Chapter 8

Compared to the summer, at this moment, inside a large hospital in Jianghai City.

"Director Li, how is it going?"

"Mr. Xu, we have no way to investigate. Young Master Xu couldn't even last half a minute; he even had an accident in the examination room when we were checking him."

"Was he drugged?"

"We've already tested, and there's no sign of drugging. Moreover, Young Master Xu has nothing left to expel. In just one afternoon, he has lost ten pounds. If this continues, he will die." Director Li had thought of every possible solution but still couldn't figure out what was wrong.

"Ten pounds? This is a matter of life and death." Xu Qinghua is Xu Shaocong's father, and he only has one son. Although his son usually causes trouble, what else is he working for?

Now that his son has suddenly become like this, how could he not be anxious?

"Sir, we've already asked Young Master. He had a conflict with a student named Xia Tian at school today, and that student warned him to be careful about diarrhea." The butler of the Xu family had already investigated and asked Xu Shaocong about the incident.

"Have you sent people out?" Xu Qinghua nodded in satisfaction.

"They have already set out. I sent Ah San with two others." The butler of the Xu family emphasized Ah San. This Ah San is not an ordinary person; he is a former special forces soldier who has reportedly carried out dozens of major missions and received a second-class merit. However, he was later forced to retire due to an injury to his left leg.

Xu Qinghua had once saved Ah San's life, so over the years, Ah San has been willing to risk his life for the Xu family. This is one of Xu Qinghua's proudest achievements.

With Ah San taking charge, he is the most reassured.

At this moment, Xia Tian was unaware that he had been targeted. He was particularly happy after buying the ancient Buddha relic.

He had heard from his father that only enlightened high monks could condense a relic upon their passing, and ancient Buddha relics only appeared in legends.

It is said that after the ancient deities passed away, to cleanse the sins of the world, the relics would disappear into the sky and fall onto the nine provinces of China.

The light shining upon the world, Xia Tian had always thought this was just a myth his father told him, but he never expected that such a thing actually existed. The light was so strong that Xia Tian knew he had not seen it wrong.

"Hmph, to have the nerve to talk about money in front of me with just five hundred yuan." The old man Xu snorted coldly. This was the first time he had been provoked, and by a boy under twenty.

"I heard you are an expert in appraising antiques, right?" Xia Tian suddenly looked at the old man Xu. Although he didn't want to cause trouble, it seemed the old man Xu had no intention of letting him off.

"That's right. On this antique street, who doesn't know me, Xu Dechuan?" The old man Xu said proudly. His reputation on this street was very prominent, and this was his source of pride. He originally belonged to one of the four major families in Jianghai City, the Xu family. However, due to his love for antiques in his youth, the family business eventually fell into his brother's hands.

He had once tried to fight for it, but failed. Later, after his brother died, the family's assets fell into the hands of his nephew, Xu Qinghua. Xu Qinghua sent him a monthly allowance, but that amount was negligible compared to the entire Xu family.

So he was determined to reclaim the family's assets. But how could he compete with Xu Qinghua? The best way to gain money and power was here.

Over the years, he had gained enough prestige and status.

"Shall we have a competition?" Xia Tian smiled slightly. This old man was interesting, and his status here would be very useful to him in the future.

"Compete with me? In what?" The old man Xu suddenly found it very amusing.

"Let's compete in what you're best at. You pick five items from here, and I will identify all the items that are not antiques. If I get even one wrong, I lose." Xia Tian wanted to see who was better at identifying antiques.

"Ha ha, young man, you're showing off in front of an expert. But what if you lose?" The old man Xu laughed loudly.

"If I lose, I won't leave here alive." Xia Tian's lips curled slightly. "If you lose, then buy me something I like."

"Truly overconfident." The old man Xu looked at Xia Tian disdainfully. "If I win, I don't need you to die, but I will take your life."

Xu Dechuan found the young man interesting, which reminded him of Ah San, who was loyal to Xu Qinghua. If he could get a loyal subordinate like Ah San, it would be a great gain. He was confident of winning this competition. Even he couldn't identify genuine antiques and treasures without instruments.

