"Won't it be because this fake appraisal came out, and you dare not come?" Wei San snorted.
Yin Wenhao was a little bitter. He knew that Wei San harbored resentment, so he didn't say much. After all, anyone would be unhappy with such a fake appraisal certificate.
The auction was about to begin. Everyone took their seats. Wei San's status meant he was seated quite near the front.
"Brother Li, if there are any calligraphy or paintings later, you must help me appraise them," Wei San said with a smile.
"Elder Wei, all these antiques have been strictly vetted by our Zhongbao Pavilion. Some of them were even appraised by my teacher. There can't be any mistakes," Yin Wenhao couldn't help but say.
Wei San glanced at him and said, "Who knows if they might misjudge it."
Yin Wenhao had no choice but to shut up. Well, in front of Wei San, Zhongbao Pavilion had no credibility anymore.
The auction soon began. The antiques Zhongbao Pavilion put up for auction were naturally quite expensive. The starting bid for the first auction item was five hundred thousand, and items at this price usually sold for two to three million later.
It was a bottle carved from jade. However, the jade bottle itself already had many cracks, indicating its age.
There were quite a few bidders, but Wei San had no interest in jade items, so he didn't participate in the bidding.
Li Se appraised the jade bottle and his pupils contracted. He could feel another aura from it, a very peculiar one. This meant the jade bottle might hold a secret. After thinking for a moment, he joined the auction.
"Brother Li, are you interested in this jade bottle?" Wei San asked curiously.
Li Se didn't hide it and nodded, "Yes, I feel this jade bottle is not that simple."
"It's just an ordinary jade bottle from a bygone era. What's so complicated about it?" Wei San still trusted Li Se's judgment.
Li Se shook his head, "I can't tell for sure yet."
"Two million!" At this moment, a man wearing glasses behind him raised his paddle. As he bid, his gaze was fixed on Li Se.
Li Se looked at the bespectacled man strangely. He was quite sure he hadn't met this person, but he could feel a hint of hostility in his eyes.
"Isn't that the young master from the Hong family?" Wei San exclaimed in surprise.
"Elder Wei, you know him?" Li Se asked.
Wei San chuckled, "I wouldn't say I know him, just met him once."
Hong Zhixue's gaze remained fixed on Li Se. When he saw Wei San beside him, his pupils contracted. It seemed this fellow had an unusual relationship with Wei San.
"Two and a half million!" Li Se was very wealthy now, so bidding for a jade bottle was as easy as blinking.
"Three million!" Hong Zhixue seemed unwilling to let Li Se have the bottle at all.
"Four million!" Li Se bid again. Fortunately, Hong Zhixue didn't continue bidding this time.
The jade bottle was eventually bought by Li Se for four million. When the jade bottle was delivered, he carefully examined it, then raised his hand and smashed it onto the ground.
With a "peng" sound, the jade bottle shattered.
Everyone in the auction hall gasped, thinking, "What a prodigal son! He smashed a jade bottle bought for four million like this?"
Even wealthy individuals like Wei San couldn't help but feel a pang of pain. Wasn't Li Se getting a bit too carried away?
"Huh? There's something!" Wei Xueru suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
Li Se found a calligraphy scroll from the broken jade bottle. He finally understood why the jade bottle emanated a strange energy – it came from this scroll.
The scroll wasn't very large and was hidden in a compartment at the bottom of the jade bottle. This meant that if the jade bottle hadn't been smashed, this scroll would never have been discovered.
To use such an expensive jade bottle to protect a scroll was enough to indicate that the scroll was extraordinary.
"Can I take a look?" Yin Wenhao immediately asked.
"Of course," Li Se nodded and handed the scroll to him.
Yin Wenhao examined it carefully for a while, his expression changing dramatically. He exclaimed excitedly, "My heavens, it's a genuine work by Wang Xizhi!"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was greatly astonished. Wang Xizhi's genuine works are now considered national treasures. This single scroll is worth at least tens of millions!
"It's Wang Xizhi's discarded paper, but even so, it's genuine!" Yin Wenhao looked at Li Se and said excitedly, "Would you be willing to sell it to Zhongbao Pavilion for twenty million?"
The jade bottle bought for four million had quadrupled in value in an instant!
Hong Zhixue, who had previously given up bidding, turned ashen, filled with regret.
"Brother Li, sell it to me." Wei San was fond of collecting calligraphy and paintings. His favorites were the paintings of Tang Bohu, and he also liked Wang Xizhi. Even though this was Wang Xizhi's discarded paper, it was still priceless.
"Elder Wei, since you want it, I'll sell it to you for ten million." Li Se presented the scroll.
"You rascal..." Wei San couldn't help but burst out laughing. "I won't take advantage of you. Thirty million, and I'll buy it!"
It doubled again.
Everyone was incredibly envious. If only they had bid earlier.
The subsequent auctions were mostly for calligraphy and paintings, with the most expensive selling for around five million. When the last auction item was brought up, it was an ancient sword with lifelike dragon patterns.
Li Se was a little surprised when he saw this ancient sword.
"Brother Li, what is it? Does this ancient sword also hold a secret?" Wei San couldn't help but ask.
Li Se shook his head, "This ancient sword is nothing special, but the box it came in seems quite good."
Everyone's attention was focused on the ancient sword, so naturally, no one paid attention to the wooden box. It looked like an ordinary box with no special features.
Yin Wenhao, standing nearby, heard this and smiled, "If you want it, I can have someone specially reserve the wooden box for you."
The wooden box had also been appraised by Zhongbao Pavilion, so it naturally had some value, but it wasn't a priceless treasure. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been used to pack the ancient sword; it would have been auctioned separately.
"How about this, I'll offer fifty thousand to buy it." Li Se didn't want to owe Yin Wenhao a favor.
Yin Wenhao smiled, "Alright."
After the ancient sword was auctioned off, Yin Wenhao had someone deliver the wooden box.
Li Se examined it briefly and then took a deep breath, saying, "This wooden box is made of thousand-year-old golden sandalwood."
"How is that possible?" Yin Wenhao was somewhat surprised. He took the wooden box and examined it carefully, but found nothing.
"Brother Li, shall we show them?" Wei San said with great interest.
Li Se nodded, placed the wooden box on the table, and then said, "Does anyone have a small knife?"
"I do!"
Seeing that Li Se seemed to be up to something again, everyone didn't leave and stayed to watch. When he asked for a small knife, someone immediately handed one over.
Li Se took the small knife and began to fiddle with the wooden box.