Too Hasty

Chen Shaojun was startled when he heard that.

What the hell?

The price had already been settled. Why not hurry up, wrap that Jade Ruyi, and send the man on his way? Why stir up more trouble?

That scar-faced man was no good to begin with. Chen Shaojun had been hoping the ghostly thing inside the Jade Ruyi would have a proper clash with him—best if they both ended up badly wounded.

"What? Are you playing me?"

The scar-faced man froze, and a glint of cold light immediately surfaced in his eyes.

The chill in that gaze was like a blade scraping across flesh, making Shen Lang's scalp tingle.

Not daring to delay, he hurriedly put on a smile and explained, "You misunderstand, sir. It's like this.

"This Jade Ruyi was sealed away in that wealthy household for too long, so it inevitably picked up some Killing Intent.

"You need it in a hurry, and we only acquired it recently. We haven't yet had one of our pawnshop appraisers inspect it and perform Baleful Intent Cleansing.

"So, if you are not in a rush, we can immediately arrange for someone to cleanse the Baleful Intent and restore the Jade Ruyi to its original brilliance.

"I'm sure it will become even more crystal-clear and lustrous, and your mother-in-law will certainly be pleased with it."

"No need. I have to take this Jade Ruyi away today."

The scar-faced man's expression eased, but he still shook his head.

"That won't do.

"This concerns the reputation of our Lin Clan Pawnshop.

"Without Baleful Intent Cleansing, no treasure can leave our pawnshop."

Shen Lang's face turned solemn as he spoke seriously.

It was not as though he truly possessed such professional integrity. Although the Lin Clan Pawnshop had such a rule, not everyone necessarily followed it to the letter.

The reason for his firm stance was the bone-piercing chill he had felt when touching the Jade Ruyi earlier.

Having worked in pawnshops for more than ten years, he knew very well that this so-called chill was Killing Intent.

For it to catch him off guard and feel so piercing to the bone, the Killing Intent within the Jade Ruyi was clearly no small amount.

One had to know that anything mortgaged or sold through a pawnshop required a receipt. Should trouble arise, the pawnshop would bear joint liability.

As the person handling the transaction and issuing the receipt, he would find it even harder to escape blame.

Not to mention that this customer was buying the Jade Ruyi as a birthday gift for his mother-in-law. His mother-in-law was surely no longer young and already frail. If she became tainted by Killing Intent, how could she possibly live long?

"Sir, Killing Intent is no ordinary thing. Once it clings to someone, even martial artists may not be able to endure it, much less ordinary people.

"You are buying this treasure as a birthday gift for your mother-in-law, which shows your filial devotion. Surely you cannot bring it to her steeped in Killing Intent?"

Shen Lang urged.

"Fine. But you need to deal with it quickly. Before the sun sets, I want to take the Jade Ruyi away.

"And you cannot raise the price at the last minute."

The scar-faced man's gaze flickered. He knew that insisting further would only arouse suspicion, so he finally agreed.

"Rest assured. We will certainly ask the best appraiser in the pawnshop to inspect the treasure and cleanse its Baleful Intent for you."

Shen Lang promptly promised, then called over an attendant to issue the customer a receipt and record the transaction.

Chen Shaojun had never expected that the pawnshop's best appraiser Shen Lang spoke of was actually him.

When he saw the other man carrying over a tray and placing the Jade Ruyi before him, he could only feel that life was hard. After dodging and running for so long, he still could not escape this brush with ghosts.

"Mr. Shen, I've already appraised several items today. My energy has truly been drained somewhat. Why not let someone else appraise this one?"

His heart was refusing every inch of it. With the thought that dead fellow cultivators were better than dead poor cultivators, he tactfully suggested it.

"You've appraised several items, but everyone else has appraised quite a few as well.

"It is only one jade item. Yesterday, you were able to appraise four items in a row.

"You have only appraised two today. One more will make little difference."

Shen Lang said patiently.

"Damn it, I was too hasty."

Had he known Shen Lang would use yesterday as an excuse, Chen Shaojun would never have exposed his abnormality so early.

Still, he said with difficulty, "But I really am mentally exhausted today..."

Shen Lang did not wait for Chen Shaojun to finish before directly interrupting him. "Among all the appraiser apprentices, you are one of a kind—the only one who has cultivated the Divine Gaze Technique to the proficient level.

"If you do not appraise it, who will?"

"This..."

Chen Shaojun knew he could not refuse.

The pawnshop's hierarchy was strict. An apprentice's status could not compare with that of someone at the counter. If Shen Lang insisted on making him appraise treasures, then unless he defected or disobeyed orders and suffered a brutal beating, there was no way for him to escape.

"I know this puts you in a difficult position... and indeed, now that your Divine Gaze Technique has reached proficiency, your treatment should be different as well.

"How about this? Once the shopkeeper returns, I will mention it to him. From then on, every time you appraise a treasure, you can receive one red token. One red token is worth one hundred coins. That is more than three times the treatment of the other apprentices."

Shen Lang thought Chen Shaojun was refusing in order to improve his own compensation.

Moreover, he knew Chen Shaojun was saving money to learn martial arts. He immediately put on an understanding expression and spoke generously.

Chen Shaojun fell silent. Wages or no wages, he truly did not care.

This time, he was not even sure whether he would come out alive.

Even if his wages increased tenfold or a hundredfold, what would it matter?

Appraiser's Notes recorded the other man's three encounters with ghosts, so it offered some reference.

But Zhou Chen was a full-fledged appraiser. His methods were far superior to Chen Shaojun's, and two of his successful escapes had relied to some extent on luck—for instance, the time he consummated a marriage with a "ghost"...

Chen Shaojun did not think he possessed such luck.

Always cautious in his actions, he never entrusted whether his life was safe to luck.

"I can appraise the treasure, but I want to bring the materials on this tray in with me as well."

After thinking for a while, Chen Shaojun looked at Shen Lang and spoke seriously.

"As long as you hand the Jade Ruyi over to me before the end of today, that will do.

"As for everything else, do as you please."

Shen Lang was taken aback. For some reason, he saw a trace of resolve on Chen Shaojun's face. After thinking it over, he did not refuse.

After recording everything, Chen Shaojun carried the entire tray away with a determined expression.

He entered Appraisal Room Seven.

Chen Shaojun looked at the treasures on the tray.

Besides the Jade Ruyi, there were seven other items.

In other words, he would need to appraise eight treasures in sequence that afternoon.

Now that he knew escape was impossible and that he would soon encounter a ghost, he could only place his hopes on the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror.

He planned to leave the Jade Ruyi for last.

Before that, he would use those treasures to obtain, as much as possible, a means of protecting himself from the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror.

He did not like entrusting his life to luck.

But at that moment, he could only hope his luck was not too bad.

Before formally appraising the treasures, however, he still needed to prepare some things.

With that thought, he walked back out of Appraisal Room Seven...

A new week had begun, and the book was still in its new-release period. I still hope to push it up the rankings.

At present, the rewards on Qidian's new book rankings seemed to carry quite a lot of weight. Those who can afford it, I hope you can offer some support.

Also, monthly votes, recommendation votes, and the like—bring them on. No one ever thinks they have too many of those.

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