Chapter 98: Esoteric Buddhism Statue

Thin mist drifted aimlessly, the morning sun scattered golden rays, and the trident on the hood of the car reflected a dazzling silver light.

The woman was thirty-five or thirty-six, a dark trench coat wrapping her thin shoulder line. A few stray hairs clung to her cheeks, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes appeared and disappeared as she frowned.

A girl stood by her side, about twenty years old, slightly taller. The driver was quite sturdy, standing on the other side smoking.

Suddenly, he threw down his cigarette butt: "Sis, they're here!"

The woman squinted: A Corolla drove out of the school gate and stopped by the side of the road. Shang Yan got out of the car with a young man.

A student?

Shang Yan had specifically reminded her, but even with psychological preparation, the woman was still suspicious: too young.

In a flash, the two walked over. The woman took two steps forward and reached out her hand: "Professor Shang, thank you for your trouble!"

Shang Yan shook it and introduced them from the middle: "Lin Sicheng, this is General Manager Fang Jingxian, and these two are the General Manager's younger brother and sister... This is my student!"

Sure enough, a student!

But just looking at the order of Shang Yan's introduction and her tone, one could tell who was closer and who was more distant.

Fang Jingxian nodded: "Young and promising!"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "You are too kind!"

As their hands gripped together, Lin Sicheng subconsciously looked up: Her features were quite pretty, but her skin was slightly dry and dull. Although she had applied eyeliner, one could still see the faint blue tint around her eye sockets.

The key was that in such cold weather, her palms were so sweaty—how anxious must she be?

After a brief introduction, the three siblings got into the Mercedes-Benz.

Fastening her seatbelt, the sturdy man and the girl exchanged a glance. Just as they were about to say something, the woman's expression darkened: "Shut up!"

Indeed very young.

But Shang Yan had been very clear on the phone: Fang Jingxian, don't worry about whether he is young or not; if you think it's okay, I'll invite him, if not, you can invite someone more capable, and it will save me from owing a favor.

After so many years, for Shang Yan to speak so decisively, it was clear how much weight this "student" held in her heart.

Sighing, Fang Jingxian looked through the car window at the school emblem on the roof: Xida was full of hidden talents, and perhaps he was a remarkable person.

In a flash, she closed her eyes: "Let's go!"

The Mercedes-Benz drove out of the tree-lined path, with the Corolla following behind.

Shang Yan was driving, and Lin Sicheng was sitting in the passenger seat.

He thought for a moment and felt it would be better to ask: "Professor Shang, is this General Manager Fang facing some kind of difficulty?"

"Huh?" Shang Yan was startled, "How did you know?"

"Pale face, shortness of breath, thready pulse... it must be a big problem!"

Shang Yan was stunned.

"Lin Sicheng, I've never heard of this—have you also studied Traditional Chinese Medicine?"

"On the side!"

After replying casually, Lin Sicheng pressed on, "Professor Shang, just tell me, is there one?"

"Yes!" Shang Yan nodded, "She was just scammed out of several million!"

Good heavens: several million in '07?

Lin Sicheng was taken aback: "Antiques?"

"Of course!"

As expected?

"Professor Shang, this kind of client is very difficult to deal with!"

Shang Yan fell silent.

From a certain perspective, those who deal in antiques are no different from gamblers: they want to earn more once they've earned, there is no end to it, and they are never satisfied.

They always feel they are a cut above in skill and have a better eye, and even if they lose, they only attribute it to bad luck.

If they get red-eyed from losing, they only get redder, and no one's advice works.

And don't think that just acting as an intermediary for an appraisal carries no risk. Just like the partner of the father of Gu Ming's prospective girlfriend, regarding that Imitation Xuande Censer at the Public Security Bureau Appraisal Center: they just acted as an intermediary for the appraisal and almost earned themselves ten years?

Just as they hit a red light, Shang Yan tapped the brake: "It won't be like that, I've known her for over ten years!"

Lin Sicheng shook his head inwardly: When people get desperate, they'll even scam their own mothers, let alone friends.

"Is this time for buying or selling?"

"Buying, of course!"

