The boss slowly raised his head and sneered, "How did I cheat you?"
He knew that Jiang Xuezhun was a Guardian of Justice, but what of it?
Didn't he know people anymore?
Doing business here, who doesn't know a few people?
At that moment, quite a few people slowly gathered around; some obviously knew about the store owner's tricks, but since he was backed by influential people, they dared not expose him and just quietly watched the drama unfold.
Jiang Xuezhun fiercely threw the painting onto the table and angrily said, "The painting I saw just now was clearly a forgery by Huang Banruo of Qi Baishi's work, but now it turns out to be just an ordinary high-grade imitation!"
Many people understood that there was a difference of more than one hundred thousand in their prices!
The people strolling down Antique Street didn't have much money on them, so one hundred thousand was already a lot for them.
And Jiang Xuezhun having been swindled definitely wouldn't let it go.
However, the boss said fearlessly, "Heh heh, you chose that painting yourself. You even left already. I still suspect that you deliberately swapped it and then came to find trouble with me."
Jiang Xuezhun trembled with rage, pointing at the boss but not knowing what else to say.
She had never seen such a shameless person!
At this point, Xu Hao looked inside the store and suddenly said, "Boss, we all know what the truth is. How about this? Just give us that calligraphy as a 'head-touching gift,' and we won't pursue this matter any further."
The boss followed Xu Hao's pointing finger and saw a yellowed paper scroll, torn and tattered; he couldn't even remember when he bought it. Picking it up, he realized it was an imitation by a later person of Zhao Mengfu's "Heart Sutra," just one page and looking very crude—certainly not able to sell for much.
Hearing what Xu Hao said, he casually threw the scroll to Xu Hao and sneered, "Take the stuff and beat it. If you have no money and no discernment, don't come looking for trouble!"
Xu Hao casually caught the scroll and said, "Please write the receipt for me, boss."
The boss impatiently wrote a receipt and threw it at Xu Hao.
Jiang Xuezhun softly said, "Honey, are we just going to let this go? This doesn't seem like your style."
Xu Hao smiled and said, "Then what do you think we should do?"
The authentic version is on *.
"We should beat him into submission, of course! Beat him until he's bleeding and make him kneel down and beg for mercy, then meekly hand over that painting. He dared to cheat Granny out of her money—even if it's not much, I can't let him off!"
Xu Hao shook his head, "That's not necessary; this boss will definitely be spitting blood with rage in a moment, as this scroll is actually..."
Xu Hao had not yet finished speaking when suddenly a middle-aged man wearing glasses and looking very refined approached him and said, "Young man, may I have a look at that scroll in your hand?"
Turning his head, Xu Hao saw him, and Jiang Xuezhun suddenly said excitedly, "Honey, this is Professor Jia Xuesheng from Huadu University's Archaeology Department. He's a leading figure in Huaya's antique world!"
Xu Hao chuckled internally; the name was indeed meaningful.
Jia Xuesheng smiled and said, "Miss Jiang is too polite. In terms of influence in the antique world, I cannot compare to Elder Jiang, ah!"
Jiang Xuezhun, hearing even Professor Jia praise her grandfather, was also quite pleased.
Although Jia Xuesheng was being modest, it also showed that her grandfather indeed had significant influence.
Upon hearing this, Xu Hao handed over the scroll to him and said with a smile, "It's just a scroll. Professor Jia, please take a look if you wish."
Jia Xuesheng took the scroll and laughed, "This boss has really missed a trick here. Although this scroll is very old and not the genuine work of Zhao Mengfu, it is actually a bona fide imitation by Old Master Qi Baishi."
A high-grade imitation by Qi Baishi!
Everyone was stunned!
Qi Baishi was renowned for his shrimp paintings, so his calligraphy was rare, but it was undeniable that he also had significant influence in the realm of magical arts, with deep and vigorous cultivation expressed in his robust and vigorous style, ranking him among modern calligraphy masters.
If it was a Qi Baishi imitation, even if it was just one page, even if somewhat old, it could still fetch over one hundred thousand!
It looked somewhat rough because Qi Baishi's brushwork was inherently different from Zhao Mengfu's, and Qi would not abandon his robust style just to mimic.
Just as expected, Jia Xuesheng laughed and said, "This indeed is a scroll by Old Master Qi, with every stroke and character revealing his personal style. How about this, Miss Jiang, sell this scroll to me for one hundred fifty thousand."
Everyone nodded; he truly was a leading figure in the antique world, offering a very fair price. Even if sold externally, it would be around the same price, or even a bit lower, indicating that he was buying it purely for collection since Old Master Qi's scrolls are very rare.
Jiang Xuezhun immediately said, "That's too high, one hundred thousand is enough, Uncle Jia, I can't let you lose out."
However, at this moment, Xu Hao suddenly said, "Xue Zhu, we're not selling this scroll."