I have to get lucky right away.

Chapter 29 I am not a thief
Listening to the boss's somewhat lengthy explanation, Feng Xue finally understood why the ghosts here were labeled as "expensive" by Jiugu.

After all, compared to the pile of wandering ghosts you can find by just waving your hands at a mass grave, these carefully selected artificial lives that have been tempered by time are obviously expensive for a reason.

Not to mention that they are not entangled in cause and effect, so controlling them will not harm one's virtue.

Seeing that Feng Xue seemed to understand, the boss knew that he could now name a price - unlike the low-end goods usually sold to playboys that would disappear at any time, this person was obviously planning to buy a guardian ghost spirit, and the price of a ghost of this quality was also among the most expensive among ghost spirits.

It is easy to get people to spend money, but if you want them to feel comfortable spending money and continue to support your business in the future, you naturally have to make them understand that expensive things have their own value.

He walked to a shelf, took out a porcelain bottle that looked very expensive, and said:
"I've said so much, but I haven't even asked what kind of ghost the guest needs. If you're looking for a protective ghost, the one in this bottle is the most suitable. This porcelain bottle came from the Song Dynasty palace. Legend has it that it was a beloved treasure of a certain queen. Now this ghost is also wearing a phoenix crown and robes. Even if its original body wasn't a real queen, it has accumulated a lot of willpower over the past few hundred years. If cultivated properly, it might be able to produce a wisp of phoenix energy to guide the human dragon energy for you to protect you. It's truly excellent."

Feng Xue shook his head decisively upon hearing this. Although he was not short of money, this bottle from the Song Dynasty official kiln was too scary. Seeing that the boss was about to reach out for another blue and white porcelain, he hurriedly said:

"My requirements for spirit ghosts are not high. Ideally, they should be cultured. They don't have to be proficient in everything, but they should be able to do at least one or two of the arts. They should also be quiet and not too noisy. Finally, they should be able to eat..."

"Well..." The boss was stunned by Feng Xue's request, "Sir, I can understand the previous one, but this is edible..."

"Well, the martial arts I practice are characterized by abundant vital energy and lasting magic power." Feng Xue explained it calmly, but the boss was a little disapproving. After all, vital energy is still transformed from human essence. No matter how abundant it is, there is no reason to waste it. Are you afraid of starving the ghost to death?

However, since it was the customer's request, he, as a businessman, had no reason to refute it. After all, the cause and effect were settled at the moment the ghost's original body was liberated. Even if this person went back and raised ghosts with human lives, it would not implicate him. At that time, he might even be able to make a profit from the exorcism fees.

After briefly sifting through his inventory, he moved a few steps to a shelf where scrolls were placed, took out three scrolls, and placed them on a table specially used for display in the middle of the room.

Feng Xue glanced at the scroll and felt a little relieved. Judging from its casualness, it was probably not an ancient painting.

The shopkeeper didn't realize Feng Xue was still estimating the price. He picked up a scroll and unfolded it while introducing it:

"Speaking of talented women, besides the aforementioned 'poetess,' these three are the most prominent. First, this one. The artist is unknown, but the figure in the painting was a famous courtesan from a hundred years ago, for whom countless celebrities wrote poems and painted. While this painting isn't the most outstanding, it happens to be possessed by a spirit. This spirit has absorbed the fantasies and aspirations of past owners about that stunning beauty. It can be said that she is proficient in every art, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and her appearance and figure are truly breathtaking."

Feng Xue looked at the woman in the painting and nodded secretly. Compared with the many ancient paintings he had seen in his previous life, which were exquisite but somewhat different from the aesthetic taste of modern people, the woman in this painting did give him a feeling of elegance and beauty.

However, the boss did not stop there. He opened another scroll. However, this scroll did not contain a portrait, but a piece of calligraphy. The font gave people a rigid feeling and did not seem to be written by a woman.

"This calligraphy is a rare authentic work. The name Shen Xian alone is enough to fetch a sky-high price at the Shufubi auction house in Weiguo. He wrote this calligraphy in memory of his deceased wife, and the world also..."

"Next one!" Feng Xue decisively interrupted his boss. He had no interest in other people's wives, even if it was just an AI running using other people's wives' code.

"Oh, it's normal to have such thoughts..." The boss nodded. Although ghost spirits didn't actually have any problems in this regard, and even if they were properly trained, changing their appearance or even gender wouldn't be a problem, he had seen more traditional Xuan cultivators before. After a brief thought, he suddenly remembered that he had a ghost spirit that might be suitable. He decisively put away the third painting and took out a brocade box from the corner.

