Chapter 130: The Impostor

Two young men, looking remarkably honest and dressed in simple, patched clothing, approached Ling Tian with a jade bracelet. One of them whispered, "Big brother, this is a family heirloom jade bracelet, over a hundred years old. Our family is in dire straits, and we are forced by circumstances to sell it for money."

Before Ling Tian could respond, the young man continued, "I originally wanted to sell it to a shop, but you know how it is—there are too many unscrupulous merchants out there who would surely lowball the price. That’s why I want to sell it to you. Why don't you make an offer?" Their simple expressions and plain language made Ling Tian suspicious; they were being just a little *too* honest.

Taking a closer look at their clothes, Ling Tian noticed the patches were freshly sewn, with clear scissor marks visible along the stitching. The dusty areas on their garments showed distinct friction patterns, obviously caused by deliberately rolling around on the ground.

It was a scam.

"How much?" Ling Tian asked coolly. If not for his spiritual perception, he might have been fooled. Unless one was a professional jeweler, it was incredibly difficult to distinguish the fake with the naked eye. Modern scammers were highly skilled, particularly the old-school academic types in China specializing in forgery; their work was truly indistinguishable from the real thing.

Seeing Ling Tian ask for a price, the leader, a young man with a buzzcut, sensed an opportunity. "I don't know much about it. When I left home, my grandmother told me it was a Burmese jade raw stone from over a century ago. I really don't know what it’s worth."

Coincidentally, a flashily dressed young man walked by. Upon seeing the bracelet, his eyes lit up. He leaned in, feigning great excitement. "Good stuff! Burmese jade raw stones are never cheap. Let me see." He snatched the bracelet and began examining it with a practiced, performative air.

"This is definitely a high-quality piece. It’s worth at least fifty thousand," the young man declared, his face full of feigned enthusiasm.

The buzzcut man acted shocked. "My goodness, it's worth that much? I thought selling it for ten thousand would be a miracle. Big brother, why don't you buy it? I won't have to look for another buyer."

The flashy man looked troubled. "The thing is, I didn't bring that much cash with me."

The buzzcut man said, "Then I'll sell it to you for less. How much do you have?"

The flashy man patted his pockets and sighed. "Brother, it's not that I don't want to buy it, but I really don't have that much cash on me. Successful people these days carry cards, but unfortunately, you can't process card payments here."

"Go to the bank and withdraw it; I'll wait here for you," the buzzcut man suggested with an air of naive sincerity.

"My bank card has a limit—I can only withdraw twenty thousand a day. Anything more requires an appointment. What a pity, such a rare item, what a shame." As he spoke, he kept stealing glances at Ling Tian. Seeing that Ling Tian remained unmoved, he immediately raised his voice. "How about I find someone to pool some money together and buy your bracelet first?"

"That works! As long as I get the money, I'm happy. Since you're sincere, just give me thirty thousand. That’s better than being swindled by those greedy merchants. Consider it making a friend," the buzzcut man laughed.

The flashy man glanced at Ling Tian, who still showed no interest, and felt compelled to approach him. "Big brother, I don't have enough cash. Why don't we pool our money, buy the bracelet, and then resell it? We could make tens of thousands. I know a friend in the jewelry business who pays fair prices for quality goods." He lowered his voice for the last few sentences, as if worried the buzzcut man might overhear.

Ling Tian had zero interest in such amateurish acting. He said flatly, "This is a jewelry store. Why go elsewhere to sell it? Why not sell it directly to this shop? I trust a store of this scale wouldn't cheat you."

The buzzcut man and his companion realized Ling Tian had seen through their ploy. They shot him a hateful glare and slunk off to a corner to whisper among themselves. Ling Tian didn't pay them any mind; these clowns had nothing but the same tired tricks.

Zhang Ding had selected a piece of jewelry—a pendant carved from Hetian jade. With its pure white luster and exquisite craftsmanship, it gave off an aura of sanctity. "Boss, take a look at this. What do you think?" Zhang Ding had fallen in love with it at first sight and hurriedly called Ling Tian over for an opinion.

Ling Tian scanned it with his spiritual perception. The quality was excellent, rich in spiritual energy—a truly fine piece of jade. The price, however, was a bit steep at thirty-two thousand, even after the discount. "You have a good eye. Zhang Ting will surely love it," Ling Tian smiled.

