175: Chapter 175 This Tang Dynasty vase was burned yesterday.

Donghai City International Auction Center.

In the VIP No. 1 Auction Hall on the top floor, the air seemed to have frozen.

In the center of the venue, on a bulletproof glass display stand, two items sat quietly.

One was a Tang Dynasty celadon vase, emerald green all over, resembling a pool of autumn water. The other was a slightly yellowed scroll of calligraphy laid out in a brocade box.

On the far right of the scroll, four bold, sweeping characters were written: Lantingji Xu.

Several national treasure-level experts from the National Museum, wearing white gloves and holding high-magnification magnifying glasses, were hunched over the display stand, trembling with excitement.

"This glaze color... this clay! The color of a thousand peaks; this is absolutely a masterpiece from the official kilns of the Zhenguan era!"

An old expert with gray hair wept, his voice trembling.

"And this calligraphy! The spirit of the Wei and Jin dynasties, the brushwork flowing seamlessly. It's the authentic work of Wang Xizhi, an authentic work that has been lost for over a thousand years!"

The wealthy merchants and powerful figures below had long since turned red-eyed with greed.

"500 million!"

"800 million!"

"1 billion! No one fight me for this; this is the soul of our Old Ancestor!"

Li Xiaoyao, the seller sitting in the front row, wore a pure handmade custom-tailored suit, holding a glass of Lafite, with an irrepressible arrogance curling the corners of his mouth.

He was a lucky man. Half a month ago, he accidentally underwent an Awakening of the "Dual-World Trading System".

As long as he turned the jade thumb ring on his thumb, he could ignore the river of time and freely shuttle between the modern era and the flourishing Tang Dynasty.

In the Great Tang, he used a few glass cups and lighters to trade for these national treasures that were worth a fortune in the modern era. He even fooled the Tang Emperor Li Shimin into a limp and managed to become the National Preceptor.

In the modern era, as long as he sold these items, he could instantly become the richest person in the world.

"1 billion once! 1 billion twice!" The auctioneer raised his wooden gavel, his voice hoarse with excitement, about to bring it down.

"Wait a moment."

From the back of the auction hall, a calm voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone turned around at the same time.

Gu Changan, wearing a black trench coat, strode down the aisle. Chen Xiaobei followed closely behind, holding a tactical tablet.

Dozens of fully armed Special Police poured in through the doors like a tide, instantly controlling the entire venue.

The wealthy merchants gasped, and the experts were stunned.

Li Xiaoyao's expression darkened, and he stood up abruptly.

"What are you doing? Can the police just barge into a private auction? This is a legitimate business, and all the paperwork is in order!"

Gu Changan didn't even glance at him, walking straight to the display stand.

He didn't wear white gloves, nor did he take out a magnifying glass, but narrowed his eyes slightly.

In his mind, the [Eye of True Appraisal] activated instantly.

A data panel, visible only to Gu Changan, appeared above the celadon vase.

[Item: Tang Dynasty Zhenguan Era Official Kiln Celadon Vase]

[Status: Authentic]

[Note: Because the flow of time where the Dual-World Gate System is located is completely disconnected from modern space-time. From the time this item was fired in the Great Tang official kiln to being placed on the current auction stage, the actual physical time elapsed is only: 72 hours.]

Gu Changan raised an eyebrow. He turned his head to look at the "Lanting Xu" that the old experts were treating as if it were their own grandfather.

[Item: Authentic Work of Wang Xizhi (Just retrieved from the Great Tang Imperial Treasury)]

[Physical Time Elapsed: 120 hours]

A cold sneer tugged at the corners of Gu Changan's mouth.

He turned around and looked at Li Xiaoyao, who was pretending to be calm.

"Paperwork in order? Where is your customs declaration? Where is your certificate of origin? Where are your tax payment records?"

Li Xiaoyao's eye twitched, but he forced himself to remain calm.

"This is from my ancestors! An heirloom passed down through generations from the Tang Dynasty! What customs declaration do I need?"

"An heirloom?"

Gu Changan reached out and rubbed the bottom of the celadon vase hard, then held his fingers up in front of the experts.

"Gentlemen, take a good look. An heirloom over a thousand years old, yet the clay at the bottom is still wet. It even has kiln ash from the Great Tang Zhenguan era on it."

The whole venue was in an uproar.

Gu Changan took the tablet handed to him by Chen Xiaobei and projected the screen onto the auction's main display.

"I have just had people scan these two items with a micro Carbon-14 detector."

Gu Changan looked at Li Xiaoyao, his voice like shards of ice.

"Carbon-14 decay data does not lie. The test results show that whether it is this vase or this scroll, the clay, rice paper, and ink used have not physically existed for more than a week."

The old experts looked like they had been struck by lightning, staring blankly at the data on the screen.

"Impossible! I have looked at antiques my whole life; this charm, this craftsmanship, it is absolutely from the Tang Dynasty. A forgery could never reach this level!" The old expert slapped his thigh in anxiety.

Gu Changan nodded.

"The craftsmanship is indeed from the Tang Dynasty, and the Materials are also from the Tang Dynasty. Because this stuff was just dug out of a mud pit in the Great Tang and brought directly to the modern era."

Gu Changan pointed at Li Xiaoyao, his expression turning completely cold.

"Li Xiaoyao, the state is giving you two choices now."

"First, you admit that you forged this in some black workshop three days ago. The amount involved is 1 billion, which is a major fraud crime."

"Second, you admit that you smuggled it from the Tang Dynasty. Using an unknown spatial channel to resell national historical relics and evading a huge amount of taxes."

"Pick one. The sewing machine has already been warmed up for you."

The arrogance on Li Xiaoyao's face completely disappeared, replaced by extreme panic and rage at being exposed.

He never expected that his flawless plan to get rich quick would fall at the hands of a damn Carbon-14 test!

These modern people are sick! As long as the items are genuinely from the Tang Dynasty, why do you care how many years they've experienced!

"You cut off my path to wealth and ruined my hegemony to achieve Immortal Ascension and become an Old Ancestor!"

Li Xiaoyao's eyes instantly bloodshot, his reason completely replaced by madness.

"I am the master of the Dual-World Gate! I am the God of Time and Space! You mere mortals, what qualification do you have to judge me!"

He let out a hysterical roar and thrust his right hand suddenly into the Void Realm.

A faint blue light flashed.

A two-meter-long, dozens-of-jin heavy Tang Dynasty horse-chopping Mo Dao appeared out of thin air in his hand.

The blade of the Mo Dao was still stained with the blood of some unlucky Tang Dynasty soul, exuding a pungent, bloody stench.

The surrounding wealthy merchants screamed and fled in all directions, and the scene turned into chaos.

"Since you've discovered it, just die here for me!"

Li Xiaoyao's arm muscles bulged. Relying on his body, which had been strengthened by eating a few Marrow Cleansing Pills in the Tang Dynasty, he swung the heavy Mo Dao, bringing a whistling wind as he slashed directly at Gu Changan's head.

This strike was powerful and heavy; it could even shatter the bulletproof glass of the display stand in one blow.

A cruel, ferocious grin had already appeared on the corners of Li Xiaoyao's mouth.

Just when the Mo Dao was less than ten centimeters from Gu Changan's forehead.

Gu Changan's hand reached out from his trench coat pocket.

A specially made electromagnetic pistol with a sci-fi design, glowing with a faint blue light, was steadily pressed against Li Xiaoyao's forehead.

The high-frequency electric current sound emitted from the muzzle made one's scalp tingle.

Gu Changan didn't even blink, looking at the Tang Dynasty cold weapon suspended in mid-air.

"My lord, the times have changed."