Chapter 699: Chapter 696: The Problematic Stamp Album

Seeing the spiritual energy, Huo Sining could not help but be stunned.

She flipped through the album page by page until the last page that was attached to the cover. On that page, there were several butterfly stamps that looked quite ordinary.

Huo Sining stared at that page closely with her naked eyes and did not find anything special about those stamps.

But through the Heavenly Eye, she could clearly see a faint layer of spiritual energy shrouding the stamps.

Huo Sining knew very well that only when encountering a real antique would the Heavenly Eye reveal purple Spiritual Qi, proving that it was not without basis. There must be something fishy with this stamp.

Seeing the old man staring at her, Huo Sining’s heart tightened, and without giving herself away, she moved her right hand and after a thought, she spoke up, “Old sir, my porcelain is an authentic Kangxi-Qianlong antique, and your album, no matter how good, is just a modern item. It can’t compare to the value of my vase.”

The old man had already taken the opportunity to scan the Garlic-head Vase several times while Huo Sining was looking at the album, his eyes brimming with greedy light. Seeing that Huo Sining was just a young girl, he naturally talked nonsense.

“Miss, you’re wrong there. Your Garlic-head Vase is indeed an antique from the Qing Dynasty, but you should know that there’s a big difference between famous kilns and official kilns. Your item, being widely passed down through generations, wouldn’t have much value even if it’s well preserved.”

“However, my album is different; it contains rare and scarce stamps that you can’t find a second copy of anywhere. Moreover, the market for precious stamps has been showing a rising trend in recent years. If you collect my album, who knows, one day it might make you rich!”

Huo Sining smiled wryly and countered, “If it has such great advantages, why don’t you keep the album for yourself and instead want to exchange it for my worthless Garlic-head Vase?”

At her words, the old man’s face stiffened, and he put on a regretful tone, “You can’t say that. Dealing with antiques is all about having a connection with the eye. The moment you held that Garlic-head Vase and walked past my stall, I took a fancy to it. Since it suits my taste, its value cannot be calculated like that. In the eyes of others, your vase might not be worth much, but to me, it is a priceless treasure.”

What connection, what priceless treasure–does this old man really think she’s a three-year-old child?

Huo Sining sneered inwardly, but her expression remained unchanged. Her clear eyes seemed to penetrate directly into one’s heart as she glanced contemptuously at the old man and shook her head,

“As you said, one has to feel a connection with what they see. While I am interested in your album, I don’t think it can compare to my Garlic-head Vase. I can’t exchange something I bought for three thousand yuan at a loss.”

This statement caught the old man’s attention, and from the tone of Huo Sining’s words, it seemed that she did not want to trade, but felt the value was not equivalent, “Then what would it take for you to make the exchange?”

The corners of Huo Sining’s mouth curled slightly, a hint of triumph flashed in her eyes, but when she turned around, her face was expressionless again,

“It’s simple. Since you covet my Garlic-head Vase, I’ll give you a fair price. Two thousand yuan plus your album, and the Garlic-head Vase is yours.”

The old man did not expect Huo Sining to play such a cunning trick in a barter exchange.

The old man remained silent, but his drooping eyes were constantly moving as if calculating the profit and loss of the deal.

Huo Sining would not give him any extra time to think. After about fifteen seconds, seeing that the old man had no response, impatience flashed across her face, and she laughed,

“It seems the old gentleman is not satisfied with the price, so we have nothing more to discuss.”

As Huo Sining turned to leave, the old man suddenly became anxious and grabbed her arm:

“Five hundred! Five hundred plus this album, how about that?”

Huo Sining enjoyed this kind of negotiation, where prices started high and were bargained down on the spot. She smiled, shook her head, and said, “One thousand, I can’t go any lower.”

The old man, upon hearing the price of eight hundred, rejoiced inwardly, yet he still had to put on a show of great reluctance, as if he had made a huge decision, and said through gritted teeth, “Deal, eight hundred then!”

With the transaction complete, Huo Sining took the thousand yuan from the old man, casually stuffed the album in her backpack, and turned towards the second underground level.

Once Huo Sining disappeared, a sly triumphant smile spread across the old man’s face.

He had acquired the album from a small vendor for just over ten yuan, and the stamps inside were all fake.

One thousand yuan plus a worthless album in exchange for the Garlic-head Vase, an old Qing Dynasty artifact, he thought. He could sell it for at least three to five thousand yuan. He’d made a neat profit!

Thinking he’d gotten the better end of the deal, the old man weighed the Garlic-head Vase in his hand, carefully packaged it into a box, and then took out another album identical to the one Huo Sining had just taken and placed it on his stall.

Meanwhile, Huo Sining had reached the second underground level and was looking around as she walked.

She was not in a hurry to unveil the secret within the album, since she had it in her possession, there was no need to rush this very moment.

She thought about the Garlic-head Vase she had bought for three thousand yuan, not only had she recouped a thousand yuan of the cost, but she had also obtained an album.

Guided by her Heavenly Eye, Huo Sining was certain that the album would bring her a sizeable surprise. The more she thought about it, the happier she became, which invigorated her spirit as she looked at the items.

The second floor was different from the first. The first floor had ordinary vendors with stalls holding a hodgepodge of peculiarities without any order–on a single stand, there might be porcelain, jade ornaments, and even the Four Treasures of the Study, along with paintings of flowers, birds, fish, and insects;

The second floor, however, was distinct. Perhaps due to the more spacious exhibition areas, the layout of items was much more organized, being more of a specialty store nature, and the arrangement was very systematic. There were sections for paintings and calligraphy, metal and jade artifacts, porcelain, and wood carvings–almost every few stores one would find another selling the same category of items.

As she eagerly surveyed the area, she saw a crowd gathered around a stall up ahead, with the murmur of people discussing the authenticity of an antique.

Driven by curiosity, Huo Sining couldn’t help but join the throng. Coincidentally, she saw Ji Kun amongst the crowd, and not only him, she also recognized another person–Liao Song, who had almost been duped into paying five hundred thousand yuan over The Droplet Guanyin by a friend.

Liao Song was also surprised to see Huo Sining here, “Miss Huo, what brings you here?”