Chapter 19: Appraisal

“Rest assured, Young Master, my eyes have never failed me. Appraising things is second nature to me,” Chen Zhaofeng said as he picked up the wine gourd resting on the table.

At first, Chen Zhaofeng thought Wang Liang had brought him some antique or art piece, but as he lifted the wine gourd, he sensed something was amiss—there was something inside. He shook the gourd, listening to the sound of liquid within, then carefully examined the exterior for a long while, almost opening it to pour out some of the contents.

Wang Liang noticed that Chen Zhaofeng’s expression grew increasingly grave. At last, he set the wine gourd down and, somewhat concerned, asked, “Young Master, where did you get this wine gourd?”

“From Jingyang Hill,” Wang Liang replied.

“That explains it. Young Master, after a glance, I can tell this gourd is neither an antique nor a renowned piece. It’s just a rustic gourd from the vicinity of Yanggu County, the kind farmers use as ladles or to carry wine. Your gourd was likely brought to Jingyang Hill by someone and lost there for several years. Exposure to the elements and the influence of demonic aura have altered both the gourd and the wine inside. The wine now carries a trace of yin energy—ordinary folk shouldn’t drink it. Yet, it’s a rare treasure, perfect for ancestral offerings or to present to deities. It is first-rate in that regard.”

As Chen Zhaofeng explained, information about the gourd appeared before Wang Liang.

[After Chen Zhaofeng’s appraisal (ordinary), the gourd in your hand has been identified. If you are dissatisfied with the results, you may seek another appraisal, but the new attributes will decrease by 20%.]
[Yin-Walking Wine (one gourd, 36 taels)]
[Description 1: Wine infused with yin and ghostly energies. The living must not drink it; the dead, ghosts, and those with undead attributes may drink it. Each tael consumed will randomly increase one attribute point.]
[Description 2: Yin-Walking Wine cannot be decanted. Once the gourd is poured, the yin energy dissipates within three hours. When the wine is gone, the gourd loses its effect.]
[Description 3: Yin-Walking Wine may be offered to ancestors, spirits, or gods, yielding commensurate rewards.]

Reading these descriptions and recalling Chen Zhaofeng’s explanation, Wang Liang quickly understood the wine’s use. It was quite a fine item; for players on the ghostly path, whose attributes are aligned with spirits or the undead, it was a treasure. Drinking it would directly raise their attributes by thirty-six points—though the increase was random, it was the same as gaining thirty-six levels for free.

Even for those not on the ghostly path, it was valuable for communicating with spirits or gods and making offerings. In Wang Liang’s view, nothing is impossible to negotiate at the wine table. He remembered his first journey to the border in a dream—those generals were not convinced by him at first, but after a few rounds of wine, their resistance vanished.

Such a treasure must surely be kept. Wang Liang stretched out his hand, and the wine gourd vanished from the table. Chen Zhaofeng seemed not to notice the anomaly, smiling as he took the small silver ingot from the tabletop.

He had only glanced at it from afar before, so he hadn’t noticed the mark on the ingot. Now, as he weighed it in his hand, he saw an inscription on the bottom.

‘Wang’s Dragon Seal? No, this is… Dragon King’s Seal? That makes sense. I knew it; they really thought they could fool me.’

Rubbing the mark with his thumb, Chen Zhaofeng immediately discerned Wang Liang’s identity. Now, he knew how he should treat Wang Liang—if Wang Liang wanted to see the items forfeited in the pawnshop, he’d bring out the best. He had abandoned any notion of competing with the treasures of the Dragon King’s palace.

Wang Liang was unaware of Chen Zhaofeng’s mental calculus. Having identified the gourd, Wang Liang steered the conversation toward his true interest—antiques and home decorations.

“I’ve heard your pawnshop often receives antiques. I wonder if I could select a few from the items that have been forfeited?”

Chen Zhaofeng’s heart flashed with recognition: as expected. He stood up. “Of course, but it’s not convenient here. Please, follow me.”

With those words, Chen Zhaofeng led Wang Liang toward the inner courtyard. The young attendant who’d been present earlier had already gone to fetch the pawnshop owner at Chen Zhaofeng’s signal.

As Wang Liang entered the inner courtyard, he saw the pawnshop owner hurrying over. Upon seeing Wang Liang, the owner sized him up, then nodded to Chen Zhaofeng without engaging Wang Liang directly.

Wang Liang watched the owner come and go with curiosity, unaware this was the custom of the pawnshop. The owner’s eye for valuables was not as keen as the appraiser’s. If Wang Liang negotiated with the owner, he might snatch up treasures at a bargain. Thus, the owner’s appearance was merely to inform Chen Zhaofeng that he was aware of the situation and that good items could be shown to Wang Liang.

Having worked for years in the pawnshop, Chen Zhaofeng and the owner were already in perfect harmony. Seeing the situation, Chen Zhaofeng’s face lit up with a hint of joy.

He led Wang Liang to the study in the inner courtyard and invited him to sit, instructing an attendant to bring out several of the pawnshop’s prized treasures. These items were not large—mostly jade pieces or bronzes.

Wang Liang saw at a glance that most had the style of the Han dynasty, except for one, which bore the marks of Tang and was more worn than the others.

He examined each item carefully. His archaeological skills came into play—though Wang Liang himself was not deeply versed in antiques, once he held an object, he could deduce its qualities.

In this way, Wang Liang inspected everything in the room. Truth be told, Yanggu County was neither large nor a major thoroughfare. To Chen Zhaofeng, these were fine things, but to Wang Liang, they had little use. Even if he took them home, they would not serve well as decorations.

Moreover, none caught his eye to the point that he wanted to buy them outright.

Wang Liang could only shake his head in disappointment.

Seeing Wang Liang’s expression, Chen Zhaofeng felt a mixture of understanding and disappointment.

At that moment, Wang Liang said, “Do you have anything else? It doesn’t need to be valuable—just something interesting will do.”