Divine Level Witch Doctor

Of course, Zhao Yuan wouldn’t refuse Cheng Yunlong’s kind offer. Right away, the two of them left Shufang Studio and went to the antique shop next door. As soon as they entered, Cheng Yunlong bellowed, ”Old Zhang, get over here and greet your guest! An honored guest has arrived, so show some hustle!”

”Pah! What do you mean, ’greet your guest’? A filthy mouth can’t utter decent words!” A middle-aged man in traditional Hanfu, his wrists laden with various beaded bracelets, emerged from the shop’s tea room. Laughing as he chided Cheng Yunlong, he then gave Zhao Yuan a curious look.

Evidently, Cheng Yunlong and this Boss Zhang had a good relationship. He took the chiding in stride and, instead, took it upon himself to order the shop’s staff, ”What are you all gawking at? Get a move on! Bring out all the Jade Rings in the shop, and any uncarved jade stones too. Let Master Zhao take his pick.”

The employees instinctively turned to look at their boss.

A flicker of surprise showed in Boss Zhang’s eyes.

’Master? This kid looks so young, he can’t be twenty yet, can he? How did he become a Master? And a Master of what?’

Puzzled as he was, Boss Zhang was quick to react. He first waved to his employees and instructed, ”Do as Boss Cheng says.” Then he hurried over, exchanged a few pleasantries with Zhao Yuan and Cheng Yunlong, and invited the pair into his tea room.

As they walked, he sidled up to Cheng Yunlong and asked in a low voice, ”Old Cheng, you gotta give me the scoop. Who exactly is this guy?”

Cheng Yunlong adopted a mysterious air. ”Don’t you worry about where he comes from. Just make sure you treat him right, and you’ll definitely be rewarded. But if you piss him off... well, you’d better be ready to face the consequences!”

These cryptic words gave Boss Zhang quite a start.

’Jeez, is he the scion of some powerful and influential family? To command this much respect? But if he’s just some rich kid, why call him Master? Is it some kind of weird quirk?’

It was a good thing he didn’t say that out loud, or Cheng Yunlong would have spat at him. ”Compare a rich kid from some influential family to Master Zhao? The man is a Feng Shui Master with real talent and immense power! If he’s even slightly displeased, he could casually lay down a Feng Shui Formation that would drown you in bad luck, you know!”

Boss Zhang didn’t press further about Zhao Yuan’s identity. Instead, he inquired, ”So, tell me, what exactly is this Zhao... er, Master Zhao, looking for? He was just at your place, wasn’t he? How come he’s out so soon? Don’t tell me you didn’t have a single thing that caught his eye? That can’t be right. You’ve got some real treasures in your shop.”

Cheng Yunlong was frank with him. ”To be honest, I’m not sure what Master Zhao is looking for. My shop really didn’t have it, or I wouldn’t have brought him over to yours.”

As he spoke, Cheng Yunlong wore a regretful expression, as if failing to sell something to Zhao Yuan was the greatest shame. This only made Boss Zhang all the more certain that Zhao Yuan was no ordinary person. His demeanor grew even more solicitous. After ushering them into the tea room, he even brought out his personal stash of premium Pre-Qingming Longjing tea.

Before he could even start brewing the tea, Zhao Yuan spoke up. ”Don’t bother. If you don’t have what I need, we’ll just have to move on to the next place. You’d just be wasting good tea, so it’s better to save it.”

Boss Zhang laughed and boasted, ”Oh, come now. In terms of both quality and quantity, I wouldn’t claim my shop is the best on Antique Street, but it’s easily in the top five. I’m sure I have something you’re looking for.”

As they were speaking, several employees filed in, placing Jade Rings and uncarved jade stones on the table.

Zhao Yuan activated his Qi Observation Technique and swept his gaze over the items. None of the jade artifacts or raw jade stones held any Qi. Not only that, but a few of the artifacts emanated a black light, a clear sign of Evil Qi. They were almost certainly Nether Artifacts, plundered from a tomb! Worse, they were the type that had been placed right against the corpse, allowing Corpse Qi to seep into them over the long years! There was no harm in simply displaying such an artifact, but if someone were to wear it against their skin, they would surely be poisoned by the Corpse Qi, leading to sickness and a decline in fortune!

Seeing Zhao Yuan shake his head, Cheng Yunlong quickly asked, ”What’s wrong, Master Zhao? Nothing here for you either?”

”No,” Zhao Yuan said frankly.

”Then shall we try the next shop?” Cheng Yunlong asked, rising to his feet.

”Mm, on to the next one.” Zhao Yuan nodded and made to leave.

Boss Zhang, who was standing to the side, was stunned.

’The items were just laid out, and you dismiss them all with a single glance... You can’t be serious, can you? What do you think you have, x-ray vision? Telling good jade from bad with just one look?’

If he hadn’t suspected Zhao Yuan had a powerful backer, Boss Zhang probably would have lost his temper and let him have it!

At that moment, he could only force a smile and try to make a sale. ”You’re done already? Why not take a closer look? Look at this Jade Ring—it’s exquisitely translucent, crafted from the finest Nephrite Jade, and meticulously carved and polished by a veteran Jade Master. And this other Jade Ring, it’s even more remarkable! It’s a genuine antique, once the treasured possession of a Prince from the late Qing dynasty!”

Zhao Yuan shook his head. ”I’m not choosing jade based on its beauty or historical value. I’m choosing it based on its utility.”

”Huh?” Boss Zhang froze, the same question that had baffled Cheng Yunlong now echoing in his mind: ’Utility? What use could a piece of jade possibly have?’

Before he could ask, Zhao Yuan spoke again. ”I apologize for the trouble. As a token of my gratitude, let me offer you some advice.” He pointed to three of the Jade Rings. ”The Corpse Qi on these three is too dense. You’d be wise to have them consecrated at a temple for a period of time before selling them. Otherwise, you’ll not only bring harm to your customers, but to yourself as well.”

Boss Zhang’s jaw dropped, and for a long moment, he was speechless.

Long after Zhao Yuan and Cheng Yunlong had departed, he finally snapped out of it. Picking up the three Jade Rings Zhao Yuan had singled out, he muttered to himself, ’How could that kid have known these three were Nether Artifacts? Don’t tell me he’s actually a master appraiser in the world of jade and antiques? No way, he’s just a kid!’

Whether it was psychological or not, Boss Zhang suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold seep out from the three Jade Rings in his hand, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

’It can’t really be that cursed, can it?’

Boss Zhang hurriedly set the three Jade Rings down, his mind made up.

’Better safe than sorry. I’ll take these three Jade Rings to the temple to be consecrated for a while!’

But one glance at the pitch-black night sky outside and he immediately changed his mind. ’On second thought, I’ll take them tomorrow. It’ll be much safer in the daytime...’