The Fantastic Little Farmer

Chapter 206: Chapter 206: Extraordinary Mysterious Jade Seal

Upon hearing that the item might be three thousand years old, Zhang Yun nearly leaped to his feet!

But he quickly calmed down. The seller of the Bronze Venerable had also claimed his item was from the Eastern Zhou or Western Zhou dynasties, only for someone to joke that it was from ”last week.” If a merchant’s word could be trusted, they wouldn’t be lining their pockets so heavily.

As Chu Zhongyang examined the item, Zhang Yun lowered his expectations to rock bottom. He didn’t expect to score a three-thousand-year-old antique for free; he just hoped it wasn’t a complete fake. As long as it possessed more Energy than the Bronze Venerable, today would be a massive win.

But the moment the object settled into his palm, he unconsciously frowned. The sensation was completely different from anything else he had ever touched!

Usually, items were either new fakes devoid of Energy, or they were genuine articles from which he could directly absorb it. The more potent the artifact, the more violent the surge of absorption. However, this particular object was a total contradiction.

On one hand, Zhang Yun could sense the vast, raging Energy contained within the Jade Seal. On the other hand, while the Iron Ring exerted a powerful suction force on it, the Jade Seal itself seemed to possess a protective Barrier. The Energy surged within, but it simply couldn’t be extracted!

This was quite unfortunate. Because the item belonged to someone else, he could only use this appraisal as a brief window to siphon its Energy. With the Energy trapped inside, it was like staring at a mountain of gold he couldn’t touch. He would have to hand it back soon, and he couldn’t even say a word about it!

”What do you think?” Chu Zhongyang asked.

Although the older man couldn’t quite grasp the depth of Zhang Yun’s knowledge, it was clear the young man’s methods differed from his own academic approach. Zhang Yun didn’t seem to need meticulous research; instead, he made judgments based entirely on intuition.

Seeing Zhang Yun frown, Liu Jiachang also furrowed his brows.

”Hard to say. I lack the Experience to make a proper judgment,” Zhang Yun deflected. After all, Liu Jiachang had invited Chu Zhongyang for his expertise. Zhang Yun was merely tagging along to broaden his horizons, so it wasn’t his place to steal the spotlight.

A flash of suspicion crossed Liu Jiachang’s eyes. Chu Zhongyang had spent ages examining the piece without showing a hint of pleasant surprise—only grave caution. The expert’s failure to give an immediate verdict was already a bad sign. As for Zhang Yun, the young man probably wasn’t adept at lying, which explained his vague deflection. Liu Jiachang’s heart began to sink.

”Old Chu, what do you think?”

Chu Zhongyang gave a wry smile. ”To be honest, my conclusion is the same as Xiaozhang’s. I simply can’t make a judgment.”

”So it’s a fake?” Liu Jiachang was immensely disappointed. ”We’re old friends, there’s no need to sugarcoat it. Just tell it to me straight. I invited you here to evaluate it for me so I wouldn’t get scammed.”

”It’s a bit more complicated than that. Based on my Experience and knowledge, I can’t pinpoint its exact era. Look here—the markings are blurred, making it impossible to tell whether they are ancient characters or mere patterns. The material isn’t particularly extraordinary either.

”Let me put it this way! If you had acquired this through standard channels, I would suspect it’s a modern replica, perhaps even made in recent years. But since you claim it was freshly unearthed and boasts at least three thousand years of history, I’m at a total loss.”

Liu Jiachang caught the underlying subtext: based on its appearance alone, it probably wasn’t worth much, but its supposed background story couldn’t be verified either.

”The origin story is rock solid. I can guarantee that,” Liu Jiachang said. ”But hearing your assessment, I have two suspicions. The first is that someone planted it in the Ancient Tomb beforehand, only to dig it up and present it to me. The second is that the real artifact was unearthed, but someone swapped it out before handing it over.”

Neither Chu Zhongyang nor Zhang Yun could offer much of an opinion on his blunt suspicions.

In truth, Zhang Yun was the most conflicted person in the room. While Chu Zhongyang was genuinely stumped, Zhang Yun could tell through the Spiritual Qi that this was absolutely a phenomenal artifact. Even if it wasn’t three thousand years old, it had to be at least a millennium or two old. However, he had absolutely no way to prove it! He couldn’t explain his methods to Chu Zhongyang, and Liu Jiachang wouldn’t be able to explain the artifact’s true value to anyone else.

”Old Liu, don’t overthink it. It’s entirely possible that my eyes have simply failed me. You should find a specialist in this specific field to take a second look... Sigh, I’m getting old. I’ve become too arrogant, relying on my seniority and thinking I have an infallible eye. Today, I really got a slap in the face!”

