Chapter 8

"Let me see..."

At this moment, Xiong Mao took the wooden horse and examined it with great interest. But after a brief look, he frowned slightly and shook his head, saying, "This is just an ordinary thing, not a magical artifact."

"How can it not be?"

Bao Longtu was somewhat anxious: "Those copper coins are ancient coins, and my wooden horse is also an antique. How can it not be a magical artifact?"

"…It’s different."

Xiong Mao hesitated, unsure how to explain.

"How is it different?"

Bao Longtu pressed on: "Are you saying that because those are made of copper and this is made of wood, they are different? The problem is, you have wooden magical artifacts in your store, like those prayer beads…"

"…It’s really different."

Xiong Mao sighed in frustration: "Sigh, let me put it this way. We judge whether something is a magical artifact mainly by the aura it contains. The stronger, more intense, and more stable the aura, the better it works, and the more valuable the magical artifact is. Conversely, if something has no aura, it has no value."

"Do you mean my things have no aura?" Bao Longtu still didn’t understand: "How is the aura formed? Why do the copper coins have it, but the wooden horse doesn’t?"

"From our perspective, the formation of an aura generally has three scenarios. One is to invite a high-ranking monk or Taoist to perform an opening ceremony, and the object will naturally form an aura. The second is something like a natural treasure, which inherently contains a powerful aura. The third is like these copper coins, which, during their transmission, absorb enough essence from heaven and earth, gradually forming an aura."

Xiong Mao explained patiently: "Of course, the third scenario is full of randomness. Some things have good fortune and, due to some fortunate circumstances, might form an aura in just three to five years. But some things, even after hundreds or thousands of years, remain ordinary and are not considered magical artifacts."

"…I don’t understand." Bao Longtu was very disappointed, feeling that Xiong Mao was trying to fool him.

"Never mind, it’s hard to explain."

Xiong Mao shook his head and then looked at Fang Yuan, his eyes full of surprise: "Master Fang, did you really just pick out this string of Five Emperors coins?"

"Yep."

This was the truth, and Fang Yuan naturally wouldn’t deny it.

"Admirable!"

Xiong Mao expressed his sincere admiration. The neighboring street was an antique market, and he often went there to look for magical artifacts, so he knew how difficult it was to pick out something with an aura from a street full of antiques.

What impressed him most was that the Five Emperors coins were newly strung together, which meant that the five coins were previously scattered. Fang Yuan had to pick them out one by one and combine them, making it even more challenging.

This proved how sharp Fang Yuan’s eye was, making Xiong Mao feel inferior.

"It’s just luck." Fang Yuan waved his hand, realizing that the energy field he saw was probably what Xiong Mao referred to as an aura.

"It’s not just luck, but also strength."

At this point, Xiong Mao shook his head: "Without enough strength, even if you encounter something good, you won’t recognize it and will miss it."

This was Xiong Mao’s experience. When he first started, due to his lack of discernment, he missed many good things.

"Mr. Xiong."

While Xiong Mao was reminiscing, Bao Longtu suddenly came over, smiling with a pleading look: "Do you think what I should do to make my wooden horse figurine gather an aura and become a feng shui magical artifact?"

"Uh…"

Xiong Mao was taken aback: "Didn’t I just say there are three ways?"

"The second way can be ruled out. This is a carved object, so it can’t naturally form an aura." Bao Longtu hesitated and asked: "As for the first way… inviting a high-ranking person to perform an opening ceremony, that must be quite expensive, right?"

"Yep, you’re right." Xiong Mao thought for a moment and said honestly: "Generally, after a high-ranking person performs an opening ceremony, they will charge based on the size of the aura formed by each magical artifact."

"I knew it…" Bao Longtu pouted slightly. Even if he hadn’t seen it, he knew that the high-ranking people in temples and Taoist observatories were already tied to money.

"The third way would take hundreds of years, and I definitely can’t wait that long."

Bao Longtu was quite self-aware and then said hopefully: "But you also mentioned that some things can form an aura in just three to five years due to some fortunate circumstances. So I want to ask, what are these fortunate circumstances?"

He might not believe in auras, but he thought that as long as others believed in them, there was no reason to turn down money.

"It refers to special timing, special occasions, and special environments." Xiong Mao smiled lightly: "This kind of thing is hard to explain in a few words. If you’re really interested, you can ask Master Fang for advice when you get back."

"Ask him?"

