Chapter Seventeen: Clash of Masters

“Yes!” Mr. Wang answered without hesitation, then turned to instruct Master Zhao, “Master Zhao, go and remove the side mirror from the front of the car!”

The others were momentarily stunned. Mr. Wang truly lived up to his reputation for wealth and generosity. His car was a reinforced imported Hummer worth several million; even a minor part breaking would be troublesome. Yet, when Zhang Can asked for glass, he casually ordered his subordinate to destroy the side mirror of his luxury vehicle!

Master Zhao, knowing Mr. Wang’s character, didn’t ask questions. He simply left the tent, removed the side mirror from the car parked outside, and placed it in front of Zhang Can. “Zhang, will this work?” he asked coldly.

Zhang Can smiled slightly. “It’ll do. Actually, I think everyone here already knows what I’m about to say. It’s quite simple: jade has a hardness above 6.5. Jadeite, being hard jade, is above 7.5—especially the finest glassy type, which can reach a Mohs hardness above 8. Ordinary glass is only about 5.5, with special glass between 6 and 6.5…”

Before Zhang Can could finish, Old Su interrupted loudly, “Zhang Can, you’re being reckless! Every one of Mr. Wang’s possessions is a treasure worth a fortune! This Guanyin statue is worth tens of millions—if you scratch it, how could you ever afford to pay for it? Could you possibly compensate for the loss?”

Zhang Can remained calm, replying lightly, “Old Su, I’m only stating the facts. If Mr. Wang’s Guanyin statue is genuine, how could it possibly be scratched? If it’s real, there’s no reason to fear a test. I’m just afraid it might not be.”

Old Su’s face turned crimson. What Zhang Can said was true, but Mr. Wang’s item was so valuable that even if it was authentic, they’d still fear leaving a scratch. Zhang Can was certainly acting without restraint.

“It’s fine, Zhang,” Mr. Wang said with a laugh, waving his hand. “Let’s test it as you suggested. There’s an old saying: whether it’s a mule or a horse, you’ll only know by taking it out for a run!”

Seeing no dissatisfaction or anger on Mr. Wang’s face—unlike the other appraisers, especially Old Su, who were visibly upset—Zhang Can felt at ease. If only his Black-and-White Eye could see through people’s thoughts as it could see molecular structures, everything would be much easier.

Since Mr. Wang himself had no objections, the others fell silent, letting Zhang Can take the pendant and forcefully drag it across the surface of the side mirror.

With a sharp crack, both the side mirror and the pendant shattered. Countless jagged lines raced across the mirror’s surface, while the pendant broke into a dozen tiny fragments.

Old Su, Master Zhao, and the others gaped in astonishment.

None of them had expected this outcome. From the start, they had been convinced the pendant was genuine—not out of stubbornness, but after careful testing. With their experience, there was no way they’d all be mistaken. Identifying genuine jadeite is no problem for them.

But now, the result left them dumbfounded. In a contest of hardness between jadeite and glass, only the glass should break; jadeite would remain intact. Yet both had shattered, meaning the pendant was a fake, made of glass—the same hardness as the mirror, thus both broke upon impact.

Clearly, the pendant was made of tempered glass, likely formed at high temperatures in a mold, with other elements added. When broken, it shattered into beads.

But what puzzled Master Zhao and the others was that, during their earlier inspection, it had unmistakably appeared to be jadeite. If it was glass, it shouldn’t have fooled them—such fakes could only deceive those outside the trade. Even a new apprentice could tell the difference between glass and jadeite; it was basic knowledge.

Now, the pendant—once valued at tens of millions—lay smashed, and exposed as a fake. The room fell silent.

Mr. Wang burst out laughing, clapping his hands. “Excellent! Zhang, I must admit, this time you’ve truly impressed me!”

Master Zhao and the others wore complicated expressions—surprised, confused—unsure what Mr. Wang meant. Clearly, they had all misjudged the piece, and there was no saving face now.

Mr. Wang smiled and asked, “Zhang, I’m curious: how did you know my pendant was a fake made of glass? To be honest, this pendant has been examined by countless top appraisers, and not one has called it a fake—until today, when you did.”

“Uh… well…” Zhang Can hesitated. It wasn’t easy to explain. Without his Black-and-White Eye, he was certain he wouldn’t have recognized the truth. It wasn’t that Master Zhao and the others lacked skill—the forgery was simply too masterful. Without the ability to see the pendant’s molecular structure, there was no way to tell. But he could never admit to the existence of his Black-and-White Eye. Explaining it as a matter of observation alone was impossible.

After pondering a moment, Zhang Can could only offer a vague answer. “Mr. Wang, I really can’t say for sure. I just had a feeling the moment I saw it—it struck me as inauthentic.”

