Chapter 30 – Competing for Treasures

The stall wasn’t located on either side of the road but was crammed into a corner, with only a small space about a meter wide. It didn’t seem to attract many customers. When Wei Yang walked over, he immediately understood why. The vendor had a sharp, weasel-like face, with shifty eyes that made him look extremely untrustworthy. While it’s true that all merchants have their tricks, wearing such an expression on your face was a surefire way to scare off business. Coupled with the fact that the stall didn’t have many items on display, even fewer customers were willing to stop and take a look.

However, Wei Yang had come prepared. He squatted down in front of the stall and quickly scanned the items on display. Earlier, Zhang Xiuqi had mentioned something about “Zen luck,” which likely had something to do with Buddhism. There were indeed several Buddhist items on the stall: a well-worn prayer bead bracelet, a 15-centimeter-tall jade Guanyin statue with mixed green and black hues, two incense burners, and a dark wooden fish that looked like it had been used for years. Along with some other daily items, it didn’t seem like the stall belonged to a professional dealer but rather someone who had ransacked a lay Buddhist’s home.

After a quick glance at the vendor’s appearance, Wei Yang had a rough idea of the situation. Casually, he asked, “Brother, how much for the stuff here?”

As if he hadn’t had a customer in a while, the vendor was momentarily stunned before quickly responding, “What are you looking for? These are all treasures passed down from my ancestors. If you’re serious, we can negotiate the price.”

“Non-gold, non-jade treasures, huh?” Wei Yang picked up one of the incense burners and felt it. “Tsk, I’d say this is from after the founding of the People’s Republic, right?”

“Do you even know what a Xuande incense burner is?” the vendor retorted, clearly offended. “My ancestors were legitimate scholars during the Qing dynasty. This is a genuine treasure from the Xuande era. Even the ‘Treasure Appraisal’ crew came to our village to buy it, but I refused to sell!”

Wei Yang couldn’t help but laugh. “You know about Xuande incense burners? Aren’t they supposed to be made of copper? This doesn’t look like red copper to me.”

Xuande incense burners were a batch of exquisite incense burners crafted during the Xuande era of the Ming dynasty. Emperor Xuande personally ordered their creation, commanding artisans to use 30,000 catties of tribute copper, mixed with gold, silver, and other precious metals, to produce 3,000 incense burners. Each Xuande incense burner had an extremely fine body, appearing in dark purple or blackish-brown hues, resembling the skin of a baby. They emitted a subtle, mysterious glow, exuding elegance and grandeur, making them the pinnacle of incense burners. If such an artifact were genuine, it would indeed warrant a visit from the “Treasure Appraisal” crew. But the problem was, it had to be a copper incense burner first!

The vendor’s face darkened, and he coughed awkwardly. “Well, look at the shape! It’s not something just anyone could make!”

That much was true. Regardless of the material, both incense burners were of decent quality. The stone incense burner was passable, but the metal one had an excellent shape, likely from the late Qing dynasty. However, whether these items were truly passed down from his ancestors was highly questionable. With such quality, selling them at an auction wouldn’t be difficult, so why bother coming to the Ghost Market to try his luck?

However, this thought was fleeting as Wei Yang’s attention was drawn to Zhang Xiuqi’s actions. The Little Celestial Master squatted in front of the stall, picked up the shabby wooden fish, examined it for a moment, and then placed it back on the stall. Was the item with Zen luck the wooden fish? That would be troublesome. If it were something else, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but the wooden fish looked so worn that asking about its price would immediately raise suspicions. Thanks to all the rumors in recent years, finding hidden treasures had become much harder.

With a plan in mind, Wei Yang put down the incense burner and didn’t reach for the wooden fish. Instead, he picked up the Guanyin statue next to it. This Guanyin statue was also a fine piece, carved from Dushan jade. The jade material was barely of third-grade quality, but the craftsmanship cleverly utilized the mixed colors of Dushan jade, using the green and black hues to create the lotus throne and the Buddha’s halo. The Guanyin’s eyes were slightly closed, her expression compassionate, and her robes fluttering as if caught in a gentle breeze. The statue was elegant and beautiful, worthy of appreciation. However, most collectors of Buddhist statues preferred pure-colored carvings. While this jade Guanyin was beautiful, the jade quality and color were somewhat disappointing, which explained the lack of interest in the stall.

After some thought, Wei Yang asked directly, “How much for the Guanyin statue?”

The vendor’s eyes lit up. “300,000 yuan!”

