Gu Yue Zhai

Duan Rong immediately began strolling through the alley.

Duan Rong looked over the stalls. Some had folding wooden tables set up, while others simply spread a sheet of felt on the ground.

Glancing at the dazzling array of antiques on the black felt, then at the stall owners sitting behind their wares with their arms folded, squinting at passersby, Duan Rong suddenly slapped his forehead. An idea came to him.

"Artifact spirits are connected to the passage of time. Aren't antiques connected to time too?"

"Can't my Devour Artifact Spirit ability be used to find overlooked treasures?"

"If I use this to find bargains, it'll be far more reliable than those expert masters. Its accuracy is practically on par with carbon-14 dating in archaeology!"

"Awesome!" Duan Rong rejoiced. Imitating Shi Banyu's voice-acting tone, he cried, "I really am too smart!"

The moment Duan Rong thought of it, he immediately put it into action.

At the first stall by the alley entrance, he crouched down and began touching the antiques one by one.

After feeling over the first stall, Duan Rong did not even straighten his back. He simply shifted his butt and squatted before the second stall beside it.

Without even raising his head, Duan Rong felt his way through four stalls in a row.

Such drive was enough to make anyone click their tongue in amazement!

Duan Rong put the wooden deity statue in his hand back on the stall and cursed inwardly, "Not Ranked again!"

Shifting his butt as though changing spots while taking a shit, Duan Rong squatted before the fifth stall.

The fifth stall's owner was a gaunt middle-aged man. At first, the stall owners had not paid much attention to Duan Rong's strange behavior, but after he had gone through four stalls in succession, the fifth owner had begun to grow suspicious.

The gaunt middle-aged stall owner watched as Duan Rong squatted before his stall, lowered his head, and began feeling around.

"Hey, little brother, are you buying or not?"

Hearing that, Duan Rong raised his head. "If I find something suitable, I'll naturally buy it! What, you're in business, you've laid everything out, but you won't even let me look?"

The stall owner wanted to say more, but when he saw the sheathed Oxtail Saber in Duan Rong's hand and the Waist Tag tied at his waist, he waved his hand and said nothing further.

The Waist Tag tied around Duan Rong's waist bore the mark of the Yuan Shun Escort Agency.

The Yuan Shun Escort Agency was also a force to be reckoned with in Xiangu County.

Besides, Duan Rong was merely acting a little strangely. He had neither stolen nor robbed anything, so there was no need for the stall owner to invite trouble for himself.

Just like that, Duan Rong went through more than ten stalls in a row. If he had not already built up some foundation in horse stance training, his waist definitely would not have endured that kind of squatting.

"Not one of these crooked merchants has a genuine item. Antique Street, my ass—who are you trying to fool, ghosts?"

As Duan Rong felt through the wares, he cursed under his breath. He had handled countless deity statues, lacquerware, bronzeware, calligraphy, and paintings. His fingertips were coated in a layer of greasy grime, yet he had found nothing.

Just as Duan Rong was feeling extremely frustrated, he suddenly froze, staring at a set of data that appeared before him.

Item: Portrait of a Lady

Artifact Spirit Rank: Rank 6.

Devouring Requirement: Host Mental Strength Level 6 (not met).

Devouring Effect: Exquisite Brushwork Level 5, Penetrating the Paper Level 4, Communicate with Heaven and Man Beginner.

"A Rank 6 artifact spirit must have some age to it. This is definitely an old painting!"

Duan Rong gripped a slightly yellowed scroll, but did not unroll it.

"And judging by the Devouring Effect, the painter of this old painting must have been somewhat accomplished. It might even be the work of a famous master!"

Duan Rong recalled the famous paintings from his previous life that sold for hundreds of millions at auction houses, and immediately slurped at the corner of his mouth.

Duan Rong took a deep breath. After feeling around for so long, he had finally found a fish!

Expressionless, Duan Rong put the scroll in his hand back. Then he casually drew out another scroll from the painting jar, opened it for a glance, and asked the stall owner, "Boss, how much for this painting?"

