Wang Guan offered no comment on this, merely asking suddenly, "Brother Ouyang, among your collection, is there anything he recommended you buy?" "No."

Ouyang shook his head directly, then explained, "I sourced everything myself. However, a few days ago, I felt the museum lacked a true centerpiece, and I mentioned this to him. He then recommended this Yongle blue-and-white large plate to me. Strictly speaking, I initiated it; he wasn't actively selling it to me..." "Hey, he just asked for the person's name, why the long explanation?"

Before Wang Guan or Yu Feibai could say anything, Murong Guang grew impatient: "I think, deep down, you feel something is off, but admitting you were fooled would be too embarrassing, so you're deceiving yourself, desperately defending the man just to protect your Jian Bao." "Get lost."

Ouyang shot him a look before returning to the main topic: "The man's surname is Zhu, given name Da. Zhu Da! By the way, he’s not from Hong Kong, but an overseas Chinese of European descent..." "Zhu Da!" At this moment, Wang Guan and Yu Feibai could no longer hear the rest of Ouyang’s sentence. They exchanged a look and exclaimed simultaneously, "Mr. Zhu Da?"

Instantly, Wang Guan pressed with a flurry of questions: "Brother Ouyang, how old is that man, what does he look like, do you have a photo? Did he bring the plate over himself when he was selling it to you?" The barrage of questions left Ouyang stunned, unsure which to answer first. Meanwhile, Murong Guang looked astonished: "What’s wrong? Is there an issue with this Zhu Da?" "It’s not an issue; it’s a massive one," Yu Feibai said gravely. "If this Zhu Da is indeed Mr. Zhu Da, this is big enough to shake the heavens." "Isn't that an exaggeration?" Murong Guang was naturally skeptical. "Who is this Mr. Zhu Da?" "A master. The foremost master in the world."

Murong Guang certainly didn't believe that. However, Yu Feibai quickly added, "Since the Qing Dynasty, he has been the foremost master of forgery in the antique world. His fakes are indistinguishable from the real thing; few people on earth can see through them." "Seriously?"

This time, it wasn't just Murong Guang who was surprised; even Ouyang was utterly bewildered. "How have I never heard of him?" "That's because you lack formal tutelage."

This was no time for pleasantries, so Yu Feibai's tone was quite blunt: "You picked this up midway, never formally apprenticed, belonging to the school of self-taught methods. Many secret traditions of the antique world, you naturally wouldn't know." "Uh..."

Ouyang paused, then considered carefully, sensing that what Yu Feibai said was likely true. Why had Wang Guan achieved so much at such a young age? It must be due to guidance from a famous teacher. While he was diligently poring over books and materials, this person had a master teaching him hands-on; it would be hard not to become accomplished. "That can't be right."

At the same time, Murong Guang looked full of doubt: "Since the Qing Dynasty until now is nearly four hundred years. Is that Mr. Zhu Da a demon to have lived this long?"

Regarding Murong Guang’s question, not only Yu Feibai but even Ouyang recalled their thoughts and looked at him with a strange expression, as if looking at an idiot. "Ahem." Wang Guan was kinder. Although he wanted to laugh, he managed to restrain himself and provided the answer: "Mr. Zhu Da is a title. Much like the current Intangible Cultural Heritage designators in the country, it can be passed down through generations."

Only then did Murong Guang realize he had asked a foolish question. His face flushed, and he immediately shut up out of embarrassment, choosing to remain silent rather than offer further opinions. However, Wang Guan didn't stop there; he carefully explained the history of Mr. Zhu Da and the dangers associated with his works to Ouyang. "To put it plainly, everyone tries desperately to cover it up for fear of causing market panic and direct economic loss, which is why you’ve never heard of it," Yu Feibai stated incisively. "If people knew such a person existed, porcelain prices would likely plummet, shattering like a bubble. At that point, countless people would be driven to jump off buildings."

Yu Feibai’s words were not scaremongering; under his description, a faint sheen of sweat had appeared on Ouyang’s brow.

Ouyang clearly grasped the severe consequences. Setting aside everything else, if he had purchased that Yongle blue-and-white large plate only to discover it was a fake, he too would feel the urge to smash his head against a wall. After all, while he could afford the loss of tens of millions, he couldn't stand watching tens of millions vanish into thin air. "Brother Ouyang, don't be too anxious."

Yu Feibai had played the bad cop, so it was time for Wang Guan to play the good cop: "This Zhu Da might not be the Mr. Zhu Da. Perhaps we are just overthinking things. But with matters like this, it’s always better to believe it and be cautious. How much do you know about him? Can you tell us more details?" "I really don't know much," Ouyang admitted, sounding somewhat hesitant now. "Only that he is an overseas Chinese; I don't even know which country he belongs to. We usually only communicate by phone..." "What did he look like?" Wang Guan asked again. "How old?" "Around fifty or sixty."

