Chapter 98 -98: Drawing
Barrage comments filled the screen:
“Hahaha, this is hilarious.”
“Don’t panic, Old Ming graduated from the Drama Academy, he’s been acting for ten years. He always pretends to scare us on purpose, friend, you need to believe it’s all for the livestream effects.”
“Can you guys man up a bit? If you’re scared, just send the Jade Pendant to me, I’ll keep it safe for you.”
“The guy above, his ulterior motive is written all over his face.”
“What’s there to be scared of, we believe in science!”
...
“So, is there real blood in the Blood Jade?”
“I heard so, but not sure if it’s true.”
“It’s more genuine than Pearl. The older generation says Blood Jade is something used by the dead, the living should never touch it.”
“Blood Jade is ominous, and the wearer tends to attract bad luck, but if it’s a family heirloom, I guess it’s okay?”
“You all are half-baked, first of all, Blood Jade comes in many types. Some are naturally occurring red substances, not real blood. Some are belongings of the deceased, formed by blood permeation. Those you absolutely cannot touch; they bring extreme bad luck.”
Xiao Pang looked at the barrage and chuckled bitterly, “Are you sure you’re comforting me? The more I read, the more anxious I get. Can I still keep this ancestral Jade Pendant?”
The host Ming Tao felt the atmosphere was built up enough. He opened his eyes, put down his fan, took a sip of tea from the side, and slowly started speaking after being chased by the barrage comments ridiculing him.
“Brother, listen to Brother Ming, I sincerely advise you to keep away from this ancestral Jade Pendant. It’s not that I want to scare you, just listen to me.”
Ah Da, while waiting for the next connection, did not idle around. She rested her chin in her hand, watching the livestream intently, learning how to communicate. Through the screen, she saw wisps of death aura surrounding the Jade Pendant.
The host was right; this object was no good. The living who come into contact with the death aura could be unlucky for a short period or even meet their demise if it’s for long.
As soon as Xiao Pang heard this, he completely panicked, “Damn, is this thing that toxic? Luckily I haven’t touched it much, I’ve just kept it in a box, and we placed it with our ancestral tablets.”
“Your family even made offerings to it?” Ming Tao’s mouth twitched.
Xiao Pang scratched his head awkwardly, “It’s ancestral.”
Ming Tao, waving his fan, asked, “First, tell me, do you know the origin of this Jade Pendant? I’m not talking about the history of it being passed from your grandfather to your father, then to you. I mean how did it initially come into your family’s possession, was it bought, gifted, or did your family themselves go up into the mountains…you know what I mean, right?”
The host didn’t spell it out, but the barrage did for him.
Theft!
Xiao Pang hurriedly replied, “I remember my grandfather saying that it was bought with fifty silver coins during times of war. Back then, the Jade Pendant only had a little bit of red, not as much as it does now.”
Ming Tao slammed the table, “That’s right, because this Jade Pendant is not meant for the living.”
Although Xiao Pang had sensed it, he still gasped when he heard the answer.
Not for the living, doesn’t that mean the Jade Pendant itself was an accompaniment for the dead?
The host Ming Tao continued, “It might be hard to see on camera, but this Jade Pendant is of very fine quality. The string is intricately woven with gold threads, indicating its original owner held a certain status.”
“Just now the barrage also mentioned, your family’s ancestral Jade Pendant is a piece of Blood Jade. Initially, when it was dug up from the ground by thieves, it only had a little bit of red. However, as it came into contact with air, the areas tainted with the death energy started to spread gradually until the entire piece turned bright red.”
Ming Tao’s voice was rich and engaging, with a delightful cadence as he explained, capturing Ah Da’s full attention.
Ming Tao tapped his folded fan and continued.
“Furthermore, the mythical creature engraved on the Jade Pendant is the Vermilion Bird, which was believed in ancient times to escort the souls of the deceased up to heaven. Later generations believed it could grant immortality.”
By this point, Xiao Pang understood it all; his family’s ancestral Jade Pendant was indeed unearthed from a grave, even contaminated with the blood of the deceased, a starkly ominous article.
“Brother Ming, can this Jade Pendant still be valuable?” Xiao Pang asked, looking unwell, pushing the box aside, not daring to touch it again.
Ming Tao held up two fingers, saying, “If this Jade Pendant hadn’t come from the ground, considering its quality, age, and craftsmanship, it could be worth this much.”
The barrage comments were flooding:
“It’s worth that much?”
“Two hundred thousand, not bad.”
“Such a pity.”
Pearl’s eyes sparkled. If the jade pendant could be worth two hundred thousand, wouldn’t her antique be even more valuable?
She was about to make a fortune.
Xiao Pang looked dejected as he connected. He hadn’t expected this outcome and asked, “Do I need to throw away the jade pendant?”
Anchor Ming Tao said, “Keep it, just store it in a box. As long as you don’t wear it, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“Okay, thank you, Brother Ming.”
Xiao Pang left the stage with regret, and Ming Tao picked up his teacup to moisten his throat. “Fate brings us together in Jianghu, saying thanks is too much. The special program on ancestral Blood Jade ends here.”
Comments:
“Next unlucky one, please!”
“Next one, hurry up, I can’t wait!”
“I have a feeling the next one is going to be big!”
“Let’s have a blast, I’m sending a spaceship for Brother Ming!”
Ming Tao interacted with fans while clicking his mouse to open the connection button.
“Starting, three minutes on the clock, let’s all rise and welcome the next Treasure Appraiser.”
Pearl saw the connection prompt on her screen and clicked start, full of anticipation.
She stared unblinkingly at the countdown until the number reached zero and a name popped up.
Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.
Not her!
Is it that hard?
Pearl couldn’t help but sigh. It indeed wasn’t easy. Looking at the top right corner of the livestream, the viewer count showed more than 100,000 online. With so many people, the chances were too low.
No matter, there would be another chance.
Pearl clenched her fists and silently cheered herself on.
However, in the next two hours, Pearl tried to connect eight times, but not once was successful.
As the broadcast was about to end, she clicked start one last time without any hope, already preparing to tidy up and try again tomorrow. But just as she lowered her head, she heard the crisp sound of “ding”—she had made the connection on her last try!
So sudden, so unexpected.
“Alright, tonight’s last lucky viewer has just been confirmed. Let’s welcome them on stage with a round of applause!”
The comments were filled with applause emojis.
Fortunately, Pearl had done her homework. She handled the microphone connection quite smoothly.
“Can you hear me?”
Pearl leaned closer to the phone, testing the microphone.
Given that eighty percent of the Longquan Treasure Appraisal livestream’s audience were men, how could they not get excited when a sweet, delicate voice of a young girl suddenly appeared?
Instantly, comments filled the entire screen.
“Holy cow! A beauty?”
“Her voice is so nice!”
“I knew staying up late would pay off.”
“Here we go, the lucky viewer, show your face!”
“Show your face!”
Though girls had connected before, the sweet voice piqued intense curiosity, filling the comments with demands to show her face, until anchor Ming Tao intervened.
“Don’t be scared, little lady. Showing your face isn’t mandatory. Just point the camera at the item you want appraised.”
Pearl definitely wasn’t going to show her face. She picked up her phone and aimed it at the two items laid out on the table.
“Can you see clearly? These are the two items.”