Chapter 765 – Bid
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“How about it? Do you two young sirs have any interest? This is something unearthed from the grave of an ancient Emperor; it has a history of at least 10,000 years!” The Knifescar fellow happily said as he saw that the two young men were intrigued.
This jade was indeed a treasure unearthed from an ancient grave, but it was unknown whether or not it came from the tomb of an ancient great Emperor.
At that time, even the Knifescar fellow wasn’t sure about the identity of these two jade bracelets when he received them from the man who dug up the grave. Finally, he had to ask the Great Elder of White Jade Dragon Row to appraise the items for him, finally determining that it was a 10,000 year old corpse jade and ended up purchasing it for 2000 spirit essence stones.
Corpse jade was also a valuable type of jade. Although it wasn’t rare or precious like blood spirit jade, it was still more expensive than normal wood spirit jade carvings.
With such a rare and clever method used to disguise it, the Knifescar fellow had 120% confidence that everyone would believe his words.
“How many spirit essence stones?” Zhou Kun asked.
“12,000!”
The price that the Knifescar fellow suddenly broke out with was a profit of five times the cost. If this pair of jade bracelets was really crafted from blood spirit jade, then it could absolutely sell at an auction house for 25,000-30,000 spirit essence stones. The price that the Knifescar fellow listed was already extremely low.
But this was still 12,000 spirit essence stones. Even if it were Li Yifeng or Zhou Kun, they both still had to deliberate and then deliberate some more. This was not a small amount.
The two eventually switched jade bracelets, examining them once more. This continued appraisal lasted for another two hours. No matter how he looked at it, these ancient jade bracelets were the real deal.
The fine hairs left on the jade bracelet were absolutely formed over 10,000 years. Although this texture could be faked, it was actually impossible to do so in such a perfect manner that seemed to be in complete conformity. Moreover, the texture and wood spirit jade had formed a faint blossoming fog and a gradual gradient of color that was impossible to fake no matter how ingenious one’s methods were.
The two remained silent. The Knifescar fellow wasn’t anxious. He waited there, smiling, his eyes flashing with a cryptic light.
From the start until now, he had never said this was blood spirit jade. In truth, this didn’t matter. The unspoken rules of Jade Row stipulated that there were real and fake items here; everything was voluntarily bought. If someone was tricked then they could only blame their vision for being poor. No one could come back and complain unless Jade Row had truly sold counterfeit jade.
Li Yifeng and Zhou Kun may have had high ranking identities, but they also complied with these unspoken rules. Moreover, if White Jade Dragon Row could open they must have many supply channels and also considerable forces supporting them from behind the scenes.
Just because the Knifescar fellow bowed and sucked up to every guest didn’t mean that he was afraid of them.
“12,000. I’ll take it.” After remaining silent for half an hour, Li Yifeng firmly spoke as he licked his slightly dry lips.
He had fully confirmed that this was a treasure from 10,000 years. However, what he didn’t know was that this wasn’t blood spirit jade, but corpse jade.
Although corpse jade was very rare, this sort of thing had a very grim and ominous reputation. There wasn’t a noble lady out there that was willing to wear something that had been sealed in a corpse for 10,000 years. If this pair of corpse jade bracelets was to be auctioned off in an auction house, they would sell for 5000 spirit essence stones at the most.
After someone started with a price it was easier for others to pile on. Zhou Kun stretched out his hand and said, “I’ll add 500; 12,500!”
The two bidding against each other was certainly the scene that the Knifescar fellow wanted to see the most. He smiled and said, “Sir Li, Sir Zhou has offered 12,500… would you…”
“13,000!” Li Yifeng raised the price by another 500.
As Qing’er heard this, she gripped her chest in fear, “Young Master…”
“It’s fine, I have 90% belief in myself.”
There were always risks involved in purchasing these jade carvings. Even appraisal grandmasters had moments where they would make monumental mistakes, sinking everything they had ever worked for. However, if one didn’t want to take risks then they could simply go to the auction house. Not only would it be more expensive, but they would never become an appraisal master of ancient jade carvings. They could also become lovers and collectors of ancient jade carvings, amateurs that knew nothing about ancient jade.
Only by fighting out and struggling in these places where fakes were mixed in with the real items could one become a true master of their field.
“13,500!” Zhou Kun refused to be outdone. But, even for him, putting out such a massive amount of spirit essence stones strained his finances to the limit.
“14,000!” Li Yifeng shouted at nearly the same time. But at this time, Lin Ming’s true essence sound transmission sounded in his ears. After he heard it, Li Yifeng’s expression suddenly changed.
Lin Ming said, “I felt a very faint death energy coming from the jade. I wonder if Brother Li also felt the same thing?”
“Death energy?” Li Yifeng’s heart jumped. As he investigated the jade bracelet a bit more, he frowned again. Although Lin Ming had mentioned this point, Li Yifeng simply didn’t have much understanding into an unorthodox treasure like corpse jade. For now he hadn’t managed to associate them. Or rather, it should be said that as someone who had never seen a corpse jade himself, he could never think of this possibility to begin with.
“14,500!” Zhou Kun shouted out a higher price, blue veins on his forehead bulging out. If this price went up any more then he wouldn’t be able to bear it. Although his total wealth amounted to 50,000-60,000 spirit essence stones, the vast majority of that was fixed in his possessions and properties; he didn’t have that many spirit essence stones on him.
“Sir Zhou has made a bid of 14,500… I wonder if Sir Li…” The Knifescar fellow respectfully said even as his heart blossomed with joy. If he managed to sell this pair of bracelets then his profit would be enormous. After he deducted the portion for the forces behind White Dragon Jade Row, it would be enough for profits to last them a year or two.
