A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 23 Gu Yue Zhai

Duan Rong immediately started strolling in the alley.

Duan Rong looked at the stalls. Some of them had folding wooden tables, while others simply laid a felt blanket on the ground.

Duan Rong glanced at the dazzling array of antiques on the black felt, as well as the stall owners sitting behind the stalls, with their hands folded and their eyes squinting at people. Duan Rong suddenly slapped his forehead and immediately had an idea.

"The spirit of the artifact is related to time. Isn't this antique also related to time?"

"Can't my ability to devour weapon spirits be used to pick up leaks?"

"If you want to find a bargain with this thing, it's much more reliable than those experts and masters. Its accuracy is comparable to the carbon-14 dating method in archaeology!"

"Ao Li Ge!" Duan Rong was overjoyed and imitated Shi Banyu's voice and shouted, "I am so smart!"

As soon as Duan Rong thought of it, he immediately took action.

He squatted down at the first stall at the entrance of the alley and touched each antique on the stall one by one!
After Duan Rong touched the first stall, he didn't even straighten his back. He moved his butt and squatted in front of the second stall next to him.

Duan Rong walked past four stalls without even raising his head.

This activism is astonishing!

Duan Rong put the wooden statue in his hand back on the stall and cursed inwardly: "Another failure to enter the rank!"

Duan Rong moved his butt, just like changing position when taking a shit, and squatted in front of the fifth stall.

The owner of the fifth stall was a thin middle-aged man. The stall owners didn't pay much attention to Duan Rong's strange behavior at first, but after he went to four stalls one by one, the fifth stall owner began to get suspicious.

The thin middle-aged stall owner saw Duan Rong squatting in front of his stall, lowering his head and starting to touch things.

"Hey little brother, are you going to buy it or not?"

Duan Rong looked up after hearing this and said, "If there is something suitable, I will buy it! Why, you are a businessman, you have put everything out, but you won't let me see it?"

The stall owner wanted to say something, but after looking at the sheathed oxtail knife and the badge tied to his waist in Duan Rong's hand, he waved his hand and said nothing more.

The badge tied around Duan Rong's waist had the seal of Yuanshun Escort Agency on it.

Yuanshun Escort Agency is also a prominent force in Xiangu County.

Besides, Duan Rong was just a little weird. He didn't steal or rob anything, so the stall owner didn't need to make things difficult for him.

In this way, Duan Rong touched more than ten stalls in a row. With the way he squatted, if he hadn't already mastered some basic skills in standing meditation, his waist would definitely not be able to bear it.

"None of these dishonest merchants has any real stuff. They even have an antique street. Are they kidding me?"

Duan Rong cursed as he touched around. He touched so many statues of gods, lacquerware, bronzeware, calligraphy and paintings that his fingertips were covered with a layer of putty, but he found nothing.

Just when Duan Rong was extremely depressed, he was suddenly stunned, staring at a set of data flashing in front of him.

Object: Painting of a lady
Weapon spirit level: 6th level.

Devouring requirements: Host's mental strength level 6 (not met).

Devouring effects: Level 5 of Wonderful Painting, Level 4 of Power Through Paper, and Level 1 of Communication Between Heaven and Man.

"A 6th-level spirit weapon must be quite old. It must be an ancient painting!"

Duan Rong was holding a slightly yellowed scroll, but he did not open it.

"And judging by the devouring effect, the author of this ancient painting must have some achievements. He might even be a famous artist!"

Duan Rong thought of his past life, those famous paintings that were sold at auction houses for hundreds of millions, and his saliva immediately licked.

Duan Rong took a deep breath. After searching for so long, he finally caught a fish!

Duan Rong put the scroll in his hand back expressionlessly, then randomly pulled one out of the painting jar, opened it and took a look, then said to the stall owner, "Boss, how much is this painting?" The boss raised his butt, took a look at the painting that Duan Rong unfolded, and saw that it was a landscape painting, so he said, "Five taels!"

