The wedding was livestreamed by the sister, revealing his identity as a Taoist priest.

The elder slowly took out a yellowed ancient scroll from his wide robe sleeves.

Untie the thread with one hand, hold both ends of the spool with both hands, and unroll it outwards.

The small regular script written with cinnabar remains clear even after a thousand years.

The rightmost line of large text.

[Notes of the Ninth Celestial Master of the Zhengyi School, Yongping Year 3.]

All eyes in the room were fixed on the ancient scroll.

"Professor Zhou, Professor Ji."

The elder looked at the two elderly people in the front row.

Thank you for your trouble.

Zhou Dechang stepped forward and took out a high-powered magnifying glass from his pocket.

He didn't look at the words; he first looked at the fiber breaks at the edge of the paper.

Ji Jingshan followed closely behind, his gaze falling directly on the seal at the end of the scroll and the seam of the mounting.

The two men, one on the left and one on the right, bent down and approached the ancient scroll.

The venue was so quiet that you could barely hear a person breathing.

Zhou Dechang became more and more excited as he looked at it, and straightened up excitedly.

"Tang Dynasty hemp paper! The fibers have aged naturally, and the cinnabar has seeped into the paper's texture. This cannot be replicated by modern antiquing methods; it's the patina left by hundreds of years of repeated handling!"

Ji Jingshan nodded in agreement, his voice loud and clear.

"The ink paste is a unique 'big red robe' from the Tang Dynasty. The stamping technique is inherited from the ancient Taoist books, and the mounting uses ancient paste."

"Most importantly, it's the calligraphy itself. The strokes are sharp and powerful, exuding a natural Daoist charm. This is the original handwriting of the ninth Celestial Master of the Zhengyi School—a genuine work!"

Authentic!

Two words landed in the center of the meeting room.

The live stream chat paused for a second, then exploded.

[Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!]

[Two national treasure-level professors authenticated it on the spot! How could it be fake?]

[Tang Dynasty handwritten calligraphy! This is a national treasure!]

[Where are the people who spread rumors about tomb raiding? Come out and take your punishment!]

The white-haired elder held the ancient scroll in both hands, his gaze sweeping across the entire room, his voice steady and calm.

"In the third year of Yongping, Prince Jing, on the grounds of the suffering of the people, borrowed the Xuantian Dangmo Stele of my Taoist sect to quell the rebellion."

"After the matter was completed, Prince Jing broke his promise and did not return the stele. Instead, he buried it with the tomb."

"All the Celestial Masters of the Zhengyi School throughout the ages have known about this matter, but because the imperial mausoleum cannot be disturbed without permission, it has been put on hold until now."

The elder's finger landed on the last line of the scroll.

"The Ninth Celestial Master's Last Instructions: Descendants should take it and return it to its rightful place."

He raised his head, his gaze fixed on the gray-robed Taoist.

"Mr. Chen retrieved our Taoist sect's own belongings; how can this be considered tomb raiding?"

The gray-robed Taoist staggered and took half a step back.

He opened his mouth, a dry sound coming from his throat, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The elders did not let him off the hook.

"The Nine Infants lineage refines the soul of the Blood Python into the mirror, nurturing evil spirits to prolong their lives."

The elder's voice turned cold.

"Three hundred years ago, our Daoist sect ordered the extermination of such heretical cultivators. You have lingered on until now, what right do you have to stand here and spout such nonsense?"

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Several collectors in the front row immediately stood up and moved to the side in disgust, trying to distance themselves from Qi Liancheng and the gray-robed Taoist.

Qi Liancheng's face turned ashen.

The expert consultant he hired at great expense was exposed in public as a heretical practitioner who was universally condemned.

Qi Liancheng gritted his teeth and forced out a cold smile.

"So what if the source is legitimate?"

He pointed to the gilded Buddha statue and the Nine-Headed Serpent Soul-Devouring Mirror on the display stand.

"Two items against one—the heritage of my Qi family speaks for itself. Today's appraisal event is about the value of the collections, not your Daoist sect's historical grudges!"

"Young Master Qi."

Shen Xingzhou strode forward and stood in front of Shen Nianqing.

He had one hand in his pocket and was laughing wildly.

"Do you have some misunderstanding about the word 'foundation'?"

Shen Xingzhou pointed to the Nine-Headed Serpent Soul-Devouring Mirror.

