Chapter 200 - 200 Netizens, Dumbfounded! The Jade Seal of Emperor Wanli from the Ming Dynasty? (3)
“There was another instance where the jade seal of Emperor Xuande’s father, the Qing Jade Dragon Button Seal had been valued at 140 million yuan!”
“Of course, these jade seals are generally not as important as others!”
“They have no reference nor any historical value, but in spite of this, they’re already plenty expensive!”
“In that case, the imperial jade seal in Luo Feng’s hands, which was used by the emperor when exercising his power, would undoubtedly fetch a much higher price!”
Upon hearing this, the people in the livestream room immediately began to argue. “They’re only a bit over 100 million… That’s not even more expensive than the eunuch’s seal?”
“How outrageous!”
“Yeah!”
“Didn’t you hear what Long-legged Wife said? The host’s jade seal was used when exercising power, so naturally, it’s much more expensive!”
Soon, another group of people arrived on the mountain. They were representatives from various museums. There were both familiar and unfamiliar faces since it was impossible for the same representatives to head over every time there were treasures to be purchased.
“Mr. Luo! We wish to purchase the jade seal and the tiger-head plaque for our Jiangnan Museum!” said Lin Yide from the official Jiangnan Museum.
“Hehe! I’m Sun Daozhen from the Shanghai Museum, and I won’t go easy today!”
“May the best win! Our Guangdi Museum has brought more than enough money today!”
Lin Yide chuckled, “For the jade seal, our Jiangnan Museum is willing to offer 200 million yuan!”
“Only 200 million, you say? We’re going for 201 million, in that case!” Sun Daozhen immediately countered.
Everyone was taken aback. Such a loud proclamation for merely a million yuan increase? Why not just add 100 million instead? The bravado displayed was unwarranted for such a meagre increase.
Regardless, Luo Feng hoped that Sun Daozhen’s actions would start a bidding war.
Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter’s blades chopping the air filled the sky. It was a T7 helicopter from the United States, and it exuded an unmatched air of dominance. The man who disembarked was a foreigner.
“Allow me to introduce myself, Mr. Luo. My name is Steve, and I’ve come to buy your treasures!” The Westerner, whose words were quickly translated by the accompanying interpreter, continued, “I really like this jade seal of yours!”
“Hehe, if you like it, then make an offer,” Lin Yide replied with a less than friendly expression toward the foreigner. After all, what right does a foreigner have to meddle in a nation’s very own antique dealings?
“Mr. Steve will give Mr. Luo an irresistible price!” the interpreter exclaimed.
Everyone was speechless at this statement. An irresistible price? Why not just name the price, then? Is it one billion, or one hundred billion? Everyone braced themselves for the shock.
“300 million!” the translator announced. Nearly everyone present was dumbfounded.
“Sod off somewhere else, bud!” Lin Yide rolled his eyes.
The 200 million and 201 million bids made at the start was just a small appetizer for what was to come. After all, not all players had arrived yet. If this foreigner was seriously thinking that he could afford the artifact for a mere 300 million, he would need to brace for what was to come.
“What’s the deal?”
“Why are they all giving us the cold shoulder?”
“I don’t know! Didn’t that guy from before only offer a 1 million yuan increase? We added a whole 100 million! Isn’t that an irresistible price?”
The foreign boss and the translator were completely baffled, unable to comprehend the situation.
“By the way, Mr. Wang Yousheng, you are a porcelain expert. Even if you don’t appraise the value, you can at least authenticate the item, right? If it comes from you, people will find it more credible!” Luo Feng politely invited Wang Yousheng to take a look.
“Little Luo, you are too kind. Nowadays, everyone trusts the items coming from your livestream. However, I shall still help you authenticate it!” Wang Yousheng said, and immediately began examining the jade seal. He spoke at length in terms that the livestream audience did not understand, discussing techniques and polishing methods from the Ming Dynasty. Ultimately, he confirmed that it was indeed a Ming Dynasty jade seal, with historical records and documentation to support its authenticity.
“Little Luo, I just received a call from the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau. If this item is genuine, it can be classified as a national first-class cultural relic!” Gu Santong relayed after taking a phone call.
“Really? First-class?” Luo Feng seemed unfazed.
“Moreover, national first-class cultural relics cannot be sold to foreigners, meaning they cannot be taken out of the country!” Gu Santong added, glaring at Steve.
“I understand! So, you gentlemen can leave now, right? Of course, if you’d like to enjoy the scenery here, please feel free to linger around!” Luo Feng had been annoyed with Steve from the start, with his air of superiority, as if everyone else was poor. His impression towards him had plummeted even further when he did not even bother to offer an impressive price that would warrant some respect.
