chapter 11 This is a fat sheep ===

"Alright, this is a fat sheep, it'd be a waste not to slaughter it. Wait." Luis Ji thought to himself. He turned and went inside the room, carefully taking out a painting.
The painting was very well-preserved. When he carefully unwrapped it, a strong scent of ink came forth.
It was a painting of a tiger roaring in the mountains, styled in an ancient way, and the brushwork was thick and heavy. It seemed like the work of a master. Unfortunately, in Thorpe Chen's eyes, there wasn't a hint of vitality.
"Brother, you're an expert. I won't introduce this painting to you; take a look yourself," Luis Ji said confidently.
"A painting of a tiger roaring in the mountains? Not a bad imitation," Thorpe Chen glanced at it and shook his head, "If you're not sincere, I might as well look elsewhere."
"Don't, brother, please take another look," Luis Ji was startled, doubting whether Thorpe Chen really knew his stuff.
As Thorpe Chen moved, he caught a glimpse of a pair of stone-carved reclining tigers on the counter. He was instantly immobilized.
The pair of tigers was about ten centimetres long, wrapped in a gray stone coat, but Thorpe Chen could clearly feel the ancient aura beneath the stone.
"Brother, you have a good eye. These reclining tigers were unearthed not long ago. They should be burial objects from the Western Jin dynasty. Do you like them? You can have them for a good price," said Luis Ji, sensing Thorpe Chen's interest.
"How much?" Thorpe Chen got straight to the point.
"If you like them, fifty thousand yuan," Luis Ji said, holding up five fingers.
"Fifty thousand?" Thorpe Chen frowned, "That's a bit expensive."
"Thorpe Chen, Luis always offers the fairest deals. You can ask around. Given our relationship, he won't overcharge. Fifty thousand really isn't expensive," Carey Liu chimed in.
"Yes, I gave you a friendly price. Others would start from at least a hundred thousand," Luis Ji added.
"Five thousand. Take it or leave it," Thorpe Chen shook his head. He knew what kind of person Carey Liu was and understood their good cop-bad cop routine.
"Five thousand? You're making this difficult for me," said Luis Ji, looking troubled.
"If it's not possible, never mind," Thorpe Chen turned to leave.
"Add five thousand more, ten thousand, and take it," Luis Ji gritted his teeth, "Consider it our friendship."
Thorpe Chen simply nodded and paid without any further discussion.
Carey Liu held back until Thorpe Chen had finished paying and taken the item. Then he burst out laughing, "Thorpe Chen, you're such a sucker!"
"What do you mean?" Thorpe Chen looked up, puzzled.
"Haha, Luis, tell him the truth about how much you bought these worthless stones for," Carey Liu laughed heartily.
"Third Brother, that's not very honourable. You make a profit of nine thousand five hundred from him and then mock him in front of his face. That's not decent," Luis Ji also laughed.
"You're saying this was bought for five hundred yuan?" Carey Liu gave a thumbs-up, "Your business indeed has high profits. Thorpe Chen, consider this a lesson."
"The antique world is deep and treacherous. If you want to turn over a new leaf, just find a proper job. Don't think of getting rich overnight. Look, this five-hundred-yuan stone was sold to you for ten thousand. Does it hurt? Are you bleeding inside?"
"Thank you for the lesson, Third Brother," Thorpe Chen smiled, unperturbed.
"Did you come into some big money recently? You don't seem bothered by being scammed," Carey Liu remarked.
"Consider it my ‘tuition fees’," Thorpe Chen smiled, "I'll be going now."
Thorpe Chen believed there was more to the reclining tigers than met the eye. He intended to study them further. As he was about to leave with the item...
"Young man, can I take a look at your reclining tigers?" An old man, who happened to be browsing the store, became interested in the tigers in Thorpe Chen's hands.
"Of course," Thorpe Chen nodded, "I don't understand these things. I just felt they were special, so I bought them. Please, elder, provide your insights."
"Let me see," The old man took the tigers from Thorpe Chen and examined them closely. The longer he looked, the more puzzled his expression became.
"Elder, why don't you come inside and take a look? This reclining tiger is just a stone carving, rough work, not worth much. My shop is a century old and has many valuable items. Please, take a look. I guarantee authenticity," Luis Ji laughed.
"Young man, are you selling this?" After examining for a while, the old man looked up at Thorpe Chen.
