Chapter 190: Acting

「Three days later.」

Lu Bai was at his usual spot, running his stall across from Wangjiang Tower. Plenty of people had come for appraisals over the past couple of days, but the number of authentic items was dwindling.

After three days, he had only managed to acquire five Five Emperors Coins.

He had already bought up most of the ancient coins that people in Jingzhou City were willing to sell.

Appraising treasures didn’t take much of Lu Bai’s Heart and Spirit.

A single glance with the Ancient Mirror revealed whether an item was real or fake.

The work wasn’t tiring for him. With people constantly coming and going—a mix of all sorts—he could also overhear some news.

"Did you hear? The Prefecture Government Office took people to the Fujiao Gang’s headquarters today and arrested a few guys."

"What happened?"

"Apparently, one of the Fujiao Gang’s Squad Leaders, a man named Liu, was secretly trafficking a few refugees from the Shi and Mo Countries. Boss Luo was furious, ordered a top-to-bottom investigation, rooted out a few of the villains in the gang, and handed them over to the Government Office."

"Boss Luo is a good man, not covering for his own subordinates."

Lu Bai frowned to himself.

’So this is how the case ended up?’

From the sound of it, not only did the Fujiao Gang get off scot-free, but they had even earned a good reputation out of it.

Lu Bai found it absurd.

"Excuse me, could you take a look at this Red Emperor Mother Coin?"

Just then, a man walked up to his stall.

He was tall and thin with narrow eyes and very thin lips. He looked frail, as if a gust of wind could knock him over. He was twirling a Red Emperor Mother Coin between his fingers and held it out.

Lu Bai took it, gave it a casual glance, and said, "It’s a fake."

The man’s voice was heavy. "I must ask Lord Lu to take a closer look. I paid a great price for this Red Emperor Mother Coin at an auction house."

"Take it back and let it age a bit."

He’d been saying these lines for days and had gotten used to them, so Lu Bai said it casually.

"Lord Lu, isn’t that a bit perfunctory?"

The man frowned slightly. "I can offer ten taels of silver. Please, Lord Lu, appraise it again and give me a reason. That would be more convincing. I’m willing to pay to understand, for peace of mind."

An appraisal fee of ten taels was indeed quite a lot.

Going to one of the major auction houses and finding an Appraiser would only cost a few taels of silver.

And that was even for appraisals that came with a certificate from the auction house.

Lu Bai wanted the money.

But if he were asked to explain *why* it was a fake coin, he really couldn’t.

He only knew the final answer; if asked to show his work, he wouldn’t know where to start.

"Next."

Lu Bai waved his hand dismissively, ignoring the man.

The man didn’t give up. He sneered, "I’ll offer one hundred taels. Just give me a reason, Lord Lu. It’s only a matter of a sentence or two. Surely you don’t want to turn down a hundred taels."

"It’s not that he doesn’t want to earn it, he just can’t explain it! Haha."

"He’s been exposed this time."

"I knew it. How could Lord Lu, at his young age, tell if something is real or fake with just one touch?"

Several people in the crowd started jeering, stirring up a commotion all around.

Lu Bai’s gaze swept over the crowd.

The few who were causing a ruckus were clearly Martial Artists, and their eyes held a hint of hostility toward him.

Although they were dressed in ordinary clothes, Lu Bai recognized one of them from when he was scouting the area near the Fujiao Gang’s headquarters a few days ago.

Lu Bai turned back to the man before him and suddenly smiled. "Ah, so you’re friends from the Fujiao Gang. Here to cause trouble for me?"

A flicker of astonishment crossed the man’s eyes.

First, he hadn’t expected Lu Bai to recognize them.

Second, he hadn’t expected Lu Bai to react so quickly and instantly guess their intentions.

"Lord Lu has sharp eyes. I am Fang Jingchen of the Fujiao Gang."

The man cupped his hands in a slight bow. "But Lord Lu must be overthinking things. I only came today to ask you to appraise the authenticity of an ancient coin."

"You must have a backup plan, don’t you?"

