Chapter 764 – Ancient Jade Bracelet
…
…
…
As Li Yifeng saw Zhou Kun stick to him like melted candy, he thought little of it. Shopping here all depended on one's own ability to begin with. Daring to buy or not, daring to match the price or not, everything would depend on one's eyes and courage.
When Li Yifeng first became obsessed with wood spirit jade carvings, he had bought fakes and he had bought counterfeits.
In the world of wood spirit jade carvings, fakes and counterfeits were two different things.
A fake was something new disguised as something old, made with wood spirit jade.
As for counterfeits, those were not made from wood spirit jade, but rather wood-attribute spirit essence stones. A wood-attribute martial artist at the Revolving Core realm or even the Life Destruction realm would use their inner energy to transform the spirit essence stone and then integrate a small amount of wood spirit jade powder within.
Counterfeit wood spirit jade formed by an expert was difficult to distinguish from the real deal. Let alone a novice who was just getting started, even masters who had been in the business for years would easily be tricked if they were inattentive for just a second.
In the traditions of Jade Row, new fakes disguised as old treasures was part of the business. However, selling counterfeit goods as the real thing was a matter of ruining their reputation and they would have to pay the customer 10 times the price in compensation.
This was because what they sold wouldn't be jade. If they sold counterfeit goods then they couldn't be called Jade Row.
Li Yifeng had paid a great amount of money in order to touch upon the gate of identifying wood spirit jade. From the start when all he made was losses, to the present where it was small losses, to the future where he would make small profits, and then beyond that to great profits, that was what he planned.
Of course, Li Yifeng played this game not for money but because he was purely interested in it. It was no different from a mortal that loved gold and gems. Within the four Divine Kingdoms, there were far too many martial artists that loved wood spirit jade. In particular, female martial artists. If they had a set of real wood spirit jade jewelry then not only could it help nourish their soul, but they could also illuminate their own beauty and charms. Wood spirit jade was a high class luxury good desired by all noble daughters of every Divine Kingdom.
"You must all be thirsty after looking for such a long time. First, let's drink some tea." The Knifescar fellow clapped his hands together. Suddenly two slender and beautiful young girls came sashaying out, their bodies covered in only a thin layer of fine gauze as they carried a set of teapots, cups, and tea stoves. The two young girls placed down the tea set and then threw blatant flirtatious glanced at Li Yifeng and Zhou Kun. From underneath that faint light veil that covered their bodies, one could clearly make out two dark red spots on their chests.
Zhou Kun laughed out loud and groped the chests of the two young girls. As for Li Yifeng, underneath Qing'er's contemptuous gaze, he managed to stay well-mannered and polite.
"Sluts!"
Qing'er spat out in irritation as the two young girls stepped back. The two young girls were martial artists to begin with and their hearing was very keen. Although they heard Qing'er's words, they didn't mind it at all. Instead, they giggled and looked back at Qing'er, a great sense of sly provocation clouding their faces.
This was the style and vigor of the desert. The men were rugged and the girls were openly sexual. Even the diet was greatly different. For instance, this pot of tea. Although it was called tea, the truth was that it seemed more like soup. There was butter and shredded vicious beast meat added in, as well as a number of seasonings.
Lin Ming took a single sip and nearly gagged; the smell of meat was unbearable. The once delicate fragrance of the tea was com completely overpowered and mixed in with the meat, making it impossible to taste. Lin Ming couldn't bear to take a second sip. Truly, this was quite difficult.
Li Yifeng glanced straight at him and laughed. He was obviously aware of this tea's taste and hadn't made a single move towards it.
As for Zhou Kun, he drank the tea with great gusto. Lin Ming was speechless; this fellow really had peculiar tastes.
"Well, let's start then." As the Knifescar fellow saw Zhou Kun drink his cup of tea, he clapped once more. The two beautiful serving girls returned, causing Qing'er to adopt a ferocious expression.
The two young girls each held a tray in their hands that was covered with red silk.
The first tray was unveiled, revealing a green smoking pipe. There were martial artists that liked to smoke, although what they smoked wasn't ordinary tobacco, but rather a variety of shredded spiritual plants with the characteristics of tobacco. There were some high quality mixes that cost one or two spirit essence stones for each use.
To smoke such shredded spiritual tobacco naturally required a good smoking pipe. A wood spirit jade smoking pipe was originally filled with wood-attribute energy itself. It could fuse with the special tobacco, making it even more fragrant, and even providing an effect of nourishing the soul.
"This is a wood spirit jade smoking pipe made 5000 years ago. The craftsmanship is superb, and the price is 1300 spirit essence stones. I won't speak further about it. Guests, please take a look for yourselves."
