Screen City is situated at the foot of Screen Mountain. Management within the city is lax, and the laws are loose. Consequently, it is a gathering place for people from all walks of life, and many illicit cultural relics or forbidden items from the imperial court circulate and change hands here.
At the western end of the city stands a century-old establishment. The plaque above the entrance reads "Jade Affinity Pavilion." Although it is an antique shop renowned for its jade, having operated for many years, it deals in various types of rare curios and antiques, maintaining a decent reputation.
However, antiques are mostly the playthings of the wealthy. The saying "three years without business, but one opening feeds you for three years" perfectly describes the current state of this industry. Thus, the antique shop is mostly deserted throughout the seasons, with only the shopkeeper to be found.
The current situation was no different. The proprietor of "Jade Affinity Pavilion" was a man surnamed Feng, a man in his fifties. At this moment, he was squinting and dozing off at the counter, snoring loudly, occasionally blowing his chin goatee high with each breath.
But just then, someone walked in from outside. The newcomer was a youth of sixteen or seventeen, dressed in gray hemp clothes and wearing straw sandals, with a straw hat hanging from his back.
As soon as he entered, he scanned the shop. Seeing the shopkeeper snoring away at the table, he couldn't help but look embarrassed. He reached out and knocked on the open wooden door.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
Despite the boy's continuous knocking, the shopkeeper did not wake; instead, his snoring grew even louder, as if he were intentionally defying the youth.
Helpless, the boy stopped knocking and shouted toward the interior, "Shopkeeper! Business is here!"
"Huff!" The old man's snore was choked back in his throat. He practically leaped from his chair, rubbing his bleary eyes while reflexively saying, "I did not know a distinguished guest had arrived. Please forgive my failure to welcome you properly. Please, come inside... Huh?"
Halfway through his sentence, the old man's eyes suddenly widened as he stared at the visitor. He had intended to say, "Please, distinguished guest, come inside for tea," but upon seeing clearly that the visitor was merely a teenager, anger flared within him.
In truth, his age wouldn't have mattered much; many wealthy young masters in the city loved to affect elegance and were quite generous when buying antiques. The crucial issue was that this youth was dressed in hemp clothes and straw sandals—his entire outfit wasn't worth a few copper coins. He couldn't possibly be a wealthy young master.
Fuming, the old man blew his beard and snapped, "Where did this brat come from? Go away, go away! Don't come playing in my shop; you won't be able to afford it if you break something."
The youth did not take offense. Instead, he gave a chuckle and walked leisurely into the shop with his hands behind his back.
"Don't be so restless, Shopkeeper. I am Liang Yan, and I have indeed come seeking a treasure."
"I don't care if your name is 'Good Words' or 'Auspicious Words.' The items here are delicate; don't go touching them randomly," the old man said, rolling his eyes.
Liang Yan smiled. "You can rest assured on that. I will only use my eyes to look; I certainly won't use my hands." With that, he began to pace around the shop, observing the antiques with an air of importance.
This observation lasted for nearly an hour.
The old man sat behind the counter, propping his head up with one hand, his small eyes fixed intently on Liang Yan, wearing a look of disdainful "I knew it."
*Hmph, a country bumpkin from outside the city, barely literate and with pockets clinking with nothing but emptiness, yet trying to act sophisticated. Fine, since you at least know your place, I'll let you feast your eyes,* the old man grumbled inwardly.
"Shopkeeper, I think this calligraphy scroll is quite good. What is your price?" After inspecting every corner of the shop, Liang Yan suddenly pointed to a calligraphy scroll in the corner.
"Jade Affinity Pavilion" focused primarily on jade. While they dabbled in other areas, they certainly didn't carry top-tier treasures. The old man gave the corner a lazy glance and said indifferently, "That is an authentic work by Huang Zhen, titled 'Cloud Pavilion Collection.' It would cost at least a hundred taels of silver. Boy, are you sure you can afford it?"
Liang Yan smiled noncommittally. "Please, Shopkeeper, bring it forth for inspection."
The old man muttered under his breath but eventually shuffled down from the counter, retrieved the scroll from the corner, returned to the counter, and spread it open before Liang Yan.
Liang Yan held his left arm with his left hand and stroked his chin with his right, nodding as he observed, looking quite professional.
However, his persona of a refined expert did not last long. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he said, "Shopkeeper, are you trying to fool me? You actually brought a fake scroll to deceive me."
