Chapter 62: The Jade Pendant Worn by the Emperor

Old Wang of Imperial Treasure Studio was absolutely the quintessential businessman.

He was as shrewd as a fox. Last time, when Lin Jian sold the tureen, he had only held up four fingers. If Lin Jian hadn’t known the tureen was worth far more than forty thousand yuan, he might have actually sold it to Old Wang for that price. After all, even at forty thousand, the man would still be making a ten-fold profit. Therefore, one had to keep their wits about them when dealing with Old Wang.

Lin Jian hopped out of the car holding the ginseng box, followed by Ye Ziqiu and Jiang Xue.

The moment Old Wang saw Ye Ziqiu and Jiang Xue, his eyes lit up. Though he was in his fifties, an appreciation for beauty was simply human nature. The two beauties before him were absolutely top-tier. Judging by their attire and aura, it was obvious they were no ordinary women! However, the shrewd Old Wang merely glanced at the two women before shifting his gaze to the box in Lin Jian’s hands.

"Huh?" With just one look, the old man let out a soft sound of surprise. Clearly, the old fellow had a sharp eye; he could tell at a glance that the box was extraordinary. "Lin Jian, please come in! You two, please come in!"

Old Wang made a welcoming gesture and led the three of them straight to the second floor. Once in the second-floor tearoom, Old Wang personally boiled water, brewed tea, and poured a cup for each of them. The two women were worldly enough not to feel awkward, but they were inwardly puzzled, wondering what on earth Lin Jian was here to do.

"Boss Wang, please give me an appraisal!" Lin Jian chuckled and pushed the box over.

Old Wang put on his reading glasses and a pair of gloves. He picked up the box, inspecting it meticulously from top to bottom before slowly opening the lid. The ginseng was still inside.

"Oh? This is an old ginseng root," Old Wang praised. "Although I’m not an expert on ginseng, this root is at least twenty years old!"

Lin Jian corrected with a smile, "I heard it’s over seventy-five years old."

"So, Lin Jian, did you come here today to sell yourself, or to sell the box?"

PFFT!

Ye Ziqiu couldn’t hold back her laughter. She and Lin Jian had bickered half the night over this exact joke yesterday, so hearing the words "sell yourself" made her lose her composure entirely.

Jiang Xue paused, and Boss Wang froze for a moment as well, before the realization dawned on them both simultaneously. Then, they burst into hearty laughter.

Lin Jian flushed bright red and glared at Ye Ziqiu.

Ye Ziqiu glared right back. She thought, "How dare you glare at me? Don’t forget, I’m your boss."

"Ahem, slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue." Boss Wang cleared his throat gently. "I meant sell your *ginseng*, ginseng! I definitely wouldn’t buy your body anyway—it’s just a pile of stinking meat. Haha!"

Lin Jian couldn’t help but smile wryly. "Whether I sell it or not, just give me an appraisal first."

"Oh." Boss Wang nodded. "As for the ginseng, I can’t easily appraise it, but I can introduce you to a buyer. However, if I make the introduction this time, you’ll have to pay me a commission. It’s the rule of our trade."

Lin Jian nodded. "Deal. You won’t miss out on your cut, Boss Wang."

He was straightforward and agreed without hesitation. When it came to antiques, he only knew Boss Wang and the three others he had met briefly last time. Those three didn’t seem to be businessmen, so if he wanted to engage in the antique trade long-term, Boss Wang’s involvement was essential. Thus, the commission was an easy concession to make.

"Alright, now let’s talk about the box!" Boss Wang pondered for a moment, then held up a single finger.

Ye Ziqiu and Jiang Xue were utterly baffled, wondering what holding up one finger meant.

Lin Jian took a sip of tea. Boss Wang was playing this game again! But this time, he knew exactly how to handle the man. He smiled and said, "One hundred million is a bit too little, isn’t it?"

PFFT!

Boss Wang did a spit-take, spraying tea everywhere. Ye Ziqiu and Jiang Xue did the same; all three spat out their tea at almost exactly the same time!

Lin Jian was nearly caught in the crossfire. Annoyed, he looked at Old Wang and said, "What’s wrong? Why are you spitting water everywhere?"

"Lin Jian, are you utterly ruthless? You must be! How could you have the nerve to ask for such an outrageous price!" Boss Wang spoke without reservation, his tone laced with a sense of familiarity rather than sarcasm or mockery.

"Well, you’re the one who held up a single finger. Of course I’d aim high! That’s what you get for always playing games with me."

"Alright, alright, alright," Boss Wang said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "One million. A maximum of one million, and not a penny more. Even if you take it to someone else, this thing is only worth a million!

"After all, it’s just a piece of wood."

"One million, huh?" Lin Jian nodded. The price was actually quite high, exceeding his expectations. After all, he had taken out the most precious Square Jade. If the Square Jade were included, the total value would definitely surpass two million. "Boss Wang, please take a look at this piece of jade for me, too."

Lin Jian simply unclasped the Square Jade from his neck and handed it over.

The moment Old Wang received the jade, his expression shifted drastically. He immediately pulled out a magnifying glass and began to examine it closely. As he scrutinized the piece, Lin Jian, Ye Ziqiu, and Jiang Xue all noticed the old man’s breathing quicken until he was practically panting. Furthermore, his arms seemed to be trembling slightly.

After ten full minutes, he clutched the Square Jade tightly and said, "If you plan to sell this jade pendant, I can help you sell it for half of the price we just mentioned!"

"Wow, five hundred thousand?" Jiang Xue exclaimed in surprise.

Ye Ziqiu also took a deep breath. Was Lin Jian really just a security guard at their company? Did a mere security guard really wear a pendant worth five hundred thousand around his neck? This was simply too incredible. No one would believe it if word got out.

However, Lin Jian merely rolled his eyes at the two women, snatched the jade pendant back, and declared, "Not for sale!"

"If we added another ten million to that, I could probably still sell it," Boss Wang continued. "In recent years, there have been people in the market specifically collecting these kinds of items."

PFFT!

Jiang Xue and Ye Ziqiu sputtered in disbelief again! Their heads were full of question marks.

It wasn’t five hundred thousand? Add another ten million? Did he mean half of the *other* price they had mentioned—fifty million—plus another ten million?!

The two women were dizzy with confusion. Was this real? They couldn’t help but feel like the two men were putting on a double act. Besides, what kind of jade pendant could possibly be worth that much money? It was impossible.

"You said there have been people specifically collecting these kinds of jade pendants in recent years?" Lin Jian asked curiously.

"It doesn’t necessarily have to be a pendant; it can be ordinary jade as well. There are rumors that these types of jade contain some sort of Spiritual Energy or something. I can’t see it myself, but these buyers are willing to spend massive amounts of real silver and gold to acquire them."

"Then how can you be sure mine has Spiritual Energy?" Lin Jian asked with a chuckle.

"I didn’t say that." Old Wang shook his head and sighed in admiration. "Your jade piece should also be an imperial artifact. Honestly, kid, where are you digging these things up? How is it that every item you pull out was once used by the royal family?

"Even if this jade doesn’t have any Spiritual Qi, it’s still well worth fifty million. Because it’s highly likely this pendant was worn by an emperor. You have to understand, in ancient times, not just anyone dared to carve dragons and phoenixes into their jade, and it certainly wasn’t something ordinary people were allowed to wear."

"Uncle Wang, are you saying this pendant was worn by an emperor? And that’s why it’s worth fifty or sixty million?" Jiang Xue asked in disbelief.

Boss Wang smiled. "That’s pretty much the gist of it."