Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 39 Counterfeit, Picking Up a Bargain Lion's Chest
The stall owner had clearly noticed this gullible fool at the next stall, who seemed to be all talk and no action.

On the one hand, these half-baked individuals seem ignorant, yet they possess a certain amount of knowledge and can speak eloquently about some things; on the other hand, they love to squander money based on their limited understanding, indulging in unrealistic dreams of finding bargains.

They're all like silly deer; these are the easiest people to make money off!

Little do they know that the rumors about treasure appraisal and finding bargains in jade gambling are actually spread by antique dealers and jade merchants to lure people in.

Upon seeing such a person, he couldn't help but beam with pride and greet them warmly.

However, when Wang Cheng heard him say "I'll suffer a little loss," he subconsciously initiated a tactical lean back.

There are three unspoken messages in interpersonal communication. When someone says, "This isn't about money," it means they're about to try and extort money from you.

When someone says, "Let me say something fair," it means they have already been bought off by the opposing side.

When someone says, "I'll take a loss," it means they're about to start ripping you off with a heavy heart.

In order to hone his eyesight, Wang Cheng did not use the "Rare Goods for Hoarding" strategy right away.

But at this point, you don't even need to look at the goods to know there's definitely a problem!

My gaze fell on the stall owner. He was a rugged man with a stubble beard and an unkempt appearance, but his eyes were youthful and he had a pair of fair hands that were more delicate and beautiful than those of a young girl.

They paused for a moment on those hands, as if they had discovered some secret.

Looking back at the lion head plaque that shimmered with a precious light in his mind's eye, he suddenly understood.

Since the stall owner had extended such a sincere invitation, he led Zhang Wen confidently to the front of the stall, his sharp gaze fixed on the stall owner's eyes as he stated directly:

"Selling it for five hundred taels? Why don't you just rob someone!"

The stall owner dismissed his words, inwardly scoffing, 'Looking down on me, huh? There's no way to make money faster by robbing people than by fleecing fat sheep like you!' But aloud he continued to boast:

“I, Zhou Sanpao, am different from those antique dealers who only know how to brag and talk big.”

This is an ancestral lion-head plaque, a genuine antique. It accompanied the treasure ship's naval commander on its voyages to the Western Ocean, but due to its age and poor preservation, it was sold off cheaply.

You can ask about the market price. If it's a brand new lion-head talisman, even if you have little skill or poor technique, you can't get it for less than 800 or 1,000 taels.

Five hundred taels is guaranteed to be excellent value for money! If I hadn't just arrived in Yuegang and run out of travel expenses, I would never have sold this treasure.

Friend, if you're not an expert and can't recognize a gem even with eyes, then there's no need for further explanation.

Since ancient times, antique dealers and peddlers have been two extremes: one tries desperately to turn junk into treasure, while the other tries desperately to turn treasure into junk.

This lion-head plaque, which faintly exudes a spiritual aura, coupled with a well-known and reputable background and story, is indeed not expensive at five hundred taels.

Everything else is fine, except that it's a fake!

Wang Cheng did not continue to haggle, nor did he glance at the "broken wooden board" again.

Instead, he stared at the stall owner's hands, which were even more beautiful than a young girl's, and said with a half-smile:
Now that you mention it, I do realize that you are indeed different from ordinary antique dealers.

Boss, you're probably not just good with words, you're also quite capable with your hands, and pretty good at it too.

The stall owner noticed Wang Cheng's gaze and subconsciously tucked his hands into his wide sleeves, a hint of wariness rising in his eyes.

But it was too late.

The person who was looking for a rare commodity had already seen through his true nature when they were up close.

[Rare find: Wednesday's cannon shot, a fake official in the local garrison.]

From a young age, they practiced their "thousand-times-skilled hands," becoming adept at creating all sorts of counterfeits. The antiques and talismans they made were so realistic that they could be mistaken for the real thing. High-level counterfeits with profound skills could even make their counterfeits perform amazing feats comparable to the genuine articles.

Even though most of them are disposable items, the raw materials are quite valuable, and they may turn the tide and reverse the situation at critical moments.

Obsession: Preying on gullible, rich, and foolish people!

Most of these officials are professional swindlers in the antique industry. The more people they swindle and the larger the transaction amount, the more skilled they become.

