Chapter 5: Appraising the Imperial Green Bracelet

On the second floor, the two appraisers seemed to have been tipped off by Tao Qi in advance. They showed little surprise at the large pile of gold, silver, and jewels Yun Zhi brought out, nor did they ask any inappropriate questions.

Because Yun Zhi provided finished products in good condition—gold, silver, platinum, with almost no fading—the jewelry store only needed to repackage them for resale.

For the few that had faded, a professional cleaning would restore them to like-new condition.

Therefore, for the precious metals, Tao Qi offered Yun Zhi the highest buyback prices.

When he resold to the jewelry stores, after taxes, he could make about a 10% profit margin.

The bulk was nearly 4 kilograms of gold, plus some platinum and silver, with a buyback price of 2.3 million yuan.

Then came the diamonds, various gemstones, and jade.

After appraisal, the smaller diamond rings and gemstones totaled 2.7 million yuan.

The jade accessories, though the largest in quantity, were of average quality, valued at 3.6 million yuan.

Altogether, the total was 8.6 million yuan.

This sum was something Tao Qi, with a modest fortune, could pay all at once.

If the client were someone else, Tao Qi would insist on paying only part upfront and the remainder after most items were sold, minimizing risk.

He did not want to attract too much attention and be suspected of questionable goods. Distributing the items in small batches through multiple channels would take time and effort.

But Yun Zhi was in urgent need of cash.

Tao Qi said straightforwardly, “I’ll transfer 5 million and 3.6 million to you using my Agricultural Bank and Construction Bank cards respectively. Which account do you want the money sent to?”

Regarding money matters, the two appraisers had stepped out to the lounge for afternoon tea, leaving only Tao Qi and Yun Zhi in the office.

Yun Zhi thought for a moment and said, “Transfer 5 million to my account and 3.6 million to my father’s account.”

Tao Qi had wide connections and, with a little inquiry, knew that a portion of her money was to help her father repay debts.

There was no need to transfer all funds to her first, only for her to send it to her father, which would be a hassle requiring coordination with bank managers for large transfers.

Some things were better left unsaid but understood.

The 5 million was for Yun Zhi to buy the first batch of daily necessities for Tang Panpan and Cen Junfei, keep some for herself, pay for her parents’ medical treatment, clear online loans, and support other time travelers’ missions—many expenses awaited.

The 3.6 million transferred to her father’s account would cover interest payments for a while.

As for clearing the over 30 million yuan debt entirely, that would have to wait for the upcoming auction in Haicheng.

Tao Qi agreed.

Since he often dealt with bank managers and had high priority, Yun Zhi soon received notification that the money had arrived.

She activated her previously unused SIM card 2 and saw the transaction alert there as well.

She ignored other messages.

This phone number belonged to her father, Yun Xinbo, and she had taken it to prevent him from constantly receiving debt collection calls, texts, and taunts that made it impossible for him to rest and recover.

Yun Zhi had gotten a new SIM card under her own ID and given her father a simple secondhand phone that could only make calls and send texts.

Without the external pressure of debt collectors, and with Yun Zhi threatening that if he tried to take his own life again, she and her mother would join him—three of them together—Yun Xinbo, though suffering multiple fractures, held on.

Yun Xinbo was not afraid of death; his wife had become a vegetative patient unlikely to wake. Passing on might not be painful. But he could not bear the thought of his 22-year-old daughter dying with them.

It was his mistake to trust the wrong people and misjudge character; how could he let his daughter’s promising life be cut short?

Yun Zhi used this to stabilize him for now.

But if the debt issue wasn’t resolved, who knew when he might lose hope again.

Receiving the 8.6 million yuan transfer increased Yun Zhi’s trust in Tao Qi.

From her shoulder bag, she took out an imperial green jade bracelet wrapped in a silk scarf.

Actually, it was from her personal space.

The scarf had been a gift she bought for her mother shortly after starting university, when she first made money from stock trading.

It wasn’t expensive—several thousand yuan—and had been used for three or four years, with slight pulls in one or two places, so it wouldn’t fetch much if sold.

More importantly, her mother loved this scarf and often wore it or tied it to her bag as decoration.

Thinking of her mother still lying in the hospital, Yun Zhi kept the scarf, unwilling to sell it to repay debts.

She asked the two appraisers, “Master Chen, Master Liu, could you please take another look at this bracelet?”

At the sight of the imperial green jade bracelet, both appraisers’ eyes lit up.

Especially the still graceful Master Liu, who said, “Oh my, imperial green? The quality and texture!”

Master Chen, over fifty, was also excited: “This seems to be old mine, glass-type imperial green jade? Such top-grade jade is only seen at high-end auctions or in the hands of a few private collectors—and it’s the rarest type of bracelet!”

