Chapter 3076

Just as Xiao Changkun was getting carried away, Zhou Liangyun also finished uploading the information for that Northern Song gilded bronze Buddha.

The website he used was the largest and highest-level collector exchange and trading website in the country. On this website, everyone could set the types and eras of collections they were focused on. For example, if someone was particularly interested in Tang Dynasty calligraphy and paintings, they only needed to add this category to their special interests. Once a collector on the site uploaded a Tang Dynasty calligraphy or painting work for sale, it would be pushed to users focused on this type via notifications and text messages immediately.

Northern Song bronze products were rare to begin with, and some collectors interested in this had long since added special alerts for such antiques. Therefore, when Zhou Liangyun finished uploading the information, many collectors interested in Northern Song bronze products received the information immediately.

And when these collectors saw the specific information about the collection, they couldn't suppress the impulse in their hearts.

After all, Northern Song gilded bronze Buddhas were expensive and definitely not something an average collector could get their hands on.

And for this collection, the treasure hunter selling it had clearly stated that there was a major flaw in its condition, so the price was only twenty million RMB.

This price was already considered a huge bargain.

Every item has its own value measurement system. Even flooded cars or accident cars are not worthless. According to the pricing standards for gilded bronze ware, although damage to the gilding is a major flaw, the impact on value definitely wouldn't drop to twenty percent of the original price all at once.

Therefore, in the eyes of professional collectors, this Northern Song gilded bronze Buddha had a discrepancy of eight to ten million between this price and the normal market price. Even if he lowered it a bit more to increase the speed of the sale, there was still at least five million in profit space.

Moreover, given the market trend for Northern Song gilded bronze ware in recent years, if one held onto it, there would definitely be good room for appreciation.

Generally speaking, this is equivalent to a Rolls-Royce Phantom originally worth ten million; after an accident, the industry-recognized value is still around three million, but the seller only wants two million.

Such a cost-effective selling price made many people suspect whether this thing could be a fake.

After all, the item was uploaded by the treasure hunter himself, and the platform would not conduct online appraisals for collections posted by users. Private transactions required both the buyer and seller to be responsible for themselves. If the platform's help was needed, the platform could connect the buyer with relevant experts for appraisal for a fee.

Now, through the image information released by Zhou Liangyun, although one could see a general idea, no one could be one hundred percent sure of its authenticity just from photos.

Consequently, some buyers contacted Zhou Liangyun, expressing that they were very satisfied with the price, but they hoped Zhou Liangyun could provide a relevant appraisal report or bring the item to Yan Jing to complete the transaction under the appraisal of a third-party appraisal agency. Moreover, these buyers all knew that this price was already a good bargain, so almost all of them expressed willingness to cover Zhou Liangyun's travel expenses and all costs required for the appraisal.

Some even offered conditions that if Zhou Liangyun could cooperate with the appraisal, they could add another million to the transaction price.

Zhou Liangyun's family had been in the antique industry for many years and was not short of these twenty or thirty million RMB. He knew the principle of striking while the iron is hot. The most important thing now was to sell it as soon as possible, preferably so that the news that the item had been sold could spread by tomorrow morning.

Moreover, the people on the Jin Ling antique street didn't have high professional or moral standards. They were now convinced that this item was fake. If the item were sold out of town, they absolutely wouldn't believe it and would only think it was a lie fabricated by Zhou Liangyun to save face.

Therefore, the best way was to have someone come to Jin Ling, come to his shop, and buy the bronze Buddha.

Thus, Zhou Liangyun told these buyers that the transaction location could only be in Jin Ling, and the price of twenty million was only valid for the next 24 hours. As long as these two requirements were met, he would accept all forms of appraisal. They could bring their own experts to Jin Ling for on-site appraisal, and only trade after confirming there were no mistakes.

Moreover, Zhou Liangyun also said that for the price of twenty million, he would not accept any form of bargaining, nor would he accept any form of price increase. In short, the item was in Jin Ling, and it was first come, first served.

Consequently, several collectors immediately began contacting relevant appraisal experts overnight, and some had even booked flights to Jin Ling for the next morning.

And the most ruthless one was a collector from Yan Jing who specialized in collecting bronze ware.

After a brief online communication with Zhou Liangyun, he immediately contacted the relevant experts he was familiar with. As soon as he opened his mouth, he asked if they had time to go on a business trip to Jin Ling with him immediately. To prevent someone else from getting there first, the best way was to set off by car tonight, because even if they took the earliest flight tomorrow morning, taking off at six o'clock, they would arrive in Jin Ling at around eight. After getting out of the airport and struggling to the antique street, it would probably be nine o'clock.

Therefore, setting off by car tonight was the best choice. For a thousand-kilometer journey, driving at the fastest speed, they could arrive within ten hours.

It was nine o'clock at night now; setting off immediately, they could arrive in Jin Ling at six or seven tomorrow morning.

And he wasn't the only one with this kind of determination.

Therefore, while Xiao Changkun was happily packing his luggage, several capable collectors had already set off from all over the country, preparing to head to Jin Ling to snatch the treasure.

