Chapter 11: This Is a Fat Sheep

"Fine, this is a fat sheep; it would be a pity not to slaughter it. Wait here." Ji Jie had a plan in mind. He turned and went into the room, carefully taking out a painting.

This painting was extremely well-preserved. He carefully opened the packaging, and a heavy scent of ink and paper rushed toward him.

This was a "Tiger Roaring in the Mountain Forest" painting. The style was antique, and the brushwork was thick and powerful; it looked like the work of a famous master. Unfortunately, in Chen Yu's eyes, there was not a shred of Spirit.

"Brother, you are an expert. I won't introduce this painting; see for yourself," Ji Jie said with great confidence.

"'Tiger Roaring in the Mountain Forest'? A decent imitation." Chen Yu took only one look and shook his head, saying, "Since there is no sincerity, I'd better go look elsewhere."

"Don't, brother, take another look." Ji Jie was startled; he began to suspect that Chen Yu was a true expert.

Just as Chen Yu moved to leave, he caught a glimpse of a pair of stone-carved crouching tigers on the counter, and he suddenly couldn't walk away.

This pair of crouching tigers was over ten centimeters long, wrapped in a layer of gray stone skin, but Chen Yu clearly felt the vicissitudes of life beneath that stone skin.

"Brother has a good eye. This pair of crouching tigers was unearthed not long ago; they should be burial goods of Prince Cheng of the Western Jin. You like them? Take them for a cheaper price."

Ji Jie was a businessman; he saw at a glance that Chen Yu was interested in this pair of crouching tigers.

"How much?" Chen Yu didn't waste words.

"If you like them, take them for fifty thousand." Ji Jie held up five fingers.

"Fifty thousand?" Chen Yu frowned. "That's a bit expensive."

"Chen Yu, Old Ji is the most honest in business. If you don't believe me, you can go ask around. Besides, with my connection here, he won't overcharge you. Fifty thousand really isn't expensive." Liu San hurriedly struck while the iron was hot.

"That's right. Seeing that you're one of us, I didn't call a high price. If someone else came, it would be at least one hundred thousand to start."

"Five thousand. If I can buy them, I'll take them; if not, forget it." Chen Yu shook his head. He knew what kind of person Liu San was, and he also knew what these two were doing by singing in harmony.

"Five thousand? You're making it difficult for me." Ji Jie looked troubled.

"If not, then forget it." Chen Yu turned to leave.

"Add another five thousand. Ten thousand and you take them." Ji Jie gritted his teeth. "Consider it making a friend."

Chen Yu didn't waste words; he nodded directly and paid.

Liu San had been holding back and not speaking, but until Chen Yu finished paying and got the items in his hands, he couldn't help but burst into loud laughter: "Chen Yu, you really are a sucker."

"How so?" Chen Yu raised his head in surprise.

"Haha, Old Ji, tell the truth about how much you bought this broken stone for." Liu San laughed heartily.

"Lao San, you're not playing by the rules. You earned nine thousand five from him, and then you're stabbing him in the back in front of him. That's not honest." Ji Jie also couldn't help but laugh loudly.

"Does that mean this thing was bought for five hundred?" Liu San gave a thumbs up and said, "Your line of work really has high profits. Chen Yu, today I'm teaching you a lesson."

"The water in the antique business is deep. If you want to turn over a new leaf, find an honest job. Don't think about getting rich overnight. Look, this five-hundred-dollar stone, resold to you for ten thousand—does your heart ache? Is your heart bleeding?"

"Then thank you, Brother San, for giving me a free lesson." Chen Yu smiled and didn't mind.

"Did you make a fortune recently, kid? You're not heartbroken after being swindled out of so much money?" Liu San was slightly stunned.

"Consider it tuition fees." Chen Yu smiled. "Nothing else, I'm leaving first."

Chen Yu had determined that there was more to the crouching tigers than met the eye; he would go back and study them properly. After saying this, he put away the items in his hand and prepared to leave.

"Young man, can you let me see these crouching tigers of yours?" Just then, an old man strolling through the shop saw the crouching tigers in Chen Yu's hands, and he was immediately interested.

"Sure." Chen Yu nodded and smiled, "I don't understand these things; I just felt they were unusual, so I bought them. Please give me some guidance, elder."

"Let me see." The old man took the crouching tigers from Chen Yu's hands, turning them over and over in his hands. The more he looked, the more puzzled his expression became.

"Old gentleman, come into the shop and take a look. These crouching tigers are stone carvings, the craftsmanship is rough, and they have no value. My shop is a century-old store with many good things. Come and see. I guarantee no cheating of young or old." Ji Jie laughed.

"Young man, is this thing for sale?" The old man looked for a long time before looking up at Chen Yu.

"Sorry, old gentleman, this thing of mine is not for sale." Chen Yu smiled and said.

