Merchant of the Underworld

Li Yuntian nodded immediately and said he would check it now.

I returned to the shop first, and unexpectedly Yin Xinyue was there, preparing a table of sumptuous dishes.

Seeing me coming back, Yin Xinyue immediately came up and took my arm with a smile on her face. This made Li Mazi very dissatisfied and scolded Yin Xinyue for having no conscience. It's okay to deceive him yesterday. He risked his life to help her solve the problem, but he didn't know how to be grateful at all and dared to show affection in front of him.

Yin Xinyue covered her mouth and laughed, "You damn ghost, you really have no shame. I just said I was at that place, why did you rush over there in a hurry?" I didn't let you go.

Li Mazi's face instantly turned red, he picked up his chopsticks awkwardly, and started to devour it.

I smiled, washed my hands, and started eating.

Yin Xinyue's cooking skills are indeed good. They are all very ordinary home-cooked dishes, such as stir-fried yuba, Qingjiang side dishes, and mushroom stew, but I tasted a 'home' taste.

After finishing the meal, Yin Xinyue asked us worriedly how the matter was handled.

I said it was almost done. Now I have grasped a very important clue. As long as I follow this clue and investigate, it won't take long to calm down the resentment of that ancient painting!

Yin Xinyue nodded, with a sad look on her face. I asked her what was wrong, and she shook her head and said it was okay.

But I always feel that Yin Xinyue seems to have something to say that is inconvenient to tell me...

Waiting until the evening, Li Yuncai finally called me and said that there was progress in the investigation, and we would meet at the same teahouse as last time.

When we arrived at the teahouse, we found that Li Yuntian had already brewed a pot of Longjing and was waiting by the window.

Li Yuntian directly handed me the copy in his hand and said: "Mr. Zhang, I followed your instructions and directly found the hometown of the deceased. Unexpectedly, you guessed it right! There is a record in the genealogy of the deceased. During the period of Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty, their family belonged to a distinguished family, and they also had a fourth-rank young minister from Dali Temple. The judge who oversaw the execution of Prince Yide was this young minister from Dali Temple!"

I nodded, that made sense.

Although the executioner died tragically, the hatred in his heart for the judge had been accumulated for thousands of years and became more and more intense.

It just so happened that the deceased was a descendant of the judge, so the executioner probably mistaken her for the judge and wanted to take revenge on him for all the sins he suffered back then!

I asked Li Yuntian if he had investigated the owner of this ancient painting. Li Yuntian shook his head and sighed, saying that only the deceased probably knew who the family was, and he had no way of finding out.

Yes, this kind of thing is really difficult to do...

But I overlooked one important point, that is, Yin Xinyue was also present when the deceased purchased the ancient paintings.

After hearing that we wanted to find the master of ancient paintings, Yin Xinyue immediately said: "Maybe I can help you!"

I immediately asked Yin Xinyue if she knew how to find her home?

Yin Xinyue nodded and said that the deceased had contacted the other party more than once. There must be call records. Wouldn't you know if you check the call records?

Li Yuntian slammed the table and said excitedly: "Yes, how could I forget this?"

After saying that, he left in a hurry.

I didn't go, but continued to sit in the teahouse with Yin Xinyue, waiting for news about Li Yuntian.

Not long after, Li Yuntian called us and told us excitedly that he had found the other party's phone number and made an appointment at the teahouse. He asked us to wait for a while.

I said that's good.

Yin Xinyue asked me puzzledly why I had to find the previous family? If you find your previous family and return the ancient paintings, will the matter be resolved?

I shook my head with a wry smile and said, "All this is not as simple as you think. We must find the true source of this painting. Only by knowing the origin of this painting can we find a way to place it..."

Yin Xinyue sighed and said, "It's really troublesome. This ancient painting must have changed hands to many owners, right?" How can it be so easy to find its real owner?

But there is no other way, although I know in my heart that what we have to face is a huge project. However, for the sake of the case, he had no choice but to become a living doctor.

We waited for less than half an hour when an old acquaintance arrived. This guy also eats in Antique Street. His name is Sun Long, and he is nicknamed Brother Long. He is a famous "gangster" businessman.

The "criminal" mentioned here does not mean that he was involved in the underworld, but that the antiques he collected had irregular origins, and most of them were funerary objects dug out of the ground!

In a society governed by the rule of law, basically no antique dealer is willing to step into this minefield. But Sun Long was different. It was said that someone was guarding him. If he were caught, he would be free to eat and live for a few days.

As soon as I saw him, I felt a little dizzy...

On the one hand, this grandson is difficult to deal with, and on the other hand, it means that the ancient painting probably came from the "underground".

It is quite impolite to disturb the ancients from their long sleep. Didn't that guy's head turn green last time and almost kill the lazy guy?

Sun Long and I were able to talk, but that didn't mean that he would obediently tell me the origin of this painting.

As soon as Brother Long saw me, he immediately came over with a smile: "Hey, this is not the little boss of the Zhang family, what a coincidence."

I stood up with a smile: "Brother Long, long time no see. How is business lately?"

Brother Long waved his hand and said: "Don't mention it, it hasn't been open for a few days. Boss Zhang, I heard that you made a fortune recently. If there is an opportunity, we can cooperate."

I smiled and nodded and said no problem, let's sit down and have a cup of tea first.

Brother Long waved his hands and said dejectedly: "How can I have time to drink tea? I just received a call from the criminal police team and asked me to come to the teahouse to talk. Damn it, I guess the recent business has been targeted by the police again."

At this time, Yin Xinyue next to him coughed: "Brother Long, how long did it take before you forgot about me?"

When Yin Xinyue said this, Brother Long immediately looked at her inexplicably. After studying her for a while, he finally realized: "Hey, aren't you the beautiful lady who came to me to buy ancient paintings last time? Why, you and Boss Zhang are getting along. ?”

Yin Xinyue glared at Brother Long, probably because Brother Long killed her best friend and was so brazen about it: "Brother Long, we asked the criminal police team to find you. We want to ask you a few questions!"

The atmosphere that had been passable just now suddenly became awkward.

Brother Long was startled for a moment, then with a sneer on his face, he sat opposite Yin Xinyue and said, "Oh, it seems that I have hit a snag today. Boss Zhang, which song are you singing with me?"

I said: "Nothing, I just want to ask you something. Where did that ancient painting come from?"

I don’t want to mess with Brother Long. But now that I've been forced into this position, I don't need to be reserved anymore. I am a grown man and cannot watch a woman who likes me be insulted.

Brother Long burst out laughing: "Tsk tsk, it's not like you don't know. I, Brother Long, always prefer soft things to hard things. You want to know the origin of that ancient painting, right? I'll tell you, I collected it from a remote countryside. I'm back. As for which country, I'm sorry, I'm out of my mind and forgot."

"You..." Yin Xinyue bit her teeth in anger: "I think you want to go to jail."

I'm a little embarrassed. How could Yin Xinyue threaten Brother Long at this juncture?

As expected, Brother Long laughed even more crazily: "Okay, I'm just waiting to go to jail! Boss Zhang, your little girlfriend is really childish. Is there nothing else? I'll go first if there's nothing else gone."

After saying that, Brother Long turned around and prepared to leave.

Yin Xinyue stopped him angrily: "Stop, you can't leave until you speak clearly today."

"Okay." Brother Long said with a sly smile: "Little beauty, I think you are pretty, how about you stay with me for one night and I will tell you?"