The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

Chapter 129 Antique Craftsman

The stall owner's hand hung in mid-air, forgetting even to mention the price. The man squatting in front of the stall, picking out things, craned his neck, looking at the handsome young man beside him along with the stall owner.

The young man was holding a fish tank, which was crammed full of all sorts of odds and ends, so crowded that the red fish inside couldn't even turn over.

Strange people and strange things happen all the time in the ghost market. Throwing a few pieces of junk into the tank is not unusual. But when they saw the red fish first spitting out water and then flicking its tail to fling out pieces of porcelain and jade one after another, they couldn't help but stare.

The buyer glanced at the item a few more times, staring at it, and muttered, "Could this be the legendary treasure-identifying fish, capable of discerning the value of treasures simply by placing them in front of it?"

"That makes sense, that makes sense," the stall owner agreed.

The fox ignored the gossip, slightly tilted its head, and dodged attack after attack.

"If you keep spitting, there won't be any water in the fish tank, and it'll dry out and die."

"You've gone too far!" The red fish pushed aside a jade pendant, poked its head out, and kept spitting out water.

The fox had just bought a few more boxes. After selecting them for a while, it threw all the tattered ones that it didn't want into the fish tank, giving the red fish some company.

The red fish naturally fought back fiercely. After all, it was still seriously injured and had no way to deal with the fox. But the fish was determined to fight to the death with the fox today!

The fox was having a good time when it suddenly heard a voice: "Brother, are you selling this fish tank?"

The fox turned its head and saw the young man carrying a package that it had met when it first entered the ghost market. He was not wearing a mask and had simply set up a stall with some bottles and jars in front of him. A sour smell wafted from the jars.

The fox perked up, threw the porcelain bowl in, firmly covering the red fish's head, and walked towards the man: "You want to buy my fish tank?"

""

"I'm not buying it." He gave a simple, honest smile. "I wanted to ask if you need me to help you age this jar?"

"Antiqued?" The fox wondered if it had misheard.

"It's just making new items look old and selling them as antiques," the antique craftsman said frankly.

"Distressing it at the ghost market?"

"Yes, Master said business is good here."

The fox looked at the man with the eyes of someone looking at a fool. Although the Ghost Market does not ask about one's origins, it is still too arrogant for you to cheat in front of everyone like this.

"How skilled are you?"

The man was taken aback, not understanding the fox's subtext, and patted his chest to assure them, "My skills are absolutely top-notch."

"For a porcelain fish tank like yours, all you need to do is take some aged tea stems, boil a large pot of tea, immerse the whole tank in it, simmer it over a low flame for two or three hours, then take it out and hang it next to the stove to be slowly smoked for three to five days, and the 'thief's luster will be removed."

He spoke eloquently, describing the antiquing process in detail: "Then apply beeswax, and repeat with a cloth—"

The fox interrupted, "Is it that complicated?"

"No trouble at all. Slow and steady wins the race. Think about it, brother. You've been wandering around for so long and no one has bought your fish tank. But if you hand it over to me, I can turn it into an antique from the previous dynasty in seven or eight days at most, and it can at least sell for this price."

He held up three fingers, looking at the fox with a smug expression: "If you run into someone who doesn't know any better, they'll buy it even for ten strings of cash."

"What if you happen to run into someone who knows what they're doing?"

The antique craftsman pondered for a moment: "It must have been at least thirty li from my shop to here, but I carried all this stuff and got here in half a day."

"Moreover, I get beaten by my master every day. If the constables don't aim for vital spots, I can probably take five more blows."

The fox was filled with awe. It was fast and strong; no wonder it was so bold.

"Brother, you've said so much, but do you want it aged? I can give you a discount, only one string of cash per piece." The aging craftsman looked at the fox expectantly. "If you have a lot of items, and can gather twenty strings of cash, three mos, and twenty coins, the rest will be free."

""

Why are there both whole and odd amounts?

The fox asked, "What do you need this money for?"

"After deducting the money I leave for my master, this money is just enough for my travel expenses back to my hometown. I can also buy back the land I pawned, and the rest is enough to get me a wife."

The antique craftsman calculated each detail meticulously, a smile on his face.

"Your skills are so good, why don't you continue? Save more money, and life will be easier."

The antique craftsman gave a wry smile: "Brother, you don't know this, I didn't come here to learn the craft. I was just passing through that village, but as soon as I entered, my master started pestering me."

"My master insisted that I was cut out for this job, and then locked me in the shop. I haven't left the shop for five years. He always had a cold face and only taught me the techniques once. If I didn't learn them, he would beat me."

"This time I finally got to see the world, and I'm thinking of saving enough money to go back to my hometown and farm."

The fox, having satisfied its curiosity, decided to help the antique maker, and at the same time, take the opportunity to prepare for the worst.

It reached out and, using the clothing as cover, took out the Lanjiang military map, asking, "Since you can age it, can you forge it?"

It's not the theft itself that's worrisome, but the thief's persistent ambition. If those wicked people don't give up, they might come back again. It would be better to take this opportunity to make a fake, throw it out to attract attention, and at the same time hide the real battlefield.

The antique craftsman nodded repeatedly: "Of course I can. Antique making and forgery are essentially the same thing, it just takes some effort."

"It's alright. Just make another one based on this painting, making sure everything is exactly the same except for the surrounding scenery. If you do a good job, I'll settle all your money in one go."

The fox waved its paw, looking all rich and powerful.

Anyway, all of Fox's expenses were charged to Hu Nianshuang's account. Hu Nianshuang also had Young Master Shen's financial support. Fox had saved Young Master Shen's life, so he probably wouldn't care about such a small amount of money.

"Of course, of course." The antique craftsman beamed with delight, unrolled the scroll, and examined it closely for a while. Suddenly, he frowned. "Why does the scenery in this painting look so familiar—"

The fox looked up: "You're from Guancun?"

The antique craftsman suddenly realized, "That's right, isn't this little hill the one I see every day when I look up?"

The fox and Hu Nianshuang exchanged a glance and slowly said, "What a coincidence! We were just about to go to Guan Village. Why don't we travel together?"

"Ah, do we have to go back to the village?" The antique craftsman asked somewhat reluctantly.

"If you can replicate the painting I want here, then it's up to you."

"But there's a museum tomorrow. I missed today's one, so I have to go see tomorrow no matter what." The antique craftsman was still unwilling to give up and wanted to see if there were any other ways to make money.

The fox quickly stopped him: "If you were to act so ostentatiously at the museum, not only would you not be able to raise enough money, but I'm afraid you'd be beaten to a pulp, even more than those twenty strings of cash and twenty coins."

The antique craftsman sighed, revealing a look of grim determination: "You'd better keep your word."