To Luo Feng, he was just showing off despite being poor. Did he really think Chinese cultural relics to be as cheap as cabbages? And what was that about an irresistible price? Did he think he was some novel character from ten years ago?
“Hmph!” Steve snorted, visibly irritated. He boarded the helicopter with his translator and left.
With the bothersome man gone, Luo Feng announced, “Let’s continue!” He placed the jade seal on a box cushioned with soft cloth, and the auction began.
As expected, the competition was fierce. In the end, the Palace Museum once again flexed its financial muscle and secured the imperial jade seal with a staggering price of 710 million yuan. Lin Yide from the Jiangnan Museum also made an aggressive move, acquiring the Ming Dynasty tiger-head gold plaque for 280 million yuan.
The two bronze plaques of “Heaven’s Mandate and Earth’s Fate” from Old Li were sold separately at a price of 20 million yuan each, and were taken by the Shanghai Museum and the Guangdi Museum. The others in attendance were left empty-handed.
By the end of the auction, Luo Feng’s net worth had reached approximately 4 billion yuan. However, he would only know the exact amount once the auction was over. Luo Feng himself was unsure of the precise number, but even after deducting taxes, he should have at least 3 billion yuan.
“Luo Feng, are we going back into the mountains?” Zhang Shunyong asked.
“Of course! Why wouldn’t we? I once said that I wouldn’t waste even a single grain of rice in a pot! Since we’ve already obtained the permits, you bet that I’ll search every nook and cranny of this mountain!” Luo Feng playfully answered.
“Then let’s set off!”
Upon returning to the waterfall, Luo Feng was astonished to find several oxygen tanks by the water. The water was filled with people, with at least a dozen men within it.
“We found it! We found it!”
“It’s a Ming dynasty iron chain! Worth over 300!”
“A pair of Ming Dynasty shoes! They must have belonged to a footman, worth 800 yuan!”
Incredibly, they had indeed found some items. However, these were likely just miscellaneous objects left behind by those who had buried the treasure. None of these items had a marker, and their value was only a few hundred yuan each.
Luo Feng paid them no mind and continued leading his group of wealthy youths deeper into the mountains.
“Wow! The livestream has really made Dalong Mountain popular!”
“Indeed, so many people have come here to conduct treasure hunts!”
“That’s right, there are huge crowds everywhere! I heard the scenic area is now more than ten times busier than before!”
“I heard that the mayor of the Dalong County praised Luo Feng in a meeting and said he wanted to invite him to dinner on behalf of the county!”
...
“Guys, wanna hear what’s impressive! I’m actually at the scene with the host! I’ve been secretly stream sniping him!”
“Haha, brother, you’ve been exposed!”
“Is that sneaky chubby guy in the back you?”
Despite the distractions, Luo Feng continued digging.
He found a super energy drink.
…
After digging up several dots, all Luo Feng had found were more energy drinks and insect repellents.
Annoyed, Luo Feng kept digging.
Ding.
[ You found gold… ]
“Jackpot!”
...
Luo Feng quickly excavated the object, only to discover it was a small yellow fish1.
“Good grief, how can the host still find more items?”
“Hasn’t this area been completely dug up yet?”
“Why is it that only the host manages to find things, while so many others find nothing?”
“The host must have a heritage and a sect, similar to those who specialize in tomb raiding!”
“Of course! Otherwise, how could he be so skilled?”
Everyone watched as Luo Feng unearthed another gold bar, which undoubtedly excited them. After all, it was a potential sign for more treasures hidden within Dalong Mountain!
As the treasure hunters in the mountain saw this, they were undoubtedly filled with adrenaline, and they began digging around even more vigorously in hopes of striking it rich overnight.
After walking about a hundred meters, Luo Feng dug up another gold bar. Among the 7 or so treasure markers he scanned, there were 2 gold bars and some herbs.
Leaving his previous search area, Luo Feng scanned again.
[ Ding. ]
[ You found jade. ]
[ Ming dynasty. ]
[ Worth 1 million yuan? ]
“Huh?”
“Ming dynasty jade?”
“And worth a million?”
Surprised by the find, Luo Feng hastily attempted to dig it up…
Upon seeing the object’s full appearance, Luo Feng stood stock still for several seconds…
After seeing the item…
The only thought that echoed in Luo Feng’s mind was… There are definitely more of the rebel king’s treasures within these mountains…