One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

Antique Street in the South of the City, Guyazhai.

The morning sunlight streamed through the carved wooden window onto the long huanghuali altar table, and the air was still filled with the scent of sandalwood.

The portly boss, dressed in a Tang suit, and Old Yang, who was in charge of appraising the goods, were sitting behind the tea table, chatting casually about yesterday's earnings.

Jiang Shou pushed open the glass door and walked in, carrying a backpack.

The shop owner looked up and recognized the young man who had wandered around the shop yesterday and then left with the man selling fake paintings.

Although he was a big businessman, he believed in making money through harmonious relationships. He politely pointed to the chair opposite him and said, "Young man, what would you like to see today? Or did you bring something to broaden my horizons?"

Jiang Shou didn't stand on ceremony and directly took off his backpack and placed it on the offering table.

He unzipped the bag and pulled out the "sandwich" that was tightly bound together with two thin wooden boards and a thin hemp rope.

The shopkeeper's eye twitched involuntarily as he looked at the rough, splinter-covered old wooden planks. This packaging looked like it'd been salvaged from a construction site's rubble—what good stuff could possibly be inside?

Old Yang picked up his teacup, casually blew on the floating tea leaves, and didn't even glance in his direction.

Jiang Shou ignored their expressions, reached out and untied the thin hemp rope, removed the wooden board on top, and then gently lifted the soft Xuan paper covering it.

"Hey, you two bosses, give us your opinions."

The Xuan paper was lifted, revealing an elegant calligraphy scroll, about half the size of an A4 sheet, lying quietly on the wooden board underneath.

Old Yang was about to drink tea when he casually glanced at the piece of paper out of the corner of his eye.

Suddenly, his hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air.

Old Yang's gaze instantly locked onto the starting point of the calligraphy, his nostrils flared slightly, and his breath involuntarily paused for a second. He abruptly put down his teacup, not even bothering to wipe the spilled tea that scalded the back of his hand, and stood up abruptly, striding towards the offering table.

Seeing Lao Yang's horrified reaction, the boss felt a chill and quickly came over as well.

The boss's expression changed when their eyes fell on the "Zhengming" signature and the "Hengshan" seal in the lower right corner of the calligraphy copybook.

Without a sound of surprise or shouting, they turned around in perfect unison. The shop owner closed the door and hung up a "Closed for the Time of Day" sign, while Lao Yang quickly took out two pairs of white cotton gloves from the drawer and put them on, then pulled out a high-powered magnifying glass with an LED light.

The two stood on either side, their faces almost pressed against the calligraphy template.

From the paper's texture and the ink's penetration, to the structure and rules of the characters, the flow of the ink lines, and even the patina and reflection of the inkpad, every detail is meticulously examined.

The only sound in the entire hall was the two people's heavy breathing.

Jiang Shou leaned against the antique shelf next to him and yawned boredly.

He had absolute faith in the Suihanling plaque; it could even unearth silver coins buried under trees decades ago. Since it was said to be a "fake painting concealing a genuine one," then this calligraphy by Wen Zhengming couldn't possibly be fake. However, these two old men had been scrutinizing it for so long without any concrete conclusion, and Jiang Shou couldn't help but wonder, "Are these two even capable? It takes them so long to look at just a few characters?"

Another five minutes passed.

Old Yang finally straightened his back, which was stiff from bending over for so long, took off his magnifying glass, and let out a long sigh. The boss also wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. The two looked at each other, exchanging a look of shock and satisfaction that only they understood.

"Young man," the boss turned around, his smile becoming more amiable than ever before, "Have a seat and a cup of tea. This item is quite interesting. I'll go to the back room with Lao Yang to check some information and compare it with the original. We'll be right back."

"Alright, you can investigate at your leisure." Jiang Shou nodded and sat down at the tea table.

Watching the two walk into the inner room and close the heavy wooden door behind them, Jiang Shou picked up his teacup, poured himself a drink, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"Looking up information? Do you really think I don't know your tricks? Are you going inside to negotiate the bottom line?"

Jiang Shou closed his eyes, his mind sinking.

The [Guard the One - Dao Seed] in his dantian rotated steadily. He drew out a wisp of pure true essence, which traveled upwards along his meridians and silently merged into his ears.

In an instant, the auditory sense was amplified infinitely.

The heavy soundproof wooden door seemed to have lost its function, and the two people in the inner room, who had deliberately lowered their voices, spoke through Jiang Shou as if they were talking right next to him.

"Old Yang, are you sure you're looking?" This was the boss's somewhat hurried voice.

"Approved. Whether it's the paper, the ink, or the unparalleled small regular script style of the Ming Dynasty, it's something that later generations could never imitate. It's 100% a genuine fragment of Wen Zhengming's work, probably cut from an important album." Old Yang's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

After a few seconds of silence, the boss lowered his voice even further: "Old Yang, this kid looks like a greenhorn who hasn't even graduated yet. He probably doesn't know the real market value of this stuff. Shall we offer 500,000 to test the waters? That's such a large sum of money; young people like him are inexperienced and might sell it on a whim. We can make at least a million in profit by reselling it!"

Jiang Shou sat outside, his hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and his eyes turned cold.

Five hundred thousand? This fat boss is ruthless; he chopped right off the ankle.

Inside the room, Old Yang remained silent for a moment, then a low rebuke came from within: "Foolish!"

