Chapter 68

"When are you going back?"

Jingshizhen looked at Su Xiaofan, puzzled, and said, "Is it that you're not used to living here or something?"

At the beginning of cultivation, it's the easiest time for problems to arise. Jingshizhen had Su Xiaofan stay at his house precisely for this reason.

Usually, a month's time is enough to ensure that there won't be any issues during the practice of qi circulation. Jingshizhen intended for Su Xiaofan to leave after that.

"It's not that, Master. It's just that my store with Gangge is about to open."

Su Xiaofan spoke the truth; it was impossible to hide something like opening an antique shop from Uncle Jing, and there was no need to lie.

"How is your cultivation going? Have you memorized the qi circulation diagram for the Grand Circulation?"

Jingshizhen didn't say anything about keeping Su Xiaofan, as cultivation also requires financial support.

Not to mention, a single incense stick costing several hundred thousand yuan is something Su Xiaofan can't afford right now.

Jingshizhen is Su Xiaofan's master, not his father, so the resources for future cultivation will have to be obtained by Su Xiaofan himself.

"I have already opened several of the Grand Circulation meridians and memorized the qi circulation diagram."

Su Xiaofan didn't dare say that he had opened half of the Grand Circulation meridians, as that might shock his master.

"Alright, let me know when you're leaving, and I'll have a car take you."

Jingshizhen nodded. As the saying goes, a master leads you to the door, but cultivation is up to the individual. Su Xiaofan isn't a child, so he can't be watched over.

"Yes, Master!" Su Xiaofan appreciated his master's kindness.

"By the way, I'll be going back to Luochuan next month."

Jingshizhen suddenly remembered something. "I'll be visiting Fengcheng then, and I want you to come with me."

"Going to Fengcheng? Master, what for?"

Fengcheng isn't far from Luochuan, and it's also an ancient city. Su Xiaofan had gone there with Zheng Dangang to buy goods before.

"You'll know when the time comes."

Jingshizhen didn't say more and waved for Su Xiaofan to go rest.

That night, Su Xiaofan still practiced meditation.

However, the time had been shortened to six hours. When he felt slightly tired, he went to sleep.

The next morning, Su Xiaofan didn't go to the gym for strength training.

Instead, he drove Uncle Jing's car straight to Pan Garden Antique Market.

Nowadays, finding a good deal is quite difficult, but Su Xiaofan wasn't there for that.

That day, he focused mainly on old copper coins.

Friends who have been to antique markets know that old copper coins are usually abundant, often piled up in large quantities.

Finding valuable coins among these piles is almost impossible.

Despite the large number of copper coins, the stall owners have surely examined each one, and the valuable ones have already been taken away.

What's left on the stalls are mostly common coins with large circulation or damaged ones.

Su Xiaofan's approach was different. He was interested in the heavily worn copper coins.

Copper coin wear generally comes in two types: one from frequent use, which wears away the surface patterns and inscriptions.

Such coins indicate high circulation and are usually unknown.

The other type is from buried coins.

Due to corrosion underground, many copper coins are covered in rust and can even crumble with a slight force.

Even after cleaning, these coins have poor quality and are usually sold in bulk.

Su Xiaofan was looking for this type.

With the help of the restoration system, he could identify the valuable coins among the worn ones.

However, the reason why famous coins are called famous is because they are rare.

Su Xiaofan spent the whole day at Pan Garden and found only two of the top fifty rare coins.

One was the Nan Tang Bao Da Yuan Bao, a large coin from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, with very few surviving. Only three have appeared on the market.

Su Xiaofan checked, and the auction price for this rare coin is around 500,000 yuan, which barely covers the restoration cost.

The other coin was the Jing Kang Yuan Bao, cast during the Northern Song Dynasty's Emperor Qin Zong period.

Due to the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, coins with the Jing Kang era name are extremely rare, both in circulation and in excavations.

The two coins Su Xiaofan found were both excavated.

The rust had completely corroded the inscriptions, and Su Xiaofan wouldn't have recognized them without the restoration system.

Finding two rare coins in the vast Pan Garden Antique Market, Su Xiaofan couldn't say whether he was happy or disappointed.

The next day, Su Xiaofan visited three antique markets and found four more rare coins, all heavily damaged.

In two days, he found six rare coins, spending only 180 yuan, while travel and food expenses amounted to 500-600 yuan.

On the third day, Su Xiaofan had a good harvest.

Besides two rare coins, he also found a treasure.

It was a wooden bowl from a stall selling miscellaneous items. The bowl had been burned and was completely black.

However, in Su Xiaofan's restoration system, it was identified as a Zabuzaya wooden bowl.

This reminded Su Xiaofan of the Zabuzaya wooden bowl he saw at the New Palace Museum a few days ago.

This is a valuable item, a tribute from Tibet to the Qing royal family during the mid-Qing Dynasty.

For 80 yuan, Su Xiaofan acquired the Zabuzaya wooden bowl, which even the skilled craftsmen of the time couldn't identify.

