Chapter Thirteen: Who Negotiates Prices Like This?

  Opening "Tianyan" is extremely difficult for ordinary people, and external forces or drugs must be used to achieve it. However, for Xuanqi, it's much easier because he already has spiritual power in his body.

  The third eye, also known as the heavenly eye, has many functions. After development, a person can possess some supernatural abilities such as introspection, microvision, clairvoyance and telepathy. At the same time, one can also feel the existence of special energies like spiritual power and ghosts, earning it the reputation of being the third eye of humanity.

  According to Laozi's revelation, in ancient times, there was indeed a third eye, whether it was humans or animals, they all had one, but later gradually degenerated.

  Xuan Qi's Heavenly Eye had actually been opened long ago. When he practiced the "Breath of Mountains and Rivers" technique, it was through this invisible eye that he absorbed the spiritual energy in space.

  Lao Du taught Xuan Qi a temporary method of operating energy, called "Jian Ling Shu", also known as "Jian Qi Shu". According to the specific route of running energy, the spiritual power is focused on the Zu Qiao hole and the two eye meridians according to certain rules. The scenery seen in both eyes will undergo strange changes.

  Xuan Qi was astonished to see that when using "Jian Qi Technique", all objects in his field of vision became illusory, to be precise, a layer of things with different colors appeared on the surface of these objects.

  Lao Zi said that what is called "qi" is a universal property of all matter, and everything in the universe has "qi". By observing qi, one can obtain some information that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

  Xuan Qi didn't quite understand what "qi" was at first, but after seeing it with his own eyes, he gained some insight.

  The various stones on the stall each presented a different halo, with colors that were all slightly different but very faint, occasionally one or two being slightly deeper.

  He also saw that the vendor squatting beside him was surrounded by a layer of colorful halos, with the top part being orange-yellow and most other parts being grayish-white, but there were some dark gray glows at his waist, as if there was a node here.

  Turning to look at other people on the street, there is also a similar halo around their bodies, with the top of the head being the most obvious, as if it were a halo on the head of a Western angel. The other parts are not much different, but the black and gray areas are all different.

  Xuan Qi looked at him for a while, and then asked the stall owner who was still squatting on the ground: "Boss, do you often feel waist pain?"

  The stall owner looked at him in surprise and asked, "How did you know?"

  Xuan Qi's words were indeed so: "Frequent squatting is bad for your lumbar vertebrae, I suggest you go to the hospital for a check-up."

  Having said that, Xuan Qi walked towards a jade shop called "Yu Bao Xuan" not far ahead.

  The street stall owner pressed his waist and muttered to himself: "Is it really a waist problem? It seems that I have to go for an examination."

  After the previous inquiry, Xuan Qi already vaguely knew that by observing the light halo on the surface of the human body, some physical conditions can be known. For example, if black and gray appear, it means that there is a problem with this part.

  "Old Ding, this pulse diagnosis technique is really practical. With just one look, you can see the problems in a person's body. It's perfect for diagnosing illnesses."

  "You're quite quick to learn things," Lao Ding praised, "This technique of observing the air is actually a fundamental skill in the medical department. In traditional Chinese medicine, 'looking' is one of the four diagnostic methods, and it's placed first because of its importance. If you don't understand 'looking', you can only rely on other means. Bian Que from the Warring States period learned just a bit of this technique, so he could tell at a glance that Cai Huan Gong had a serious illness."

  "This Qigong technique may look easy to master, but for ordinary people to reach this level, it takes decades of practice, don't even think about it."

  Xuan Qi listened and secretly cursed, originally this "Qian Qi Technique" had such a big origin, so to speak, didn't he make a profit? With this "eye skill", at least he wouldn't have to worry about making a living in the future.

  If Lao Tzu knew about this useless idea of his, he would definitely scold him until he was covered in blood.

  Having mastered the art of appraising antiques, Xuan Qi now looks at ancient artifacts with a discerning eye, no longer clueless like before.

  He is now entering a place called Yu Bao Xuan, which specializes in selling jade stones. The decoration is also quite good, with an antique flavor and various red wood furniture arranged inside. Such a store with a door sign and scale can be considered a high-end place on Antique Street.

  It was high noon, and the temperature at this time of day had also slowly risen. The boss of Yu Bao Xuan was lying on a recliner with his eyes closed, resting his mind. When he heard footsteps, he got up.

  "Boss, I'd like to buy some jade." Xuan Qi said as soon as he entered.

  The boss is about fifty years old, his head has been bald for a long time, and he is dressed in a traditional Chinese tunic suit and cloth shoes, with a very classical style.

  He glanced at Xuan Qi and then heard Xuan Qi's words, his heart couldn't help but feel delighted. He thought to himself that today's business had arrived, and this young master seemed to be a wealthy one who didn't understand the ways of the world.

  Xuan Qi's opening words revealed that he was an outsider.

