“Something from the Great Zhou?”
Qin Chuan crouched down, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips, while his fingers, without leaving a trace, brushed one by one over the “antiques” laid out on the stall.
“Heh, listen closely, sir. This is a genuine bronze ram square censer from the Great Zhou era, an elegant object once admired on a nobleman’s desk—an old piece from over ten thousand years ago!”
The stall owner tucked his hands into his sleeves and spoke with perfect conviction.
Qin Chuan neither agreed nor disagreed.
Over ten thousand years?
The Great Zhou was indeed another glorious Heavenly Court of ten thousand years past, one of the four ancient Heavenly Courts among the myriad worlds.
But on this stall, forget thousand-year-old antiques—even a genuine object more than ten years old would have been worth a second glance from him.
He rose to leave.
“Take care, sir. No matter if nothing caught your eye. Next time you come, I’ll be sure to save something good for you!”
Seeing that Qin Chuan had no intention of buying, the stall owner was not annoyed. Still wearing that same smile, he tucked his sleeves in and squatted back down, quietly waiting for the next customer.
In this trade, it had always been said that one might go three years without a sale, but one sale could feed one for three years. Building up popularity on ordinary days was only natural.
Qin Chuan led the carriage along, lingering before each small stall tucked into the corners of streets and alleys, appraising those so-called “ancient objects” one by one.
A full half hour passed.
He thought to himself:
“As expected, antique markets from ancient times to the present, at home and abroad, are more or less the same. Genuine pieces are few and far between, and everything is a fake. If I want to pick up a bargain here, I’m probably dreaming in broad daylight.”
As for many of these items, forget triggering a response from the Heavenly Essence Furnace—even with a casual glance, he himself found them laughably fake.
But he did not leave just yet.
Since Third Uncle had not returned and it was still early, he decided that since he was already here, he might as well settle in and continue patiently rummaging through the stalls, passing object after object through his hands.
【House-guarding stone lion, contains Dharma essence…】
The words that suddenly surfaced from the Heavenly Essence Furnace in his mind made Qin Chuan’s eyelids twitch slightly.
His expression, however, remained perfectly calm. Facing the stall owner, who likewise had narrowed eyes, a square face, and broad ears, he did not linger over the somewhat battered stone lion, a little over a foot tall. Instead, he continued to rummage around the stall as though searching for something else.
Only when he picked up a small dish did he ask, “How much is this?”
Seeing Qin Chuan leading a carriage, the big-eared stall owner took him for a generous customer and smiled with narrowed eyes. “An old piece from Lishan Blessed Land, something from two thousand years ago. If you’re sincere, five spirit yuan and it’s yours.”
Qin Chuan frowned. “That expensive?”
The stall owner seemed used to such reactions and smiled. “Think it’s pricey? Then have another look. I’ve got no shortage of good things here.”
Qin Chuan casually picked out a few more items and asked their prices, then, as though unintentionally, also inquired about the stone lion. He learned it was priced at “one spirit yuan.”
He deliberately showed some interest in the dish and asked, “Can this dish be any cheaper?”
The stall owner sighed. “Seeing as you’re young but have a discerning eye, I’ll give you a twenty percent discount and form a good connection.”
Qin Chuan said expressionlessly:
“Half a string of cash. Throw in that stone lion with this dish, and I’ll take them both.”
“Done! Consider it today’s opening sale for good luck. Take them!” the stall owner answered cleanly and crisply.
“……”
Qin Chuan’s face tightened slightly, and inwardly he cursed himself:
“I offered too much.”
He had been afraid the stall owner knew what he had, but it turned out he had overthought it.
After loading the stone lion and the “complimentary” dish onto the carriage, he wandered around for a while longer but found nothing else.
Seeing that it was about time to return to the original spot and wait for Third Uncle, he looked at the stone lion on the carriage and pondered briefly. Then he took out a cloth, wrapped it carefully, and stuffed it into the back basket that held bedding and daily sundries, hiding it away—the secret of the Heavenly Essence Furnace absolutely could not be known to outsiders. Even Third Uncle could not be told.