Otherwise, he would have been rich long ago. His success rate was only about ten percent because many high-quality fakes were indistinguishable from the real thing. He only needed to find one genuine antique and let the young man guess. There was no way the young man could guess correctly.

As for the genuine antique, it was simple. He could borrow one from any shop; he still had some influence.

Xia Tian sat and waited, while the old man Xu went to find his five items. When people heard that the old man Xu was going to compete in identifying antiques, hundreds of people gathered around.

Xu Dechuan didn't know why he was at odds with this young man today, but he was very serious. He picked a small trinket from an antique shop, then found a few high-quality fakes, even ones he couldn't distinguish with his naked eye.

He also picked a few small items from stalls, and the vendors didn't charge him, but Xu Dechuan still gave each of them two hundred yuan.

"Boy, here are the items. Come and check them out." The bodyguard behind the old man Xu placed the five items on a square table in front of Xia Tian.

Immediately, there were many comments from the crowd, most of which were about Xia Tian's recklessness for daring to compete with the old man Xu, who was a master appraiser on the antique street.

With the old man Xu setting the challenge, there was no way Xia Tian could guess correctly.

The five items on the table were a wooden box, a large porcelain vase, a plate, a crystal-clear stone, and a bracelet.

Xia Tian opened his透视eye and looked at the five items.

"What's the matter? Boy, it's too late to admit defeat now." The old man Xu stroked his goatee, a sign that he was confident of winning.

Xia Tian picked up the wooden box and threw it directly to Xu Dechuan. "It's real."

"Good, you win. This is a makeup box used by Empress Dowager Cixi during the Qing Dynasty." The old man Xu didn't cheat; this was about his reputation. Although he knew Xia Tian might have guessed by chance, he couldn't deny it.

At this point, some people in the crowd started to say Xia Tian was lucky and had guessed right by chance.

Xia Tian ignored the comments and picked up the large vase. When he picked it up, Xu Dechuan smiled slightly. If he hadn't known it was a fake beforehand, even he couldn't tell the difference. The replica was too realistic.

He didn't believe Xia Tian could tell the difference. Xia Tian would surely guess it was real, and the competition would be over.

Xia Tian picked up the vase and smiled. "Old man Xu, if I guess that one of the items is a fake, can I damage it without any consequences?"

"Of course, it's just a fake, and I can afford to replace it." The old man Xu's words were barely finished.

With a bang, the vase fell to the ground. Everyone was stunned by Xia Tian's action. The vase looked like a valuable item to anyone, and the crowd immediately expressed regret and curses.

Xia Tian ignored the crowd and picked up a piece of the broken vase. The words "Fang Quzi" were written on the fragment. Seeing these words, everyone knew Xia Tian had guessed right again.

Who was Fang Quzi? He was a famous master of fakes. It was said that his fakes were indistinguishable from the real thing without instruments.

"Fang Quzi's work?" Xu Dechuan was also stunned when he saw the words. "How is this possible? How did you guess it?"

Xu Dechuan was not surprised that Xia Tian guessed right again, but that he could see through Fang Quzi's fakes. If appraising skills were divided into five levels, he was probably at level three. Fang Quzi's fakes were said to be identifiable only by level five experts. If Xia Tian had really identified it as a fake, he had indeed met a master.

At this moment, Xia Tian smashed the plate, revealing the pattern inside. Everyone knew Xia Tian had guessed right again. Xu Dechuan was completely stunned.

Xia Tian then threw the stone to the ground and stepped on it. Everyone understood that it was also a fake. As Xia Tian picked up the last item, the bracelet, Xu Dechuan stopped him.

"Wait, young man, you win. Just tell me what you want." Xu Dechuan decided to befriend this young man.

With Xia Tian's help, his plan might really succeed.

"Oh, thank you, Old man Xu. I like this bracelet, so I'll take it." Xia Tian smiled at the bracelet in his hand.

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