Upon hearing this, the old man exploded like a firecracker, shouting in rage, "You brat! You truly don't know what's good for you! I saw your poor appearance and thought you had never seen the world, so I let you in to broaden your horizons out of pity. Instead of being grateful, you dare to slander me? This is outrageous! Simply outrageous!"
"Calm your anger, Shopkeeper. Let me ask you one thing: which country was Huang Zhen from?"
"Is that even a question?" The old man said, swaying his head. "Huang Zhen was a great master of the State of Yue. Even the King of Yue had personally received him."
"At that time, the States of Zhao and Yue were at war. Tell me, Shopkeeper, if Huang Zhen was a great master of Yue and highly esteemed by the King of Yue, why would he use the 'Xi-style brushwork' of the State of Zhao?" As Liang Yan spoke, he pointed to the last few characters in the vertical line of the scroll.
"This..." The old man's face flushed. Calligraphy from the State of Zhao was its own distinct school. The "Xi-style" was derived from the "Eight Methods of Cursive Script" in Zhao calligraphy—a small habit used at the end of a line. It was indeed a technique Huang Zhen would not have used.
Having operated an antique shop for decades, with ancestors who had studied this craft, how could the old man not know if the scroll was real or fake? However, the antique trade has always followed the rule of "earning through one's own skill." If a customer misjudged and bought a fake, they could not blame anyone else. He had tricked many self-important wealthy sons in the city, but being exposed to his face by a penniless youth truly made it impossible for him to save face.
The old man coughed a few times. "The shop has taken in too much stock; perhaps I misjudged it. Fine, since you seem to have an affinity with this scroll, I'll let you have it for ten taels of silver."
*Ten taels...* Liang Yan calculated silently. Since joining the Yixing Pavilion, he had rarely descended the mountain. The only other time was when he accompanied the Immortal Tang Die on a mission, so he truly didn't have much worldly silver on him. Currently, he had just over ten taels in total, which was exactly enough to buy this scroll.
However, there was something extraordinary hidden within this scroll, and he had to obtain it no matter what.
Having made his decision, Liang Yan maintained a facade of reserve for a moment before he was about to agree to the purchase. But suddenly, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded from behind, followed by a crisp voice: "Shopkeeper, I'll take this scroll!"
The words had barely left her mouth before the person was standing right there. Startled, Liang Yan instinctively reached out to grab the scroll, but the newcomer was faster. She snatched the scroll with one hand and hurriedly tucked it into her bosom.
Liang Yan's hand caught nothing but air. He turned to look and saw that the "interloper" was actually a young girl of about ten, dressed in emerald green. Her hair was tied into two high pigtails with green ribbons, and with her bright eyes, small nose, and rosy lips, she was quite adorable.
Liang Yan's expression darkened. He coughed and said, "Shopkeeper, everything should follow the order of arrival. I have already settled the price with you. You must sell this painting to me."
"What settled price? I never heard you say you wanted to buy it! Besides, even if you intend to take it, you haven't paid yet, have you?" The old man rolled his eyes and then turned to the girl with a beaming smile. "Little one, I see you have an affinity with this scroll. How about I give it to you for twenty taels?"
The little girl was dressed exquisitely, clearly the daughter of a wealthy household. The old man, being as shrewd as he was, saw the profit immediately. He wore a face full of kind smiles, gazing at the girl so warmly that one might mistake her for his own granddaughter.
"No problem!" The girl tucked the scroll into her bosom and waved her hand grandly. She then took a cloth bag from her waist, poured out two ingots of official silver, and stood on her tiptoes to place them on the table. It was exactly twenty taels.
"Haha! Greedy, so greedy!" The old man's eyes crinkled with joy as he swept the silver into the drawer behind the counter.
Having obtained the scroll, the girl was highly satisfied. Without even glancing at Liang Yan, she skipped out of the antique shop. Liang Yan stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the girl's retreating figure with a thoughtful expression.
This girl was no ordinary mortal; she was a cultivator at the second level of Qi Refinement. Liang Yan had known this the moment he first saw her.
*A low-level Qi Refinement cultivator whose divine sense cannot leave her body. I only managed to sense the mystery within this scroll thanks to the enhancement my 'Hooligan Technique' provides to my six senses. But this little girl is only at the second level of Qi Refinement—how did she see the secrets hidden within?*
(End of Chapter)