HPDBC Chapter 004 Collecting Scrap Metal in the Ghost Market, Cleansing the Marrow
Chapter 004 Collecting Scrap Metal in the Ghost Market, Cleansing the Marrow
Ghost Market!
Yes.
The rules of the capital city.
The seventh day of the lunar month each month.
That's the day the ghost market opens.
Impoverished households of the Eight Banners from the late Qing Dynasty collected antiques and calligraphy from their homes and spontaneously came to the streets along the Panjiayuan River.
Choose the evening.
It's to avoid having one's face recognized.
Because it was midnight.
The elderly person spoke of the alternation of yin and yang.
It is said that some people once traveled together, bought things, and prepared to return home.
I witnessed someone crawling into a coffin in the wilderness.
this kind of thing.
One person tells ten, ten tell a hundred.
It has become a classic ghost story circulating in the ghost market!
Today is the seventh day of the lunar new year.
Cao Kun stood up and put the magic weapon into his Xuanhan dragon-patterned thumb ring.
I have just started practicing the Azure Dragon Technique.
He suffered a great loss of energy and blood.
This caused Cao Kun to feel somewhat weak all over!
My stomach started growling.
A distinct feeling of hunger came over my head.
Qi and Blood!
Cao Kun needs to replenish his qi and blood.
He stood up, went back into the house, and took out the leftover pork knuckle from lunch, along with a plate of spiced beef.
Cao Kun ate it in large mouthfuls.
After eating meat, his hunger was slightly relieved!
Fortunately, Cao Kun is rich now.
He decided to buy some wild game when he went to the ghost market.
"Ugh! It stinks—"
At this moment, Cao Kun smelled an unusual odor.
He saw a murky stain on his arm!
Cleanse the marrow and remove the bark!
Cao Kun is a seasoned bookworm.
I originally thought that everything recorded in the novel was a lie.
Now it seems that authentic immortal techniques do indeed have a marrow-cleansing effect.
So Cao Kun went to the inner room and took a refreshing cold shower.
He changed into a navy blue hoodie and left the Tianyi Treasure Pavilion.
The night grew darker.
A cool evening breeze swept past Cao Kun.
He moved nimbly, using the bright moonlight to navigate the narrow alleyways.
We walked through three crisscrossing alleys.
Cao Kun gradually heard sporadic whispers.
The air was filled with a musty, earthy smell.
There was also a faint, almost imperceptible, chilling aura.
Cao Kun knows best.
We've arrived at the ghost market.
Several stalls had already been set up on the open space in front of us.
Each stall was covered with a tattered black cloth.
Various items were piled up haphazardly on top.
A dim lantern hung beside the stall.
The orange halo barely illuminated a small area.
The stall owner remained hidden in the darkness, his face obscured.
Some people wore large straw hats and covered their faces with thick black cloths.
Only his cloudy eyes were visible as he sat silently behind the stall.
He remained motionless and silent.
This is the rule of Panjiayuan Ghost Market.
It's also an unspoken understanding between the buyer and seller.
Most of the items for sale here have an unknown origin.
Silver dollars, bronze mirrors, calligraphy and paintings, jade artifacts, and so on.
Some came from ancient tombs.
Some of them stole other people's secret treasures.
There are even evil things tainted by yin and evil energy.
The buyer and seller rarely ask about the origin of the goods; they simply exchange money for goods.
Once sold, we are not responsible for any losses.
Can I find treasures and avoid evil spirits?
It all depends on my own keen eye and a bit of luck!
The stall owners were all wrapped up tightly, both to hide their identities and to avoid getting into trouble.
After all, many of these items are of dubious origin, and people are afraid of being recognized.
It is also to avoid the evil spirits, vengeful ghosts and resentful thoughts that may be attached to the objects.
Cao Kun calmly surveyed the stalls on both sides.
He slowly stepped forward, his golden eyes quietly activating.
The attributes of each object came to Cao Kun's mind.
[Qing Dynasty Ancient Book: Excavated in 76, condition is average, missing pages, ordinary antique book, lacking any auspicious dragon-like qualities.]
[Republic of China Era Inkstone: Excavated 34 years ago, this old pit inkstone is plain and has a hand-held design. The stone is fine-grained, lacks any dragon-like aura, and was once used by scholars. It carries a faint scent of ink and is free of any sinister energy.]
