Mysterious Jade Sword Episode 36

  As everyone's gaze gathered, Ma Dong carefully placed an object in the center of the table, which was a three-foot-long ancient jade sword.

  Ma Dong pointed to the jade sword with a smile and said, "Everyone, this jade sword was obtained through some special channels in Henan. It is said to be from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Take a look!"

  Ma Dong said it's not "certain", but "rumored", this sentence has some learning, he brings things over, in business, that's everyone's own judgment, cash transaction, whether you make a profit or lose money, that's all on yourself to bear the consequences, those who play this game all understand, the most taboo thing in the industry is after being cheated and losing money, going around spreading rumors and causing trouble, playing antiques is about having an eye for it, playing is about the thrill.

  In the market, everyone knows that truly good things are extremely rare. In antiques, items that reach a certain level are prohibited by the state, and only jade and stone carvings are relatively more common. However, genuine antique pieces are extremely scarce. Of course, this doesn't mean that all jade and stone carvings are real; there are many fake ones too. The law doesn't explicitly regulate this, so as long as they're labeled as "A goods" or "B goods", they can be sold in gold and jade shops. The techniques for making fake jade pieces are becoming increasingly sophisticated. At street stalls, you can pick up a piece that has the same color as the best jade pieces, but it's certain that out of 1,000 pieces, 999 are fake, and the last one isn't even made of jade.

  Besides, the business they're doing now is shady to begin with. If what Ma Dong said is true, then the origin of these things must also be shady. Although he'll try his best to guarantee that his goods are genuine, even if it's just on his end, faking them is a normal thing to do. After all, doing this business relies on one's eyesight. Of course, Ma Dong has already done his best to help them pass the inspection, but even so, he doesn't dare give a 100% guarantee. As for people like Bi Jian Guo and Lin Xin Cheng, tens of millions or even hundreds of millions are at stake. Although it won't cripple them, who wants to lose money in business?

  Since you dare to do this business, naturally there are a few brushes, some have their own skills, and some have skilled people under them. When the ancient jade sword is taken out, those who are capable start to move forward, each holding magnifying glasses and other tools to examine the jade sword. Although the color of this jade sword looks very old on the surface, these people are all old hands, if they want to fake it, there are thousands of ways to easily make it look like this.

  Li Yan was also very envious at this time, because his eyes could clearly see that the jade sword contained a powerful force, although it was hidden, but he couldn't be deceived. In his opinion, it was already not inferior to the immortal sword he had in his previous life. To know, his previous immortal sword was forged by a true heavenly immortal, which means that this sword in front of him might have been the sword worn by a top strongman who had achieved heavenly immortality!

  For a loose immortal, having powerful weapons and treasures is also part of one's strength. Now that he has encountered this jade sword, even if it means spending money to bid for it or resorting to killing people, he must obtain it!

  It was soon confirmed that the jade sword had some age to it, and was indeed an antique, but beneath its weathered exterior, the quality of the jade itself was only barely passable as mid-range.

  According to Lu Zhendong, this jade sword was made of Nanyang jade, which is produced in the Dushan Mountains of Nanyang, Henan Province. It is also known as "Duyu" and is one of China's four most famous types of jade.

  Nanyang jade is called "unique jade" because it differs from hard jade and soft jade, which are composed of only one mineral element. Nanyang jade contains multiple mineral elements, with outstanding characteristics, its hardness is Mohs 6-6.5, second only to jadeite, harder than other types of jade.

  Jade is called "stone" because it grows out of stone. Nephrite, also known as hard jade, has the highest hardness and is only produced in Myanmar. Soft jade, on the other hand, is found in many parts of the world, but China is the largest producer with the most varieties. The term "soft" does not refer to its texture, but rather its classification within jade, which is softer than nephrite. Despite this, both hard and soft jade have very high hardness. A simple way to identify genuine jade is to scratch it against glass - real jade will remain intact, while fake jade will shatter.

  However, ninety percent of the buyers who consume do not understand. Moreover, whether it is true or false, if the customer breaks it, even if you don't buy it, you will have to pay for it. Even if you don't pay, you will get into trouble. People who understand, naturally also have other verification methods.

  There are many types of jade, such as white jade, yellow jade, green jade, blue jade, ink jade, sugar jade, Han white jade, Beijing white jade, Nanyang jade, and Lantian jade. However, regardless of the type of jade, its quality is always divided into high and low grades. Most jade stones are not very expensive, only a small number of truly good jade can have an unimaginable high price.

