Sonia said angrily, “Master, what’s the difference between you and a father who has lost his son telling his family ‘Let’s pretend that we never had a son’ after he goes home? Do you think it’s appropriate?!”Caden had an extremely embarrassed expression. He could only bite the bullet and say, “The medicine cauldron is indeed gone, and I have no way of getting it back. What do you want me to do?”Sonia questioned him, “I need to know where the medicine cauldron is and who has it!”Caden avoided her gaze and hesitated as he said, “Sonia… Since the medicine cauldron is already gone, what’s the point of you holding on and questioning me about it? What you should do now is to take the leader token with you and return to the Taoist Sect to carry out your duties as the leader of the Taoist Sect!”Sonia continued reasoning with him, “Since you’ve already passed the position as the leader of the Taoist Sect to me, it is my obligation to recover the treasure that has been passed down for th
“You!” Sonia did not expect that Charlie would reject her proposal so directly. Sonia, who had never been rejected by anyone before could not help but question Charlie with some displeasure, “Mr. Wade, I don’t know how the treasure of the Taoist Sect ended up in your hands, but I believe that you should not have gotten it through despicable means.”Charlie sneered and said, “Miss Letterman, it’s a little self-centered if you jump to conclusions without finding out what happened. Wouldn’t you know whether I obtained the medicine cauldron using fair and square means if you simply asked your master about it?”Caden, who was aside, hurriedly said, “Sonia, don’t be rude to Master Wade! Master Wade obtained the medicine cauldron in an upright manner! In fact, I was the one who gave it to Master Wade voluntarily!”Sonia was furious and asked him, “Master, the medicine cauldron belongs to the Taoist Sect, and you were just guarding it on behalf of the Taoist Sect! What rights did you have
When Sonia thought of this, she said immediately, “Mr. Wade, I won’t lie to you, but I can give you a very generous reward as long as you’re willing to sell the medicine cauldron to me. This can ensure that you will have no worries about your food and clothing for the rest of your life!”Charlie smiled and said, “Miss Letterman, you can try to make a bid. I’ll see if you’re really generous.”Sonia glanced at Charlie and said arrogantly, “If you are willing to sell me the medicine cauldron, I can pay you one hundred million US dollars on the spot!”In Sonia’s opinion, one hundred million US dollars was a huge sum of money for anyone. For most people, it was an astronomical figure that one would not even dare to dream of. Therefore, she thought that it was already an extremely sincere offer. However, after Charlie heard the offer, he simply smiled faintly and said, “Miss Letterman, I didn’t expect you to be quite generous.”Sonia said expressionlessly, “My offer is only valid for t
Charlie smiled mischievously and said, “I’ll know whether you’re bragging or not once I try it.”Sonia frowned and asked, “What do you mean?”Charlie smiled and said, “Miss Letterman, why don’t you stretch out your hand so I can read your palm?”“Imbecile!” Sonia reprimanded Charlie sternly, “I didn’t think that apart from being a smooth talker, you also have such dirty thoughts!”Charlie smiled and said, “Miss Letterman, you misunderstand me. I’m not planning to take advantage of you. I just want to verify whether you are bragging when you say that you will never owe others favors!”Sonia snorted coldly, clenched her teeth, and said, “I will never brag about that!”Charlie nodded and said, “Miss Letterman, why don’t you stretch out your hand and we will know the results in a minute, then.”Sonia stretched out her hand in front of Charlie angrily and said, “I want to see what tricks you have up your sleeves!”Charlie smiled lightly and then reached out his hand and held Sonia’s
Sonia originally did not regain her senses from the reality of breaking through to the Great Perfection Realm of the Illuminating Realm in an instant, so she was still in a daze and could not figure out what Charlie meant when he said these words. Before she could react, Caden, who was aside, suddenly looked at Sonia and exclaimed, “Sonia… w-why did you become a five-star martial artist again?!”This cry of surprise was like a basin of cold water that woke Sonia up completely. Only then did she realize that her cultivation level had changed again within a very short period of time. She had regressed to being a five-star martial artist from being a Great Perfection Realm of the Illuminating Realm expert.Sonia was appalled and could not figure out how Charlie had managed to temper with her cultivation in the blink of an eye!It was also at this moment that she realized that Charlie’s strength was so powerful that it was beyond her imagination!She instantly felt extremely lost a