To comfort Liu Jiachang, Chu Zhongyang brought up the Bronze Venerable and recounted the embarrassing blunder he had just made.

Liu Jiachang patted his shoulder. The fact that Chu Zhongyang was willing to expose his own humiliating mistake just to console him proved they were true brothers.

”Since the two of you share the same opinion, you must be right. Let me put it this way: based on your gut instincts, how much is this thing worth?”

Chu Zhongyang quickly waved him off. ”You know I don’t follow market prices. I’m just an academic researcher.”

”Cut the crap! You have plenty of collections yourself!” Liu Jiachang laughed and scolded him. ”I haven’t paid for this piece yet. I originally had high hopes for it, but with no proof of its origins, I can’t just toss it back in the seller’s face! Help me put a price on it.”

”The value of a Seal usually doesn’t lie in its material or craftsmanship, but in its provenance. Was it carved by a master? Did it belong to a famous historical figure? Those are the crucial factors...”

Seeing Chu Zhongyang tactfully avoid naming a price, Liu Jiachang chuckled. ”I understand. This piece lacks both of those qualities. Its only selling point is its supposed age, but since even you two consider that doubtful, it obviously won’t fetch a high price. Would you take it off my hands for a hundred thousand?”

”Haha, I already have far too many ancient Seals in my collection.”

”You sly old fox!” Liu Jiachang joked, then casually turned his attention. ”What about you, Xiaozhang? Any interest?”

”Honestly, I am actually quite interested. Boss Liu, you mentioned it could be three thousand years old. If I encounter an avid collector of Seals, they’d probably be willing to pay a premium.” Zhang Yun suppressed his ecstatic joy, maintaining the humble demeanor of an honest man.

He seriously suspected this was genuinely unearthed from a three-thousand-year-old Ancient Tomb. Even if he couldn’t resell it, successfully extracting its Energy would make it entirely worth the cost. This item held astronomically more value than the Bronze Venerable. He had been willing to drop eighty-eight thousand on that vessel; snapping this up for a hundred thousand would be an absolute steal!

Liu Jiachang was momentarily stunned. ”You’re actually considering it?”

Zhang Yun’s eager attitude immediately bred suspicion. Could these two have conspired to belittle the artifact, all so Zhang Yun could scoop it up for a bargain? After all, this young man was a complete stranger Chu Zhongyang had brought along! Although Chu Zhongyang was an old friend, when money was on the table, loyalty was never guaranteed.

He stared at Zhang Yun, though he kept his peripheral vision trained on Chu Zhongyang. Seeing the older man hesitate to speak before giving a subtle shake of his head, Liu Jiachang finally relaxed.

Combining this with the previous incident regarding the Bronze Venerable, it seemed Zhang Yun was just young, impulsive, and overly eager to help out! Perhaps the young man was still caught up in the fantasy of striking it rich by unearthing a hidden gem, dreaming of buying the piece and then sweet-talking a clueless buyer into taking it off his hands.

But could the same trick really work with a Jade Seal?

Even if it genuinely belonged to a historical master, it would still require the endorsement of recognized contemporary experts. Without that, who would believe him? Did he really think antique collectors had more money than brains?

”I really want it. Even if I can’t flip it, I’d be happy keeping it for myself. I don’t have any Jade Seals in my collection.” Zhang Yun flashed him an innocent smile.

”Xiaozhang here is quite flush with cash. He’s the kind of guy who wouldn’t bat an eye at spending a hundred thousand,” Chu Zhongyang chuckled.

Zhang Yun actually felt a bit embarrassed, feeling as though he was taking advantage of Liu Jiachang. ”How about this... I’ll give you two hundred thousand if you throw in the Compass and the copper bell too?”

When he originally purchased the Compass and copper bell, he had only spent twenty thousand. Zhang Youcai had been convinced it was a dead loss, meaning the items couldn’t even sell for that original price. Offering to pay an extra hundred thousand for them now was genuinely out of a kindhearted desire to compensate Liu Jiachang.

But to Liu Jiachang’s ears, this proposal meant something entirely different!

He thought the kid clearly had an ulterior motive! The Jade Seal was practically worthless. Zhang Yun was just using it as a smokescreen to acquire his true targets—the Compass and the copper bell—in a bundle deal!

Liu Jiachang laughed warmly. ”That wouldn’t be right. Even if the Jade Seal’s exact era is questionable, there’s still a chance it’s a three-thousand-year-old Ancient Artifact. I can sell it to you with a clear conscience. But as for those other two items, you both already confirmed they’re only a few decades old. They’re worthless. I’ll dispose of them some other way. Let’s just stick to a hundred thousand!”

Watching the man eagerly push aside the other two items to lock in the transaction, Zhang Yun couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. It wasn’t that he wanted to rip the man off; Liu Jiachang was the one refusing his compensation.