The Knifescar fellow held the wood spirit jade smoking pipe up.
Lin Ming looked at it. The first thing he investigated was not the year that smoking pipe was carved in, but rather the material it was made from.
From the texture of the wood spirit jade to the fluctuations of wood-attribute energy, he slowly discerned all of this and more.
'13,000-14,000 ninth-grade wood spirit jade; the quality isn't too bad either.'
Wood spirit jade had different measurements for its value. One of these was age. The longer that wood spirit jade existed, the more valuable it became. Wood spirit jade also had a grade; a high grade was even more important than the age of the wood spirit jade.
For example, wood spirit jade formed by a buried Demon Heart Flower would be several grades lower than wood spirit jade formed from a 10,000 Year Nirvana Dragon Root. But, the wood spirit jade formed from a 10,000 Year Nirvana Dragon Root would be several grades lower than a wood spirit jade formed from a profound gold divine fruit.
The grade of the spiritual plant that was the origin of the wood spirit jade was the most important factor in its quality.
After looking at the wood spirit jade's quality, Lin Ming began to judge the year the smoking pipe was carved in. The luster was a bit dim, and there were some faint sparks of color like bits of fluorite were mixed in. This was a special gloss formed from trace metal impurities on the surface of the wood spirit jade over several thousand years of time.
Based on this alone, as well as pure energy of the wood spirit jade, Lin Ming determined that this smoking pipe should be around 4000-5000 years old.
It seemed as if this Knifescar fellow wasn't lying after all.
After a quarter hour, Li Yifeng and Zhou Kun both stopped their appraisal.
"I want that smoking pipe." Zhou Kun said.
Li Yifeng hesitated for a moment, not speaking. If he spoke then the price would increase.
Although he was 70-80% sure that this smoking pipe was real, if he put it up at an auction house, the most he could receive was around 1700-1800 spirit essence stones. After deducting the auction fees, he would have less than 1500 left over. For a mere 300 spirit essence stones he would also have to take a significant risk. There really wasn't much worth in doing this, especially since he didn't smoke so he had no interest in the smoking pipe itself.
The Knifescar fellow looked at Li Yifeng with hope in his eyes. As he saw that Li Yifeng had no intention of bidding, he was unavoidably disappointed. Still, he had bought this smoking pipe for 800 spirit essence stones. Making over a 60% profit in a single exchange was quite good.
In White Dragon Jade Row, all transactions were completed on the spot. Zhou Kun immediately put out 1300 spirit essence stones and bought the smoking pipe.
"Hehe, the first item was just an appetizer. This second item is the real deal! I guarantee that both of you will love it!" The Knifescar fellow said with relish. Then, he pulled the silk cover off of the other young girl's tray, revealing a pair of bright crimson blood jade bracelets.
"This is…" Li Yifeng's eyes lit up. "Blood spirit jade?"
Zhou Kun was also delighted. Blood spirit jade was an extremely rare form of wood spirit jade.
Oftentimes, a top heavenly material would have a vicious beast or Saint Beast protecting it. These beasts would be drawn in by the rich origin energy released by the spiritual plant, and would remain by its side, protecting it until it matured and ripened to the point where it could eat it up.
But sometimes there were accidents. For instance, if the spiritual plant's origin energy was too strong, then after the vicious beast that protected it swallowed it down they wouldn't be able to withstand the surge of origin energy. Their meridians would tear and their organs would cook until they finally exploded in a bloody death.
Afterwards, this vicious beast would be buried underground together with the spiritual plant. Generally speaking, this sort of vicious beast was normally at a very high level. The energy and blood essence of the vicious beast would slowly and subtly seep into the wood spirit jade, forming the rare blood spirit jade.
This sort of peculiar wood spirit jade was 10 times or even 20 times more valuable than regular wood spirit jade.
If this pair of jade bracelets was really made of blood spirit jade and also had a history of several thousand years behind it, the price would be inestimable.
Li Yifeng and Zhou Kun each took a bracelet and rapidly identified its characteristics. Both of them were completely absorbed in their task. For a wood spirit jade collector, the rarer an item was, the easier their interest would be aroused.
Even Qing'er, who didn't care much more wood spirit jade to begin with, was filled with interest towards these two blood spirit jade bracelets.
Lin Ming silently watched from the side, allowing his perception to touch over the bracelets for a long time. There was a beautiful ruddy color, it was filled with energy, and the quality of the jade itself was extremely high. From all aspects it seemed to be real blood spirit jade. However, Lin Ming actually felt a faint death energy coming from the jade.
Death energy?
