chapter 25 Appreciating treasures

"Master Andrew really has great insight and skills! I guess I, Nolan Chu, have spent millions to learn a lesson." Nolan Chu stood up and applauded, as the scene just now had made it very clear that his string of beads was indeed a counterfeit, beyond any dispute. "There's no need for you to feel regretful, Nolan Chu. The material of these nine-eyed beads is top-notch, which is why that deceased tantric monk was still concerned about them after his death. I've erased the resentful spirit from them and will refine it into a real magical instrument to return you in a few days." Andrew Qi said this, smoothing over Nolan Chu's embarrassment, especially since everyone present could see that Master Andrew, despite his youth, was genuinely skilled. With Andrew Qi displaying such a feat, the following auction process seemed uninteresting, as those present, though eager for magical instruments, realized they knew nothing about them and were now had eyes on Master Andrew. Seeing a real master today, why bother looking elsewhere? Consequently, everyone's attention turned to Master Andrew’s background. Then, someone brought up the matter of the Su family. Informed individuals knew about Moira Chen's near mishap with a malevolent spirit, only escaping thanks to a charm she bought from Master Andrew. Since then, Moira Chen has never parted with the peach wood charm, treasuring it like a precious jewel. Some people close to Moira Chen had privately confirmed this incident with her. While Moira did not deny the encounter with evil, she was not keen on showing the charm she carried, viewing it as a treasured possession. "Master Andrew, why not auction off your magical instrument?" As the actual organizer of the auction, Adrian Chen felt the atmosphere was off. Without an authentic magical instrument from Andrew Qi, future mysterious auctions might not attract attendees. Andrew Qi himself needed funds for future cultivation, so he willingly offered the statue of Guan Yu that he had just appraised for auction, describing its effect as "warding off all evil and ability in saving a life once." How much is a life-saving magical instrument worth? One hundred thousand? Five hundred thousand? The answer was two million! Even Andrew Qi did not expect a casually made statue to auction for two million, indicating the wealth of Jin Cheng City's people. But then he thought of a similar instrument in Hong Kong that sold for one million and six hundred thousand. Was his creation, personally made by a master of talismans, inferior to that of a Hong Kong geomancer? Of course, Andrew Qi believed that "packaging," as previously mentioned by Viola Su, played a significant role. A statue of Guan Yu naturally seemed more impressive and fetched a higher price than a simple peach charm, even though Andrew Qi saw no fundamental difference between them. Regardless, this event significantly impacted certain people. For instance, Moira Chen felt delighted, having purchased five charms for one million from Andrew Qi, breaking a malevolent spirit and establishing significant merit. Moreover, she admired her daughter's insight in getting close to Andrew Qi, seeing that Andrew holds a bright future ahead. However, not everyone was happy. Belle Tang and her male companion seemed displeased. He had never considered Andrew Qi, a potential rival in love, seriously. According to his information, Andrew Qi was inferior to Belle Tang in both family background and personal ability, not to mention his own superior looks, abilities, and family background. But now, the two million auction price was like a thorn in Ben Qi's heart. It was truly painstaking! "Never! I, Ben Qi, surpass you, Andrew Qi, in both ability and family background! You're just lucky. From now on, I'll strive harder in the military, completely surpassing you, and show that you're unworthy of Belle Tang!" And Belle Tang? She felt an inexplicable sense of loss, as if she had lost something precious. Yet she reminded herself that Andrew Qi was merely living off his family's fortune. She knew him well, when did he learn to make charms or become a geomancy master? He was nothing more than a wastrel seeking attention! For Adrian Chen, the feelings were mixed. Although he had been duped by his subordinates, he had now pleased Master Andrew, meaning Nolan Chu wouldn't trouble him. Realizing Master Andrew was a veritable goldmine, Adrian Chen thought of leveraging this for profit, such as getting Andrew Qi to appraise or auction off valuable items, with the commission alone being considerable. Adrian Chen's guess was correct. With this auction's success, Master Andrew's reputation was established, ensuring future auctions would be well-attended. The subsequent auction items now held more interest. But none caught Andrew Qi's attention until a half-meter long black piece of wood was presented. Adrian Chen introduced it as ebony wood, with its starting bid at five hundred thousand. Although valuable, the piece wasn't significant, and everyone was there for magical instruments, preferably consecrated items. This small piece of ebony seemed insignificant, leading to no bids, with the starting price deemed too high. “Mr. Sun, why not lower the starting bid of this wood to two hundred thousand?”. Adrian Chen suggested to Mr. Sun. "Wait—" At that time, Andrew Qi approached this piece of ebony, carefully examined it, and then confirmed that it was not ebony, but another kind of treasure. He then said to the owner of the wood, "This is not ebony, but another kind of rare and strange object called thunderstruck wood. How about this, I will give you two million, and you sell this thunderstruck wood to me." "Two million?" Adrian Chen and Jeremiah Sun were stunned. The wood, initially unsold at five hundred thousand, was now being offered two million by Andrew Qi. Was this bring folly or the anxiety of the wealthy? "In the hands of someone who knows its worth, this item is worth the price," Andrew Qi explained, though he could have bought it for much less. He didn't want to take advantage of the situation. Andrew Qi knew this was not just any lightning-struck wood but a rare kind, originally a spiritual tree, transformed into a demonic form by absorbing spiritual energy, only to be destroyed by a heavenly tribulation, leaving this remnant. It was perfect for making spirit charms or even truthful charms. To Andrew Qi, this piece was absolutely worth two million. Jeremiah Sun, recovering from his shock, modestly declined the offer, asking instead for a wealth-attracting charm from Master Andrew. The onlookers admired Jeremiah Sun's wisdom, realizing that even two million might not save his company from bankruptcy, but a charm from Master Andrew might turn his fortunes around, even benefiting future generations. After all, a charm from Master Andrew was worth two million! At that time, Jeremiah Sun had already recovered from his shock and, feeling somewhat embarrassed, said to Andrew Qi, "Master Andrew, to be honest, my Jeremiah Sun's financial chain has broken, and I am nearly bankrupt. Otherwise, I wouldn't have sold this piece of ancestral wood so cheaply. Although Master Andrew, with your discerning eye, were willing to pay two million for it, a person must be self-aware. I don't wish for the two million, I only ask Master Andrew to gift me a treasure charm for guarding the house and attracting wealth!" Upon hearing this, everyone immediately felt that Jeremiah Sun really knew how to behave. Even if he got the two million, it might not help his company out of bankruptcy. But if he obtained a fortune-reversing treasure charm from Master Andrew, the situation would be different. This fellow might have a turn of luck and even bring blessings to his descendants. Besides, a charm from Master Andrew was worth two million! "Okay, I will have someone send you a charm tomorrow, ensuring your fortunes turn for the better," Andrew Qi agreed and took away the piece of wood struck by lightning.