The numerous flaws and the past deeds of Master Mo Yang were recorded on the book.
“Originally known as Yang Mo, an apprentice appraiser. A scammer in Liuzhu Kingdom who made his name as an appraiser, notorious for his frauds to earn wealth and the favor of women!”
“Battle Techniques: Voice of Allurement (Rookie). Beguile the mind of others through words, making it easier to convince them!”
“Flaws: No. 1, outlawed by the royalty of Liuzhu Kingdom. No.2…”
Zhang Xuan didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry.
To think that the fellow who had the appearance and disposition of an expert would turn out to be a scammer! For a moment back there, even Zhang Xuan thought that he was an amazing figure!
Looks like there were quite a few people in the crowd that were his men. The dealer selling the artifacts must be an accomplice of his as well. They worked together to build up his fame out of appraising treasures, so that they could convince people to buy useless trash at a high price, thus profiting out of it.
“If there is someone conducting a fraud, there must be someone that would be tricked as well!”
Despite knowing that the other party was a fraudster, Zhang Xuan had no intentions to expose him at all.
Firstly, he didn’t have the evidence to prove it. The matter with the Library of Heaven’s Path must not be exposed at all costs! Secondly, those who had been scammed by him had already lost their rationality. If he were to try to convince them that he is a fraudster, it was possible that he might end up getting lynched by them.
Zhang Xuan would never do deeds that did not benefit him, not to mention that it would bring him a string of troubles.
“Forget it. I think I will just look through and buy my own items!”
Couldn’t be bothered with the ‘Master Mo Yang’ who was busy trying to act cool by putting on an ‘expert’s demeanor’, Zhang Xuan continued to browse through the treasures placed on the platform, casually touching them as he passed by them.
A book would be compiled in his mind as long as he came into physical contact with the item. Although the prices of the item weren’t reflected in the library, the items with fewer flaws were definitely of higher value.
After touching forty to fifty items, he realized that there was not a single valuable one among them. The absurdly low possibility of finding a treasure in the mix made him shudder.
“The final chance will be given to… you!”
Just as Zhang Xuan was busy touching the artifacts around the room, an authoritative voice resounded within the room.
Turning his head to take a look, he saw the ‘worldly expert’ Master Mo Yang looking at him, nodding his head slightly as though to ascertain Zhang Xuan’s doubts that he had been chosen. Countless gaze were affixed to him and they were filled with envy.
“Me?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
“This little friend here, there’s no need for you to be so unconfident about yourself. You are the one!” Master Mo Yang stroked his beard with a proud expression, as though saying that it was Zhang Xuan’s honor to be chosen by him.
“Unconfident?” Zhang Xuan shook his head.
Which part of him looked unconfident? Rather, he was thinking about how he could be so unlucky to be chosen. [Of so many frenzied followers following behind you, why did you have to choose me?]
However, after a short moment, he came to a realization. Those who were here for treasure speculation today were mostly following behind the back of the ‘master’. Given that Zhang Xuan was the only one strolling about the hall, browsing through and touching the artifacts casually, it would be hard for him to not stand out!
“I appreciate your goodwill, but I don’t need it!”
Knowing that the other party was a fraudster, he was unwilling to become the gold mine for him to profit from. Zhang Xuan waved his hand and continued to look through the pile of treasures.
“Don’t need it?” Master Mo Yang frowned.
Of the nine slots he had given out previously, regardless of who they were, they all responded to him in enthusiasm, some even on the verge of fainting due to excessive agitation. Yet, when he chose this fellow, he actually… didn’t want it?
He concealed his darkened face quickly. Waving his hand, he walked forward while stroking his beard and looked at Zhang Xuan with a pained expression, “Since you’re here for treasure speculation, surely you would wish to buy a true treasure. I noticed that you have been browsing around the hall unskillfully, so I decided to offer you some guidance so that you won’t end up bankrupt at such a young age. Are you certain that you don’t need it? Don’t disappoint me by rejecting the goodwill that I hold for you!”
“Lad, if you don’t want the slot, give it to me!”