“Cough! 300,000? I could buy your entire stall with that!” Wei Yang nearly choked, slashing the price by more than half. “I’ll take it for 10,000!”

The vendor was flustered. “10,000? You might as well buy a skull! This has been appraised—it’s genuine jade, and it’s an antique from the Qing dynasty!”

“Come on, it’s not Hetian jade. It’s just Dushan jade, not even pure lotus jade or black jade. You can find plenty of these in the handicraft market,” Wei Yang countered without backing down.

“Hey, you! Do you even want to buy it? If not, put it down!” the vendor snapped. These items were actually stolen from his father, who had been a Red Guard in his early years. His father had ransacked the private residence of some scholar during that time and taken these things, which had been kept at home for years. Now that the vendor needed money, he had stolen them to sell. However, neither pawnshops nor jade shops were willing to offer a satisfactory price, so he had decided to try his luck at the Ghost Market. But the first customer he got was offering a fraction of the price! 10,000 yuan was even less than what the pawnshop had offered!

“If you’re serious about selling, I’m serious about buying,” Wei Yang said with a friendly smile. “Let’s cut the nonsense and give me a real price so we can negotiate properly.”

Truth be told, the Guanyin statue could easily sell for 30,000 to 50,000 yuan. However, Wei Yang’s target wasn’t the statue. He was just trying to haggle with the vendor so he could eventually get the wooden fish thrown in as a “bargain.” But the little swindler’s acting skills were top-notch, and the vendor truly believed he was serious about buying.

Gritting his teeth, the vendor reluctantly lowered the price. “This is my first sale today. If you’re really interested, how about 230,000?”

“Is that a discount? That’s not sincere at all. 13,000, and not a penny more!”

“13,000 for the incense burner! The Guanyin statue is out of the question!”

“I wouldn’t pay more than 800 for the incense burner! Lower it again. How long are we going to keep haggling…”

The two of them went back and forth, arguing over the price. Beside them, Zhang Xiuqi furrowed his brow in confusion. He wanted to take out his bank card but remembered Wei Yang’s earlier instructions and hesitated. However, he didn’t hesitate for long because two people suddenly walked up behind them and stopped at the stall. For some reason, the Little Celestial Master became alert.

“80,000, and that’s my final offer!” the vendor said with determination. “If you really want it, that’s the price. Not a single yuan less!”

Wei Yang was about to say something when a voice suddenly came from behind. “80,000 for the Guanyin statue? I’ll take it!”

Hearing this, Wei Yang was startled and turned around. Behind him stood two people, both relatively young. One was broad and stocky, looking like a lackey, while the other had a center-parted hairstyle and a decent appearance, though there was something off about his demeanor that was hard to pinpoint but made him seem unpleasant. The one who had spoken was the center-parted man. Without wasting any words, he squatted down, picked up the Guanyin statue, and examined it carefully, showing a hint of satisfaction.

Thinking quickly, Wei Yang immediately retorted, “Do you even know the rules of the Ghost Market? You can’t just butt in while someone else is negotiating. First come, first served, right?!”

The vendor, however, was delighted. “Sold! Sold! Of course, I’ll sell it! You’re a man of taste, boss. I’m already taking a huge loss at 80,000 yuan. Who would refuse a sale and just cause trouble…”

If this was the vendor’s accomplice, they were probably trying to create a bidding war to drive up the price. But since Wei Yang wasn’t genuinely interested, he didn’t take the bait. Instead, he rolled his eyes and, ignoring the center-parted man, pointed at the incense burner on the ground. “Then how much for this thing…”

“12,000! It’s a genuine Xuande incense burner. Do you want it, boss?” The vendor completely ignored Wei Yang and spoke directly to the center-parted man.

The center-parted man examined the incense burner carefully and seemed satisfied. He raised an eyebrow. “6,000 yuan. Give me a straight answer.”

Pawnshops had never appraised this incense burner for more than 2,000 yuan. The vendor gritted his teeth. “You’re a straightforward man, boss. 88,000 yuan, and both items are yours!”

The center-parted man was decisive and immediately had his lackey pay. Wei Yang realized this wasn’t a setup but just an ordinary sucker. Whether he genuinely liked the items or was just showing off was unclear. However, Wei Yang played along, standing in front of the stall with a grim expression, looking like he couldn’t afford the items but didn’t want to leave.

The transaction was quickly completed, and the vendor happily packed the two items and handed them to the center-parted man. “Boss, do you want anything else? I’ve got more stuff here…”

The center-parted man didn’t respond but gave Wei Yang a disdainful glance. “Sorry for interrupting your shopping. If there’s something you want, I’ll give it to you.”

