The curtain was drawn back, and we faced our opponents.
At that moment, not only did I have an expression of disbelief on my face.
Wei Shengnan, Qu Ruilin, and Song Laosan on the opposite side also looked astonished.
I could even see the muscles on Song Laosan's face twitching.
Just one day ago, because of Wei Shengnan and her group's sabotage, all the bronze artifacts I had obtained from Su Jialiang were destroyed.
I know that Wei Shengnan and the others originally intended to delay my progress in the treasure-hunting competition.
But things took an unexpected turn; out of more than thirty teams, we ended up facing each other in the very first round.
Seeing our different expressions, yet all of us staring at each other without moving, the referee reminded us, "The match has already begun; you may switch positions now."
The referee's words pulled me back from my thoughts. I took a deep breath and was the first to walk towards the other team's booth.
Since my previous attempt at revenge failed, I might as well have a fair and square match with them right here and now.
If I can win the first round, according to the rules, Wei Shengnan and her team will have to win two more matches in order to advance.
Today, all those who have come to this treasure-hunting competition are experts. Even a difference of a second could lead to total defeat.
Wei Shengnan and the others shared the same idea, and seeing that I made a move, they also came over without being outdone.
The twelve people walked past each other, and when we were all parallel, I couldn't help but glance at them. At that moment, Song Laosan was also looking at me.
Their eyes met briefly, and then Song Laosan subconsciously looked away.
The monkey, who was closest to me, was the first to notice my unusual behavior: "Young Master Duan, are you alright?"
I forced a smile: "What could possibly be wrong with me?"
Jiang Man then interjected, "Duan Shenxing, is there something going on between you and the eldest daughter of the Wei family?"
I was taken aback: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I'm not making this up! Women understand women best; the way she looked at you just now was clearly off!"
Jiang Man glared at me angrily: "I heard you two worked together before. Is there something shady between you and her?"
I hadn't been paying attention to Wei Shengnan, but when I saw Jiang Man's expression, I tapped her on the head and said, "Have you forgotten our relationship? What are you getting jealous about? I'm your cousin!"
Jiang Man rolled her eyes: "Pah! What kind of relationship do we have? My dad is just your former uncle-in-law. We're not related by blood. Besides, I'm his daughter with another woman! What kind of cheap cousin are you acting like here?"
I heard a voice behind me and immediately became serious: "Alright, let's get down to business."
When Lin Que and Man Jing saw me speak, they stepped forward, grabbed both ends of the red silk, and lifted it open.
There were ten black boxes on the table. Opening them one by one revealed what was underneath.
Three bronze artifacts, three swords, two paintings and calligraphy works, and two vases.
The monkey glanced at the things on the table and asked me in a low voice, "Young Master Duan, are you confident?"
"It all depends on human effort."
Looking at the items on the table, I walked towards the vase first.
Wei Shengnan and her team were well-prepared and very clever; they chose items that were all from the Qing Dynasty.
These items are generally not very valuable and would certainly not fetch a good price in the antique market, but their advantages become apparent in this kind of competition.
The Qing Dynasty is the most recent feudal dynasty, lasting only a little over a hundred years from its demise.
Items from this dynasty generally don't need to be artificially aged; simply replicating the style is sufficient. If it's a replica from the Republic of China era, it becomes even more difficult to distinguish.
Before I could even get my hands on anything, I heard Qu Ruilin's voice from behind: "This vase and ancient book are obviously fake, so we can rule them out. Let's start with the other items."
Upon hearing those words, a nameless anger suddenly rose within me.
Before the competition, I was worried about this. There were three items on our side whose styles and eras didn't match, and anyone in the industry could tell the difference at a glance.
The counterfeit goods sold at Haidilao are designed to confuse the other party and buy time for themselves.
They've already picked out two items at the start, giving them an early advantage.
The monkey suddenly spoke up, saying, "Young Master Duan, these three items are also fake."
I glanced to the side and saw that the monkey wasn't pointing at anything at all, while the referee's voice rang out from the side: "The competition isn't over yet, no turning around!"
Hearing the monkey say that, I immediately understood: "You've made great progress recently, your eyesight has improved a lot!"
In reality, monkeys can't tell the difference between real and fake items. The reason for saying this is simply to put psychological pressure on the other person and prevent them from leisurely conducting the authentication process.
I understood the monkey's good intentions and knew that we were pressed for time. I adjusted my emotions and took the lead in standing in front of the three swords.
Sword collecting has a long history in Europe, and it is now flourishing in the domestic collecting market. However, most of the good items are in overseas markets, and fine pieces are rare in the domestic market. Some rare Chinese antique swords are also kept in private hands and rarely circulate on the market.
This is why, after Li Fan's tomb collapsed, the Wei family was willing to dig it up to find Li Yuanli's ritual knife.
The three weapons on the table are two waist knives and a sword, all of which are of the late Qing Dynasty style.
Swords from the Qing Dynasty have always been a controversial category. In terms of appearance, these swords have unique designs, such as handguards shaped like animal heads or blades that are half-curved and not curved.
The three weapons in front of us are fine in terms of their design.
I picked up the sword on the table, drew it from its scabbard, and examined it. The blade gleamed coldly, but it had no patterns on it, which did not conform to the Qing Dynasty's steel-clad craftsmanship.
Immediately afterwards, I picked up a knife from the side.
The knife's fittings are made using the gilded bronze technique, with intricate carvings of soaring dragons amidst clouds. The elegant patterns give it a noble and grand appearance. The hilt is shaped like a dragon's mouth, and the sheath is made of rosewood.
Upon seeing this knife, I was overjoyed. Judging from its craftsmanship, it was not a counterfeit. Could it be that I had won the grand prize right at the start of the competition?
With that thought, I exerted force in my arm and pulled the blade out.
The blade features a three-sided composite body with ample steel reinforcement. The back of the blade has a five-layer steel reinforcement structure, and the tip has a triangular blood groove structure. The design is also consistent with standard specifications.
I examined the scabbard again, confirming that it was indeed from the Qing Dynasty. I made a move to ring the bell on the table, preparing to announce the appraisal results.
But just as I turned to the side, the movement suddenly stopped.
There's something wrong with the guard on this knife.
The so-called tsuba refers to the guard at the hilt of the sword, and there is a noticeable gap between it and the arrowhead.
The arrowhead is the area between the guard and the blade that encases the edge; it is used to defend against enemy attacks.
Because it is replaceable, it reduces the damage to the knife and extends its lifespan.
Logically speaking, it's normal for a knife to have its arrowhead changed, but judging from the workmanship of this knife's scabbard, it's definitely not a combat knife, but rather a ceremonial knife for display.
Why do you need to replace the arrowhead of a ceremonial sword?
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