but it's likely a forgery from a later dynasty. In other words, it's an antique forgery.

This is a rather awkward item. The photocopy is so poor that I can't be sure, but I suspect it's from the Han Dynasty.

To put it simply, it's not entirely fake, nor is it entirely real. It's just such an item."

"I see, thank you."

The middle-aged man listened, pondered for a moment, then bowed and left without looking back.

His decisiveness left Lin Yi and Wu Xie stunned.

Lin Yi pointed to the white paper on the table and said with a smile, "He seems to have forgotten to take this with him!"

"Indeed!" Wu Xie realized and quickly walked to the door, but the man was already gone.

He shook his head and smiled, not minding. He walked back to the counter, took out a digital camera, and took a few pictures of the white paper, thinking that he could use the photocopy to make some fake rubbings later.

If the man remembered and came back, he would return the photocopy to avoid any misunderstandings.

Lin Yi picked up the white paper, pretended to examine it, and said with a smile, "Actually, this is a map."

"What?" Wu Xie was taken aback, his face full of disbelief. This was clearly a Warring States silk manuscript, all "words," no "pictures," and certainly not a map.

Lin Yi smiled and said, "This is a map of a tomb. The tomb belongs to a noble from the State of Lu during the Warring States period. The tomb was recorded in this silk manuscript, indicating that the tomb's owner held a high status at the time. This tomb must be very valuable!"

"A tomb map? You're...?" Wu Xie was stunned. This guy was talking as if it were true. A valuable tomb? Is he also a tomb raider?

To be able to discern so much from a Warring States silk manuscript, he must be an expert!

Seeing Wu Xie's stunned expression, Lin Yi was amused. He couldn't read the silk manuscript or the map at all.

He had said all this just to join Wu Xie's "team" and see the Seven-Star Lu King's coffin.

At that moment, Wu Xie's phone rang. He received two text messages and then said to Lin Yi, "Perfect, I'll take you to meet someone who can help sell your painting."

Lin Yi was slightly surprised and smiled, "Alright!"

He thought, "Could it be Uncle Wu Sanxian?"

Wu Xie left an employee to watch the shop and instructed him to return the photocopy if the middle-aged man came back.

Then, he and Lin Yi left the antique market and drove away.

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**Note:** The original text includes a link to a mobile version of a website, which has been omitted in the translation.