Chapter 134: The Capital’s Foremost Player

After several rounds, Johnson finally understood the allure of insect fighting—it was like a duel between masters, swift as lightning, where life and death hung in a moment.

Master Liu was quite pleased. Before leaving, he mentioned that tomorrow they would go to Jiade to attend a special auction hosted by Wang Shixiang. He heard there were many fine items. Yu Qian quickly chimed in that they wanted to broaden their horizons and agreed to go together.

Wang Shixiang was a legendary figure, hailed as the top collector in the capital. Johnson had often heard his mentor talk about him and had long been interested in auctions. With just a small paddle, a simple gesture could command hundreds of millions, with the final hammer sealing the deal.

Millions for cars, tens of millions for watches, and only those with billions could play in the realm of collectibles.

A single chicken cup with doucai enamel could fetch three hundred million.

Zeng Gong, one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, had 128 characters of calligraphy that Wang Zhonglei from Huayi Brothers paid 240 million for—equivalent to buying a Porsche for each character.

Qi Baishi’s painting of an eagle perched on a rock, daydreaming, with eight characters inscribed alongside, sold for 450 million!

A small brush washer from the Song dynasty, palm-sized, nearly three hundred million.

The most astonishing thing was that even with money, you might not get the item. Countless people were vying for the same piece—everything depended on luck.

The next day at Jiade, the top auction house in the country, it was a sea of people for the Lisonju Changwuzhi special session. The morning was for previewing, and the afternoon for the auction—such was Wang Shixiang’s influence.

Johnson and Yu Qian followed Master Liu inside to view the exhibits. They had little interest or knowledge of calligraphy and ceramics—the waters were too deep—but with antiques and curios, they considered themselves semi-experts and were ready to raise their paddles if they found something good.

Master Liu stopped in front of a display case containing a set of falconry tools, starting at 100,000 yuan. He reminisced, “This is actually the third time Wang’s special session has taken place. The last time I was there in person—it was simply…”

“Explosive, as if a brawl was about to break out, people crazed with excitement. A few small bronze incense burners started at 50-60,000 yuan. As soon as the bidding began, someone shouted 500,000 yuan, then immediately one million... two million... three million…”

“It was like they were giving it away for free, a mad scramble. I was so stunned I couldn’t say a word and just watched the entire auction in a daze. After the bidding ended and we were leaving, something even more interesting happened. People blocked the exit, stopping anyone carrying a paddle or a winning receipt, asking one by one.”

“Sir, what did you win? No matter what it is, I’ll offer you 200,000 more.”

“Please, just let me have one item—any one—will you?”

Master Liu sighed helplessly, “At that time, an overseas friend asked me to bid on two Buddha statues for him—one gilded bronze, one gilded wood—as souvenirs and support. He told me to just pay two or three times the starting price and bring them back.”

“But unexpectedly, the moment I got the paddle in my hand, I didn’t even get a chance to raise it. The auctioneer called the price, and someone immediately shouted five times that, and the final price was more than thirty times the starting bid!”

Master Liu smiled wryly, “You’d think a gilded bronze Snow Mountain Bodhisattva going for 2.09 million yuan was reasonable—it’s gilded after all. But a gilded wooden Snow Mountain Bodhisattva? It sold for 2.75 million yuan?”

“Unknown artist, no signature, made of chicken-wing wood, not even rosewood…”

“Ah, it makes no sense, but hey, that’s Wang Shixiang for you—the top player in the capital. Anything he touches sells.”

Johnson and Yu Qian exchanged glances, truly impressed by Wang Shixiang’s prowess.

Johnson pulled out his phone and showed a few photos. “The most incredible was this Ming to Zhou dynasty fish-dragon sea beast brush pot made of rosewood. I was there in person, watching it climb from a starting price of several hundred thousand to a staggering 55.2 million yuan—an astronomical price.”

“What does that mean? A carved rosewood double bed from the early Qing dynasty goes for about 16 million yuan, guaranteed. So this little brush pot is worth as much as three of those beds!”

Seeing Master Liu’s envy and admiration, Johnson smiled inwardly—there was no denying, at auctions, money was king.

Many so-called experts and genuine collectors, faced with hundreds of billions of investment capital flooding the antique market, could only wring their hands helplessly and become mere spectators.

Master Liu sighed deeply and warned, “Today’s items aren’t too exquisite, mostly small pieces: gourds, bamboo, wood, ivory, lacquerware, and a few censers. Just a heads-up: bid within your means!”

Johnson nodded. Wang Shixiang really was a master, elevating what others saw as trivial trinkets to refined art, creating culture and a timeless art form out of collecting.

He had authored many works: The Art of Bamboo Carving, Appreciation of Ming-Style Furniture, Ancient Lacquerware, Bamboo, Wood & Ivory Articles, Research on Ming-Style Furniture, The Pigeon Catalogue, The Cricket Catalogue Compendium, and Treatises on Gourds.

With the wealth of an ordinary man, he perfected his collection. Especially with Ming-style furniture, the same piece could vary in price by multiples depending on whether it was cataloged in his works. His publications set the standard.

He made the world appreciate the beauty of classical furniture, and even Europe’s top collectors now eagerly sought his collections, as collectible as porcelain.

Compared to the exquisite guqin, censers, and brush pots from ten years ago, this session featured many small family heirlooms: cricket jars, pigeon whistles, gourds, furniture components—over 180 pieces, diverse and colorful.

Master Liu rubbed his hands eagerly. Today’s target was the gourds, which were used to carry fighting insects. Though small, these were Wang Shixiang’s personal items, companions throughout the years. Especially one late Qing official-model gourd featuring a Water Margin story cricket—its patina was thick and rich. He was determined to win it.

Actually, Wang Shixiang’s family wasn’t wealthy. He once said, “My collection isn’t valuable—anything over ten yuan was collected by Zhu Jiajin; under ten yuan, that’s mine.”

Yu Qian pulled Johnson around excitedly, claiming to be a die-hard fan. They say obsession with objects leads to ruin, but Wang was an exception. Even the auctioneer praised him as a man who found his purpose through his collecting.

“The first lot is a Republic era pigeon whistle set, seven stars, five pairs, plus a pair of double tubes, signed Hong Zi, published on page 66 of Wang’s Self-Treasure Collection…”

“Starting price 50,000 yuan, increments of 5,000!”

At two sharp in the afternoon, the auctioneer called the starting price. Almost immediately, many collectors raised their paddles. Within three minutes, the pigeon whistles soared to 100,000 yuan, finally selling for 125,000 yuan.

Master Liu sighed, “See that? Items that sell for a few hundred on the street, after passing through Wang’s hands, go for 125,000 yuan!”

“The second lot is a Daoguang official-model cricket gourd, published on page 56 of Self-Treasure, with a thick patina…”

“Congratulations, sold for 280,000 yuan!”

“Congratulations to bidder number 36, this Qing dynasty falconry set with twelve spirals sold for 390,000 yuan!”

Each seemingly small item, once collected by Wang Shixiang, doubled or tripled in value—often reaching sky-high prices.

Finally, Johnson made his move, winning two gourds for 380,000 yuan. He gifted one to Master Liu and kept one for himself, fulfilling his mentor’s wish.

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