Chapter 701: Chapter 698: Hot Potato

The antique business is highly rule-bound; greenhorns often suffer losses due to ignorance of these rules.

In the antique circle, it’s generally not acceptable to interrupt or interject while someone else is appraising an item; doing so can disrupt their judgment, leading to confusion that benefits no one.

Therefore, when someone is appraising an item, others usually wait outside a certain perimeter, trying not to disturb the person focused on the object.

While many people enjoy being onlookers, the number of those genuinely willing to bid is rather limited.

Firstly, many are not well-versed in Blue and White Porcelain; secondly, Yuan Blue and White pieces are exceedingly expensive, with even an ordinary bowl being worth tens or hundreds of millions, let alone the pair of Twined Peony Plum Vases at hand, which are price-prohibitive for many.

However, for Wu Jingqiang, having a few bidders is already quite good; after all, this isn’t an auction house, so he can’t set his expectations too high.

Once Liao Song had finished examining the item, he stepped back, and a friend who seemed to have come with him, evidently interested in the Plum Vase as well, hurried forward to look, holding a professional magnifying glass to scrutinize it closely.

The man didn’t take long, as others were waiting to have a look. After he was done, he moved close to Liao Song and whispered something.

Liao Song, however, remained where he was, saying nothing, simply watching quietly as others approached to inspect the vase, as if trying to discern something from their expressions.

Soon it was Huo Sining and Ji Kun’s turn. Huo Sining wasn’t planning to bid, but when there was something good to see, she wouldn’t miss out, especially since her trip to the Imperial Capital Ghost Market was all about broadening her horizons.

Moving closer, Huo Sining took out her magnifying glass and, at the same time, gently laid her right hand on the body of the Yuan Blue and White piece, instinctively closing her eyes to meditate.

In an instant, Huo Sining opened her eyes, looking down at the Twining Plum Bottle in her hand, her eyes filled with disappointment.

Unlike when she browsed through stamp albums on the first floor, when meditating this time she activated Heavenly Eye, but under the Heavenly Eye, the large Plum Vase before her showed not a hint of Spiritual Energy.

Huo Sining sighed inwardly; the feedback from Heavenly Eye was the most reliable, never mistaken. The Plum Vases were undoubtedly fake.

Even though she knew the Plum Vases were fake, the expression in Huo Sining’s eyes remained unchanged and she didn’t step away immediately, but instead started to examine the vases seriously with her magnifying glass.

Although the domestic antique market is flooded with porcelain, encountering Yuan Blue and White is no easy feat. Huo Sining had seen plenty of Blue and White Porcelain but had rarely come across Yuan Blue and White.

After thoroughly inspecting both Plum Vases, what surprised Huo Sining was that, in terms of shape, painted content, and craftsmanship, there seemed to be no flaws in the vases. However, through Heavenly Eye, she realized that the bottoms and bodies of the Twining Plum Bottles were joined in a later period and then reglazed.

This meant that although the bodies of the Twining Plum Bottles were fake, the bottoms of both were genuine artifacts.

No wonder the boss claimed that several experts had verified them as authentic pieces.

Indeed, the stamp of the official kiln on the two Plum Vase bottoms was genuine; not only could it deceive experts, it might even fool professional detection equipment.

But Huo Sining was somewhat doubtful; the boss, with his last name Wu, seemed amiable and didn’t look like a stingy person. Could it be that he had acquired the vases from someone else?

Huo Sining of course wasn’t so naive, the antique trade market was already a mix of the good and the bad, not to mention a ghost market that had yet to come into the light.

In such places, one could indeed stumble upon great deals, but the vast majority were deceits.

For every inch of goodness, there was a foot of evil; the antique industry, filled with huge profits, naturally had countless people sharpening their heads to design complete scams to lure people into traps.

After inspecting the Plum Vases, Huo Sining practiced the adage “eyes on the nose, nose on the heart.”

Liao Song had been paying attention to Huo Sining’s every move for a while. Seeing Huo Sining step back, he stealthily glanced around before coming over with a smile and whispered, “Miss Huo, how do you see these vases?”

Huo Sining raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at Boss Wu indifferently, then leaned close to Liao Song and asked in a low voice, “Do you want to hear the truth? Then let me give you a piece of advice, be careful not to be deceived or you’ll fall into a pit you can’t climb out of.”

Liao Song, who had intended to make a purchase, couldn’t help but stiffen at Huo Sining’s words, his heartbeat skipping a beat. He dryly asked, “What do you mean?”

Huo Sining nodded slightly, and whispered almost inaudibly, “That item still has the smell of smoke on it; it’s hot, and it definitely hasn’t been out of the factory for more than ten years.”

Liao Song had only intended to take Huo Sining’s opinion into consideration, but he hadn’t expected to get such a response.

Seeing the conviction in Huo Sining’s assertion and recalling the time she appraised The Droplet Guanyin, a shiver ran down Liao Song’s spine.

At that time, several experts had been mistaken about his Guanyin porcelain sculpture, yet it was this young lady, not even twenty years old, who had spotted the flaw in the sculpture at first glance.

With this in mind, Liao Song’s expression turned solemn; he no longer underestimated her as before. He turned back to take a deep look at the Twined Peony Plum Vase and then stood motionless.

Huo Sining also didn’t move, standing still as the buyers surrounded the vases, examining and discussing among themselves. After a full quarter of an hour, Boss Wu finally called a halt and smiled at the crowd, saying:

“Ladies and gentlemen, the starting bid for the Twined Peony Plum Vase is 800,000. If anyone is keen and convinced they want to take it home, feel free to place your bids; the highest bidder wins!”

“I bid one million!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the young man who had previously addressed Boss Wu by his surname was the first to speak.

Huo Sining looked at the man in puzzlement. Boss Wu obviously knew the man; if this was a shill, wasn’t he afraid that such an obvious act would raise suspicions?

But looking at his earnest face, it didn’t seem like it.

As the man called out his bid, the expression on Boss Wu’s face turned somewhat strange – but it was not one of joy or calculation. Instead, it resembled someone who had encountered a big, unavoidable headache. His face twitched slightly, and his expression was one of consternation and helplessness, as if he was stuck with a bothersome issue he couldn’t shake off.

Huo Sining couldn’t help but take a few more glances at the man. Noticing her gaze, he abruptly turned his head, his peach-blossom eyes meeting Huo Sining’s in a direct stare. Huo Sining was taken aback, only to find the man flashing her a smile, his peach-blossom eyes even fluttering in a wink, as if he believed he was charmingly sending a flirtatious gesture!

Instantly, Huo Sining’s face darkened. She now understood why Boss Wu had such a complicated expression – this man, was he some kind of fool who had escaped from a mental hospital?