The iron lump was about the size of two palms, covered in copper rust, and shaped like a Buddha. It looked ordinary, with nothing particularly remarkable about it.
However, Chen Xiao could feel an extremely powerful spiritual energy within this iron lump.
Seeing Chen Xiao stare at the iron lump for a long time, Gu Zhendong couldn't help but feel curious.
He asked, "What's wrong, Chen Xiao? Is there anything special about this thing?"
Chen Xiao remained silent, but the胖摊主 (pàng tān zhǔ - fat stall owner) became animated.
He gave Chen Xiao a thumbs-up and said, "Little brother, you have excellent taste. This is a Buddha from the Tang Dynasty. It was submerged in water underground, which is why it's so rusty now. But no matter what, it's an antique. If you genuinely like it, you can take it for fifty thousand yuan!"
As soon as the fat stall owner finished speaking, the surrounding stall owners began to whisper amongst themselves.
"That fat guy is probably going to make a big profit again. The signs of artificial aging on this junk are so obvious, yet he dares to ask for fifty thousand yuan!"
"This young man knows nothing, he's a greenhorn. If he doesn't swindle him, who will? It's just benefiting that fat guy!"
Those stall owners thought their voices were very low, but every word they spoke entered Chen Xiao's ears.
Chen Xiao smiled, too lazy to bother with them. Whether he was being swindled or not was not for them to decide.
"The item is good, but it's too expensive. If you give me a better price, I'll take it!"
Chen Xiao weighed the Buddha in his hand and began to haggle with the fat stall owner.
Seeing Chen Xiao say this, the fat stall owner knew he had secured this plump sheep for the day.
He said with a serious expression, "Little brother, you can tell it's a good item, right? You get what you pay for. I, Fatty, have always been honest in business. However, since you sincerely want to buy it, how about this: I'll give you a discount of five thousand, and you can take it for forty-five thousand!"
He said this with a pained expression.
In reality, he had only spent four hundred and fifty yuan to acquire this item, and he was already over the moon to be able to sell it for a hundred times the price.
Chen Xiao glanced at him disdainfully. Although he knew the stall owner was acting, he didn't expose him.
"Forty thousand yuan, and I'll take it. If you agree, I'll transfer the money now!"
Saying this, Chen Xiao took out his phone.
"Alright, alright, forty thousand it is. Little brother, we have fate. If it were someone else, I wouldn't sell it so cheaply. Here, scan here!"
The fat stall owner produced a QR code and added, "But I have to be upfront: once this item is sold, there are no returns or exchanges. Even if you regret it after buying, don't come back to me!"
Chen Xiao smiled and scanned the code, then transferred the money.
"Don't worry, I won't regret it even if you do!"
With forty thousand yuan transferred, the sound of cash registers chiming filled the air. The fat stall owner's smile was so wide it seemed his mouth wouldn't close.
By now, many tourists had gathered. Seeing Chen Xiao spend forty thousand yuan on such an item, they all pointed and laughed.
"This young man, spending forty thousand yuan on an iron lump. His family's money must have been blown in by the wind!"
"So young, with no experience at all, and he thinks he can find treasures. Now look, he's stuck with a forty-thousand-yuan iron lump. Let's see what he does!"
...
Hearing the discussions from the crowd, Gu Zhendong felt a bit embarrassed.
Although he didn't know what Chen Xiao intended to do with the item, he felt that Chen Xiao was clearly being taken advantage of. How could this piece of junk iron be worth forty thousand yuan?
He pulled Chen Xiao aside and whispered, "Chen Xiao, why don't we go back to the hotel first!"
Chen Xiao smiled, "No rush to go back. I want to show everyone what a true treasure looks like."
Everyone present chuckled at this.
This young man, still unwilling to give up? How could this piece of junk iron be a treasure? It was ridiculous!
Chen Xiao ignored their mockery. With a slight exertion of force, a cracking sound echoed. The iron lump split open, and the rust-covered metal skin began to peel off.
"Damn, this young man has quite some strength. Most people couldn't break this thing!"
"He spent forty thousand yuan just to break it for fun? That's too wasteful. Even if his family's money was blown in by the wind, they shouldn't be this extravagant!"
"Don't his parents manage him? Tsk, tsk..."
Although the crowd couldn't understand what Chen Xiao was doing, it didn't stop them from jeering at him.
The fat stall owner also watched Chen Xiao with interest, curious about what he was up to.
Soon, an entire layer of the metal skin of the iron lump fell off, and a dazzling light shone from within.
A corner of jade was revealed.
There was something inside?
Everyone was stunned and watched intently as Chen Xiao continued to pry it open.
Crack, crack, crack—
After a series of cracking sounds, the metal skin of the Buddha completely fell off, revealing a jade seal about the size of a palm.
The crowd was astonished. It was copper-wrapped jade!
Items wrapped in this manner were almost always good things inside.
At this moment, a middle-aged man walked over excitedly and cautiously asked Chen Xiao, "Little brother, I am Wang Yigeng. Could you let me take a look at the jade seal in your hand?"
Upon seeing the newcomer, the surrounding stall owners were greatly surprised.
Locals all knew that Wang Yigeng was like a grandmaster in the Qingcheng antique circle.
Although he was not old, only in his forties, he had been immersed in the antique world since childhood. His seniority was extremely high, and he had never misjudged an item.
His eyes were more accurate than any high-tech equipment!
"Certainly, you can take a look."
Chen Xiao generously handed over the jade seal.
Upon seeing it, Wang Yigeng's face turned ashen, and he stammered, "This, this, this is a seal used by Master Tang Bohu! Absolutely no mistake! Little brother, you've struck it rich. A seal used by Master Tang is a priceless treasure!"
"Holy cow, Tang Bohu's seal, how much would that be worth? It would sell for millions!"
"Millions? You're dreaming. It would be tens of millions at least, and could even sell for hundreds of millions!"
"So this young man is the true expert. He knew there was a treasure inside all along!"
The crowd chattered, their eyes filled with envy.
The fat stall owner's face turned green. He thought he had made tens of thousands today, but now he had lost hundreds of millions!
Wang Yigeng returned the jade seal to Chen Xiao.
Gu Zhendong cautiously advised, "Chen Xiao, this seal is a relic of Master Tang, and it's his most meaningful seal. Both its artistic and collectible value are top-tier. You must take good care of it!"
Chen Xiao, however, smiled and said, "Although this jade seal is related to Master Tang, it's actually not its most valuable aspect!"