Chapter Thirteen: An Unexpected Delight

Sun Tianzhi burst into hearty laughter, clapped his hands, and said, “Exactly! This is the Fish Intestine Sword, one of the ten most famous swords in ancient China!” Then, turning to Zhang Can, he praised, “Young friend, you have quite the eye for such things!”

Zhang Can replied with a faint smile. Though Sun Tianzhi and the others were surprised, only Zhang Can knew the truth—without his special ability, how could he have recognized it? After a moment’s thought, he added, “But stories are just stories, and legends remain legends. The Fish Intestine Sword is indeed famous, but its tale is much exaggerated. After Zhuang Zhu assassinated the King of Wu, the sword vanished without a trace and was never seen again. This sword’s sudden appearance is quite odd. May I ask, Mr. Sun, where did you acquire it?”

Sun Tianzhi grinned smugly. “The sword’s origins aren’t worth discussing. Despite being broken, everyone here knows how valuable the Fish Intestine Sword is. While it might not fetch as much as the renowned Sword of King Goujian of Yue, it’s not far off! Heh heh… The starting price is five million yuan!”

The sudden declaration of five million from Sun Tianzhi caught everyone off guard. That was no small sum; it was most of the cash they’d brought, and it was only the opening bid. The final price would surely be much higher. The key, of course, was to verify the sword’s authenticity. If it was real, five million would certainly be worth it.

Zhu Senlin, having been prompted by Zhang Can’s quiet suggestion, had hoped to try his luck and take home the broken sword at a low price, but he hadn’t expected Sun Tianzhi to open with such an astronomical figure. He parted his lips in helplessness, knowing his own funds were meager. He gave a sheepish smile and resigned himself to watching others compete for the treasure.

Ma Dong raised a finger and nodded. “Five million one hundred thousand.”

“Five million two hundred thousand…”

Chen Xingguo added another hundred thousand.

“Five million three hundred thousand!” Ma Dong responded without hesitation.

Chen Xingguo was about to add another hundred thousand, but Mr. Wang interjected in a firm tone, “Eight million.”

Mr. Wang’s simple statement stunned the room. Even Zhu Senlin, who hadn’t intended to join the fray, was taken aback. A jump of 2.7 million in a single breath made Ma Dong and Chen Xingguo’s incremental bidding look insignificant.

Mr. Wang’s bid of eight million left everyone speechless. After a long pause, Sun Tianzhi regained his composure, barely able to contain his joy. Such fierce bidding was nothing but beneficial to him. He immediately called out, “Mr. Wang bids eight million! Any higher? Eight million, going once… eight million, going twice…”

“Eight million one hundred thousand…” Ma Dong hesitated but raised the bid by another hundred thousand, though it was clear his confidence was waning. Greed was getting the better of him. The previous year in London, a Chinese sword called Feihong had sold for nearly 9.7 million pounds at the Datong International Auction House—almost a hundred million yuan. Although the Fish Intestine Sword was broken, it was just as famous. If handled well, even half of Feihong’s price would be an astronomical forty or fifty million yuan!

Ma Dong gritted his teeth. Another hundred thousand was nothing, but he feared Mr. Wang. He knew he couldn’t match Mr. Wang’s financial power, but the lure of wealth was too strong to resist.

Yet Mr. Wang, without a moment’s hesitation, crushed his hopes.

“Ten million.”

Calm and unhurried, Mr. Wang’s voice remained level.

Sun Tianzhi’s smile was about to split his face. “Ten million from Mr. Wang! Ten million! Anyone else? Ten million, going once… ten million, going twice… ten million, sold! Congratulations, Mr. Wang, the legendary Fish Intestine Sword is yours!”

Mr. Wang opened his laptop, logged into his bank account, entered Sun Tianzhi’s details, and transferred ten million yuan in cash. The cash in the box remained untouched. Spending ten million was as easy for him as tossing a coin, his demeanor composed and unrattled.

Sun Tianzhi was beaming with satisfaction. This was a windfall. He had spent just under four million acquiring these items in Luoyang, and now, after selling only two, he had already made 11 million. That was a pure profit of over six million yuan, with seven or eight items remaining. Though none were as valuable as the Fish Intestine Sword, they were now all pure profit, regardless of their value.

With a cheerful air, Sun Tianzhi laid out the remaining items on the table one by one. “Gentlemen, please choose as you like. If you fancy something, make an offer. I’m in good spirits today…”

He clapped his hands and called out toward the tent flap, “Xiao Wu, is the barbecue ready? Bring it in!”

A reply came from outside, and two men entered, setting plates of fragrant grilled beef and lamb skewers around the table, followed by large glasses of fresh milk for everyone in the tent.

“Please, help yourselves! I, Sun Tianzhi, delight in nothing more than grilled meat with fresh milk. Fine restaurant fare is overpriced and unsatisfying—nothing beats this!” Sun Tianzhi urged them to eat, while instructing his men to prepare more barbecue.