"The Xuan Tian Demon-Slaying Stele suppresses evil spirits within a hundred miles. Your broken mirror doesn't even have the right to tremble before it. You're trying to compare the power of a Taoist demon-slaying artifact with that of a powerful weapon? It's like a rat from the sewer trying to compare its bloodline with a dragon in the sky. You're not ashamed, but I'm embarrassed for you."

He turned to look at the two professors.

"Professor Zhou, Professor Ji, am I right?"

Zhou Dechang shook his head and sighed.

"The powerful artifacts used to ward off evil are not even in the same league as evil objects. Yin and Yang are mutually restraining, and evil cannot prevail over good."

Ji Jingshan added.

"With the Seven Star Lamp and the Xuan Tian Demon-Subduing Stele, the simultaneous appearance of two sacred artifacts of the Daoist sect is a testament to their profound knowledge and skills, which is rare throughout history. The two items belonging to the Qi family are indeed inadequate."

The two titans made the final decision.

Qi Liancheng's face completely fell.

He stared intently at Shen Xingzhou, then looked at the giant stele in the center of the display stand that emitted golden lightning patterns.

Lost.

We lost completely.

Not only did they lose the project, but the Qi family also lost all face at this tasting event.

"Pack your things! Let's go!"

Qi Liancheng turned around abruptly.

Two assistants in black quickly pushed up the display case containing the Nine-Headed Serpent Soul-Devouring Mirror and followed closely behind him.

The gray-robed Taoist priest walked at the back of the group with his head down.

The surrounding collectors quickly moved away, their eyes filled with disgust and wariness as they looked at him.

The group walked towards the side door.

The corridor was dimly lit, and the safety indicator lights cast a ghastly green light, stretching the shadows of Qi Liancheng and the gray-robed Taoist into extremely long, twisted, and leaping shapes.

"Master Zhao."

Qi Liancheng lowered his voice, his tone cold.

"I can't swallow this insult. If the Jianglan project is lost, I won't be able to face my family when I get back."

The gray-robed Taoist stopped in his tracks.

He turned around, his murky gaze peering through the crack in the door, fixed on the Xuan Tian Dang Mo Stele and the Seven Star Dharma Lamp on the display stand.

He stuck out his tongue and licked his chapped lips.

"Rest assured, young master."

The gray-robed Taoist's voice was hoarse and grating.

"These two treasures... I have my own way of dealing with them. They may be able to take them, but they might not be able to keep them. As long as the stele leaves this venue, by nightfall..."

His right hand was tucked into his wide sleeve.

A piece of black talisman was held between his withered fingers.

On the surface of the talisman, blood-red patterns were slowly writhing, emitting a nauseating stench.

Inside the venue.

The lights were on.

The golden thunder patterns on the Xuan Tian Dang Mo Stele and the seven-colored radiance of the Seven Star Dharma Lamp complement each other.

Lin Keke grabbed Chen Xiaoyu's arm, jumping and skipping excitedly.

"Xiaoyu! Did you hear that?! It's an authentic work! It's genuine! Your brother is amazing, he even managed to produce a calligraphy piece from the Tang Dynasty!"

Chen Xiaoyu held up her phone, the gift effects on the screen completely obscuring the view.

Rockets, castles, carnivals—they kept exploding.

The platform server even experienced a brief lag.

The Qi family slunk away! Awesome!

[Brother Shen is so handsome! I love his fierce protection of his sister!]

With the two sacred artifacts of the Daoist sect in charge, who will dare to act arrogantly in front of the Shen family from now on?

[Hey streamer, when are you finally going to show your face?! I'd trade ten years of being single with my ex-boyfriend for just one picture of your brother!]

Shen Nianqing stood still.

She looked at the towering stone tablet, a soft light appearing in her eyes.

He painstakingly unearthed the ancient stele, which was six hundred years old, for her sake.

The white-haired elder put away the ancient scroll and placed it back into his sleeve.

He turned around and faced Shen Nianqing.

His originally solemn and dignified face suddenly cracked.

The elder's lips twitched twice, as if he was trying his best to suppress something, his mustache sticking up.

"Miss Shen."

The elder's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the hall could hear it clearly.

"Mr. Chen also asked me to pass on a message."

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone perked up their ears.

【Here it comes!】

[High-energy warning ahead!]

The first layer is "I miss you," the second is "It's inconvenient for my sister to hear," and what's the third layer!

[Tell me quickly, I'm so impatient!]

Shen Nianqing raised her head, her earlobes beginning to turn red.

The white-haired elder took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and wore a desperate expression.

Mr. Chen said…