From Paper Craftsman to World-Suppressing Immortal

Wuliu Town, Yuelai Inn.

Master Zhao ordered his men to carry the batch of antiques he had acquired from the ghost market and led Zhang Zhixuan to the inn.

After explaining their purpose to the innkeeper, the two were led to a private room.

The private rooms in this inn are simply furnished, but they are spacious and bright.

A square table was placed by the window in the private room, covered with a snow-white tablecloth, and set with four kinds of dried and four kinds of fresh food, a pot of tea, and several teacups.

The window was open, and they could see pedestrians coming and going on the street. When Zhang Zhixuan and Master Zhao came in, two middle-aged men were already sitting at the table.

When the two men saw Zhang Zhixuan and Master Zhao being led in by the shopkeeper, they both stood up.

Zhang Zhixuan gave the other party a quick look.

The boss on the left is chubby, around fifty years old, wearing a dark blue silk mandarin jacket with a gold brooch on his collar. Judging from his accent, he should be from Lucheng. The one on the right is of medium build, looks slightly younger, wears a bright green silk mandarin jacket, wears gold-rimmed glasses, and speaks with a Tianjin accent.

As soon as Master Zhao entered the private room, he put on a smiling businessman's face, clasped his hands in greeting to the two men, and exchanged pleasantries: "Boss Zhou, Boss Qian, it's an honor to meet you!"

The two men smiled obsequiously and responded warmly, "Boss Zhao, please come in! Please come in!"

"Boss Zhao, who is this?"

Master Zhao then stepped aside to let Zhang Zhixuan pass and introduced him, "Gentlemen, let me introduce you. This is my nephew, Zhang Zhixuan. Those things belong to him."

"profound!"

The two men, feigning sudden realization, exclaimed in admiration, "Excellent! Excellent! He's clearly a promising young talent, a real prodigy!"

In this kind of setting and atmosphere, the opening is naturally all smiles, insincere pleasantries, and mutual flattery. But when it comes to discussing prices in a serious business setting, things won't be so easy to talk to.

Zhang Zhixuan smiled obsequiously and casually exchanged a few words, after which the group took their seats as host and guest.

After everyone was seated, Master Zhao ordered someone to open the box so that the two bosses could inspect the goods.

Boss Zhou and Boss Qian exchanged a glance, picked up the items one by one and examined them, occasionally offering their comments. They appeared professional, but in reality, they were working together in unison.

Boss Zhou cleared his throat and said, "Boss Zhao, you have a few items here that are indeed quite good, and their condition is decent..."

He paused, then suddenly changed the subject: "However, a few items are in slightly worse condition..."

Boss Zhou casually picked up a blue-and-white porcelain dish: "Look at this blue-and-white porcelain dish, the glaze is so new and shiny, it doesn't have an antique feel at all, it looks like a newly made fake..."

"And this too!"

He pointed to the bronze paperweight and said, "Look at this, it's covered in rust. You can't even wipe it clean. If someone sees this, they'll think it's some scrap metal they picked up somewhere. They'll probably just give it a penny, it's practically free."

As he spoke, Boss Zhou regained his amiable smile and said sincerely, "It's just that we're destined to meet you, Boss Zhao. For your sake, we'll buy all of this stuff, good or bad. But the price, you said, has to be reduced by 30%, to 800 yuan!"

Upon hearing this, Master Zhao immediately objected: "A 30% reduction! You two bosses, this is not what we originally agreed upon."

Mr. Qian picked up the conversation with a smile: "Mr. Zhao, to be honest, the antique market isn't doing so well lately."

"There's war in the north and war in the south. As the old saying goes, 'Gold is king in times of chaos, antiques are king in times of prosperity.' These days are chaotic; the wealthy are busy hoarding food, guns, and cannons. How many of them still have the mind to buy antiques?"

"We also have to take on a lot of risks by buying this batch of goods. If we can't sell them for three to five years, we won't be able to do this business anymore."

Boss Zhou nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, what Boss Qian said is true. The price we offered is already a sincere price. No one else could offer this much. Since we are sincere, why don't we compromise? We'll take all the goods and round it up for you to a fixed price of one thousand yuan!"

The two worked together seamlessly, singing in unison. Master Zhao, who ran a cloth shop, was a complete novice in the antique business. He had only heard about the current market situation from a few clueless friends. He was easily swayed by the two's charade and began to hesitate.