Ouyang strained to recall: "We met at an auction and haven't seen each other since. It's been over a year, so my memory is a bit hazy. I vaguely recall he was very amiable and polite, dressed like a gentleman, wearing a hat, and glasses just like me, exuding an air of scholarly elegance..." "His voice? It had a certain richness, spoken slowly and deliberately, yet extremely persuasive. And it was perfectly standard Mandarin, with no discernible accent..." "Distinguishing features? None... I can't recall."

Hearing Ouyang's description, Wang Guan and Yu Feibai were somewhat disappointed. These adjectives were too abstract, making it nearly impossible to locate this person in a sea of faces. It was a pity Ouyang wasn't an artist; otherwise, he could have drawn the person, making things much simpler. "One last question," Yu Feibai inquired, his expression serious. "Did the man deliver the item to you personally, or did he entrust it to someone else?" If it was the former, he wouldn't hesitate to ask his elder brother for help in setting a net here. Ouyang hesitated: "He said he was very busy recently, so he sent someone else to deliver it."

At this point, a seed of doubt was sown in Ouyang’s mind. Entrusting such a precious item to a third party—was that reasonable? Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be unusual; if the person trusted the courier, everything was perfectly fine. But hearing Wang Guan and Yu Feibai’s concerns, Ouyang began to wonder if this was truly normal. At this, Wang Guan quickly asked, "Where is that person now?" "A hotel downtown," Ouyang explained instinctively. "I offered him to stay at my place, but he declined, saying he wanted to see the sights of Jiuquan. I thought at the time he didn't want to feel obligated, perhaps to avoid bargaining difficulties, so I didn't press the issue..."

Yu Feibai had no patience for Ouyang’s explanation. He jumped up immediately upon hearing the location: "Back to the city." "Go so late?" "No time to waste," Yu Feibai decided firmly. "If it’s Mr. Zhu Da’s man, we can catch him in the act. If not... that’s fine too. We also want to see just how exquisite that Yongle blue-and-white Lychee and Songbird pattern large plate truly is. And we can advise you, offer some opinions or something."

Ouyang heard this and agreed it made sense. He immediately consented. There was no more need for discussion; the group drove out again. Ten minutes later, they were back downtown, heading straight for the most luxurious hotel in the area. After getting out of the car and entering the hotel, Yu Feibai suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, "Right, what about that person’s build? Did he bring bodyguards?" "He came alone." Ouyang paused, then understood Yu Feibai’s implication and chuckled, "As for his build, he didn't look particularly strong; the few of us should be able to handle him." "That’s good then," Yu Feibai nodded in satisfaction, urging Ouyang to lead the way, completely forgetting that they were just ordinary citizens with no authority to make arrests.

Of course, at that moment, everyone had selectively forgotten that detail, instead proceeding with a mix of nervous excitement and uneasy anticipation, led by Ouyang toward the room where the man was staying. "Knock, knock!"

At that moment, Yu Feibai steadied himself and immediately reached out to knock. Under the complex gaze of the others, the door remained completely still, which surprised everyone somewhat. Didn't he hear the knocking? Or had he gone out sightseeing? Several questions crossed their minds. Yu Feibai certainly knocked again. After waiting a moment longer, there was still no response from inside. Just then, a nearby attendant heard the commotion and approached politely, asking, "Gentlemen, hello, can I help you with something?" "Our friend is staying here; we arranged to meet him," Yu Feibai smiled, lying without batting an eye, naturally giving the attendant no cause for suspicion.

However, after looking at the room, the attendant’s expression suddenly became strange: "Sir, it seems your friend has already checked out?" "What?"

Everyone was taken aback. Following the attendant’s indication, they looked and saw a small sign hanging clearly on the door handle, marking the room as vacant. "He left? We just spoke on the phone this morning..."

Ouyang looked genuinely shocked; this was a natural reaction, entirely without pretense. His demeanor naturally lent credibility to Yu Feibai’s lie. The attendant still harbored no suspicion and instead advised, "Sirs, are you sure your friend was staying in this room? Perhaps you should call and confirm." "Oh, thank you!"

Ouyang snapped back to reality and quickly took out his phone to make a call. A moment later, he frowned: "No answer." The others also frowned. After thinking it over, Wang Guan had a sudden idea and quickly said, "Try calling his other number, Zhu Da’s... er, Zhu Da’s phone number..."

Ouyang nodded slightly, scrolled through his contacts, and placed another call... RS