"We can discuss the price. One hundred thousand, how about that?" The old man seemed very interested in the item in his hand.

"One hundred thousand?" Liu San and Ji Jie's expressions changed instantly.

They had thought they had teamed up to scam Chen Yu, but Chen Yu could earn ninety thousand just by reselling it?

"If you think this price is unfair, I can add more." Seeing Chen Yu unmoved, the old man hurriedly increased the price.

"Sorry, really not for sale. I'm giving it to someone." Chen Yu smiled and took the crouching tigers back from the old man's hands.

"How about one hundred and fifty thousand?" The old man wouldn't give up.

"One hundred and fifty thousand? Old gentleman, why don't you look at other things? He bought these crouching tigers in my shop; I have more good things in my shop." Ji Jie couldn't sit still.

This old man looked like an old pedant and was probably a wealthy person, but why would he be interested in this piece of junk?

"Old man, you must have misjudged, right? Is this thing worth that much money?" Liu San said, feeling somewhat annoyed.

"No, no, these crouching tigers are worth this price. The young man has a good eye." The old man said regretfully, "It's a pity he's unwilling to resell."

"Haha, old man, you say he has an eye for things? He bought this thing from us for five hundred, and we made a net profit of nine thousand five off him. If he really had an eye for things, he wouldn't have spent so much money to buy such trash." Liu San laughed loudly.

Having scammed Chen Yu, he felt great; he wanted to prick Chen Yu's heart right in front of him.

"Liu San, I didn't want to make you feel bad, but you brought this on yourself." Chen Yu could no longer hold back.

"What, not convinced? Bite me then." Liu San had a punchable look on his face.

"Old gentleman, you think these two crouching tigers are worth one hundred and fifty thousand, right?" Chen Yu smiled.

"It should be more than that. I need to study it carefully. Young man, how much do you think this pair of crouching tigers is worth?" the old man asked.

"At least five hundred thousand." Chen Yu smiled slightly.

"Five hundred thousand? You must be crazy for money. I bought this thing, don't I know what it is? At most, it's just a handicraft." Ji Jie sneered, "Chen Yu, poor people have the fate of poor people. Don't think about picking up a bargain and getting rich overnight."

"Besides, I've been in Antique Street for more than ten years. What good thing could there be that I wouldn't recognize?"

"Alright then, today I'll let you see the true value of these crouching tigers." Chen Yu smiled.

These two guys had colluded to slaughter him, and now that they saw he had picked up a bargain, they were the ones feeling unhappy. Fine, then I'll make you feel even more unhappy.

As he spoke, he placed the two crouching tigers in his hands head-to-tail and tapped them together gently.

With a *ding*, the crouching tigers, which were originally stone carvings, emitted a pleasant, crisp sound, and immediately after, the stone skin on the outside of the pair of crouching tigers suddenly shattered.

Then, two Tiger Tally pieces, about nine centimeters long, appeared in his hands.

The two pieces could be joined into one; they were made of bronze, shaped like a crouching tiger with its head raised and tail curled.

It turned out that the object had been wrapped in a layer of stone casing, which shattered at a touch, revealing it as it was now.

"What is this?" The people at the scene were stunned, and the crowd of onlookers began to grow.

"Let me see." The old man, feeling excited, took the crouching tiger from Chen Yu's hand.

"This is the original version of the Qin Yangling Tiger Tally." After examining it over and over, the old man's expression changed drastically.

"What is a Yangling Tiger Tally?" the onlookers asked.

"Look, on the left and right sides of the tiger's neck and back, there are identical twelve-character inscriptions in gold-inlaid seal script: 'The tally for mobilizing troops, the right half is with the Emperor, the left half is at Yangling.'"

"These twelve characters of gold-inlaid seal script were first carved as intaglio on the tiger's body, then gold threads were embedded into the intaglio, and finally, it was leveled and polished until bright. The script is regular, elegant, firm, and powerful; it is undoubtedly a Qin dynasty Tiger Tally."

"Is this thing worth money?" Ji Jie's eyes were practically spitting fire; he stared at the Tiger Tally, wishing he could snatch it away.

"It's worth a fortune, at least eight hundred thousand. Look at the 'right half is with the Emperor' inscribed on it; at that time, the Qin valued the right side, proving this is an item from the reign of the First Emperor. Items from the Spring and Autumn period are rare in the world; this thing has immense research and collection value."

The old man looked at the Tiger Tally in his hands, unable to put it down.

"How much did this young man buy it for?"

"I heard ten thousand."

"He picked up a bargain; he really made a killing."

"Haha, 'Skin-flayer Ji' usually swindles plenty of people; this time, having been taken advantage of so badly, he's probably going to be furious."

Quite a few interested people had gathered around, and everyone was huddled together, discussing it heatedly.

"Eight hundred thousand?" The faces of Liu San and Ji Jie turned green in an instant.