Filled with joy, I quickly grasped the hard object and hurriedly pulled it back, opening my hand to reveal a small jade pendant lying quietly in my palm.
The ring-like object that was previously on my finger revealed its true form—a ring. However, to my dismay, the ring was not made of jade but of a material resembling wood. To call it a ring was an overstatement; it was merely a wooden loop the size of a ring.
My gaze returned to the jade pendant. The so-called spirit stone did not bring me much delight.
The pendant was carved with a coiled dragon, which should have looked majestic, but the entire pendant was covered in cracks as if it could shatter at any moment.
Moreover, its color was not the flawless white typically used to describe beautiful jade. This pendant was brown. It looked more like a stone than jade. It was a real disappointment.
With its cracks, I felt that this was far from being flawless jade; it was more like flawed black jade!
I sighed and said to Mei’er, “Mei’er, are you sure this is the low-grade spirit stone you mentioned?”
“No!” Mei’er answered confidently, putting my mind at ease. This broken stone was not a spirit stone. I was about to put the crumbling pendant back.
However, Mei’er spoke again, and her words almost made me lose my mind: “Although it is not a spirit stone, it is exactly what I need you to find.”
“How so?” I sighed helplessly and asked in confusion.
“Due to the current unsealing of only two of my tails, I sensed it incorrectly,” Mei’er paused and continued, “Although this jade pendant is not a real spirit stone, it contains a significant amount of spiritual energy. It should be a fake spirit stone.”
Despite its unimpressive appearance, Mei’er said it still contained a lot of spiritual energy. Moreover, its unattractive look suggested it shouldn’t be too expensive.
“Boss, I want this jade pendant!” Unable to contain my excitement, I spoke louder than intended. No sooner had I spoken than a loud commotion reached my ears, sounding as if someone had fallen from a height.
“What, what?” The boss’s confused voice followed the noise. Looking back, I saw the boss lying on the ground with his stool toppled over. It seemed he had fallen from his stool, possibly due to my loud voice.
Sister Lin laughed gleefully and whispered in my ear, “While you were picking things, the boss dozed off on his stool. Your shout scared him so much he fell off! I can’t handle this; it’s too funny!” She laughed heartily, clutching her stomach, disregarding her usual ladylike demeanor.
Sister Lin’s laughter made my heart flutter. I quickly stepped back a few steps to prevent any awkward reactions, knowing that despite Sister Lin’s small chest, her face was stunning. As an inexperienced young man, I couldn’t handle such teasing!
The boss, now fully awake, saw Sister Lin’s laughter and blushed slightly before regaining his composure. With a smile, he walked over, “What can I help you with?”
“Here, this!” I handed the unattractive jade pendant to the boss, who looked deflated upon seeing it, indicating its lack of value.
The boss took the pendant, put on his glasses, and exaggeratedly praised, “You have a good eye!”
His exaggerated praise made me uneasy. Was he trying to scam me?
“This is a jade pendant from the Ming Dynasty’s palace. I’m surprised a young man like you could recognize its value. Since you’re my first customer, I’ll sell it to you for five thousand yuan!” The boss smiled innocently, as if giving me a great deal.
First customer? Could I be the first person to buy something from his shop?
“Boss, that’s too much! Considering the jade quality and the cracks, it can’t be worth that much,” I protested.
“Originally, I thought you had a good eye, but I see you’re an amateur,” the boss said disdainfully.
Seeing I wasn’t speaking, he continued, “You’ve heard of crackle-glazed pottery, right? This jade pendant is similar in principle!”
Who was he trying to fool? I was sure he was just trying to scam me.
“Mei’er, can your mind-reading technique hear the boss’s thoughts?” I asked inwardly while pretending to ponder.
“Yes, I’ll transmit his thoughts to you now.” After a moment, I heard the boss’s thoughts.
“Why did this kid choose this pendant? It’s not valuable at all…”
The boss’s thoughts, transmitted clearly to me, revealed the truth about the jade pendant.
It turned out this seemingly weak old man had been a tomb raider in his youth. This jade pendant was from his last tomb raiding expedition in a Tang Dynasty tomb.
He went with five or six others, but he was the only one who returned alive. The others lost their lives in that tomb, which he described as having something unclean. He avoided recalling exactly what it was.
Despite the sacrifices, the only valuable item he found was this fake spirit stone. After this incident, he decided to quit tomb raiding, opened an antique shop, and kept the pendant, feeling it wasn’t worth discarding.
Although he opened a shop, business wasn’t good, with barely any customers. Occasionally, he would meet a knowledgeable buyer and make a small profit.
Seeing I wanted the pendant, he planned to rip me off.
Little did he know, this pendant was not a cursed object but a treasure in the world of cultivation!
I had to get this jade pendant, but five thousand yuan was too much. I had only about thirteen hundred yuan on me, including what was in my bank account. Of course, I subconsciously ignored the fifty thousand yuan given to me by Qin Shousheng.
Since he thought the pendant was cursed, he must be eager to sell it. I needed to act uninterested to negotiate the price down.
I sighed and said, “Five thousand is too much. I don’t want it anymore.” I turned to leave.
Sister Lin, catching on to my act, said, “It’s good you’re not buying that ugly thing for your girlfriend. She’d probably break up with you over it!”
“Damn! Is this kid crazy, buying a gift for his girlfriend at an antique shop?” The boss’s thoughts, still audible to me, showed his confusion.
You’re crazy! Your whole family is crazy! I cursed inwardly, continuing to walk away.
“Humph, this kid is trying to outsmart me. I could tell he really wanted it from his excitement. I’ll wait,” the boss thought, determined to play hardball.
Not wanting to risk the price going up, I quickened my pace.
The boss saw me speeding up and panicked, “He’s not really leaving, is he? I was sure he wanted it. I’ll wait a bit longer.”
Just then, Sister Lin’s voice came, “Your taste is bizarre, liking such a broken thing.”
Her timing was perfect. I raised my voice and pretended to be resigned, “I just thought it was unique. You know how girls like unique things. But it’s too expensive. Let’s look elsewhere.”
“Damn! So that’s why. I thought he really wanted it. I can’t let this sale slip!” The boss hesitated before calling out loudly, “Young man, let’s negotiate. Name your price, and we’ll be friends!”
Heh, even the wise can be foolish sometimes!
I turned back, pretending to be helpless, “Honestly, I only have a hundred yuan on me. That’s far from your five thousand!” I sighed, “I don’t want to take advantage of you. Let’s look somewhere else.” I turned to leave again.
The boss’s expression was priceless upon hearing I only had a hundred yuan. He gritted his teeth and said resolutely, “Fine, a hundred it is! I won’t take back my word. We’re friends now!”
“Since you insist, I’ll take it!” I said, walking back while fumbling in my pocket for money, but found nothing.
The boss’s face darkened. I chuckled awkwardly, remembering I had put the money in my back pocket and reached for it.
What the… Something felt wrong. Hard and bulky… a brick?
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