Zhang Zhixuan, however, remained calm and composed, sitting steadily, drinking tea and eating snacks, watching the two perform their duet as if he were watching a play in a teahouse.

Zhang Zhixuan knew that these two had long since ignored him, believing that although Master Zhao had brought his nephew along, the final decision still rested with Master Zhao himself.

At this moment, Boss Zhou and Boss Qian noticed that Master Zhao was hesitant, so they quickly pressed their advantage: "Master Zhao, how about this? If you don't trust us, that's fine too. We happened to run into an old gentleman who was also in Wuliu Town on business when we came here."

"Let me tell you, this old man is no ordinary person. He's a highly respected master in Tianjin's antique appraisal industry, a living icon in the business. His reputation and expertise are absolutely top-notch, even nationwide!"

"We just happen to be looking to buy your batch of antiques, so we shamelessly asked this person to come and take a look. As long as he speaks, whatever he says is worth is what he says. We trust him, and you trust him too. It's fair and just, and no one loses out."

Boss Qian quickly chimed in, "Yes, this old man is no ordinary person. He's been a master craftsman for decades, and the antiques he's handled must stretch from Tianjin to Beijing! He's never made a mistake! You can have this old man take a look; if he says so, we'll definitely do without hesitation!"

After hearing this, Master Zhao turned to look at Zhang Zhixuan, who nodded. Only then did Master Zhao agree: "Alright, then I'll trouble you to ask this old gentleman to take a look."

Seeing that Master Zhao agreed, Boss Zhou hurriedly left the private room and soon led an old gentleman in.

The old gentleman was about sixty years old, thin and frail. He wore a gray-black old-fashioned long gown with the collar buttoned up tightly. He had a pair of reading glasses hanging on his chest, with the temples tied with black ropes. His face was covered with wrinkles, but he walked steadily and was full of energy. In particular, his eyes were clear and bright. Even just standing there casually, he exuded a kind of patriarchal authority.

When Zhang Zhixuan saw the old man's appearance, he was immediately stunned. He thought to himself: Isn't this old man the old manager Han from Deheng Pawnshop? I didn't expect to meet him again on this occasion after we parted last time.

"Mr. Han, please! Please!"

"Master Han, thank you for coming all this way! Please, have a seat!"

Boss Zhou and Boss Qian wore fawning smiles, bowed their backs, and kept saying flattering and polite things, their attitudes extremely respectful.

Old Master Han simply waved his hand impatiently and said, "Alright, alright, stop with the formalities. Where's the stuff? Let me see."

"These are the items. Please take a look."

"Um."

Han Lao Chao Feng nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the antiques on the table, and then subconsciously glancing at the other people in the private room.

When his gaze inadvertently fell upon Zhang Zhixuan, who was sitting in an inconspicuous corner eating sunflower seeds, his eyes widened suddenly. After a moment of hesitation, he cried out in a trembling voice, almost weeping with joy, "Mr. Zhang, my great benefactor! I've been looking for you for so long!"

The entire private room fell into a deathly silence.

"benefactor?"

Boss Zhou and Boss Qian looked at each other in bewilderment.

Old Master Han ignored them, taking three steps at a time to walk up to Zhang Zhixuan, grabbing his hand, and saying excitedly, "If it weren't for your advice to go to the clinic, this arm of mine would be ruined!"

Zhang Zhixuan stood up and smiled, "It's nothing, just a small matter. Is your shoulder better now?"

"It's almost fully recovered."

Old Han loosened one hand and patted his right shoulder: "You reminded me at the time, but I didn't take it seriously. As a result, the next day I went to the clinic by some strange impulse, and the foreign doctor examined me and said that my scapula was fractured, and the broken bone was pressing on the tendon. The doctor said that if I delayed treatment for another half month, this arm would be useless!"

Boss Zhou and Boss Qian were left standing there, their faces stiff, awkwardly at a loss for words.

At this moment, Old Master Han turned around, looked at the two men, and his expression changed from excitement to seriousness: "These things, are they Mr. Zhang's?"

"Yes...yes." Their voices were a little hoarse.

"Well, then I'll take a look on Mr. Zhang's behalf."

Han Laochao walked to the table, put on his reading glasses, and said in a low but firm voice, "You know my rules: it's worth whatever it's supposed to be, and nobody can fool me."