Chapter 204 Burning Flames
In the darkness, Xiao Hua's figure moved back and forth through every corner of the Louvre. Wherever she went, the night patrol guards were as if bewitched, immersed in the illusions created by Xiao Hua.
This fox spirit has improved considerably since following Lu Xuan. Now it can cast simple illusions at will, making dealing with ordinary people a piece of cake.
Lu Xuan and his group of five swaggered straight into the Louvre. Under Hong Gu's masterful manipulation of the Moon Gate, no locks mattered. With no surveillance cameras overhead, this era was, for them, simply perfect.
Later generations have selected the three most artistically valuable treasures in the Louvre: the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.
To be honest, although Lu Xuan didn't understand art, his years in a high position had given him a certain level of appreciation. These three pieces were indeed of high quality. Unfortunately, apart from the Mona Lisa, he couldn't bring the other two back. He couldn't very well carry two statues back; there was nowhere to put them.
"Ah..." These barbarians are so shameless. They actually carved naked women.
"If you don't like it, just smash it. Everything here is ours for the next two hours. Take what's easy to take. As for the rest, destroy what you can."
"Master, these things must be extremely valuable. Why must you destroy them?" The old foreigner felt a pang of heartache. Although he didn't understand Western art, he knew these items were priceless.
"Because we can't take it with us." Lu Xuan's cold words shut the old foreigner down.
Partridge Whistle, being older, understood Lu Xuan's feelings. He spoke to the old foreigner.
“Follow me.” With that, she led him deeper into the Louvre.
The old foreigner was soon stunned by what he saw.
He roamed the world freely, later joining Partridge Whistle's band. He hadn't received much formal education and knew little about history. He was somewhat stunned by what he saw before him.
As far as the eye could see, there were national treasures they had never even dared to dream of before. Look at those porcelains, jades, gold and silver artifacts, calligraphy and paintings, screens. Even though he came from the Banshan lineage, he couldn't even name most of them. If he had acquired just one of these items during tomb raiding, he could have lived off them for a lifetime. But now, there were hundreds, even thousands, of them before him.
"How come these foreigners have so many of our things here?"
"They looted it. About seventy or eighty years ago, foreigners broke into Beijing. The collections of the Central Plains dynasty, accumulated over thousands of years, were all plundered. The Yuanmingyuan in Beijing was burned down by them. Hundreds of thousands of treasures inside were looted by those foreign devils. The fire raged for three days and three nights. The Chinese dynasty fell into ruin from that point on. You think Master really liked those foreign devils? He's been holding his breath all this time."
"Then we need to take these things back..."
"What should we do? There are only five of us. Take what's easy to grab. As for the rest, let's leave it like this for now. As for those foreign devils' things, burn them if you can, smash them if you can. Be careful, Master is in a bad mood today."
Lu Xuan, with his arm around Hong Gu, was standing in front of the Mona Lisa's portrait. Hong Gu was examining the painting.
"This painting is quite good. It's very pleasing to the eye."
"Really? Then take it back and hang it above your bed so you can look at it every day."
"No, I don't like anyone looking at me from my bedside."
"Then we'll set up a special room and put all your favorite things in it, so you can look at them whenever you want."
"Okay. Hua Ling, remember to bring this painting with you. And this lotus painting is quite beautiful too."
Lu Xuan glanced at it; it looked like Monet's Water Lilies. However, Monet painted many Water Lilies throughout his life, so he didn't know which one it was.
"Keep it."
"Alright." Hua Ling quickly stepped forward and cut the painting off. Then she put it into a paper tube.
As the two walked along, they picked up gleanings, and collected iconic paintings from the Louvre, such as those of the Virgin Mary in the Garden. Soon, however, the five of them were covered with all sorts of paintings and trinkets.
The Louvre was now a scene of utter devastation. Countless shattered statues, torn paintings, and various ancient Egyptian artifacts were scattered everywhere. Those that could be taken away had been taken, and those that couldn't were smashed to pieces by Partridge Whistle and his men with hammers.
But these things represent less than one percent of what's in the Louvre. Time was running out. The change of shift would arrive soon. And Xiaohua couldn't hypnotize everyone again.
"Looks like this is the only way for today. Partridge Whistle, let's get started."
"Yes, Master." Partridge Whistle tossed a tinderbox with his right hand. He had already scattered oil in many places around him. Now, upon encountering a spark, the fire ignited instantly.
Looking at the increasingly fierce flames before him, Lu Xuan revealed a strange smile.
The five people, carrying large bags and small packages, walked out of the Louvre openly and brazenly, boarded two carriages, and leisurely drove away. Not long after, someone outside noticed the flames inside the Louvre. At the same time, some of the hypnotized guards awoke. Staring at the raging fire, their faces turned pale.
The piercing alarm bells wailed throughout Paris. Countless fire brigades rushed frantically towards the Louvre. But it was too late. The potent fire oil specially prepared by Partridge Whistle wasn't so easily extinguished. More importantly, they had wasted too much time; by the time those outside noticed, the fire was already unstoppable.
It is said that the current director of the Louvre fainted upon seeing the raging fire. Several other staff members rushed in desperately, trying to salvage the precious artifacts. But they managed to save nothing. The most visible and easily accessible items had already been destroyed by Lu Xuan and his team. Those deeper inside succumbed to the flames before they could even get close.
A state of emergency was declared in Paris. The police and military sealed off the entire city and began searching house to house. They weren't stupid; they quickly determined that arson had occurred.
By this time, Lu Xuan and the others had returned to their residence a few streets away. They casually piled the miscellaneous items in a corner and immediately got to work.
Not long after, there was a rapid knocking at the door.
"Ignore it, continue our work." Lu Xuan stopped his disciple from opening the door. Less than ten seconds later, the sound of banging on the door came from outside. A large group of police officers broke down the door and rushed into Lu Xuan and the others' studio.
Lu Xuan ignored them and calmly finished his work. He was preparing medicine for several important French figures—the kind of medicine that the notoriously womanizing French nobles would need in their later years.
"Mr. Lu, we have some questions that require your answer in person." A police officer who appeared to be a captain reached out and knocked the medicine bottle out of Lu Xuan's hand, staring into Lu Xuan's eyes as he asked.
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Chapter 205 The Demon Who Hates Artworks (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
"I thought the French were all hospitable?" Lu Xuan said calmly, looking at the spilled medicine.
"Our hospitality is reserved only for friends."
"Aren't we friends with France?"
"That depends on what you did tonight."
"As you can see, we're doing what we've always done. Many important people are waiting for our medicine."