The cherished calligraphy and paintings of one's parents, after their passing, often become incomprehensible to their children who lack an appreciation for such art. They might mistake these valuable pieces for worthless junk, selling them off or even throwing them away, only for them to be picked up by scavengers who recognize their worth.
Of course, scavenging isn't limited to just calligraphy and paintings; one might also stumble upon gold, jewelry, watches, and all sorts of peculiar items.
"May I come in and take a look at the calligraphy and paintings you've found? If I come across something suitable, I'd be willing to purchase it."
The disheveled old man pondered for a moment. It had been a while since he last had meat, and selling a few items could earn him some money to buy some. He stepped aside, allowing Li Cunxu to enter.
However, the old man remained wary of Li Cunxu, keeping a kitchen knife hidden behind his back.
Inside the small room were numerous boxes filled with calligraphy, paintings, and books, all scavenged by the old man from the dump.
Li Cunxu crouched down and began sifting through the items.
"Nice painting."
"Printed artwork."
"A student's work."
"Guan Yu riding a bicycle to slay Ultraman, what nonsense."
"This one's not bad, 'The Little Darklings of Two and a Half Years,' quite beautiful."
After a while of searching, the old man asked, "Weren't you here to look at paintings? Why are you going through the books?"
Li Cunxu scratched his head, "To be honest, I also have an interest in calligraphy. Seeing these ancient texts here, I couldn't resist."
He continued searching until he finally found a book with the title 'Path of Extremes' partially visible. A look of delight flashed across Li Cunxu's face, but he quickly masked it and casually picked up the book, along with a somewhat familiar painting of a tiger playing with a cat.
"I'll take these two. How about two hundred?"
The old man eyed him suspiciously, unsure of Li Cunxu's true intentions. He tentatively countered, "I want two thousand, or I won't sell."
"You..."
Li Cunxu gritted his teeth, considering for a moment, then said, "Fine, I'll give it to you out of pity."
The old man snorted inwardly, thinking, 'Kid, your acting is terrible.' He then tested the waters again, "Twenty thousand, or no deal."
"How can you raise the price again?" Li Cunxu protested.
"My items, my prices. Take it or leave it."
"Fine, I'll take it."
Just as Li Cunxu was about to take the book and painting, the old man placed his long-unwashed, grimy hands on them.
"I'm not selling anymore."
"How can you go back on your word?"
"Get out, or I'll give you a taste of this knife."
The old man brandished the kitchen knife from his waist, threatening Li Cunxu.
By now, the old man was certain that Li Cunxu's visit wasn't innocent—he was after that book. The old man planned to study the book thoroughly once Li Cunxu left, to uncover what made it so valuable that Li Cunxu was willing to pay twenty thousand for it.
"It seems I offered too much, making you suspicious. But, I did it on purpose."
Li Cunxu chuckled, and the old man suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
"Xiao Ruan, go."
Xiao Ruan didn't just go—it pounced and immediately pinned the old man down. The old man tried to resist with his knife, but Li Cunxu stomped on his hand, twisting his heel until the old man dropped the knife, howling in pain.
The old man cursed, "You young brat, how dare you rob an old scavenger!"
Li Cunxu leaned down, smiling at him, "Me, a brute? You've got it wrong. The real brute here is you."
"Envious of a famous painting your friend acquired at a bargain, you poisoned the meal he served you, taking the lives of his entire family of six, including a three-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl, who once called you uncle. How could you bring yourself to do such a thing?"
"Even more despicably, fearing the police would discover your crime, you dismembered the six bodies."
Li Cunxu pressed harder, causing the disheveled old man to howl in pain.
Not all the scavengers at the dump were there because they couldn't make ends meet; some were fugitives hiding from the police.
Why was the old man so unkempt? Was it because he didn't care about cleanliness? No, it was deliberate. The grime on his face, thick enough to scrape off two buns, served as a better disguise than a human mask.
Even the police couldn't recognize him as a wanted criminal when they stood before him.
"By the way, what's your name? How much is the bounty on your head?"
The old man was utterly frustrated. He had been caught, and the captor didn't even know his name?
Strange, if he didn't know his name, how could he accurately recount his deeds?
The old man was momentarily lost in confusion.
Li Cunxu noticed a painting hanging on the wall, its ink still wet, with the artist's name inscribed.
"You're Zhang Chiqian, right?"
Li Cunxu took out his phone, logged into the bounty website, and searched for Zhang Chiqian.
"Your bounty is only a hundred thousand."
Zhang Chiqian shouted, "Let me go, and I'll give you more than that."
Li Cunxu hesitated, not entirely convinced.
"You're a scavenger. How could you have a hundred thousand?"
"Trust me, my Bloodline Talent is the Gold-Seeking Eyes."
Li Cunxu recalled the abilities of the Gold-Seeking Eyes and believed Zhang Chiqian.
Originally a rare blue-level talent, the Gold-Seeking Eyes could detect hidden gold veins beneath the earth.
However, due to an ancestor's reckless digging for gold, they awakened the slumbering Golden Ancient Dragon beneath the earth, revealing its location and attracting dragon slayers. Knowing it couldn't escape, the Golden Ancient Dragon cursed the Gold-Seeking Eyes bloodline with its dying breath, downgrading it to a common white-level talent.
Now, the Gold-Seeking Eyes could only mark visible gold and analyze its purity.
Li Cunxu hesitated, "I need to see the money first before I let you go."
Zhang Chiqian pointed to the corner, "Dig up the floor tiles there."
Li Cunxu complied, unearthing a finely crafted jewelry box filled with gold and silver ornaments, mostly gold.
Li Cunxu looked at the box of treasures, puzzled. "If you have the Gold-Seeking Eyes, you could easily find gold by wandering the wilderness rivers. You wouldn't be short of money. Why didn't you just buy the painting instead of poisoning your friend's family to steal it?"
Zhang Chiqian opened his mouth, then thought better of it and changed his response.
"My Bloodline Talent hadn't awakened back then."
Li Cunxu narrowed his eyes, noticing Zhang Chiqian's expression and sensing he wasn't telling the truth.
"If you have money, why did you covet my small sum and let me in?" Li Cunxu raised another question.
"I don't have money. Although the gold and silver are valuable, they can't be easily converted. It would be too conspicuous for a beggar to frequently exchange gold for cash."
Zhang Chiqian lamented, then boasted.
"How about it! This box, not counting the jewels, just the gold and silver is worth more than a hundred thousand, right?"
"Now let me go!"
Li Cunxu said with frustration, "You're such a grown-up, yet you're still so naive. Once I catch you, all of this will be mine."
"I want the bounty, and I want the gold and silver jewelry too."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chiqian was so furious that he nearly spat blood and shouted in anger.
"I'm going to report you to the police! I'm going to accuse you of stealing my gold and silver!"