Chapter 6: Millions for a Stone

Although I don't look like a collector buyer, your lack of sales spirit is too much, hey!"

Since the shopkeeper ignored him, Lu Zheng could only clear his throat and call out, "Boss?"

"Hmm?" It was only after Lu Zheng took the initiative to greet him that Gu Pingzhong finally looked up.

"Young man, what can I do for you?"

He seemed to be in his forties or fifties, so why did he sound like he was in his sixties or seventies?

Lu Zheng silently criticized in his mind, but his face showed nothing of the sort. Looking around for something to say, he asked, "Boss, does your shop also sell seal stones?"

Aside from tourist area street stalls, there were no shops specializing in seal stones anymore since they were rarely used.

So even though Lu Zheng thought this shop seemed reliable, what they mainly sold were jade jewelry and ornaments. It was just that Lu Zheng had noticed a few seal stones in a prominent place.

"What, you want to carve a seal? How did you find this place?" Gu Pingzhong finally put down his book and asked with interest.

Why would young people need to carve seals when they could just go to a stationery store? Crystal material, machine-carved, ready in three minutes.

Those who came here were probably looking to carve a more traditional seal?

Having finally met a young person interested in traditional seals, Gu Pingzhong didn't mind chatting with him for a bit.

However…

Gu Pingzhong glanced over Lu Zheng and didn't really intend to do business with him.

"No, I saw that you sell seal stones here, so I wanted to ask if you buy them."

"Buy them?" Gu Pingzhong blinked and couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. "Thank you, but I don't buy things. The shop has its own supply channels."

He almost exclusively did business with acquaintances and sourced his own items. Although none of the goods had price tags, they all started at least from one hundred thousand upwards. Gu Pingzhong didn't think this young man could bring out anything of value.

If not inferior goods, then fakes.

"Not buying?" Lu Zheng smacked his lips. "Then since you sell seal stones here, could you take a look at mine?"

After a pause, Lu Zheng continued, "I'll pay for the appraisal fee. How much is it?"

Gu Pingzhong laughed again upon hearing this. "Did you dig up a good stone somewhere? Why not send it to an auction house or an appraisal institution?"

"That's all scams!" Lu Zheng decisively shook his head.

Alright then. Those scams that charge an appraisal fee and then charge another fee for unsold items at auction couldn't fool young people anymore.

Checking his watch and seeing it was still early—today was a rare day he came over and the client he had an appointment with probably wouldn't arrive until the afternoon—Gu Pingzhong waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it, no charge. Bring it over for me to take a look."

Gu Pingzhong had already subconsciously assumed that Lu Zheng had been scammed.

"Oh, okay, thank you!"

Lu Zheng walked over to the counter, took off and opened his backpack, then took out the small sandalwood box from inside and placed it on the counter.

Before Lu Zheng even opened it, Gu Pingzhong's expression changed; although the box was made of the most common black sandalwood, the carving technique was full of ancient charm and quite spiritual—not a modern common technique.

Even if it was made in modern times, the craftsman must have been someone with heritage.

Gu Pingzhong raised an eyebrow but didn't show any expectation before being dazzled by the bright red inside the box.

"Such pure bright red!"

If it weren't for that box, Gu Pingzhong would have definitely reached out already because such bright red color was obviously fake—made by painting or soaking methods.

Not to mention the golden glow beneath the seal stone—did he think anyone could just stumble upon treasures?

However, that sandalwood box made Gu Pingzhong cautious. He pulled out a black velvet cloth from under the counter and laid it on the table before pushing it forward and gesturing for Lu Zheng to proceed.

Lu Zheng understood immediately and placed the seal stone on the velvet cloth under Gu Pingzhong's slightly twitching mouth corners.

Gu Pingzhong sighed and shook his head before moving a desk lamp over for better lighting on the seal stone and then took out a pair of white gloves from a drawer.

Lu Zheng's eyes lit up, professional!

Putting on gloves, Gu Pingzhong did not rush to pick up the seal but observed it under the light from left to right before finally picking it up and examining it under the light from all sides.

The texture was smooth, with no seams; it was not a composite stone or a fake made by pasting skins.

Transparent against the light, with even color; it was not dyed or patched.

The color was a fresh and pure red, like clouds or mist, as if flowing. It did not resemble blood jade or cinnabar jade, and the texture was heavy, heavier and more fitting than ordinary chicken blood stone.

Hiss!

Golden base with red clouds, the highest grade of Changhua chicken blood stone?

Gu Pingzhong felt his heartbeat slow down a beat.

"How is it?"

Seeing Gu Pingzhong flipping through the stone expressionlessly, Lu Zheng, who didn't know if phoenix bloodstone was valuable in modern times, asked cautiously.

This was his only way to make money in a short time, costing him a full twenty-five strings of cash!

Gu Pingzhong ignored him and continued to observe, trying to find evidence that it was not genuine.

Then… he found none!

Gu Pingzhong looked up at Lu Zheng, "Young man, where did you get this thing?"

"From a street vendor."

"Not a word of truth!" Gu Pingzhong said irritably.

What era was it that real things could still be found on street stalls? Items unearthed from underground wouldn't end up in the hands of street vendors.

"It's a family heirloom!"

"Heh!"

"Really, I found it when going through my old man's belongings," Lu Zheng said sincerely. "I said I got it from a vendor because it sounds more legendary. By asking this way, does it mean this thing is quite valuable?"

"Valuable!" Gu Pingzhong replied and then placed the stone back on the velvet cloth.

"How much is it worth?"

Lu Zheng reached out to take the seal but was blocked by Gu Pingzhong, who handed him a new pair of gloves instead.

Lu Zheng smiled sheepishly, put on the gloves, and placed the seal stone back in the box.

Seeing Lu Zheng put the box into his backpack, Gu Pingzhong pursed his lips and pondered for a moment before saying, "This stone is quite large. If you find someone who really likes it, it could reach eight figures."

Hiss!

Lu Zheng gasped in shock.

Antiques and collectibles could be so terrifying!

…

"Then will you buy it?" Lu Zheng asked softly with a flicker in his eyes.

"Me?" Gu Pingzhong was taken aback at the question. His eyes flickered with emotions like temptation, confusion, caution, hesitation, and more.

Then he asked, "If I were to buy it, I definitely couldn't reach eight figures. If you sent it to an auction house, you'd definitely earn more than selling it to me."

Lu Zheng shook his head and said, "There are too many tricks at auction houses; I don't like them."

Of course, that was an excuse; mainly because auction houses took too long to process.

Gu Pingzhong naturally knew that Lu Zheng was making an excuse. With the quality of this seal stone, it could definitely be sent to a major formal auction house. Although there were tricks there too, there were also guarantees.

So…

"If I were to buy it," Gu Pingzhong continued, "I'd still need to invite a friend over to take another look for me. Also, I can offer up to eight million at most. After all, if I want to sell the stone, I need to promote it and invite more people to appreciate it."

Eight million completely met Lu Zheng's expectations.

"Understood!"

Lu Zheng slung his backpack over his shoulder. "If no one offers higher than you, I'll sell it to you."