Although blood spirit jade was formed from dead things, after tens of thousands of years that death energy should have faded away by now. Unless…
Lin Ming thought for a moment and then said to Li Yifeng, "Let me have a look."
Normally speaking, in order to fully appraise something, one had to use all their senses. They had to look, feel, touch, ask, listen, and smell.
Looking was to use the eyes, feeling was to use one's perception, touching was to touch with one's hands, asking was to determine whether or not what the owner said was true, listening was to hear the sounds it made, and smelling was to smell the faint scent it emitted.
True wood spirit jade had an extremely, extremely faint wooden smell. A grandmaster could even use this sort of fragrance to approximate the age.
It was impossible for Lin Ming to identify whether or not this jade bracelet was real or fake with just looking and feeling it.
Li Yifeng carefully passed the blood spirit jade bracelet to Lin Ming. In truth, having one's valuable reverie time interrupted by someone wasn't pleasant at all. However, Li Yifeng didn't comment on this. Since it was Lin Ming it was alright, even if he knew that Lin Ming didn't know anything about wood spirit jade carvings and just wanted to join in on the fun.
Lin Ming touched the blood spirit jade bracelet and smelled it. He already made an approximate judgment. The jade bracelet wasn't smooth. There was an extremely delicate sandy texture to it; all of this was in line with true blood spirit jade. However, when he smelled it, he had sensed an incomparably faint fragrance of blood. This nearly imperceptible smell was concealed by the maker using an ingenious method. If one wasn't prepared in advance then it would have been impossible to discern it.
This was not blood spirit jade but corpse jade. The so-called corpse jade was when wood spirit jade was used as a funeral object and sealed into the mouth or stomach of a freshly-buried martial artist. After over 10,000 years of time, the blood of the martial artist would permeate into the wood spirit jade, forming corpse jade.
There were only minor differences between corpse jade and blood spirit jade. Moreover, once it was processed and transformed by the collaborative efforts of a martial artist skilled in corpse techniques and a wood-attribute martial artist, the final product was nearly indistinguishable from real blood spirit jade.
This sort of method was extremely rare. Because corpse jade itself was already rare, many appraisal grandmasters that weren't prepared would also be tricked by this.
After another two hours of appraisal, Li Yifeng laid down the jade bracelet. His eyes flashed with excitement. He was 90% positive that this blood spirit jade was the real deal. Beside him, Zhou Kun had also finished his own appraisal, his eyes flashing with an avaricious gleam. Although his expression was somewhat vague, his movements seemed as if he only reluctantly put down the jade bracelet. It seemed as if he were especially tempted by the jade bracelet.
Chapter 765 – Bid
…
…
…
"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 fell 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 mig 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."Chapter 766 – Swindled
…
…
…
"Brother Lin,in White Dragon Jade Row, most of the items on these shelves are fake. Normally speaking, 80-90% of the good stuff has already been taken away, and the rest is either fake or ambiguous things. Brother Lin, if you really want to buy to something then just pick a few small pieces so that you're happy. Don't try to go for anything too expensive."
As Li Yifeng saw that Lin Ming really was intending to buy some things, he couldn't help but remind him of the dangers here. If he were an appraisal grandmaster then he could help Lin Ming out, but as someone who was at the most basic level, he didn't have much confidence that he could identity these ambiguous goods.
"Brother Li, rest assured that I have a fair idea of what I'm doing. Also, shopping should be a happy occasion."
"Haha! Well said! Happiness is priceless! Although this sort of jade carving hobby is more looking than buying, that still doesn't mean we should just drag our feet around and eye things all day!" Li Yifeng said, then directing Lin Ming towards that wood spirit jade dragon carving that he had asked about before. It was 3300 spirit essence stones.
Li Yifeng had come before and looked at this dragon carving several times already. Yet, while he truly did like it, he just couldn't make up his mind about it so he never dared to buy. But, he decided to take advantage of today and directly pick it up.
As Lin Ming saw Li Yifeng pick up the dragon carving he felt a bit helpless for his friend. He had seen this dragon carving and someone had explained that it was a work from a grandmaster that lived a thousand years ago.
Lin Ming couldn't judge if this really was the work of that grandmaster, but what Lin Ming could judge was the year this was crafted. It was an imitation treasure created no more than 100 years ago.
He cautioned. "Brother Li, I have a feeling about this dragon carving…"
"A bad feeling?"
"A bit."
"It's fine. Your brother me has already wanted to buy this dragon carving for some time now. But, I just haven't been able to do it. It's as you said: buying things should be for our own happiness. If I return empty-handed today then it will be difficult for my thoughts to remain smooth. So if I buy this carved dragon and it ends up being some sort of fake, I'll still recognize it as okay."
