"I'm a layman, so the shopkeeper might as well tell me something so that I can gain some insights."
Ji Yuan didn't understand why such a large pawn shop was only illuminated by an oil lamp.
Create a spooky atmosphere?
He didn't care and followed the man in the melon-skin hat into the cubicle.
The cold wind blew by, causing the figures to sway and cast on the wall, as if they were baring their teeth and claws.
"Why don't you, the shopkeeper, light a few more lamps? It's so dark in here, how can you tell the color?"
Luo Yuzhen couldn't hold back her words and asked.
It was like a stream of cold air was going into his neck. If he hadn't practiced for a few minutes and his courage was not bad, he would have turned around and run away.
"It's a business rule that guests don't know something.
After dark, only one lamp is lit in the shop. If something unclean comes in and the lamp goes out without any wind, the shop will be told, "We are closed and we will go early tomorrow."
If the lamp is lit again, everything will be fine. If not, just offer three sticks of incense, a few plates of tribute, and silently recite the name of the City God, and they will leave on their own."
The man in the melon-skin hat named Zhang Dong explained with a smile:
"If you light too many lights, firstly, it will attract too many evil spirits, and secondly... no matter whether it is a red shop or a black shop, it cannot be said to be a serious business, so it is natural to keep a low profile."
After Luo Yuzhen heard this, he quickly approached Ji Yuan.
It felt like there were several rows of shelves and the warehouse-like compartments made the atmosphere even more sinister.
But he was curious in his heart and couldn't control his mouth, so he continued to ask:
"Is there really an evil spirit coming to your door?"
Zhang Dong bent over and took down five or six boxes from the shelf, some made of wood or iron, and placed them on a small table.
The wrinkles on his face were squeezed together, showing a strange look, and he said softly:
"Other businesses may not have it, but a small pawn shop collects items regardless of their origin, and most of what comes to hand are red goods, yellow goods, and black goods.
To put it bluntly, there are not a few who are stained with blood, attached to the souls of innocent people, and stained with the yin energy of the dead.
Just like walking at night, you will always encounter ghosts, so be extra careful.
In the past, the pawnshops on the street of Chenghuang Temple were closed as soon as it got dark, but then there were a series of deaths, so Lord Buddha issued a message to keep the doors open at night for business, and prepared oil lamps and incense candles. After that, things became peaceful and there were no more weird things."
Ji Yuan recalled the time when he opened "The Bone Bodhisattva's Night Banquet of Bliss" and had an inexplicable strange feeling of being spied on and shrouded in malice.
It seems that this world not only contains Qi, blood and martial arts, but also some indescribable and strange evil spirits.
"Master Jiu, look, these are the small objects in the underworld."
Zhang Dong first opened two wooden boxes.
One is in the shape of an altar, a pottery vessel.
It is dark reddish brown, with landscape patterns painted on it;
One is in the shape of a bottle, a jade object.
It is shaped like a pagoda, with delicate patterns such as dragons, tigers, and auspicious clouds vaguely visible.
"Brother Ji, these two items are 'soul bottles', which can be traced back to the Longhan Dynasty eight thousand years ago. Mortals must be buried with these items when they die. It means that they can hold three souls and seven souls, and protect the Yin spirits so that they can enter."
Hades.
The value of this type of underworld artifact depends on its age and the patterns on it. For example, the underworld artifacts buried with princes and generals will be particularly valuable.
Especially the soul bottle, the more exquisite it is, the better it can reflect your identity."
Luo Yuzhen finally had a chance to show his strengths. He crossed his hands, bent down and appreciated:
"This pottery is undoubtedly a commoner's product. It only uses landscape patterns, is very rough, and is not very old. It was around the middle of the Yu Dynasty 600 years ago, and its value is mediocre.
The bottle is slightly better. The owner of the tomb should be a Taoist priest with a low status. If he is at the level of purple robes and red ribbons, he should at least be equipped with unicorn patterns and alchemy seals...
All in all, they are all ordinary goods."