  The jade sword in front of us, according to Lu Zhendong, is a mid-to-high-end product among the Dushan jade, and its value as a piece of jade itself is actually limited. However, this ancient jade, since it was dug up from underground, is not just jade, but an antique. As an antique, it naturally has the price of an antique. Even if the carving technique of this jade sword is somewhat rough, considering the era in which it was created, it cannot be compared to modern carving tools. The carving technology of jade was just beginning to take shape at that time, so it cannot be considered a flaw, but rather indirectly increased its value as an antique.

  Ma Dong saw that the several people who had appraised it were all certain that the jade sword was genuine, so he nodded and said: "Since everyone has already appraised it, I'll make an offer. The starting price is one million, and each bid must not be less than 50,000."

  To be honest, the starting price of one million is not high for an ancient artifact from the Western Zhou period, especially a jade piece. However, this jade sword's quality was somewhat poor. After a brief silence, Li Yan tentatively called out a price of 10.5 million. Half a beat later, surprisingly, no one else bid again, which made Li Yan extremely excited.

  Several people looked at Li Yan with interest, then looked at Lin Xincheng beside him. One by one, they didn't speak again. Apparently, on the one hand, the quality of this jade sword was somewhat poor, and on the other hand, they wanted to give Lin Xincheng some face, so they let Li Yan have it cheaply.

  Ma Dong was not surprised at all, compared to the previous things, this jade sword is simply a small item, originally had already made up his mind to let it go, did not expect someone would want it, and Li Yan got it with 10.5 million very easily.

  "Not copper, not iron, nor steel, once hidden under Mount Sumeru. Without using yin and yang to refine, how can one avoid the tempering of water and fire? The sharp blade that kills immortals is stained with the blood of immortals, the four directions are red with the light of fallen immortals, the transformation of absolute immortals is infinitely wondrous, the great Lo god's immortal blood stains his robe."

  At the moment Li Yan got the Jade Sword in his hand, a strange wave suddenly passed through his mind. After hesitating for a moment, he finally suppressed the urge to continue examining the Jade Sword and calmed down to continue watching the auction. For him, what was supposed to be obtained had been obtained, and what was left was just watching the excitement.

  As the items appeared one after another, especially with the emergence of a Ming dynasty portrait of a lady, the highest price reached 120 million. This underground transaction had reached its peak. By this point, the flow of funds had already exceeded 100 million, which left Li Yan in utter astonishment.

  But among all the people present, the most puzzling one was Mu Jianhua. From head to toe, he had an urgent look on his face, yet he didn't participate in any of the auctions.

  As everyone expected, the last auction item was brought up, but it was a well-preserved fresh red lingzhi, its medicinal age has reached 110 years, which can be called a rare and precious medicine.

  At that moment, except for Li Yan and Mu Jianhua, everyone present couldn't help but be moved. Lingzhi has been considered a symbol of auspiciousness, wealth, beauty, and longevity since ancient times, known as "immortal grass" or "auspicious grass". Traditional Chinese medicine has long regarded it as a precious tonic herb that nourishes and strengthens the body. Folk legend has it that lingzhi has the effect of reviving the dead and granting eternal youth.

  In the "Shennong Ben Cao Jing", Shennong listed Lingzhi as a top-grade herb, stating that purple Lingzhi "treats deafness, benefits joints, preserves spirit and essence, strengthens tendons and bones, improves complexion, and prolongs life with long-term use." He also stated that red Lingzhi "treats chest tightness, tonifies heart Qi, supplements the center, increases wisdom, prevents forgetfulness, and prolongs life with long-term consumption." Moreover, through ancient and modern pharmacological and clinical research, it has been proven that Lingzhi indeed has preventive and therapeutic effects, as well as anti-aging benefits.

  As for this rare century-old red reishi, whether it really has the medicinal effect of reviving the dead is naturally unknown. However, one thing is certain: with this thing, at a critical moment, its efficacy is absolutely not inferior to a life-saving charm!

  For these wealthy individuals, their greatest wish is to live a few more years, so the appearance of this Lingzhi mushroom has truly made them feel that it was worth coming to this black market.

  Apart from Mu Jianhua, the hundred-year-old Chi Lingzhi was precious but not the kind of medicinal material he needed, and that medicinal material was irreplaceable, which made him involuntarily feel a moment of silence...