Many others had already booked the earliest flight the next day, also intending to come to Jin Ling to try their luck.

The next day, Xiao Changkun and Ma Lan both woke up at six o'clock.

The two of them put on their best clothes, tidied themselves up, and then brought their suitcases to the first floor, preparing to head straight to the airport after breakfast.

Ye Chen and Xiao Churan also woke up early, preparing to send the two of them off after eating.

At this time, the antique street was still far from opening time.

Zhou Liangyun didn't stay in the shop last night but returned to the hotel. Before leaving, he posted a notice on his shop door. The content of the notice was: "Opening at nine o'clock, please line up to take a number and wait."

Below this notice, the paper had been cut into ten strips, each written with the Chinese characters for one through ten in uppercase.

The vendor who had tipped off Chen Yufei first, after seeing this notice, specifically filmed a video and sent it to the antique street group, mocking: "Everyone look! Could it be that Zhou Liangyun thinks he's famous and that many people will come to his shop to do business today? He even posted a notice asking people to take a number and line up. Isn't this just nonsense?"

Someone echoed: "He probably knows that many people will definitely come to line up to see this big sucker today, which is why he posted this notice!"

The vendor laughed: "I'm not kidding, I really want to ask him in person what it feels like to be scammed out of thirty thousand."

Someone in the group egged him on: "Then why don't you hurry up and take a number! Didn't you see he only has ten numbers from one to ten? I guess these ten numbers are all he's putting out for people to visit the big sucker today."

The vendor curled his lips: "I have no interest in visiting any big sucker. I need to hurry up and set up my stall. Whoever is interested, remember to hurry up and take a number, hahaha!"

Just as the message was sent, three people hurried to the door of Zhou Liangyun's shop. Seeing that the shop hadn't opened yet, they asked the vendor: "Hello, may I ask you something? Is this Zhenbao Pavilion? Does the boss here have the surname Zhou?"

The vendor asked in surprise: "You're looking for Zhou Liangyun?"

The man hurriedly said: "We don't know the shop owner's name, we only know his surname is Zhou, and his online name is Zhenbao Pavilion Old Zhou."

The vendor said with a smile: "That must be him. This is his shop. Didn't you see the sign is still handwritten?"

After saying this, he asked curiously: "Are you here to see the sucker?"

Although the man was curious, he didn't want to reveal the reason for his visit. After all, he was here to pick up a bargain, and everyone wanted to be as low-key as possible. So, he said somewhat evasively: "We're here to find the boss to talk about something."

"Oh..." The vendor glanced at the door of Zhenbao Pavilion and saw that the door was locked from the outside, so he knew Zhou Liangyun definitely wasn't in the shop. Therefore, he asked the group: "Are you here to buy or sell something? If you're here to buy, I advise you to be cautious. This boss has a very poor eye for things, and the things he sells definitely can't be any good."

These three people had driven overnight from Yan Jing last night. One of them was a collector with a net worth of nearly one billion, another was his driver, and the third was an expert he had specifically invited from Yan Jing. The three of them had driven from Jin Ling last night just to collect that Northern Song gilded bronze Buddha from Zhou Liangyun as soon as possible.

On the way, the expert had carefully studied the information sent by Zhou Liangyun and initially concluded that there should be no problem with the item, and it wouldn't be too different from the seller's description. However, for the sake of safety, it was best to touch it in person and feel it carefully. If there were no problems, buying it for twenty million was definitely a bargain.

Therefore, this collector was also afraid of the news leaking out, so when he heard the vendor slandering Zhou Liangyun, he didn't ask for details and just smiled and said: "Thank you for the reminder, we will be vigilant."

After finishing, he hurriedly stepped forward and tore off the paper strip with "One" written on it from below the notice.

At this moment, two more people ran over. One of them spoke with a southern accent: "It seems like it's right here! Quick, take a number first!"

As the two spoke, they stepped forward and tore off the paper strip with "Two" written on it. Then, looking at the three people and the "One" paper strip in one of their hands, they felt a bit disappointed and exclaimed: "Treasure hunter, how did you get here so early?"

The previous collector smiled politely and somewhat vigilantly: "We drove all night to get here."

The man felt like stomping his feet in frustration and said to the person beside him: "I told you to drive faster, faster! Don't be afraid of speeding! You idiot kept saying safety first, safety first. Safety your sister!"

The person beside him said aggrievedly: "Brother Hui, I was already very fast. We drove at 150 km/h the whole way. I estimate I'll be deducted at least thirty or forty points..."

The man cursed: "Who cares about thirty or forty points! If we can snatch the item, it doesn't matter if we lose the car! Damn it!"

The vendor watched in amazement from the side, hurriedly walked a few steps away, and sent a voice message to the group in a low voice: "Holy crap, everyone, it's really haunted. Two groups of people came to find Zhou Liangyun early in the morning. Judging by their tone, it seems they both drove all night to get here. What are these two groups of people coming from so far away to find him for?"