"Excellent, Mr. Li's appraisal skills are truly unmatched! That Bai fellow couldn't stump Mr. Li!"
"Indeed, I never thought Mr. Li was so capable. We were worried for him earlier, but it seems our concerns were entirely unnecessary."
"Mr. Li truly possesses the qualifications of a grandmaster appraiser. If he wins against Master Bai today, it will be a legend in Jiangcheng's appraisal circle!"
The onlookers erupted in excited discussion!
Many of them had prepared to leave early, but before they could, Li Yang had finished appraising all three antiques in just ten seconds.
This scene was astounding!
Master Bai's expression changed drastically. He had assumed Li Yang wouldn't be able to appraise these items, but Li Yang had done it in mere seconds. How was this possible?
What kind of genius was this young man?
Snapping back to reality, he refused to be outdone. According to Li Yang's wager, if he could correctly appraise even one item, it would mean he had appraised them all correctly, and he would lose the bet.
Thus, he ignored the surrounding distractions and focused on appraising the antiques Li Yang had chosen.
A full five minutes later, he finished his appraisals.
He confidently stepped forward and announced the result for the first antique: "This pair of Warring States swords I've appraised is the personal sword of Shang Yang from the Qin Dynasty. The patterns on the sword clearly indicate it is a genuine artifact, priceless."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Master Bai, your skills are only so-so. You got the first one wrong. On the upper part of this sword, visible under magnification, are traces of casting and polishing. This is clearly a replica, albeit crafted in the style of the Warring States period."
As soon as he finished, Li Yang directly exposed the item's true origin.
Master Bai's brow furrowed. He picked up the swords again, scrutinizing them with some doubt. He had examined them closely with a magnifying glass earlier but had found nothing amiss.
This time, he picked up the magnifying glass and looked again, still finding nothing.
He snorted contemptuously, sneering, "Kid, you're too full of yourself. I've examined it carefully, and this item is definitely not fake. The polishing marks you mentioned are simply not visible."
"Is it possible that your magnifying glass's magnification is not high enough?"
Li Yang shook his head dismissively and said, "I suggest the staff here get him a higher magnification magnifying glass so he can take a good look."
"No need. Master Li's appraisal skills are unparalleled. Your appraisal result is correct. I have the personal appraisal result from Chairman Tao of Kyoto here." The referee stepped forward and announced to everyone.
A gasp!
The entire audience was shocked!
Everyone gave Li Yang a thumbs-up, never expecting Li Yang to actually win against Master Bai!
Master Bai stood stunned for a few seconds, still in disbelief. He insisted on asking the referee for a high-magnification magnifying glass. The referee, with no other choice, had one prepared.
When he re-examined the item, he finally discovered that what Li Yang had said was true!
"Bai, you really are someone who won't believe it until you see it. Now that the appraisal result is out, what more excuse do you have?" Li Yang taunted him with a light smile.
"Hmph, this is only the first antique. My eyes were playing tricks on me earlier. There are still two more items."
Master Bai snorted, making a casual excuse for himself, and then picked up the second antique to announce, "This item is a pair of imperial green jade rings, a modern replica. The original was worn by a Tang Dynasty concubine, and the original is currently preserved in the Kyoto Museum."
"There is only one pair of these in existence. If this one is genuine, then it means the one in the Kyoto Museum is fake."
"Kid, I have personally seen the original of this pair. Surely you won't question the Kyoto Museum's authenticity?"
"What? It's over for Mr. Li now!"
"Mr. Li has really run into trouble. If the museum really has this item, then this pair must be fake."
"Alas, what a shame. If Mr. Li hadn't proposed such harsh conditions earlier, he would have won this bet. But now he's lost like this."
Everyone present slapped their thighs, feeling sorry for Li Yang.
Only Situ Jue's face gradually broke into a smile. Fortunately, there were no further complications. Li Yang had ultimately paid the price for his arrogance!
The top spot today was secured!
However!
Just as Situ Jue and his many appraisers were prematurely celebrating their victory, Li Yang smiled calmly and shook his head, saying, "Who told you there's only one pair of these in existence?"
"I can tell you clearly that there are two pairs in total. One pair was crafted by a craftsman and given to the emperor, who then presented it to his beloved concubine. The original is indeed in the Kyoto Museum."
"But this pair is also genuine. It was secretly crafted by the craftsman and taken home to his wife. This item has been passed down for many years, and people have gradually forgotten its identity and existence."
"Hmph, utter nonsense. This is just a story you've fabricated. Do you have any proof that this is real?" Master Bai, believing Li Yang was making things up, said dismissively.
"Of course, there's evidence. Everyone present can take out their phones and search for a historical anecdote. This anecdote comes from a book called 'Wen Kui's Autobiography,' which contains detailed records of these rings."
Li Yang finished confidently, and the crowd was astonished. They took out their phones and began searching.
Sure enough, someone soon found the book and located the record about the rings: "Imperial jade has twin rings. One was presented to His Majesty, while the other was kept by me. I dared not offend the dragon's countenance and knew I had committed a great sin, thus I leave this writing to show my transgression. If Heaven punishes me, I wish to exchange this for my wife's happiness."
"It's actually true! This 'Wen Kui's Autobiography' does indeed record this item. Mr. Li is telling the truth."
A young man in the crowd was the first to shout loudly.
Following him, others at the scene also found relevant literature, and some web pages even had illustrations that looked exactly like the pair of rings before them.
"How is this possible? Why have I never seen this book?" Master Bai asked, extremely surprised.
"Because your focus has never been here. You only focus on historical records. How would you know about the autobiography of a minor figure?"
"Official histories do not record this second pair of rings, so naturally, you wouldn't know," Li Yang explained with a faint smile.
Next, Li Yang looked at the beautiful referee and casually asked, "Miss, may I know if my appraisal result is correct?"
"Absolutely correct! This pair of rings is indeed genuine, and Mr. Li's appraisal is completely accurate!"
The beautiful referee's admiration for Li Yang grew with each passing moment!
Master Bai's face was extremely tense, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead involuntarily!