Chapter 6

Update Time: November 3, 2012

After a long while, Zhao Menfeng let out a long sigh and said, "It's fake."

"What?!"

Zhou Bapi sat there as if struck by lightning, his face full of disbelief.

How could it be fake???

He had spent a great deal of effort and money to buy it; how could it be fake?

He couldn't accept it, nor could he bear to. He then looked at Zhao Menfeng, hoping for an explanation.

"This is indeed fake."

Zhao Menfeng said with some regret, "Although it has a strong aura and is very finely crafted, it is indeed fake. It is neither an antique nor a magical artifact, but merely a very good craft. Well, I have fulfilled my promise. I'll take my leave now."

With that, Zhao Menfeng stood up and walked towards the door, leaving Zhou Bapi, who was still in shock, behind.

...

Wang Ke walked into Shangbao Xuan, looked around, and saw various magical artifacts on the shelves. The place gave an impression of opulence and prosperity, making one feel very comfortable.

"Hello, what would you like to buy? Antiques or magical artifacts? Our magical artifacts and antiques are absolutely the best value for money, and we will never let you down."

A clerk immediately came forward.

The clerk's words made Wang Ke find it quite interesting. The best value for money, not necessarily all genuine. There was a lot of trickery involved.

"I'm here to sell a magical artifact."

Wang Ke said. In fact, he wasn't sure if it was a magical artifact, but he believed the old man wouldn't make a baseless claim.

"Please come this way."

The clerk, upon hearing that he was selling a magical artifact, became even more enthusiastic, welcoming Wang Ke into the VIP room and saying that a specialist would come to talk soon.

Sitting in the VIP room, Wang Ke couldn't help but marvel at how different the largest magical artifact store was. It was much higher in class than Jubaotang, not just in decoration but also in service. If this were a five-star hotel, Jubaotang would be at most a guesthouse.

Soon, a middle-aged man in a suit walked in. They exchanged pleasantries and introduced themselves. Wang Ke learned that the middle-aged man was the expert in charge of magical artifacts, Liu Gang.

"Mr. Wang, what magical artifact are you selling?"

Liu Gang asked with a professional smile.

Wang Ke took out the Pi Xiu pendant from his pocket and placed it on the table.

Seeing Wang Ke take out a pendant that looked like a fake, Liu Gang's eyes, which had shown a glimmer of hope, now showed disdain.

However, out of professional habit, he still picked up the pendant and pretended to examine it carefully.

The more he looked, the more disappointed Liu Gang became. It was clearly a replica, not even an antique, let alone a magical artifact.

Wang Ke noticed Liu Gang's expression but wasn't worried. If the expert in the largest magical artifact store couldn't tell if it was an antique, they wouldn't be in business. They would be a fraud.

Sure enough, when Liu Gang saw the back of the pendant, he was slightly stunned, and a flash of excitement appeared in his eyes. However, he hid it well, showing no change in his expression, but Wang Ke's keen observation didn't miss it.

After a while, Liu Gang put down the pendant, shook his head, and said with a regretful look, "It's a modern replica, not genuine, and not a magical artifact."

"Replica?"

Wang Ke's lips curled into a smile. Indeed, all merchants were the same, calling genuine items fake and good items bad. He had already seen through it from the other's expression. This was definitely an antique and a magical artifact. He couldn't help but feel excited, thinking he had found a real bargain.

"Since that's the case, I'll try another place. Goodbye."

Wang Ke stood up and was about to leave.

Liu Gang was taken aback by Wang Ke's action. He hadn't expected the other to leave without a word, and he hadn't even had a chance to use his prepared speech. Seeing the bird about to fly away, he quickly stood up to stop Wang Ke, saying, "Although it's a modern replica, it's in good condition and still has some value. How about five hundred yuan? If you go to other places, they won't even give you five hundred yuan."

"They won't give me just five hundred yuan. Let's be frank. Are you trying to send me to other stores, or will you continue to examine it?"