"What type?"

"Tibetan Buddhism statues!"

Lin Sicheng suddenly understood: No wonder Shang Yan sought him out when there were so many professors at the school.

Whether it was "wood carving" or "Buddhist archaeology," the school had departments for both, but the main focus was "Silk Road archaeology," which meant going west from Chang'an.

Tibetan Buddhism, however, was a blank space.

Shang Yan certainly didn't know about what happened at Poly last week, but she definitely knew: he had spent one thousand at Xiaodongmen to pick up an Esoteric Buddhism statue and ended up selling it for over three hundred thousand.

It wasn't Li Zhen who told her, but Wang Qi Zhi.

That day, the two were negotiating in the office, and Wang Qi Zhi was pushed to the limit by Shang Yan: It was true he knew ceramics, but he also knew Calligraphy and Painting, Bronze, Enamel, and even Esoteric Buddhism Cultural Relics... what was ceramics worth?

But knowing is one thing; how to appraise it when the time comes depends on the situation.

As if infected by Wang Qi Zhi, the moment she saw Lin Sicheng's expression, Shang Yan guessed seven or eight parts of it: "Don't worry, whatever responsibility there is, the teacher will take it!"

Lin Sicheng waved his hand: "Professor Shang, it's not that exaggerated!"

He could do the appraisal, but he wouldn't sign a single word, so what responsibility could he possibly take?

In a flash, the car drove to the Bell Tower, and Lin Sicheng glanced through the window: Kaiyuan Mall?

Jewelry sold quite well in this place; before it was acquired by Intime in 2018, it had always been the largest jewelry wholesale and retail distribution center in the Northwest region.

It was not strange, however: this place also provided storage for precious items, claiming to be even safer than a bank.

But upon entering, Lin Sicheng realized: it was just looking at antiques inside a Jade shop.

The shop was named Wulongxuan; he had no impression of it, but after entering, he was nearly blinded: it was nothing but Jadeite.

Looking at the shop name again, it was self-explanatory: the world's largest production area for Jadeite raw materials, the Wulong River Jade mine in Hpakant, Kachin State, Myanmar.

Only curious for a moment, the shop assistant led the group into the office in the back.

The owners were a man and a woman who claimed to be a married couple; judging by their accents, they seemed to be from Yunnan. They were very enthusiastic, pouring tea and serving fruit.

Fang Jingxian emphatically introduced Shang Yan: a professor in the Cultural Heritage Conservation Department at Xida and a leader in the discipline of Cultural Relics Appraisal.

As for what the discipline was or what kind of appraisal she taught, she glossed over it lightly.

When it was Lin Sicheng's turn, she only said he was a student. Fearing he might misunderstand, Fang Jingxian even gave him a wink.

Lin Sicheng understood, of course: emphasizing Shang Yan was "beating the grass to startle the snake," not introducing him was "sneaking across the Chencang passage," and together it was "making a feint to the east while attacking in the west."

Truth be told, although anxious, this General Manager Fang had at least not reached the point of being "so desperate from losing that she had lost her head," and she was quite calculating.

After a few pleasantries, they began to look at the items, and the boss carried out a box half a meter high.

Opening the lid, a faint fragrance drifted into their nostrils. Lifting the inner cover, a lifelike Buddha statue came into view.

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: impressive... Huanghuali wood over two hundred years old?

This box alone was worth at least three or four hundred thousand.

The proprietress brought out the Buddha statue: a typical Old Rosewood Shakyamuni Standing Statue, with the left hand holding a sutra and the right hand hanging down, the figure slender and elegant, the lines simple and smooth.

The sutra resembled bamboo slips and was fan-shaped, with elegant and clear Sanskrit characters.

Looking closer: it was still an extremely primitive Palm-leaf Scripture.

The age was old enough, and the carving was excellent: the face was beautiful, the ushnisha was high, the eyebrows and eyes were long and thin, and the expression was tranquil and gentle.

Vaguely, it exuded a few traces of purity and an introverted charm.

After roughly glancing over it, Lin Sicheng frowned: it didn't look much like an object from Esoteric Buddhism?