Lu Bai glanced around. "Just a few hecklers like you aren’t nearly enough to ruin my reputation."

Fang Jingchen’s expression stiffened, and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes.

This Lu Bai wasn’t old, but his words were so sharp and unexpected they were harder to defend against than a sword.

They had indeed prepared a follow-up, a whole act to perform.

But now that Lu Bai had seen right through it, should they still go ahead with their plan?

If they forced themselves to stick to the plan, they’d look like clowns.

But if they just gave up and scurried away, they’d be left feeling frustrated and resentful.

"AHEM, AHEM!"

Just then, a few coughs were heard from the edge of the crowd, and an old man in a long silk robe with a goatee sauntered in.

"What’s going on? Why is everyone arguing?"

The old man stroked his beard, his eyes holding a condescending, scrutinizing gaze.

"It’s Master Liu from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion!" someone exclaimed in a low voice.

"He’s the top Appraiser at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion," another person added loudly.

Master Liu, unaware of the situation inside the circle, was just following the plan by appearing at this critical moment.

Fang Jingchen, however, was in a bind. He felt like he was riding a tiger and couldn’t get off—it was utterly awkward.

"Hey, what are you thinking about? It’s your turn to act. Everyone’s waiting."

Lu Bai watched the scene with great interest and kindly reminded him, "What did you guys plan? What are your lines? The man’s already here, it’s time for your cue."

Fang Jingchen looked at Lu Bai’s mocking half-smile and gnashed his teeth in frustration.

’You’re enjoying the show, are you!’

Seeing that Fang Jingchen wasn’t responding, Master Liu moved a little closer, cleared his throat, and asked again, "Ahem, what seems to be the problem?"

Fang Jingchen gritted his teeth and could only follow the original script. With a deadpan expression, he said, "Master Liu, you’ve come at the perfect time. This is Lord Lu Bai from the Evil Extermination Bureau. He’s appraising treasures here and insists that my Red Emperor Mother Coin is a fake.

Could you lend us your expert eye, sir, and determine if it’s real or fake?"

"Fang-something, right? Yes, you."

When Fang Jingchen turned to look at him, Lu Bai nodded and said, "Your emotional delivery upon seeing Master Liu was a bit lacking. The timing was also off."

Fang Jingchen subconsciously clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.

’Now you’re critiquing me?’

’I’ve only got one emotion right now, and that’s the urge to smash your head in!’

"Let me have a look."

Master Liu gave a reserved nod. He took a silk handkerchief from his sleeve to cushion his hand before picking up the ancient coin. He held it up to the light, squinting as he examined it closely, slowly turning it over with his fingers.

After a long moment, he put the coin down and announced loudly, "The shape, copper quality, and patina of this coin are all consistent with a Red Emperor Mother Coin. Although the Vermilion Bird pattern on it is worn, its ancient charm remains. It is, without a doubt, a genuine piece!"

"Haha! Master Liu has authenticated it as genuine! So, after all this time, Lord Lu has just been swindling people here for days!"

"Lord Lu is a master at catching ghosts, but appraising treasures tests one’s eye and experience. At his age, how many Five Emperors Coins could he have possibly handled?"

"Well said! Master Liu has probably handled more Five Emperors Coins than this kid has spent in Copper Coins his entire life."

The Fujiao Gang members in the crowd instantly grew bold and jeered even louder.

Fang Jingchen, however, didn’t join in the ruckus. His face was just dark and gloomy.

Even if they succeeded in ruining Lu Bai’s reputation, seeing Lu Bai’s completely unbothered expression made his blood boil.

The most infuriating part was that when those Fujiao Gang members were jeering earlier, Lu Bai had even chimed in with a few comments of his own.

Lu Bai genuinely didn’t care.

After running the stall for the past few days, he felt he had already collected most of the Five Emperors Coins in Jingzhou City.

Continuing to run the stall wouldn’t be worth the effort.

Running the stall these past few days had delayed his Cultivation.

This was a good time to take a break and go back to cultivating.