"This piece is good, indeed a Templar Masonic sword from the United States. This type of sword is quite popular in collecting circles, but few people truly know its origin." At this point, Wang Guan gently shook his head: "In the States, quite a few people possess this sword; some bought them, while others inherited them through generations."

"Those who bought them favored its elegant and unique appearance, and were captivated by its name, as the name easily conjures images of the Knights Templar from the Crusades around the 10th century in Europe. Many people, just like you, mistake it for an authentic Crusader knight's sword from that era."

Wang Guan sighed again: "If this sword were truly from the time of the Crusades, its value would be extraordinary. However, it is a great pity that this sword has nothing to do with the Crusader armies."

"Why?"

Cai Peng was momentarily stunned and hurriedly defended himself: "Look at these beautiful huā patterns, and the cross on the hilt..."

"It is precisely these beautiful decorations that make it easy to determine this is not a Crusader knight's sword. Because during the Crusades, Europe was deeply influenced by Christianity, so much so that it permeated every minute aspect of people's lives. At that time, Christianity strictly forbade any form of decoration on weaponry."

Wang Guan explained: "Therefore, a Templar sword with such lavish ornamentation absolutely cannot be an artifact from that period."

"Brother Wang speaks the absolute truth."

At the same time, someone nearby testified: "I have seen Crusader swords before. To be frank, they really weren't much to look at. After all, European metallurgy back then wasn't very advanced, so those swords were less like swords and more like iron slabs. Furthermore, having survived a thousand years of wind and rain, they would be covered in rust, impossible to be this bright and ornate."

Others nodded in agreement, with some even specifying which antique shop or cold weapon museum in Hong Kong held actual Crusader swords, suggesting one could use them for direct comparison.

"What, the item is fake? This scoundrel, daring to cheat even me!" Cai Peng, though spoiled, wasn't completely obtuse; he immediately understood he had been duped and erupted in fury: "I'll get people to smash his shop later!"

Hearing this, Sha Qingfeng and the others instantly fell silent, secretly mourning the fate of that fellow dealer. To cheat someone like this brat—didn't they know these sorts completely disregarded industry etiquette?

In reality, Sha Qingfeng and the others had already figured out the psychology of these rich playboys: they could only be placated, never deceived. The price being a bit high didn't matter; as long as the item was genuine, these second-generation elites didn't care about the money. But if they discovered they had been tricked, the consequences of their outburst would be severe. Of course, since it didn't concern them, Sha Qingfeng and the others had no intention of intervening. After all, when that person succumbed to greed and tried to swindle Cai Peng, he should have understood the principle that what goes around comes around. Besides, if Cai Peng truly threw a tantrum, what right did they have to dissuade him? Even if they did, would Cai Peng listen?

Everyone was certain that the enraged Cai Peng would not heed advice, so why invite trouble?

"Don't be so furious," just then, Wang Guan remarked casually: "The item is definitely not a Crusader knight's sword, but one can't exactly call it fake; it's just not from that era."

"Actually, I said it from the beginning: this is a ceremonial sword belonging to the Masonic Knights Templar in the United States. This Masonic lodge is a private charitable organization in the US, merely adopting the name of the medieval European Knights Templar. Furthermore, this organization maintains its own complete set of standardized ceremonial uniforms, and this sword is part of that uniform accessory."

Wang Guan elaborated smoothly: "These ceremonial swords are divided into two types: one is nickel-plated, and the other is gold-plated. The nickel-plated ones are held by ordinary members, while the gold-plated ones are used by leaders."

"Naturally, these swords are quite numerous and common in the global sword collecting community, and their price isn't high. However, those with ivory hilts and gold-plated scabbards fetch a higher price," Wang Guan smiled: "So, the item does possess a certain collection value and cannot simply be labeled as a counterfeit imitation."

In fact, Wang Guan owed a debt of gratitude to Mr. Anderson, as his knowledge of this specific sword came from Mr. Anderson's enthusiastic guidance. When visiting Mr. Anderson’s collection on his ship, swords of this style happened to be present, and Wang Guan had casually inquired. Mr. Anderson had then launched into a lengthy explanation.

Wang Guan had felt a bit impatient at the time, never imagining it would prove useful today. Thus, learning more about things was never a bad idea; you never knew when it might come in handy.

While speaking, Wang Guan curiously asked again: "How much did you pay for this thing?"

"One million..." Cai Peng held up a single finger.

"Hmm, that's not terribly excessive." Wang Guan nodded: "It's just slightly inflated."

"Not Hong Kong Dollars, nor New Taiwan Dollars, but US Dollars!" Cai Peng exclaimed, his tone full of dejection and regret, mixed with waves of intense anger.

"One million US dollars?" Wang Guan was momentarily startled, then gently shook his head, suddenly realizing that making money off these rich second-generation heirs seemed far too easy. He resolved to pay more attention to connections in this area in the future.