“He actually doesn’t want the slot the master gave him, is there something wrong with his head?”
“It is clear to see that he is abnormal with a single look. I have noticed the fellow previously. He had been touching all of the artifacts in the room, it could be that he is thinking of stealing something!”
“If master were to grant such an opportunity to me, I would probably awake from my sleep smiling everyday!”
…
Everyone could hear the conversation between Zhang Xuan and the ‘master’ clearly, and they stared at the former as though they were looking at a monster.
[He is a master appraiser!
He will be leaving today after appraising for ten people! It is such a good opportunity and everyone is vying for it frenziedly. Yet, this fellow… doesn’t want it?
If his brain isn’t damaged, what else can it be?]
“I really don’t need it…” Zhang Xuan shook his head.
[End up bankrupt? If I listen to your words, then I will truly end up bankrupt…]
“Don’t be so quick to reject me!” Before Zhang Xuan could finish his words, ‘Master Mo Yang’ interrupted. With deep eyes that reflected his compassion for the world and his determination to save those in suffering, he said, “It isn’t easy for a youngster like you to earn some money. I do not hope to earn anything from granting you this slot. It is out of the kindness of my heart that I hope that you do not buy something useless and waste your fortune!”
“Master Mo Yang is too compassionate!”
“Not only is he capable of authenticating treasures, he is also kind! I am going to idolize him!”
“From today onward, I will only respect one person and that is Master Mo Yang!”
…
Hearing his words, everyone felt a resurgence of respect for him.
[Look at how compassionate he is?
Despite possessing the ability to appraise treasures, he doesn’t use it to earn great wealth. Instead, fearing that other people would suffer from making a wrong judgment, he is willing to expend the additional effort to appraise for him! One probably can’t find another person as kind as him, even if one were to roam the world with a lantern!]
“I…”
He didn’t expect him to be so shameless to declare these words in such a righteous tone. Zhang Xuan shook his head, but just as he was about to speak, the other party interrupted him once more.
“Alright, I know what you are thinking! Say no more!” The elder looked at him calmly with pride reflecting in his eyes.
“You know my thoughts?” Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.
“Indeed. You must be thinking that you are too young and do not possess sufficient strength. Even if you successfully obtain a treasure, you don’t have the strength to guard it! Instead, you might even attract disaster to yourself!” ‘Master Mo Yang’ said in a ‘know-it-all’ tone with his hands behind his back.
“So that’s the reason!”
“Not only is the master incredible at appraising treasures, to think that he would have the capability of peering into the thoughts of others as well!”
“It is true that owning a treasure beyond one’s ability can attract disaster. It is normal that this lad would have such thoughts!”
…
After hearing ‘Master Mo Yang’s’ explanation, the crowd came to a realization. They finally understood why Zhang Xuan would reject such a wonderful opportunity.
“This…” Zhang Xuan had no idea how he should respond.
[This fellow is way too narcissistic.
Don’t have the strength to guard it… To think that you could think of such a thing.]
“Everyone!” Just as Zhang Xuan was about to clarify the situation, the ‘master’ before him glanced at the surroundings and proudly declared, “I have chosen this little fellow. So, regardless of what kind of treasures I have picked for him, I hope that you all wouldn’t have any greedy thoughts towards it! Otherwise, you will be going against me. If so, don’t blame me for being merciless!”
“Master, what are you talking about? How would we dare to lay our hands on a person you have chosen!”
“Master, rest assured. We would definitely not do such a stuff…”
Everyone quickly replied in chorus.
“Alright, since I have already informed everyone else, feel free to buy it. You don’t need to worry about attracting unwanted trouble!” ‘Master Mo Yang’ looked at Zhang Xuan with an encouraging smile.
“I…”
Zhang Xuan didn’t expect that this fellow would be so self-assuming. Just when he was about to speak, the other party interrupted him yet again. “You don’t need to feel too touched by it. Since I have given the final slot to you, it means that our meeting is fated! It is hard to explain a thing such as fate through rational explanations, so you don’t have to feel too thankful to me. I don’t wish for anything in return for picking out a treasure for you, it is just purely kindness of my part!”