Since Li Yifeng had said this in such a happy manner, Lin Ming naturally didn't say anything further.
Lin Ming glanced at the Knifescar fellow and saw that his grin was as wide as a smiling Buddha's. He had done enough business today that gold was spilling out of him; of course he would be happy.
Lin Ming faintly smiled. He walked towards the shelves and started choosing a jade carving.
He currently still had 6000 top grade true essence stones from Xuan Wuji. In addition to the wealth from the other Life Destruction powerhouses he killed, he had around 14,000-15,000 top grade true essence stones. Lin Ming planned to use the majority of these to purchase jade carvings.
If this was the case, he naturally wanted to buy the expensive goods.
"Seventh grade wood spirit jade, 300,000 years, this is quite the good material." Lin Ming looked at a two foot high Buddha in front of him. This kind of wood spirit jade was considered to be quite good. According to his estimates, the price of this definitely wouldn't be low.
As the Knifescar fellow saw Lin Ming looking at the jade Buddha, he smiled in greeting. He thought that Lin Ming was only Li Yifeng's follower, but it seemed that he was Li Yifeng's friend instead. Naturally he would treat him nicer now.
However, as he noticed Lin Ming's stance as he examined the jade carvings, it was obvious that he was even newer than a newbie. Normally, an appraisal expert would take several quarter hours looking at a jade carving, even touching and smelling it.
But, Lin Ming would look at a jade carving for an incense stick of time at most. Sometimes he would reach out and touch them, but m most of the time he would just glance over them. What could he possibly see?
Thus, the Knifescar fellow had recognized Lin Ming as a novice.
This sort of know-nothing normally would normally never buy anything unless they were an absolute fool. Otherwise they would waste several thousand spirit essence stones without even knowing if the wood spirit jade carving they bought was real or fake.
Thus, the Knifescar fellow didn't take Lin Ming as a customer. He only smiled at Lin Ming to give face to Li Yifeng. "That jade Buddha has lot number 45; the price is 5000 spirit essence stones…."
The Knifescar fellow shook the jade slip containing the prices in his hand and directly quoted the price to Lin Ming. He wanted Lin Ming to quit while he was ahead so that he wouldn't waste anyone's time here. Normally, when an amateur heard such a high price they would simply give up. After all, they didn't understand anything and had only come to join in on the fun anyway.
So even if this wood spirit jade Buddha in front of Lin Ming was the real deal that could sell for at least 8000-9000 spirit essence stones at an auction house, the Knifescar fellow wasn't nervous at all. He would bet his toes that Lin Ming wouldn't be interested I this item.
Let alone Lin Ming, even those martial artists that bragged they were appraisal experts still hadn't bought it in these past two years. That jade Buddha seemed so ambiguous; just who would dare to buy it?
The price was so high to begin with, and it lacked a trace of pale cold light that a real ancient jade Buddha statue would have. It was inevitable that anyone would hesitate after looking at it for a period of time. But in truth, it wasn't everything real object that had this sort faint blue light.
With all these reasons combined, the Knifescar fellow never imagined that Lin Ming would look so taken in by this wood spirit jade Buddha. Lin Ming repeatedly traced his hands over it and said, "It looks quite good. My mother likes to worship Buddha. I'll buy this for her; she should enjoy it."
The Knifescar fellow thought that he had heard wrong. Did this boy have a fever? Just because his mother liked to worship Buddha, he would actually gift her a treasure worth 5000 spirit essence stone? The hell? Was this for real?
It wasn't just the Knifescar fellow that was shocked, but even Li Yifeng was frightened. "Brother Lin, don't joke around. This jade Buddha is so sketchy; are you sure you want to buy it?"
A 5000 spirit essence stone jade Buddha was a very high priced item within the inventory of White Dragon Jade Row. If Li Yifeng were to buy it he would have to consider this over and over and over again for fear that he made a mistake. But, Lin Ming hadn't even take an incense stick of time before he decided to buy this jade Buddha. This sort of behavior could only be described as….completely idiotic.
What Jade Row loved the most was too see rich fools. They would casually buy whatever they wanted, whether it was real or fake. But, according to Li Yifeng's understanding of Lin Ming, Lin Ming was an extremely talented individual that would never do something stupid. He also wasn't too rich either, so just what was going on here?
"Hehe, congratulations Brother Knifescar, you just ran into a wealthy kid! You're rich now!" Zhou Kun grinned from behind Lin Ming. His words seemed to be in a jovial tone but he was obviously mocking Lin Ming's stupidity.