Duan Rong's face was dark, and he said, "Just because I'm a stranger, you want to rip me off, right? You said a price that I could bargain with, but you asked for five taels right away. Aren't you trying to drive me away?"

Duan Rong was actually a little angry, as he only had eight cents of silver in his pocket.

"Then how much do you want?" The stall owner looked at Duan Rong with encouragement.

"Five cents!"

As soon as Duan Rong finished speaking, the stall owner snatched the painting from Duan Rong's hand, rolled it up and threw it back into the painting jar, then said nothing with a cold face.

"Shit!" Duan Rong cursed in his heart and said, "At most six cents!"

The stall owner still looked away with a cold face, not even looking at Duan Rong.

Duan Rong's eyelids twitched, and he turned and left.

He had barely taken two steps when the stall owner called out, "Come here, here, six cents for you!"

"You shouted too loudly!" Duan Rong turned around and muttered.

Duan Rong paid six coins of silver, rummaged around in the painting jar for a few times, and pulled out the painting of the lady.

The stall owner didn't care at all whether the painting Duan Rong took away was the landscape painting he had just taken away. He bought the paintings in the painting jar at the same price.

The stall owner was very happy about the opening of the stall. After all, six coins of silver were enough to feed his family for ten days. "Another fool!"

Duan Rong held the scroll painting under his arm, looked around, and turned into a shop called Guyuezhai.

The waiter at Guyuezhai is called Guan Kui, who is already in his early thirties. He has been working as a waiter under the shopkeeper Tang since he was a teenager, which means it has been nearly twenty years if you really count it.

Antique shops, unlike other shops, often have to welcome and send off customers. This business usually closes for half a year, and makes a living from it for half a year after opening.

Guan Kui was holding a feather duster and brushing the dust off the counter slowly and deftly. This was a habit he had developed after spending so much time in the antique business.

Do everything slowly and gently. If you are impatient, something might go wrong.

Guan Kui was just dusting off his clothes when he suddenly saw a sturdy young man in a brown short suit. He had a square face, bright eyes, a dark complexion, oily hair, a sheathed oxtail knife in one hand and a yellowed scroll under his armpit. He strode in.

He came to the counter, showing his bright white teeth, and said with a simple smile: "Hey, buddy, do you have any calligraphy or paintings? I want real things. If you have any, bring them out so I can take a look. If it's the right thing, the price is negotiable!"

Guan Kui blinked his eyes and looked at the man's brisk walk and the way he was dressed. He didn't look like a crook who would try to make a living in the antique business.

Guan Kui smiled without revealing his feelings and asked, "Sir, you want calligraphy and paintings. Are you going to give them as birthday gifts?"

Guan Kui wanted to test the waters and find out the other party's background so that he could respond better.

Duan Rong had worked in insurance for ten years in his previous life, so he didn't understand these rhetoric. He smiled knowingly and didn't respond at all. He said bluntly, "Don't worry about what I do. If you have something real, take it out and I'll take a look at it. If you don't have anything real, just say so. Don't waste my time!"

Guan Kui thought to himself: Hey, this guy is here to challenge me, and he's quite arrogant!
However, the other party didn't speak a word of jargon and started shouting as soon as he entered the door. It was obvious that he was a young and ignorant man.

Guan Kui immediately prepared to order the visitor to leave. Just as he was about to open his mouth, a cough suddenly came from the inner room across the blue curtain.

Guan Kui's heart skipped a beat. The person who was coughing was naturally Shopkeeper Tang.

Guan Kui took a closer look at the blue cloth curtain, and saw that the curtain moved faintly.

Guan Kui turned to Duan Rong, smiled, and said, "Wait a moment!"

Guan Kui squatted down, opened the cabinet door under the counter, took out a yellow scroll with worm holes in both hands, placed it carefully on the counter, and slowly unfolded it.

Guan Kui smiled and said, "Please take a look at this painting. Can it be considered a toy?"

(End of this chapter)