Chapter 708: Chapter 705: Oh no, did I hit a snag!?

As soon as Huo Sining got her hands on the ivory carving, she saw through her Heavenly Eye a faint purple aura emanating from it.

Compared to the previous bronze artifact, the difference between the two was enormous, but since there was a purple aura, it indicated that the ivory piece was also quite aged.

The carving was made of Asian ivory, which is softer than African ivory and had a slight yellowish tint, but it was in perfect condition.

Huo Sining glanced at the base price of the ivory carving, and boy, it was only two hundred yuan. No wonder the two people before had only given it a brief look before walking away, probably thinking such a cheap item was not worthy of mention.

However, Huo Sining thought the base price was set too low. Regardless of whether it was an antique or not, the craftsmanship and material alone were worth far more than two hundred yuan.

It seemed that the auctioneer had set the price low anticipating competition, which would drive the price up.

Unfortunately, they didn’t expect that nobody would take an interest in the ivory carving when it was brought out, and in the end, of course, it fell into Huo Sining’s lap for a bargain.

Only a fool would pass up a good deal. Although the actual sale price of the ivory carving wouldn’t exceed a thousand yuan, Huo Sining wasn’t one to sneer at a small amount of money. After stepping down from the display stage, she eagerly filled out the bid form and happily paid two hundred yuan.

Probably because they considered the ivory carving of little value, it wasn’t long before an attendant delivered it directly to her hands without any attempt to conceal it.

After all, a two-hundred-yuan cosmetic box wouldn’t draw anyone’s attention.

Seeing Huo Sining’s beaming smile, as if she had just scored a great deal, Zhou Shitao couldn’t help shaking his head while Ji Kun couldn’t resist curling his lips. Only Wei Yanli snorted disdainfully, “You’re this happy over some piece of junk? Really?”

“Like you’re one to talk, you nouveau riche!” Huo Sining couldn’t resist retorting.

Although the first bronze piece hadn’t yet been handed over to Wei Yanli, from the triumphant look on his face during the earlier bidding, it was clear that this spendthrift must have won the bid!

Thinking back to Wu Qingshan’s parting words, reminding her to take it easy, Huo Sining couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of her mouth. With Wei Yanli’s character, asking him not to squander was probably harder than killing him.

Huo Sining carefully picked up the ivory piece, intending to stuff it into her backpack, but as her hand touched the base of the carving once again, she got a shock.

Previously, she had been too focused on the ivory’s intricate carvings to notice the base. Now, as she lifted it with her hands, she saw through her Heavenly Eye that there was a two or three-centimeter crack in the base, which had been filled in with silicone.

“Damn, it’s been tampered with!”

Huo Sining panicked for a moment, but then, following the crack filled with plaster, her Heavenly Eye pierced through and went into the interior of the Guanyin Buddha sculpture, causing her to freeze in astonishment.

Her body stiffened, and she subconsciously wrapped her backpack around her, glancing guiltily from side to side to see if Zhou Shitao and Ji Kun had noticed her reaction. Only after seeing that they hadn’t did she relax.

However, having noticed something unusual inside the base of the carving, Huo Sining could barely contain her curiosity. She stealthily reached her hand back into the backpack and felt the bottom of the cosmetic box again.

Once more, her Heavenly Eye penetrated the object, and inside that hollowed-out base, hardly two centimeters wide, was an extremely small space containing a tiny wax pill.

What was going on?

Huo Sining’s heartbeat suddenly quickened by a few beats. She held her breath and continued to use the Heavenly Eye to see through that wax pill, and what she saw made her stare in disbelief.

Inside that wax pill, there was a tiny scrap of paper rolled up, but as for what exactly was written on that scrap, Huo Sining couldn’t see clearly. She would have to extract the wax pill and unfold the paper to find out.

At this moment, Huo Sining’s heart was like it had been scratched by a cat, itching unbearably.

What was it? What was written on that scrap of paper?!

Huo Sining’s heart raced uncontrollably, as a voice inside her kept asking incessantly, and she almost couldn’t keep herself seated.

She was extremely curious about the scrap of paper inside the Buddha sculpture and wished she could leave the Ghost Market immediately and go home to figure it out.

But Huo Sining was very clear in her mind that at this time she must suppress all her emotions and absolutely not show any sign of abnormality.

Taking a deep breath, she strove to control the surging excitement within her and pretended to be calm as she turned her gaze towards the third auction item on display.

As soon as the third item was presented on the stage, there was a sensation among the crowd. Even Zhou Shitao and Ji Kun had their attention diverted by that item, so nobody noticed Huo Sining’s unusual behavior just now.

Huo Sining also quickly adjusted her emotions and observed the extraordinary antique on the stage. However, unknowingly, she moved her backpack to the front and gripped the shoulder strap of her backpack tightly with her right hand.

The third item was a Tri-colored Tang Horse, with all four legs standing on a rectangular base. The horse was 40 centimeters tall, predominantly white, with its neck stretched and head bowed, decorated with exquisite craftsmanship, with every detail meticulously handled.

Although the horse figure was not large, its shape was especially lifelike, with its head held high, eyes wide open, and mouth open as if in a neigh, while its tail flicked upward, full of vitality.

Not only Wei Yanli, but even Zhou Shitao and Ji Kun’s attention were captivated by this Tri-colored Tang Horse, whereas Huo Sining alone had a look of shock in her eyes. That familiar feeling emanating from the horse made her heart sink abruptly.

Back in the day at the Taicheng Ancient Tomb, they had retrieved a batch of Tang Sancai Galloping Horses from the Tomb Robbers, and the black malevolence on those horses nearly cost her life.

Because of the heavy malevolence, in the end, it was Professor Xie who found a high monk to help out, saving her, Feng Yang, and Li Xuanbing from misfortune.

So upon seeing this horse, Huo Sining’s intuition immediately told her that this standing Tri-colored Tang Horse might be related to that malevolence-ridden Tang Sancai Galloping Horse.

Huo Sining could never have imagined that after several months, she would encounter another Tri-colored Tang Horse in the Imperial Capital. Could this be a cursed fate?

As soon as the third item was placed on the table, the mere presence of the horse statue seemed genuine.

Because of this, everyone became excited after seeing this Tang Sancai Galloping Horse, ready to leap into action, with many standing up to approach the stage before even having to be reminded by the sound of a warning whistle.

Zhou Shitao, of course, became even more restless, constantly making eye signals to Huo Sining, motioning for her to follow him onto the stage later.

Given these circumstances, even though Huo Sining was still somewhat excited and curious about the wax pill inside the ivory carving, she too had to temporarily push that feeling aside.