Chapter 44: Cyan Flower Dragon and Phoenix Bottle
After walking out of City Hall, Lin Ruoxi asked impatiently, "Cheng Yuan, when did you meet Uncle Shen? How do you know him so well?"
Lin Xinghe and Hua Yao also looked at Cheng Yuan, completely baffled. They couldn’t figure out how Cheng Yuan could possibly know Shen Jiangnan.
Cheng Yuan answered truthfully, "I met Uncle Shen by chance. He was having trouble breathing and was about to go into shock when I saved him."
Lin Xinghe’s and Hua Yao’s eyes lit up. "Xiaoyuan, you know medicine too?"
"Just a little."
"How is that ’just a little’? You must be a Divine Doctor! Otherwise, Brother Jiangnan wouldn’t value you so much."
...
As the saying goes, good things come in pairs.
Before nightfall, Mei Xing’an’s assistant delivered the property deed for the villa and the land transfer agreement, and Shen Manwen delivered her property deed as well.
Cheng Yuan had been out of prison for less than half a month, and he already had two villas and a piece of land worth three hundred million to his name.
Cheng Yuan studied the vase for a long time but couldn’t figure anything out. After saying a quick goodbye to Lin Ruoxi, the guy grabbed the vase, hailed a cab, and headed to Luocheng’s Antique Street.
Cheng Yuan activated his Double Pupil and looked around. Most of the items at the street stalls showed no reaction; only a few emitted a faint glow. It was nothing compared to the light coming from his vase.
Feeling confident, Cheng Yuan casually walked into an antique shop—Imperial Treasure Studio.
Imperial Treasure Studio was an old shop that had been around for decades. The owner was dozing in a wicker chair; he was about to close up in half an hour.
In the antique business, you can go three years without a sale and still live off one big score for the next three. So, a lack of customers was nothing to panic about.
Cheng Yuan glanced around and couldn’t help but sneer. Over 99% of the items in Imperial Treasure Studio were just modern crafts; less than 1% of the objects emitted a faint aura.
’Probably nothing good.’
"Shop owner, wake up."
The owner opened his groggy eyes and sized up Cheng Yuan, his interest quickly fading. Cheng Yuan was too young; he didn’t look like a major client.
"Young man, feel free to look around. Let me know if you see anything you like."
"Shop owner, I have a treasure here. I’d like you to take a look."
’A treasure?’
The shop owner instantly perked up. He shot up from his chair, his gaze fixed intently on the vase in Cheng Yuan’s arms.
But with just one glance, the light in the owner’s eyes vanished. He waved his hand dismissively. "Young man, this is a modern craft piece, not some treasure."
Cheng Yuan smiled. "Shop owner, take a closer look. This vase has two layers."
’A two-layered vase?’
The shop owner couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
"Kid, I’ve heard of a painting hidden within a painting—that’s happened many times in history. But a vase hidden within a vase? Unheard of. Besides, the forging techniques for that don’t even exist!"
Cheng Yuan didn’t bother explaining. He picked up an inkstone from the table and, with a CRACK, struck the vase!
CRASH!
The outer layer of the vase shattered, revealing a deep blue vase within.
Upon seeing this vase, the shop owner gasped, his eyes widening instinctively in utter disbelief!
"A vase within a vase actually exists! I’ve really learned something today!"
"Shop owner, help me figure out what this is. There’s a generous reward in it for you."
The shop owner carefully examined the deep blue vase. His pupils flickered as he started spouting nonsense.
"Young man, this is a folk kiln vase from the Qing Dynasty. The condition is quite good, so it has some collection value. If you’re willing to sell, I’ll take it for twenty thousand."
’Twenty thousand?’
Cheng Yuan rolled his eyes in annoyance. ’Does this shop owner take me for a sucker?’
"Only twenty thousand? I might as well take it home to ward off evil spirits."
With that, Cheng Yuan turned to leave.
The shop owner grew anxious and quickly blocked Cheng Yuan’s path. "Young man, don’t be hasty! How much are you looking to sell it for?"
Cheng Yuan grinned. "I plan on taking it to an auction house."
The shop owner’s pupils contracted slightly. ’This kid knows a thing or two, mentioning an auction house.’
