156: Chapter 154 Valuation (Please Subscribe) 156: Chapter 154 Valuation (Please Subscribe) Huangxin Shoes was only two or three hundred meters away from New Beauty Hotel, in room 1808.
Chen Hai, who had just returned to the hotel room from the factory, had just finished showering and lay on the single bed in the room.
Leaning back against the headboard, he took out a cigarette and lit it for himself.
He had only taken a couple of puffs when suddenly his heart twisted like a knife, and a soul-shattering pain surged violently into his mind.
“Fuck, it’s destiny backlash again…”
“I haven’t been practising divination now, nor have I done anything that harms the harmony of Heaven and Earth, so why has this backlash appeared in me all of a sudden?”
After taking several deep breaths, Chen Hai managed to suppress the force of the backlash.
If he were an ordinary fortune teller or divination master, this backlash could seriously deplete their vitality.
It might take a year or even longer to recover, which would not be impossible.
After all, physical injuries are easier to heal, but wounds to the soul are much more difficult to treat.
But Chen Hai was different.
The sliver of the Undying Characteristic he received from that terrifying being made his Divine Soul much more resilient than one could imagine.
Under such circumstances, he could grit his teeth and withstand the usual forces of destiny backlash.
Being able to truly attain some supernatural power from the terrifying being he visualized, perhaps this is what sets the Ancient True Cultivators apart.
Even if orthodox Tao Cultivators have a higher Realm or stronger souls than Chen Hai, they do not possess supernatural powers.
With this Undying Characteristic, it is uncertain if someone even a realm higher than Chen could overpower him in a contest of soul strength.
Of course, now that the Great Paths of these major Taoist traditions have been severed, orthodox cultivators of a higher realm than Chen Hai are exceptionally rare, nearly non-existent.
After resting for a while, the effects of the destiny backlash on his soul had obviously lessened considerably.
“In this period, I haven’t really done anything.
Is it just because I did a divination for Miss Dong?”
“Could this backlash be related to her?”
Frowning deeply, Chen Hai thought for a while, then took out some Copper Coins and began divination once more.
Soon, the Six Gua were complete, and the Gua image appeared.
The lower Gua was Xun (Wind), and the upper Gua was Gen (Mountain).
This was a compound Gua: Gen above and Xun below is the Gua of Gu (Pestilence).
“The lines of the Gua shift like turning a millstone; what flows smoothly brings fortune, but going against it brings misfortune.
If your heart sees benefit, proceed cautiously; all things go awry in a rush…”
He mumbled the deciphering phrases a few times, and Chen Hai’s eyebrows were already knit into a straight line.
“What on earth has Miss Dong done?
Her destiny line has become a tangled mess, completely changed!”
“Someone with such strong fortune as her, having a sudden change in destiny, is a significant uncertainty.”
“Could it be because of the divination I did for her before, revealing Heaven’s Secret, that her future has become unpredictable?”
“Yes, that must be it.
Otherwise, the force of destiny backlash wouldn’t have fallen directly upon my head…”
Chen Hai chuckled wryly, shook his head, and murmured to himself.
Those with excessively strong fortune are the favored children of Heaven, blessed by destiny and favored by fate.
Divining for such people is truly the most troublesome of tasks.
Just like Chen Hai now, because his divination caused a slight change in Miss Dong’s destiny, he might inadvertently invite a backlash.
If the divination subject were just an ordinary person, even if they died directly because of Chen Hai’s divination, Heaven wouldn’t bother to look at them, and naturally, no backlash would fall upon him.
In the divination business, when Pure Yang Gua or Pure Yin Gua come out, people often do not understand them.
The reason for this is that those diviners fear dealing with targets with dense fortune, worrying that interpreting the Gua might inadvertently affect themselves.
“Fate is ethereal; even True Cultivators can only change destiny, not defy it.”
“Miss Dong’s destiny line is already in complete disarray, I hope she doesn’t encounter any problems.”
“Maybe, when I have some free time, I should go and check on her thoroughly…”
After frowning deep in thought for quite a while, Chen Hai silently concluded.
The next morning, at around ten o’clock.
Li Dajiang’s friend, who was very interested in nose snuff bottles, finally arrived.
“Chen Hai, let me introduce you.
This is Boss Zhang Zhongxiao; his family is in the electronics business!”
Li Dajiang said, pointing to an elder about his age.
“Pleased to meet you!” Chen Hai said with a smile as he shook hands, then he led them into his hotel room.
“Chen, Li must have told you about my little hobbies!”
“I won’t say much; I’m here for the snuff bottles you have.
As long as I can be sure that your items are genuine, I will definitely take them.”
“We are all busy people.
I booked a ticket back to Tai Island for tomorrow and don’t have the time for pleasantries.
Where is the item?
Bring it out and let’s take a look!”
Zhang Zhongxiao, with his background in Tai Island and an air of superiority, acted as if he was someone of high status.
Of course, in these times, the mainland is too poor.
Many people from Tai Island have a sense of superiority when facing mainland residents.
Perhaps in their view, mainlanders live lives of suffering, and even buying a bag of pickled vegetables or an egg is seen as a luxury.