After several hours on the mountain road, everyone was hungry and didn’t stand on ceremony, devouring the food heartily. But as soon as the masters finished, they clustered around the antiques once more; for them, nothing was more important.

Among the remaining items were two dishes, a bronze sword, and a brush holder. The two dishes were from the official kilns of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty and were most valuable. The bronze sword, from the Warring States period, was ordinary and heavily rusted, of little worth. The brush holder, some sixty to seventy centimeters tall, was jade-green, carved from Hetian blue-white jade—a common and inexpensive variety.

Of these, the two Shunzhi dishes fetched the highest price, bought by Ma Dong for 750,000 yuan in cash. The bronze sword went to Chen Xingguo for 75,000. Zhu Senlin could easily have afforded these, but he knew that if he paid more, there’d be no money to be made—even a small profit would be eaten up by costs, and any further bidding would only mean a loss.

Seeing only the blue-white jade brush holder left on the table, Zhu Senlin felt some regret—he’d made the trip for nothing. It was clear to everyone that the brush holder was the least valuable item. To buy it would be unwise; it wasn’t worth more than two thousand yuan, and more would certainly mean a loss.

Zhu Senlin rubbed his chubby chin and chuckled awkwardly, then said to Zhang Can, “Forget it, let’s go eat some barbecue. At least that’s something.”

Zhang Can smiled. “Old Zhu, since we’re here, why not do a little business?”

Zhu Senlin pointed to the table. “There’s nothing left, unless you mean the brush holder?”

“Exactly, the brush holder,” Zhang Can replied with a smile, then asked Sun Tianzhi, “How much for it, Mr. Sun?”

Sun Tianzhi laughed, “If Old Zhu wants it, he can have it for free. The brush holder’s worth almost nothing—it’s just a token. We’re all old friends here. If you want it, take it.”

“That won’t do!” Zhang Can refused at once. “Business is business, even if the price is low. Only when it’s bought is it truly ours. If, by chance, it increases in value, you’d regret it, wouldn’t you, Mr. Sun?”

Zhu Senlin chuckled awkwardly, having no interest in the useless brush holder. Taking it home would just be a bother.

Seeing Zhu Senlin’s lack of interest, Zhang Can reached into his pocket for his wallet and asked Sun Tianzhi, “Let’s keep things clear. How much do you want?”

Sun Tianzhi waved his hand. “Whatever you like. If you insist, then a thousand yuan to make it official.”

Zhang Can promptly counted out a thousand yuan and handed it to Sun Tianzhi, who passed it off without a glance to one of his men.

Taking the brush holder, Zhang Can smiled at Zhu Senlin. “Old Zhu, you brought me here today. By rights, this should be yours, but since you don’t want it, how about we split ownership? I’ll pay, and we’ll each own half.”

Zhu Senlin was about to refuse—he wouldn’t take advantage of Zhang Can’s thousand yuan. But suddenly, a thought struck him. Remembering Zhang Can’s remarkable eye, he held his tongue.

Old Su paid no attention; the brush holder was too ordinary to warrant notice. Seeing Zhang Can had not made much of a show today, he felt a little better about himself.

Mr. Wang’s appraiser had been observing Zhang Can’s unusual behavior, especially his ability to identify the Fish Intestine Sword. While the story itself was widely known, recognizing the sword by sight was no easy feat—especially for someone so young.

“Young man,” the appraiser said with a chuckle, “you have a sharp eye. Is there something special about this brush holder?”

Zhang Can nodded, a smile on his lips. “Yes, it’s just an ordinary piece of blue-white Hetian jade. What caught my attention isn’t the holder itself, but what’s inside.”

“Inside?” the appraiser echoed, puzzled. “Isn’t it hollow? What could be inside?”

Zhang Can smiled, slipped his finger into the holder, and found the bottom with ease. When he withdrew his finger and measured the depth against the outside, he found it reached only halfway down the holder.

The appraiser was baffled. “You think the brush holder is hollow? Even if it is, what’s so strange about that?”

Zhang Can turned the holder over to reveal the base. On it was a faint circular mark, barely visible unless closely inspected. Even then, it could easily be mistaken for a natural ring in the stone, like the rings in a tree trunk.

“Is there a small knife?” Zhang Can looked around. One of Sun Tianzhi’s men quickly responded, “Yes, the one we use for cutting meat skewers.”

Zhang Can took the knife and scraped at the mark on the base, peeling away a layer of wax and making the ring clearer.

Could there be something hidden inside?

Everyone was drawn to Zhang Can’s movements, crowding around to watch as he worked at the base with the knife.

After a few probing scrapes, with a light click, a base the size of a small wine cup popped out and landed on the table.

The interior was hollow—and there was something inside!