“That…”
“No need for this and that. This treasure is it. I can guarantee you that once you buy it, you will definitely rake in great profits!”
‘Master Mo Yang’ didn’t even give Zhang Xuan an opportunity to talk. He retrieved an item from the pile of artifacts and passed it over.
“Earn…”
Seeing this treasure, Zhang Xuan was speechless.
He had already analyzed it previously. It was a trash that could not be more useless. It wasn’t even worth a single gold coin. Your loss would be equivalent to the price that you bought it at!
“Boss, can you collect the bill from this little friend here!”
Passing the treasure over, ‘Master Mo Yang’ gestured for the artifact dealer to come.
“A total of 30000 gold coins!” The dealer walked over.
“Hurry up and foot the bill, this is the most valuable treasure I have appraised tonight! Little friend, you have struck it rich!” Seeing how Zhang Xuan remained motionless, the elder stroked his beard and a doting smile appeared on his face, “After you return, clean up the outer layer. Try not to be too agitated by your newfound wealth!”
“Agitated? Agitated your head!” Upon having his words interrupted multiple times, Zhang Xuan could no longer rein his temper in. “If you want to scam others, go ahead, I won’t interfere in your affairs! Why did you have to look for me? Is it that enjoyable to be trying to act cool? Didn’t you notice how hard I have tried to spare your pride?”
“What?”
“That little fellow dares to say that of Master Mo Yang?”
“Master helped him pick out a treasure out of goodwill, and yet he claims that the master is trying to deceive him?”
“What an arrogant lad!”
Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, the crowd was dumbfounded for an instant before bursting into commotion.
[Is that lad’s head alright?
The master went through so much difficulty to help him choose a treasure, and yet he says that… Fraud, acting cool?]
“What did you say?” Apparently, he didn’t expect the young man to respond in such a manner. ‘Master Mo Yang’s’ face darkened. “Little friend, do you have some kind of misunderstanding against me?”
“Misunderstanding? You should be more than aware of what I am saying. If you want to scam someone, go ahead. It’s none of my business, and I am not interested in interfering in your affairs as well! I choose my own artifacts while you scam your victims, let’s stay out of each other’s path. So, stop putting on that haughty look of yours in front of me!”
Zhang Xuan waved him away, annoyed.
He had never borne any goodwill towards scammers. Even so, as long as the other party didn’t get on his nerves, he was willing to let the issue slide. Yet, this fellow intended to make use of him to act cool, he was truly courting his death!
“What audacity!” ‘Master Mo Yang’s’ face paled and he flung his sleeves, his actions carrying an aura of righteousness with it. “I have attained the qualifications of an appraiser 30 years ago, and I have helped numerous people out of difficulty. My conscience is clear! There has never been a single person who had accused me of scamming them. Everyone here can bear testimony to that, when had I ever scammed anyone of you?”
“Master Mo Yang is compassionate and saves those who are in precarious situations. How could he possibly be a fraudster!”
“That falsifying youngster over there, you must be tired of living!”
“Master, don’t get angry. I will teach that fellow a lesson in your place, so that he will learn to not to spout lies in the future…”
…
With just a few words, ‘Master Mo Yang’ managed to stir up the rage of everyone here. Every single of them looked at Zhang Xuan as though he had murdered their family.
“Attained the qualifications of an appraiser 30 years ago? Conscience is clear?”
Zhang Xuan was speechless.
[You are just a small apprentice appraiser, must you try so hard to act as though you are bigger than that?
Your skin is much thicker than I thought.
No wonder you are able to become scammer wanted by the Liuzhu Kingdom. Not only is your skin unbelievably thick, your ability to adapt to abrupt changes is truly frightening.]
Other scammers would panic when they were exposed before others. Yet, this fellow skillfully reversed the tip of the arrow back towards him, making it hard for him to step down from the current situation.
If Zhang Xuan didn’t possess the Library of Heaven’s Path, upon seeing how righteously the other party was acting, he would have surely suspected that he might be making a mistake. However, with the library in his hands, since it was stated on it that he was a scammer, then he was definitely one!
