Chapter 46: Unmasking the Deception

"A tip?"

Hearing this, "Master Mo Yang" swayed, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood.

A tip? My ass!

I am a distinguished master, a man of means; do you think I'd accept your tip...?

His face turned ashen, "Master Mo Yang" felt like he was about to explode. At that moment, accepting it wasn't an option, nor was refusing it.

If he accepted, it would be acknowledging it as a tip, making him no different from a servant or an errand boy. If he refused... the other party's action made him feel even more humiliated!

Suddenly, a thought popped into his mind... Had this kid deliberately used his money earlier, having already guessed this, and then intentionally made him look bad?

"You don't want it? Great! That saves me a thousand. You know, a thousand gold coins can buy a lot of things!"

Seeing that he still wouldn't take it, Zhang Xuan put the money back into his pocket, muttering as he did so.

"..." Hearing this, "Master Mo Yang" felt even more distraught.

"You just got lucky and picked the right one; that doesn't mean you've won! Well, I have urgent matters, so I must leave!"

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Master Mo Yang" stood up, flung his hand, and made to leave.

Watching his actions, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but admire him.

He truly was a professional con artist. Failing to hit his mark, he immediately left. Such decisiveness was admirable.

Regardless of whether it was good luck or genuine ability to identify treasures, having made so much money in one go, the people around him would certainly no longer consider him a madman. Rather than continuing to cause a stir here, it was better to stop now.

After all, he had already gained significant benefits by giving advice to others earlier.

The longer the commotion continued, the more disadvantageous it would be for the con artist.

"The results of our contest aren't out yet, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Since Zhang Xuan intended to beat the dog while it was down, he naturally couldn't let him run off like that.

"That's right, Master, don't be in such a hurry to leave! The items you bought made money, so he hasn't won either!"

"The Master just underestimated his opponent and didn't choose the most valuable treasure; we believe in you..."

After accumulating followers for many days, the Master still had many loyal supporters.

"I already said I have urgent matters and must leave. Farewell!" "Master Mo Yang" waved his hand.

"Urgent matters shouldn't prevent you from staying a few more minutes, should they? I have something I'd like to ask you!" Zhang Xuan blocked his path.

"What is it?" "Master Mo Yang" stopped and snorted coldly.

"My friend..."

Seeing him stop, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and looked at the elderly man who had just obtained a spot with the Master and bought the ornamental vase.

"What's wrong?" The old man walked over.

The ornamental vase was still in his arms, held like the most precious treasure. Such a large item would certainly take a long time to polish, so he hadn't gone to do it yet.

"If I'm not mistaken, this item you bought for eighty thousand gold coins is an ornamental vase, and it's broken. It's not worth even a single gold coin!" Zhang Xuan pointed.

"An ornamental vase? Not worth a single gold coin? What kind of joke is this? The Master helped me choose this..." The old man's face darkened, and he shouted angrily.

"Such a large treasure would certainly be troublesome to polish, requiring at least a day. How about this: just smash it on the ground! If I'm wrong, I'll compensate you eighty thousand gold coins! If I'm right, then you've fallen into someone's trap and been deceived, and you can go demand your money from the one who tricked you!"

Zhang Xuan watched him with a smile.

"Smash it?" The old man was stunned.

The other person was right; such a large treasure would indeed take a lot of time to polish, but smashing it would be quick.

If, as the other person said, it was just an ornamental vase, it truly wouldn't be worth much.

Eighty thousand gold coins — even for him, that was almost enough to bankrupt his family.

If he had truly bought a fake, he might as well jump off a building upon returning home.

If the young man had said this earlier, he would have scoffed and disbelieved it a thousand times over. But the fact that the young man had just bought a treasure that multiplied its value 765 times made him waver.

"Don't worry, a true treasure wouldn't shatter just from a fall. If it doesn't break, you won't lose anything!" Seeing his hesitation, Zhang Xuan continued.

"Alright!"

After only a brief hesitation, the old man casually threw the "treasure" he was cradling in his arms.

