Reborn Treasure Appraiser: I Really Didn’t Want to Be an Expert

Chapter 346 Intuition
The weather is unpredictable, with sudden shifts between warm and cold; the wind feels like it's carrying knives, piercing right to the bone.

Ren Danhua held her phone and kept dialing.

"Sorry, the number you dialed is not being answered..."

Once, twice, three times... Yu Jiyao didn't answer, and neither did Yu Jichuan.

If you don't answer one question, you can say you didn't hear it. But if you don't answer both?
It definitely wasn't Wang Chun who did it; she was still waiting to see if she and her two siblings would lure the police into a trap.

Therefore, the only possibility is that he was caught...

She stared at her phone screen, her fair face turning even paler.

Previously, Ren Danhua had always thought that Wang Chun was scaring herself: it was just a routine inspection, and so many of her colleagues had suffered, so compared to that, her own losses were negligible.

But Wang Chun was like a frightened bird, constantly suspicious and paranoid.
Only now did Ren Danhua realize just how shrewd Wang Chun was, and how keen her intuition was…

Subconsciously, Ren Danhua thought of an old leader who had taken special care of her.

"Xiao Ren, what you're doing right now is very dangerous... I'm not referring to the work itself, but to your role and responsibilities..."

"You take on everything that's your responsibility, and everything that's not your responsibility. You act more like a boss than your boss himself... This is very dangerous..."

"Let me give you one more piece of advice: No matter how good the bond is beyond blood ties, it won't last. Xiao Ren, take a break, relax a bit..."

At the time, Ren Danhua didn't realize it; she just thought the old lecher was getting a good deal and acting innocent. But starting the year before last, when the eldest sister completely stopped tomb raiding and instead willingly helped the two bosses sell off their leftover stock, Ren Danhua finally understood: the eldest sister wanted to retire from tomb raiding.

Her reason for seeking refuge with the two bosses was not out of a desire to submit or become dependent on them, but rather to find a way out...

Before this, how many dirty jobs had he done for Wang Chun?
Contacting, organizing, receiving goods, selling stolen goods, money laundering... Just like that old lecher said, she's more like the boss than the boss himself.

Ren Danhua wasn't even sure whether, if she really fell from grace, her crime would be more serious or Wang Chun's.

Wang Chun had anticipated this, which is why she acted with such impunity and recklessness. Even before, Ren Danhua had been thinking: as long as she could escape, she would accept it even if she knew her older sister was plotting against her.

But even Yu Jiyao and Yu Jichuan have fallen, how can they possibly escape?
Then let's die together...

Ren Danhua tightened the zipper and put on the hood of her down jacket.

The clothes were very thick, making them look exceptionally bulky.

But that's not surprising; after several days of overcast skies, you could see people wearing cotton-padded coats in the market.

Ren Danhua didn't stop walking as she passed "Paozhentang," only glancing at it out of the corner of her eye.

Those in the know understand that this is a store that Qi Hao co-owns: he supplies the goods, and the woman he partners with is in charge of sales.

But only a few people knew that this woman wasn't a business partner, but his wife. Although they weren't legally married, they had two children in her hometown.

The eldest sister definitely didn't know, otherwise she wouldn't have been so kind to Qi Hao.

Therefore, Wang Chun was not knowledgeable about everything.

Continuing on, passing through the antique market, and arriving at the pet market just across the street, Ren Danhua glanced at it again.

This is a shop that Qi Hao's older sister opened for him, specializing in guinea pigs.

The older sister is a tomb raider and so rich, yet she makes her lover sell pets. Isn't that awkward?

Actually, the eldest sister was passing on her skills to Qi Hao: a family secret technique passed down for five generations by the King of Baoding, which had dominated Hebei for over a hundred years.

But very few people knew about this, except for Qi Song, Qi Hao, and himself.

She glanced at it casually and left in a hurry. Continuing on, after leaving the pet market, Ren Danhua arrived at Ruyi City.

This place specializes in jade. Years ago, Qi Hao ran a jade shop here, but his older sister later sold it off.

Only Ren Danhua knew that the jade shop hadn't been sold; it had simply changed hands. Qi Hao hadn't actually done any jade business; he was just using it as cover for the basement below: it was a secret room, his eldest sister's last escape route.

Even Qi Song and Qi Hao were unaware of this matter.

Ren Danhua also knew that her eldest sister's most valuable goods were hidden in Tianjiao City. But she wasn't sure if the basement that Qi Song had been keeping an eye on was also a decoy.

If so, where is it really?
It's definitely not easy to find, but Ren Danhua wants to give it a try.

Even if they can't find her in the end, they must cut off Wang Chun's last resort...

Just as she was secretly plotting her revenge, a somewhat familiar figure came into view. Ren Danhua's pupils contracted, and she subtly turned into the passageway next to her.

Like her, he was bundled up tightly: wearing a hat and a mask. But after spending so much time together, Ren Danhua could recognize him at a glance—it was Qi Song.

Sneaky, thieving.

But how did Qi Song know that there was a den of shrews here?

It must have been Wang Chun who told him...

