Chapter 60: Can You Please Shut Your Mouth?
Since he had to go to Pan Garden early the next morning, Su Xiaofan hung up the video call with Brother Gang after settling a few details with him.
“Hmm? The jade pendant has finished being nurtured?”
Just as Su Xiaofan finished taking a shower and lay back down on the bed, several pieces of information suddenly appeared in his mind. The dragon-shaped jade pendant, which had disappeared for several days, had also reappeared around his neck.
【Restoration Points: 106!】
【Han Dynasty Dragon-Shaped Jade Pendant: Mid-Grade Magical Artifact, Cannot Be Repaired!】
“As expected, nurturing it really does reduce the amount of Restoration Points consumed.”
Looking at the information in his mind, Su Xiaofan finally understood another function of the Nurturing Pool.
Aside from nurturing ordinary objects into magical artifacts, the Nurturing Pool could also repair damaged magical artifacts.
Unlike instant repairs, which required a huge amount of Restoration Points, the Nurturing Pool took considerably longer, but the amount of Restoration Points required was only one-tenth as much.
“What exactly is this magical artifact useful for?”
Su Xiaofan took the jade pendant off his neck and rubbed it between his fingers. After being nurtured, the jade seemed to have become even more lustrous and smooth.
However, aside from knowing that it was a mid-grade magical artifact, Su Xiaofan knew nothing about its other functions.
“Should I ask Uncle Jing tomorrow?”
Although Uncle Jing hadn't told him why they were going to Pan Garden, Su Xiaofan knew perfectly well what was going on.
Other than that string of Vajra Bodhi prayer beads, what else could make Uncle Jing come all the way down from Beijing TV just to make a special trip to Pan Garden?
The appraisal session that afternoon had also exhausted Su Xiaofan mentally and physically.
After pondering over the functions of magical artifacts for a while, Su Xiaofan gradually fell into a deep sleep.
……
The next morning, Su Xiaofan got up a little after six. After washing up, he went downstairs for breakfast.
At exactly eight o'clock, a car stopped in front of the hotel.
With a driver behind the wheel, Jing Shizhen didn't say much along the way. However, from time to time, his eyes would drift toward the Vajra Bodhi prayer beads around Su Xiaofan's wrist.
“Uncle Jing, is there something wrong with these prayer beads?”
Knowing perfectly well what was going on, Su Xiaofan deliberately asked, “They're just nicely polished. Is it really worth making a special trip here for them?”
Standing at the entrance of Pan Garden, Su Xiaofan looked at Jing Shizhen beside him and couldn't help smiling.
Today, Jing Shizhen was wearing not only sunglasses but also a large face mask that covered almost his entire face.
As a famous figure in the antique trade, tourists might not necessarily recognize Jing Shizhen, but most of the stall owners in Pan Garden certainly did.
“These are magical artifacts!”
Now that they had already arrived at Pan Garden, Jing Shizhen stopped hiding the truth.
“Magical artifacts have appeared in Pan Garden before, but there's no way one would show up at a stall selling collectible curios. That's why I wanted to come and take a look.”
Jing Shizhen was still puzzled.
He never would have imagined that although Su Xiaofan hadn't found any bargains over the past two days, he had somehow managed to stumble upon a magical artifact instead.
“Magical artifact?”
Su Xiaofan appropriately put on an expression of shock.
“Uncle Jing, then how much is this magical artifact worth?”
“I swear, boy, why do you measure everything in money?”
Jing Shizhen glared at Su Xiaofan unhappily.
“This is a magical artifact. Can you even buy one with money?”
“Uncle Jing, I paid 1,800 yuan for it,” Su Xiaofan said weakly.
“I……”
Jing Shizhen was nearly speechless.
There was nothing wrong with what Su Xiaofan had said. He really had bought it with money.
“Uncle Jing, what exactly can a magical artifact do? I've noticed that both you and Mr. Zhao seem to attach great importance to these things.”
Su Xiaofan finally asked the question that had been bothering him for a long time.