Wang Ke didn't give the other any face, knowing that dealing with unscrupulous merchants required being even tougher.

Hearing Wang Ke's words, Liu Gang felt sweat breaking out on his forehead. He had thought the other was young and not an insider, or even if an insider, not very skilled. He had planned to trick the other into selling the pendant for five hundred yuan, but the other had seen through it.

It seemed he had misjudged the situation. This young man wasn't simple at all!

"Oh, you're so confident. I'll take another look, maybe I didn't examine it carefully enough."

Liu Gang took the Pi Xiu pendant again, pretending to examine it carefully. In his line of work, one had to be thick-skinned and calm, otherwise, how could one make money from fools?

After a while, Liu Gang put down the pendant again, looking embarrassed and apologetic, "I'm sorry, I was careless earlier. This is indeed an antique pendant from the Ming Dynasty. How about eight thousand yuan? The quality of the jade isn't great, so eight thousand is already a high price. If you don't believe me, you can ask other stores."

This time, Wang Ke didn't say a word, stood up, and walked out.

"Mr. Wang, wait a moment. Where are you going?"

Liu Gang quickly stood up to stop Wang Ke, asking anxiously.

"Aren't you telling me to go to other stores to ask? I'm going now. What, you don't want me to go?"

Wang Ke's sharp gaze fixed on Liu Gang.

"This can wait. Please sit down and have some tea. It's very hot outside."

Liu Gang quickly smiled, now somewhat regretful. He hadn't expected the young man to be so astute, knowing everything about the Pi Xiu pendant and recognizing it as a magical artifact.

If he had known, he wouldn't have said so much nonsense and played so many tricks.

"How do you know I'm not in a hurry? I don't have time for tea. Are you telling me to leave now, or will you continue to examine it?"

Wang Ke smiled coldly.

"Continue, continue."

Liu Gang wiped the sweat from his forehead, his back drenched despite the air conditioning. This was the most stressful and embarrassing moment of his career. The young man seemed to have an invisible, powerful aura, making him dare not look directly.

Taking the pendant for the third time, Liu Gang pretended to examine it very carefully. This time, he really didn't dare to lie.

"I'm sorry, I made another mistake. This is indeed a magical artifact. How about fifty thousand yuan?"

Liu Gang put down the Pi Xiu pendant and said.

"Someone told me this pendant is worth at least one hundred thousand yuan."

Wang Ke said calmly.

Hearing this, Liu Gang's forehead broke out in sweat again.

Who? Who told this young man the highest price?

Or did he set it himself?

If he set it himself, he was incredibly skilled, definitely not an ordinary person. This young man was a genius! And he clearly knew a lot about their industry. Buying it for over one hundred thousand yuan would leave little profit, and the store wouldn't make much money. One hundred thousand yuan was the highest purchase price.

Thinking about his performance in front of an absolute expert, he felt his face burning.

"Fine, one hundred thousand yuan. Will you sell it here or to another store?"

Liu Gang seemed to make a huge decision, raising his head and asking.

Seeing this, Wang Ke knew this was the highest price and nodded, "Deal."

Hearing the word "deal," Liu Gang breathed a sigh of relief. The deal was finally made, and he had lost face today.

Taking Wang Ke's bank card, Liu Gang went to transfer the money and left a receipt for Wang Ke.

Looking at the receipt in his hand, Wang Ke realized his shortcomings. He only had some knowledge of antiques. Finding a bargain with an antique was one thing, but if he found a magical artifact, he wouldn't know its value. If he sold it to others, they might deliberately underprice it, and he wouldn't even know he was losing out.

He needed to learn more about magical artifacts.

Thinking of this, Wang Ke remembered the old man, Zhao Menfeng, from this morning. The old man seemed very interested in him. He should visit Zhao Menfeng in Changji in a few days. Changji was a famous market for antiques and magical artifacts, and he would surely make a big impact there.

