Before I met Su Jialiang and Qing Huai, I always thought that they had a difference of opinion, which was why they called me to Luoyang to mediate the situation.

When Su Jialiang met me, he didn't say anything and immediately arranged to negotiate with the other party. He even said that the reason they had delayed until now was to wait for me, which really surprised me: "Mr. Liang, in your business, I am just an insignificant small shareholder with no say in the negotiations. Yet you say that you postponed the negotiations to wait for me. I don't know what you mean by that?"

Su Jialiang laughed and picked up his teacup to explain, “Among us, I have been working behind the scenes for many years and am getting old, while Qinghuai is still young and came from a laborer background. He is good at doing business, but his knowledge of antiques is limited. This time, those guys from the south have ill intentions. If they start a verbal battle or something, neither Qinghuai nor I will be a match for them. With you in charge, the pressure on us will be less.”

Although I am an expert in antiques, I am not very familiar with the rules of the counterfeit industry: "Master Liang, on my way here your third master told me that we have already caused several deaths in our fight with that group from the south over business. The two sides have fought to this extent. Do you think we will resolve the dispute through verbal battles or the like?"

“I know you’re a true professional in the industry, and you come from a large family with a long history. You look down on us counterfeiters from the bottom of your heart. But counterfeiting is an old business in the antique trade. No matter what, we’re all in this industry. Since we’re in this industry, we should solve problems according to the rules of the industry.”

Su Jialiang sipped his tea: "Although you are still young, you are, after all, the successor of the Ghost Eye Judge. We have seen your skills. Only with you here can I be fully confident in fighting those people!"

Upon hearing this, Qinghuai sat up straight and looked at Su Jialiang: "Master Liang, are you really prepared to fight those people in the South! Is this why you brought Xiao Duan here? Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Don't forget our division of labor. In our cooperation, the Qing family is responsible for the relationships behind the scenes, while I am responsible for the operations in front of the public. In the past, your Qing family was just a courier, a marginal job in the industry. You wouldn't understand these complicated rules even if I explained them to you."

After answering Qinghuai's question, Su Jialiang looked at his watch and said to me, "Xiao Duan, you've been through a lot. I should let you rest, but this negotiation is related to the future development of our business. The longer it drags on, the more unforeseen changes will occur. So I've scheduled the meeting for three hours from now. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to come with us."

I was just pondering whether I should take sides if Su Jialiang and Qing Huai got into a fight. But now that I see Su Jialiang is really going to negotiate with those people, I feel much more relaxed: "Mr. Liang, you flatter me. Although I don't own a large share in this business, I am still a part of it. Since I've taken the profits, I should contribute my share!"

Su Jialiang downed his tea in one gulp: "Good! I'm relieved to hear that! I've prepared everything we need for Doukou, and Lao San has the car ready. Let's talk on the way!"

Seeing that we were about to leave, the monkey next to me couldn't help but ask, "Master Liang, you just said that you were waiting for Xiao Duan to come so that he could have a verbal duel with the people from the south. Will he be in any danger?"

Qing Huai narrowed his eyes slightly, exuding domineering aura: "You can rest assured about this. Don't forget this is Luoyang! With my Qing family here, anyone who dares to touch a hair on Young Master Duan's head, I guarantee he will be cut into eight pieces and transported out of Luoyang!"

...

I originally thought that since Su Jialiang and his group's negotiations with the south were shady, they would be like those in gangster movies, taking place at some construction site or a relatively remote place.

Unexpectedly, our car drove directly to the Dongshan Hotel.

This hotel is a Chinese-style garden hotel located in the Longmen East Mountain within the Longmen Grottoes Scenic Area, a World Cultural Heritage site. Surrounded by lush trees and babbling brooks, it is a genuine five-star hotel.

Standing in front of the antique-style reception center, looking at the breathtaking scenery around me, I asked Su Jialiang, "Mr. Liang, isn't it a bit too high-profile of us to hold negotiations in a place like this?"

Qinghuai scoffed: "The location was chosen by those people from the south. Although they dared to come to Luoyang for negotiations, this is still our territory, and they weren't entirely confident. That's why they stayed at a place like the Dongshan Hotel, and even booked the No. 1 VIP hot spring villa, which costs nearly 40,000 yuan a day. The Dongshan Hotel is known as the 'Luoyang State Guesthouse,' and absolutely no one would be foolish enough to cause trouble in a place like this!"

While we were chatting, Su Jiaming had already completed the visit procedures at the front desk, and soon two shuttle buses arrived and took us to his residence.

Being inside the Dongshan Hotel felt like strolling through an ancient garden. Even some of the 3A-level scenic spots I've visited couldn't compare to this place. Especially the villa where the other party was staying, which had a similar style of decoration to the ones used when leaders meet with dignitaries in the news—it looked incredibly luxurious and grand.

The rooms where these people lived included a conference room, where the negotiations between the two sides were held.

As soon as we entered the villa, we were surrounded by four men in suits. One of them, a man with a scar on his face, stared at us with an unfriendly expression: "Uncle Gen is waiting for you in the conference room upstairs. Before you go upstairs, we need to search you."

Is this necessary?

Su Jiaming sneered: "This is Luoyang. If I wanted to do something to you, I wouldn't need to come here in person!"

Qinghuai, however, saw the situation clearly: "Forget it, let them search us. Actually, this so-called body search is just a show of force to intimidate us!"

"What a joke! We're on our own turf, and we expect others to intimidate us?"

Upon hearing this, Su Jiaming shoved aside the young man who was walking towards him: "Get out of my way! Don't block my path!"

The man was shoved by Su Jiaming, who then made a move to grab his wrist: "What are you doing!"

"Splash!"

Su Jiaming drew the pistol from his waist, quickly cocked it, and pressed it against the young man's chest: "I'll say it again, this is my turf, it's not your place to search me, understand?"

The scarred man was not intimidated by Su Jiaming's actions: "Sir, it's our rule to search Uncle Gen before meeting him, and we have to follow it no matter where we are!"

Su Jiaming snorted coldly: "I said, on my turf, I don't need..."

"Smack!"

Before Su Jiaming could finish speaking, the scarred man suddenly lunged forward, grabbed the gun from Su Jiaming's hand, and then delivered an elbow strike to Su Jiaming's face.

"Bang!"

Su Jiaming was also a skilled fighter. Seeing his gun being grabbed, he used his left arm to block the other man's arm and then slammed his knee into him.

As soon as the two started fighting, Su Jiaming's two men and Qing Huai's bodyguards also made a move to get involved.

The scarred man didn't pursue the matter further. When he retreated, he had already removed the slide from Su Jiaming's pistol: "Gentlemen, we are here to negotiate in order to avoid resolving the issue by force. Please abide by our rules."

"Son of a bitch!"

Seeing that he had been thwarted, Su Jiaming flicked his wrist, and a short knife appeared in his hand.

Just when I thought a fierce battle was about to break out, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs on the second floor: "Ah Fa, no need to search them, let them go upstairs."