Chapter 439: With this level, you still want to take me as your disciple?_1
Chapter 439: With this level, you still want to take me as your disciple?_1
Sun Changfeng’s sudden proposal took everyone present by surprise.
Who would have thought that a perfectly good competition would turn into a scene for taking on an apprentice?
Everyone curiously turned to look at Tang Feng, eager to see how he would respond.
Tang Feng was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting Sun Changfeng to pull such a stunt.
However, he quickly recovered his wits, revealing a sly smile, “That’s possible…”
“So you agree?” Sun Changfeng immediately beamed with joy.
Having Tang Feng as an apprentice would be the biggest surprise for him, a chance to pass on all he had learned in his lifetime.
But before he could revel in his joy for too long, he heard Tang Feng continue, “If you want to take me as your apprentice, win against me first.”
His words were akin to saying, show me if you are qualified to take me as an apprentice.
Sun Changfeng felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. His old face turned from green to white before he finally snorted coldly, “There are plenty who wish to take me as their master. I kindly offered you an opportunity, but since you don’t cherish it, then forget it. Let’s continue with the competition.”
Having said that, he turned back to the topic at hand. “The handwriting on this set of documents is neat and characteristic of the Song people, and with tens of thousands of words written so freely, it’s not easy to imitate…”
Tang Feng waited for him to finish, then added, “The paper used in these documents is the kind that would accompany a Song Dynasty official as personal records, issued by the higher authorities upon taking office, and is completely consistent with Song Dynasty literature…”
“These documents…”
The two of them went back and forth, each giving five or six reasons for their appraisal.
But soon, Sun Changfeng began to sweat profusely.
The depth of Tang Feng’s knowledge was truly startling to him.
Many things Tang Feng said were novel to Sun Changfeng, who had immersed himself in ancient calligraphy and painting for most of his life, yet upon reflection, they all made perfect sense.
Finally, when Tang Feng gave another reason for his appraisal, Sun Changfeng found himself at a loss for words.
Scratching his ears and cheeks for a good while, he could not come up with another reason.
The corners of Tang Feng’s mouth curled up slightly, “What’s wrong, Mr. Sun? Is this all you’ve noticed? With this level of expertise, you still wanted to take me as your apprentice?”
Sun Changfeng’s face reddened, “There are only so many methods to appraise these ancient documents, and we’ve already gone through them. Where would there be anything new?”
“Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean others can’t,” Tang Feng said, making no effort to conceal his disdain.
Sun Changfeng was somewhat irritated, “Alright, since you claim to see it, then say it. Just give one more reason, and you win this round.”
“These are your words.”
Tang Feng sneered contemptuously, then turned to address the onlookers, “I believe everyone was initially puzzled about how these documents could have been preserved so well after seven or eight hundred years.”
The crowd nodded in agreement; it was a mystery that had baffled them.
If judged solely by the appearance of these documents, nobody would believe they came from the Southern Song Dynasty.
“Actually, it’s quite simple.”
Tang Feng picked up the documents and began to explain to the crowd, “To ensure the documents are well-preserved, one needs to pour mercury inside the coffin, lacquer the exterior completely, and then place it within brick and tile. Furthermore, the tomb chamber should not be too large – it’s best if it can only accommodate one coffin. The gaps between the coffin and the tomb walls should be filled with a mixture of slaked lime, sand, and glutinous rice juice…”
He rattled off a whole list in one breath, leaving the crowd dizzy and confused.
But they knew enough to be impressed.
Zhong Pan’er looked on with admiration as Tang Feng spoke confidently.
His knowledge was indeed vast – was there anything he didn’t know?
At the same age, why was the gap between them so wide?
After Tang Feng finished explaining the method of preserving the documents for a thousand years, he turned back to face Sun Changfeng, “How about it, Mr. Sun? Are you convinced now?”
Sun Changfeng stood there in a daze, looking at Tang Feng with disbelief.
The knowledge this young man possessed was so profound it was hard to believe.
He had just entertained the thought of taking him as an apprentice, but now, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
In fact, he had cheated.
The owner of the treasure was a shill brought in by Zhao Quande.
They had all witnessed Tang Feng’s performance at the Appraiser qualification contest, which could only be described as stunning.
They were not certain they could defeat him in a direct confrontation.
Thus, they had secretly arranged for several shills, hidden among the crowd, just in case.
It was because he was prepared in advance that he was able to appraise so quickly and provide several compelling reasons.
But even with such thorough preparation, he still lost in the end.
And Tang Feng, seeing these documents for the first time, managed to perform so spectacularly—his strength was simply incomprehensible.
Zhao Quande was also shocked.
Only he and Sun Changfeng knew the inside story, so they understood the full impact.
This young man was like a war god, invincible in battle.
Even cheating couldn’t secure them a win against him.
His formidable power was truly suffocating!
Ultimately, Zhong Pan’er announced the result of the competition, “In the seventeenth round, Tang Feng from Elegant Pavilion wins!”
“Whoa…”
The entire venue erupted into an uproar.
At that moment, Tang Feng was the absolute star of the show.
Alone, he faced eighteen senior appraisers and managed to win seventeen rounds in a row.
This kind of record was unprecedented.
Even if he lost the last round, it would not diminish his godlike performance today.
The customers at the event had been completely won over by his skill.
With such an appraiser on hand, even if it was not possible to guarantee every item was genuine, at least a 90 percent or higher accuracy rate could be expected.
Such a high rate of accuracy was more than enough to reassure many consumers.
In the midst of the crowd’s cheering, Zhao Quande finally stepped into the fray.
With the previous seventeen appraisers defeated, only he remained. Victory or defeat hinged on this single encounter.
“Young man, you’ve truly surprised me. At such a young age, your expertise in antiques is so profound, a rare talent that comes along only once in a century,” Zhao Quande praised as he approached Tang Feng, his face full of admiration.
Upon hearing his praise, Tang Feng smiled faintly, “From what you’re saying, do you mean to admit defeat?”
“Admit defeat? Hahaha, ‘admit defeat’ has never been in my vocabulary,” Zhao Quande laughed heartily, then fixed his gaze on Tang Feng, “In this final round, you are bound to lose!”
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