Never mind the stir that Shen Ying’s traces caused in the Shen family during the ancestral worship the next day. Lu Zheng and Shen Ying had already composed their moods and arrived at the summit of Phoenix Mountain.
Though Shen Ying harboured grudges against the Shen family elders, neither she nor Lu Zheng had any intention of slapping faces or seeking revenge.
Because it was pointless.
Unintentionally revealing a glimpse of their strength, then completely ignoring them, was the greatest blow.
Moreover, those people would no longer dare show disrespect to the graves of Shen Yue and his wife.
That was perfect.
…
At that moment, visitors still dotted the summit of Phoenix Mountain, but they came sporadically. They climbed up, admired the peak scenery, rested a while, then descended again.
The two enjoyed the view from the top. Lu Zheng listened as Shen Ying spoke of old times. They gazed far at Huangli County town, then descended contentedly back to the city.
…
Though Phoenix Mountain indeed had no phoenix, in Huangli County there bloomed a delicate, dewy, tender peach blossom.
…
“How is it? Any news?”
“None.” Lin Wan shook her head. “Though the Church of Eden denies holding the snake-head bronze statue, several former members have accepted visits and confirmed it.”
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow. “I thought they would demand a high price.”
Lin Wan mentioned, “The state advises Chinese nationals and overseas Chinese not to pay high prices for collectibles clearly exceeding appraised value.”
Lu Zheng nodded to show understanding.
It was not new. As far back as the late 1990s, with China’s economy taking off and Chinese nationals and overseas Chinese growing wealthier, patriotism surged. A wave arose of buying Chinese artefacts abroad and donating them to domestic museums.
Then the market flooded with Chinese artefacts stolen or looted in the past, prices ever higher, all aimed at fleecing patriotic Chinese.
As China’s economy improved further, these collectibles’ prices soared. Eventually too outrageous, forcing the state to cool things down for citizens.
Now such reports were rarer, but donations from tycoons and overseas Chinese to domestic museums had never stopped.
“But their direct denial, I truly did not expect,” Lu Zheng said.
“Because the Church of Eden is very wealthy.” Lin Wan shrugged. “They have several billionaires within the faith, plus believers in Europe who donate. They have their own companies managing and operating industries donated by followers.”
Lu Zheng’s eyes widened. “What? Followers donate industries?”
“How novel!” Lin Wan peeled a mantis shrimp and gently placed it in her mouth. “Of course a wealthy church needs management, so they already have companies.
“Many followers hold firm faith, or have no heirs, or poor relations with descendants. In short, upon death they directly donate their industries to the church.
“Such things began in medieval Europe, only then Europe was full of peasants with little money.”
“Fine, I was shallow.”
Such things existed in China too, just rarely, so Lu Zheng had not reacted immediately.
“Has anyone contacted the Church of Eden privately?” Lu Zheng asked.
Lin Wan shook her head. “As far as I know, no. After all, Chinese generally have little connection with such sects. But whether someone contacted them through brokers, that is beyond what I can know.”
After all, Interpol could not gather every piece of intelligence.
“Then I will go myself,” Lu Zheng said.
“Not waiting longer?” Lin Wan asked.
“Forget it. No point waiting. If we wait, someone will buy it with money, letting them profit cheaply.”
“Fair enough. Tomorrow I will give you a dossier on the Church of Eden. They have vast industries. Now the news is out, who knows where they might hide the snake-head bronze statue.”
“Good!”
…
The next day, Lu Zheng received the dossier from Lin Wan, a thick stack.
“So much…”
Lu Zheng was speechless. He opened the first page and read the general introduction to the Church of Eden.
“Holy shit!”
Lu Zheng could not help swearing. “I never imagined the Church of Eden was this kind of church?”
“What did you think?” Lin Wan could not resist rolling her eyes. “A sect symbolised by the serpent that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, what good thing could it be? What deeds could it perform?”
“Group activities… masked balls… private instruments… relationship contracts…”
“Tsk tsk, the rich really know how to play…”
“For the Round Bright Garden’s snake-head bronze statue to be collected by such a sect is simply a disgrace. So you must find the statue,” Lin Wan said.
“Rest assured. Mission guaranteed complete.” Lu Zheng even gave a not-quite-standard military salute.
…
Simply following the dossier to search for a snake-head bronze statue held nothing special, so Lin Wan did not accompany him and stayed in the country.
Lu Zheng soared on clouds, crossing the Pacific directly. He landed lightly in downtown Los Angeles.
Yes, correct. One secret gathering point of the Church of Eden was on the twenty-second floor of the Loren Building in Los Angeles city centre.
Or rather, countless sects in the Lighthouse Country had bases in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, or Houston. After all, these were the largest cities nationwide, with the most wealthy people, easiest to recruit newcomers.
The Church of Eden alone had a full eight bases in Los Angeles!
The snake-head bronze statue had once appeared at this base. Lu Zheng even had a photo accidentally capturing it.
Casting an invisibility spell, Lu Zheng entered through the building’s main door, climbed the stairs straight to the twenty-second floor, and arrived at the Church of Eden’s base.
He happened upon dozens of followers holding a meeting inside.
The kind wearing only masks on their bodies.
Lu Zheng, “…”
As punishment for the eye-searing sight, he cast a weakened Cold Condensation Curse on each, ensuring they all caught colds tomorrow.
“Serves you right for meeting without clothes!”
Lu Zheng circled around and found the spot in the photo where the snake-head bronze statue had been placed. But now it held a coiled-serpent artwork instead.
“As expected, already taken away?”
Lu Zheng shook his head. Then from the dossier, he found the address of the Church of Eden leader’s residence in Los Angeles.
This was Lin Wan’s prioritised list for Lu Zheng based on likely storage locations for the snake-head bronze statue.
If many eyes were on the item, long-distance transfer was unsuitable. Nearby hiding was better.
Thus, Lu Zheng quietly departed, retraced his path, and soon arrived at a seaside estate in North Santa Monica, Los Angeles, the luxurious home of the Church of Eden leader there.
“Truly fucking rich!”
Lu Zheng shook his head, entered invisibly, ignored the estate’s security and servants, and went straight to the owner’s study.
There, at a glance, he spotted the snake-head bronze statue placed on a stand in the corner.
“So easy? It cannot be fake, right?” Lu Zheng was speechless. He leaned in for a close look and concluded.
Genuine!
So… this was sheer arrogance, not putting us artefact thieves in their eyes at all?
Or…
Lu Zheng looked around. With a sweep of divine sense, he immediately detected twelve hidden cameras covering the study 360 degrees without blind spots.
“So many cameras? At least three separate lines, two with infrared vision, four with clear anti-jamming setups, positions extremely concealed.”
Lu Zheng stroked his chin. “This is beyond ordinary security companies. So…”
Lu Zheng went to the study window and looked outside.
Not far away, two fully enclosed vans parked by the roadside.