In his opinion, aside from the time when he had encountered that strange ghostly wall, the magical artifact didn't seem to have done anything useful. Most of the time, it was basically just an ordinary accessory.
“Well……”
Jing Shizhen hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
“It's hard to explain to you right now. I'll tell you after you've officially entered the field.”
“Then, Uncle Jing, how did you know that this was a magical artifact?”
Su Xiaofan continued asking.
“I can't see anything different between these prayer beads and ordinary Vajra Bodhi.”
“That… I'll have to wait until you've entered the field before I tell you that, too.”
Jing Shizhen still shook his head.
“Come on. Let's first take a look at the stall where you bought these prayer beads.”
“So mysterious.”
Su Xiaofan muttered under his breath, but he still followed Jing Shizhen into Pan Garden.
“Uncle Jing, this is the stall. But it looks like the owner hasn't arrived yet.”
When they reached the collectible-curio stall where Su Xiaofan had bought the prayer beads, he discovered that the owner hadn't even set up his stall yet.
“Young people these days are getting lazier and lazier.”
“When I used to come to Pan Garden, I'd arrive at four or five in the morning. There was even a ghost market back then, and that's when the good stuff was most abundant.”
“Uncle Jing, there aren't ghost markets anywhere anymore.”
Anyone who had spent time in the antique trade knew about ghost markets, so Su Xiaofan naturally understood what Jing Shizhen was talking about.
Ghost markets had a very long history. They had already appeared in various places during the late Qing Dynasty.
They were called “ghost markets” not because people traded with ghosts, but because most of the things sold there came from questionable sources—items that couldn't be openly displayed during the day.
Moreover, ghost markets usually opened around four or five in the morning.
At that hour, the moon had just disappeared and the sun had yet to rise. People moved about throughout the market, their silhouettes flickering like ghostly figures.
In the old days, buyers and sellers didn't even speak during transactions. Instead, they negotiated prices by holding and squeezing each other's hands.
With no voices, ghostlike figures moving everywhere, and the enormous market appearing and disappearing beneath the darkness of night, it naturally became known as a “ghost market.”
During the early years after the founding of the country, as well as during the 1970s and 1980s, ghost markets could still be found in many places.
However, because a large number of stolen goods would appear in these markets, the relevant authorities cracked down on them several times. Eventually, ghost markets gradually disappeared.
“Hey, Uncle Jing, the owner is here.”
While Su Xiaofan and Uncle Jing were chatting, they saw the stall owner who had previously sold him the Vajra Bodhi prayer beads walking over slowly with a suitcase in his hand.
“Buddy, looking to buy some collectible curios again?”
Seeing Su Xiaofan standing in front of his stall, the owner raised his hand in greeting.
“The best thing I've got is the string you're wearing.”
The stall owner pointed at the prayer beads around Su Xiaofan's wrist.
“The others haven't been polished for as long, so their appearance isn't quite as good as this one. But they're not far behind.”
“Boss, can I ask whether these prayer beads were polished by you yourself or whether you got them through another supplier?”
Before Su Xiaofan could say anything, Jing Shizhen asked the question.
“Hey, what do you mean by that?”
The stall owner, who looked to be around thirty years old, immediately became nervous.
“Here in Pan Garden, who doesn't know that all the collectible curios sold by me, Liu Lao'er, are polished by me personally?”
“Steaming, boiling, oiling, frying—I've never done any of those tricks! If you've changed your mind, I'll give you your money back.”
Liu Lao'er thought Su Xiaofan had brought someone over to demand a refund, so he immediately began shouting.
Several unfriendly gazes from the surrounding stalls turned toward them.
Su Xiaofan couldn't help laughing.
This scene was far too familiar.
Back when he had been running a stall in Luochuan, he would encounter something like this several times a day.
It seemed Uncle Jing hadn't visited an antique market in quite a while. He had accidentally touched one of the other party's sensitive points with his question.
“No, no, that's not what I meant!”
Seeing that his words had caused a misunderstanding, Jing Shizhen quickly explained.
“I'm not here to ask for a refund. I want to buy several strings of Vajra Bodhi with similar quality as gifts. I was simply asking whether you had any more.”
