“Absolutely! Just say what’s on your mind!” Quilt chuckled. “I’d love to see how you con artists spin your webs of deceit!”

Charlie shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t mean to call you out, but if you’re pushing me, it would be rude not to respond.”

“Call us out? So you think we’ve missed something?” Matthew Gibson, ever calm and collected, let out a laugh.

Charlie shot him a glance and chuckled. “Honestly, he’s the biggest fool among you all…”

“Are you looking for trouble, kid?” Matthew’s anger was palpable.

“The jade is authentic, no doubt about that,” Charlie continued, “but it’s definitely not some legendary jade from the Zhou dynasty, nor was it blessed by a mighty monk. It’s merely a high-quality nephrite, worth about fifty thousand at most.”

“Nonsense! Can’t you see the red hue of the jade?” Quilt scowled, clearly agitated.

Charlie pressed on as if undeterred. “The red tint comes from potassium permanganate minerals corrupting it. Did you really think it was soaked in a powerful monk’s blood?”

“What about the warm aura it emits?” Graham interjected, his brows knitted in concern.

Charlie shook his head dismissively. “This piece doesn’t possess any mystical powers. To create such an effect, one would need to soak the jade in a solution made from African Gholag Weed for six months. The warm aura you perceive is just a hallucination induced by the drug. It can easily be eliminated by burning the jade.”

“You little brat! How dare you speak such blatant lies!” The man slammed his hand on the table, rising to his feet.

Travis’s expression darkened as he shot a glare at the fat man. “Why don’t we put it to the test?”

Fear washed over the fat man as he began to sweat profusely. “What do you mean ‘test it’? This kid is clearly lying! Why are you all falling for his nonsense?!”

Graham tapped his fingers impatiently. “If it still gives off a warm aura after burning, I’ll buy it from you right away. But if the effect disappears, you’ll be facing the consequences… Despite our current issues, the Quintons will never allow anyone to walk all over us!”

Jasmine nodded in agreement. “If what Mr. Wade claims is false, then a test won’t be a problem. After all, jades are resistant to fire. However, if he’s right, you owe us an explanation!”

The fat man was now in a panic, cold sweat trickling down his plump forehead. He realized that all three families present were not ones to anger. He had only agreed to this setup because Quilt would be there to sway Jasmine, allowing them to split the profit from the scam. He never anticipated that Charlie Wade would expose their scheme!

Ironically, Charlie had no real expertise in jade appraisal. Yet, the ability to identify the flaw in this jade seemed to come to him instinctively, almost as if it were a skill listed in the apocalyptic book he had encountered.

Noticing the fat man’s silence, Charlie smirked. “So, feeling guilty? Why aren’t you defending yourself?”

The fat man’s face turned pale, but he remained silent about conducting the flame test.