Chapter 14

Zhang Tianyuan was about to expose the so-called "Portrait of Zhaojun" in front of everyone, but suddenly he felt a strange aura emanating from the man.

It's a treasure!

Zhang Tianyuan was surprised. He didn't expect that this man, who was trying to scam him, actually had a real treasure. However, this treasure didn't seem to have a long history, which was why Zhang Tianyuan's "Word Seeking Spell" didn't detect it earlier.

After all, Zhang Tianyuan was currently at the second stage of the Earth Qi realm, where the雏dragon had just formed. He had absorbed a lot of Earth Qi while wandering around the Treasure Alley, but he still hadn't broken through to the third stage. The power of the six-character true spell was somewhat lacking, and it couldn't clearly detect all treasures.

He thought for a moment, then walked up to the man and asked in a low voice, "What's your name, brother?"

"Surname Liu. What's up?"

"Liu brother, let's be straightforward. That so-called genuine portrait of Mao Yanshou is just a modern print. It costs no more than a few dozen yuan. If I really bought it, you'd be the one losing out, right?" Zhang Tianyuan's voice was very low, trying not to let others hear.

He was giving Liu enough face. After all, people always care about their dignity. If you push them too hard, even a dog will jump over a wall, and a rabbit will bite when cornered. It was better to take a soothing approach, making him feel that you were a decent person who understood the world.

Sure enough, Liu's expression changed, but he quickly returned to normal and said in a low voice, "Little brother, what do you really want? Just say it directly, no need to beat around the bush. Today, I've run into you, and it's my bad luck. I have nothing more to say."

Zhang Tianyuan smiled and continued, "I wonder if you have anything else to sell. Maybe I'll like it and buy it."

Hearing this, Liu's face lit up. He had thought that the so-called genuine portrait of Mao Yanshou was the most valuable thing he had, and the other items he carried were not so valuable. Since this young man wanted to see, he might as well let him. Who knows, maybe his taste was different.

"Alright, let's talk in the teahouse next door," Liu said.

"Of course, no problem," Zhang Tianyuan nodded and followed him.

Liu instructed his few accomplices to go about their business and not to follow them into the teahouse, to avoid looking like they were going to fight.

With the matter settled, the onlookers naturally dispersed, and the Treasure Alley returned to its usual bustling and lively state, with people chatting and laughing, and occasionally a few curses could be heard.

...

Inside the teahouse, Liu took off his bag and threw it directly to Zhang Tianyuan. It was clear that he didn't care much about the things in the bag.

"Little brother, I'll have a sip of tea first. Take your time to look. Buy whatever you like."

Zhang Tianyuan nodded, opened the bag, and immediately fixed his eyes on a book about two centimeters thick.

"A picture story book!"

There was no mistake. The aura that had moved him earlier came from this picture story book.

Picture story books, also known as picture books, comic books, or children's books, are a form of narrative that uses a series of pictures to tell a story and portray characters. They cover a wide range of topics and content, making them a popular and accessible read for all ages.

Zhang Tianyuan still remembered clearly that when he was a child, he loved reading these books the most. Back then, he didn't have the money to buy foreign comics, so picture story books, which were simple, easy to understand, and had more pictures than text, taught him a lot.

Those days were hard, incomparable to now. Zhang Tianyuan remembered that the clothes he wore were patched with more patches, and the steamed buns he ate were mostly made of bran and black flour, which were both black and tasted terrible.

Think about it, with such poor food, how could there be any spare money to buy books? So, the picture story books Zhang Tianyuan read were mostly borrowed from wealthier classmates, and he would have to return them after reading them for a night. He was so obsessed with reading that he would forget to eat and sleep.

Xu Gang's family was one of the first to become wealthy in the village. They had a kiln factory that produced lime, earning them some money. So, Xu Gang often bought books, most of which were picture story books.

During that period, Zhang Tianyuan spent almost every day at Xu Gang's house, even eating and sleeping there. His mother would joke, "You might as well change your surname to Xu."

"Little brother, what's wrong with you?"

Seeing Zhang Tianyuan suddenly shed tears, Liu was surprised and asked urgently.

Zhang Tianyuan came back to his senses and pointed to the picture story book, asking, "Brother, what's a fair price for this children's book?"

To be honest, by now, Zhang Tianyuan was just feeling nostalgic. He didn't care much about the value of the picture story book. Even if it wasn't worth much, he still wanted to buy it.

However, he understood that these sellers were shrewd. If you showed even a little interest, they would definitely raise the price. So, Zhang Tianyuan pretended to be interested in another item in the bag and asked casually.

Surprisingly, his acting skills fooled Liu. Liu thought he was interested in the other item and said with a smile, "Money or no money, I was planning to take this children's book home for my child to read. If you like it, take it. Consider it a gift."

"That won't do. We're doing business, and I can't let you lose out," Zhang Tianyuan shook his head. He didn't want to anger these people, so he didn't like taking advantage of them. It was foolish to cause trouble for a small profit.

Liu smiled and said, "How about this? The coral bracelet you like, plus this children's book, for two thousand yuan?"

He quoted two thousand yuan, mainly for the coral bracelet, as it was a genuine coral bracelet, though not an antique. It was beautifully crafted and would make a good gift for a girlfriend. The picture story book was a complete freebie.

He had spent eight hundred yuan to get the coral bracelet, and now selling it for two thousand yuan was a huge profit in his eyes.

But in Zhang Tianyuan's view, he was the one making the profit.

The coral bracelet, if sold, would be worth at most a thousand yuan. But the picture story book was definitely more valuable. Even if he didn't make a profit, Zhang Tianyuan wouldn't lose out.

Moreover, he didn't necessarily want to sell the picture story book. To him, it was a memory of his childhood, a rare source of joy in a bitter life.

"Alright, two thousand it is. I'll consider it a way to make a friend," Zhang Tianyuan didn't hesitate. Since he knew he wasn't losing out, he was willing to pay. At this point, pretending to haggle would be pointless and might even prevent him from getting the items.

As he spoke, he took out the money and added another hundred yuan, saying, "I'll cover the tea money. When you come to Treasure Alley in the future, I hope you'll introduce me to any good items you have."

Although the scammer's character wasn't great, he had many connections. Sometimes, such people could be very helpful.

Zhang Tianyuan lacked insider information, and Liu could provide it. Having one more friend was better than having one more enemy, right?

After putting away the coral bracelet and the picture story book, they exchanged phone numbers and added each other on social media for future contact.

Now, with various ways to communicate, Liu could send him pictures of items he had, and if Zhang Tianyuan wanted them, he could come and buy them. This opened up another channel for buying treasures.

If Liu could get such a picture story book, he might be able to get other items as well. It was unwise to underestimate such people.

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