"Those famous talented women in history were either already taken or came from brothels, so most customers wouldn't like them. So why not take a look at this one..."

As he spoke, the boss unfolded the scroll, revealing a small splash-ink landscape painting. The splash-ink painting style, which should have been bold and unrestrained, felt somewhat restrained. Even Feng Xue, who wasn't an expert in this art, could sense the awkwardness. Seeing Feng Xue frown, the boss' heart tightened, and he immediately explained:
"This painting was created by the daughter of a former prime minister. Her father lost in the fight for the throne, and this painting was lost during the confiscation of their family property. The resentment within it isn't deep; it completely dissipated two months after I acquired it. However, the spirit ghost born from this painting is extremely tenacious. Even after a hundred years, there's no sign of it dissipating. This kind of spirit ghost is usually caused by the original owner's obsession being transferred to the ghost. This kind of spirit ghost is more spiritual and has greater potential, but it also requires more energy to cultivate. If you hadn't personally requested it be 'edible,' I certainly wouldn't have recommended it to you."

As he spoke, the boss even stretched out his hand and pointed at the scroll. Feng Xue initially thought it was just a dot of ink, but when his over-the-shoulder perspective and his naked eyes focused simultaneously, he suddenly found that the dot of ink moved. Only then did Feng Xue realize a problem -

In this painting, he did not see the shadow of the ghost as directly as he did with other objects in the house.

"You guessed it right, this ink spot is the ghost. I thought it had disappeared several times, but when I looked closely, I found that it was still in the painting and seemed to have regarded itself as a part of the painting."

As he spoke, the boss even took out a high-powered monocular magnifying glass from his pocket, which jewelers use to identify gemstones, and handed it to Feng Xue, saying:
"Don't underestimate her size; her figure and appearance are both first-rate. You'll see if you zoom in!"

Feng Xue listened to the boss's nonsensical words and took the magnifying glass with a stern face. When the lens focused, the small dot in the picture also stretched out its body. She was sitting on the shore, with her long hair casually scattered around her, merging with the ink marks that made up the stream. Between her small eyebrows, one could actually see a bit of sadness.

I have to admit that Feng Xue really likes this. He took off the magnifying glass, adjusted his mood, and then said:
"Quote a price."

Seeing that Feng Xue was satisfied, the boss was slightly happy. Although it was not a big item, it was a good thing to be able to sell the backlog of goods in his hands.

It was his inexperience back then, as he thought anything possessed by a ghost must be a good thing. He accidentally kept it in his hands for nearly a hundred years. Moreover, this kind of work cannot be sold at the price of an antique no matter how long it is kept. If the painter wants to pretend that it is a celebrity's authentic work, he won't be able to fool even the common people. If the ghost in it gets angry one day, he will lose all his money.

But having said that, the price couldn't be changed. He mentally calculated the price he had paid when he bought it, and after weighing the pros and cons, he finally came up with a number -

"Sixty strings of cash! I'll give you the painting as a gift, and a set of accessories as well. What do you think?"

　The logic behind collecting ghost-possessed works is actually quite simple.

　　Because after a person dies, only obsessions (such as hatred, love, anger, mission, etc.) that are strong can remain in the world. In this case, the ghost will generally follow the things that he is obsessed with, such as his enemies, his loved ones, or wander somewhere and become a groundbound spirit.

　　An object that can attract a soul must be one that the person has invested a lot of emotions in during his or her lifetime.

　　Putting aside the fact that it is an antique itself, at least it is not an ordinary thing. Even if it is a lover's relic, no one will look for something that lacks recognition. Therefore, for the ghost industry whose industrial chain spans hundreds or even thousands of years, even if it is not an antique at the time, it will be an antique hundreds of years later.

　　But those who are familiar with this industry should know that the value of antiques also depends on their quality. Something that was not valuable at the time may not be valuable hundreds of years later, so there are many things that are overlooked.

　　Some young people who have just entered the industry think that as long as there is a ghost, they can definitely make money, so many of them end up losing money.

　　This can be compared to the situation in Hunter where Xiaojie uses "Ning" to buy antiques. Although he can make some money most of the time, he will occasionally encounter imitations that are bought by people who are talented but have no skills or fame and are passionate about them.

　　Finally, most collectors don’t know that the items are haunted, but the collectors’ love for the items and their fantasies about the original owners, such as “how stunningly elegant the owner of this fan must have been”, will also affect the ghost on the items. It doesn’t mean that the ghost must be the original owner in order to change it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)