Chapter 15

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Protagonist:

Chen Yi

Jiangning University's scenery is picturesque; entering through the tall archway, one can see the clear Bo Lake.

The lake is no more than five meters deep, yet it has a small island, shaded by green trees and covered in shrubs, an excellent habitat for wild ducks; every month-end, hungry male students with empty pockets can be seen drooling as they admire the ducks' graceful bearing.

Chen Yi was preoccupied with the porcelain box in his hand, too distracted to appreciate the campus scenery; Luo Xiaoshan, however, lingered unwilling to leave, muttering nonstop: "Another beauty, another beauty, they're looking at me, they're looking at me..."

Only when they reached the old dormitory building and Chen Yi pressed the doorbell did he pat Luo Xiaoshan, lost in fantasy, and say: "They're all looking at me, stop worrying needlessly."

Luo Xiaoshan didn't believe it, striking the pose of a folk martyr, an imperial hero, a savior of humanity: "Don't look at my burly figure, I actually have great appeal with women..."

Before his thoughts could wander further, Chen Yi hurriedly said: "We're here."

The fatty licked his lips disappointedly and asked: "Here for what?"

"At Professor Lang's home." Chen Yi held up the porcelain in his hand: "One genuine piece is worth 80,000, two genuine pieces 200,000, three genuine pieces 800,000, all genuine 8 million — this requires seeing the big picture."

Luo Xiaoshan indeed had a gambler's nature; his eyes gleamed with golden light, he shut his mouth and said no more, letting Chen Yi press the doorbell.

"Ding-dong!" Then a kind-faced old lady opened the door; she didn't wait for them to speak before saying: "You're Chen Yi, right?"

"That's me." Chen Yi nodded hastily; he had called ahead before coming.

The old lady smiled, ushered the two inside, and gave Luo Xiaoshan an extra-large pair of slippers.

The fatty was practically overwhelmed with gratitude, happily saying: "Your home's equipment is truly complete."

"In my home, this is also a necessity." The old lady led the two in; Chen Yi immediately understood why she said that.

Those extra-large slippers most likely belonged to Professor Lang himself.

This master sat in the living room sofa in the shape of a mountain, kindly revealing a smile to the two. The width of his front could rival the 60-inch flat-screen TV in front of him.

Chen Yi felt a chill of apprehension, but thought: Could Luo Xiaoshan be surnamed Lang?

The fatty also looked left and right there; he hadn't lost a size comparison in years.

Professor Lang was older after all, and didn't show too much interest in Luo Xiaoshan, quickly turning his gaze to the box in Chen Yi's hand, smiling: "This is the porcelain you mentioned?"

"Yes." Chen Yi respectfully placed the box on the table, then carefully took it out, saying: "I have some interest in antiques; I bought this recently and couldn't help wanting an expert appraisal, troubling you — truly embarrassed."

Professor Lang is a well-known collector in Jiangning; this time he was only willing to do this small favor out of face for the Charity Foundation.

He was originally just smiling politely, but upon seeing what Chen Yi produced, he exclaimed "Huh?", picked it up from the table, and then spoke no more.

Chen Yi laughed heartily: "Professor Lang, the pawnshop that sold me the porcelain said the four fragments with slight color changes are of doubtful authenticity..."

Professor Lang extended a finger, signaling silence.

The old lady saw this and chided: "Look at you, the man's still speaking; forget it, you two wait a bit more, drink tea, eat some pastries, I made them myself. That's just his habit."

"No matter." Chen Yi smiled faintly, not anxious in the slightest.

Through the Perception Scroll, he was already more than half certain he wouldn't lose; asking Professor Lang to appraise it, besides seeking peace of mind, was to guard against possible external factors — such as using old materials to forge fakes. Normally speaking, four fragments, three genuine and one fake, that's a settled matter.

Chen Yi understood in his heart, but Luo Xiaoshan didn't. He stared with bear-like eyes the size of copper coins, utterly restless, as if he himself had spent his entire net worth buying precious antiques.

As if deliberately opposing him, the more anxious Luo Xiaoshan grew, the slower Professor Lang's movements became; in the end, the magnifying glass was almost motionless, the man staring blankly with vacant eyes, recalling something.

Green-ground famille rose gilt openwork floral incense burner — as the name implies, it uses green enamel as the base color throughout, with ink enamel gilt, an imperial porcelain piece of unique shape, distinct from others.

In Professor Lang's view, such a vessel form, if complete, is a treasure hard to find even in museums or auction houses. Even shattered, once restored it remains a national treasure-grade porcelain. But with four fragments in doubt, it pained him deeply.

He examined it for a long while, then sighed: "Among these, one large and one small fragment are definitely genuine; look, although their colors have both changed, the change is essentially natural... alas, what a pity for a fine piece."

From his tone, it seemed he only approved of those two fragments.

Even so, he had already identified two more fragments as genuine than the pawnshop; if he issued a certificate, the porcelain's value would instantly double.

The fatty breathed heavily with excitement, punching Chen Yi hard.

The latter gritted his teeth in pain, yet still asked unsatisfied: "Professor Lang, as for the remaining two, would instrument testing work?"

Only by proving both large fragments are genuine would this porcelain be worth 800,000; otherwise it wouldn't be worth a high price. Of course, the remaining small fragment that doesn't even match the era — proving it's a fake wouldn't hurt the overall value.

Chen Yi's tone was measured, neither wild joy nor dejection; Professor Lang nodded inwardly — a man of culture should have such breadth of mind and magnanimity.

Regarding Chen Yi's words, he hesitated slightly. As someone in the collecting circle, he wasn't very willing to use instruments; it's fine during archaeological excavation, but privately examining objects has many taboos.

Judging by the other's age, Professor Lang spoke frankly: "The department has a C14 machine; using it to test isn't impossible, but besides being time-consuming, the error margin is often several decades. Actually in collecting, sometimes there's no need to be so exacting."

He said this while patting his leg: "Besides being difficult to preserve, this piece has great collection value; whether you keep it yourself or sell it, there's no need to delve too deep into the other two fragments' authenticity — sometimes over-cleverness backfires, making it less beautiful."

This is the words of a seasoned veteran. The porcelain's current value actually includes the two uncertain fragments; if testing later reveals the other two are fakes, the price would instead drop.

If Chen Yi hadn't used the Perception Scroll to examine it, he would likely follow Professor Lang's advice. But now, he generously spread his hands: "Several decades should be enough, right? I'll leave the item here; when you have time, test it and I'll come retrieve it."

"Leave it here with me?" Professor Lang was slightly surprised, then smiled. Even with two fragments uncertain, the remaining pieces are worth around 200,000; never mind the price, this trust is rare. These years, domestic experts and professors don't have much good reputation — helping people appraise items, then privately swallowing or even forcibly taking them is not uncommon; ordinary people's attitudes change daily.

Chen Yi still carried himself as an Aristocratic Scion; even if poor to the bone, his face showed nothing, nodding indifferently in agreement. This was also thanks to the confidence brought by the Magic Scroll.

With business concluded, he stood up to bid farewell.

Unexpectedly, Professor Lang pondered a moment and actually said: "Better to hit the day than choose a day; let's go to the department now, let's use high-tech too — 'Neutron Activation Analysis', the full set of equipment is newly acquired."