"Counterfeit?"

Elder Lin exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this.

Mr. Wang raised his eyebrow and said, "You're actually saying it's a fake? All three of us couldn't tell, how could you possibly do so? Or are you saying, you don't understand Xuande Furnaces and are just talking nonsense here?"

"That's right, all three of us concluded it's genuine, are you insulting us?"

Elder Sun also said with displeasure.

Mr. Wang, full of arrogance, then shouted at Qin Feng, "You don't understand, so let me explain to you!"

"The Xuande Furnace is cast from Wind Mill Copper, aside from top-grade tribute red copper, it also includes precious materials like gold and silver. The forging process back then was extremely strict, with just over three thousand pieces made, each personally inspected by the Emperor, something later generations of copper furnaces couldn't replicate."

"The most dazzling aspect of it is the color!"

"The color is integrated internally, emitting a strange light amongst the dulness, like the soft, pinchable skin of a woman, that is its characteristic."

"Therefore, the most crucial point in discerning a Xuande Furnace is examining its color!"

"The shape can be imitated, patterns can be imitated, craftsmanship can be imitated, but only the color is something you can only get close to, not duplicate."

"And this copper furnace's patina is lustrous, simply perfect, how could it possibly be fake?"

Having said that.

Mr. Wang looked toward Qin Feng and asked, "How did you discern it?"

Qin Feng grinned and said, "It's precisely because the color is too perfect, which is why I say it's too fake."

"Yes!"

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Upon hearing this, Elder Lin suddenly realized, "I've also felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint the problem; it's the color tone that's too perfect, even more than perfect. Although at first glance it seems like a top-grade item, upon further thought, the color tone of a Xuande Furnace shouldn't be this intact."

Mr. Wang became anxious and said, "This, this is a fallacious argument, it can't be deemed evidence of a fake."

Elder Lin felt it indeed couldn't be taken as evidence, and looked up at Qin Feng again.

"May I borrow a lighter?"

Qin Feng asked.

After getting a lighter from Elder Lin, he planned to burn the incense burner, but was immediately stopped by the three seniors and the buyer, who said, "What are you doing? If there's the slightest damage, can you afford the compensation?"

Qin Feng directly took out fifty yuan and set it down, saying, "This incense burner isn't even worth twenty on the market, I'll give you fifty."

"You, you're ignorant!"

Mr. Wang shouted angrily.

Elder Lin too became anxious and further questioned Qin Feng, saying, "Are you that certain this incense burner is counterfeit?"

Although he knew something was off, being a master of antiques himself, he dared not conclude, much less set it on fire.

"I'm certain, it's a fake."

Qin Feng said, undeterred, and continued to burn it with the flame.

Very quickly.

Under the effect of the fire, one side of the copper furnace blackened. He then used a cloth to wipe off the blackened area, and the burned part immediately showed a stark contrast in color tone from the rest!

"I told you, it's a fake."

Qin Feng shrugged.

Seeing the situation, all three elders from Elder Lin's group were dumbstruck.

It turns out, this copper furnace was really a counterfeit!

"Haha, we nearly got fooled there, young man, not bad, very good indeed."

Elder Lin said, laughing.

"Yes indeed, the three of us couldn't tell but you did, not a simple feat, Lake City is about to have another antique master, haha..."

Mr. Wang and Elder Sun also smiled, but their smiles were somewhat stiff.

Qin Feng said with a smile, "Actually, my knowledge of these antiques is just superficial; I don't really understand them that well."

"You're being too modest. You really are too modest! It's not easy for someone so young to be neither arrogant in victory nor discouraged in defeat," Elder Lin said, admiringly. "If it weren't for the burning test, that copper furnace would look genuine in every aspect. I'm very curious about how you realized it was fake."

"Grandpa Lin, I'm really not being modest. I was not looking at the furnace to identify the fake but rather at the people," Qin Feng explained.

"Looking at people?"

Elder Lin was filled with doubt.

Qin Feng glanced at Mr. Wang, grinned, and said, "Esteemed elder, didn't you just make a phone call asking someone to bring money over? I guess they won't be coming at all today."

"What do you mean by that!"

Mr. Wang's expression tensed.

Qin Feng then turned to the seller, and said with a smile, "Your outfit makes you look more like a tomb raider, but with such delicate hands and a greasy skin, you don't look like someone who frequents the tombs."

The seller frowned and said, "I don't understand what you're talking about!"

Qin Feng looked around the group and continued, "Five hundred million! If it's genuine, this item is worth five hundred million. If you're so certain it's the real deal, why sell it to Grandpa Lin for only five million? Even if you stole it and feared being found out, Elder Wang, you kept urging Grandpa Lin to buy it. Didn't the thought of five hundred million tempt you?"

"How dare you suspect me?!" Mr. Wang turned ashen.

"It's not suspicion, I'm certain that you, Elder Sun, and the seller, were all trying to swindle Grandpa Lin together," Qin Feng stated.

"You... nonsense!"

Mr. Wang and Elder Sun became anxious. "Would we care about a mere five million? I have treasures worth more than five million each in my store!"

"Who knows? It's all about those four words after all—'fame, gain, wealth, and rank.' Maybe it's for 'fame'?"

Qin Feng shrugged.

"You're talking rubbish!" Mr. Wang was so angry that his face turned red. "Grandpa Lin, this greenhorn is trying to drive a wedge between us!"

Elder Lin's face was equally somber as he said sternly, "Have you had enough, Old Wang? For the sake of our decades of friendship, I won't pursue this matter. You should take care of it yourself!"

After all, he was the Mount Tai and Beidou of Lake City's antique circle, a man of authority.

At his anger,

Mr. Wang and Elder Sun no longer prevaricated, looking embarrassed, and they bowed, saying, "Grandpa Lin, we will make amends in the future, but for now, we shall take our leave..."

Once they left.

Elder Lin sighed deeply, lamenting, "I've known them for decades, and now... alas..."

"Indeed, I remember Grandpa Wang and Grandpa Sun were not like this, and they would not do such a thing just for five million."

Lin Xue'er also sighed along.

"The spectator sees the chess game better. That's why I, an outsider, was able to spot the clues," Qin Feng said.

Elder Lin looked at Qin Feng and praised him, "Young man, very impressive, haha. Determining the authenticity of antiques by observing people—that was a very clever move, and quite bold too. But aren't you afraid your guess might have been wrong? If that item had been real, it would've been worth a lot of money!"

"Not afraid, because there is only one Xuande Phoenix Ear Incense Burner in the world, and it's not in Lake City, so that one must be fake," Qin Feng said with a smile.

"Oh? Where have you seen it before?" Elder Lin asked, curious.

"This..."

Qin Feng didn't know how to answer.

When he was a child, at the Yunhu Mountain Taoist Temple in Dragon and Tiger Village, he snuck some offerings to eat and accidentally knocked over an incense burner, which turned out to be a Phoenix Ear Copper Incense Burner.

At the time, the Master of Rainbow Fairy, infuriated, went to Beidou Old Divine Doctor to complain, insisting on a compensation of five hundred million before giving up.

That's why Qin Feng claimed that the item was worth five hundred million...