Bao Longtu glanced at Fang Yuan and subconsciously shook his head. In his mind, Fang Yuan should be like him, not believing in feng shui. As for the string of Five Emperors coins, it was purely a stroke of luck, picking up a big find by chance.

"It seems Master Fang usually keeps a low profile, so even you don’t know his skills." Xiong Mao smiled lightly, not to sow discord but to express his feelings.

"Is that true?"

At this moment, Bao Longtu was somewhat uncertain, his eyes full of doubt.

"…Let’s talk about it when we get back."

Noticing the unusual emotion in Bao Longtu’s eyes, Fang Yuan also felt a bit of a headache, not knowing how to explain. After a moment of thought, he immediately used the attention diversion technique: "If you want your wooden horse figurine to gather an aura, it’s simple. Just get Mr. Xiong’s permission to display it in the store for three to five months."

"What?" Bao Longtu was naturally very puzzled: "Why do you say that?"

"Ha ha, Master Fang is joking."

At the same time, Xiong Mao’s eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he laughed to cover it up: "How could that be possible…"

"Why not?"

Fang Yuan countered, looking around the shop layout and smiling: "This place should be the special environment Mr. Xiong mentioned earlier."

"That’s right."

At this moment, before Xiong Mao could object, the old man beside him immediately clapped his hands and agreed: "Master Xiong, Master Fang is a discerning person. There’s no need to hide it. Such an obvious money setup, who can’t see it?"

"Money setup?"

Bao Longtu was stunned: "What do you mean?"

"The feng shui layout of the store."

The old man stood up and pointed out with interest: "Look closely at the layout of the store. What does it look like?"

Prompted by the old man, Bao Longtu carefully examined the store. At this moment, he finally realized the store’s uniqueness. Other stores, no matter how they were decorated, didn’t change the space, which was mostly square. However, Baihuiju was different. The entire space was decorated into a circular shape.

In other words, during the renovation, materials were used to cover the four corners of the store, forming a circular shape, making the entire store circular.

Of course, since the store’s space was spacious enough, even though it was decorated into a circle, it didn’t feel cramped at all, but rather gave a sense of novelty. However, this sense of novelty was definitely not the main purpose of the renovation.

After all, changing a square space into a circular one not only cost more in renovation but also wasted a lot of space. If it was done just for novelty, it would be a wasteful act, not in the interest of the store owner.

While carefully observing, Bao Longtu also noticed that not only was the store’s space unique, but the floor tiles also seemed special. Each tile in the store had wavy water patterns. The most eye-catching was the large tile in the center.

Seeing this, Bao Longtu definitely walked over lightly and looked down at the tile. The large tile was smooth and glossy like a mirror, and even an ordinary person could tell that the tile’s quality was extraordinary.

"How about it, did you see it?"

At the same time, the old man sighed slightly: "It’s still Master Xiong who has the connections. He actually managed to get a Ming and Qing dynasty old gold brick. It’s really enviable."

"Gold brick?" Bao Longtu was surprised: "Made of gold?"

"Not made of gold." Fang Yuan reminded him: "It’s the kind of brick used in ancient imperial palaces."

"Oh, it’s a Jing brick."

Bao Longtu immediately understood. This gold brick was definitely not made of real gold but was a brick from the Forbidden City in Beijing. As a collector of antiques, he had also paid attention to this information.

Originally, this type of brick was called a Jing brick, specifically made for the imperial palace. Due to its fine particles, dense texture, and the sound of metal when struck, it was also called a gold brick.

It’s said that the cost of making these gold bricks was extremely high. The production process was complex, and in a year, only about 5,000 bricks could be produced, with each brick costing as much as one tael of gold.

Most importantly, the technique for making these gold bricks was lost by the end of the Qing dynasty. Although in the 1990s, some people revived the production of gold bricks, it was done using modern methods, not the ancient techniques of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Therefore, in the eyes of some people, new gold bricks were not as valuable as old gold bricks.

Now, the old man said that the gold brick in the store was from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Regardless of its special role in the feng shui layout, even if it were sold as an antique, it would be worth hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Using something worth hundreds of thousands of yuan to pave the floor was truly luxurious. Bao Longtu was amazed, also revealing his ignorance. He would soon realize that in the feng shui industry, hundreds of thousands of yuan was not a big deal.

"Old Fang, you’re too kind. It’s just a gold brick, probably not even worth your attention."

At the same time, Xiong Mao was very humble, but there was a hint of pride in his eyes…

………………

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