Chapter 254 - A Fake Artifact? (1/2)

Chapter 254: A Fake Artifact?

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

“Just so! Quickly, show Master Yuan the Jade Gourd!”

Qian Lulu and the others urged Chen Fan.

Chen Fan’s friends were charmed by Master Yuan’s aura and Zheng Anpin’s trustworthy demeanor. They were convinced that it would be for Chen Fan’s benefits to have the artifact identified by Master Yuan.

“Very well.”

Chen Fan sat still and gave Master Yuan a knowing glance and then nodded.

He fished out the Jade Gourd from the suitcase and pushed it over toward Master Yuan. The moment Master Yuan saw the Jade Gourd, a hint of greed flashed in his eyes.

Everyone watched as Master Yuan carefully removed the Jade Gourd from the suitcase and after studying it for a while, he started to channel his Qi and started his art as he murmured something. After he has done that for a while, he put down the Jade Gourd and heaved a sigh.

“Master Yuan, what is going on?”

Qiu Yilun and the others hurried to ask. This was a treasure that came with a thirty million price tag. If it was proven to be a fake, that thirty million yuan would be going down the drain. Even if he was the heir of the Chen family from Jin City, thirty million Yuan was still a large amount of money.

“Young Lord Zheng, you are mistaken this time. This is not a dharma artifact at all, but just an ordinary jade trinket.” Master Yuan shook his head in remorse.

“What?”

Qiu Yilun and the others panicked, this was what they feared the most.

Although they didn’t know what dharma artifacts were, what they heard from Master Yuan meant that Chen Fan would have lost all the money he had put into the Jade Gourd. If the Jade Gourd was the real deal, Chen Fan could have at least got most of his investment back should he decide to sell it.

“We bought it from an auction from the Hilton hotel, how could there be any fakes at such a high profile auction?” Qian Lulu asked indignantly.

“Hehe, the Dharma Artifacts’ powers are brilliant but subtle, without trained eyes, no one would be able to identify if an artifact was indeed real or not.” Master Yuan snorted and then said: “Even items from Sotheby’s auctions events could be fakes, much less that of smaller auction companies.”

“It was purely buyers beware when it came down to an auction, and bidding on dharma artifacts was the riskiest.”

After hearing Master Yuan’s words, everyone fell silent and was nearly convinced by Master Yuan.

Zheng Anpin furrowed his brows and said: “Master Yuan, are you sure? I have a message from an insider and got there just for this Dharma Artifact. Even it’s appearance looked very much like the other Dharma Artifacts.”

“Fine, since young lord Zheng had asked about it, I might as well explain myself.” Master Yuan said. It was evident that if Young Lord Zheng was not interested in the item, he was not going to offer his professional explanation.

He pointed at the Jade Gourd on the table and said: “It might look like a Dharma Artifact since it is covered with a Talisman Inscription. However, the key factor that makes an artifact a Dharmic Artifact is the infusion of a perfected cultivator’s True Qi. In other words, this jade gourd was just a hollow husk and was unfinished.”

“If this gourd ended up in the hands of a Feng Shui master, it would turn into a real Dharma Artifact, however, if it ended up in the hands of an ordinary person, it would be useless.”

Hearing Master Yuan’s explanation, the faces of Qiu Yilun and the others suddenly paled.

Everyone knew the huge difference in value between a half-finished product and a finished one. This Jade Gourd was pretty much just a piece of wood before it was carved into a statue by a woodcarver.

Zheng Anpin pulled a taut face and heaved a sigh. He looked to Chen Fan apologetically and said: “Brother Chen, I am so sorry to hear that. I had never thought that this artifact was unfinished. Sorry for the thirty million Yuan you have lost.”

He put on a pitying frown as if Chen Fan had lost that much money because of him.

Qian Lulu and the other girls felt even more impressed by Young Lord Zheng’s sympathy and compa.s.sion. They thought that they finally met a rich heir who was not a dip s.h.i.+t.

“Hold one a second. Why should we believe what you just said?”

Suddenly, a cold voice came up from the group of people

Everyone looked over toward the direction of the voice and saw Zhou Qinya stood still, crossing both arms across her chest.

Qiu Yilun was taken aback at first, but quickly he saw Zhou Qinya’s point.

Just so! Master Yuan was the only person in the room who claimed to have knowledge about Dharma Artifacts. Most of them have no idea what a Dharma Artifact could do, much less telling the real ones from the fake ones. Therefore, they had to believe whatever Master Yuan had told them. The question is, how could they trust Master Yuan?

They were enamored by Zheng Anpin’s charm and Master Yuan’s authority. However, in hindsight, they felt there were many things in this situation that didn’t add up. Some even wagered if Zheng Anpin and Master Yuan were on the same team.

After all, Zheng Anpin had lost the bid to Chen Fan and he very likely could have hired Master Yuan to lure Chen Fan into a two-man con. If Master Yuan identified the item as fake, he could then offer to buy the fake artifact from Chen Fan at a cheap price.

“I wager this lady does not trust my word.” Master Yuan said calmly and didn’t seem angry.