The owner continued to bluff, "Young man, I misjudged it earlier. This vase must be from an official kiln. Auction houses take a commission of at least twenty percent—what a waste! I can offer two hundred thousand. How about it?"
’Two hundred thousand?’
The corners of Cheng Yuan’s mouth turned up slightly. ’This really is something special.’
"Shop owner, you think I’m easy to fool because I’m young, don’t you? This treasure of mine is worth more than everything in your shop combined. I doubt you can afford my price. Maybe we can work together some other time!"
With that, Cheng Yuan turned and walked away.
"Young man, wait! We can still negotiate the price!"
The shop owner hurried after him, but with his old arms and legs, how could he possibly catch up to Cheng Yuan?
Just as he was about to leave Antique Street, a middle-aged man in a traditional long gown walked toward him.
The moment the middle-aged man saw the vase in Cheng Yuan’s arms, his eyes went wide. He quickly stopped Cheng Yuan. "Young man, may I see your vase?"
"Sure."
The middle-aged man took out a magnifying glass and examined it carefully, not missing a single detail.
After a full five minutes, the man asked with a hint of excitement, "Young man, are you selling this vase? I can offer three million!"
’Three million?’
’That price is much more sincere than the Imperial Treasure Studio owner’s.’
’But it’s probably still a bargain-bin price.’
"Sorry, this vase isn’t for sale. I plan to take it to an auction house."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man grew anxious. "Young man, I don’t know if you recognize me, but my name is Zhang Zhigang. My father is Zhang Boju, and I have some standing in the antique world. I know my offer is a bit low, but three million is the most I can offer! It’s all the cash I have access to at the moment! Your vase is a Cyan Flower Dragon and Phoenix Bottle, an incredibly precious treasure with immense historical value! If it flows overseas, it would be a tremendous loss to Great Xia’s culture! Please, don’t take it to an auction house. I can help you contact a few serious collectors and get you a fair price! A similar one sold at a Sotheby’s auction in ’17 for 6.6 million US dollars. I think I can help you sell it for 8 million US dollars now. What do you think?"
’Zhang Zhigang?’
’Isn’t he the head appraiser from that antique appraisal show I watched as a kid?’
’I remember the host saying he was the number one antique appraisal master in Great Xia today!’
’8 million US dollars... that’s around 50 million RMB.’
’That must be a sincere price.’
If Lin Ruoxi wasn’t starting an auction house, Cheng Yuan would have nodded without hesitation.
But alas, there are no ’what ifs’ in this world.
"Teacher Zhang, your offered price is very sincere. Unfortunately, we’re running the auction house ourselves. Our first auction is at the end of the month, and if we don’t have a heavyweight treasure to close the show, the auction house will probably fail. I’m sorry, Teacher Zhang."
Zhang Zhigang opened his mouth, but he didn’t try to pressure Cheng Yuan with patriotic appeals. After all, businessmen prioritize profit. Who would be willing to harm their own interests?
Zhang Zhigang had no choice but to settle for the next best thing.
"Young man, where is your auction house, and what is the exact date of the first auction? I’ll call a few friends and we’ll try our best to keep the treasure within Great Xia."
Cheng Yuan was filled with a deep sense of respect for Zhang Zhigang. ’This is a true master,’ he thought. ’He doesn’t care about his own interests at all, only about keeping Great Xia’s treasures from flowing overseas.’
A bold idea suddenly struck Cheng Yuan!
Cheng Yuan thrust the Cyan Flower Dragon and Phoenix Bottle into Zhang Zhigang’s arms and said in a deep voice, "Master Zhang, my name is Cheng Yuan. I deeply admire your character. Let’s be friends. This vase is a gift."
Zhang Zhigang was dumbfounded. He stared at Cheng Yuan in shock, completely unable to comprehend how he could so casually give away such a priceless treasure!
Zhang Zhigang clutched the vase tightly with both hands, shaking his head repeatedly. "No, absolutely not! This is too valuable! I can’t accept it!"
Cheng Yuan grinned. "Master Zhang, this vase isn’t a free gift. Our auction house happens to be in need of an Antique Appraiser. Consider this vase your salary."