Ren Danhua didn't move, quietly watching from behind the glass. After about five minutes, Qi Song left the jade shop, locked the door, and went up the stairs next door.

Ren Danhua followed quietly and stood at the top of the stairs.

The basement was mostly warehouses, quite spacious, and the sound of footsteps could be clearly heard coming up.

He went down to the basement and into the secret room.
Ren Danhua frowned: Wang Chun is going to run away?

It seems she also knows that Yu Jichuan and Yu Jiyao have fallen. Even if the two of them won't speak for the time being, just in case, they definitely can't stay in the capital.

At least, they can go somewhere else to avoid the limelight.

However, given Wang Chun's caution and selfishness, even if she were to run away, she would only do so secretly by herself.

Let alone Qi Song, she wouldn't even take Qi Hao, who was disgusted and slept in the same bed with her every day.

The logic is simple: bringing an extra burden increases the danger. Leaving someone to take the hits buys her more time...

As she pondered, a thought flashed through Ren Danhua's mind: Was this place also a decoy?

Wang Chun may already know that this place has been exposed, or perhaps her paranoid nature has taken hold.

But regardless of which one it is, it shows that Qi Song was also deceived.

For a moment, Ren Danhua even had the urge to remind Qi Song.

Forget it, let the dogs fight it out.

It seems Wang Chun is going to run away, but the question is, where will she run from?

Where are her goods stored?

Suddenly, Ren Danhua's eyes lit up...

……

"Teacher Lin, this is the information for that Totoro shop. The registration information doesn't say Qi Hao, but he is indeed the owner. However, his public name isn't Qi Hao, but Hao Haitao!"

Hao, Hao?
Lin Sicheng pondered for a moment: "Is his real name Song Hao, or a homophone?"

"Yes, Song Hao, the 'Hao' in 'luxury'!"

Unsurprisingly, this was likely Wang Chun's quirky sense of humor: her original name was Song Chun, but after being adopted into the Wang family, she changed it to Wang Chun. Later, fearing her origins would be discovered, she changed it again to Song Chun.

Then, his subordinates followed suit: Ren Danhua was originally named Shan Hua, Yu Jichuan was originally named Li Jilin, Yu Jiyao was originally named Li Yao, Qi Song was originally named Song Qi, and Qi Hao was originally named Song Hao.

If it were just one person, it would be difficult to investigate, but if even trusted key members are making such changes, it's a bit too arrogant.

Just then, the special agent reported again: "Teacher Lin, the analysis team deduces that the pet shop is likely a legitimate business used to cover up their identities. The gourd shop is a business he co-owned with that woman, operating semi-secretly and belonging to Qi Hao himself."

That woman went to Ruyi City, which is likely Qi Hao's third hideout, most likely a jade shop. Experts analyze that Qi Song is most likely in Ruyi City…”

Lin Sicheng remained noncommittal: "A pet shop, a gourd shop, and a jade shop—how ​​much energy does Qi Hao have?"
It's not that we can't open them. Let alone three, some capable people can open more than a dozen.

The problem is that this is quite a leap: let's leave aside pet shops and just talk about gourd and jade artifacts. Although both are collectibles, there's a huge gap between them.

Crucially, Qi Hao's craftsmanship is exceptionally high. Just look at the items in his gourd ware shop; you can tell he's genuinely passionate about it, devoting over 90% of his energy to perfecting it.

Let's look at it from the other side: how much time and energy does he still have left to commit crimes?

Nine times out of ten, he only occasionally helped his brother out, like when Qi Song was short-handed. He only did tasks that weren't closely related to his brother's work, but which required trusted confidants to handle.

For example, surveillance, or warehouse management.

So most likely, even if Qi Song were to hide, he wouldn't hide with him... "Have you found out his previous whereabouts? Where did Qi Hao go before going to the cold storage?"

"We found him. He went to the cold storage from Tianjiao City. He did it today, yesterday, and the day before yesterday. But because of missing surveillance footage, we haven't been able to find out exactly where he lives!"

Lin Sicheng remained noncommittal: what he wanted to find out was not where Qi Hao lived, but where the lacquerware that had been stored in the cold storage had been moved to.

It's highly likely that Qi Hao inspected the goods at night and kept watch during the day. Otherwise, where would the smell of lacquerware on him come from?
Let's go take a look!

"To the jade market?"

Lin Sicheng shook his head: "No, a pet shop!"

With such high-level craftsmanship in imitation gourd artifacts, and his own brother being a tomb raiding leader, why did he open a pet shop?

If it's to cover up one's identity, why not just open a gourd jewelry shop?

Lin Sicheng always felt something was off about the industry shift.

They were both in Tianjiao City, not too far apart, about a 20-minute walk.

Standing at the door, Lin Sicheng looked around: the shop was huge, more than three times the size of the gourd shop he had just visited.

There are many kinds of pets, including hamsters, guinea pigs, fancy rats (domesticated white rats), and chinchillas.

The walls and the floor were covered with cages, stacked very high, mostly five or six layers high. Feed and medicine were piled up haphazardly, and stains were visible everywhere on the floor.