[Republic of China Peach Wood Plaque: A heirloom, dated 68, made of peach wood, engraved with simple exorcising talismans, crafted by a folk sorcerer.]
……
Cao Kun took a look and found that many of them were old items from the Republican era.
It's not worth much!
Cao Kun stood there, and several stall owners and passersby recognized him.
He is a well-known scrap king.
Cao Kun has already made a name for himself in Panjiayuan!
"Boss Cao, here to collect scrap again?"
"How about I take a look at mine? I'll pack them all up and sell them for 8000 in one go..."
Some stall owners even openly solicited business, saying...
"Come on, Han Laosi, how much are your pile of tattered books worth?"
"Boss Cao, take a look at my pieces... According to research, this porcelain dates back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties..."
The other party made a solemn promise.
Shang and Zhou Dynasties?
It was last week.
Cao Kun saw it at a glance.
Those were just imitations of porcelain from the Republican era.
"Need not."
Cao Kun waved his hand and continued walking forward.
Those people nodded.
They all felt, without prior agreement, that Cao Kun was definitely out of money.
I bought a bunch of junk and now I'm stuck with it.
It cannot be exchanged for money.
It can't be eaten as a meal.
They're definitely living off their savings.
Cao Kun continued to examine the old items at the stalls.
[Republic of China period imitation Qianlong blue and white porcelain bowl: A modern forgery. The blue and white glaze is dull and grayish, the decoration is blurry, and the four-character "Made in the Qianlong period" mark on the bottom is fake. The material is rough and has no collectible value.]
[Republic of China period imitation of Zhang Daqian's landscape painting: A modern forgery, made of aged Xuan paper, with ink appearing superficial, stiff brushstrokes, and the signature "Daqian" crooked, differing greatly from Zhang Daqian's authentic brushwork.]
[Qing Dynasty Imitation Kangxi Wucai Plate: A late Qing and Republican-era imitation, unearthed 21 years ago. The porcelain body is porous, the wucai colors are gaudy and glaring, lacking natural patina. The bottom of the plate is forged with a Kangxi mark, and the edges show deliberately aged wear marks. Its value is extremely low.]
……
At that moment, a young man was at the stall.
He took a liking to the Republic-era imitation blue-and-white porcelain bowl, clutching it in his hand, reluctant to let it go.
If it were in the past...
Cao Kun will definitely accept those items.
Now, he took off and continued walking forward.
The stalls under the willow tree in front.
[Item Name: Han Dynasty Bronze Ghost Mirror]
【Item Description: Made of bronze, round and thin with slightly rolled edges, the mirror surface is polished smooth. The center of the back of the mirror is a round knob base, and the outside of the knob base is finely engraved with Taoist Bagua (Eight Trigrams) patterns for warding off evil.
】
[Item Level: Low-grade Magic Item]
Item Ability:
1. The ancient mirror reveals evil spirits, making it impossible for them to hide their forms and preventing them from being bewitched by evil spirits.
2. Simple evil-repelling device: Infused with dragon energy to activate, it sets up a small evil-repelling barrier to suppress ghosts and demons in the house and low-level corpse evil spirits in ancient tombs, preventing evil spirits from getting close and harming people. The fine cracks on the edges are left from when the evil spirits in the tomb were suppressed.
3. It can ward off evil spirits and bring peace of mind. Wearing it daily can ward off evil spirits and is suitable for carrying when entering or leaving ancient tombs, deserted areas and other places with evil influences.
】
[Year of excavation: 21]
[Dragon Energy Value: 32 points]
[Source of Dragon Energy: Residual Vein of the Nanyang Dragon Vein]
……
A magical artifact, a bronze ghost mirror from the Han Dynasty.
Cao Kun immediately stopped in his tracks.
At that moment, there was already a man in front of them wearing old cloth shoes and thick-rimmed glasses.
His target was also that bronze ghost mirror.
The stall owner offered 5000 and refused to budge on the price.
The man with thick-rimmed glasses was still arguing with him, hoping to get a price reduction.
According to the rules of the ghost market.
If you want to buy something while others are negotiating prices, you can only watch from afar; it's not reliable to get too close.
Finally, the man with thick-rimmed glasses stood up and walked outside.
This is also the last resort of the ghost market.
They turned around and left.
If the other party feels the price is negotiable, they will wave and continue the transaction.
But...
The stall owner had already spotted Cao Kun there.
Haha, what a sucker!