"The price is a bit high. You’ve saved up some money over the years, haven't you?" Ling Tian teased.

Zhang Ding scratched his head, embarrassed. "Not much, just enough to buy this jade. I intend to give it to Zhang Ting as a token of our love."

"I'll cover it. Go pick out a few more—one for Zhao Ming’s wife and one for Xiaomin. I’ll etch defensive arrays onto them to keep them safe," Ling Tian said. Mu Qingcheng already had a jade pendant with a defensive array, but the others didn't. He would take this opportunity to make one for each.

Zhang Ding beamed. "Thank you, Boss! By the way, could we get one for each of us brothers too?"

"You're quite thoughtful, aren't you? Go ahead and pick them out, we'll pack them all together. Remember, although they have defensive arrays, they can only ward off ordinary attacks, so don't expect too much," Ling Tian cautioned. He was already looking forward to the day he could craft Tier 1 Spirit Talismans, which could withstand much heavier impacts, like machetes or blunt force, and in specific conditions, even low-velocity bullets.

In a confined space, the energy released by an amulet would be concentrated, making it highly effective. For instance, during An Qi’s car accident, the confined space of the vehicle had restricted the energy, resulting in a significantly stronger protective effect.

"Boss, it’s embarrassing to let you spend so much on us," Zhang Ding said with a grin.

"Go pick them out; I’ll look around some more." After dismissing Zhang Ding, Ling Tian wandered off. The shop was large, and there might be missed opportunities. After all, he had lived in his rented courtyard for days before discovering a low-grade spirit herb growing in a corner. Great things were often found by chance.

The three scammers, having finished their huddle in the corner, had clearly come up with a better plan. They marched up to the jewelry counter with the jade bracelet. The flashy young man tapped on the glass display case and asked the clerk, "Hey, do you buy jade bracelets here?"

The clerk offered a professional, polite smile. "Sir, our store does offer a buy-back service for jade. If the quality is superior, we offer a very fair price, and we have a dedicated appraiser to assist you. Of course, if you are unsatisfied, you are welcome to seek a third-party appraisal."

The flashy man, clearly not a professional, looked bewildered by the clerk's terminology. It took him a while to understand. He pulled his two partners aside, turned around, and retreated to the corner to whisper again, presumably plotting a new strategy.

Five minutes later, the trio returned to the counter, placed the bracelet on the glass, and said, "This is our family heirloom, a raw Burmese jade piece. Someone told me it's worth a hundred thousand. Please appraise it; if your price is fair, we'll sell it to you."

The clerk looked at the three with suspicion. They had been in the store since early morning, pestering customers to buy their bracelet, and now they were trying to sell it to the shop. Still, the clerk didn't take it to heart—the store had a professional appraiser who could easily verify the authenticity.

"I will call the appraiser immediately. Please wait a moment." The clerk picked up the phone and dialed the extension.

Soon, a woman in her thirties, wearing black silk stockings, walked quickly to the front desk. She nodded to the clerk, then looked at the three scammers. "Hello, I am the store’s appraiser. How can I help you?"

Seeing the alluring and sophisticated woman, the three scammers stared, nearly drooling.

"Help us appraise this jade bracelet. By the way, there's no appraisal fee, right?" The flashy man wiped the drool from his mouth, struggling to look away from her captivating figure. *Damn it, stop looking. We're here to scam money, not to ogle beauties,* he scolded himself, forcing his mind back to the task at hand.

"Appraisals are free," the woman said with a sweet smile. She picked up the bracelet and gave it a cursory glance. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. With her years of experience, she could roughly judge quality just by touch and sight. The moment she held it, the texture felt poor—not smooth, rather rough—and the luster lacked depth.

"Well? Is it worth a hundred thousand? This is a family treasure, an authentic raw Burmese jade piece!" The flashy man stared at her graceful figure, unable to stop bragging. *Once I get the money,* he thought, *I’m definitely finding a beauty like this to be my wife.*

*Authentic raw Burmese jade? How could it be?*

The woman examined it closely, her brow furrowed in uncertainty. She took a microscope-like device and a small flashlight from her kit. Under the beam of the light, she inspected the stone through the lens.

After about a minute, she set the tools down. With a professional smile, she said to the young man, "Sir, perhaps my testing equipment is limited. You might want to take it elsewhere for an appraisal." Her words were polite, but the message was clear: this item was a fake.