Chapter 22

Chapter 22

How could a place that regularly sells cultivator items only have ordinary security, right? The Wangting Club had cultivators on site and also hired well-paid adepts.

Alone, Hull might not stand much of a chance against them, but two or three working together could still suppress him.

But Hull had a special status. This trip to China was under the pretense of friendly international exchanges, so they couldn't lay a hand on him. Too gentle and they’d get beat; too rough and they’d have to answer for it. They had no choice but to call the Bureau to send someone to handle it.

By the time Jiang Lin and Lin Xiaoyang showed up, the fight was already on. It probably started with a meeting in a private room, but when that went south, they threw down.

The noise was contained inside, so the club’s business wasn’t disrupted much. But if a top-ranked US adept really went all out, the whole club wouldn’t be enough to hold him.

Just as Jiang Lin pushed the door open, a lightning bolt arced toward him. Without even looking up, he flicked his wrist and produced a yellow talisman from between his fingers. He tossed it straight at the lightning. The next second, a lightning arc even stronger than Hull’s burst from the talisman and scattered everywhere.

Hull is a lightning-element adept, so the lightning didn’t hurt him much, but getting hit by a stronger force still stung. He instinctively pulled back and sidestepped to dodge.

The other adepts and cultivators were stunned by the lightning, but it also snapped them out of it.

Everyone in the room turned to the person who had ended the chaos in one move.

One of them, a young guy in a casual suit with a bit of a playboy vibe, coughed and pushed aside his bodyguards. "Mr. Jiang, good evening. Sorry for the late hour, but this is something only you can sort out."

Lin Xiaoyang, following behind Jiang Lin, saw Brother Jiang end the chaos in one move and puffed out his chest proudly. Following the right boss means such a cool entrance!

Jiang Lin walked into the room, with Lin Xiaoyang trailing behind and thoughtfully closing the door.

The club owner, a young man with a playboy air named Qin Zhao, had someone bring in a new portable monitor. The previous one had been destroyed by the lightning during the fight.

Once the new monitor was set up, the assistant beside Qin Zhao played a crystal-clear video.

Qin Zhao said, "This is the video of Mr. Hull paying for and taking the Lady Gazing at the Moon painting. The video shows your people inspected it carefully, then sealed it in a box. From then on, no one from the club touched it."

Qin Zhao looked at Hull. "I believe you have no problem with that process, right? You were there the whole time, and it matches the video exactly."

Before Hull could answer, Jiang Lin said, "And then?"

Qin Zhao froze the frame on Hull’s black car leaving, then continued: "Two hours later, he came back claiming we tampered with the Lady Gazing at the Moon. He said when they opened the painting after leaving, it burst into flames. Now only the scroll and the box are left."

Qin Zhao's expression was helpless. "We have no idea what he did to the painting after taking it. He insisted we sabotaged it. But before he left, the painting was intact. The deal was done and confirmed. Coming back two hours later demanding we take responsibility—that doesn’t fly anywhere."

Hull said angrily, "If you didn’t tamper with it, why would it burn on its own? Did I spend eighty million just to buy a pile of ashes?"

Jiang Lin took the remote and reviewed the video carefully. The painting was intact at the time of the sale. After sealing, Hull’s people held it, and the club staff never touched it again.

Jiang Lin looked at Hull. "About whether the painting was good before leaving—do you have anything to say, Mr. Hull?"

Hull said, "It was fine then. But the moment it left, it burned. If they didn’t mess with it, did I burn it myself?"

Jiang Lin: "You checked it before taking it. Coming back afterward and claiming a problem—that doesn’t work anywhere. Wangting Club is a big establishment, not just your one customer. The painting sold for eighty million, but they only paid about a million for it. That small amount isn’t worth them pulling a trick. I think you should take a hard look at your own people—when you opened it outside, was there anything weird?"

Hull glared at Jiang Lin. "You think I’m trying to scam them?"

Jiang Lin stayed calm. "Just breaking it down with you."

Qin Zhao chimed in at the right time. "Every auction at my club turns over hundreds of millions. Today’s last item, the Mist Crystal Tea, sold for one hundred and thirty million. This painting wasn’t worth us playing games. It’d be pointless and hurt our reputation."

Hull’s eyes swept over everyone, then paused on his own guys.

They sensed the danger and instinctively stepped back.

Finally, Hull stared at Jiang Lin. He knew deep down this was unreasonable, but he wanted to see if the club knew something. If they knew anything, they wouldn’t have auctioned the painting. So he used this ruckus to test the waters.

Now that Jiang Lin was here and he couldn’t win a fight, there was no point in continuing. He snorted and walked out.

His people quickly followed him out. Qin Zhao didn’t mention compensation for the room damage. As long as that menace was gone, he’d cover the loss himself.

After they left, Qin Zhao sighed in relief. "Good thing you came in time, Mr. Jiang. These adepts are a handful."

There’s a worldwide pact among cultivators: no attacking ordinary people or causing trouble in the mortal world. But few actually follow it, especially those from the US and its satellites, who throw their weight around.

The Qin family wasn’t afraid of adepts, but it’s better to avoid making enemies when you can.

Jiang Lin said, "About that Lady painting, Boss Qin, can you compile everything you know and send it to me?"

Hull went to great lengths to disguise himself and paid a fortune for that painting. If he had just taken it without a problem, they’d never know. But since it was destroyed as soon as it left, Jiang Lin was sure the club didn’t do it. Most likely, something went wrong with Hull’s own people.

Hull wanted the painting, but someone didn’t want him to have it. The painting must be special.

Qin Zhao readily agreed. "No problem. I’ll have it put together soon. Thanks for your help today, Mr. Jiang."

After handling the main issue, remembering Jiang Lin’s afternoon call, Qin Zhao said, "About that spiritual fruit today..."

Jiang Lin apologized. "That was my kid being reckless. Sorry for the trouble."

After receiving Lin Xiaoyang’s message in the afternoon, Jiang Lin had come to the club and contacted the owner directly, which allowed him to retrieve Bai Zhizhi’s spiritual fruit. Otherwise, once it was appraised and set for auction, it would have been unreasonable to ask for it back.

Qin Zhao smiled at that. "It’s no big deal. I just regret not getting to see that spiritual fruit overflowing with spiritual energy in person. Next time Mr. Jiang has any good items to sell, please think of us at Wangting Club."

Jiang Lin nodded. "Certainly."

....................

Back at the small courtyard, after Lin Xiaoyang left, Bai Zhizhi waited a while longer before turning off the light and getting into bed. Thinking about the things he had caught during the day, he quietly set up a restriction. After making sure no one was around, he took out the light orb from his Storage Item.

As soon as the light orb was taken out, it dispersed, and two jade pendants fell out with a "pat."

The pendants were clearly a pair, fitting together to form a perfect circle. Bai Zhizhi immediately recognized them as the pendants from the waists of the ladies in the painting.

The white jade pendants were flawless, with a faint trace of spiritual energy inside, seeming to be wrapped by something on the surface.

Bai Zhizhi held the pendants up to the moonlight and examined them. On the surface, there was nothing special about them, but hiding them inside the painting meant they must be something important, right?

As he looked, he couldn’t help yawning. He casually tossed the pendants back into his Storage Item, turned over, and buried himself in the blanket. Whatever they were, he’d figure it out after sleeping.

Just as he felt his surroundings change, he opened his eyes to find himself in the familiar big tree cave, winding roots, and the spiritual energy of Qingqiu.

Still wearing his modern pajamas, Bai Zhizhi sat up with a start. Who had stolen him back to Qingqiu while he was asleep again?!