When the sun slanted westward and the heat of the day was at its strongest, Third Uncle finally returned.
“The house I found for you is over by Jianchun Gate to the south, outside the ward. It’s about three li from my home and roughly four li from the Nongling Temple where you’ll be reporting for duty. It’s a little far, but the rent is cheap, and the spiritual energy in that area is among the best outside the wards. It’ll be enough for you to cultivate to the first level of Qi Refinement.”
Qin Li came over to take hold of the carriage, glanced inside, and nodded.
“Not bad. Sold everything off? How much did you get?”
“A little over five strings. Third Uncle, how much did the rental cost?” Qin Chuan asked.
Before coming, he had known that Third Uncle’s monthly salary plus various subsidies amounted to no more than ten spirit yuan.
“One string a month. Three months’ rent plus one month as deposit, four spirit yuan in total.”
Seeing Qin Chuan about to take out money, Qin Li waved his hand.
“You’ve only just arrived. There will be many places where you’ll need money. I’ll cover these three months’ rent for you first. No need to hurry to pay me back. Wait until your salary is more comfortable later.”
Qin Chuan noted it down in his heart and said no more, merely nodding in agreement.
Uncle and nephew drove the carriage for another little half hour before arriving beneath Jianchun Gate.
This place was clearly much quieter than Sifu Street. Most of the houses were small residential courtyards.
Though Qin Chuan had long lived in the countryside, he also knew that within the city there were inner wards and areas outside the wards. The prosperous districts of the city were divided into seven wards, while the lands beyond were almost like the border between city and countryside, mostly occupied by common residences, though still counted under county-city household registration.
The carriage stopped before a small courtyard.
At the gate stood a refined-looking middle-aged man chopping firewood with an axe. Seeing the carriage arrive, he set down his work and cupped his hands toward Qin Li. Then his gaze fell on Qin Chuan in the carriage.
“Constable Qin, this must be your worthy nephew who was accepted into the Nongling Temple, yes? Truly a fine-looking young man.”
Qin Li nodded with a smile and introduced him to Qin Chuan. “This is the landlord, Mr. He Ruifeng. His son, He Xingchen, was also admitted as a Daoist last year and now works at Langyin Pavilion. In the future, you should visit them more often. You’re both young Daoists, so you’ll naturally have things to talk about.”
Qin Chuan felt immediate respect. So this was a Daoist household.
“It’s all because the children worked hard on their own.”
Mr. He smiled at Qin Chuan.
“Constable Qin is right. You young people ought to interact more. Oh, by the way, because of Xingchen’s position, our family specially purchased a Mysterious Light Mirror. After you get off duty in the future, you’re welcome to come sit with us and watch the programs on it. Especially the nightly Dongsheng News and Jiuchuan County News. For you Daoists, listening more to the doctrines within will be greatly beneficial to your future development.”
Langyin Pavilion was in charge of sound-retaining jade talismans, Mysterious Light Mirror broadcasts, and the printing of official gazettes. It was the mouthpiece through which the Dongsheng Heavenly Court propagated its doctrines.
Whether sound-retaining talismans or Mysterious Light Mirrors, neither came cheap. A single sound-retaining talisman cost two thousand spirit yuan; those who could use them in Jiuchuan County were all far from ordinary figures.
Though Mysterious Light Mirrors were somewhat cheaper, one still cost sixty spirit yuan, beyond what ordinary families could afford.
For this man to be able to purchase one showed the depth of his household wealth.
Qin Chuan cupped his fists. “Many thanks, Mr. He.”
“Come inside quickly. Everything has already been tidied up.”
After Mr. He spoke, he called into the courtyard:
“Qingxuan, come out and help this elder brother move his things. We have a new person in the courtyard.”
As his voice fell, a girl with a ponytail and a thin bamboo-green blouse peeked out from inside the courtyard gate. She looked about fifteen or sixteen.
When she saw the handsome young man before the carriage outside the gate, her lively eyes suddenly lit up.
“You’re the new Daoist elder brother? Hello! My name is He Qingxuan.”
“Hello. I’m Qin Chuan.”