Observation, Auscultation, Inquiry, and Palpation; Eight-Step Cicada Catcher

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, Chen Shaojun returned to his appraisal room with several grayish-white stones.

Knowing what he was about to face, he naturally had to make every possible preparation.

So he specifically sought out Ayong and learned from him the Four-Square Formation, which could cleanse Baleful Intent.

"Hope it'll be of some use."

Chen Shaojun muttered as he placed the White-Cut Stones down one by one according to their designated positions.

Before long, the Four-Square Formation had been set up.

He had little faith in such a simple formation.

Still, something was better than nothing. At the very least, it gave him a little comfort.

Placing the tray in the corner, Chen Shaojun picked up one of the items.

It was a white jade pendant, carved with a divine deer turning its head.

But years of dust and Baleful Intent had seeped into the jade, leaving the entire piece dull and gray, with faint yellowed and blackened spots.

To those unfamiliar with the trade, these spots looked like grime that could perhaps be washed away. In truth, unless the jade shattered and the Baleful Intent dispersed on its own, the marks were like something naturally grown within it and would never fade easily.

That was the very purpose of pawnshop appraisers.

Appraising treasures was merely the traditional aspect of their work.

Baleful Intent Cleansing was why pawnshop appraisers were respected within pawnshops.

He lit a candle and burned incense.

Then he closed his eyes to rest his mind.

What came next would be a battle.

Especially when he appraised the Jade Ruyi at the end, he had to ensure that he had ample energy.

After another incense stick had burned away, Chen Shaojun opened his eyes.

The candle had long since gone out, and the three bamboo incense sticks had burned down smoothly.

Though this white jade contained Baleful Intent, there was not much of it—at most two or three wisps. It posed little threat.

Calming his breath and focusing his mind, he smoothly cast the Divine Gaze Technique.

Infused with the power of Chen Shaojun's spiritual will, it surged into the white jade.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...

At once, the Baleful Intent within the jade seemed to have been enraged. It transformed into black smoke and lunged at him with claws bared and fangs exposed.

But Chen Shaojun was no longer the man he had once been.

Not only had his Divine Gaze Technique risen to the proficient level, but his body had also been nourished and strengthened by the Essence-Nourishing Pill and Blood-Qi Pill, undergoing a qualitative transformation.

His qi and blood were abundant, and his vigor was overflowing.

Naturally, his spiritual power had increased greatly as well.

The instant the Baleful Intent within the white jade rushed out, it was washed over by his spiritual will and ground away completely.

The once-speckled white jade also regained its original appearance.

White as paper, crystal-clear and translucent.

The treasure appraisal was complete.

Buzz!

The Eight-Faceted Prism Mirror and Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror appeared!

Chen Shaojun saw the pendant's entire history.

From its excavation to its shaping, and then every person who had handled it, everything appeared vividly before his eyes.

Its last owner had been Zhao Quan, the man killed by the scarred man. The pendant had always hung at his side.

Zhao Quan had come from a scholarly background, but his learning was mediocre. Like Shen Piaotai, he had repeatedly sat for the civil examinations without gaining anything.

Of course, Shen Piaotai had fared a little better. After one final effort, he had earned the rank of xiucai.

Zhao Quan, however, had failed twice and then given up. Yet Fragrant Letters Academy in Great Harmony Commandery, where he had studied, was home to no shortage of men whose talents filled eight bushels. Thus, his circle included calligraphy masters such as Xu Chenchang.

In an accident, Zhao Quan offended a powerful family in Great Harmony Commandery and had no choice but to move his entire household to Shengjing City.

He bought a house and registered his residence, but before he had settled down for long, assassins came for him in the night, and he fell into a pool of blood.

The images vanished, and the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror assessed its grade and rank.

Mortal Grade, Low Rank!

At the same time, his palm grew warm, and a spiritual pill appeared in his hand.

A Spirit-Communing Pill.

In his eyes, it was an experience pill.

Though it had not rewarded him with the ghost-slaying method he had hoped for, the experience pill could raise the level of his Divine Gaze Technique and strengthen his means of wielding spiritual power. That was still better than nothing.

After all, in a certain sense, the Divine Gaze Technique was also an offensive method.

Used on a person, it could inflict severe injury, turn them into an idiot, or even kill them outright.

Used on ghosts, it should presumably have some effect as well.

Chen Shaojun looked at the Spirit-Communing Pill and had no intention of keeping it around to hatch. He swallowed it in one gulp.

This was a critical moment. Even the tiniest improvement in his abilities could strengthen his ability to preserve his life.

As the experience pill went down his throat, Chen Shaojun's mind grew hazy, and he felt his thoughts and senses enter an extraordinarily peculiar state.

The cultivation method of the Divine Gaze Technique flashed rapidly through his mind. At once, he felt as though he had undergone countless periods of bitter cultivation in that brief span, reaching an astonishing level of training and understanding in the Divine Gaze Technique.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Only after quite a while did Chen Shaojun come back to himself.

"Unfortunately, I still failed to raise the Divine Gaze Technique to the minor mastery realm."

Chen Shaojun felt somewhat regretful.

As far as he knew, once the Divine Gaze Technique reached minor mastery, the spiritual power released from the body would condense into substance and become visible to the naked eye. Its effect in wearing away and cleansing Baleful Intent would undergo a qualitative transformation.

It could even interfere with reality.

Using spiritual power, one could move objects directly in front of oneself across a short distance.

That was also the standard for becoming an official pawnshop appraiser.

"But I'm close.

I estimate that with one more experience pill, I should be able to raise my Divine Gaze Technique to the minor mastery realm."

Chen Shaojun's expression returned to calm.

Without lingering, he took out the second item to be appraised.

This time, it was a hairpin.

He lit the candle and burned incense.

After an incense stick had burned away, the appraisal began again.

Though the Spirit-Communing Pill had not raised the Divine Gaze Technique to minor mastery or brought about a qualitative change, it had still improved it.

Not only was it faster and less strenuous to use, but when his spiritual will left his body, it was sharper than before, like a pointed blade capable of piercing through every obstruction of Baleful Intent.

The hairpin was soon successfully appraised.

The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror traced its roots and origins, then assessed its grade and rank.

Mortal Grade, Low Rank.

Reward: a Blood-Qi Pill.

"Continue!"

Expressionless, Chen Shaojun took out the third treasure.

Then came the fourth, the fifth, the sixth...

Again and again, he lit candles and burned incense. Again and again, he appraised treasures.

Again and again, the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror appeared, assessed their grade and rank, and bestowed rewards.

The third reward was a Spirit-Nurturing Pill.

The fourth reward was the art of horse taming.

The fifth was the traditional Chinese medical diagnostic method: Observation, Auscultation, Inquiry, and Palpation.

The sixth was a martial art: Eight-Step Cicada Catcher.

Reward after reward.

Though none of them were poor, and every one was something many people dreamed of obtaining,

none of them helped him deal with the ghost inside the Jade Ruyi.

He even wished he could receive another Spirit-Communing Pill.

Then he could raise his Divine Gaze Technique to the minor mastery realm.

Unfortunately, he did not receive another Spirit-Communing Pill either.

When he began the seventh appraisal, he did so with the resolve to smash the cauldrons and sink the boats.

If there was still no result this time... then, well, he would give up.

Open his eyes wide and face a ghost?

He was not that stupid.

Wasn't staying alive good enough?

If all else failed, he would have to take the dangerous path.