With a crash!

With a crisp sound, the tall "treasure" shattered instantly, revealing its true form hidden beneath the moss and dirt... It was indeed a pile of broken porcelain.

"It's really... an ornamental vase?"

Taking a look, many people recognized it; it was indeed an ornamental vase without a doubt.

Even if this item was an ancient relic, it wasn't worth anything. Forget eighty thousand gold coins; it couldn't even be sold for ten.

"What's going on...?"

Staring at the shattered fragments scattered across the ground, the old man was dumbfounded.

He had originally hoped to make a fortune with this item, but it had turned out like this. How could he not be furious?

"What's going on? You should ask Master Mo Yang about that! If I'm not mistaken, he and this stall owner are partners. They use the pretense of being able to appraise treasures to attract everyone's attention, and then, under the guise of offering guidance, they have you spend huge sums to buy things, thereby raking in exorbitant profits!"

Zhang Xuan looked at "Master Mo Yang" and the nearby stall owner, a slight smile playing on his lips: "As for how he could pick out valuable items, it's very simple. He wasn't present during the polishing process at all. He could simply take out a pre-prepared treasure and claim it was the one he had chosen earlier. Since no one saw it, couldn't they say whatever they wanted?"

"This..."

"Is it true or false?"

...

Hearing the truth revealed by Zhang Xuan, everyone was shaken.

First, he openly appraised treasures himself, then he exposed a fake one, step by step. The crowd, who had just moments ago completely trusted "Master Mo Yang," now began to have doubts.

Crash!

As they pondered who was right and who was wrong, another crisp crash echoed through the crowd. Another person who had just gotten a spot with the Master smashed their "treasure." This time, it wasn't porcelain but an old, discarded pottery jar, clearly worthless at a glance.

"Fake, it's fake! I spent sixty thousand gold coins on this... They are swindlers!"

The buyer, seeing the fragments on the ground, realized he had been duped and roared furiously.

Bang! Boom! Thump!

With two precedents set, the remaining few could no longer sit still. They all began throwing their newly bought "treasures" or breaking them open with hammers and knives.

Upon inspection, all their faces turned pale.

"They're all fakes... just worthless scraps!"

"We've been deceived! This Master Mo Yang is a fraud..."

If only one item had been fake, it might have been excusable; after all, even a treasure appraiser couldn't be 100% accurate. But with nine consecutive expensive purchases turning out to be fakes, it could only mean the other party was a swindler!

You talk about benevolence and unparalleled righteousness... Pah! You're just a big fraud!

The enraged crowd now surrounded the area, thick as a wall, glaring at "Master Mo Yang" and the stall owner. They felt like killing them.

No one's money came easily.

If they hadn't been exposed, by the time they finished polishing, even if they realized they'd been swindled, who would they seek redress from?

"Don't listen to this kid's nonsense! Even a treasure appraisal master can make a mistake. This stall owner and I truly don't know each other..."

Seeing the murderous glares of the crowd, "Master Mo Yang" knew he could no longer conceal the truth and roared.

Had it been earlier, the crowd would certainly have listened to him, but now... no one was listening anymore.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

Immediately, the sounds of bodies being pounded like sandbags erupted from the crowd, followed by continuous screams. The stall owner was not spared either.

As for Zhang Xuan, the instigator, he had already quietly left amidst the chaos.

The world was vast; every day, people committed fraud, and people were deceived. He wasn't a deity and couldn't manage everything. If "Master Mo Yang" hadn't been idle and sought trouble with him, he wouldn't have bothered.

Now that the deceived people knew the situation, they would naturally handle it properly, so he didn't need to worry anymore.

"Huang Yu Bookstore..."

Slowly proceeding along the market, a huge room soon appeared before him, its towering shelves filled with all kinds of books.

The trading house sold medicinal herbs, weapons, and fierce beasts, and naturally, it also had a place for books, which was his main reason for coming to the trading house.

"Let's go in and take a look!"

Zhang Xuan stepped inside.