The Fortunate Demoniac Little Village Doctor -
Chapter 429 - 429 404 Porcelain Bumping
429: Chapter 404: Porcelain Bumping 429: Chapter 404: Porcelain Bumping The man holding the bag hesitated to let go and asked the bearded man, “Sir, how do you know this item is fake?
Can you explain it to me?”
The bearded man laughed and said, “Which part of our country produces Buddha statues like this?
You’re clearly a layman.
This single-legged standing Buddha statue, tell me, where have you ever seen one in any temple or mountain?”
The man with the bag thought about it and nodded, “Hey!
I really haven’t seen a single-legged standing Buddha statue.”
“Dolt!
Who told you this is native to our region?” The vendor lit a cigarette, looking down on the two men as he spoke.
“So tell me how you got this thing?” the bearded man asked the vendor.
The vendor puffed on his cigarette a few times and said, “This comes from Southeast Asia, a thing of Theravada Buddhism!
It was a tribute during the Tang Dynasty!
Get it?!
Ever been to Southeast Asia?!
No, right?
Then go and see for yourself!
Every Buddha statue there stands on one leg!
I’m charging you twenty thousand, and that’s less than what it’s worth!
Same old phrase, if you’re not buying, put it down!”
“Hey!
Now that you mention it, it seems like I remember seeing one in a magazine before.
Those darn Buddha statues were indeed standing on one leg!” the bearded man exclaimed as if he had an epiphany.
“Buy!
Buy!
Buy!
No more talk!
Twenty thousand it is!” The man with the bag clung to the Buddha statue, unwilling to let go and ready to shell out twenty thousand yuan.
“I want cash!
Pay up and take it!” The vendor threw away his cigarette butt and stood up, reaching out for the money.
The man with the bag fumbled around his body, and indeed pulled out a stack of cash.
Counting it in front of everyone, he only had eight thousand, which left him at an impasse.
“Vendor, how about…
could you give me a discount?”
“Hey!
Listen to you!
This Tang Dynasty item, I could discount it back to the Qing Dynasty for you, but would you still want it?
If you’re short of money, just forget it!” The vendor spoke very firmly.
Then, the bearded man, who was standing nearby, spoke up, “Brother!
I’ll cover the remaining amount.
How about we jointly purchase this item?”
The man with the bag was somewhat reluctant, but after thinking it over, he eventually nodded and said, “Alright!
I guess I can’t have this good item all to myself.
Let’s buy it together!”
The bearded man slapped his hands together and reached for his wallet.
As he counted the money, he only had five thousand, still seven thousand short, leaving both men without options.
“It seems you two are just playing with me.
If you don’t have the money, put the item down!” The vendor expressed his displeasure towards the two men.
The man with the bag, unwilling to give up, suddenly spotted Liu Huyi and two others from a distance, immediately approached them, and presented the bronze statue in his hands, saying, “Brothers, take a look at this item, it’s a real catch…” Lowering his voice, he continued, “This item could easily fetch over two hundred thousand.
How about you cover the remaining seven thousand, and we split the earnings after selling it?” With that, he handed the bronze statue to Liu Hun to inspect.
“Don’t take it, Liu Lord!” Before Mo Lao San could finish speaking, the man with the bag had already thrust the statue into Liu Hun’s hands.
“Acting in cahoots to stage a play and sell fakes, trying these tricks on me!” Zhong Xiao watched from the side and spoke coldly to the man with the bag.
The man with the bag feigned innocence and responded, “What are you talking about, brother?
Everyone says this is a genuine article.”
“It’s not even worth a hundred yuan, this fake stuff.
Hand it back to him, Liu Lord, let’s go,” Mo Lao San told Liu Hun.
Liu Hun casually handed the bronze statue back to the man with the bag, and the three of them left the stall.
They had barely walked a few steps when a group of people surrounded them from behind.
“Is this a challenge?” Zhong Xiao’s eyes turned cold, ready for a fight.
The vendor, leading the man with the bag and the bearded man, walked up and complained, “This bronze statue was fine just a moment ago, but after passing through your hands, the head got cracked!
What do you say we do?”
Liu Hun, unexpectedly encountering extortion upon entering the antiques market, really had his eyes opened.
No wonder Mo Lao San had warned him not to take it.
He asked the vendor, “What do you want to do?”
“You take the item, leave behind twenty thousand yuan, and we’ll call it even!” The vendor demanded boldly.
“What if I don’t give you a penny?” Liu Hun asked the vendor.
“Heh heh,” the vendor chuckled, “Then let’s see if you can walk out of here today!”
“Come on!” Liu Hun’s words barely faded before he took action.
He was certain this group was habitual offenders and wouldn’t dare call the police even if they got beaten.
Liu Hun and Zhong Xiao made quick work of the ten men who surrounded them, knocking them all to the ground, and each of them inevitably became nourishment for Liu Hun’s Black Dragon Power.
Bystanders stood by, pointing and talking, with no one daring to help.
Most of them were accustomed to such dealings and hadn’t expected to encounter someone formidable today.
