163: Chapter 163 Don't worry, Old Master Qin, it's absolutely clean.

"Congratulations to the buyer of Lot 15 for securing the pair of Qing Yongzheng Emperor Famille Rose peach and bat motif plates for 13.8 million RMB."

A round of applause rang out in the auction hall.

Hu Tian breathed a sigh of relief.

At 13.8 million, after deducting commissions and taxes, he would likely walk away with around 12.6 million.

This price had already exceeded his expectations.

The auction proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Following the Famille Rose peach and bat motif plates, several more exquisite pieces were auctioned off in succession.

A Qing Dynasty Tianhuang stone relief landscape ornament hammered down at 6.8 million; a fragment specimen of a Ming Chenghua Doucai chicken cup, after fierce bidding, finally sold for 4.2 million; and a song dynasty Ge kiln vase with tubular handles, despite a small chip, still fetched a high price of 5.1 million.

Hu Tian sat in his seat, sipping tea while casually flipping through the auction catalog.

His gaze inadvertently swept over the picture of Lot 20, and he silently made an estimation in his heart.

That Duan Inkstone was one of the items he had brought out from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Holy Treasury.

When he was inventorying that collection, he had noticed this inkstone—the stone was heavy and thick, the surface was smooth and moist, and one could tell at a glance that it was old pit material. The back of the inkstone was also engraved with an inscription, the brushwork vigorous and showing considerable skill.

At this moment.

On stage, Auctioneer Li Ming had finished wrapping up the sale of Lot 19, and an assistant carefully brought up a wooden tray.

On the tray, an inkstone lay quietly on deep red velvet.

The entire inkstone was a deep purple color, the stone quality fine and moist, faintly revealing an understated luster under the lights.

The surface was wide and flat, slightly concave in the center, the ink pool was deep, and the inkstone bed was as smooth as a mirror.

The edges were carved with cloud patterns, the knife work simple yet precise.

The inscription on the back of the inkstone was clearly displayed on the big screen under the camera's close-up lens, the brushstrokes flowing with an extraordinary aura.

"Next, we move on to Lot 20 of today's auction."

Auctioneer Li Ming's voice was steady and infectious.

"A ming dynasty old pit Duan Inkstone, approximately 26 centimeters long, 17 centimeters wide, and 4 centimeters thick. The stone is from the old pits of Guangdong Zhaoqing, deep purple in color, with rich stone qualities, showing Blue and White and fish-brain jelly textures. The surface is flat and delicate, and the ink pool is deep and wide. The back is engraved with an inscription, which, according to expert appraisal, aligns perfectly with the style and writing habits of scholars' inkstones from the mid-ming dynasty. The overall patina is deep, naturally aged, and it is a rare, well-preserved heirloom piece."

Auctioneer Li Ming paused and scanned the buyers below.

"The starting price for this lot is 2.2 million RMB, with a minimum increment of 100,000. The bidding begins now."

As soon as he finished speaking, the corners of Hu Tian's mouth twitched upward ever so slightly, a movement so small it was almost imperceptible.

But Elder Qin, who was sitting next to him, turned his head and happened to catch this scene.

The old man's gaze lingered on Hu Tian's face for a moment, but he didn't say anything, simply picking up his teacup to take a sip before turning his gaze back to the stage.

Below the stage, the sound of bidding paddles being raised rose one after another.

"2.3 million."

"2.5 million."

"2.7 million."

The reaction to the Duan Inkstone was even more enthusiastic than Hu Tian had anticipated; within just two minutes, the price had surged from 2.2 million to 3.1 million.

There were five or six buyers participating in the bidding, including several familiar faces—they had been active on previous lots, clearly veteran buyers who had come prepared.

Elder Qin set down his teacup and whispered: "The momentum for this opening bid is good. Duan Inkstones made of old pit stone are already rare, and this one has truly superior stone quality, featuring both Blue and White and fish-brain jelly textures. The inscription on the back adds a touch of scholarly elegance, which is very attractive to collectors who value 'scholarly studio supplies'."

Hu Tian nodded slightly.

When the price reached 3.4 million, two buyers gave up in succession, leaving four people to continue the contest.

"3.7 million."

"3.8 million."

"4 million."

Elder Qin's gaze swept back and forth between the inkstone on stage and the buyers below several times, his eyes holding a calmness that could only come from years of experience in the antique market.

He suddenly turned his head and asked in a very low voice, as if it were a casual question: "This Duan Inkstone... is it a lot you submitted?"

Hu Tian was holding his teacup; upon hearing this, his hand paused slightly. He then set the cup down, turned his face, and met Elder Qin's slightly inquisitive gaze.

The old man's eyes were very calm, not aggressive, but carried an insight that naturally emerged after seeing too many things. It was as if he were waiting for an answer, or perhaps he already knew the answer and was just giving him an opportunity to speak.

Hu Tian thought for a moment and did not beat around the bush.

In front of Elder Qin, he felt there was no need to hide anything.

This elder was someone he respected from the bottom of his heart, whether for his eye for antiques, his experience, or his character in the circle.

Elder Qin had specifically asked him to sit by his side today with the genuine intention of helping a junior. If he were to be evasive, it would seem petty and would also be disrespectful to the old man.

He whispered: "Yes. I submitted this Duan Inkstone."

