Chapter 177: 【177】Really has no shame at all_1

The second round of appraisal was for jade artifacts.

Mr. Qi’s jade piece was a jade thumb ring selected by his two apprentices together.

When Zhang Jicheng picked up the jade thumb ring, his heart immediately sank.

For an experienced appraiser like him, he could generally judge the authenticity of ancient jade as soon as he handled it.

There seemed to be nothing wrong with this jade thumb ring, whether it was the patina, erosion, jade quality, form and spirit, corrosion, or ornamentation.

Moreover, judging from the decorations and craftsmanship on it, this thumb ring likely belonged to a prince from the late Qing period.

After considering all factors, he finally valued it at eight hundred thousand.

Slowly setting down the thumb ring, Zhang Jicheng looked up and glanced at Ma Zhenping and Zhao Xingbo.

Indeed, both of Qi Maocai’s apprentices were extraordinary talents.

In the last twenty minutes of hurried selection, they still managed to pick such a fine piece.

No wonder Qi Maocai dared to challenge him so proactively; that was their confidence.

This made him start to worry about his own apprentice again.

Tang Feng was very skilled with calligraphy and paintings, he knew that much.

After all, just yesterday, he had found a piece of calligraphy by Zhang Daqian.

Winning the first round wasn’t too surprising.

But his level in jade appraisal was unknown.

Certainly, it couldn’t be as strong as his skill with calligraphy and painting, right?

After all, a person’s energy is limited.

And Tang Feng was still young; it was already quite impressive that he could show extraordinary talent in calligraphy and painting.

If they lost this round, they wouldn’t lose unjustly.

As the twenty-minute appraisal time ended, when he stood up and looked at Qi Maocai’s expression, he saw that his brows were furrowed, seemingly struggling with something.

“Mr. Qi, why don’t you announce the results first this round?”

Zhang Jicheng, seeing him like this, grew even more curious about his apprentice’s performance this round and wanted to know the results as soon as possible.

Qi Maocai stopped thinking, looked up at him with a complicated expression, “Mr. Zhang, where did you find such an apprentice?”

His question took Zhang Jicheng by surprise, “Mr. Qi, what do you mean by that?”

Qi Maocai waved his hand, “Don’t misunderstand, I’m simply curious.”

Turning his head, he glanced at Tang Feng, “My appraisal result is that this jade cup is an imperial item from the late Qing court, perfectly preserved, and exquisitely crafted… My valuation is eight hundred thousand.”

“Hiss…”

A collective gasp once again filled the air at the scene.

Tang Feng appeared to be in his twenties, and it was already surprising that he could outmatch Ma Zhenping in calligraphy and painting.

It was unexpected that he would also deliver such an impressive performance in jade.

“This young man is so young yet his appraisal skills are so formidable.”

“Indeed, Mr. Zhang has found a good apprentice, now he really has someone to carry on his legacy.”

“That jade cup only cost a bit over eight thousand, right? That’s another hundredfold return on investment.”

“With him doing this, why do I feel like anything less than a hundredfold return doesn’t count as a real bargain anymore?”

“Hahaha, my expectations have also been spoiled…”

The crowd had already witnessed Tang Feng’s abilities in the previous round, so they were not as shocked this time, but rather they were more appreciative.

The atmosphere at the scene remained fairly relaxed.

When Zhang Jicheng heard Qi Maocai’s valuation, he breathed a sigh of relief, “Hahaha, what a coincidence. My appraisal result is that the jade thumb ring Zhao Xingbo has is also from the late Qing… I also valued it at eight hundred thousand.”

The crowd, hearing this estimate, was suddenly stunned.

Both appraising the items at eight hundred thousand? What a coincidence!

“The valuation is both eight hundred thousand? So who wins?”

“Of course, it’s Tang Feng. They had both agreed beforehand that the outcome would be determined by the return on investment.”

“If that’s the case, then indeed Mr. Tang wins, his was a hundredfold return.”

“Right, Mr. Qi’s side spent a whole thirty-two thousand on that jade thumb ring, their return on investment is indeed much lower.”

“So what, no need for a third round? Mr. Zhang’s side has already won!”

This outcome completely surprised everyone.

Because Qi Maocai’s side had lost too quickly.

Effortlessly taken down in two rounds.

This was unexpected.

Ma Zhenping and Zhao Xingbo’s faces were very grim.

They had studied hard for many years, hoping to become famous with today’s victory.

Instead, they were effortlessly crushed by a young man, becoming a stepping stone for him.

Such an outcome would be hard for anyone to accept.

Zhang Jicheng couldn’t hide his joy as he cupped his hands toward Qi Maocai, “Mr. Qi, according to the rules of the competition, winning two out of three rounds means we have won, thank you, haha.”

His mood was very good now, not because he had won against his old rival.

But because his apprentice had proven to be stronger than Qi Maocai’s, and he could finally retire with peace of mind.

At this moment, Tang Feng also slowly stood up, ready to take the spoils back to the store.

But just then, Qi Maocai suddenly shouted, “This isn’t fair, the competition isn’t fair!”

Zhang Jicheng’s expression stiffened, “Mr. Qi, what do you mean by this?”

“I fell into your trap,” Qi Maocai said angrily, pointing at him, “You set me up, and I didn’t notice in my carelessness and fell into your trap.”

Zhang Jicheng’s expression grew uglier, “Make yourself clear, how have I set you a trap?”

Qi Maocai sneered immediately, “Since it’s about eyesight, of course, it should be about who chooses the more valuable items, not about return on investment. Such a bizarre rule seriously limited my apprentices’ performance.”

Hearing Qi Maocai dodging the issue, Zhang Jicheng scoffed, “The rules of the game are fair. Aren’t these rules restricting my apprentice to the same extent they restrict yours? As the head appraiser of Mo Xiang House, are you really going to shamelessly wriggle out of this situation in full view of everyone?”

“You still want to argue? You knew you’d lose in a fair comparison, so you came up with this ridiculous requirement. How cunning.” Qi Maocai, whether from anger or a bit of shame, his old face was flushed red.

“Mr. Qi, in his eagerness to make his apprentices famous, has really thrown all shame to the wind.”

Zhang Jicheng had not expected Qi Maocai to act so shamelessly in front of everyone.

The two began a war of words on the spot.