15: Chapter 15: The "Treasure Appraisal Eye" Takes Effect, 5.8 Million Yuan Received!

Chen Fan paused the site construction today, as Wang Defu had long been eager to test the power of the lingxi inspection mirror. Early in the morning, the two headed straight for the market—both to test the lingxi inspection mirror's true capability and to secure some startup capital for the Star of Fortune, while also letting the old partner have some fun!

First stop: the Old Antique Market in the West City.

This place was a mix of good and bad, with fakes sold alongside genuine items. The air was filled with the scents of sandalwood, old paper, and an indescribable smell of copper rust. Wang Defu followed behind Chen Fan, his palms sweating. His right hand instinctively touched the inspection mirror hidden inside his collar—to avoid drawing attention, Chen Fan had disguised it to look like ordinary reading glasses.

“Uncle Wang, relax. Just look around casually, like you're rummaging through stuff at the scrapyard!” Chen Fan whispered.

Wang Defu nodded, took a deep breath, and wandered around the stalls, pretending to browse. Scanning through the lenses, most items either had no aura or only a faint gray glow. The information panels were all filled with [Modern imitation, worthless] [Common craft item, deceptive].

It wasn't until they reached a corner stall, among a pile of rusty copper coins and miscellaneous items, that a crooked bronze Buddha suddenly lit up with a pale golden glow!

Information instantly popped up on the lens: [Gilt Bronze Buddha Fragment (Base) from the Mid-Ming Dynasty. Refined copper quality, medium artistic value, medium-high material value! Estimated price: 3,000 Yuan]

“Boss, how much for this thing?” Wang Defu forced himself to sound calm as he picked up the rusty, unrecognizable lump of copper.

The stall owner was a skinny middle-aged man. He glanced at it and then looked away, saying lazily, “Old copper piece, five hundred yuan. Not a cent less.”

Wang Defu haggled: “This thing is rusted into scrap metal. At most, I'll melt it down to make a small ornament. One hundred yuan, take it or leave it.”

“One hundred? Are you kidding me? Three hundred minimum!” The stall owner's face darkened.

“One hundred fifty. Not a penny more. If that doesn't work, I'm leaving.” Wang Defu pretended to put it down.

“Fine, fine, take it, take it. Consider it my first sale today!” The stall owner waved his hand impatiently, clearly failing to recognize the value of the copper item.

After paying, Wang Defu clutched the copper lump, his palms drenched in sweat. The two hid in a quiet spot. Chen Fan took out a wet wipe and cleaned it. A layer of grime came off, faintly revealing a dull golden sheen and delicate lotus patterns underneath!

“Let's go find someone who knows their stuff and sell the copper valve from the rubbish heap yesterday along with this!” Chen Fan was also eager to know how accurate the [inspection mirror]’s appraisal was.

The two entered an antique shop. An old master examined it for a long time with a magnifying glass, then weighed it in his hand, and said, “A gilt Buddha base from the Mid-Ming Dynasty. It's a shame it's broken, and the gilding is mostly worn off... but the copper quality is genuinely good. Three thousand yuan, I'll take it.”

He looked at the copper valve again: “This one is from the late Qing period. The condition is decent. This item is relatively rare, and it's hard for anyone who isn't an old master to see its value. Tell you what, since I see you are experts too, I'll take it for two thousand.”

Wang Defu’s heart pounded wildly. He quickly looked at Chen Fan. Seeing Chen Fan nod, he immediately shouted, “The price the boss offered is fair, deal!”

With five thousand yuan newly deposited, Wang Defu stood up straighter, a look of triumph on his face!

“Xiao Fan, you keep this money. It's all thanks to your treasure.” Wang Defu felt he hadn't done much and wanted to give the money to Chen Fan.

“Uncle Wang, you keep it. The copper valve came from your scrap, and you paid for the bronze Buddha just now. Don't be polite with me.” Wang Defu had been working hard running around for the factory over the past few days, and Chen Fan was happy to give him this reward. Wang Defu's willingness to defer made Chen Fan even more gratified. Chen Fan decided he must help this grateful, non-greedy man soar later on.

“Well...” Wang Defu tried to decline again, but Chen Fan nudged him, insisting he take the money.

Wang Defu pocketed the money, feeling overjoyed. From one hundred fifty to three thousand—this treasure appraisal mirror was truly miraculous! Even the broken copper valve sold for two thousand. With this treasure, they were definitely going to get rich.