Upon hearing this, Elder Qin nodded slowly, his expression unchanged, as if confirming his own guess, and asked: "Where did it come from?"

Hu Tian was silent for a second at this question.

"Obtained by chance."

He did not explain further, simply saying those four words calmly, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.

Elder Qin glanced at him and did not press further.

The old man had walked in this circle for most of his life; what kind of people or stories had he not seen?

Some things were impolite to ask about; not asking was the true tacit understanding.

He turned his gaze back to the stage, his tone still calm but with a hint of profound meaning: "As long as the origin of this Duan Inkstone is clean, that is good."

Hu Tian understood the meaning behind Elder Qin's words and responded softly: "Rest assured, Elder Qin, it is absolutely clean."

Elder Qin nodded and said nothing more.

At this time, the bidding on stage had reached 4.5 million.

Among the four buyers, the two most active were—one was a middle-aged woman sitting towards the back on the right, dressed elegantly with a steady temperament, wearing a jadeite bracelet of a very pure full-green color on her wrist, clearly a collector of great taste.

The other was a young man in the front row near the middle, appearing to be twenty-eight or twenty-nine, dressed modestly, but the bidding paddle in his hand was raised frequently, and he bid without hesitation, seemingly backed by strong financial resources.

"4.7 million."

The middle-aged woman raised her paddle, her voice not loud, but her tone firm.

"4.9 million."

The young man followed up immediately with almost no pause.

As for the other two buyers, one had already given up at 4.6 million, and the other had shaken his head at 4.8 million, placing his paddle on his lap.

The battle lines were clear.

It was just these two people competing now.

Elder Qin whispered: "I know that woman. Her surname is Xu, and she is a major collector in the Jiangnan area, specializing in scholarly studio items. Her eye is very sharp; she doesn't make a move easily, but when she does, it's because she's certain."

He paused and added: "I don't know the young man, but to be able to compete with Mrs. Xu so calmly, his background is not simple."

Hu Tian listened without speaking, just watching the stage quietly.

"5.2 million."

Mrs. Xu raised her paddle.

The young man was silent for a few seconds, then raised his paddle: "5.5 million."

Mrs. Xu frowned, turned her head, and whispered a few words to the assistant beside her.

Auctioneer Li Ming announced the bid in a timely manner: "5.5 million, going once."

"5.5 million, going twice."

Mrs. Xu raised her hand and her paddle: "5.7 million."

Her assistant was recording something in a notebook at the same time, looking focused.

The young man stared at the inkstone on stage, his gaze calm, and finally raised his paddle again: "6 million."

6 million, exactly touching the upper limit of the valuation range.

The atmosphere in the auction hall changed slightly, and many people cast their eyes toward these two buyers.

Mrs. Xu paused a bit longer this time.

She lowered her head and tapped her fingers on her lap twice, seemingly making a final assessment.

Auctioneer Li Ming seized the opportunity and announced in a deep voice: "6 million, going once."

A pause.

"6 million, going twice."

Mrs. Xu raised her head, took one look at the inkstone on stage, then slowly lowered the paddle in her hand, shaking her head slightly with a faint, relieved smile on her lips.

"6 million, going three times. Sold!"

Auctioneer Li Ming's gavel fell with a crisp sound.

Applause rang out in the auction hall once again.

Hu Tian let out a soft breath.

6 million; after deducting commissions and related taxes, he would likely walk away with around 5.4 million.

He calmly picked up his teacup for a sip, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.

Elder Qin glanced at him from the side with a faint smile, saying nothing.

But Hu Tian could feel that in the old man's gaze, besides appreciation, there was an indescribable scrutiny—not suspicion, but the thoughtful look an elder gives when sizing up a promising junior.

Hu Tian placed the teacup back on the table, reopened the catalog, and looked down at the introduction for the next lot, his expression calm as if nothing had happened.

On stage, the auction had entered the next phase.

The lights in the auction hall remained bright, the voices were still noisy, and one treasure after another changed hands amidst the sound of the gavel.

And Hu Tian knew that for him, today's auction was just the beginning.

There were still a few more items from that batch he had brought out of the Holy Treasury.

The auction continued.

Hu Tian's three lots appeared one after another, each attracting significant attention.

The song dynasty Yingqing glaze incised Prunus Vase started at 18 million and finally hammered down at 67 million after several rounds of fierce bidding.

The buyer was a veteran collector from Hong Kong, rumored to specialize in collecting fine song dynasty porcelain. The glaze color and incising craftsmanship of this Prunus Vase were top-tier, so Hu Tian was not surprised it could fetch this price.

The Qing Dynasty Emperor Kangxi era Blue and White bowl with landscape and figure motifs was relatively stable, starting at 6 million and finally selling for 12 million after a few rounds of bidding.

Although this bowl was in perfect condition with exquisite patterns, Emperor Kangxi Blue and White porcelain had a relatively high survival rate on the market, so the price was naturally not as astonishing as the song dynasty porcelain.

What truly made the whole venue boil over was the ming dynasty Tianqi era Official Kiln bronze censer.

This bronze censer had a starting price as high as 35 million, attracting attention from many sides as soon as it came on stage.

The body of the censer was a deep chestnut color, the patina thick and natural, the handles were in the shape of twin beast ears, and the bottom of the censer bore the four-character mark "Made in the Tianqi Era," with the characters being upright and powerful.