"He actually dared to pull a fast one on me!" Cai Peng was furious: "If I don't smash his shop, my surname isn't Cai..."

Wang Guan had nothing much to say regarding this; he had no standing to offer advice, so he let Cai Peng rage on. After all, if Cai Peng actually proceeded to wreck the shop, whatever legal responsibilities he incurred would be his own choice. Moreover, Cai Peng wasn't short of cash; after venting his anger by trashing the place, at worst, he’d pay compensation—a worthy trade-off!

At that moment, platters of delicious dishes were brought out, and a bottle of red wine was opened exactly as Cai Peng had requested.

"Please, everyone, enjoy," the waiter said after pouring a glass for everyone, then tactfully retreated. However, no one touched their chopsticks; the atmosphere was strangely subdued.

Cai Peng, however, was not so irrational as to lose control due to anger. After slowly calming down, he managed to raise his glass toward the group: "Everyone, don't be reserved, let's have a drink..."

"Clink!"

As glasses met, everyone took a small, reserved sip of the red wine. Only Cai Peng ignored table etiquette and hastily swallowed half a glass in one go.

Wang Guan, seeing this, was somewhat perplexed: "It's just buying the wrong item at an inflated price. With your resources, you could easily recover your losses. Why get so angry?"

"You don't understand," Cai Peng shook his head, grinding his teeth: "This matter isn't that simple. I suspect that fellow surnamed Hu deliberately set me up..."

"The fellow surnamed Hu?" Wang Guan paused in surprise, then suddenly recalled the Young Master Hu with whom Cai Peng had a gambling showdown in Macau.

Back then, the two of them had been competing over a beauty, leading to a wager. Cai Peng had been losing disastrously at first and had to borrow money from Wang Guan. However, as the game continued, neither of them managed to win, and instead, someone else profited, leaving both as big losers. Logically, as fellow sufferers, they should have sympathized and become friends. But judging by the current situation, it seemed their feud had only deepened.

However, Wang Guan also harbored some suspicion: "How do you know he set you up?"

"It's obvious," Cai Peng huffed: "Do you know why I came to Hong Kong?"

"Why?" Wang Guan asked curiously.

"After the incident in Macau, neither of us would concede, so we agreed to settle things another day." Cai Peng’s expression darkened: "And it wasn't limited to gambling; we’ve competed in car racing, horse racing, cockfighting, and dog fighting, but it always ended with wins and losses, no clear victor. This time, he somehow procured a Japanese Katana from somewhere and invited me over to compare whose weapon was superior."

"I certainly couldn't show weakness, so I agreed casually. But in my haste, I was worried about where to buy a weapon. Just then, a man claiming to be a weapon shop owner approached me and tried to sell me this knight's sword..."

Cai Peng lamented: "At the time, I didn't think much of it, just assuming he had heard about the challenge and was trying to profit off me. As long as the item was genuinely good, I wouldn't mind him making some money."

Hearing this, Wang Guan gently nodded. Thinking it over carefully, he figured he probably would have had the same idea, not suspecting any elaborate conspiracy. Of course, if it had been him, knowing how to discern the quality of the knight's sword, he wouldn't have fallen for such a trick.

"Now I realize—I only just agreed to a challenge with the fellow surnamed Hu, and then this person showed up right after. It's too suspicious," Cai Peng hissed: "That guy surnamed Hu actually played such a petty trick—truly despicable and shameless!!!"

Listening to Cai Peng's reasoning, Wang Guan also found Young Master Hu highly suspect.

"I can be certain he put someone up to this," Cai Peng gritted his teeth: "Shameless to the core."

"Oh," Wang Guan shrugged, making no comment, and continued to savor the delicacies on the table. At its core, this was just two rich kids venting boredom by picking a fight; there was no need for him to get involved.

However, while Wang Guan didn't want to involve himself, Cai Peng insisted on pulling him in.

At this moment, Cai Peng approached with a slightly forced smile: "Big Brother, you seem quite knowledgeable about cold weapons..."

"Not much knowledge, just what I've heard and learned on the spot," Wang Guan replied cautiously, shaking his head: "I don't specialize in this, so I don't know much. If you're looking for someone to help you pick a weapon, you've come to the wrong person."

"Big Brother is very sharp; I hadn't even opened my mouth and you already knew what I was going to say," Cai Peng laughed awkwardly: "But you don't need to refuse so quickly. After all, we have known each other for a while..."

"Known each other?" Wang Guan smiled cryptically: "Do you know my name?"

"Uh!" Cai Peng was completely taken aback. He racked his brain trying to recall, only to suddenly realize he truly didn't know Wang Guan's name, which was why he was calling him 'Big Brother' indiscriminately.

"You can't say it, can you," Wang Guan chuckled lightly: "Besides, I think I gave you my contact information back then, but from when I lent you money in Macau until today, you never seemed to contact me."

"Uh..."

At this point, Cai Peng was not just embarrassed, but his face flushed with shame... (To be continued)