What the fuck, this guy’s face is practically flying off into the sky. Wei Yang found it amusing but clenched his teeth tightly, putting on an expression of “I’d rather die than be humiliated.” Of course, the other man was just using him to show off and snorted before leaving with his lackey. The vendor, feeling smug, asked, “Buddy, do you see anything else you like? We can negotiate the price.”

Wei Yang didn’t answer immediately, as if he didn’t know how to save face. His gaze shifted to the wooden fish that Zhang Xiuqi had touched earlier, and he pointed at it. “How much for this?”

The vendor almost laughed out loud. “100 yuan. Still want to haggle?”

Without another word, Wei Yang pulled out a red bill and tossed it onto the stall. “Pack it up for me!”

The vendor was practically laughing on the inside as he stuffed the wooden fish into a plastic bag and handed it over. “Buddy, you’ve got a good eye!”

Wei Yang ignored the blatant sarcasm, grabbed Zhang Xiuqi, who was still squatting nearby, and said, “Let’s go.”

Zhang Xiuqi was clearly still puzzled by how they had managed to get the item so easily. However, he didn’t say anything and obediently let Wei Yang lead him away from the stall. Only after they had walked a good distance did he say, “I have money.”

“You could have just swiped your card to buy it for me?” Wei Yang laughed, feeling extremely pleased. “Brother Qi, you don’t understand. This is the art of treasure hunting. Thanks to that guy’s interference, we saved a lot of trouble. Everyone thinks others are idiots, but who knows who’ll have the last laugh.”

With a smug grin, Wei Yang pulled out the wooden fish from the bag. “What’s the deal with this thing?”

This wooden fish was a true handheld instrument, with a handle that set it apart from ordinary wooden fish. The wood was slightly dark, with clear signs of long-term use. The surface was worn but had developed a patina, giving it a somewhat lustrous appearance upon closer inspection. Wei Yang could only tell that the wood was likely nanmu, but he couldn’t figure out much else.

Zhang Xiuqi pointed to the opening of the wooden fish. “Shurangama Mantra. Chanted for years. Has Zen essence.”

“The entire Shurangama Mantra?” Wei Yang was shocked. “That’s over 400 lines long. It’s all carved into this little wooden fish?”

Even without much knowledge of Buddhism, Wei Yang knew that the Shurangama Sutra was one of the most famous Buddhist mantras, and its length was daunting. Carving such a lengthy mantra into a small wooden fish was almost beyond imagination. If what Zhang Xiuqi said was true, regardless of whether the item could dispel evil, it was already an incredibly rare piece of art.

Zhang Xiuqi nodded and added, “Chanting the mantra is better.”

In other words, carving the mantra was only part of it. What was even rarer was that someone had chanted the sutra and struck the wooden fish for years, causing the sound of the chant and the mantra to resonate and generate even stronger spiritual power and mantra energy? Wei Yang clicked his tongue. “So it’s still human energy that matters most?”

“Coins too,” Zhang Xiuqi confirmed. “Burial coins are bad. Old coins are good.”

Burial coins, especially those buried with high-ranking officials and nobles, were often unused new coins. What Zhang Xiuqi needed were old coins that had been passed through many hands during prosperous times. The confidence and vitality of the people who had used them were what gave the coins their strong aura. This kind of fortune was something that new coins, large coins, or rare coins from specific dynasties couldn’t match. Zhang Xiuqi’s explanation wasn’t very clear, but Wei Yang vaguely understood the underlying meaning. “So, for a feng shui artifact to be effective, being consecrated by a master is just one method. Antiques that have been cultivated by people over time can have the same effect? What about evil energy? Is it the same?”

“Both good and evil are like this.”

Qi, luck, and momentum, when used to their fullest, could sometimes be more effective than deliberately crafted artifacts. This was the essence of practices like the Mao Mountain Sect’s techniques. While the Longhu Mountain Sect leaned more towards talismans, they still had some understanding of these principles. Zhang Xiuqi’s explanation wasn’t very fluent, but Wei Yang managed to piece together some insights. However, unlike the old swindler’s determination to learn, Wei Yang was more curious about the rules of these supernatural phenomena. After all, when your decades of materialist beliefs are overturned, you need some new principles to rebuild your worldview.

As they chatted, Wei Yang’s phone suddenly rang. It was Sun Muhua calling. Wei Yang answered, and Sun’s voice came through the receiver, sounding both happy and awkward.

“Brother Yang, we’ve got a job, but… uh… it’s for a men’s hospital…”