This explanation surely didn’t satisfy Mr. Wang, but as a seasoned player, he understood that true masters often keep their secrets close. Such sharp eyes and skills—no wonder he kept silent about the method. The expressions on Master Zhao and the others’ faces—part disappointment, part envy—spoke volumes. Clearly, Zhang Can’s skills surpassed theirs.

Mr. Wang laughed, praising him as he produced a business card from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Can. “Zhang, let’s be friends. My surname is Wang, with the given name Qian—meaning ‘advance,’ not ‘money.’ I value loyalty over wealth!”

Zhang Can took the card and slipped it into his pocket, nodding. “Thank you, Mr. Wang. Perhaps we can have a meal and a chat sometime.”

Master Zhao frowned, wanting to interject, but held his tongue. Mr. Wang’s fondness for Zhang Can was obvious, and it would do no good to speak against him now. Yet, he could hardly stand to hear Zhang Can speak so boldly—after all, what status did Mr. Wang have, and how could he fraternize with such a nobody?

Mr. Wang flicked the broken beads of the pendant from the table without a trace of regret and smiled. “Let me tell you about that pendant. Last year, in the American West, I had a friend in the high-tech vitrification industry. He applied his latest research to forging fake jadeite, using actual jadeite powder and other elements, melted at high temperatures and cast in molds, with some fine finishing work afterward. The result was this pendant. I only took this one, but there are many more. Knowing it was a fake, I brought it with me everywhere, having local experts appraise it wherever I traveled. Until today, not one has ever called it a fake.”

…

Master Zhao was left speechless. So Mr. Wang hadn’t kept the pendant close because of its value, but to have it appraised everywhere he went!

In fact, two months ago, Mr. Wang had shown it to him, and his conclusion had been the same as today: it was genuine, and of high quality at that. Mr. Wang hadn’t been displeased.

Mr. Wang had had too many experts examine it for Master Zhao’s inability to spot the fake to reflect on his own skill. Some levels, after all, are simply out of reach.

Mr. Wang’s clear admiration for Zhang Can stirred a mix of jealousy and resignation in Master Zhao. In this world, the strong thrive and the weak are left behind. Zhang Can’s abilities were simply greater. The ivory micro-carving he had acquired earlier could be chalked up to luck or coincidence, but recognizing Mr. Wang’s fake pendant was no accident or stroke of luck—it could only be the result of keen eyes and unmatched skill.

Among the appraisers present, Master Zhao had always considered himself superior; the others were not his equals. Yet Zhang Can had suddenly emerged from nowhere. How could something so strange occur?

In this trade, experience and age are everything—the older, the sharper the eye, the greater the skill. These things require time to mature. Young people rarely achieve such mastery, so in any shop, the chief appraiser—the one trusted to identify authenticity—was always an older, highly experienced master. It was rare indeed for anyone under thirty-five to reach such a position.

And how old was Zhang Can? Twenty-three, maybe twenty-four?

Mr. Wang laughed heartily, taking Zhang Can by the hand. “Let’s not talk about this any longer. Boss Sun’s barbecue is excellent. Let’s go out and continue. I have a bottle of Martell in my car, Zhang, come have a taste!”

Zhu Senlin’s heart sank with dread.

It was clear Mr. Wang had taken a real interest in Zhang Can. Zhang Can’s recent performance had already won Zhu Senlin’s admiration. When Zhang Can first acquired the painting by Yu Ji, Zhu Senlin had considered recruiting him, though without strong intent. After obtaining the million-dollar ivory micro-carving today, however, Zhu Senlin was determined to bring Zhang Can into his fold, though he agonized over what salary to offer—he thought, at most, fifty thousand a year plus a share of profits.

Yet Zhang Can had generously given Zhu Senlin half the value of the ivory micro-carving—a display of magnanimity that left Zhu Senlin at a loss. He couldn’t afford to match that kind of compensation, but if he offered less, Zhang Can might refuse. When Zhang Can once again astonished everyone by identifying Mr. Wang’s fake pendant, Zhu Senlin realized that this was no stroke of luck—Zhang Can’s skills far surpassed Old Su’s, even Mr. Wang’s own experts. Zhang Can’s level was self-evident.

Zhu Senlin resolved to offer a fifty-thousand salary plus commission to recruit Zhang Can, but Mr. Wang had already taken him by the hand, leading him out of the tent, making his intentions to win him over abundantly clear—even a blind man could see it. Zhu Senlin panicked.

He knew that if Mr. Wang decided to make an offer, he would have no chance of competing. First, he couldn’t match Mr. Wang’s salary offer. Second, as a boss, he shouldn’t have taken half of the ivory micro-carving; though, to be fair, Zhang Can never would have had the opportunity without him. Still, his own greed would surely be criticized by others. Mr. Wang’s generosity and openness were simply unmatched.