But before that, he needed to finish his business here.

Soon, Liu Gang returned with the bank card and accompanied Wang Ke to the ATM to verify the money in his account.

Seeing the number on his bank card, Wang Ke felt everything was unreal. This morning, he had been arguing with Zhou Bapi over a few hundred yuan, and now he was a small rich man. The change was astonishing.

After Liu Gang left, Wang Ke immediately transferred fifty thousand yuan to his parents. They had raised him, and it was time to repay them.

The remaining money would be his startup capital. He was determined to make a big impact in the antique and magical artifact markets.

By the time he finished the transfer, it was already noon. Wang Ke found a place to eat a simple meal. Although he had money, he didn't want to waste it. He wasn't used to eating fancy food.

After eating, Wang Ke sat on a rock on the mountain, holding a blade of grass, and thought about what to do next.

After much consideration, he felt he couldn't completely rely on his supernatural eye. It was strange how he got it, and what if it disappeared one day? So he couldn't fully depend on it. He needed to have strong identification skills himself. Even without the supernatural eye, he could still excel in the antique and magical artifact worlds.

Thinking of antiques, Wang Ke couldn't help but think of Zhou Bapi, a wicked smile appearing on his lips.

If I found a bargain in Zhou Bapi's store, and it was a magical artifact, what would his reaction be?

He would be miserable!

Thinking of this, Wang Ke leaped down the mountain and headed for Jubaotang. This time, he would make Zhou Bapi pay, avenging those who had been cheated by him.

Arriving at Jubaotang, Wang Ke walked in confidently.

"Wang... Wang Ke? Why are you here? What do you want?"

Sun Ming, sitting at the counter, saw Wang Ke walk in and trembled.

Is he here for me?

"What do you think I'm here for?"

Wang Ke smiled sinisterly at Sun Ming.

This smile almost made Sun Ming wet his pants. He quickly raised his phone, panicking, "Y... You don't come closer, or I'll call the police. Don't... don't come closer."

Bah!

Seeing Sun Ming's cowardly appearance, Wang Ke sneered. This morning, he had been so arrogant, but now he was a coward.

"Coward!"

"I'm not here to cause trouble; I'm here to buy antiques."

Saying this, Wang Ke ignored Sun Ming and went to the shelves to look around.

He was familiar with the place, the prices of the ceramics, and the profits. It would be easy for him to find genuine antiques, and it would be hard for Zhou Bapi to cheat him.

Seeing Wang Ke seemingly there to buy antiques, Sun Ming breathed a sigh of relief but still kept a close eye on him, his phone ready to call the police.

Soon, Wang Ke found a few genuine antiques and examined them carefully, thinking about how Liu Gang had determined his pendant was a magical artifact, trying to mimic it but failing to figure it out.

He hesitated to use his supernatural eye. This morning, he had learned it could only last ten seconds, and using it more would be difficult, possibly even shorter. The first time was an exceptional performance, and the actual time might be only five seconds. He could use it twice a day, with a break in between. These restrictions made him reluctant to use it.

He had used it once this morning, and now he had one more chance, ten seconds at most. He didn't want to waste his precious ability.

But he had no choice. He couldn't see which were magical artifacts with his naked eye. Reluctantly, he moved the three genuine antiques he had, a golden toad, a treasure pot, and a golden dragon fish, together.

This was his last chance!

Wang Ke took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with determination. His true qi surged, gathering around his eyes.

As it gathered, the intense pain returned, and Wang Ke gritted his teeth, enduring it.

As the true qi gathered more, the pain around his eyes lessened until it disappeared completely.

Wang Ke knew this was the moment. He quickly gathered more true qi.

Supernatural eye, activate!

Instantly, Wang Ke felt his vision distort like a TV screen, then return to normal.

Knowing the supernatural eye was active, Wang Ke immediately focused on the three antiques.