There were hardly any customers in the store; only a few employees were cleaning and preparing to leave.

Lin Sicheng estimated that even if he didn't get off work, there wouldn't be many customers in the store: it was too dirty and smelly.

As Lin Sicheng was pondering this, he stepped onto the stairs. A woman carrying a mop straightened up and said, "Hello, what would you like to order?"

"Buy a Totoro for the kid!"

"Oh, the ground is a bit slippery. Why don't you come back tomorrow?"

Is there anyone doing this business?

"It's alright, I'll keep an eye on things!" Lin Sicheng smiled. "It'll be quick. If you like it, I'll sell it; if not, I'll leave. It won't keep you from getting off work!"

The woman paused for a moment, then slightly pursed her lips: their salaries weren't tied to sales figures, so they really didn't want to entertain them.

But everyone's already inside.

She put down the mop and asked the other shop assistants to make way for her.

Lin Sicheng glanced around casually: all sorts of rats, quite fat and energetic, but not very clean-looking, as if they hadn't been bathed in a long time.

There was plenty of feed, but it was all ordinary grains: corn, whole wheat, and bran; there was no concentrated feed in sight.

The medicines are mainly for disinfection and sterilization, with a very small number of antibiotics.

After a quick glance, Lin Sicheng looked at the woman who was probably the store manager and asked, "I'd like to buy a chinchilla. Are the cage and food included?"

"The cages are delivered. Take whichever one you like with the cage. The food is on the ground, but I can pack some for you!"

Lin Sicheng paused for a moment: How dirty was that cage? It was covered in feces and urine that had turned into grime.

This place feels more like a farm than a pet store.

Lin Sicheng pointed to one of them: "How much?"

"one hundred!"

Sure enough, it was more than double the market price. This shop probably never intended to do business with outside customers.

If you're not doing business, why keep so many rats?
It's getting weirder and weirder...

Seeing that he didn't speak, the woman smiled and said, "Why don't you go and look around somewhere else?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Okay!"

As he spoke, he turned around, raised his foot, and then suddenly stopped.

Wait... tung oil?

When I ran into Qi Hao in the cold storage, wasn't he smelling exactly like that?

In the darkness, he turned around again, his nose twitching slightly.

Not far away, by the pool, a green work uniform was hanging on a hook.

"Oh, you sell fish too?"

"Oh, you mean in the pool?" The woman glanced over. "That's for the guinea pigs!"

"A rat eating a fish? This is the first time I've ever heard of that?"

As he spoke, Lin Sicheng walked over, and the woman, not understanding what was going on, followed behind.

As they got closer to the clothes, the scent grew stronger, even stronger than the "Xiangguoyuan" shirt Qi Hao had worn that morning.

The store was just too dirty and smelly, which affected my sense of smell, so I didn't smell it before.

But that's not the point: since this is Qi Hao's shop, it's not surprising to find clothes that smell of lacquerware.

Strangely, there were lint stuck to the clothes.

The fur is long, about ten centimeters, yellowish-brown, and glitters like gold under the light. It's a bit coarse, about the thickness of a human hair.

This is definitely not rat fur. Among the guinea pigs in the store, the largest ones only have fur that is four or five centimeters long.

It's neither this thick nor this shiny.

Besides fur, it also has scales.

It's very small, brownish-red, but it's not fish scales; it looks like snake scales.

The key is the faint smell of blood mixed in with the lacquerware.

After taking a closer look and sniffing twice, Lin Sicheng's expression gradually became strange.

There was blood on the clothes, and a strong smell of blood. If I'm not mistaken, Qi Hao must have been wearing these clothes when he killed rats and snakes.

But why kill this thing? To eat it yourself?
Snakes and guinea pigs are fine, but hamsters and chinchillas, to put it bluntly, are just rats.

Of course, it might not be for human consumption... wait?

Lin Sicheng suddenly paused, turned around, and stared at the extremely fat but not very clean pet rats.

He finally realized what was wrong: if he wasn't mistaken, these pet rats were all feed.

He also realized: Qi Hao had such good skills, and Qi Song was a tomb raiding boss, so why was he selling pets?

"Sir, are you going to buy or not?"

"Oh, that's too expensive!"

The woman pouted, but Lin Sicheng didn't care and walked straight out of the store.

As soon as he stepped off the stairs, he lowered his voice and said, "Have Captain Yu check if there are any snakes for sale around here, not pets, just the common grass snakes..."

"what?"

The special agent paused for a moment: Why are you checking this? It doesn't seem like it's related, does it?

"There must be a connection!" Lin Sicheng exhaled sharply. "Finding the snake will lead us to the vault where the artifacts are stored!"

To be more precise: if you find the place where Qi Hao killed the snake, there's a 99% chance you'll find cultural relics.

But it's too complicated to explain in a sentence or two. It's also too fantastical; no one would believe it if I told them.

"Have Captain Yu investigate first, and be quick!" Lin Sicheng narrowed his eyes. "If he asks why, just say, 'Intuition!'"

The special agent was stunned: What the heck?
Are there people who solve cases based on intuition?

(End of this chapter)