Eight rare coins and a Zabuzaya wooden bowl were Su Xiaofan's harvest over the past few days.

He spent less than 500 yuan in total.

However, he used nine points of restoration value to restore all nine items.

The restored rare coins.

Still had a faint patina of ancient bronze, but their quality was excellent, clearly indicating a well-preserved lineage rather than an excavated item.

As for the Zabuzaya wooden bowl, it was a revelation for Su Xiaofan.

Zabuzaya is a Tibetan word meaning root or knot.

The entire bowl is carved from a root, with various techniques such as engraving, inlaying, and perforating all applied to the small bowl.

Su Xiaofan checked and found that the Zabuzaya wooden bowl is said to have detoxifying properties and is currently only found in the New Palace Museum.

The origin of the bowl is unknown, possibly a relic from a fire over a hundred years ago, but how it ended up in the antique market is a mystery.

After restoring the nine items, Su Xiaofan had only 46 points of restoration value left.

Finding rare meteorites became an urgent matter for Su Xiaofan.

Meteorites provide restoration value, and with restoration value, he could cultivate faster, so the source must be meteorites.

In the evening of the third day, Su Xiaofan went to Yanjing University to give his sister some local snacks he bought at the antique market.

Seeing his sister's round, satisfied face, Su Xiaofan felt he didn't need to worry about her anymore.

Although he knew what her special class was about, Su Xiaofan didn't ask or say more.

So far, Su Xiaofan had enjoyed the benefits of cultivation.

His body was much stronger, and his senses were sharp.

After a day of walking, he only needed to circulate true qi through his feet to instantly feel refreshed.

Su Xiaofan didn't yet know the drawbacks of cultivation, but if he did, he could always have his sister drop out of school, as he could support her.

Organizing the items he received in Yanjing, Su Xiaofan felt very satisfied.

The magical items included the string of Vajra Bodhi beads, which had returned to his hand.

The Guanyin jade pendant, the Han Dynasty Bagua Feng Shui mirror, and his own dragon-shaped jade pendant, totaling three magical items.

During his visits to the antique markets, Su Xiaofan also encountered some items that could be cultivated into magical items.

This gave him some insights.

Su Xiaofan discovered that, regardless of whether they were modern crafts or antiques, items with excellent materials could potentially be cultivated into magical items.

With this discovery, Su Xiaofan didn't buy those items.

Such items could also be found in the Luochuan antique market, and he wouldn't consider cultivating magical items until he solved the restoration value issue.

The antiques included the nine items: the eight rare coins and the Zabuzaya wooden bowl.

These nine items were all auction-worthy treasures.

Especially the Zabuzaya wooden bowl, which Su Xiaofan estimated to be worth at least 10 million yuan.

The eight rare coins together could fetch over 10 million yuan.

If they could be auctioned smoothly and he built relationships with auction houses, Su Xiaofan could continuously provide auction items, essentially using a small amount of restoration value to cash out and then buy rare meteorites.

As for the idea of being a meteorite hunter, Su Xiaofan put it aside.

He might go out to search for meteorites in the future, but with money in hand, he wanted to quickly buy meteorites from auction houses or private collectors, which would be more efficient.

The few meteorites he couldn't absorb were also put in the box, which could at least serve as a showpiece.

Early in the morning, Su Xiaofan boarded the train to Luochuan.

A few hours later, he got off the train with his suitcase and saw Zheng Dangang waiting to pick him up.

"If you don't come back soon, I'll have to go to Yanjing to find you." Zheng Dangang snatched the suitcase from Su Xiaofan and said with a pout.

The antique shop was Su Xiaofan's idea.

All the procedures were completed, but Su Xiaofan was nowhere to be found, which worried Zheng Dangang a lot.

"Xiaofan, did you find anything good?"

As soon as they got in the car, Zheng Dangang couldn't wait to ask.

"Eight rare coins!" Su Xiaofan wanted to reassure Gangge.

"Eight are all rare?"

Zheng Dangang's hand trembled as he shifted gears.

He had been in the market for over ten years, familiar with almost all antiques, even if not an expert.

"All are rare, and their quality is auction-worthy!"

Su Xiaofan nodded and said, "I got them from one place. Don't ask about the source; I can't tell you."

Su Xiaofan preemptively blocked Zheng Dangang's questions.

"Okay, okay!"

Zheng Dangang was so excited that he almost drove the SUV like a sports car, flooring the gas pedal.

"Hehe, eight rare coins."

"Xiaofan, you watch, I'll find an auction house and set up a special session for rare coins."

Zheng Dangang hadn't been idle, always thinking about auction matters.

He knew most of the antique shop owners and had gathered a lot of information through casual conversations.

The spring and autumn auctions are the most important for auction houses.

They choose a theme based on the items to be auctioned.

For example, if there are many porcelain items, they'll have a porcelain special session, promoting it to attract collectors.

Rare coins are usually rare in auctions, sometimes not appearing for three to five years.

Now, Su Xiaofan had found eight rare coins.

Zheng Dangang was confident he could negotiate with the auction house for a special session for rare coins.