Chapter 35: The Ignorant Master Wu
Master Qi fished out an old compass out from his pocket, and he circled around the wooden box three laps. All the while, he murmured something to himself with a solemn face.
Everyone’s heart was caught in their throat as they stared at the old man expectantly.
Mr. Chen was the only one managed a smile and said, “Master Qi was one of the most respected antique appraisers, anything from Feng Shui Dharma Artifacts to the Artifacts that were blessed by revered monks, nothing was able to escape his scrutinizing eyes.”
After he had said that, most people in the Hall nodded in agreement.
However, Xin Zhong didn’t agree with the rest, he smiled disdainfully and then said, “He is just an amateur compared to our Master Wu!”
Xin Zhong’s words didn’t sit well with most people in the Hall. Master Qi snorted and said, “My power is meager. Although I can tell that this artifact has magic properties, I can’t put the finger on its exact functions.
“I wonder if Master Wu will be able to shed some light on it?”
The white-haired Master Wu slowly opened his eyes, and he gave Master Qi a contemptuous look. Master Qi’s face flashed red by Master Wu’s glance.
“You are not experienced; that’s why you wouldn’t be able to see what is going on.”
His words were laced with conceit and arrogance. Many wealthy and powerful men’s faces blackened after hearing he openly insulted their appraiser: Maser Qi.
However, Master Qi linked his hands behind his back while wearing a cold sneer; it was as if he couldn’t wait to see Master Wu being embarrassed by his incompetence.
He had used his ancestral compass to probe the filigree, and he was able to tell that this artifact was indeed powerful. However, it was still in a dormant state, and he had no clue how to reactivate its power. He doubted that the pretentious Mr. Wu could have done any better than him.
Under everyone’s expectant eyes, Master Wu rose from his chair and walked to the Eight-Trigram-Plate. He closed his eyes while his fingers shifted through a few hand signs
Suddenly, everyone was shocked to discover that Master Wu’s long and flappy sleeve started to move in the windless air. It was as if he had hidden a blower inside of that enormous-sized sleeve.
“This is? Master Qi’s face paled at the sight. His eyes glued to the old man as he murmured “Transcendent Dao?”
“Hur!”
Master Wu stomped the ground as he grunted with a deep booming voice that startled everyone.
He then pointed two fingers at the Eight-Trigrams-and blew at it. A strand of white mist streamed out from his mouth and touched the Eight-Trigrams-Plate. Suddenly, the plate trembled as if it had come back alive. Eight sets of inscriptions appeared on the surface of the plate.
As soon as the eight Dao inscriptions revealed themselves, the temperature in the hall seemed to have dropped a few degrees, and people can feel a light breeze kissing their cheeks. It was as if they were in the middle of spring.
“This. This..”
Everyone in the hall could not believe that they saw. They fixated their eyes on the shaking Eight-Trigrams-Plate.
“A Dharma Artifact. This one is real!”
Boss Yan, the textile magnate, shouted with excitement.
The Third Lord of Wei slapped his thigh in excitement as he gawked at the artifact unblinkingly.
Even the calmest of them all, Old Man Zhen, was seized by trepidation as greed flashed in his eyes.
However, the excitement around Master Wu seemed to have rubbed him the wrong way. With even more conceit than before, he grunted, and then ended the spell that revealed the true power of the artifact. The Eight-Trigrams-Plate suddenly stopped fighting and lay motionless in the box.
The temperature inside the hall climbed back up, and then everything seemed to have returned to normal.
“So now you know who the real master is, don’t you?” Xin Zhong smiled smugly.
The wealthy men from Chu Zhou looked at Xin Zhong and Master Wu with much more respect and admiration. Some even decided to befriend the mighty Master Wu.
He is the real master, and was much more powerful and experienced than Master Qi.
Master Qi smiled wryly and then bowed to Master Wu.
“I have never expected to meet a grandmaster who was enlightened by the way of Dao. My apologies for my insolent behavior. ”
Master Wu sat down in his seat without a word, and he quickly returned to his previous state of half dozing-off and half awake. He left Master Qi hanging there for a while and then replied, “So you do know ‘Transcendent State’? you didn’t waste your life after all.”
Master Qi managed a smile and didn’t rise to Master Wu’s contemptuous remark. After all, the white-haired one was much more experienced than him. He heaved a sigh and then returned to his seat. As he sat down, he felt that he was getting too old for this line of work. All the reputation he had built up in Chu Zhou would all be thrown out of the window after today.
The moment Chen Fan saw Master Wu performed his art, his interest was piqued almost immediately.
“This man possessed Dharmic powers?”
“Although his Dharmic power lacked both quality and quantity, it was quite an achievement for a Martial Artist. I wager he should be at the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment level. So he was the so-called ‘The Follower of the Dao’ in this world?”
Chen Fan was excited and shocked at the same time.
However, Although Master Wu had reached the same level as Chen Fan, their power was significantly different.
