Chapter 7641
They're all experts
Forty minutes later, the car slowly came to a stop in front of a small courtyard by the river on the outskirts of the city.
This is a sizable Chinese courtyard with white walls, black tiles, and upturned eaves. The courtyard is surrounded by bamboo, its branches and leaves swaying, lush and green, exuding a simple and elegant charm. It complements the surrounding river view and is exceptionally tranquil.
Several luxury cars were already parked at the entrance to the courtyard; at a glance, they belonged to the wealthy and powerful...
A black Rolls-Royce Phantom exudes grandeur; a Maybach S680 is understated yet luxurious; and a black Audi with a special license plate is composed and dignified—clearly not something an ordinary person could own.
Clearly, the people who came today are all prominent figures in the provincial capital.
Qin Xianglan parked the car, quickly got out, and opened the back door for Xiao Chen again, saying respectfully, "Mr. Xiao, we've arrived. Please get out of the car."
Xiao Chen nodded, got out of the car, and followed Qin Xianglan into the courtyard.
The courtyard has a nice, antique feel, and there are already quite a few people inside. The atmosphere seems a bit tense, and everyone's expression is very serious.
In the very center of the courtyard stood a long mahogany table covered with soft brocade.
There was tea still steeping on it, and the aroma of tea filled the air; you could tell it wasn't cheap just by smelling it.
Four people were sitting around the table.
Xiao Chen recognized one of them; it was Qin Xiangdong, the nominal head of the Qin family.
However, he knew that Qin Xianglan was actually the person in charge of the Qin family.
Qin Xianglan used to be her grandfather, but now he is seriously ill and bedridden, and has not been involved in anything for a long time.
Now Qin Xianglan is in charge, and Qin Xiangdong is more like a housekeeper.
Sitting to Qin Xiangdong's left was a man in his fifties, dressed in a suit and wearing elegant glasses, with a scholarly air about him, like an old pedant from a university.
"That's Elder Ming, the appraiser specially invited by the family head. He's more famous than Jiang Youwei in the provincial capital's antique circle, and his status is also higher. He's practically never wrong..."
Qin Xianglan lowered her voice as she introduced the topic.
Xiao Chen then looked to Qin Xiangdong's right, where a middle-aged man in his forties stood. He was clearly a nouveau riche, burly and adorned with gold and silver.
Especially the large thumb ring on his hand, made of full-green jadeite, which is obviously very valuable.
"That's Yao Yuanlai, a collector from the ancient city. He's quite wealthy, with at least several billion yuan. He's a big name in the collecting world of our western region and is quite good at appraising treasures. He has some experience, though he's not as good as Elder Ming."
"I've heard that he has a lot of good things in his collection and even has his own museum."
Xiao Chen nodded. It was worth getting to know this Yao Yuanlai; perhaps one of the things in his collection could be useful to him.
Next to Yao Yuanlai was another person, who was relatively young, only in his thirties.
The man's attire was rather strange; he was wearing a long robe and a pair of thick black glasses, looking like a fortune teller on the street.
"Who is that person? He doesn't seem to be an antique connoisseur," Xiao Chen asked curiously.
"That's a feng shui master. Yao Yuanlai invited him. I heard he's a disciple of some hidden sect, skilled in feng shui and predicting good and bad fortune. He's quite famous in the ancient city's feng shui circle, and many people pay a lot of money to have him do their feng shui."
Xiao Chen smiled. So he was a feng shui master.
He didn't care anymore, and the two of them walked to the vicinity of the long table, where everyone's eyes were on them.
Upon seeing Xiao Chen, apart from Qin Xiangdong, everyone else was just curious, assuming he was a junior member of the Qin family, and didn't ask any further questions.
Qin Xiangdong hurriedly stood up and came to the two of them: "Xianglan, you finally managed to invite Mr. Xiao. We've been waiting for you for ages, and those other guests are getting a little impatient."
Qin Xianglan nodded, then looked at everyone and said, "I apologize, everyone. This is Mr. Xiao. I went to invite him, which took some time." Hearing this, Elder Ming and the others were clearly displeased.
Qin Xianglan actually went to invite a young man and left them standing there; it's simply outrageous.
Looking at the young man's clothes, he was dressed casually in cloth clothes and cloth shoes. There was nothing unusual about him.
Only Qin Xiangdong remained silent.
Because he knew how capable Xiao Chen was.
Xiao Chen was not only an extremely powerful martial artist, but also skilled in weapon crafting. He had helped the Qin family a great deal and even personally forged a divine sword.
He was somewhat surprised that Xiao Chen knew how to appraise antiques, which was beyond his expectations.
Qin Xiangdong didn't ask any further questions, but hurriedly invited Xiao Chen to the table: "Mr. Xiao, it's such an honor for us to have you here."
"You're too kind! I'm sorry to have taken up everyone's time!"
Xiao Chen smiled and said.
Seeing Xiao Chen say this, Old Master Ming curled his lip in disdain, not even bothering to look at the boy. He wondered where this swindler came from, yet the Qin family treated him like a treasure.
In his opinion, what could such a young man know about appraising antiques?
Antique appraisal requires experience and discerning eye; without decades of accumulation, it is impossible to achieve any expertise.
It's highly likely that Qin Xianglan was bewitched by this pretty boy and made a mistake by bringing him along to fill in. Perhaps this kid doesn't even know the basics of antiques.
Yao Yuanlai glanced at Xiao Chen indifferently, showing no regard for him, treating him as Qin Xianglan's follower. He then looked away, continuing to sip his tea slowly with a calm expression.
Han Jin, standing beside him, glanced at Xiao Chen a couple more times, a subtle glint of something unusual flashing in his eyes, as if he had sensed something. However, he quickly regained his composure, lowered his head, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table, seemingly deep in thought.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Qin Xiangdong nodded slightly to the butler standing beside him and said in a calm tone, "Please invite the seller out."
Butler Qin Mian nodded.
He immediately ordered someone to bring out the ancient jade to be appraised.
The person holding the ancient jade was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a simple and unpretentious appearance, who seemed to be an honest person.
But Xiao Chen saw a hint of cunning and slyness in his eyes.
However, he didn't say much. He wanted to see what the situation was like with today's appraisal.
A middle-aged man carrying a brocade box approached the long table, carefully placed it on the table, and then said in front of everyone, "Gentlemen, the item is in this box. You may now appreciate it."
He immediately opened the box.
At that moment, he was visibly nervous, perhaps afraid of being exposed, or perhaps thinking that if this deal went through, he would be able to achieve financial freedom.
The moment the brocade box was opened, a bright, bloody light shone through.
The light instantly attracted everyone present.
All eyes were drawn to the box.
Including Xiao Chen.
However, everyone's expression was different; some were surprised, some cautious, and some curious. (End of Chapter)