Urban Martial Saint

Li Lianshan’s words were a wake-up call for Ye Qing. Since they couldn’t keep the item, they might as well find a way to make a fake one to deceive people for a while. As for whether people could tell if this Gold Silk Armor was real or fake, Ye Qing wasn’t too worried. After all, no one had taken this Gold Silk Armor out of the Dragon Blood Wood lockbox, so naturally, no one knew if the Gold Silk Armor had any weight. As long as the forgery was convincing enough and sealed inside the Dragon Blood Wood lockbox, it would be enough to fool many people.

Of course, Ye Qing also knew that this method certainly wouldn’t fool everyone. At least, the Wanyan Family might know that the Gold Silk Armor was weightless, so Ye Qing just had to guard against them. Moreover, only by bringing together the lockbox and the key could the Gold Silk Armor be retrieved. Ye Qing just needed to keep the lockbox and the key separate, making it very difficult for the Wanyan Family to gather both items. By the time they managed to find out that the Gold Silk Armor was a forgery, the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates might have already been opened, and it would be too late, allowing them to avoid this trouble.

”I actually think this is a good idea,” Ye Qing said, looking at Li Lianshan. ”The weight doesn’t matter. What matters most is that this forgery has to be extremely convincing, and that’s no easy task. As for the weight, as long as it remains sealed in this wooden box and isn’t taken out, no one will know if this thing is actually a counterfeit.”

”That’s true,” Zhao Chengshuang nodded. ”But where can we find someone who can forge this kind of thing? Old Li, do you know anyone like that?”

Seeing Ye Qing adopt his idea, Li Lianshan became enthusiastic. ”I don’t know anyone, but I do know of a person who’s quite skilled at forging antiquities and such, and he’s quite famous around the Southern Six Provinces. Cheng Shuang, you may have heard of him.”

”Who is it?” Zhao Chengshuang asked incredulously.

”You don’t know?” Li Lianshan said. ”He has a nickname, called Master Craft!”

”Oh, oh, oh, right, right, right, I remember now!” Zhao Chengshuang clapped. ”Isn’t he the one who once forged a Van Gogh painting, which circulated abroad for thirteen years and was esteemed as a genuine article? I heard his forgeries could pass for the real thing. If it weren’t for the emergence of the original Van Gogh painting, and if he hadn’t left deliberate marks on the forgery, people still might not be able to tell which was real and which was fake.”

Ye Qing was astonished. ”Is there really someone like that?”

”Of course!” Zhao Chengshuang said. ”This person used to be well-known around the Southern Six Provinces. You know, a lot of underground antique trading happens there, so there are many antique dealers there. And this person is practically the scourge of the industry; no one could distinguish his forgeries. Over time, people dubbed him Master Craft. Five years ago, his reputation was still prominent in the Southern Six Provinces. But for the past few years, there’s been little news, not sure if he’s retired.”

”He hasn’t retired!” Li Lianshan waved his hand. ”He’s just changed the way he earns money. Abroad, some of his forgeries have even surpassed the value of the original items. So he started specializing in creating forgeries of famous antiques and selling them for high prices. That’s why there haven’t been any forgeries of his circulating around the Southern Six Provinces for the last few years.”

”Really?” Zhao Chengshuang widened his eyes. ”The value of the forgeries surpassed the originals’? Are foreigners fools who can’t tell the difference?”

”It’s not that they can’t tell; it’s that people deliberately bring genuine articles to him to forge,” Li Lianshan explained. ”People know it’s a forgery, but they’d auction it alongside the original, allowing the original’s value to multiply. So many collectors bring their treasured originals to him to create a forgery, auctioning them together to earn high prices.”

Zhao Chengshuang said, ”Damn, auctioning them together and the price even doubles? What’s wrong with these people?”

Li Lianshan shrugged. ”Who knows? Honestly, the antique collecting business is something nobody really understands. You might ask why a painting could sell for tens of millions; people are after the collectible value. I think placing the genuine article and the forgery together, two identical items, might make them even more collectible. After all, creating an original isn’t too difficult, but making an identical forgery is what’s truly hard!”

”That’s true,” Zhao Chengshuang nodded. ”So where is this person now?”

”I knew a few friends who dealt in antiques and heard them mention him,” Li Lianshan said. ”This Master Craft supposedly lives in Tianfu City. But he only makes three forgeries a year; given the season, he’s probably completed this year’s quota. If you want him to make something for you, it’s likely you’ll have to wait until next year!”

Zhao Chengshuang looked at Ye Qing. ”Ye Zi, what do you think?”

Ye Qing was silent for a moment. ”Where exactly in Tianfu City does he live?”