Chen Fan and Wang Defu wandered around for a while but didn't see anything else valuable; everything was either fake or priced too high to have resale value. After lunch, they planned to head to the Jade and Stone Trading Center in the East City.

Unlike the antiquity of the antique market, this place was brightly lit. The jade in the display cases was blindingly shiny, the air reeked of money, and there was the faint noise of cutting machines.

As for the rough stones priced at hundreds of thousands or even millions, a scan from the lingxi inspection mirror showed [Fake outer layer, brick material inside] or [Poor texture, low clarity, worthless]. Some “Star Rough Stones” that sellers hyped up glowed brightly, but the information panel read [Color roots floating, will crack upon cutting] [Price inflated tenfold, designed to scam suckers]!

Stone gambling truly is a game of poverty or wealth with a single cut. If such an expensive rough stone turns out to be common material, one would truly weep and faint.

Wang Defu moved through the crowd like a hunter, ignoring the sellers' pitches and trusting only the information displayed on the lens.

Finally, at a neglected stall, a rough stone with Black Wusha Skin caught his attention—it was about the size of a basketball, ugly and unremarkable, priced at forty thousand, and had received no inquiries all morning.

Yet, inside the inspection mirror, the stone's interior suddenly erupted with a rich, vibrant positive green aura, nearly blinding Wang Defu!

The information panel immediately flooded the screen: [Old Pit Moshisha Rough Stone! Mature texture, excellent clarity, pure positive color, no internal cracks, extremely high value! Estimated price: 6,000,000 Yuan!]

Seeing the 6 million Yuan valuation, Wang Defu slightly doubted if he had misread it. He counted the zeros after the 6 for a long time, finally confirming it was indeed 6 million. He immediately pulled Chen Fan aside. Chen Fan was also a little excited by the amount; neither Wang Defu nor Chen Fan might ever see this much money in their lives.

Chen Fan signaled Wang Defu to buy it.

“Boss, this stone is forty thousand?” Wang Defu asked, pointing at the rough stone.

The stall owner was a dark-skinned man. Seeing someone ask the price, he immediately rushed over: “Yes, yes, yes! Boss, you have great vision! This material has an amazing surface appearance; it might yield high-quality goods...”

“Forty thousand. I'll take it.” Wang Defu interrupted him, quick and decisive.

The stall owner froze for a moment, afraid he might back out, and quickly yelled, “Card payment! Card payment! I'll wrap it up for you right away!”

Chen Fan swiped the card. “Cut the stone here and now!” Chen Fan suddenly announced.

When the bystanders heard this, they immediately crowded around—everyone wanted to see if this unwanted “dull item” could yield any green jade.

The Stone-Cutting Master carefully started the machine, following the lines Wang Defu (whom Chen Fan secretly prompted nearby) had drawn.

“Zzzzzzz—”

Amidst the grating sound of cutting, the stone skin peeled away layer by layer.

“Holy crap! It's green! And genuine positive green!” Someone in the crowd exclaimed after the first cut.

The second cut, the third cut... When the complete cross-section was exposed under the lights, the onlookers erupted!

“Icy Positive Green! The color is so uniform! And no cracks!”

“Massive gain! This is absolutely a huge profit!”

The original rough stone seller was now beating his chest in regret. He had truly sold it too cheaply. That's just how this business is: catch a break and you reach the pinnacle of life; lose a gamble and you lose everything.

“Young man, five million Yuan! Sell this material to me!” A fat boss squeezed to the front and shouted.

“I offer five point two million Yuan! Don't try to snatch it from me!” Another man in a suit immediately raised the price.

Ultimately, the rough stone purchased for forty thousand Yuan was immediately bought by a representative from a Jewelry Company for five point eight million Yuan!

Looking at the number deposited into Chen Fan's mobile bank account, Wang Defu's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed—in a single day, one hundred fifty became two thousand, and forty thousand became five point two million! This was faster than robbing a bank!

Chen Fan calmed himself down and patted his shoulder: “Uncle Wang, this is just the beginning! With this money, our factory can immediately take off! And you, just wait to start living the high life!”

Wang Defu tightly gripped the inspection mirror inside his collar, his eyes filled with excitement. These “Wise Eyes” were practically a money tree! On the way back to the scrapyard, he was already pondering: which heap of scrap should he “treasure hunt” in tomorrow!