56: Chapter 56 What secret does this painting hold?

"Oh?"

"Every time he went to Antique Street, he would just speak up directly, ask the other party to quote a price, and then either take it or turn around and leave."

As Zhou Waner spoke, her expression carried a hint of recollection, as if she were seeing her grandfather's dignified back again—a kind of composure that was the "mark of a master."

"He said that true experts don't need to haggle, because they can tell at a glance how much an item is worth."

She paused, turned her head to look at Hu Tian, her brow slightly furrowed, her tone carrying a touch of confusion and a hint of something left unsaid.

After listening, Hu Tian didn't immediately reply; he just looked down at the painting in his hands. His gaze was as tender as if he were looking at a lover, or perhaps like he was looking at a check about to be cashed.

"Old Master Zhou's style was that of a true master,"

he said calmly, his tone carrying a hint of respect. "Besides, in that area, his face was his business card; everyone knew him, and no one dared to fool him. That was 'facial recognition payment.' But his approach doesn't work in a place like this. This is the 'underworld,' not the 'halls of power'; what matters here is that 'all is fair in war.'"

"Why?"

"Because the more you act like an expert, the higher the price they'll quote you, and they might even set a trap to fleece you like a 'sucker.'"

Hu Tian's tone was casual, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary, as if he were imparting some "rules of survival." "Conversely, the more you act like you don't know the ropes, the more you want it, the more willing they are to lower the price, because they think you're a 'fool' who's easy to cheat. That is the essence of 'playing the pig to eat the tiger.'"

Zhou Waner pursed her lips thoughtfully, as if digesting these "underworld experiences," thinking to herself, "So the antique world is this 'dark' too; it's truly 'the world of treacherous hearts.'"

"So that look you had just now…"

"Was an act."

Hu Tian said directly, his tone frank, as if he were talking about something perfectly normal, his expression as natural as saying, "I ate today."

Zhou Waner stared at him for a while, finally letting out a sigh, her voice complex and hard to define: "You really looked like an ordinary person who didn't know anything just now. Even I almost believed it; I almost thought you were going to 'go bankrupt.'"

"Thanks for the compliment. That just goes to show my acting skills have reached 'perfection,' and I could go win an Oscar."

Hu Tian twitched the corner of his mouth and continued walking forward, clutching the painting. His steps were as light as a primary school student just out of class, as if he'd picked up a great bargain.

Zhou Waner followed him for a few steps, but couldn't hold back, finally asking the question she'd been holding in for ages.

"Is this painting… really valuable? Or are you just doing it for the thrill of haggling?"

After she finished, she paused, then added the second half, "It looks just average to me—from the Guangxu era, the brushwork isn't particularly outstanding, just a plain landscape. I feel like you could find several of these at any random antique stall. Is there some 'hidden mystery' in here? Or has 'water gotten into your brain'?"

Hu Tian didn't answer immediately, looking down at the scroll in his arms. His gaze was as mysterious as a magician's, as if what he held wasn't a painting, but a key to a treasure.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of mystery: "This painting… has hidden information, just like a 'painting within a painting.' This is a 'matryoshka doll' level surprise."

Zhou Waner was stunned for a moment. "Hidden information? You mean… there's another painting hidden inside this one? Could it be a 'spirit within the painting'?"

"Hmm."

Hu Tian nodded, his tone calm. "But I haven't been able to uncover it yet. What exactly it is, I can't say for sure right now; I have to go back to Binhai and 'dissect' it to find out."

Zhou Waner frowned, her gaze falling on the scroll, half-believing and half-doubting. "What does hidden information mean… is something hidden inside it? Or is this painting a 'double-sided embroidery'?"

"It could be a watermark, it could be a lining, or it could be something else."

Hu Tian spoke briefly, without over-explaining. "Once we're back in Binhai and I process it carefully, we'll know the final result."

Zhou Waner stared at the painting for a good while, her expression becoming somewhat subtle.

She wanted to say, "Then you didn't know what was hidden inside when you bought it?" but she felt that asking that was a bit redundant—since Hu Tian had decided to buy it, he must have already made his own judgment; after all, he was the owner of the "Treasure Hunting Radar."

She swallowed that sentence and changed the subject.

"But what if, after you process it, you find there's nothing inside? Wouldn't you become a 'sucker' then?"

"Then it's just an ordinary Guangxu-era landscape painting,"

Hu Tian's tone was unhurried. "It's worth at most two or three hundred yuan. Losing a few thousand yuan is no big deal; I'll just treat it as 'paying tuition.'"

After hearing this, Zhou Waner was silent for a moment, but finally couldn't help but mutter under her breath.

"You were haggling so seriously when you bought it… so you actually had no idea either. You really are a 'gambler.'"

Hu Tian turned his head to look at her.

"Waner, whether one is serious about haggling and whether one is confident are two different things."

Being looked at like that, Zhou Waner instinctively shrank her neck and didn't reply, but secretly rejoiced in her heart: "This Brother Hu Tian really is a man like a 'mystery.' Still, I like him so much."

