Chapter 9: 'The Pest'

After leaving the Taiyi Pavilion, the large wooden box tied to the back of Liu Dong's bicycle now contained a piece of precious yinshen wood wrapped in thick old newspapers.

It was almost ten in the morning, and the originally quiet street had become bustling with people. The stalls on both sides of the street were filled with jade, bronze, coins, wooden items, porcelain, bamboo and ivory carvings, paintings, comic books, old newspapers, and anything else you could think of. If you could imagine it, they had it for sale.

In the past, whenever he came to the antique market, Liu Dong would always enthusiastically browse through these antique stalls. Although he only looked and never bought, he gained a lot of knowledge, which was very helpful for improving his carving skills.

After all, now he almost completed the entire process of his carvings, from selecting the materials and designing to the final polishing, all by himself. Unlike the modern jewelry stores or workshops, which, to improve efficiency, had divided the process of jade or wood carving into separate steps, each handled by a specialist, making the entire process like a modern industrial assembly line. However, this also stifled the creativity of jade carvers, turning most of them into mere craftsmen, and the number of truly skilled jade masters was decreasing. This posed a certain threat to the entire jade carving industry.

Of course, these were not things Liu Dong should be concerned about. What he most wanted to do now was to get home as soon as possible and carve the precious yinshen wood. Therefore, with such an urgent mood, Liu Dong naturally had no interest in browsing the street. Moreover, the material in the box on the back of his bicycle was too precious to him. If he lost it in this mixed crowd of the antique market, although Uncle Long would not say anything, he would not easily forgive himself.

"Brother, I have some old things. Would you like to take a look?" Just as Liu Dong was pushing his bike through the dense crowd and about to leave the antique market, someone suddenly tugged at his sleeve from behind.

"Are you talking to me?"

Liu Dong stopped, turned around, and looked at the person who had grabbed him, somewhat puzzled.

A young man appeared before him, about twenty years old, roughly the same age as him. He was thin and frail, with almost no flesh on his bones. His eyes were small, almost invisible when he smiled. He wore old-fashioned open-toed sandals, and his pants were wrinkled and stained with black and yellow dirt, as if they hadn't been washed in a long time. His red vest was also old and worn, and the snake skin bag on his back made him look entirely rustic.

"Yes, brother! Since you came to the antique market today, you must be an expert. I have some things that might interest you." The thin man patted the snake skin bag on his back and smiled ingratiatingly.

"Not interested. You should find someone else."

Having spent three years in the antique market, Liu Dong had seen many people like this. They were called 'pests' in the antique trade, specializing in fake antiques to deceive tourists and were known for their ruthless tactics. Although Liu Dong was not afraid, he did not want to provoke them.

"Brother, don't go yet! How can you know you don't like it without even looking?" The thin man, clearly not one to give up easily, quickly stepped forward to block Liu Dong's bike and grabbed the handlebar with his bony left hand.

Seeing this, Liu Dong's face immediately turned cold, and his eyes became sharp. With years of martial arts practice, he naturally exuded an intimidating aura.

The thin young man, who was also perceptive, quickly realized that Liu Dong, though young, was not someone to be trifled with. He quickly released his left hand, and his ingratiating smile became even more pronounced. "Brother, don't be angry. I was just in a hurry. Take a look at the things first!"

Saying this, he took off the snake skin bag from his back, placed it gently at his feet, and untied the rope.

Out of curiosity, Liu Dong couldn't help but take a look. There were indeed many items inside: ceramics, bronze ware, jade, and even a very old and worn scroll. However, all these items had one thing in common: they were covered in dirt, looking dirty and old. Even with his limited appraisal skills, Liu Dong could tell that these so-called antiques were mostly modern fakes, especially the crude craftsmanship, which barely qualified as art.

However, these things were not of interest to him. Liu Dong had intended to take a quick look and leave, but to his surprise, he found something in the snake skin bag that caught his attention.

"These things are worth a look. Let's talk over there." The entrance to the antique market was too crowded, and they had already attracted a crowd of onlookers. Clearly, this was not a good place to do business.

"Sure, sure." The thin young man was overjoyed and readily agreed with a smile. In his view, as long as Liu Dong agreed to look at the items, the deal was almost certain. The prospect of making money soon made him very willing.

"Alright, let's go here. It's cooler." Liu Dong stopped his bike under a willow tree outside the antique market.

"Brother, what do you like?"

"I'll take this. Give me a fair price!" Saying this, Liu Dong took out a small, exquisite tower from the young man's snake skin bag. The tower, about ten centimeters tall, had three layers and an octagonal shape. The top of the tower resembled a black monk's hat, and the eaves were intricately detailed.

Wiping off the dirt, Liu Dong could clearly see the black, lacquer-like surface of the tower. However, the patterns carved in intaglio were obscured by the dirt, and the small size made it difficult to discern what was carved on it. Based on his touch and wood carving experience, he was certain that the material used for this wooden tower was the same as the one in the box on his bicycle: carbonized golden-thread nanmu.

Seeing Liu Dong examining the octagonal tower, the thin young man's eyes flashed with a glint of excitement. He then said generously, "Brother, you have a good eye. I just acquired this item yesterday. It's genuine small-leaf rosewood, and it was appraised by Mr. Li from the Chenxiang Pavilion. It's a genuine old item from the Ming Dynasty's Wanli period! I won't ask for too much; just five thousand yuan, and it's yours."

Hearing this, Liu Dong shook his head. He knew the Chenxiang Pavilion, a famous antique shop in Quancheng. The owner, Li Renfang, had inherited his father's business and had excellent appraisal skills, rarely making mistakes. If the item had been appraised there, it wouldn't still be in this dirty, old snake skin bag, waiting to be discovered by him.

"Five thousand yuan? You might as well keep it for yourself!" Liu Dong turned and was about to leave. Having spent three years in the antique market, he knew the ins and outs. Although he knew the yinshen wood tower was worth much more than five thousand yuan, he couldn't agree too quickly. Otherwise, if the young man noticed, the price might not stay at five thousand.

"Brother, brother, don't go yet. If you really can't agree, just give me a price!" The young man said with a hint of urgency.

Hearing this, Liu Dong couldn't help but smile, but it quickly disappeared when he turned around.

There's a saying: 'Ask for the sky, pay for the ground.' He wasn't really leaving; he was just making a gesture. Now that his goal was achieved, he needed to take the opportunity to negotiate.

"I'll give you fifty yuan. Any more, and I won't take it!"

"Fifty?" The young man was taken aback and laughed bitterly. "Brother, that's too low. I paid more than fifty for this item! Can you offer a bit more? Otherwise, we can't make a deal."

Looking at his expression, Liu Dong knew the price was indeed too low. After pretending to think for a moment, he said with a pained look, "Alright, I'll add another fifty. One hundred yuan. If you don't sell it, I'll really leave!"