Chapter 21: Picking Up a Forty Million Fortune

The old man immediately shook his head, refuting himself: "How is that possible? I have collected this painting for years and examined it countless times; it is impossible for there to be any hidden layers."

"Young man, are you mocking me, or do you take me for a fool? Get out!"

The old man’s tone grew stern, and he looked at Xu Yi with growing hostility.

Xu Yi said slowly, "Whether there is a painting within a painting, we will know once we peel it back. If I am wrong, I will apologize to you later, Elder."

As he spoke, Xu Yi prepared to act.

"Wait!" The shop owner quickly stopped him.

"Oh? Does the Elder have any advice?"

"Hmph!" The old man let out a cold snort. "While I do not believe what you say, peeling a painting at will is a destruction of the artwork! Even if the painting is yours, I will not allow such a thing to happen in my presence."

"If you truly wish to peel the painting, I can find a professional to do it. But hiring someone to peel a painting costs money, and you must cover that fee."

"No problem!" Xu Yi said confidently.

Xu Yi's confidence only fueled the old man's irritation. Could he really have misjudged it?

The old man made several phone calls in succession.

Ten minutes later, a group of four men in suits and leather shoes arrived at the shop. Three of them carried black briefcases.

"Elder Gu!" The four greeted the old man respectfully.

"You're here. The painting is there. This young friend insists there is a hidden layer; please help him peel it," Elder Gu said, gesturing toward the painting and Xu Yi.

The leader of the group was a meticulous middle-aged man.

"Very well, Elder Gu!" The man nodded, and his three companions opened their briefcases.

One person took out cleaning tools to carefully sanitize the middle-aged man's hands before putting on a pair of gloves. The other two worked together to lay the painting flat on a nearby workbench, then retrieved various small tools and reagents from their cases.

Once everything was ready, the middle-aged man approached the painting.

He looked at Xu Yi seriously and said, "Sir, before I begin, there are a few things I must confirm with you."

Xu Yi nodded. "Please, go ahead."

"First, there is a high probability that peeling the painting will cause irreparable damage. You must bear the consequences of this."

Xu Yi replied, "Naturally. Regardless of the outcome, I take full responsibility."

The middle-aged man nodded and continued, "Second, regardless of the results, the base fee is 500,000 yuan. If a hidden painting is discovered, we will charge an additional 10% of the new painting's appraised value."

Xu Yi frowned. Through his [Perspective], he was certain there was a painting within a painting, but he was unsure of its value. If the hidden painting was appraised as worthless, wouldn't he lose 700,000 yuan for nothing?

Elder Gu noticed Xu Yi's hesitation and said, "Rest assured, if there truly is a painting within a painting, given the current market, it would start at at least one million."

Xu Yi's eyes lit up. While Elder Gu was not known for his pleasant temper, he was highly credible. This meant that not only would he not lose money, but he would likely turn a tidy profit.

Without further hesitation, Xu Yi said, "No problem."

The middle-aged man nodded. "In that case, I will begin. During the entire process, I ask that no one besides myself touches the work."

He then began a series of rigorous and cautious preparations. Indeed, the preparation work took nearly half an hour. Xu Yi wanted to speak but held back; seeing that everyone else seemed accustomed to it, he kept his patience and remained silent.

After another half hour of cleaning the painting's surface, the middle-aged man sighed with relief. "Good! Now, I will begin to peel away the top layer of rice paper."

He picked up a strange pair of tweezers and reached toward the painting.

Elder Gu and Xu Yi focused their full attention on his movements. The man’s hand was steady. The tweezers dipped down, carefully breaking the edge of the paper.

"Rip~"

With a faint sound, the man completed the motion in one smooth movement!

A sheet of paper as thin as a cicada's wing was peeled away! The painting underneath remained undamaged! The man's technique was steady, accurate, and ruthless.

Then, a painting of water lilies appeared before everyone's eyes!

"What?" Elder Gu was shocked, his eyes widening in disbelief.

There really was a painting within a painting! Even though he had only glanced at it, Elder Gu instantly judged it to be a rare masterpiece.

The middle-aged man and his companions were equally surprised. While they didn't do this often, they usually dealt with simple layers. Finding a hidden painting was extremely rare. They couldn't help but be astonished.

"Incredible! Incredible!" Elder Gu muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on the painting with excitement. If not for his long-maintained professional composure, he would have picked it up to admire it immediately.

Only Xu Yi remained calm. Seeing the middle-aged man preparing to take off his gloves, Xu Yi said, "Don't be in such a hurry to take off your gloves."

"What do you mean?" The man looked at him in confusion.

Xu Yi pointed to the painting. "I mean your work isn't finished yet. Perhaps you could continue peeling."

"You mean there's another layer underneath? How is that possible?" The man rejected the notion without a second thought. It was rare enough to find one hidden painting; in his twenty years of work, he had rarely seen two.

"No! There is! There is indeed another painting underneath! Little Wang! Continue! Continue!" Elder Gu, with his sharper eye, had already discovered the secret of the hidden layer. His voice trembled with excitement.

The middle-aged man frowned. Although he still doubted it, since Elder Gu had spoken, he put his gloves back on, took a deep breath, and continued.

Soon, another sheet of rice paper was peeled away, and a different painting appeared underneath.

"There really is one!" The previously composed man felt his hands starting to ache.

"Don't stop! Continue!" Elder Gu prompted from the side.

"What? There's more?" The man’s hand shook, nearly dropping his tool. He steadied himself, took a deep breath, and continued.

Soon, another perfect sheet of paper was removed, revealing yet another brand-new lotus painting underneath!

"The third one! Three layers of hidden paintings! This is unprecedented!" The middle-aged man felt sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"Continue!" Elder Gu shouted, suppressing his own excitement.

"There's more?" The man was nearly numb. He gritted his teeth and focused all his energy.

"Rip~"

A fourth lotus painting appeared at the very bottom!

"Four layers of hidden lotus paintings! A masterpiece! A true masterpiece!" Elder Gu immediately pulled out his magnifying glass, scanning back and forth across the four paintings in excitement.

The middle-aged man, as if having exhausted his mental strength, collapsed into a chair, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

Beside them, Xu Yi wore a wide smile. Although he didn't know the exact value, seeing their stunned expressions, he knew he had successfully "picked up a bargain."

After a few minutes, once everyone had calmed down, Xu Yi looked at the middle-aged man and asked, "Mr. Wang, may I ask what the value of these paintings is now?"

The man's eyes darted quickly. He immediately said, "Is this young friend planning to sell them?"

Seeing Xu Yi nod, the man hurriedly pulled out a business card and handed it to him. "Young friend! I am an appraiser for the Wang Family Antique Auction House. My name is Wang Quan'an! If you are interested in selling these four lotus paintings, my auction house is willing to acquire them."

"As for the price! To be honest, while four-layer paintings are rare, the artist is not well-known. I am willing to offer 10 million for them. What do you think?"

Before Xu Yi could answer, Elder Gu scoffed. "Little Wang! Are your eyes blind, or has the Wang Auction House fallen so low?"

"Even if the artist is not famous, the brushwork is exceptional, and these are undoubtedly Ming Dynasty works! More importantly, they form a complete set of four, making them a true rarity!"

"If you put these up for auction, they could easily fetch 100 million!"

Xu Yi's eyes lit up; the value far exceeded his expectations.

"However, that is the auction price. If you want to sell them now, I estimate they are worth 40 million!"

Xu Yi's smile grew even wider.