193: Chapter 189: Compass Breaks (Please Subscribe and Vote for Monthly Ticket) 193: Chapter 189: Compass Breaks (Please Subscribe and Vote for Monthly Ticket) Given Wei Zhidong’s status and position, it was normal for him to have a good relationship with the organizers, and no one would suspect otherwise.
In contrast, Chen Hai had entered the venue solely because Dong Dahai had brought him here.
Lacking fame and connections, Chenhai would find it difficult even to secure an invitation on his own.
Wei Zhidong’s threat was not baseless; if he truly went to complain to the organizers about Chen Hai, there was indeed a good chance they would expel him from the exhibition hall.
After all, the items Chen Hai was selling at his booth were not antiques or cultural relics and obviously did not fit in with the other booths.
If no one pursued the matter, the organizers would likely turn a blind eye.
Given Wei Zhidong’s influence, if he chose to pursue the complaint, the organizers would undoubtedly choose the lesser of two evils, and their likely course of action was predictable.
“Elder Wei, my talismans, if your offer is too low, it’s natural that I’d refuse to sell.
Is that strange?”
“Do you know why I didn’t tell you the reason I wouldn’t sell talismans to you?
Because I had good intentions, not wanting to discourage you!”
“You insist on forcing me to say that your understanding of talismans is pretentious and inexperienced.
You completely underestimate the value of these two talismans.
Are you satisfied now?”
Fearlessly, Chen Hai met Wei Zhidong’s gaze, his response neither servile nor overbearing.
Young people are usually fiery.
In Wei Zhidong’s eyes, Chen Hai’s actions were presumptuous.
However, Chen Hai saw it differently; he had been managing his booth all morning.
Finally, someone interested in his talismans appeared, but they were inexpert and insisted on coercing him into a deal, which frustrated him.
“I don’t understand talismans?
I don’t know the true value of these two talismans?
Kid, are you sure you aren’t joking?”
Wei Zhidong, already frustrated, bristled at Chen Hai’s words and exploded.
Pointing at Chen Hai, were it not for maintaining his dignity under public scrutiny, he might have openly cursed.
“That’s exactly it, Elder Wei.
Don’t deny it.
When I say you’re inexpert, it’s simply the fact!”
“These two talismans, you’ve handled them for quite some time, recognizing only that these are Mao Mountain talisman papers and the designs are made with Fanjing Mountain refined cinnabar.
What else have you discerned?”
“Do you know what these two talismans are specifically, or what their individual effects are?
Do you understand the significant differences between them?”
“You don’t know anything.
If you aren’t an amateur, what are you?”
Frankly, without any consideration for Wei Zhidong’s feelings, Chen Hai spoke his mind.
Elder Wei Zhidong might possess some status and position, but what of it?
Chen Hai was merely a student; if he hadn’t been vending here, there likely wouldn’t have been any interaction between them.
Offending him might at worst result in expulsion by the organizers, a consequence for which he was already prepared.
“Calling me inexperienced?
Fine, fine, fine…” Wei Zhidong laughed out of anger.
He wanted to retort, but momentarily, he didn’t even know where to begin.
“Ladies and gentlemen, excuse me, please make way…”
Just then, a middle-aged man in a suit, speaking with a slightly awkward Hong Kong English accent and about forty years old, parted the crowd and approached Chen Hai’s booth.
This suited man appeared rather distinguished, yet his demeanor seemed somewhat predatory.
Most peculiarly, he held a compass in his hand.
Those with keen sight among the onlookers took a few extra glances at the compass in the suited man’s hand.
They could clearly see the needle on the compass swinging vigorously for a while before it finally pointed directly towards the direction of Chen Hai’s booth.
As soon as the suited man appeared, many spectators shifted their attention to him.
“What’s he doing with a compass?
Where does he think he is?”
“Judging by his accent, he must be from Xiangjiang or perhaps Southeast Asia!”
“Our antiques circle often sees such people at these events; we rely on our discernment to find bargains while they always like to use a compass!”
“Using a compass to find bargains?
Are they some kind of masters?”
“Perhaps, they didn’t go through that dark period there, and many traditions weren’t discontinued!”
…
Many people, noting the suited man’s unusual behavior, pointed and whispered behind his back.
The man in the suit seemed unconcerned, as if he neither heard nor saw anything.
When he was about four or five steps away from the display case at Chen Hai’s booth and saw the two talismans inside, his eyes lit up.
He put away the compass and took a few steps towards the display case, studying the two talismans intently.
“A Corpse Transformation Talisman?
What luck, to see a real talisman in this day and age!” Exhibiting evident joy, the suited man spoke, feeling moved.
“Brother, since you can recognize the Corpse Transformation Talisman, you must know its value.