However, as the Knifescar fellow heard Zhou Kun congratulate him, he actually felt bitter in his heart. This jade Buddha was not excavated by others but instead came from the inventory of the White Dragon Jade Row Headquarters. It was one of the better treasures in his store. If he really had to sell it for 5000 spirit essence stones then he would lose money on that transaction.
"This little brother, do you happen to know the rules of our Jade Row? There are both real and fake items here, and everything you buy depends on your own vision and willingness to do so. Once you make a mistake and regret your purchase, there are no returns." The Knifescar fellow hoped that Lin Ming didn't understand the rules and would give up after hearing this. But, he didn't think that Lin Ming would instead slightly nodded, indicating that he was well aware of all of this.
"Great! Then I'll wrap it up for you!" The Knifescar fellow tried to appear as elated as possible like had had just made a killer profit and Li Ming would instead feel uncertain at heart. But, Lin Ming simply nodded without hesitation, making the Knifescar fellow feel as if his heart was being ripped out.
This boy shouldn't be playing a pig to eat a tiger, right!?
Li Yifeng couldn't help but be a bit afraid for Lin Ming. "Brother Lin, are you sure about this? This is a 5000 spirit essence stone item!"
"I know, that's why I want it. Shopping should be for our own happiness. Wrap it up."
Li Yifeng opened and closed his mouth several times before ruefully smiling and saying, "Ok. In any case, if it's Brother Lin then even if you spend all your spirit essence stones you'll be able to quickly gain them back again."
The Knifescar fellow endured the bitter pain in his heart as he wrapped up the jade Buddha. He kept his smiling face as happy as possible. However, just as he finished wrapping it and was securing the package, he nearly fell on his face as he saw that Lin Ming had picked up a viridian incense burner and was tossing it about.
This incense burner was also one of the real items here. It's value was less than the jade Buddha, but it could still be sold for 7000-8000 spirit essence stones at the auction house!
This was also something that was brought down from Headquarters to stock the store. This boy, he couldn't be wanting to purchase this incense burner, right? Then his White Dragon Jade Row would really suffer a loss! In the jade slip, this incense burner was only marked at 4500 spirit essence stones. If he sold it then he would have to make up the difference to Headquarters!
In order for Jade Row attract guests, the marked prices were all relatively low. As for the true treasures of the shop, if they were swept up by someone then it would be difficult for his Jade Row to continue operating.
"This boy just bought a 5000 spirit essence stone item…he shouldn't buy anything again…." The Knifescar fellow held out on this hope. However, Lin Ming's next sentence crushed that Knifescar fell's hopes to bits.
Lin Ming looked at the jade slip with the prices and said to the Knifescar fellow, "Wrap this up for me too."
The Knifescar fellow only felt everything go dark around him for a moment, almost fainting. His heart trembled and he maintained the brightest smile that he could as he said, "You want this? This viridian incense burner is carved from ancient 8000 year old river jade; the craftsmanship is excellent and it clearly stems from the hand of a famous expert. If you sold it in an auction house it could go for as high as 8000 spirit essence stones! Brother Lin truly has good judgment; let me wrap this up for you!"
Although the Knifescar fellow seemed euphoric, his pace while wrapping up the item was astoundingly slow. He was hoping that Lin Ming would change his mind during this period of time. However, Lin Ming had already started looking at a third item.
On the sidelines, Zhou Kun laughed as he said, "What a mess, I've never seen such a mess before! That jade Buddha has been on the shelves for three years already and no one dared to buy it; this boy is too amazing!" Zhou Kun vigorously patted the Knifescar fellow's shoulders. "Brother Knifescar, you really made a killing today! You should treat us out!"
"Treat, of course I will treat you!" The Knifescar fellow said. Even though his intestines painfully twisted together he still maintained a vibrant expression as if he had made a massive profit.
"Brother Lin, if you really plan on buying some things to play around with then it doesn't need to be here. I can take you out to look at some stalls. The price is cheaper and there fundamentally shouldn't be too much of a difference." Li Yifeng suggested.
The things in the stalls outside were purely to swindle others; it wasn't even 99% fake, but 100% fake. They were all counterfeit fake goods crafted from wood-attribute spirit essence stones.
However, sometimes there would be 1-2 vendors who would put out a precious treasure without being able to recognize its value. Li Yifeng had also visited countless stalls in the past, and the chances of this occurring was the same as being struck by thunder.
Brother Li, I know what I'm doing." Lin Ming said with a true essence sound transmission. He held a new fancy looking item I his hands, but as he glanced over at the Knifescar fellow that Knifescar fellow's face had gone completely hideous.
F*ck! He had been swindled!