"Doing this wouldn't benefit the owner at all. In fact, it would affect the value of this Li Inkstick. Wouldn't that be a bit of a losing proposition?" Someone immediately felt that Old Yu's speculation was unlikely.
Old Yu chuckled. "What if someone knew they didn't have long to live, and also knew that none of their descendants could properly preserve this Li Inkstick?"
"Uh..."
There were all kinds of people in the world. Someone like the person Old Yu described certainly existed. To such a person, if they couldn't have something, then no one else would be allowed to obtain it safely either.
Some might wonder: If that were the case, why wouldn't that person simply destroy the Li Inkstick? Perhaps they genuinely loved it and couldn't bear to destroy it. Moreover, grinding away the gilded designs and inscription would make identifying the Li Inkstick considerably more difficult. Perhaps some people might even fail to recognize it as a Li Inkstick at all. That would achieve the person's goal.
At that moment, Old Xu smiled. "That's only one possibility. Besides, we shouldn't look at everything in the world so darkly. Otherwise, what joy would there be in life?"
Old Yu pointed at Old Xu and cursed with a laugh, "Old Xu, are you criticizing me by talking about someone else? Saying my heart is too dark?"
Old Xu waved his hand with a smile. "All right! I was only joking! Does anyone have any other questions about this Li Inkstick?"
Everyone shook their heads. No matter how they looked at it, this ancient inkstick had to be a Li Inkstick. If they insisted on continuing the appraisal, they could soak it in water. But since several old experts had all agreed that it was genuine, doing so would only