After leaving the jade shop, Ning Wangshu couldn't help shaking his head. Looks like selling directly to a jade shop really isn't a good option.
"People who run jade shops probably aren't likely to make a fair offer. I'll have to find a buyer who knows what they're looking at..."
At that thought, an idea suddenly came to Ning Wangshu. "If I'm looking for an individual buyer, why not just carve this jade into finished pieces and sell them?"
"This piece of Spirit Jade could easily be carved into two pendants. If I find a buyer who likes them, I could probably get an even better price."
"Besides, I remember there's an antiques market on Yiren Road. I might as well go there and set up a stall to sell them..."
Without further hesitation, Ning Wangshu first returned to the apartment his younger sister rented. He used his spiritual energy to carve the Spirit Jade into a pair of Dragon and Phoenix Jade Pendants.
Ning Wangshu carved them using spiritual energy, and the finished pieces were every bit as good as a master's work.
And it had taken him only a few minutes!
Then Ning Wangshu hurried straight to the antiques market on Yiren Road.
The market sold all kinds of things: porcelain, jade, antique calligraphy and paintings, bronze ware, and more.
Of course, anyone could guess that ninety-nine percent of the goods here were modern counterfeits. Now and then, though, you might come across something genuine.
Even so, quite a few people browsed the market.
Ning Wangshu soon found a spot in a corner. He spread a cloth on the ground and laid out the two pendants he had carved, one dragon and one phoenix.
Then he sat down on the ground.
He didn't call out to passersby. He was leaving it all to chance!
If someone who knew their stuff and liked the pendants came along, they would naturally ask about them. As for ordinary people, setting aside whether they knew what they were looking at, could they even afford them?
He sat there for more than an hour.
Perhaps Ning Wangshu had picked too out-of-the-way a spot. For over an hour, no one had shown the slightest interest. But there was nothing he could do about it. All the better spots had already been taken—how could one have been left for him?
Still, Ning Wangshu wasn't in a hurry.
The two pendants he had carved were both worth a great deal, and there weren't many people who could afford them.
Besides, he had nothing else to do at the moment and plenty of time on his hands. He could afford to wait patiently.
As noon approached,
an elderly woman and a middle-aged woman passed Ning Wangshu's stall. The older woman happened to catch sight of the two pendants he had laid out. She stopped at once, her gaze settling on the Dragon-shaped jade pendant.
"Oh, this pendant looks pretty nice. Maybe I'll buy it for my grandson to wear!"
The older woman spoke up.
The middle-aged woman with her followed her gaze.
"It does look all right."
The middle-aged woman agreed.
Then the two crouched in front of Ning Wangshu's stall. Seeing that he had only the two pendants for sale, the middle-aged woman asked in surprise, "Are these the only two things you're selling?"
At last, someone had asked about them. Ning Wangshu promptly replied, "Yes, just these two pendants."
The middle-aged woman said nothing more, but the older woman reached out and picked up the Dragon-shaped jade pendant. She rubbed and examined it carefully for a moment, then asked, "How much are you asking for this pendant?"
Ning Wangshu glanced at her and said, "One million!"
"What?!"
The older woman was startled. She stared at him wide-eyed. "One million? Why don't you just rob someone? You want a million for this hunk of junk?"
Hearing her, Ning Wangshu frowned. He knew she definitely wouldn't pay that much, so he didn't want to waste his breath arguing. "If you think it's too expensive, please put the pendant down."
But the older woman didn't put it down. Instead, she said, "Five hundred! Your pendant isn't anything special. It's worth five hundred at most. So, are you selling it? I'll pay you right now!"
"Five hundred? Heh..."
Ning Wangshu was so exasperated he laughed, but he couldn't be bothered to argue with her. He simply said, "You should go look at the other stalls. As for my pendant, the price is one million, not a cent less!"
"Please put my pendant down!"
Hearing Ning Wangshu, the older woman kept making a scene. "Young man, five hundred is already a pretty good offer. Don't be greedy and fail to take a good deal when you see one. You want a million, not a cent less? Do you think anyone would pay a million for this hunk of junk?"
"All right, I'll raise my offer a little. Eight hundred! I'll buy it for eight hundred!"
She kept talking, but she still wouldn't put the pendant back.
Ning Wangshu frowned and said in a low voice, "How much I'm asking is my business. I'll say it again: if you can't accept the price, put my pendant back!"
Seeing that Ning Wangshu wouldn't budge, the older woman's expression darkened. She raised her voice. "What's that supposed to mean? Do you think I can't afford it?"
"It's just a piece of junk! You're acting like it's something special. Hmph!"
"Then put my pendant down!"
Ning Wangshu raised his voice as well, growing irritated with the obstinate older woman.
"What, if I don't put it down, are you going to hit me? I want to buy something. What's wrong with taking a look? You're selling things, aren't you? Are people not allowed to look?"
The older woman wore a defiant expression.
Ning Wangshu forced down his anger and took a deep breath. "I'll give you ten seconds. If you still haven't put my things down by then, don't blame me for taking them back myself!"
Unexpectedly, as soon as Ning Wangshu said this, the older woman dropped straight to the ground and began making a scene. "Oh, help! Someone's hitting me! This young man is picking on an old woman!"
Her wailing immediately drew the attention of many people nearby, who turned to look in surprise.
Ning Wangshu was so exasperated by the older woman's theatrics that he laughed. His voice turned cold. "So this is how you play it? You take my things and refuse to let go, then throw yourself on the ground and make a scene?"
"What do you mean, making a scene? You're a young man bullying an old woman! Have you no shame? Everyone, come and see! This young man is going to hit me..."
The middle-aged woman also shouted loudly, acting every bit as brazenly as a shrew.
The passersby who had no idea what was going on couldn't help pointing and murmuring among themselves.
Ning Wangshu didn't bother wasting any more words. He stood up and forcibly pried the pendant from the older woman's hand. She gripped it tightly and refused to let go, still struggling with all her might.
However, Ning Wangshu secretly summoned a wisp of spiritual energy and immobilized her completely. She couldn't move a muscle, and the hand gripping the pendant opened against her will.
After retrieving the pendant, Ning Wangshu withdrew his spiritual energy.