"That's a huge price difference! Listen to that kid's accent, he's a local from Qiyun. Buying a genuine Wen Zhengming work for 500,000 yuan, do you really think he doesn't have any adults in his family? Even if he doesn't understand now, will he never understand in the future? Once he realizes what's going on, he'll come knocking on our door and cause trouble, go to the media, and what will become of our Guyazhai's reputation built up over the past twenty or thirty years?"

Old Yang sighed and earnestly advised, "In this line of work, a keen eye is our livelihood, and a good reputation is our lifeline. Don't ruin your livelihood for a moment of greed; it's not worth it."

The boss seemed to have calmed down, his tone tinged with reluctance: "That's true... but our store's cash flow can't handle such a big order. We can't just watch this lucrative deal slip through our fingers, can we? How about... we act as a middleman and make a commission? Five percent?"

Old Yang pondered for a moment: "That's feasible. But let me be clear from the start, we still need to tell them the truth and let them decide for themselves. We'll only earn what we should earn, and avoid making enemies."

Listening to the conversation inside, Jiang Shou silently dispersed the true energy from his ears, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of warm tea.

"Old Yang is a principled and sensible man. This shop is acceptable."

Not long after, the door to the inner room opened.

The boss and Lao Yang came out. The greed on the boss's face had been completely concealed, replaced by a sincere smile.

He sat down opposite Jiang Shou, personally poured him a cup of tea, and said frankly, "Young man, I, Lao Wei, don't like beating around the bush in business. Lao Yang has examined it; this calligraphy is indeed an authentic work by Wen Zhengming of the Ming Dynasty."

The shop owner held up one index finger and gestured: "If this item is to be auctioned, the hammer price will be at least 1.5 million."

Jiang Shou, appearing unsurprised and calm, nodded and waited quietly for him to continue.

"To be honest, my shop is currently experiencing cash flow problems and doesn't have enough spare funds to take this over in one go." The shop owner observed Jiang Shou's expression and offered two solutions.

"Let me be frank with you. If you're willing to wait, I know a few major collectors in the industry who specialize in Ming and Qing dynasty calligraphy and paintings. I can help you make connections. The price will definitely not be less than 1.5 million. If the deal goes through, I'll only take a 5% commission from you."

"Of course, if you want to go through a reputable auction house, I can also help you connect with business managers who can handle genuine works like these. I won't charge you a penny; it's purely to make friends and build good relationships. The choice is yours."

Jiang Shou stroked his chin, weighing the options in his mind.

Going through an auction house sounds prestigious, but the process is incredibly complicated. Schedule an appraisal, sign a consignment contract, wait for previews, and wait for the spring and autumn auctions – the whole process can take half a year and you might not even receive your money. Not only do you have to pay hefty commissions, but the whole thing is also under intense public scrutiny.

This is too high-profile and completely contradicts his current low-key approach of "quietly cultivating immortality and paying off his debts".

"Boss Wei is very generous." Jiang Shou put down his teacup and made the decision. "Auctions are too time-consuming and laborious. Just do as you said, find me a reliable private buyer. I'll definitely give you your commission. But we have to agree that it can't drag on for too long."

"Great!" the boss exclaimed, overjoyed. "Don't worry, young man, I'll give you a definite answer in a week at most!"

Once the deal was settled, the boss took out a professional camera and took several high-definition photos of the calligraphy copybook from all angles.

"Alright, then I'll go back and wait for Boss Wei's news." Jiang Shou stood up and reached out to stuff the million-word calligraphy back into the gap between his two tattered wooden boards.

Seeing Jiang Shou's rude and casual actions, the boss's mouth twitched violently, and he felt like he was about to have a heart attack.

"Hey! Young man, have mercy!"

The shop owner quickly intervened, walking briskly to the offering table and saying with a pained expression, "This wooden board is too rough; it has splinters inside. A slight slip will damage the paper edges, and if a corner is chipped off, that's tens of thousands of yuan gone!"

As he spoke, the boss turned around and took out a set of professional gear from the cabinet.

He put on white gloves again and used tweezers to very gently move the calligraphy copybook onto a professional acid-free drawing board. After closing the board, he put it into a custom-made moisture-proof sealed bag. Finally, not to be on the safe side, he added two packets of silicone desiccant to the bag before sealing it tightly.

"Here you go. Old paper is most susceptible to moisture and creases. In the future, never use a broken wooden board to hold these kinds of old items." The shopkeeper handed the sealed bag to Jiang Shou.

Jiang Shou accepted it with both hands, nodding inwardly. "That's what you call professional."

Jiang Shou carefully placed the sealed bag into the back pocket of his backpack and thanked the two of them.

After exchanging contact information, the shopkeeper didn't forget to give a final word of advice before I left: "Young man, don't flaunt your wealth. Carrying this around will attract unwanted attention. Go home and keep it safe; don't wander around this antique street."

Jiang Shou nodded in agreement and left the antique street without lingering any longer.

As I got on the three-wheeled vehicle, I checked the time, twisted the throttle, turned the steering wheel, and headed towards the Qiyun Inclusive Finance Center.

I just received that registered letter demanding repayment this morning. Now that I have the confidence, I'll go and complete the inheritance procedures for the debts left by the old man.

"After I finish my business, I'll go to Old Man's seafood market and get a few fat fish for Fat Tiger as a treat. I need to continue bribing and corrupting its soul..."