“Oh! You should've said that earlier. Guys, it's nothing, nothing…”
Liu Lao'er waved toward the people around them and opened the suitcase in front of him.
“I've got two more strings with roughly the same quality. Take a look.”
Liu Lao'er took out two strings of Vajra Bodhi sealed in plastic bags.
“I haven't really been polishing these two anymore. If you're interested, I'll give you a cheaper price.”
Jing Shizhen picked up the two strings and ran his fingers over them. Disappointment appeared on his face.
“Don't you have anything better? Something like the one he's wearing?”
“These two aren't bad either. They came from the same batch I imported from Nepal. Look carefully—the luster and color are pretty much the same, aren't they?”
Liu Lao'er enthusiastically promoted his merchandise, but Jing Shizhen only grew more disappointed.
“Let's go.”
Jing Shizhen shook his head at Su Xiaofan and turned to leave.
“Uncle Jing, what's wrong?”
Su Xiaofan followed behind him.
“Those two aren't magical artifacts?”
“No.”
Jing Shizhen looked at the prayer beads on Su Xiaofan's wrist, his face filled with confusion.
“Uncle Jing, then how are magical artifacts created?”
Su Xiaofan realized that ever since the electrocution incident, he seemed to have been constantly dealing with magical artifacts.
“There are many ways.”
This time, Jing Shizhen didn't avoid the question. As they walked, he explained,
“A powerful monk's spiritual blessings can turn an object into a magical artifact.
“Placing an object in a special environment and nurturing it can also turn it into a magical artifact.
“There's another method—incorporating a formation into the object during its creation and refining it into a magical artifact. Magical artifacts made this way are stronger than those produced by the previous two methods.
“There may also be other reasons that can cause a magical artifact to form, but those are things I don't know about……”
Seeing that Su Xiaofan seemed ready to ask more questions, Jing Shizhen waved his hand.
“Don't ask anymore. Once we've finished recording the television program, I'll explain everything to you properly.
“You really are strange, kid. I can't see that you have particularly good luck, so how come you're either finding valuable bargains or stumbling across magical artifacts?”
Even Jing Shizhen couldn't completely explain how magical artifacts were formed.
Take the Vajra Bodhi around Su Xiaofan's wrist, for example. Jing Shizhen had no idea how it had become a magical artifact.
“Maybe it's just that my bad luck has finally run out.”
Su Xiaofan pursed his lips.
“I was unlucky enough before. I either got into a car accident or was struck by electricity. It's only fair that I get some good luck now.”
“Hmm, that's actually possible. Later, I'll teach you a cultivation method. Give it a try.”
Since Jing Shizhen intended to take Su Xiaofan as his disciple, he had naturally investigated his background.
What Su Xiaofan didn't know was that Jing Shizhen had even asked his former middle and high school homeroom teachers about his life back then.
Jing Shizhen knew everything about the car accident several years ago and the electrocution incident not long ago.
“A cultivation method? What kind of cultivation method?”
Su Xiaofan was stunned.
“Uncle Jing, do you mean martial arts or a cultivation technique?
“There's a huge difference between the two. Martial arts are for strengthening the body, but if it's a cultivation technique, does that mean I can cultivate immortality?”
“You've read too many novels, haven't you?”
Jing Shizhen said irritably,
“A cultivation method is also meant to strengthen the body. It's just somewhat more effective than those Tai Chi, Bagua, and similar exercises you see on the market.”
“Is it that Longevity Technique you mentioned last time?”
Su Xiaofan remembered hearing that term when he had chatted with Uncle Jing before.
“It's a health-preservation exercise,” Uncle Jing corrected him.
“Right, right. A health-preservation exercise.”
Su Xiaofan's eyes lit up.
“Uncle Jing, I've heard that people who cultivate immortality have to start when they're young. I'm already in my twenties. Is it still not too late?”
“Can you please shut your mouth?”
Listening to Su Xiaofan's endless chatter behind him, Jing Shizhen suddenly began to regret his decision to take this disciple.
……
(End of Chapter)
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