Old mine glass-type imperial green jade was the finest jade, with excellent texture and color.

Finished products of this kind, even small pendants could auction for millions; ring faces could reach tens of millions, and bracelets were even more astonishing—tens of millions, even over a hundred million yuan.

But such supreme jade was extremely rare and precious; many fakes existed.

The two appraisers immediately brought out their full set of tools and examined the bracelet repeatedly.

No matter how they checked, it was genuine.

However, their certificates alone lacked sufficient authority for such a high grade.

Yun Zhi, bringing out the bracelet, probably aimed to participate in the Haicheng auction half a month later, where auction houses would enlist multiple expert appraisers to jointly confirm authenticity before placing it on the auction block.

Still, having appraised such a supreme jade was something to boast about.

Tao Qi stared at the imperial green bracelet, speechless for a long while.

His gaze toward Yun Zhi was strange.

Such a treasure was hardly something one could steal or snatch; wealthy buyers of this jade always traveled with bodyguards and lived in secure places.

If not stolen, then it must be…

Tao Qi looked carefully at Yun Zhi’s face and then at her outfit—less than a hundred yuan in total.

Her white sneakers, though clean, had two obvious holes.

Yun Zhi was undeniably a stunning beauty, scoring 95 out of 100 in pure allure, certainly someone wealthy men would lavish an imperial green jade bracelet worth tens of millions on.

But from Tao Qi’s experience with rich men, unless it was some naive young heir, usually they wouldn’t spend lavishly until their mistress had a child.

Of course, Tao Qi didn’t mean to underestimate Yun Zhi, but that was society.

If she had truly hit it off with a wealthy patron or was dating a rich young master, she wouldn’t still be living in a dilapidated rental in the urban village, wearing the cheapest clothes and unaware of fashion.

Though her family’s upheaval had subdued her temperament, her eyes still held the clarity and innocence of a recent college graduate.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have trusted him so easily, revealing that she possessed rare stamps worth millions, gold and silver jewelry worth millions, and bracelets worth tens of millions.

Tao Qi sighed and repeated, “Are you sure these items are legally sourced?”

Yun Zhi assured him, “Don’t worry, absolutely legal! This bracelet is also on behalf of a friend.”

Tao Qi shook his head, thinking the girl was too young.

If she were truly selling on someone else’s behalf, would she have asked him to transfer 3.6 million into her father’s account?

Her father’s account was easy to put money into but hard to withdraw from before clearing debts.

Which buyer would agree to pay a 40% commission to a middleman helping sell?

However, Tao Qi did not pry further, concluding that Yun Zhi probably had no wealthy backers and did not seem to be in a relationship, so he dropped the subject.

Tao Qi himself was born under complicated circumstances: his grandparents were seriously ill, his mother was in desperate need of money, and his father, already married, pretended to be single, using a fake ID to marry his mother for the money.

His mother, focusing on her sick parents, did not verify details carefully and was labeled a mistress for over twenty years.

He bore the stigma of being an illegitimate child and dared not pursue those he liked.

In short, Tao Qi did not want Yun Zhi to fall into such a plight.

Snapping back to the present, Tao Qi asked, “You intend to take this to the auction, right?”

Yun Zhi nodded.

Tao Qi said, “I understand. Along with the stamps, there will be several appraisal steps ahead. As the owner, you will need to accompany the process to prevent any swapping of items.”

Yun Zhi agreed.

Soon after, Master Chen and Master Liu issued their appraisal reports on the imperial green jade bracelet and left.

Tao Qi, holding the two reports, could now negotiate with the auction organizers.

Seeing Yun Zhi casually wrap the bracelet in the scarf and shove it into her canvas shoulder bag, Tao Qi couldn’t hold back and said, “Let me accompany you to the bank to rent a safe deposit box to store it first.”

Yun Zhi replied, “No need. Who would want to rob a bag like mine?”

Besides, the items weren’t actually inside the bag.

Tao Qi had no rebuttal.

Yun Zhi added, “I told the two appraisers earlier to leave the bracelet with you for safekeeping. If anyone robs me, it must be you sending someone!”

Tao Qi was speechless, “I’m not about to ruin my reputation over tens of millions!”

If he loved money that much, he’d rather go back home and fight for the family fortune. At least that wouldn’t be illegal! If he got a big share, a single imperial green jade bracelet wouldn’t be the only thing he had.

Yun Zhi knew Tao Qi was fond of money but operated fairly, so she dared to show him the “Red Territory” stamp collection and the imperial green jade bracelet.