Chen Hai was somewhat irked by the man’s mannerisms but said nothing.
After all, their meeting was strictly for the purpose of trade, and he never intended to form any deep connections!
The items Chen Hai brought from his trip back home included several vases and jars, two brush pots, and four snuff bottles.
Among them, three nose snuff bottles were intact, while another had some cracks at the mouth and a chip the size of a grain of rice.
As soon as Elder Zhang arrived, he directly asked to see the items, and Chen Hai didn’t waste any words.
He put the two pen holders and the damaged snuff bottle in his backpack and didn’t bother with them.
The three complete ones, he took them all out in one go and set them on the coffee table in front of Zhang Zhongxiao.
“Qianlong Year enamel gold gilded double-fish snuff bottle?”
Picking up one of the snuff bottles, Zhang Zhongxiao examined it carefully: “This item is indeed genuine beyond doubt.”
“However, due to improper preservation, the condition is average, which greatly reduces its value.”
“Additionally, this style of snuff bottle is fairly common, and I happen to have an identical one in my collection.”
“For this snuff bottle, I can only offer a maximum price of twenty thousand.
Buying it would just complete a pair for me!”
Zhang Zhongxiao’s words fell upon Chen Hai’s ears, and he felt a slight disappointment.
But what the other party said was well-founded and indeed seemed to reflect the real situation.
After all, these snuff bottles were dug out of that cave and had not been deliberately preserved, so their condition certainly couldn’t be great!
Putting down the snuff bottle in hand, Zhang Zhongxiao picked up another and began to appreciate it.
“Qianlong Year enamel gold gilded ‘Fulushou’ triple-star snuff bottle, this one too is genuine!”
“However, the same issue persists, poor preservation and condition.”
“Plus, with the high survival rate and common style, my offer remains the same, also twenty thousand.”
“As for the last one, the ‘Qianlong Imperial Enamel Porcelain Snuff Bottle’, it’s slightly more rare, so I can go up to fifty thousand.”
…
Zhang Zhongxiao was indeed very familiar with snuff bottles.
Picking up any one of them, he could speak with authority.
As for Chen Hai himself, he couldn’t even tell what enamel and what porcelain were.
Zhang Zhongxiao had finished appraising the three snuff bottles.
Whether to sell or not, Chen Hai felt hesitant.
He had initially thought that any snuff bottle could easily sell for one hundred thousand or eighty thousand.
But now, according to the prices Zhang Zhongxiao had set, the total for all three snuff bottles would amount to at most ninety thousand yuan.
Although for him, ninety thousand was already a significant fortune, it still fell short of his expectations by a considerable margin.
“Chen, considering Elder Li’s face, the price I’ve offered is already very generous.”
“I assure you that no one in your country could offer a higher price for these items in your hands!”
“It’s your decision whether to sell or not.
If you’re willing, I’ll write you a cheque right away.”
“If you don’t want to sell, I’ll leave right away.
Consider my trip to your country as just a visit to my old friend, Elder Li!”
Zhang Zhongxiao spoke unhurriedly.
He did like to collect snuff bottles, that much was true.
But Zhang Zhongxiao was only somewhat interested in the three snuff bottles that Chen Hai had brought out.
Unless it was an incredibly rare snuff bottle with extremely high collectible value, he wouldn’t have that die-hard mindset.
“Boss Zhang, could you wait for a moment while I make a phone call?” After hesitating for a long time, Chen Hai spoke up and asked.
“Sure, please go ahead!” Zhang Zhongxiao nodded in response.
The rooms in New Beauty Hotel were conveniently equipped with phones.
Chen Hai’s call was to Dong Dahai at Treasure House.
“Beep…
Beep…” After a few rings, the call connected.
“Hello, who is this?” Dong Dahai’s voice was very distinctive.
As soon as the voice came through the phone, Chen Hai immediately recognized the identity of the speaker.
“Brother Dong, it’s me, Chen Hai, from White Lake Tea House.
Brother Hou Donggui introduced us!”
“Mr.
Chen, hello, hello, what can I do for you today?”
“It’s like this, Brother Dong, I wanted to ask, how much would your place pay for a Qianlong Year Enamel Snuff Bottle?”
“That depends on the condition and the design.
Commonly found Qianlong Year snuff bottles with average condition might be worth a couple of thousand.”
“For better condition, at most ten or twenty thousand…”
When Dong Dahai initially heard the name Chen Hai, he was clearly taken aback.
After he regained his composure, with the intimidating presence of Hou Donggui in mind, he immediately became more enthusiastic.
However, his words left Chen Hai feeling a bit depressed.
According to Dong Dahai, Chen Hai’s snuff bottles, if sold to his shop, seemed like they would be the kind that fetch only a couple of thousand each.
It’s not from not knowing the goods, it’s from comparing goods.
Compared to Zhang Zhongxiao’s offers, these made his seem quite generous.
“Boss Zhang, I’ll sell all the snuff bottles!” Chen Hai made up his mind and said firmly.
“I remember you brought four snuff bottles, right?
Where’s the other one?
Why haven’t I seen it?”
At this moment, Li Dajiang suddenly spoke up, reminding.