Li Yifeng wasn’t sure whether or not he should shout out a higher price. At this time, Lin Ming’s true essence sound transmission sounded out more. Lin Ming thought that his one reminder to Li Yifeng was enough for him to understand, but it seemed as if he had overestimated his jade-loving new friend too much. “Brother Li, I have a bad feeling about this pair of jade bracelets. Please be cautious if you wish to purchase them.”
Feeling?
Li Yifeng was startled. He didn’t believe in some illusive thing like people having a magic sense. If it were an average person speaking to him then he would have disregarded them as speaking nonsense.
However, Lin Ming was not an average person. Since Li Yifeng had known Lin Ming, he had felt as if Li Ming was covered in a hazy fog that he couldn’t pierce through; he had simply never been able to understand him at all.
After hesitating for a long time, Li Yifeng finally suppressed the desire in his heart to make another bid. 15,000 spirit essence stones really was too high, and Lin Ming’s continual two warnings had made him doubt his own judgment.
If these things really weren’t what he thought they were, this his losses would be far too great.
“Sir Li, you…” The Knifescar fellow looked at Li Yifeng with hope in his eyes. Zhou Kun also glanced over at Li Yifeng nervously. If Li Yifeng increased the price again, then he wouldn’t be able to bear it.
Li Yifeng hesitated for a bit long and then finally let out a long sigh. He shook his head and said, “I give up!”
To a collector of ancient jade carvings, giving up on a piece of jade that they had taken a liking towards also required a great deal of determination and courage. Li Yifeng may have grit his teeth and given up on the bidding, but a trace of dismay and sadness inevitably remained in his heart.
The Knifescar fellow was slightly disappointed. If Li Yifeng had continued to raise the price then his own profits would have been that much higher.
Zhou Kun let out a long breath of relief, his palms wet with sweat. That was a close call! If the bid were any higher then he really wouldn’t be able to bring out that many spirit essence stones.
“Then… congratulations to Sir Zhou for obtaining this pair of jade bracelets!” The Knifescar fellow brightly smiled. He took up the jade bracelets from the beautiful young girl’s jade plate and then placed them into a special wood box before handing everything over to Zhou Kun. Zhou Kun also silently paid out 14,500 spirit essence stones.
Li Yifeng watched the two complete their transaction and envy bloomed in his heart. He couldn’t help but think that it would have been better if he had just stuck it out.
Once Zhou Kun successfully obtained the pair of jade bracelets, he laughed and then smiled as he looked towards Li Yifeng, “Many thanks to great Sir Li for declining in such a humble manner. Sir Li should have many spirit essence stones. Perhaps you’re worried that you would be reported by ‘Sir’ Murong to your family? If you really spent 15,000 spirit essence stones, then I fear you might have to face the wall in confinement for 150 years, hahaha!”
Before the transaction was completed, Zhou Kun didn’t dare to antagonize Li Yifeng too much. After all, Li Yifeng’s family background was greater than his. If Li Yifeng really went red with rage then he would end up being the one to suffer.
But none of that mattered now. Since he had already obtained what he desired, Li Yifeng could go crazy all he wanted.
Li Yifeng had been feeling a bit sad to begin with because he couldn’t buy the item that he fancied, but now after being mocked again by Zhou Kun, he was furious. Still, he considered himself quite calm as he derisively said, “Zhou Kun, don’t be so happy with yourself. You don’t even know if what you have is real or fake. Be careful that you won’t be able to even afford your pants tomorrow.”
“Haha, I think Brother Li knows well enough if what I bought was real or fake! In our field of interest there are certainly risks, but if you don’t dare to go all out even if you have a 90% assurance in yourself then you might as well go home and play with your kids!” Zhou Kun laughed, mocking Li Yifeng once again. Zhou Kun had played in the field of jade carvings for so many years that he could appraise them with 80-90% certainty. Otherwise, he never would have put out such an enormous sum of money.
At this moment, the Knifescar fellow said, “Sir Li, Sir Zhou, let us all cool down here. Everyone that comes to my White Dragon Jade Row is an honored guest. Sir Li, although you might not have managed to buy up that pair of jade bracelets, my store still has many other treasures. If Sir Li has a liking for any of them then buying them is still the same.”
The Knifescar fellow had managed this store for enough years to know the ways of the heart. Although it seemed he was mediating this little quarrel, the truth was that he was taking advantage of a time when Li Yifeng was drowning in rage to sell him more goods. A customer was more likely to buy things if they were impulsive and emotional.
At this moment, Zhou Kun said, “Brother Li is so rich. Still, it seems he’s managed too tightly by that manly woman of his. He might not necessarily be able to buy anything here.”
The Knifescar fellow wanted to praise Zhou Kun’s mocking words. In fact, he wanted to hug Zhou Kun to death. Not only did he give him a nearly 13,000 spirit essence stone profit, but now he was also agitating Li Yifeng to buy other things.
Qing’er coldly said, “Humph, our family’s Big Sister Murong reins in our Young Master because our Young Master has a promising future! You think he’s like you, someone who failed to become a successor? Who even gives a shit about you now? You’re nothing but a lump of cow poop plastered on the wall!”
Qing’er’s words were not common poison. She normally didn’t curse, but as soon as she did she would stab at all their sore points.
After Zhou Kun heard he, his face turned blue.
Li Yifeng laughed out loud. He was an open-minded fellow to begin with. Although that matter just now had left him a bit depressed, he wouldn’t let it hang in his mind.
He grabbed Qing’er’s waist with a hand and said, “Okay, I’ll choose some good things today to bring back lest I return empty-handed! Brother Lin! Would you also like to take a gamble at this game of chance?”
Li Yifeng was only thoughtlessly speaking to Lin Ming. He didn’t expect Lin Ming to faintly smile and nod.
“Alright. I’ll choose some things. I’m feeling quite lucky today.”