Chapter 6: Unboxing and Appraising Treasures

Inside the box is exquisite velvet, and the pottery lies intact within. Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief, while the security personnel surrounded Xie Ming, as this was in the street and the safety of the items had to be ensured. At that moment, Luo Tian's vision went dark, and a blinding red light emanated from around the porcelain. The appearance of this red light nearly made Luo Tian's jaw drop, indicating that the pottery in the box was fake

As they passed through the lobby, the receptionist respectfully stood up and greeted Xie Ming. Upon seeing Luo Tian, who was following behind Xie Ming, her expression immediately became complicated. Luo Tian, however, remained relatively calm and even had the mood to give the receptionist a slight smile. Little did he know that, in the eyes of the receptionist, his smile was perceived as a deliberate mockery, igniting an inexplicable anger within her.

Several well-sealed boxes were neatly stacked in Xie Ming's office. Xie Ming instructed everyone to leave, and only Luo Tian and he remained in the spacious office. Wherever Luo Tian's gaze fell, as long as he stared for more than five seconds, the antiques placed on the bookshelf would emit light, the majority of which was a soft green glow, with only two items in the corner of the room emitting a glaring red and - picture - book light.

You have been looking at the antiques on that shelf for quite a while, have you discerned anything?

Xie Ming raised his head and looked at Luo Tian through the crowd, suddenly waving at him: "Come here for a moment." The security personnel immediately opened a passage for Luo Tian to enter.

Luo Tian hesitated somewhat; if he were to honestly admit that there were two counterfeit items, would it embarrass Xie Ming? The more prominent a person is, the more they value their reputation, especially since Xie Ming is the owner of such a large company. Luo Tian's indecisive demeanor made Xie Ming somewhat irritated, and he waved his hand: "Just speak your mind. Have you noticed anything?"

Xie Ming took a deep breath. He knew that those two ornaments were high-quality replicas, while the genuine items were housed in a certain museum abroad. Additionally, the recognition of these two pieces among domestic collectors was quite low, with very few able to identify them at a glance. He was shocked, but he did not elaborate further; instead, he pointed to the box on the ground and said, "Take another look at these."

At this moment, Xie Ming was also feeling a bit perplexed. If this seemingly naive young man was not merely relying on luck, then he must be a genius. If he truly possessed such abilities, it would be ideal to have him as a resource for collecting and cataloging. There are many appraisal experts at the auction house, but Xie Ming was not entirely satisfied with them, especially with a few of the more experienced ones. Xie Ming had long suspected that they were taking money from the consignors and labeling counterfeit items as genuine. Lacking evidence, Xie Ming could only temporarily turn a blind eye.

Xie Ming actually smiled: "Of course not, I will do it." As he spoke, he took out a pristine vacuum-sealed white glove from his pocket. After putting it on, he half-squatted on the ground, carefully peeling off the seal and opening the box... Almost reverently, he took out the black box inside and slowly opened the box...

"Did you just say this is fake?" Luo Tian's voice was not loud, but it was not small either. For Xie Ming, who was adept at hearing from all directions and seeing from all angles, it was not difficult to hear. What surprised him was that Luo Tian was nearly one meter away from the Tang Sancai, yet he could identify it as a counterfeit at a glance. With Xie Ming's skills, this batch of Tang Sancai brought for verification naturally could not escape his keen eyes. However, whether this young man could determine the authenticity so decisively was due to genuine skill or merely luck?

"No, I mean, should I take the lead?" the worker asked, his face flushed.

Luo Tian was overjoyed, as he had the opportunity to interact face-to-face with Xie Ming. The earlier setback was worth it; otherwise, he would not have been so distracted that he bumped into this worker, nor would he have this chance now. At this moment, Luo Tian sincerely thanked the front desk lady with the long face.

Then tell me, where is it fake? Xie Mingcai would not easily let this young man off.

Luo Tian's heart began to tremble: "Yes!"

How is it?

Luo Tian felt somewhat nervous, as it seemed that this was the moment when Xie Ming was testing his abilities, the time had come to determine his own fate

At this moment, Xie Mingzheng carefully examined the Tang Sancai in his hand, while Luo Tian murmured, "It is fake"

If one were to take a risk, and if this Xie Ming were truly a person of narrow-mindedness, then following him would yield little in terms of learning. Luo Tian pointed with his hand towards the two jade ornaments on the ground: "Those two do not appear to be genuine." Despite this statement, Luo Tian still refrained from making an absolute assertion, opting for a more tactful expression, leaving himself an avenue for retreat.

"The earth rust is artificially applied." Luo Tianxin took a deep breath, thankful that over the years he had accumulated a considerable amount of knowledge; otherwise, this hurdle would have been difficult to overcome. The ability to instantly distinguish between true and false is a special skill, yet it cannot pinpoint the exact area that is fake. This requires one's own quality to be exceptionally high. "The earth rust on genuine three-color pottery cannot be washed away and becomes clearer with washing, but this one can be removed with a vigorous rub"

Through the gaps in the security personnel's human wall, Luo Tian saw that the box contained Tang Sancai, featuring the basic three colors of yellow, white, and green glazes, shaped like an ancient lady. Genuine Sancai exhibits extremely fine, needle-sized dark red, light brown, and black rust spots where the body is exposed. Artificially applied "rust" on the glaze is highly unnatural and is even more pronounced when compared to natural rust. Genuine Sancai exhibits extremely fine, needle-sized dark red, light brown, and black rust spots where the body is exposed. Artificially applied "rust" on the glaze is highly unnatural and is even more pronounced when compared to natural rust.

This series of cautious and meticulous actions made Luo Tian's heart race. On one hand, the condition of the items being appraised was closely linked to his upcoming position; if they were damaged, he would not be able to afford the loss even if he sold all his possessions. On the other hand, it was his first time witnessing a true expert appraising treasures in front of him, which made him extremely nervous. The interplay of these two factors caused Luo Tian's hands to rub against each other unconsciously.

As Xie Ming watched Luo Tianyi walk into his office, he fixed his gaze on the antiques on the bookshelf, a peculiar feeling arising within him. This fellow might indeed have a knack for appraisal; upon seeing the antiques, his eyes were glued to them.

In fact, even so, it can be said that Xie Ming's appraisal skills are extraordinary. After all, in the world of antiques, the techniques for counterfeiting and aging have become increasingly sophisticated, which poses a greater challenge to the abilities of appraisal experts. Moreover, the two items displayed by Xie Ming might simply be for decoration because of his personal preference, rather than a requirement for genuine articles. With this in mind, Luo Tian became even more resolute in his decision to join the Xie Auction Company.

The worker who had caused the trouble seemed stunned upon hearing the command to open the box, murmuring, "Are we really opening the box?" The worker next to him elbowed him and said, "The boss told you to open it, so just do it. Why all the nonsense?"

After speaking, Luo Tian pointed at Xie Ming's white gloves, which were conspicuously stained with some artificial "rust." Xie Ming looked at the white gloves, deep in thought. He returned the lady figure to its place and signaled to the workers to seal the box: "Move all of these to my office, and you, come here for a moment."

Luo Tian finally came to his senses and absentmindedly replied, "What do you mean?" As soon as he finished speaking, he regretted it so much that he wished he could bite off his own tongue; at a critical moment, he was still too inexperienced.