"Nonsense, that's Li Yang's illusion technique. This dog's blood must have something added to it," the old man retorted, regaining his composure.
"Old sir, then tell me, what did you add to my dog's blood? What in this world can make jade change color directly?" Li Yang questioned.
"Hmph, who knows what chemical solution you used? You run an antique shop, who knows more than you about how to tamper with antiques?" the old man scoffed.
"Alright, assuming you're right, then I'd like to ask you, if my solution can change the color of jade, why did the color change only appear on the edges of the jade?"
"If your jade was fine, shouldn't it be consistent inside and out, with the entire piece changing color?" Li Yang asked with a faint smile.
"I..."
The old man was speechless, his face turning red.
The audience felt Li Yang's words were very reasonable. The jade must have a problem to cause half of it to change color while the other half remained unaffected.
Before the old man could find an excuse, Li Yang turned to Da Er Dong and said, "Da Er Dong, go get me a cotton cloth and wipe off the dog's blood from this jade fragment. The special invisible glue should come off by then."
"Once everyone sees the glue, they'll naturally understand what's going on."
"Yes, boss!"
Da Er Dong's smile widened. He thought he had caused a great disaster, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding!
This old fellow, with his seemingly honest face, was actually a sinister villain. How detestable!
Soon, Da Er Dong returned with a cotton cloth and a small knife. He began to wipe carefully. Indeed, after wiping, the glue on the surface revealed its original color, changing from a jade-like hardness to a soft state.
He scraped it lightly with the knife, and the glue detached from the jade on the spot.
Da Er Dong excitedly shouted to Li Yang, "Boss, it's really glue! Everything you said is correct! This old fellow was indeed trying to scam us with scraps."
"It's a fraud! This old fellow is despicable and shameless, using such tricks."
"Hmph, utterly shameful. If I were him, I'd wish I could find a brick and smash myself to death."
"What bad luck to try and deceive Mr. Li! How dare he challenge Mr. Li's appraisal skills?"
The surrounding audience also began to furiously attack the old man.
At this moment, the old man felt completely disgraced.
He never expected that his subtle methods could be deciphered by this young man.
Li Yang regained his composure and looked at the guilty old man, asking, "Do you have anything else to say? I have the evidence now, and you still refuse to admit you came to extort me?"
"Kid, you're ruthless today. I won't let this go."
The old man's eyes darted, planning to escape.
But to his surprise, as soon as he turned, Li Yang appeared before him, placing a hand on his shoulder and asking, "Old sir, you extorted me and now you want to leave? You think I, Li Yang, am so easily bullied."
"What else do you want?" the old man asked coldly, turning back.
"It's simple. Tell me all your intentions for coming here and who the mastermind behind you is. I've never met you before, so you wouldn't have come to frame me for no reason," Li Yang asked icily.
"I saw your business was doing too well, so I was envious. Driven by greed, I came to extort you. No one sent me," the old man replied decisively.
He blurted out these words without even thinking, making Li Yang highly suspect he had prepared his lines in advance.
Li Yang smiled and shook his head, saying, "Do you think I believe you or not? You'd better confess everything honestly, and I might deal with you leniently. If you continue to be uncooperative, don't blame me for investigating all your background."
From the moment he entered the shop, Li Yang had sensed that this old man was not simple.
He must be a renowned appraiser, but one who didn't often appear in Tianjiang, so many people didn't recognize him.
For someone of his status, his greatest concern would be damage to his reputation. Before people knew who he was, he might not have cared as much, but once his identity was revealed, it would mean he could never work in the antique world again.
"Kid, you're going too far!"
The old man was indeed enraged by Li Yang's words!
He turned back and glared fiercely at Li Yang, threatening, "Leave some room for maneuver in life, and you'll have friends to meet later. If you push me to my death, I won't let you off easily."
"Interesting. You extorted me first, and now you're threatening me. It seems I won't rest until I uncover your entire identity."
Li Yang sneered, his expression quickly turning serious. He turned to Da Er Dong and said, "Da Er Dong, take a picture of his face and have someone investigate to see who he is."
"Ah?"
Da Er Dong was taken aback. How could he investigate the old man's true identity with just a face?
But when he looked at Li Yang again, he instantly understood his boss's intention. His boss was deliberately trying to scare this old man.
With a beaming smile, he replied, "Yes, boss. I'll investigate him right away. In ten minutes at most, I'll dig up everything about him."
"Li Yang, how dare you!"
The old man instantly panicked!
He didn't know Li Yang's true capabilities. If his identity were truly exposed and publicized, it would be all over for him.
He was only working for Shen Yunfeng to make money, but he never intended to ruin his career.
Li Yang said calmly, "If you're worried, you can still confess everything now. If my subordinate returns later, you'll regret it."
"Fine, I'll talk. I was sent by Shen Yunfeng. Today's plan was all Young Master Shen's idea!" After thinking it over, the old man decided to sacrifice his pawn to save his king and directly revealed Shen Yunfeng.
"It's him?"
Li Yang frowned, surprised that this fellow still held a grudge and was looking for an opportunity to retaliate.
Regaining his composure, Li Yang continued to ask, "Are you sure you're not lying? Did Shen Yunfeng really send you?"
"That's right. Young Master Shen ordered me to come here to extort you and ruin your shop's reputation. These jewelry pieces were made by Shen Yunfeng's people," the old man said, unhesitatingly shifting all the blame to Shen Yunfeng.
Li Yang suddenly understood upon hearing this!
He sneered and said, "I'll believe you for now. If I'm not mistaken, Shen Yunfeng also had you trick this jade from a young man, didn't he?"
"You, how did you know?" The old man was stunned. Only he knew this plan; how could Li Yang know?
"You don't need to worry about that. You just need to know that it's impossible to hide anything from me."
Li Yang said with a faint smile, then continued, "Now, I can choose not to expose your identity, but we haven't settled the score for extorting me today."