To prepare for potential situations, Xia Qingtian reorganized her system inventory.
{ An adrenaline shot
A universal antidote
A disposable invisibility cloak
An SSS-level mystery gift pack with no access permission
And 10 points usable for lucky draws or redeeming items from the mall }
Xia Qingtian browsed the mall and found that the redeemable items, apart from large amounts of RMB, were mostly things she had already used. For example, adrenaline and appraisal ability cards. Among them, Xia Qingtian spotted a one-hour Martial God Card that could be redeemed for 5 points. Having experienced the power of the previous golden Martial God Card, Xia Qingtian exchanged for one without hesitation. She would save it, just in case there was a kidnapping incident later and she needed to fight head-on.
For the remaining 5 points, Xia Qingtian did not redeem for existing items but chose to try her luck with a draw. “A single draw for a miracle, what if I get a useful buff?” With this thought, Xia Qingtian clicked the draw button, and the familiar electronic voice sounded again.
{ Congratulations to the host for obtaining appraisal ability for 30 minutes through the lucky wheel. }
"That's it?" Xia Qingtian felt she had been shortchanged. After all, the mall only required 2 points for 30 minutes of appraisal ability. However, that's how lucky draws worked; there were wins and losses. Moreover, her system was notoriously tricky. Without any luck buffs, it was indeed a disadvantage.
“Next time, I should only draw when I have a luck buff,” Xia Qingtian murmured to herself.
“What?” the makeup artist, who was applying makeup for Xia Qingtian, blinked in surprise. “I didn’t quite catch that. Is the makeup too plain?”
“No, no,” Xia Qingtian had already recovered and smiled faintly, “I was just… just reciting my lines.”
“Teacher Xia is so diligent,” the makeup artist said with a smile. “How is this makeup? Is it acceptable?”
“It’s very good,” Xia Qingtian smiled faintly to express her gratitude.
She was currently at the recording site for “Ancient Treasures of a Thousand Years,” a free appraisal program with authoritative experts. The show covered various cultural antique and collectible fields such as calligraphy, painting, jade, and bronzeware. It had traveled to many cities, and each recording sought out ancient treasures while also focusing on the cultural heritage of the city, showcasing its cultural essence. That evening, experts would select the most representative and valuable ancient treasures from those presented for appraisal and evaluation, bestowing upon them the honorific title of “Thousand Year Soul.” Subsequently, not only would the collection's value double, but its owner would also receive considerable acclaim.
The show had a good reputation and high viewership ratings. The experts invited were always very skilled, and the artists invited to be part of the background were the most popular at the time, those who also projected a positive image of the city. Although Xia Qingtian’s experience was relatively shallow, she was, after all, a recipient of the Z City Top Ten Youths award, thus considered an artist who promoted a positive image of the city.
This time, her makeup and styling were simple and elegant, and her outfit was a white cheongsam, which was a stark contrast to the standard black suits worn by the three experts in previous episodes. Her appearance immediately drew everyone’s attention. The sleeveless white cheongsam demanded an extremely high standard of figure; a pound less would make it look gaunt, and a pound more would make it look bulky. Ink-dyed Chinese-style flowers were elegantly spread across the hem of the skirt, complemented by a gentle hairstyle secured by a plain pearl hairpin, enhancing her graceful demeanor. Added to this were a pair of round, delicate pearl earrings and a small Beijing fan in her hand, making her look like an intellectual beauty stepped out of a painting.
Following this, the host introduced the three experts, with the most anticipated being the highly acclaimed figure in the antique world, Master Fang of Gu Xuan Zhai. Hearing this introduction, Xia Qingtian was also taken aback. She had last seen Grandpa Fang at the Lei family’s auction, where she had stopped him from selling all his assets to auction a replica of “A Thousand Buddhas Discussing.” Master Fang also seemed surprised to see Xia Qingtian, giving her a brief once-over and a nod of acknowledgment. Xia Qingtian, finding it inconvenient to reminisce at the recording site, returned the nod, considering it a greeting. After the three experts were seated, Xia Qingtian took her seat at the very end. Her role was merely a background prop; she just needed to do her job well, occasionally chiming in or acting like a curious onlooker to match the host. It wasn't a difficult way to earn money.
This was how Xia Qingtian had originally planned her participation. Who would have thought that the very first ancient treasure presented would be so problematic? Before the introducer could even mention how they obtained the item, Master Fang spoke, “You don’t need to introduce it; this one is fake.”
Everyone was stunned, looking at each other. Those who passed the preliminary selection and were brought onto this stage had all undergone a layer-by-layer selection by various experts. Although it was possible that someone might have misjudged and allowed a fake to be presented, it was highly unusual for an expert to immediately identify it as fake, even before any introduction.
“How… how is that possible! This is a treasure my father painstakingly acquired years ago!” the owner of the antique became anxious. “This is a brush washer from the Southern Song Dynasty, the famous ‘Leaf-Dragon Head Washer’! Look at the craftsmanship, the jade color! My father spent millions to acquire it!”
“It was said that jade could cure diseases in the Song Dynasty, and many people would grind jade into powder and swallow it, which is why there are not many Song Dynasty jade pieces. Coupled with the special aesthetic in Song Dynasty paintings, Song Dynasty porcelain is also a rare treasure among treasures,” one of the experts said. “To carve a brush washer from a whole piece of material is truly rare, but…” The expert trailed off, casting his gaze towards Master Fang. Given Master Fang’s status in the antique world, anything he declared as a fake was unlikely to be disproven.
“Perhaps, perhaps Master Fang could examine it again?” another expert interjected, smiling at Master Fang.
“No need to examine,” Master Fang shook his head and then pointed at Xia Qingtian. “Young lady, you explain it.”
“Me?” Xia Qingtian was taken aback. What did this have to do with her? She was just supposed to be a background prop!
“Yes, didn’t you bid for the genuine one?” Master Fang looked at Xia Qingtian, asking if her memory had failed her. At the Lei family auction, hadn't she acquired the genuine Southern Song Dynasty brush washer, the ‘Leaf-Dragon Head Washer,’ for 5 million? Hearing Master Fang’s words, Xia Qingtian did indeed feel the brush washer looked somewhat familiar, as if it were the one she had acquired then. However, at the time, she had only followed the system's appraisal for its investment potential and bid when it seemed right. Seeing everyone looking at her, Xia Qingtian wore an awkward smile, with an electronically repeated phrase echoing in her mind: Save me! Save me! Save me!