The power of a Martial Artist to a same-leveled Cultivator was like the third-tier university to a first-tier university. They were both universities, but everyone knew that only the first tier university was the real deal.
In other words, although they were at the same level, Master Wu’s power was drastically inferior.
“It appears that the people on the earth had scraped the surface of cultivation. Let it be the Internal Force or the Dharmic powers in Master Wu, they all came from the same source: the True Essence in Cultivation Technique. However, they have missed too many components in the technique, and therefore, their power was incomplete as well.”
So thinking, Chen Fan shook his head.
He had expected Master Wu to be a real cultivator, but he had disappointingly failed to tap into the full potential of the power he possessed. It was as if he had used an AK-47 as firewood.
Third Lord of Wei pulled a taut face as anger festered inside of him.
His rival Xin Zhong had invited a real master. And even if he put everything down and won the auction, he would still have to beg Master Wu to reactivate it.
Suddenly, the owner of the artifact, the Boss Gu broke the silence.
“Since you have all seen the power of the artifact first hand, it’s time for the bidding.”
Before he had finished his words, Boss Yan hurried to put in his offer, “Ten million!”
“Twenty million!”
“Twenty-five million.”
Everyone present at the auction was the richest of the rich in Chu Zhou. Most of them owned billions of assets.
It was an opportunity that they couldn’t pass up and therefore they were determined to buy this artifact.
However, even though they were determined to purchase this Dharma Artifact, they didn’t let irrationality claim them. When the price had reached twenty-five million, the offered increased only one million at a time.
Boss Gu beamed from side to side; his puggy face had nearly concealed the two narrow slits.
The Third Lord of Wei’s mind raced. He wanted the Dharma artifact badly, but he was also afraid that his rival would take advantage of his desperation and drag him into a bidding war.
“Hold on!”
Suddenly, Xin Zhong interrupted the auction.
He pointed a finger at Chen Fan and then said: “The other two masters already put in their two cents, but Master Chen didn’t tell us what he thinks of this artifact yet.”
“Why don’t we start the auction after we have heard what Master Chen had to offer?”
As soon as he finished his words, the participants boiled over.
Master Wu had already activated the Dharma Artifact and revealed its power to everyone. No one would argue that they had felt such an exhilarating and refreshing feeling when the artifact summoned those light breezes. It was like steeping themselves inside of a hot tub. Everyone was convinced that if they exposed themselves under the beneficial spell, they would never get sick again.
The conclusions were final, so there was no need to hear what a young boy had to say.
However, everyone knew that Xin Zhong’s request had nothing to do with the artifact; he simply wanted Third Lord of Wei to lose face.
Third Lord of Wei pulled a taut face and kept his silence.
“Hehe.”
A girl standing behind Old Man Zhen suddenly blurted out laughter.
“Xiao Yun, what’s going on?” Old Man Zhen asked displeased.
She was a distant niece of Old Man Zhen. She and her parents were at odds against each the because of the parent’s approval of her boyfriend. Old Man Zhen had decided to take the girl as his ward to guide her. When she was ready, the Old Man would assign her a manager position in one of his many companies.
She had always been polite behaved respectfully at social occasions and seldom made faux pas such as bursting into a laugher in front of her uncle’s guests.
The woman was in a business suit, and she was the eldest member of Xu Rongfei’s clique: Han Yun.
The moment Chen Fan walked into the Hall, Han Yun recognized Chen Fan and had been wondering why Chen Fan would show up as an appraiser.
Hearing her faux pas and caught Old Man Zhen’s attention, Han Yun explained with a quiet voice.
Despite her thin voice, everyone could hear what she said loud and clear.
After having learned that Chen Fan was just a high school student from the Ivy League High School and he worked at the bar as a waiter, everyone looked at Chen Fan with contemptuous looks on their faces. A broad smile broke over Xin Zhong’s face, and then he started laughing. Third Lord of Wei’s face flushed red, and he glared at Uncle Lin, castigating him for bringing him such a loser.
“What a mess.” Old Man Zhen shook his head.
The Old Man might have some respect for a friend of Wei Changgen, but this boy was just a friend of Wei Changgeng’s daughter. He lamented the recklessness of the Third Lord of Wei for bringing with him a no-account laborer with him to such a high profile meeting. It was a disgraceful act to the Wei Family.
“I doubt Xin Zhong would let it slide so easily.” Old Man Zhen furrowed his brows and thought to himself.
Lo and behold, Xin Zhong laughed a said, “Who says a master shouldn’t work at a bar? I believe in the Third Lord’s judgment.
“Don’t mind them, Master Chen, I believe in you. Just do your work and show us what you know.”
He said sarcastically. His act didn’t sit well with the other wealthy magnets from the Chu Zhou City. They were on the same team with the Third Lord. If the Third Lord loses face, they would too.
Han Yun finally regretted her actions.
She shouldn’t have blown Chen Fan’s cover since it seemed to have backfired on her.
Before everyone’s scornful look and sneers, Chen Fan looked at Xin Zhong calmly and said, “Are you sure you want me to test the artifact?”
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