After seeing Charlie out, Caden trotted all the way back, closed the door, and said to Sonia with great regret, “Sonia, you’re really muddle-headed! I’ve been practicing martial arts for most of my life, and I’ve never seen anyone like Master Wade. It’s a great opportunity for you to meet a master like Master Wade who has such divine powers, and it’s an even greater opportunity to have Master Wade’s guidance. Why did you have to offend him?”Sonia had a dull expression as she asked, “Master, what is Mr. Wade’s origin? No matter how talented a person is, it will take at least several years or more than dozens of years for a person to cultivate from a five-star martial artist to reach the Great Perfection Realm of the Illuminating Realm. How did he open up three of my meridians in an instant?”Caden sighed and exclaimed, “Sonia, Master Wade’s divine power has long exceeded our understanding. The reason why I decided to pass the position as the leader of the Taoist Sect to you is becaus
Caden was a little embarrassed after his disciple exposed him on the spot. He sighed and said helplessly, “Sonia, I’ll be truthful with you. I made the bet with ill intentions and ended up losing the medicine cauldron because of my own petty scheme. Master Wade cannot be blamed for this…”Sonia looked at Caden, who was somewhat ashamed, and asked in surprise, “Master, can you tell me what exactly happened?”Caden sighed and told Sonia all about why he had come to Aurous Hill in the first place and how he had deliberately tricked Anthony after arriving in Aurous Hill.After hearing this, Sonia could not help but complain, “Master, you’re really a bit too much. If you look at this matter more clearly, isn’t this considered fraud?”Caden covered his face with one hand and said in a melancholic manner, “I was a little too eager for success at the time. I felt that Dr. Simmons was a genius doctor, so he would not be short of money. He definitely would not be willing to sell his clinic i
Sonia thought for a moment and said, “Perhaps it’s because our disciples have low qualifications and we don’t have the quality to become Dark Realm experts…”“Nonsense!” Caden snorted coldly and said, “I felt the same way you did before, but after I had the honor of meeting Master Wade, I discovered that the Taoist Sect Hanbloom Method that has been passed down for more than a thousand years and was supposedly a complete mental cultivation method is actually just one of twenty-seven parts of the entire Taoist Sect Hanbloom Method! In other words, we only have the equivalent of a kindergarten’s first-year textbook! What kind of level can one achieve through this kind of teaching material?!”Sonia was horrified and blurted out with her eyes wide open, “Master, are you serious? Don’t you mean that most sects in the world don’t have a complete set of martial arts techniques but we are one of the very few sects with a complete mental cultivation method?”“It’s not complete at all!” Caden
While Jacob was feeling delighted after pulling off his con, Raymond had posted details of the bronze sculpture online.The website he was using was the biggest platform for antique collectors and the antique trade where each user could set a favorite tag in the antique category and era. If a user who preferred canvas art pieces of the Tudor dynasty set that label as their favorite, they would immediately be notified with text or desktop notifications in regards to any item with the same label.As medieval bronze sculptures were rare in the first place, most who were interested had already set that label on their favorites and were immediately notified soon after Raymond posted pictures of the bronze sculpture online.The collectors were naturally eager to check it out as gilded sculptures of the medieval era were really rare, and most collectors would go a lifetime without picking one up for their collection.On top of that, the seller had even listed a major flaw and was only ask
"Nope," Jacob chuckled. "We were both working separately and just happened to get back in at the same time."Then, he immediately became smug and excited, "Guess what, dear? I made 200 thousand out of the deal! In net profits!""For real?!" Elaine gaped. "200 thousand in just one night?! That's amazing! How did you do that?"Claire was surprised to hear that too, and she came over to ask, "What deal was it, Dad?"Jacob grinned, "Oh, it's nothing to brag about. It's just that I managed to pick up a nice antique item thanks to my wisdom and then sold it for 200 thousand."Pausing, he then sighed in dismay, "However, the buyer wasn't too rich—I would have squeezed him for 400 thousand, but he couldn't afford more, so I had to settle for less."Elaine quickly exclaimed, "Shit, we're talking about a loss of 200 thousand! People would work a year and still never earn that much…"She trailed off for a moment before asking, "By the way, dear—are we still flying out first thing tomorrow?