Watching the scene of wailing people around him, Liu Hun suddenly had a new idea and said to Zhong Xiao and Mo Lao San by his side, “Zhong Xiao, Mo Lao San, from now on our company will be based on this street.
Given the presence of such people here, it’s suitable for us.
What do you think?”
Zhong Xiao immediately understood Liu Hun’s intention and nodded, saying, “Those hoodlums aren’t worth your trouble, Boss Liu.
Just let me and a few of the brothers handle them.
Once our company is up and running, we will be the ones calling the shots on this old archway street.”
“Brother Zhong, Boss Liu…” Mo Laosan seemed a bit troubled as he spoke from the side.
“Feel free to speak your mind,” Zhong Xiao told Mo Laosan.
Addressing the two men, Mo Laosan said, “You two are formidable, but these are minor characters.
At a glance, I can tell there’s nothing valuable here.
They can only survive by swindling and deceiving.
They are not our main concern, the real players are still behind the scenes.”
“What do you mean?” Liu Hun continued to inquire.
“There’s a saying, ‘Entering the hall and making your way to the inner chamber.’ What’s on the street stalls barely counts at all.
The shops inside are the ‘hall,’ and the large corporations behind them are the ‘chamber,'” explained Mo Laosan.
“So there’s more to it than meets the eye.
Let’s check it out then,” Liu Hun said to both men and then headed straight to the shop area behind the old archway, while the group that had been subdued helped each other up and, not daring to cause further trouble, left with downtrodden faces.
The antique shops on this back street were no less in number than the stalls at the front, each decorated in an ancient aromatic style that seemed to have some deep heritage.
The items showcased in the display cases, at a glance, were worth no less than seventy to eighty thousand each.
“Big brothers, here we are.
This shop has some top-quality items, and even more interesting things to offer,” Mo Laosan told Liu Hun and Zhong Xiao.
Upon seeing the shop’s décor, with its carved beams and painted rafters, adorned with gold and silver, Liu Hun thought it indeed looked more upscale than the surrounding shops and surmised the owner must be a wealthy individual.
“Let’s go in and take a look,” After saying this to the others, they entered the Biyunxuan Antique Shop.
“Welcome to Biyunxuan.
May I know what the three of you are looking for?” Ding Shan, a bald man in his forties with a pair of distinctly antique-style glasses, inquired.
“Could you show us some of your rare items?” Mo Laosan asked the bald man.
Surveying the three men for a moment, the bald man casually retrieved a snuff bottle from a cabinet below, placing it in front of them.
Mo Laosan laughed and said, “Shopkeeper, aren’t you underestimating us a bit?
Even items from the Republican period are being offered.”
The bald man was taken aback, scrutinizing Mo Laosan for a while, then laughed, saying, “I see I’m dealing with an expert here,” as he took back the snuff bottle and asked, “What would you like to see?”
Mo Laosan looked at Liu Hun, who then spoke up, “Something above fifty million.”
Having heard this, the bald man’s expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly came out from behind the counter, promptly gesturing for someone to prepare tea for the three men, saying, “Please have a seat!
Make yourselves comfortable!”
After the three sat down, the bald man told them, “Please enjoy the tea, I’ll be right back,” and then he hurriedly went inside.
“Mo Laosan, what’s he up to?” Zhong Xiao asked, puzzled.
Mo Laosan, visibly excited, explained, “You big brothers might not know, but although I, Mo Laosan, don’t engage in tomb raiding anymore, I’m very well connected in this field.
This very shop got its start in our line of business.”
“Are you saying the shop’s owner is involved in tomb raiding?” asked Liu Hun.
Mo Laosan nodded affirmatively and responded, “Boss Liu, as soon as I stepped in here, I could tell that at least a dozen exquisite items were dug out from graves.
If we want to establish ourselves here and make our name known, we must ‘enter the chamber’ and ‘bet on three rounds!'”
“‘Bet on three rounds’?”
“The ‘three-round wager’ is a game we play in our circle, testing one’s discernment and expertise in the field.
It’s two-out-of-three rounds, and whoever wins keeps the items on the table.
Moreover, it includes serving tea and showing respect publicly.
If we win, we get the items for free and earn a reputation as well.
What do you say, Big Brothers, isn’t this a great way to make our mark?” Mo Laosan asked them in return.
Liu Hun silently nodded, a new question forming in his mind, “Mo Laosan, how can you be so sure he will gamble with you?”
Mo Laosan chuckled, “People in our line are confident, even arrogant.
As long as we bring out something tempting enough, who wouldn’t be intrigued?
Who wouldn’t want something exceptional for free?”
Liu Hun found this explanation quite reasonable, and as they spoke, the bald man came out from the inside area, holding a brocaded box, its contents mystery.
“Thank you for waiting!” the bald man said, placing the brocaded box on the table and then signaling them to open it.
“Take a look and see what this is worth!”
Carefully, Mo Laosan opened the brocaded box, revealing yellow silk inside, with something underneath slowly being unveiled, “Tsk, tsk!
It really is something marvelous!”
Gleaming before their eyes was a translucent emerald-green Jade Tripod, exquisitely crafted, entirely flawless, and its pure green color was so mesmerizing that it was hard to look away.
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