```

'Hey, you treated me yesterday, and I have to show my gratitude,' Old Master suddenly said.

'You... you, did Sister Ping tell you?' Wang Xiaoqiang asked in disbelief.

'Of course not. I know you all are hiding something from me,' the old man shook his head, 'Do you think I am a fool? To tell you the truth, I was very aware. Yesterday in the hospital, when you sat beside me, I felt a stream of energy enter my body, and then I fell asleep comfortably. You dare say that stream wasn't your doing?'

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoqiang nearly lost his soul.

Oh my God, Old Master Zhong has noticed. This is not good at all. If word gets out, wouldn't they drag me to a biological research lab to dissect me?!

'Old Master, actually that was me using Qigong to treat your illness...' Wang Xiaoqiang said evasively, uncertain whether Old Master would believe him, feeling a sense of trepidation.

Old Master waved his hand, 'I don't care what method you used, the main thing is that you cured my illness and let this old wreck live a few more years, that's enough for me. I am a person who looks at the results, not the process...' Old Master waved his hand, signaling Wang Xiaoqiang not to explain, as he was not surprised by it.

The auction continued.

As each item came up for auction, Old Master Zhong would ask Wang Xiaoqiang if he liked it? Wang Xiaoqiang shook his head in refusal each time.

When the auction reached its final stage, a staff member walked onto the stage with a wooden box, presenting its contents to everyone. It was an ancient sword covered in verdigris, resembling a Bronze Sword from the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, unfortunately, though, this Ancient Sword was a Broken Sword, snapped in half from the middle, yet the broken part was still--

'What's going on? A broken sword...' a woman exclaimed, her beautiful eyes wide behind her gold-rimmed glasses.

'This, this is just fooling people. I came for an Ancient Sword, and it turns out to be a broken one... Had I known, I wouldn't have come...' a middle-aged man in his fifties said indignantly.

'Such a waste, this is a fine sword, probably from the Warring States Era, sigh...' A white-haired elderly man looked at the ancient sword on the stage, sighing and shaking his head.

After a round of discussion, the auctioneer finally spoke up, 'Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you've all seen this sword. This sword was used by a Great General during the Warring States Period. Of course, this sword has seen battle and tasted blood, so I need not elaborate on its powers to ward off evil. Some may think this is a broken sword and find it imperfect, but what I want to tell you is that a Bronze Sword from the Warring States Era like this one cannot be found anywhere else aside from the Capital City Museum. So, although it is incomplete, its rarity is what's valuable. Besides, it's not flawed, it's just broken...'

The auctioneer's words were clearly a bit exaggerated. Although enticing, the attendees were no fools. A broken sword, with no sense of perfection to speak of, naturally depreciated in its collectible value by half, so no matter how the auctioneer tried to dazzle, no one in the audience bid.

It was somewhat of a cold scene for a while.

Old Master Zhong, being a seasoned collector, shared the same perception as everyone else; a broken sword, whether for collection or investment, isn't worth much, so he had no intention of bidding either.

In the whole venue, only Wang Xiaoqiang stared intently at the Ancient Bronze Sword on the stage, his heart stirred, and he couldn't help asking Old Master Zhong, 'Master Zhong, tell me the truth, if that sword were intact, a complete sword, how much would it be worth?'

'That...' Old Master Zhong pinched the beard on his chin, pondered for a moment, and said, 'The sword can't be fake. It should be a Bronze Sword from the Warring States Era. If it were a complete sword, it would be worth at least one hundred million. Perhaps in a bidding battle, it could fetch even two hundred million or more...'

```

"So much?" Wang Xiaoqiang exclaimed in surprise while feeling a rush of excitement in his heart.

"Little Qiang, don't forget, when bidding on items there are two values to consider, one is investment value, and the other is collectible value. Half of the people here are investors; they bid low to sell high later on or hold onto the items until they appreciate in value before selling them. But then there are those who come specifically to collect. These folks don't care about the money so much—if they like it and find it worth collecting, they'll bid whatever it takes to get it... Of course, these people are all wealthy..."

"Then, Old Master Zhong, what do you think this Broken Sword will go for?" Wang Xiaoqiang asked, somewhat impatiently.

Old Master Zhong shook his head. "At most thirty million! It would be good if someone even bids at all."

Despite being a Broken Sword, after a brief cold spell, someone finally made an offer. A middle-aged fat man raised his hand, "I bid six million..."

Hearing a bid, there was a rustle in the crowd, and everyone's gaze turned toward the fat man, clearly indicating that he was an investor.

"Eight million," the woman with gold-rimmed glasses bid.

After a while with no further bids, the auctioneer intentionally dragged out the time.

Just as the auctioneer felt it was no longer possible to delay and was about to speak, an elderly man said, "I bid ten million..."

After the bid of ten million, nobody else made a bid.

As the auctioneer prepared to end the auction after a considerable wait, someone else bid, "I bid sixteen million..."

The sword was undeniably an Ancient Bronze Sword being auctioned at Baoyuan Auction House, so it couldn't be fake, which meant it still had investment value. Although the bidding wasn't energetic, it was a form of composed and strategic gambit.

Wang Xiaoqiang thought Old Master Zhong's method of bidding on the bracelets was effective, so he wanted to try it out. After waiting for a while following the old man's bid, he raised his hand, "I bid twenty-eight million..."

A murmur ran through the crowd as the price was quite high, and going any higher would exceed the Broken Sword's value. If they won it for more, it would have no collectible value nor investment value, so no one else made a bid.

Just as Wang Xiaoqiang had urged Master Zhong previously, now Master Zhong anxiously advised him, "Little Qiang, what are you doing? What's so good about a Broken Sword..."

Hearing this, the surrounding people naturally assumed Wang Xiaoqiang was inexperienced and impulsive, foolishly bidding and frustrating the older person beside him. So naturally, nobody wanted to follow in his footsteps and make the same mistake, resulting in no more bids.

After a considerable wait with no new bids, the auctioneer's voice rang out, "Alright, to the gentleman who bid twenty-eight million, are there any higher bids? Alright, none, twenty-eight million once, twenty-eight million twice, twenty-eight million three times, sold..."

The deal was struck. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to give it your recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)

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