Jacob laughed. "Put that issue behind us? Sure, but we're not becoming friends. Hell, I can't even hold a grudge now that you're shit out of luck."Then, his tone changed sharply and suddenly became icy, "But you see, Aurous Hill is not a place you can stay just because you want to. No… After this, you're not going to be able to make a living in the antique trade.""If I were you, I'd be running a thousand miles away, far away from Aurous Hill where no one would know my face to start over. That way, you just might be able to make a living."Raymond simply kept smiling, "You need not be concerned about how I'm going to survive here, Mr. Wilson. I'd be very grateful if you'd cease any form of harassment once you leave my premises."Jacob pursed his lips, staring at Raymond in disappointment. "I'm plenty magnanimous, so I won't stoop to such pettiness. Just do whatever you like!"Clicking his tongue, he huffed, "Tut, tut… And here I'd thought you're tough, but you're just yet another
Raymond chuckled at the title, humble as ever, "The Duke of Wastage? Now, that's quite the royal title, and I don't think I deserve such an honor…"Trailing off, he then made an especially curious look, "By the way, how'd you know they were calling me that?"Seeing that he was still so ignorant, Jacob scoffed. "You bought a Renaissance-era bronze sculpture earlier, didn't you?"Raymond nodded. "I did. But technically, it's medieval and not Renaissance, along with a Renaissance-era base."Jacob clutched his stomach as he laughed, "Oh, please! Medieval? Hahaha… You're killing me, Mr. Cole!"Raymond kept a serious look on his face. "It's really medieval. Why don't you take a look?""No way," Jacob snorted, pursing his lips. "Anyway, word has already spread that someone was selling a counterfeit bronze sculpture to defraud Antique Street for some serious dough. He went first to Vintage Deluxe, but their manager, Mr. Crane, saw through it and didn't buy it… and then he came to you, an
That was why most of the collectors only knew that such an item existed but they did not know in whose possession it was.After registering a new account and paying the ten thousand registration fee, Raymond got in.It was very safe as it was anonymous, and he posted a photo of the bronze sculpture and an announcement with an asking price of twenty million.In his opinion, it wasn't that expensive—if it was still gilded, it would be worth around a hundred million. Without it, it was plenty reasonable to cut the price down to just thirty million.And Raymond was cutting another ten million off that, so twenty million was plenty reasonable.Moreover, medieval bronze sculptures were exceedingly rare, and less than one specimen showed up annually at times. Collectors who desired it would therefore be willing to break the bank for it, and that was why Raymond was sure that someone would put in an order once he posted it.As he wrote the summary of the item, someone knocked on his door
Jacob frowned in disdain. "Why would I be worried? He's no longer the manager of Vintage Deluxe, and he just lost a shit ton of money for messing up his appraisal. I am also the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association, so why would I be worried about some loser who will soon be kicked out of Antique Street?"Straightening his collar, he snorted coldly, "I am now going to see Raymond Cole and humiliate him face-to-face! He thinks he's impressive, doesn't he? Let's see how he will keep up that facade!"Zachary chuckled, "Yes, exactly! People like him need to be given a slap in the face! As hard as you can! Don't worry—I'll be right behind you. If he gets physical, I'll rush in to help. If he doesn't dare to start a fight, you just insult him as much as possible!""Good plan!" Jacob nodded since he was concerned that Raymond might get physical when pushed too far.And with his body, there was no way he could beat anyone…Spreading his arms, he exclaimed, "Come! I'l
Mick inspected every video to see who was getting the most views, and he then paid out of his own pocket to use paid advertising to get the video viral.It cost five thousand and it hurt, but reaching the trending page was definitely worth it.Mick was quite shrewd too, making sure that the paid advertising was focused locally. After all, he knew all too well that five thousand didn't buy many clicks, and clicks from elsewhere might be too sporadic to gain any worthwhile attention.As he worked in Antique Street, he naturally had to come up with a plan to promote himself in this place, ideally presenting himself as a master appraiser.That way, his fame would slowly extend throughout the province and perhaps Eastern Oskia, and eventually the country.As such, focusing on Aurous Hill was the best idea.Moreover, he also had another idea—if Jasmine Moore happened to see this video, she would see him in a new light.When that happened, he could look forward to getting really rich!
Soon, the video of Mick's staged act was uploaded to the online group, and everyone eagerly watched it as soon as it was done uploading.Mick certainly set a new bar with his acting as none of them could see that it was an act.Moreover, everyone could see that the bronze sculpture looked like the real deal, and they might have been swindled if it were them.As such, they couldn't help being impressed as Mick had easily seen through Billy's con, and he was the definition of a pro in that video.No matter how Billy had packaged it, there was no tricking real experts like Mick Crane. Just a quick glance and he had seen through that it was a postmodern replica, matched with a base from the Renaissance era to misdirect and beguile.With that, many fellow antique dealers changed their opinion of Mick.After all, Vintage Deluxe's business had been declining after Mick took over as manager, and people were presuming that his skills were lacking.But now, they were all shown that he had
"Amazing, Mr. Crane!""It's Mr. Crane who shines through, in the end! His eyes see through everything!""I guess Miss Moore made the right choice firing Raymond and appointing Mr. Crane! Mr. Crane is infinitely better!"Mick was immediately thrilled to see them fawning over him, and he laughed, "You flatter me—I'm merely sharing my personal perspective on this. In this trade, anyone who knows would understand how hard it is to get the good stuff in this age of technology.""There are plenty of people who hold ulterior motives and change their tactics knowing that there are always those scheming to get their hands on vintage treasures, so they just have to make it. That is how they started making counterfeits of everything, from scrolls to sculptures to statues, each of them so real just to trick those fools who think they could get rich overnight!""Exactly!" Someone promptly agreed. "There's never a lack of any such fools, and I just happened to meet one. I had this piece of jade