This was a kind of test: if Tao Qi handled this well, she could bring him more valuable items in the future.

The source of the items was definitely something she couldn’t reveal, but he wouldn’t ask.

That said, Yun Zhi didn’t entirely gamble on his character; sometimes appearances deceive.

She quietly confirmed that her personal space contained pepper spray, a stun baton, even knives and bricks—feeling somewhat reassured.

“Let’s go, bye!”

Tao Qi said, “Once you get home, remember to message me! And if you encounter any danger, call the police first, then call me! My phone is always on 24/7!”

He wasn’t worried about Yun Zhi herself, only about the bracelet.

…

Yun Zhi left Miracle Pawnshop.

Next up was a spree of buying!

With the money in hand, she had to start buying supplies for Tang Panpan and Cen Junfei.

First, she needed to rent a large warehouse and a small truck. For these small tasks, she would find an agent instead of asking Tao Qi, to keep her cards close.

Otherwise, Tao Qi might figure out all her background.

Remembering she hadn’t yet quit her part-time job at the milk tea shop, she quickly sent a message via WeChat to the manager, saying she would no longer do the job.

There were still three hours before her shift, and many in the part-time group were online for gigs, so the manager had time to find replacements.

She also quit long-term gigs like dog-walking and tutoring.

All employers with unpaid wages paid promptly.

At that moment, a new message appeared in the time travelers’ chat group.

Qin Tianhai from the Martial World said: “Yun girl from Earth can accept missions? Great! Yun, message me privately, I have something to entrust you with. @Yun Zhi”

Cen Junfei curiously asked: “Brother Qin, you’re a young master from a martial family in the Martial World, with no worries about food or clothing, always immersed in training. What do you need Yun Jie to help with?”

Qin Tianhai had shared some basic info before but had died unexpectedly in his previous life at over thirty years old and wasn’t one to gossip.

He replied simply: “Some personal matters.”

Yun Zhi answered in the group: “Okay, got it. @Qin Tianhai”

Yun Zhi said privately to Cen Junfei: “Xiao Fei, I’ve got the money. I’ll buy supplies for you and Panpan soon!”

Cen Junfei: “Wow~ I’ll soon get to eat hometown food from Earth! [cat head excited.jpg]”

Yun Zhi opened a private chat with Qin Tianhai.

Earth—Yun Zhi: “Brother Qin, I need to finish buying supplies for Panpan and Xiao Fei first, which will take about two days. Is your mission urgent? Can it wait?”

Qin Tianhai: “You can do the other two friends’ tasks first. My matter isn’t urgent…”

It turned out Qin Tianhai wanted to entrust her with visiting his elderly parents and his son, who suffered from congenital heart disease.

His son was nine years old; doctors said if a suitable heart transplant wasn’t found, he wouldn’t reach adulthood.

In the Martial World, there was a tonic potion imbued with vibrant vitality that could cure 90% of common diseases in ordinary people, including congenital heart disease, cancer, injuries, and more.

He wanted Yun Zhi to deliver this medicine to his son, and if his parents fell ill, they might need it too.

Therefore, before officially delivering the medicine, Yun Zhi needed to visit Qin’s family to assess the situation.

After all, Qin Tianhai had been in the new world for over three years; much might have changed since his memories.

Qin Tianhai continued: “I don’t have the tonic potion ready yet; I need time to gather materials and brew it. It could take a week or up to a month.

Also, once prepared, the potion must be taken within three days or it will lose efficacy.

Personal space can keep ordinary items fresh but not maintain the potency of energy-infused items.

So, I wanted to give you a heads-up to prepare in advance.”

If Yun Zhi showed up directly with the medicine, Qin’s parents might refuse to try anything unknown and possibly send her away.

By the time she earned their trust, the medicine might have expired.

Hence, visiting beforehand to build rapport was essential.

Yun Zhi’s heart pounded faster.

A tonic that could cure 90% of common diseases? So miraculous! Truly fitting for the Martial World!

This medicine might also help her hospitalized parents.

As if sensing her thoughts, Qin Tianhai added: “This potion can be taken by the sick to improve quickly. Healthy people can also take it to greatly enhance their constitution, rarely falling ill thereafter. Recovery from injuries is also much faster.

I will prepare at least one extra potion as your reward! How many I can make depends on how many herbs I collect.

One key herb, vitality grass, is rare. I know only one source—enough for two potions.”

Yun Zhi said, “Then Brother Qin, you collect the herbs first. After I finish my current tasks in two days, I’ll visit your family.”

Qin Tianhai was excited: “Great! Yun girl, thank you! I’ll personally lead a team into the Misty Forest to gather herbs. Wait for my good news!”