Old Harden, can you handle having your vision-shifting abilities on all the time?

The surrounding collectors also stepped forward and picked up the fragments on the ground to examine them carefully.

"It is indeed a modern embryo; the color is clearly wrong."

"And this cross-section is loose and flimsy, it's not even in the same league as the body of Yongle imperial kiln porcelain."

"The traces of grouting are still there; the level of forgery is just too low!"

"How could something like this pass the archaeological association's review? That's outrageous!"

The discussions grew louder and more heated.

Every word was like a knife, stabbing deeply into Gu Bai's heart.

He felt a burning sensation on his face, as if he had been slapped a dozen times in public.

He couldn't understand why Xu Xing dared to do this.

How dare a restorer from Chengxin Pavilion, a craftsman without even a formal position, smash the display case and break the porcelain in front of so many people, openly slapping the face of the vice president of the cultural relics association?

Isn't he afraid of offending the entire cultural relics system?

Isn't he afraid that he will find it difficult to move an inch in the cultural and museum circles of Chang'an in the future?

Gu Bai racked his brains but couldn't figure it out.

But he knew he had failed this time.

Completely ruined.

Looking at his dejected appearance, Xu Xing shook his head and sighed, "Sigh, these days anyone can become a vice president."

Such an obvious modern replica can be brought in and exhibited in front of so many top collectors across the country.

If word got out, wouldn't it make us, the cultural heritage community in Chang'an, a laughing stock in the eyes of our colleagues across the country?

These words are tantamount to adding fuel to the fire.

Gu Bai suddenly came to his senses, glaring at Xu Xing with gritted teeth and eyes full of anger.

"Xu Xing! You..."

He clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly, as if he were about to rush up and fight Xu Xing to the death at any moment.

Xu Xing glared at him defiantly and sneered, "What, Chairman Gu, you want to hit someone?"

He shook his right fist, his tone slightly mocking: "I advise you to calm down and think about whether your face is as hard as this piece of tempered glass."

Gu Bai clenched his fist tightly, then slowly relaxed it.

His gaze fell on the shattered tempered glass on the ground, and a chill ran through him.

Even a strong man who has trained for several years would find it difficult to shatter tempered glass with a single punch, even if it is only one centimeter thick.

How come Xu Xing is so strong?

The other collectors around him also realized what was happening, and their gazes toward Xu Xing were now filled with shock.

"Holy crap, shattering tempered glass with one punch? That's insanely awesome!"

"Is that fist made of iron?"

"No wonder he dared to smash the display case; he really knows kung fu!"

Zhou Zhihai stood to the side, his eye twitching slightly.

Although he knew Xu Xing was physically fit, he never expected him to shatter tempered glass with a single punch.

However, Zhou Zhihai didn't try to smooth things over. Instead, he nodded formally, following Xu Xing's words, his tone tinged with disappointment.

"President Gu, I'm not trying to criticize you, but your Chang'an Cultural Relics Association has indeed been going backwards in recent years."

How could such inferior counterfeit goods be allowed into such an important occasion? What exactly was your preliminary review process like?

"If XCMG hadn't recognized it today, this piece would have been exhibited to top collectors nationwide for several days, which would have been a huge embarrassment for the entire Chang'an cultural heritage circle."

Zhou Zhihai's words carried far more weight than Xu Xing's.

He is not only a leading scholar in the field of porcelain in China, but also a specially appointed expert consultant of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, possessing a high level of official background.

Even the director of the local cultural relics bureau in Chang'an would have to treat him with great respect.

His words essentially defined the nature of the matter.

The ancient cypress tree was negligent, and the cultural relics association was negligent.

Gu Bai's face turned completely pale.

Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and his lips trembled as he tried to explain, but he didn't know what to say.

The collectors around him were now looking at him with a hint of pity.

Everyone can see that Gu Bai has really messed up this time.

And they suffered a terrible defeat.

Being exposed in front of so many people and being personally labeled as dereliction of duty by Zhou Zhihai, his position as vice president is probably in jeopardy.

Gu Bai stood there, his body swaying precariously.

His gaze swept over the pitying eyes around him, over the pile of porcelain shards on the ground, and over Xu Xing's calm face.

A surge of energy rushed to the top of his head.

His vision went black, his body swayed, and then he fell straight to the ground with a thud.

"Chairman Ko!"

"Chairman Ko!"

His two assistants were shocked and rushed forward to support him, pinching his philtrum and slapping his face, creating a chaotic scene.

The fellow collectors around looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Xu Xing looked at the fallen Gu Bai and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

He dusted off his hands and turned to Zhou Zhihai: "Old Zhou, shall we continue our stroll?"

Zhou Zhihai glanced at him, then at Gu Bai on the ground, who was being frantically rescued by his assistants, and shook his head helplessly.

"Let's go over there and take a look. There are a few nice things there."

The two left side by side, leaving behind a scene of chaos.

Gu Bai lay on the ground, his consciousness gradually fading.

In his final moments, only one question remained: How dare Xu Xing do this?

……

Xu Xing and Zhou Zhihai walked side by side through the exhibition area on the east side of the hall, the chaotic noise behind them gradually fading away.

Zhou Zhihai glanced at Xu Xing, his eyes filled with a complex expression: "Engineer Xu, you really pulled a ruthless move today."

"Is it harsh?"

Xu Xing smiled and said calmly, "I just did what I was supposed to do. If those inferior imitations could be displayed so openly at an exchange meeting of this caliber, it would be a disgrace to the entire Chang'an cultural and museum circle if I didn't expose them on the spot."

"That's true, but you've really offended Guber to death."

Zhou Zhihai shook his head. "He served as the vice president of the Chang'an Cultural Relics Association for seven or eight years. He has many students and old friends. You might encounter some unnecessary trouble in Chang'an in the future."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xing gave a dismissive smile: "Old Zhou, do you think I would care?"

Zhou Zhihai was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

He thought about it carefully and realized that he had indeed been overthinking it.

Xu Xing was doing restoration work at Chengxinzhai, which is a top-tier cultural relic restoration institution in China and is not under the jurisdiction of the Chang'an Cultural Relics Association.

No matter how influential the Cultural Relics Association is, it has no jurisdiction over Chengxinzhai.

Even if Gu Bai holds antique exchange meetings or appraisal events in Chang'an in the future and does not invite Xu Xing, it will have no impact on Xu Xing.

He wasn't someone who made a living by participating in these kinds of activities.

Moreover, the Chang'an Museum sometimes needs to consult Xu Xing on porcelain restoration issues.

Currently, Xu Xing is not only one of the leading restorers in the field of porcelain restoration in Chang'an, but also one of the top restorers.

In truth, the Cultural Relics Association begged Xu Xing far more often than Xu Xing begged them.

Once Zhou Zhihai understood this, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Xu Gong, you have a solid foundation to stand firm in your position."

"You flatter me, Mr. Zhou."

Xu Xing humbly replied, "I'm just a craftsman. I just need to do my job well and I'm too lazy to care about anything else."