Chapter 10

After a night had passed, Qi Xiang almost counted the minutes, enduring until dawn. The sky was just beginning to turn white, and the sun had yet to rise when he turned over and got up. After a quick wash, he went out directly.

Qi Xiang didn't leave particularly early. By the time he reached the street, he could already see rows of vehicles and pedestrians moving in an orderly manner on the well-connected roads.

This is how life in a big city is—fast-paced and not easy to live in. Those who don't strive hard will surely be eliminated.

Qi Xiang was used to such a scene. He hailed a car by the roadside, gave a destination, and then closed his eyes to catch a few more minutes of sleep.

The car moved slowly, passing through one checkpoint after another. After more than an hour, it finally stopped.

At this moment, the sun hung high in the sky, radiating boundless light and heat. Qi Xiang paid the fare, got out of the car, and walked deeper into the street. Suddenly, the view opened up, revealing a bustling market.

The market was very lively, with a cacophony of sounds forming a hot and bustling stream. As soon as Qi Xiang approached, he felt wave after wave of heat, which made him sigh deeply.

The market had dozens of shops, mostly selling various incense and spices.

This was because there was a thousand-year-old temple nearby, which was said to be very efficacious, so the incense offerings were abundant. Every morning, a large number of believers would come to burn incense and worship devoutly.

Over time, a bustling incense market formed beside the temple.

Qi Xiang was not unfamiliar with this incense market. After all, he also had a small statue of the God of Wealth in his shop. Whenever he opened the shop in the morning or closed it at night, he would always offer a stick of incense.

The incense he usually used was bought here.

Having come here many times, Qi Xiang naturally knew that the incense in the market was not just a single variety but had many categories. Various types of incense sticks, coiled incense, incense balls, incense powder, incense sachets, and incense medicines, with a wide variety of names and types.

There were ready-made incense sticks and natural raw materials.

Qi Xiang's target was naturally the raw materials. He followed the crowd, looking at the shops on both sides. After a moment, he walked towards the largest incense shop.

"Shanyuan Hall!"

The sign was quite ancient and simple. Qi Xiang glanced at it and walked into the shop.

The shop was about fifty square meters. At the entrance was a long, low table, piled high with various incense and candles. A group of people were gathered around the table, carefully selecting the incense and candles they needed.

On both sides of the table were glass counters.

The items in the glass counters were undoubtedly more high-end incense and candles. Each stick was very thick and long, with a bright golden color, looking luxurious and splendid.

Such incense sticks were priced per stick, and even a single stick could cost over a hundred yuan. Qi Xiang also saw a giant incense stick, half a meter long and as thick as a baby's arm, priced at 9,999 yuan, which was quite extravagant.

There was no need to doubt that the giant incense stick was prepared for the rich.

Don't doubt that the giant incense stick wouldn't sell. Whenever it was the end of the year, Qi Xiang often saw similar giant incense sticks in the incense burners of temples and Taoist observatories.

Sometimes, Qi Xiang also found it strange. Many people might not be particularly devout towards the gods and Buddhas, but for some reason, they were very enthusiastic about burning incense and worshiping.

What was this? Seeking spiritual comfort or a侥幸心理 (lucky mentality)?

Qi Xiang couldn't explain it. Anyway, if burning incense and praying were considered superstition, it didn't seem to be the case. But knowing that it was futile, people still enjoyed it, which seemed to be a kind of... illness?

Qi Xiang's thoughts wandered, and he directly bypassed the table, walking into the inner part of the shop.

Speaking of which, the shop could be divided into two areas. The entrance was one area, and the inner part was another. The two areas were separated by a string of beads, with different layouts.

If the first area was a very ordinary incense shop, then the second area was somewhat like a traditional Chinese medicine store. Inside the shop, there were large cabinets against the wall, filled with small drawers.

Qi Xiang walked in and saw a young man in his twenties, with a plump and fair complexion, sitting on a chair, crossing his legs, wearing Bluetooth earphones, and humming along, probably listening to music.

"Knock, knock!"

Qi Xiang tapped the counter lightly as a reminder.

However, the plump young man seemed to be very absorbed and showed no reaction. Qi Xiang blinked and couldn't help but cough dryly, waving his hand in front of the young man's eyes.

"Huh?" The plump young man looked up, took off his earphones, and his eyes showed confusion.

Qi Xiang handed over a piece of paper and asked politely, "Do you have these incense materials in your shop?"

The plump young man's eyes twinkled, and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. He took the list and, seeing the dozen or so incense materials listed, nodded without hesitation: "Of course we do... How much do you need?"

Qi Xiang thought for a moment and said carefully, "A pound of each, please."