Taboo: Being exposed on the spot, caught red-handed, the more thoroughly the forgery is exposed, the more severe the backlash will be.

The most serious case is a real-fake bet: the buyer purchases and destroys the fake, revealing the truth to everyone and instantly exposing the faker's deception. Just by looking at this stall owner's profession, you can tell that this large lion-shaped plaque and everything else on his stall are deliberately made fakes.

This forger painstakingly created a counterfeit that appears ordinary to mortals, yet can be recognized as somewhat "extraordinary" by ordinary students and officials.

It does have a certain brilliance on the surface, but it's only superficial, not fundamental.

Coupled with a drastically reduced price, they're designed to lure in unsuspecting customers, making them believe they've snagged a great deal and obediently hand over their money.

Unexpectedly, Wang Cheng did not play by the rules at all, and threw out a rare commodity, which directly exposed his true colors.

Ignoring the wary look in the other party's eyes, Wang Cheng maintained his inscrutable smile, his fingertips tracing across the large lion-shaped slab as if brushing against the stall owner's neck:
"Let me see. You weren't lying. The raw materials must be old objects salvaged from an ancient ship. It's an old-fashioned restoration, so the age is correct. The workmanship is also quite meticulous."

But this piece of material must have come from at least four different sources, right?

My heart skipped a beat.

"How did you know?"

When Wang Cheng told him that he was good at hands-on work, Zhou Sanpao, the fake hand, already had a bad feeling. By this time, he was sweating profusely.

Wang Cheng is absolutely right!

I almost inadvertently confessed, then stopped talking, finally realizing that I had seemingly chosen the wrong target and run into a brick wall.

He feigned composure, but inwardly he was offering fervent prayers to all the coastal spirits and deities he knew:
Divine Needle General, Stone-Clamping God, Water-Changing Boy, Water-Cup Saint, Guardian Deity of Position, Heavenly Princess, Prince Jing, please protect me! This is my first deal after completing my apprenticeship, so please don't fail!
If you're brought back to your original form, then everything is over.

But I still harbored a sliver of hope. If the other party were truly 100% certain, wouldn't they have just smashed my lousy signboard? Why would they be telling me so much?

Let's stabilize it first.

Then Wang Cheng's tone softened:
"Of course, no one says you can't use spliced ​​materials to carve the lion head panel, right, buddy?"

Theoretically, it's true that spliced ​​materials can be used for the lion head board.

However, it is ten times more difficult for materials with different spiritual properties to generate spiritual responses and become protective objects through thoughts, wishes, and major historical events than for normal materials.

"Yes, yes."

Zhou Sanpao could only agree with him, feeling increasingly uncertain. He could no longer maintain his composure and began to stammer.

But they didn't notice the fleeting look of determination in Wang Cheng's eyes.

"This thing is just like that plaque with the Ming Gate on the back and the Qing Gate on the front. It's 100% a genuine antique. If that plaque didn't only have two sides, it could have been replaced with the Zhonghua Gate and used for hundreds more years without any problem."

While the rest of the lion-shaped board is indeed made of 'old' wood, the single horn on the lion's head is genuine!

Just like the three characters 'Da Ming Men' on the back, the characters are worth far more than the plaque itself.

Wang Cheng could clearly see faint traces of ancient runes through the money.

【Rare item: Broken Lion Head Plank, from a treasure ship of the fleet from a hundred years ago. It has been damaged by storms and tsunamis and is now only a corner remains, but it still retains its power.

Treasures are covered in dust, and pearls are cast into darkness.

Sacrifice: Offering three kinds of sacrificial animals for twelve hours can break the dust and restore the old appearance.

Value: 1,000 incense money (Although severely damaged and its power greatly diminished, it is still a valuable item and a rare find).

One thousand incense offerings represent the purchasing power of over one thousand taels of silver, demonstrating the immense power of this horn when it was intact.

Zhou Sanpao was clearly inexperienced and trying to deceive people for the first time. He tried to pass off an old trick as an old one, but ended up losing more than he gained.

Just as Zhou Sanpao's emotions were fluctuating wildly, Wang Cheng countered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Friend, you don't want people to know that you've been forging things, do you?"

Our meeting is fate. Give me five taels of silver, and I'll help you get rid of all these junk and counterfeit goods on your stall, how about that?

(End of this chapter)