Li Lianshan said, ”There’s an antique market in Tianfu City. You might be able to find him there. As for where exactly he lives, not many people know.”

Ye Qing nodded. ”All right, I’ll go look for him then.”

”When are you planning to look for him?” Zhao Chengshuang asked, surprised.

”In the next few days,” Ye Qing replied.

”You don’t need to rush. He’s already completed this year’s work quota. Even if you go, he may not do it for you. Why make the trip?” Zhao Chengshuang said. ”Besides, there’s no need to be in such a hurry.”

Ye Qing shook his head. This matter couldn’t be delayed at all. He had taken away the Dragon Blood Wood key; the Wanyan Family was definitely planning to come to Shenchuan City to find him. If he didn’t release this forgery quickly, the Wanyan Family would likely consider him their main target, which wouldn’t be good for him. The sooner he released the forgery, the easier things would be for him.

Moreover, the longer the delay, the more dangerous it became. As the saying goes, ’the longer the night, the more dreams,’ Ye Qing couldn’t risk an unforeseen event due to his delay.

After questioning Broom Star about the two monks, Broom Star didn’t know much either. Boye only asked him a few questions before taking him away. Throughout the process, they were respectful, unlike typical child traffickers, which puzzled Ye Qing even more.

In fact, right from the start, Ye Qing found the whole thing strange. He had clashed with that Elder before, and knew the Elder’s strength. With his strength, he would be considered a master in Huaxia. Such a skilled person wouldn’t need to resort to trafficking children. Even if he sold all the children from that cart, he wouldn’t make much money. With his skills, he could earn far more from other ventures. Yet, he took so many children, making Ye Qing suspect that the Elder had an ulterior motive beyond trafficking them.

Furthermore, these monks were clearly believers of a Buddhist sect offshoot. Such sects may not have many believers, but they have one critical characteristic: their believers are very devout, much more so than ordinary Buddhists, and they are more disciplined. Of course, their rules may be very different from the normal Buddhist discipline, but they strictly adhere to them. If not for some special circumstance, such devout believers wouldn’t engage in child trafficking. But what exactly are they trying to do?

Ye Qing pondered for a long time, unable to make sense of the reasons, and finally gave up. Regardless of what these monks intended, Ye Qing wouldn’t tolerate them deceiving these innocent children. Moreover, they had killed so many of Li Lianshan’s brothers, and this feud was sealed. Ye Qing certainly wouldn’t let them off.

Unable to understand why the monks wanted to take the children, Ye Qing couldn’t pursue them based on that. It was getting late, and Broom Star was exhausted after such a tumultuous time, soon falling asleep. Ye Qing, Zhao Chengshuang, and Li Lianshan left the room together.

”Why do you think these monks want to take the children?” Li Lianshan asked irritably as soon as they walked out; he came to find Broom Star to get to the bottom of this. In the end, he didn’t learn anything, and his frustration was apparent.

”No matter why, just don’t let me catch them!” Zhao Chengshuang exclaimed, rolling his shoulder. ”Or else, I’ll have no choice but to beat those bald-headed monks!”

”Oh no, don’t beat them!” Li Lianshan urged. ”You heard Ye Zi, those monks know Martial Arts. Using a gun might be easier. Otherwise, they’ll just dodge whatever we throw at them!”

”They have Kung Fu, but just one spit from my brothers could drown them!” Li Lianshan joked, though it still betrayed his concern. He continued, ”But where’s the rush? I mean, people have already done their full quota for this year, and even if you go, they might not help you make it. Why rush?”

Ye Qing shook his head; there couldn’t be any delays in this matter. He had taken the key from the Dragon Blood Wood. The Wanyan Family was definitely planning to come to Shenchuan City to find him. If he didn’t release this forgery quickly, the Wanyan Family would certainly target him as a priority, and that wouldn’t be a good chance for him at all. The sooner he released this forgery, the easier it would be for him.

Moreover, the longer they delayed, the more dangerous it would become. As the saying goes, ’the longer the night, the more likely you are to dream,’ and Ye Qing didn’t dare let any unforeseen events transpire due to his procrastination.

They asked Broom Star about the two monks, but Broom Star didn’t know much. What surprised Ye Qing, though, was that Boye was very respectful throughout the exposure, unlike typical child traffickers. This made Ye Qing even more suspicious about why they wanted the children since big players like the Elder could earn more doing other activities. It made him question if there was another reason behind it.

Ultimately unable to figure out their true motives, Ye Qing decided to let it go. He resolved not to let the monks off the hook, no matter their intentions. After all, they had taken so many children and that enmity with Li Lianshan was already established, which couldn’t be ignored.