137: Chapter 137 Magic Artifact (Thanks to Fangcun Tianci2008 for the reward) 137: Chapter 137 Magic Artifact (Thanks to Fangcun Tianci2008 for the reward) Hou Donggui waved his hand, signaling the two beautiful tea artists in the private room to step out for a while.
After all, although he and Dong Dahai were veterans in their field, Chen Hai was probably still green.
In such a setting, he was worried that Chen Hai might feel uncomfortable.
“Old Dong has opened an antique shop over at the Glass Factory!”
“Younger Brother Chen, if you want to buy something or sell something, just go to Dong, and you’ll definitely have no problem,” he pointed to Dong Dahai as he introduced him to Chen Hai.
Having said this, Hou Donggui paused only briefly, his gaze shifting toward Dong Dahai as he continued, “Younger Brother Chen and I are of the same kind.
What we do, Old Dong, you should have some idea.”
“If he really wants to buy something in your store, you can’t rip him off!”
“Otherwise, if any serious consequences come about, don’t say I didn’t warn you first!”
In Chen Hai’s presence, Hou Donggui was all smiles.
However, when he looked at Dong Dahai, his expression became sharp and intense.
The words that came out of his mouth were already clearly carrying a note of warning.
“Master Hou, our Treasure House is a hundred-year-old establishment.
We’ve always conducted business with fair pricing, with honesty toward young and old!”
“Besides, Mr.
Chen is your friend.
It’s my honor to have him visit Treasure House, and I wouldn’t dare to neglect him, even if I had the courage to try!”
Seeming to hold considerable awe for Hou Donggui, with just a few sentences, Dong Dahai was already breaking into a cold sweat.
After wiping the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, he quickly patted his chest in promise.
“That’s good to hear!” Hou Donggui nodded and responded.
“Master Hou, you must’ve invited Mr.
Chen over for some business, so I’ll take my leave and not disturb you two.”
Dong Dahai stood up, greeted Chen Hai and Hou Donggui, and with a great sense of propriety, withdrew first.
“Is this Old Dong in the antique business?” Sitting firmly on the genuine leather sofa in the private room, Chen Hai opened up, seeking confirmation from Hou Donggui.
As soon as the topic of antiques came up, he couldn’t help but think about the bottles and jars hidden under his bed back home.
Those items, according to Li Dajiang, could be worth quite a bit of money.
However, his understanding of antiques was only slightly better than Chen Hai’s.
The level of the bottles and jars in Chen Hai’s possession in the realm of antiques, Li Dajiang couldn’t quite explain.
“Yes!” Hou Donggui nodded.
“Old Dong might seem very submissive in front of us, but over these years at the Glass Factory, he still has some connections in the antique circle.”
“You’ll still need to stay in the Capital City for a few years for university, so in your free time, you might want to visit the place!”
“If you’re lucky, you might even pick up a magic artifact or two.”
At this point, he took off a string of beads he wore on his wrist.
He dangled them in front of Chen Hai and continued, “This, I bought at Old Dong’s store, and it only cost me two thousand yuan.”
“Don’t be fooled by its material; it might not seem unusual, but this string of beads is a true magic artifact!”
“Here, take it and have a feel.
Test your eyesight and see if you can spot what’s special about it.”
After finishing his words, Hou Donggui handed over the beaded bracelet to Chen Hai with a grand gesture.
Chen Hai didn’t know the first thing about antiques and curios.
He took the bracelet from Hou Donggui, turned it over a few times, and after closely examining it and finding nothing unusual, he simply decided to use the power of his Divine Soul.
Under the scrutiny of his Divine Soul, with ten ferocious compound eyes, Chen Hai clearly saw wisps of green energy emanating from the bracelet, dissipating into the surroundings.
“Vitality?
Wearing this, can it nourish the physical body?”
His Divine Soul returned to his body, and Chen Hai exclaimed in amazement.
To him, this item was like chicken ribs—of little use for the time being.
However, for his parents, if each of them had one of these bracelets to wear, perhaps they could live a few more years because of it.
For such an item, not to mention two thousand yuan, even if it were twenty thousand or two hundred thousand, as long as Chen Hai could afford it, he would definitely buy it without a second word.
“Brother Hou, are there many similar Magic Artifacts on the market?” Chen Hai returned the bracelet to Hou Donggui and asked with a curious face.
“Young brother, the art of creating Magic Artifacts has long been lost!”
“In this day and age, finding a true Magic Artifact is not an easy task, and it all depends on one’s luck.”
“To tell you the truth, this bracelet of mine is considered inconsequential among Magic Artifacts!”
“It is said that the truly powerful Magic Artifacts, with their boundless might, can move mountains and overturn seas, and that is not impossible.”
Hou Donggui seemed to think of something, sighed deeply, and continued, “In our country, we who are of the Mysterious Sect have always been in a state of suppression.”
“The attitudes of the larger branches of Taoism such as Quanzhen, Mao Mountain, and Zhengyi are somewhat relaxed, but the main reason for this is that these famous sects have long since had their lineages severed.”
“You should know that whether it’s performing Taoist Rites or drawing talismans, one needs to open an altar to pray to the ancestral masters or Borrow Technique.”
“What these orthodox branches of Taoism have lost is not their Taoist scriptures, but that thread of connection to their ancestral masters.”
“Without this connection, they have lost the true teachings and can’t even manage to visualize their own ancestral masters.”
“In recent years, I have been in contact with people from several major Taoist sects, but sadly, I have not met a single person who has truly succeeded in Tao Cultivation.”
“Perhaps in another decade or two, what is known as Taoist Skill will only exist in legends, and the so-called ancestral homes of Taoism will transform into tourist attractions.”
“On the other hand, folk Mages or Witches who have some real skills do exist in no small number.”
“However, most of these people belong to unconventional paths and only understand some small techniques.
Their mana is borrowed, and they are destined not to achieve great things.”
“The entities behind them are also junior spirits of sorts, capable of only causing minor trouble and unable to stir up much turmoil.”
“If someone dares to go against the tide and establish a religious sect for the entities behind them, campaigning and spreading faith, what awaits them is a thunderous strike from above.”
“Living in this era, for us of the Mysterious Sect, it has to be said that this is indeed a form of sorrow…”
After another deep sigh, Hou Donggui said, “The first time I saw you, Younger Brother Chen, I thought that a True Cultivator from Dragon and Tiger Mountain had fallen to the secular world and you had coincidentally acquired some heritage.”
“But now it seems that this is not the case at all.”
“Exactly what you are cultivating is your privacy, and I will not ask further.”
“As someone who has been there, all I can do is remind you to be as low-key as possible in your daily actions and try not to be too flamboyant.”
“Establishing sects and spreading faith is an absolute red line, cross it and you die, and it must not be done…”