"Sorry, elder, this item is not for sale," Thorpe Chen replied respectfully.
"The price is negotiable. One hundred thousand, what do you think?" The old man seemed very interested in what he held in his hands.
"One hundred thousand?" Carey Liu and Luis Ji's faces changed instantly. They had thought they could team up to trick Thorpe Chen, but he could make a profit of ninety thousand with just a quick flip?
"If you feel that this price is unfair, I can increase it," the old man said as he saw that Thorpe Chen was unmoved, quickly raising the offer.
"I'm sorry, but I really can't sell it. I'm giving it to someone," Thorpe Chen smiled and took the lying tiger from the old man's hand.
"How about one hundred fifty thousand?" The old man was persistent.
"One hundred fifty thousand? Sir, wouldn't you like to take a look at something else? This lying tiger was bought at my shop, and I have even better items there," Luis Ji couldn't sit still.
This old man looked like a knowledgeable scholar, probably a wealthy customer, but how could he be interested in this broken thing?
"Old man, are you sure you're not mistaken? Is this thing really worth so much?" Carey Liu said somewhat irritably.
"No, no, this tiger is worth this price. You made a good purchase," the old man nodded, "Very well, I will not insist. Goodbye."
With that, the old man left. However, his unexpected interest in the tigers had already caught Thorpe Chen's attention. The wheels in his mind began to turn, and he wondered just what kind of treasure he had accidentally stumbled upon.
Thorpe Chen had been tricked, and he felt great about it. He wanted to pierce Chen's heart in front of him.
"Third Brother, I originally didn't want to upset you, but you brought this upon yourself," Thorpe Chen could no longer hold back.
"What, you're not satisfied? Bite me then!" Third Brother looked like he was asking for a beating.
"Sir, you think these two lying tigers are worth 150,000, right?" Thorpe Chen smiled.
"It should be worth more than that. I need to study them more closely. Young man, how much do you think these lying tigers are worth?" The old man asked.
"At least 500,000," Thorpe Chen smiled slightly.
"500,000? You must be crazy for money. Don’t I know what I collected? It's just a piece of craftwork at best." Luis Ji sneered, "Thorpe Chen, a poor man's destiny remains poor. Don't dream of getting rich overnight by stumbling upon a treasure."
"Having roamed the antique street for over ten years, is there any good thing I can't recognize?"
"Well then, let me show you the real value of these lying tigers today," Thorpe Chen laughed.
These two guys had conspired to rip him off. Now that they realized they had missed a bargain, they were upset. Fine, he would make them even more upset.
Saying that, he positioned the two lying tigers head to tail and gently tapped them together.
With a clear "ding", the stone-carved lying tigers emitted a crisp sound. The stone layer outside the tigers suddenly shattered.
Then, two tiger amulets, each about nine centimetres long, appeared in his hand.
The two pieces, made of bronze and shaped like lying tigers, combined seamlessly. The item originally had a stone layer outside, which shattered upon touch, revealing its true form.
"What is this?" The people on the scene were stunned, and more onlookers gathered.
"Let me see." The elderly man, excited, took the lying tiger from Thorpe Chen's hand.
"This is the original version of the Qin Yangling tiger amulet!" After examining it, the old man's expression changed drastically.
"What is the Yangling tiger amulet?" The crowd asked.
"On the left and right neck of the tiger, there are the same 12-character inscriptions: ‘The amulet of the soldiers, the right belongs to the emperor, the left to Yangling.’"
"These 12 characters were first engraved on the tiger's body, then gold threads were embedded, and finally, they were polished to shine. The inscriptions are neat and elegant, strong and powerful, undoubtedly from the Qin dynasty."
"Is this thing valuable?" Luis Ji's eyes seemed to spit fire. He stared at the tiger amulet, wishing he could snatch it away.
"It's worth a lot, at least 800,000. Look at the inscription ‘right belongs to the emperor’. During the Qin dynasty, the right side was revered, proving that this was from the time of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. There are few items from the Spring and Autumn period that survive today, so this item is of immense research and collection value."
The old man couldn't help but admire the tiger amulet in his hand.
"How much did this young man buy it for?"
"I heard it was bought for 10,000."
"He got a bargain! He really made a fortune."
"Haha, Luis, who often scammed others, got outsmarted this time. He must be furious."
Many interested people had gathered around, and the chatter continued.
"800,000?" Both Third Brother and Luis Ji's faces turned pale.