Chapter 190: The Nine Dragons and Phoenix Crown!

This museum also houses a few un-for-sale items. These are extremely ancient antiquities, some dating back one or even two thousand years. However, a select few are fragile cultural relics, so they are kept strictly on display for visitors.

Unlike those, the Nine-Dragon Phoenix Crown is not off-limits; it is available for acquisition.

"My apologies, sir, but this is the most expensive item in the museum. Professor Wu himself must conduct the transaction with you personally. Of course, the price is negotiable," the attendant politely reminded him.

One of the advantages of a private museum is that certain priced cultural relics are open to haggling. For instance, an item tagged at ten million could be negotiated down to nine million or even less.

Wu Jianghai arrived faster than anyone had anticipated.

The manager had estimated it would take about half an hour, but in less than twenty minutes, Wu Jianghai was already on the scene.

Before he even came into view, word had already spread among the crowd in the courtyard.

"Damn it! Professor Wu is actually here? He's moving pretty fast this time. I haven't seen him in person for over six months, and now he's showing up in person just because of some punk? Isn't this blowing things a bit out of proportion?"

"That kid even claimed he was going to buy the Nine-Dragon Phoenix Crown. They probably suspect he's an undercover operative sent by the authorities, which is why it alarmed Professor Wu."

"Half a billion... The guy really dares to spout nonsense like that. Even major collecting institutions couldn't pull out that kind of cash all at once."

Soon, a white-haired old man with a Mediterranean bald spot, standing one hundred and ninety centimeters tall, bearing an air of refined scholarly grace yet carrying a cold glint in his eyes, appeared within everyone's line of sight.

Escorted by the manager and his entourage, Wu Jianghai strode briskly toward Lin Fan.

At a single glance, Lin Fan recognized that this old man was also well-versed in martial arts. With his ruddy complexion, sharp gaze, and vibrant energy, he radiated an authoritative, self-assured aura of superiority that stood in stark contrast to the many sallow-faced, pot-bellied tycoons present.

In fact, he had already checked Wu Jianghai's background online using his phone just moments ago.

To his surprise, Wu Jianghai indeed possessed an impressive pedigree.

Not only had he served as the deputy curator of the National Museum, but he was also a consultant for several auction houses and a genuine professor-level expert. He was well-versed in ancient texts, books, porcelain, and wood carving. Of course, jade and jade carving were admittedly not his specialized fields.

Furthermore, Wu Jianghai was a member of the elite Wu family of the capital, and Wu Ruoshui—one of the Thirteen Young Masters of the capital—was his nephew.

Even without these credentials, his sheer height alone carried a distinct sense of oppression.

"Professor Wu, this is Mr. Lin, the gentleman who pointed out that this agate black elephant might have flaws. He is also a professional," the manager said in a lowered, cautious voice as he introduced Lin Fan.

The rest of the onlookers held their breath, too intimidated to speak.

Yet Lin Fan raised his head and looked at Wu Jianghai neither servile nor overbearing. Wu Jianghai frowned slightly, eyeing Lin Fan with a trace of astonishment, clearly recognizing that Lin Fan was no ordinary individual.

After exchanging glances for ten full seconds, Wu Jianghai spoke first: "My friend, could you elaborate on the flaws in this black elephant?"

Lin Fan nodded, then proceeded to point out the defects of the agate black elephant one by one, while educating the crowd on the spot about how to distinguish between natural and artificial agate with the naked eye.

As he spoke, several staff members equipped with professional instruments opened the glass cabinet and conducted a detailed test on the black agate artifact.

A few minutes later, the results were out.

"Professor Wu, Mr. Lin is entirely correct. The internal signs of artificial synthesis within this black agate are extremely obvious. The original owner was quite crafty: half of the body is made of natural agate, and the other half is artificial agate. The flawed sections were concealed by the pavilion ornamentation above, and combined with the isolation of the glass display case, it is indeed difficult to tell genuine from fake with the naked eye... It appears Mr. Lin is truly of expert caliber."

One of the staff members even expressed his admiration toward Lin Fan.

Hearing this, not only Wu Jianghai but everyone else wore expressions of sheer astonishment as they stared incredulously at Lin Fan.

Yet this only deepened their suspicion that Lin Fan must belong to some professional institution.

Many auction houses and collecting syndicates employed resident experts who would source genuine cultural relics from the private sector to be auctioned off or displayed as museum centerpieces.

"You can't judge a book by its cover. I never expected this guest to be so young, yet possess such astonishing discernment. May I ask where Mr. Lin is currently employed?" Wu Jianghai asked with a polite, artificial smile.

"I'm a businessman, simply harboring a mild interest and slight research into jade and the like. I wouldn't call myself a professional," Lin Fan replied with a modest smile.

Armed with his prop cards, even an expert like Wu Jianghai could hardly compare to him.

Wu Jianghai nodded knowingly, his tone softening with a measure of politeness.

"Since Mr. Lin was able to help me identify a counterfeit, as a token of my sincerity, how about I gift this fake to Mr. Lin? Furthermore, I heard you bid on a traditional Chinese painting worth six million; consider that painting my gift to you as well. How does that sound?"

"Since Professor Wu is bestowing such honor upon me, I accept with pleasure. However, as for this agate black elephant..."

In truth, he didn't really want this agate black elephant jade carving. Although its original price was higher than the previous white elephant jade carving, in terms of aesthetic appeal, it fell far short. The value of this black agate carving lay primarily in its gold ornamentation.

Yet he couldn't fathom why Wu Jianghai would insist on giving him this black agate carving as well. Could it be some sort of peculiar whim?

Or perhaps he simply didn't want it and wished to reward him for his sharp eyes?

However, Lin Fan actually intended to make Fang Jinyuan foot the bill, seeing as the two of them had a wager.

Yet just as he turned his head while speaking, he discovered that Fang Jinyuan had vanished completely, and even the woman in the qipao was nowhere to be seen.

Hah! He ran off fast enough!

Lin Fan couldn't help but sweat mentally.

So much for being a man of the capital with connections, he fled quicker than anyone!

"Professor Wu, let the traditional Chinese painting *Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter* serve as your gift to me. As for this black agate jade carving, I must decline; it is simply too much for me to accept. You can keep it as a negative example to teach your staff how to tell the difference between natural and artificial agate," Lin Fan said earnestly.

At these words, Wu Jianghai nodded with satisfaction, then shifted his tone: "Mr. Lin's great magnanimity truly catches me off guard. How about we head upstairs for a chat? Let's become friends."

Lin Fan was momentarily stunned, realizing belatedly that the old man's previous remarks had been a test of his character.

On the surface, he had offered to gift the items, but in reality, he was probing whether Lin Fan was greedy.

Good grief, city folks really loved playing mind games!

Lin Fan couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Fortunately, he had more money than he could ever spend; had he let greed get the better of him and grabbed that petty advantage, he might well have ended up on this old man's blacklist!

After all, pointing out that the jade carving was a fake right in front of everyone was, to a certain extent, a slap to Wu Jianghai's face.

Yet Wu Jianghai bore no grudge against him; instead, he wished to befriend him, which showed immense respect.

The surrounding onlookers were equally astounded.

"What kind of background does this kid have? To actually command such respect from Professor Wu? This is the first time I've ever seen Professor Wu take the initiative to offer friendship to someone. After all, with a big shot like Professor Wu, countless people line up just to curry favor with him!"

"So professional yet so humble—he must be the young master of some prestigious family... Truly, you can never judge a person by their appearance."