When I heard what Song Laosan said, I was immediately stunned in the car.

I knew they were also looking for Duan Jinyan, but I didn't expect them to act so quickly.

Immediately afterwards, I turned my gaze to Song Laosan.

"Hey! What's with that look? You don't suspect me, do you?"

Song Laosan felt uncomfortable under my gaze and glared back, saying, "If I really had ties with the other two sects, why would I have come to Luoyang with you? As for the matter of stealing the chime bells, that's even more impossible. Although those chime bells are valuable, compared to Su Gouzi's business, they're not even worth a drop in the ocean! Qinghuai has already promised to give each of us a 10% share after we take over Su Gouzi's business. Why would I throw away the watermelon to pick up a sesame seed?"

"I didn't say I doubted you, why are you so nervous?"

Seeing Song Laosan's appearance, I forced a smile and pretended to be relaxed.

Actually, the person I just suspected was him.

First of all, among the four sects, Song Laosan has the fewest grudges and entanglements, and he is also tactful in his dealings, having no enmity with me or the other two sects.

Secondly, his sole purpose in returning to the Four Gates was for profit; even his cooperation with me was for money.

My financial resources are incomparable to those of the Wei and Qu families. If they offer a sufficient price, Song Laosan might very well betray us.

Although I'm smiling and cheerful now, my wariness of Song Laosan has become even more intense.

Looking back on tonight's events, only three forces knew about our actions.

Monkey would never betray me, and Qinghuai also needs someone's help. Only Song Laosan is different. Although he seems to be on our side, he is actually a hot commodity no matter which side he sides with.

At this moment, Song Laosan spoke up, "Xiao Duan, could the person you said betrayed us be Qing Huai?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and lit a cigarette: "Why do you say that?"

“Look, the other two groups came to Luoyang with only one goal: to find Duan Jinyan’s whereabouts through Su Gouzi. Su Gouzi is a mysterious person, and almost no one in the market has ever seen him. You can imagine how difficult it will be to find him.”

Old Song blinked: "No matter what, you are Duan Jinyan's biological son. Whether it's because of blood ties or because you have some special abilities, your chances of finding Duan Jinyan are much higher than others! Or perhaps, if Duan Jinyan knows you're looking for him, he might even show himself to see you. If the other two families also have this idea, wouldn't they use the Qing family to lure Duan Jinyan out?"

I tapped the car door handle lightly with my finger and asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "If the other two doors are really planning to use me as bait, how can I know if you're the fishhook stuck on me?"

"Your question has really stumped me. If I were in your shoes, I probably wouldn't trust anyone either."

Old Song laughed nonchalantly: "You're right to be wary of me, and I won't blame you for it. After all, my purpose in cooperating with you is to make money. Haha, it's not shameful to suffer a little grievance in order to make money."

Hearing Song Laosan's unexplained answer, I felt a little embarrassed: "You're the one who made the connections with the Qing family. Do you think they would betray us?"

"That's not the best way to put it. As you know, the Qing family is going through a lot of trouble right now, and they desperately need a way to make quick money! The profits in the antique business are much higher than drug trafficking, and the risk is relatively lower. If the Qu and Wei families really find them, even if the Qing family is naive, they will definitely choose the other two families with bigger pockets!"

Old Song clicked his tongue and said, "Tsk! Tonight's events were too strange. We need to be wary of the Qing family and not tell them everything!"

"Drive, let's get down to business first."

I'm feeling dizzy and disoriented from all the things that happened today, and I'm also thinking about when I should find an opportunity to test Song Laosan.

Not only do I need to find out his background, but I also need to outmaneuver him at crucial moments. If he really is a spy for the other two factions, I must force him to confess so that the other two know that he is on my side. Otherwise, I have absolutely no chance of winning.

However, catching Song Laosan, this slippery eel, is by no means an easy task.

...

Song Laosan drove around the city for a long time to make sure no one was watching our car, and finally drove to a warehouse near Zhonggou Industrial Park in the old city.

The warehouse is quite large, covering several hundred square meters, but it looks like it has been idle for a long time, with a thick layer of dust on the ground.

The people hired by Song Laosan were an old man and a young man.

The old man had white hair and beard, wore an old-fashioned Zhongshan suit with a lapel collar, and silver-rimmed glasses. He looked to be over seventy years old.

The little one was wearing a tracksuit and looked to be underage. He had very bright, sparkling eyes.

After parking the car, Song Laosan looked the old man up and down and said, "You must be Grandpa Jiang, the grandmaster of Shaanxi ceramics, also known as the master of ancient kilns?"

The old man sat on a wooden box, rolling a pipe: "I wouldn't call myself a national champion, I'm just a kiln craftsman. You can call me Clay Figure Jiang."

"You're joking, old man. Legend has it that your ancestors served as the imperial kiln supervisors during the Tang, Song, and Qing dynasties. You're a family with genuine craftsmanship. How could I dare to be presumptuous?"

Old Song was polite, but after glancing at the boy, his tone was somewhat displeased: "Old Jiang, we agreed beforehand that this job requires secrecy, and only you can do it; you can't bring an assistant."

Mudman Jiang licked the cigarette paper, rolled the cigarette, and put it in his mouth: "He's not an assistant, but my little grandson. This trip was to broaden his horizons. Otherwise, this old man of mine would have retired long ago. My eyesight is failing, and I've passed on all my life's knowledge to this little brat. Don't underestimate this child because of his young age; he's exceptionally talented. Many master craftsmen over fifty years old can't match his skill."

I examined the boy's hands and indeed found thick calluses. I stopped Song Laosan, who was about to continue speaking, and said, "Old Jiang, since you brought your grandson out for training, it would be impolite of us to stop you. However, time is of the essence, and we hope you can open the kiln as soon as possible."

"No problem, that's what we're here to do."

Clay figurine ginger exhaled a puff of smoke: "You've already given me a deposit of 200,000 yuan. As long as the remaining 300,000 yuan is paid, we can start the kiln."

I smiled and shook my head: "Sir, we don't have the final payment. We only paid you 200,000 yuan for this job."

What do you mean by that?

Mudman Jiang's eyes narrowed as he stared at Song Laosan: "I only agreed to come and help because of my friendship with your father. Has the Song family become so unruly?"

I answered on behalf of Song Laosan: "Old man, you misunderstand. We are not trying to break our promise. It's just that the 300,000 is for your tuition fees."

Clay Figure Jiang was so angry I laughed: "What a joke! I've been firing ceramics all my life, do you think I need to pay you tuition?"

I exchanged a glance with Mudman Jiang and asked with a smile, "You have indeed spent your whole life in this industry, but your previous works were all imitations and handicrafts. May I ask if you, sir, do you know how to fire genuine antiques?"