“Everyone, calm down!” Seeing that everyone’s anger was stirred and that he was on the offense now, ‘Master Mo Yang’ waved his hands and said, “I am a forgiving person. If you can apologize for the words you said a moment ago, I can choose to not pursue the matter. Otherwise, you should be well aware of the punishment awaiting you for intentionally slandering me!”
“Punishment?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “It isn’t that hard to verify whether you are a scammer or not and whether I am lying or not. As long as they clean the outer coating off the artifacts they just bought, we will know the results instantly! What is the use of speaking so much nonsense here?”
“Clean it?” ‘Master Mo Yang’ seemed to have predicted that he would say such words. He replied calmly, “I have already said previously that I will be leaving Tianxuan City by tonight. The artifacts that I have chosen for them are all large in size and will require at least half a day before their true form emerges. I still have urgent matters to attend to, and I cannot delay my departure for that long a time! Why, are you going to say that the reason why I am unwilling to stay here any longer is because I feel guilty, so that you can make use of this to accuse me?”
At this point, the elderly swung his arms and exuded a haughty disposition. “I, Mo Yang, lived an upright life, so there’s no reason for me to fear your accusations! However, I had helped you pick out an artifact out of goodwill on my part, only to have you accuse me of scamming you. Since you don’t have concrete proof, it is an act of slander. Do you know the consequences of slandering a master appraiser?”
Hearing these words, Zhang Xuan realized that he was still underestimating the shamelessness of the other party.
As expected of a professional scammer, to have already thought of a plan to back away if the situation were to turn awry.
He had already clearly expressed that he would be leaving Tianxuan Kingdom tonight, thus paving an escape path beforehand. Before Zhang Xuan could even speak, he was already counterattacked. Right now, even if he were to say that he was afraid of waiting until the artifacts were cleaned thoroughly, no one would believe his words!
Furthermore… Zhang Xuan really didn’t have any evidence to prove that he is a scammer!
The secret on the Library of Heaven’s Path could not be revealed. Even if it was revealed, there must be at least someone here who was willing to believe him!
“Lad, kneel down and apologize to the master now!”
“To dare to say that the master is a scammer, do you think that I dare not to kill you right now?”
“Where did this audacious beast come from, to dare to lay doubt upon the master’s innocence?”
…
Upon seeing how righteous and indignant the ‘master’ was, many people chose to believe in him instantly, and the lot of them started to chastise Zhang Xuan.
These people were completely furious.
Those who were scammed had self-hypnotized themselves due to their reluctance to accept the claim that they have been scammed. No matter who it was, if someone dared to interrupt their beautiful dream, they would be refuted adamantly and rebuked.
From their viewpoint, ‘Master Mo Yang’ was an upright person, so how could he possibly be a scammer?
What kind of joke was this!
“Since this fellow dares to claim that the master is a scammer, he should be skilled in appraising, right? If you are that capable, why don’t you choose one artifact out for us to see? If the one you chose turns out to be trash, you shall stop putting on an act here and scram!”
A voice from the crowd snorted.
“Indeed. Since you said that I am a scammer, and you are unwilling to accept the artifact I chose out for you, I’m sure you must be knowledgeable in appraising as well!”
At this point, ‘Master Mo Yang’ nodded his head and looks over, “How about this, I will give you a chance! We will each choose a simple and small artifact together, so that we can clean it quickly for appraisal! As long as you are able to profit out of the object you chose, I will acknowledge that you are skilled and I will let the issue drop! But if you choose a useless trash, then I’m sorry, but you will have to buy the treasure I just picked out for you, kneel down and apologize to me!”
“You want to compete with me in a battle of appraisal?” Just a moment ago, Zhang Xuan was still in a dilemma on coming up with evidence against him. However, hearing his words, he was slightly taken aback and he almost laughed on the spot.
[This fellow must have a screw loose!]
