Chapter 446: Chapter 446: Fake
The two sides were at odds over the price.
The crowd of onlookers buzzed with discussion, all agreeing that the Bezoar was indeed quite valuable.
Hu Qiming had been observing the whole process from the side.
As a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, he was naturally familiar with a precious medicinal ingredient like Bezoar.
He drew a little closer, carefully examining the piece of Bezoar.
The Bezoar was spherical and golden-yellow, with a faintly visible texture.
The more Hu Qiming looked, the brighter his eyes shone. He felt the quality of this Bezoar was absolutely perfect. In terms of both color and size, it could be considered top-grade.
Moreover, it had been freshly removed from a cow’s entrails, so there was no possibility of it being a fake.
The medicinal and collectible value of such a Natural Bezoar were both extremely high, far beyond what a mere ten or twenty thousand yuan could measure.
He also remembered that Li Xu had obtained a top-quality Bezoar.
It was worth several million.
He had even produced An Gong Bezoar Pills with it.
Hu Qiming was very envious of Li Xu, and because he was in a mentorship program with him, he knew more than most.
One of the main reasons for Li Xu’s sudden rise to prominence was his access to high-quality medicinal ingredients.
’If I had high-quality ingredients too, couldn’t I also become a famous doctor?’
The Bezoar before him couldn’t compare to Li Xu’s, but its value still far exceeded the crowd’s estimates.
Hu Qiming’s breath quickened. Suppressing his excitement, he stepped out of the crowd and said to the man in the suit, "Sir, I’d like to buy this Bezoar as well."
The man in the suit glanced at him and said with a smile, "My friend, it’s first come, first served. I’ve already reached an agreement with them." He clearly didn’t want Hu Qiming to get involved.
"I’ll offer a higher price."
Hu Qiming was unwilling to give up.
The suited man’s expression changed slightly, then he countered, "I’ll offer thirty thousand."
"I’ll offer forty thousand," Hu Qiming followed without hesitation.
The Bezoar’s true value was far more than forty thousand. For him, this was an absolute windfall.
A look of regret appeared on the suited man’s face. He said to the old man, "Sorry, I don’t have that much cash on me. It looks like I’ll have to pass."
In the end, Hu Qiming bought the Bezoar from the old man and the bald man for forty thousand yuan.
The old man and the bald man gleefully split the money.
Hu Qiming took the Bezoar, his heart filled with joy.
He bought some beef, then met up with a nurse from the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and went to Li’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic.
The clinic was busy as always.
"Ah, you’re here."
Li Xu greeted them with a smile. "You can set up the tables and get things ready yourselves. I’m swamped at the moment."
Hu Qiming put the beef, seafood, and vegetables in the backyard. As he moved a table, he said, "You go ahead and finish up. In a bit, I’ll show you something amazing. Heh heh, I stumbled upon a huge steal this morning."
Li Xu raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "Oh? What is it? You’re being so secretive."
"You finish up first."
"Okay."
After a while, Li Xu found a spare moment and asked again.
"Take a guess."
Hu Qiming kept him in suspense, a smug smile on his face.
Li Xu shook his head helplessly. "I’ve got another patient coming in. I don’t have time to play guessing games with you. Come on, don’t keep me hanging."
Seeing this, Hu Qiming stopped teasing him. He carefully took a small, plastic-wrapped object from his coat, unwrapped it, and revealed a golden-yellow lump inside.
"Ta-da! Look!"
He held up the "Bezoar" in his hand and said proudly, "This is a Natural Bezoar I bought this morning for forty thousand yuan. Those people at the market didn’t know its real value and thought it was only worth ten or twenty thousand. Heh heh, I really scored a major steal."
Li Xu looked at the "Bezoar" in Hu Qiming’s hand, and his heart sank.
’How could such a great deal just fall into his lap?’
After all, a genuine Natural Bezoar is an incredibly rare find, and its price is exorbitant.
He owned a top-grade Natural Bezoar himself, so he was quite experienced in authenticating them.
Li Xu took the "Bezoar" from Hu Qiming’s hand and began to examine it carefully in his own.
A Natural Bezoar is characterized by a porous texture, coarse grains, and visible layers. Furthermore, when moistened and rubbed on a fingernail, it will leave a mark that "clings to the nail."
However, the "Bezoar" Hu Qiming had brought had neither the right texture nor any obvious layered characteristics. Instead, it looked more like a craftwork or a synthetic product.
It was also too yellow.
It was unnatural.
Li Xu tried to lightly rub it on his fingernail.
Just as he thought, it didn’t leave any mark that clung to the nail.
Li Xu’s expression darkened.
Looking up at Hu Qiming, his tone was heavy. "Old Hu, this thing... I’m afraid it’s not a Natural Bezoar."
Upon hearing this, the smile on Hu Qiming’s face instantly froze. He looked completely stunned. "Impossible! I watched them pull it out of the cow’s liver with my own two eyes! How can it be a Fake Bezoar?"
Li Xu sighed, handed the "Bezoar" back to him, and explained, "A Natural Bezoar has a very specific texture and layering, and it leaves a mark that clings to the nail. Your piece has none of these characteristics. Tell me how you bought it..."
"It was like this..."
Hu Qiming hurriedly recounted the morning’s events.
After listening, Li Xu analyzed the situation. "I suspect the man in the suit, the bald man, and the old man are all in on it together. They used a Fake Bezoar to stage a conflict over money, attracting the attention of onlookers like you. Their ultimate goal was to swindle someone out of their cash."
Hu Qiming was thunderstruck.
He still couldn’t believe he had been scammed, muttering repeatedly, "But... but I saw them take the Bezoar out of the cow’s organs with my own eyes."
Li Xu shook his head. "Why couldn’t someone have planted it there beforehand? Unless you slaughter the cow yourself and pull the Bezoar from its stomach with your own hands, that’s the only way to be sure. Otherwise, with the methods these con artists use nowadays, you can’t possibly defend against it."
Hu Qiming was completely stunned. Forty thousand yuan...
He had scrimped and saved for a whole year since graduation, and just like that, it was all down the drain!
"Then what do I do now? That forty thousand yuan... I worked so hard for so long to save it..."
"Report it to the police, of course."
Li Xu said, "The chances are slim, but you have to at least try."
Hu Qiming snapped back to his senses and quickly took out his phone to call the police.
The police arrived quickly. After hearing Hu Qiming’s account and carefully examining the "Fake Bezoar," their expressions also turned serious.
"Let’s go check the market."
The police rushed to the market Hu Qiming mentioned, but the man in the suit, the bald man, and the old man had long since disappeared.
After an investigation, the police discovered via surveillance footage that the trio had quickly left Feng City after the successful con. Their direction of travel could not be determined at the time.
"Mr. Hu, I’m sorry."
A police officer said to Hu Qiming helplessly, "Based on our information, this is a traveling crime ring. We’ve received similar reports in other cities. Most likely, the money won’t be recovered. We will continue the investigation, but you should prepare yourself for the worst."