This rather exciting long speech made Zhang Dong, the pawnshop owner, somewhat convinced and praised:
"My guest is a connoisseur, and every detail is accurate."
Luo Yuzhen was quite pleased with himself. He turned to look at Ji Yuan, but found that the other party didn't care at all, and couldn't help but feel depressed.
When it comes to appreciating antiques, calligraphy, paintings, and jade, he thinks he is not inferior to the two bosses of Yun Tingzhai and Deyiju.
After all, there are too many things at home.
I play around with it every day when I have nothing to do, and I slowly get started.
"How much silver does this vase cost?"
Ji Yuan asked.
The Huangtian Dao Diagram in the Consciousness Sea gives a judgment, with fifty points of white Dao Yun.
"Not expensive, twenty taels."
Zhang Dong stretched out his hand to count.
"Wrap this up."
Ji Yuan weighed the money bag.
In the past, General Banner Xu Xian and a group of Tiqi sponsored a lot, but now there are still more than thirty taels left, so I can afford it.
This disappointed Luo Yuzhen, who was waiting to pay the bill. He was hoping that Ji Yuan would ask for it if he didn't have enough money.
Once you make the first deal, it will be much easier to negotiate later.
Zhang Dong estimated Ji Yuan's financial resources and the items he took out were neither too expensive nor too mediocre.
But it is a pity that only one jade artifact remains.
But the price was too expensive. It was a burial artifact that belonged to the princes and ministers of the prosperous dynasty more than 2,000 years ago.
"There are only ten points of white Dao Yun in total, but it costs four hundred taels. It's not worth it..."
Ji Yuan shook his head and did not take it.
Of course, another reason that prompted him to refuse was what Luo Yuzhen said later:
"In the prosperous dynasty, there was a custom of heavy burials. The powerful people at that time believed that blocking the various acupoints of the corpse with various jade objects would prevent the soul from leaving the body and the Yin spirit from leaking out.
There are many types of jade of this kind, including cicada jade held in the mouth, eye jade covering the eyes, jade used to cushion the chest...
The piece in the shopkeeper's hand is the Qiao Jade, which is specially used to block the reincarnation of grains."
Knowing this level, Ji Yuan didn't want to touch it anymore.
"Master Jiu, you've already seen the small items. It's hard to take out the big items right now. How about... you come back tomorrow? I'll take you around the warehouse."
Zhang Dong specializes in this industry, so naturally he will not dislike dirty things, so he said cautiously:
"Besides, it's a bit late now. There have been a lot of strange things happening in Tianjing City recently, so it's not safe to walk at night."
Ji Yuan nodded. He was actually not interested in big objects.
Bells, cauldrons, gold vessels, silver vessels, and even coffins are all very expensive.
If you don't have a few thousand or tens of thousands of taels of silver, I'm afraid it will be difficult to get it.
"Only items that completely belong to me can be absorbed into the Emperor's Dao Diagram and change their fate... eliminating the possibility of free prostitution."
Ji Yuan thought regretfully.
This time he only collected the soul bottle and got fifty points of white Tao Yun, which was better than nothing.
However, it can be considered as a way to discover a way. At least the chance of this type of underworld artifact remaining in the Dao Yun is much higher than that of ordinary antiques.
If you have time, you can come more often to pan for gold.
"Then thank you to the shopkeeper. If you receive any good items again, you can come to me at any time."
Ji Yuan held the packed soul bottle and said with his hand.
"Master Jiu, you're so polite. Please forgive me for talking too much. Go home quickly and don't wander outside.
After the curfew, when it's midnight, it's easy to get into trouble."
Zhang Dong hesitated for a moment and whispered.
"If you encounter something unclean, go to the City God's Temple to ensure your safety... This is the etiquette of the industry."
Ji Yuan's eyes flickered, but he didn't take it seriously, but kept it in mind.
After leaving Huaiyin Zhai, the bluestone streets outside were deserted.
A large hazy mist shrouded the surroundings, blurring the houses and lights, and it seemed that nothing could be seen clearly.