Hu Tian withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward with the painting, his pace unhurried, his expression as calm as ever, as if nothing that just happened had occurred.

Hu Tian thought to himself, the Treasure Hunting Radar System in his mind had already said that the hidden information was highly likely to be priceless. Given the system's nature, it wouldn't make baseless claims; this was a "government-certified" treasure.

From the time he obtained this system until now, every hint given by the radar had eventually been proven valuable; it was simply "a hundred shots, a hundred hits."

Those seemingly inconspicuous things always ended up yielding unexpected gains; this was "with the system in hand, the world is mine."

This time would be no exception.

Hu Tian knew what he was doing, but on the surface, he still maintained that light and breezy demeanor, not even quickening his pace by half a step; his composure was stronger than that of an "enlightened monk."

Zhou Waner followed behind him, her gaze occasionally falling on the scroll, her eyes filled with a bit of curiosity and doubt.

She always felt that what Hu Tian said just now was too understated, as if he were truly prepared to lose money.

But her intuition told her that things weren't that simple; this Brother Hu Tian must be "holding back a big move" again.

"You…"

Zhou Waner hesitated for a moment, then spoke up. "Hmph! I always feel like you only say half of what you mean, hiding and concealing things like you're 'squeezing toothpaste.'"

She opened her mouth, but in the end, swallowed the words, "What exactly are you hiding?"

Forget it, anyway, once back in Binhai, the truth will naturally be revealed, and then we'll see what other "tricks" you have.

She wanted to see what kind of earth-shattering secret this seemingly ordinary Guangxu landscape painting could hide, and whether it was hiding a "treasure map."

Zhou Waner thought for a moment and suddenly said, "It just so happens that I'm off this Saturday. Brother Hu Tian, come pick me up then; I want to go back to Binhai with you."

She paused, her tone carrying a hint of indisputability. "I want to see with my own eyes what secret this painting hides; I want to be the first 'witness.'"

Hu Tian's footsteps faltered slightly, and he turned his head to look at her.

Zhou Waner straightened her back, her expression very serious, her eyes holding a stubbornness that said "I've decided," as if she were announcing some "major decision."

Hu Tian looked at her for two seconds, didn't say any nonsense, and just readily agreed.

"Okay."

Zhou Waner didn't expect Hu Tian to agree so readily, and was actually stunned for a moment, only then coming back to her senses, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly, her smile brighter than a flower.

"It's a deal then. Come pick me up the day after tomorrow morning. Don't keep me waiting too long, or I'll 'stand you up.'"

"Hmm."

Hu Tian withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward, holding the scroll in his arms firmly, his expression as calm as water.

Zhou Waner followed beside him, but inexplicably, she began to feel some anticipation in her heart.

She didn't know what was hidden in that painting, but looking at Hu Tian's confident appearance, this matter was probably far from as simple as it looked on the surface; perhaps it would be another "earth-shattering discovery."

The truth would be revealed upon returning to Binhai.

The two continued to wander around Antique Street, but their luck in the latter half was clearly not as good as before.

The items at the stalls were either obviously new imitations at a glance, or the owners' prices were ridiculously high, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation; it was basically "fleecing you without discussion."

Hu Tian stopped to look at a few stalls, but in the end, he shook his head and walked away; his back looked a bit "forlorn."

Zhou Waner did take a liking to a Republic of China-era famille rose teacup, but the owner wouldn't budge on the price, refusing to lower it by even a penny; he was truly a "miser."

"Thirty-eight thousand, not a penny less. This is a 'heirloom'!"

The stall owner was a middle-aged man in his fifties, speaking stiffly, with an attitude of take-it-or-leave-it; his expression seemed to be saying, "If you're not buying, get lost."

Hu Tian glanced at the teacup; its condition was indeed good, but the price had already reached its peak, leaving no room for profit; it was simply "tasteless chicken ribs."

"Let's go."

He waved his hand at Zhou Waner.

Zhou Waner looked at the teacup somewhat reluctantly, but in the end, she followed Hu Tian away, her gaze carrying a hint of "lingering attachment."

After wandering for another ten minutes or so, the two completely gave up the idea of continuing to treasure hunt.

"Let's call it a day."

Hu Tian checked the time; it was almost 5:00 PM, his tone carrying a hint of "fatigue."

Zhou Waner nodded and followed him toward the parking lot, her steps a bit "heavy." Shopping is fun for a moment, but the return journey is exhausting in every way.

They found a quiet and cozy little restaurant by the street to grab a casual dinner.

Afterwards, the two got into the car, and Hu Tian started the engine, driving toward Jinling University at a steady pace, as if they were just "going for a joyride."

Along the way, Zhou Waner suddenly became quiet, her gaze occasionally falling on the scroll in the back seat, her eyes filled with a bit of thoughtfulness, as if she were "studying a cryptic text."

The car soon drove into the Jinling University campus, following the tree-lined road all the way to the dormitory building, the environment as elegant as a "park."

Hu Tian parked the car, and Zhou Waner unbuckled her seatbelt, pushed open the car door, and got out, her movements as light as a "butterfly."