It’s no problem for me to let you handle it,” Chen Hai responded, nodding.
Under the scrutiny of mere moments, the man in the suit recognized the Corpse Transformation Talisman, evidently marking him as a true connoisseur.
Regarding his request, Chen Hai naturally had no reason to refuse.
He opened the display case, took out the Corpse Transformation Talisman, and handed it over to the man in the suit.
Carefully receiving the talisman from Chen Hai, the suit-clad man once again produced his compass.
As he attempted to bring the talisman closer to his compass, the closer they got, the more evidently the compass needle swung.
“More than a decade ago, I happened to come across a Corpse Transformation Talisman.
However, due to certain events, I had already used it up!”
“Young man, this talisman of yours is undoubtedly a genuine Corpse Transformation Talisman.
May I ask how you are selling it?”
The man in the suit nodded affirmatively and inquired of Chen Hai.
“You set the price.
If it is reasonable, I will naturally sell the talisman to you!” After a slight hesitation, Chen Hai responded.
The man in the suit clearly knew what he was talking about.
Although Chen Hai had an estimate of the value of the Corpse Transformation Talisman, he was unsure of the exact market value.
In such circumstances, it seemed more appropriate to let the man in the suit decide the price!
“Look, we both understand what a Corpse Transformation Talisman is used for and where it can be used.”
“Under normal circumstances, I would seldom need to use such a talisman!”
“But nowadays, true talismans are hard to come by.”
“To purchase your Corpse Transformation Talisman is just to have something just in case, to facilitate certain special situations!”
“If I have to quote, I can only offer thirty-one thousand per piece.
What do you think?”
Furrowing his brows and pondering for a moment, the man in the suit spoke.
The special circumstances that required the use of a Corpse Transformation Talisman certainly involved destroying traces of a body.
Although the man in the suit didn’t specify, Chen Hai understood his implication immediately.
As the man in the suit put it, the utility of the Corpse Transformation Talisman was rather trivial; under normal conditions, most people wouldn’t need such a thing.
Thirty-one thousand yuan per piece?
Was that the market price for such talismans?
Chen Hai wasn’t sure, but he found the man in the suit’s offered price quite satisfactory.
“Thirty-one thousand per piece, no problem.
How many would you like?
If you buy more, I can give you a discount!” After a quick thought, Chen Hai gave his response.
“What?
You have more Corpse Transformation Talismans?” The man in the suit was momentarily stunned, not fully grasping the situation.
“Not many, I suppose I have a few!” Chen Hai replied with a smile.
With his current abilities, producing Corpse Transformation Talismans wasn’t much of an issue; although he wouldn’t dare claim too many, making three to five a day was definitely feasible.
However, this was something he preferred to keep to himself.
Should others find out that making Corpse Transformation Talismans was so simple for him, the market price could crash to the point of being worthless!
“Forget it, having one or two Corpse Transformation Talismans on hand for emergencies is enough!”
“Buying too many isn’t of much use to me!”
“Since you have more in stock, just get me two more.
As for the price, no need for a discount; thirty-one thousand each, sixty thousand total is fine!”
Tilting his head, and after a slight hesitation, the man in the suit grinned and responded.
“Alright, two will do!” Chen Hai nodded.
The previous Corpse Transformation Talisman was still in the man’s hands.
Chen Hai took out another Corpse Transformation Talisman and handed it over to him.
While the man in the suit used the compass to verify the authenticity of the talisman, Chen Hai pointed to the Danghui Talisman in the display case and said, “Recognizing the Corpse Transformation Talisman, you surely know your stuff.”
“Another type of talisman in my showcase is of a much higher grade.
I wonder if you might be interested?”
The sixty thousand yuan didn’t fully cover the housing payment Chen Hai owed.
Having finally met a knowledgeable person, he naturally didn’t want to miss the opportunity to make a sale.
“I have never seen that type of talisman before and am not very familiar with it!”
“Let me inspect it.
If it indeed proves to be powerful, I could consider buying one to try!”
The man in the suit casually spoke, carefully storing away the two confirmed authentic Corpse Transformation Talismans.
After getting his consent, Chen Hai handed over the Danghui Talisman which the man took and slowly brought near his compass.
A genuine talisman inherently possesses its own magnetic field.
This isn’t visible to the naked eye, but with the aid of a compass, the man in the suit could roughly gauge the strength of the talisman’s inherent magnetic field!
While testing the Corpse Transformation Talisman, the compass in the man’s hand had merely swung wildly.
However, now as he held the Danghui Talisman which he had just brought close, the compass needle began to spin frantically.
Suddenly, they heard a ‘crack’, and to their surprise, the compass in his hand developed several cracks and shattered into pieces.