The owner shifted his butt, glanced at the painting Duan Rong had opened, and, seeing that it was a landscape, said, "Five taels!"

Duan Rong's face darkened. "You see I'm an unfamiliar face, so you're butchering me like this? At least name a price I can bargain over. You open with five taels—aren't you just driving customers away?"

Duan Rong was genuinely a little angry. He had only eight qian of silver left in his pocket altogether.

"Then how much do you say?" The stall owner looked at Duan Rong encouragingly.

"Five qian!"

The moment Duan Rong finished speaking, the stall owner snatched the painting from his hand, rolled it up, tossed it back into the painting jar, and fell silent with a cold face.

"Fuck!" Duan Rong cursed inwardly. "Six qian at most!"

The stall owner still looked elsewhere with a cold expression, not even glancing at Duan Rong.

Duan Rong's eyelid twitched, and he turned to leave.

He had barely taken two steps when the stall owner called out, "Come back. Six qian, it's yours!"

"I quoted too high!" Duan Rong muttered as he turned back.

Duan Rong paid six qian of silver, rummaged around in the painting jar a few times, then pulled out that Portrait of a Lady.

The stall owner did not care in the slightest whether the one Duan Rong took was the landscape painting from before. All the paintings in his jar had been bought at the same price anyway.

The stall owner was delighted at having made his first sale. After all, six qian of silver was enough to cover ten or so days' worth of food for his family. "Scammed another dumbass!"

With the scroll tucked under his arm, Duan Rong looked around and turned into a shop called Gu Yue Zhai.

Gu Yue Zhai's clerk was named Guan Kui. He was already in his early thirties, and since his teens, he had worked as a clerk under Manager Tang. Counting it up, it had been nearly twenty years.

Antique shops differed from other stores. They often had to receive and see off customers, and in this trade, it was common to go half a year without a sale, then live off one sale for half a year.

Holding a feather duster, Guan Kui slowly and lightly dusted the counter. It was the temperament he had cultivated from steeping in the antique trade for so long.

Everything had to be done slowly, and gently. A moment of rashness could lead to trouble.

As Guan Kui dusted, he suddenly saw a nimble young man stride in. The youth wore a brown short outfit, with a square face and bright eyes, dark skin, hair slick with oil. One hand gripped a sheathed Oxtail Saber, while a yellowed scroll was tucked beneath his arm.

Arriving at the counter, he revealed gleaming white teeth and smiled honestly. "Clerk, do you have any calligraphy or paintings? I want genuine goods. If you do, bring them out and let me have a look. If the goods are right, the price is negotiable!"

Guan Kui blinked as he looked over the man's wind-in-his-step manner and attire. He did not look like one of those old hands who had burrowed deep into the antique trade.

Without revealing anything, Guan Kui smiled and asked, "Sir, you want calligraphy and paintings—could it be for a birthday celebration or a gift?"

Guan Kui was trying to sound him out and dig into his background so he could deal with him accordingly.

Duan Rong had worked in insurance for ten years in his previous life. How could he fail to understand such sales tactics? He smiled knowingly, did not take the bait at all, and said bluntly, "What I'm buying it for is none of your concern. If you have genuine goods, bring them out. I'll appraise them for you. If you don't have genuine goods, just say so. Don't waste my time!"

Guan Kui thought, Oh? He's here to throw down the gauntlet, and his mouth is pretty big too!

But the other party had not uttered a single piece of trade jargon. He had come in shouting like this right from the start, so he was clearly just a greenhorn.

Guan Kui immediately prepared to show him out. Just as he was about to speak, a cough suddenly sounded from the Inner Room beyond the blue cloth curtain.

Guan Kui's heart jumped. The one coughing was naturally Manager Tang.

Guan Kui glanced at the blue cloth curtain and saw it stir almost imperceptibly.

Guan Kui turned to Duan Rong, smiled, and said, "Please wait!"

Guan Kui crouched down, opened the cabinet beneath the counter, and carefully brought out a yellowed scroll riddled with wormholes in both hands. He set it gently on the counter and slowly unrolled it.

Guan Kui smiled. "Take a look for me. Can this painting be considered something worthwhile?"