Zhang Xuan himself possessed the Library of Heaven’s Path. If he were to claim that he was second in appraising, no one would dare to claim that they were first in the world… [Are you sure that your head didn’t get jammed between doors?]
However, after giving it some careful thought, he was also able to comprehend the rationale behind the other party’s action.
In the other party’s perspective, Zhang Xuan was only an eighteen or nineteen year old youth, so what could he possibly know about appraising? Besides, since he was able to help others profit a few days ago, he must have prepared several means beforehand. If both of them appraised concurrently and Zhang Xuan were to choose a useless artifact, he would be able to make use of this opportunity to further build up his prestige. Perhaps, he might even be able to attract a few fools to invest frenziedly.
“Why? You don’t dare to accept the challenge?”
‘Master Mo Yang’ was resolute to eat Zhang Xuan whole.
“Fine!” Since the other party was seeking some thrill, how could Zhang Xuan bear to refuse him?
“Alright, then I’ll go first!” ‘Master Mo Yang’ flung his robe and walked along the long, elevated platform with large strides. He quickly stopped before a palm-sized artifact and picked it up.
This object was covered by a thick layer of rock, such that even the shape of the object inside could not be ascertained, needless to say, determine whether it was valuable or not.
“Dealer, how much does this cost?”
Picking up the object, ‘Master Mo Yang’ inquired.
“This object is small in size and there isn’t much spirit energy movement that can be felt from it. 200 gold coins!” The dealer replied and he walked over to Master Mo Yang.
“Alright, find someone to help me clean this up!”
Passing over the money, ‘Master Mo Yang’ said calmly.
“Yes!”
The dealer grabbed hold of the treasure and sent it to the hall at the back. A moment later, he came out with a golden toad in his hands. With an excited look, he said, “Congratulations, master. It is the shed skin of 【Spirit Horned Golden Toad】!”
“What is a Spirit Horned Golden Toad?”
“Spirit Horned Golden Toad is a tier-6 savage beast. Of its entire body, its most valuable part is its skin. It only molts once in its entire life. This object can be used in medicine and it is extremely valuable!”
“As expected of Master Mo Yang, to be able to pick out a treasure amidst everything else. Your ability of discernment is incredible!”
…
Upon hearing that it was the shed skin of the Spirit Horned Golden Toad, the hall burst into commotion.
“Many people may not know of this item, so why don’t you just state a price! It will be much more spectacular that way!” With his head up high, ‘Master Mo Yang’ constantly exuded an acting cool aura as he spoke flatly.
“This object is worth… 2000 gold coins!” The dealer exclaimed.
“2000 gold coins?”
“After buying it with 200 gold coins, the price grows to 2000 gold coin in an instant? A revenue of tenfold?”
“This is too incredible!”
“As expected of the master. If you can profit so much through a small object, then surely I will be able to make a killing over that giant artifact you chose for me previously!”
…
Upon seeing this sight, the eyes of the slightly worried crowd started burning fanatically again.
[A master isn’t just for show, a clear difference in standards shows the moment he makes a move!]
“Alright, it’s your turn!”
‘Master Mo Yang’ gestured with a cold gaze.
“I…” Zhang Xuan nodded his head.
Knowing that the other party was a scammer, he was aware that he would surely have a contingency plan. Even so, he didn’t expect his contingency plan to be so incredible!
He had to choose something at least of the same level as him.
“Can I choose the artifact first and decide on a price after the artifact has been cleaned?”
Stepping forward, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled something and looked at the dealer.
“No way! You have to pay first before cleaning it! This is a part of the rules. Otherwise, what if it turns out to be a trash after you clean it and you no longer want it, or if it turns out too valuable and we no longer want to sell it? It would be impossible to resolve such situations!”
The dealer stated coldly.
In order to prevent such contention, one had to pay after deciding on an artifact in treasure speculation. This was equivalent to signing a contract, no one would be able to turn their back on it.
“Alright then…”
After being informed of the rules, Zhang Xuan could only nod his head. Then, turning over to look at the artifacts, he said without blushing, “Come, point out for me which artifacts are worth less than eight gold coins in this pile! I will choose one from them…”
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