"How much?" The plump young man was somewhat surprised.

"A pound..." Qi Xiang held up one finger.

"That's quite a lot. You're planning to make your own incense, right?" The plump young man smiled, his tone very certain, and his eyes full of admiration, as if he had found a fellow enthusiast.

"Uh, yes." Qi Xiang nodded vaguely and urged, "Can you be quick? I'm in a hurry."

"Sure, wait a moment..."

Don't be fooled by the plump young man's appearance; his movements were very agile. He pulled out a dozen plastic bags and started moving between the drawers.

After about ten minutes, bags of incense materials appeared before Qi Xiang.

"Fennel, white aconite, mugwort, clove peel, patchouli leaves, agarwood, cinnamon twigs, lychee shells..." The plump young man weighed each bag and smiled, "Is everything here?"

"Yes." Qi Xiang happily took out his wallet, "How much?"

"Let me see..." The plump young man hesitated for a moment and then called out, "Old Zhao, come down and settle the bill!"

Qi Xiang was stunned. A moment later, a middle-aged man quickly came down from upstairs, saw the bags of incense on the counter, and immediately looked somewhat nervous, "Young Master Hai, how could you do such trivial tasks? I should have come down earlier..."

"You were busy, so I didn't call you." Young Master Hai waved his hand, "Go and settle the bill, don't keep the customer waiting."

Qi Xiang was very surprised. It was only then that he realized that this plump young man, Young Master Hai, was not just a shop assistant but a person of some importance.

At the same time, the middle-aged man glanced around and took out a calculator, tapping away. A moment later, he smiled and said, "Boss, these incense materials total 1,567 yuan. Let's round it to 1,500 yuan."

"Oh..." Qi Xiang nodded, having brought enough cash, and paid directly.

After the transaction, Qi Xiang took the incense materials and turned to leave.

Just then, he heard Young Master Hai ask, "Old Zhao, have you found out who has a hundred-year-old agarwood?"

"Young Master Hai, I just spent half an hour on the phone, asking over a dozen old friends. They have quite a bit of agarwood, but none of it is over a hundred years old."

The middle-aged man, while complaining, couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Hai, wouldn't ordinary agarwood do? The quality is also very good."

Young Master Hai shook his head and waved his hand, "Forget it, I'll ask someone else..."

Qi Xiang listened for a few moments and then walked out of the shop.

"A hundred-year-old agarwood... What a coincidence!" Qi Xiang's mind raced, but he didn't stop. Instead, he left the incense market and walked along a street for ten minutes, arriving at another market.

However, this market didn't sell incense and candles but various antiques.

At a glance, dozens of stalls were scattered in an orderly manner. Some stalls were crowded with people, while others were deserted, showing a stark contrast.

Coming here, Qi Xiang felt like a fish in water, very naturally.

"Little Qi!"

"Mr. Qi!"

"Brother Qi, come over and sit down..."

As soon as Qi Xiang approached, many stall owners greeted him, looking very familiar. He also smiled and nodded in response.

Actually, this wasn't surprising. After all, the antique collecting circle is not small, but it's not large either. Since Qi Xiang dared to open an antique shop, even if it was just a small storefront, he needed a stable supply channel.

This channel was undoubtedly these stall owners.

As a professional, Qi Xiang knew very well that these stalls should not be underestimated. There was a lot of knowledge to be learned here.

These stalls varied greatly. Some sold fake goods to deceive people, some mixed real and fake goods, some sold mostly real items, some were from out of town, and some were local professionals.

If one couldn't distinguish the differences, they would surely be deceived.

Qi Xiang understood that, despite the friendly greetings, when it came to a real deal, no one would show any mercy.

The circle was very realistic, deep, and cruel.

At a glance, among the thousands of items in the dozens of stalls, if there were a dozen or so real items, it would be considered quite lucky.

Qi Xiang was an insider in the trade and knew that dealing with these people required caution to avoid making a mistake.

After walking a few steps, Qi Xiang noticed a particularly busy stall, surrounded by a crowd, making it impossible to pass. He felt curious and couldn't help but ask a nearby stall owner, "Brother, what's going on over there?"

The stall owner pursed his lips and said in a low voice, "It seems to be the Flying Tigers or the Guerrillas..."

"Really?" Qi Xiang's eyes lit up.

"Heh, who knows..." A nearby stall owner sneered, "It might be the Flying Locusts. Mr. Qi, you need to be careful and not get fooled."

"Haha, I'll go take a look." Qi Xiang, excited by the prospect, quickly moved closer. ... New book uploaded, need your support, please recommend and follow.

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