  Generally speaking, when buying antiques in a place like this, old hands won't reveal their ultimate goal as soon as they enter. They usually look around and ask about prices without showing any emotion, and only speak up after making a decision.

  Antique dealers are usually very patient people and will not be dissatisfied with customers asking a few more questions, after all, customers are their source of food and clothing, and going against them is equivalent to not making money. Their business is "three years without opening, opening for three years", this saying is a bit exaggerated, but overall it means that.

  "You have a good eye, young man. Our Yu Bao Xuan is the most famous jade store on this street, not only with high-quality products but also with a wide variety of goods and excellent reputation." The boss smiled and asked, "I wonder what kind of jade you want to buy? Is it for someone else or for yourself?"

  "As long as it's good jade, anything will do when giving it to someone."

  Xuan Qi said, came to the front of several wooden tables in the hall, these tables were concave inward, inside which was full of various jade stones, emeralds and some decorations, on top of which transparent glass was used to block, could be seen but not touched.

  Xuan Qi secretly used his "Appraising Aura Technique" to scan the tables, quickly glancing over each one, but didn't find anything that caught his eye. Although these items looked decent on the surface, the spiritual energy they contained was subpar and not much different from the street vendor goods he had seen before.

  The boss was just about to introduce Xuan Qi, but heard that he had come over to the waiting area and sat down, then said:

  "Boss, is there anything else?"

  The boss was taken aback: "There are so many top-grade fine jades here, and none of them have caught your eye?"

  Xuan Qi glanced at him and said, "I didn't see any good jade, I only saw a pile of trash."

  The boss was secretly surprised when he heard this, he didn't expect that this young man would actually be a connoisseur, could it be that he's a wolf in sheep's clothing?

  The boss stared at Xuán Qí for a while before saying: "Young man has good eyesight, I don't know if it's your first time coming to Antique Street? Don't know where you're from?"

  Xuan Qi glanced at him and nodded slightly, saying: "Yes, I'm from the provincial city. Recently, I happened to come here with my elders to visit relatives. Seeing that there's an antique street here, I came over to take a look. Originally, I wanted to buy some jade artifacts to give to my elders as gifts, but I didn't expect them to be all junk. I'm putting the truth out there - if you have any good stuff, just bring it out and let me take a look. The price isn't an issue."

  The boss saw him say so and had no choice but to say: "Then you wait a moment, I'll be right back."

  After a while, he brought over some scattered jade pieces on a small wooden tray, including jade pendants and natural seeds, large and small, totaling around ten pieces.

  Xuan Qi raised his eyes and saw that the color of these ten or so pieces of jade was much better than those he had seen before, and the halo emitted by these jade objects was also larger in color and more intense.

  Lao Ding said at this time: "Although there are a few good materials in it, they are too small. If used to arrange the spiritual energy array, the affected range will be too small. Ask him if he has any larger ones, preferably egg-sized."

  Then Xuan Qi asked: "Boss, don't you have any bigger ones? These are a bit too small and petty."

  The boss apologized: "Young man, I'm really sorry. At this time, the store only has these goods in stock. Would you like to come back another day?"

  Xuan Qi furrowed his brow, thinking that the boss didn't want to do business with him. Just as he was about to speak, Lao Ding suddenly interrupted and said: "This old man has a hidden meaning in his words, you should buy that jade plaque first before talking."

  The jade plaque spoken of by Lao Ding is a white jade plaque in the shape of a rectangle, with a relief pattern on it that appears quite translucent. This jade plaque also has the strongest spiritual energy among these jade objects.

  Xuan Qi took the jade plaque, which was slightly larger than a matchbox, in his hand and examined it carefully, asking: "How much is this jade plaque for sale?"

  "Wow, you're really a connoisseur!" The boss's plan wasn't entirely insincere, among these jade pieces, this jade pendant indeed had the best quality and highest value.

  "This jade pendant was created by Master Lu Zigan of the Ming Dynasty, using top-quality Hetian jade material. Look at this raised sun pattern, hollowed-out and translucent carving, and the subtle line engraving - all demonstrating exceptional skill and craftsmanship..."

  Xuan Qi was somewhat impatient and directly interrupted: "Just say how much money, if the price is suitable, I'll take it."

  The boss smiled and said: "I see that you are a connoisseur of jade, if you really like it, I'll let you have it at a low price, this is the amount."

  He then made an "eight" gesture with his hands.

  Xuan Qi asked: "Eighty?"

  The boss's smile solidified on his face, and he immediately laughed again: "You're joking, little brother, 8,000."

  Xuan Qi furrowed his brow: "Eight thousand? A bit expensive. How about two hundred?"

  The boss's face showed a bitter smile and said: "Young man, don't make fun of me, this isn't a vegetable market, where can you haggle like that?"

  Xuan Qi smiled and said: "Then you should also quote a reasonable price."

  Xuan Qi found that the technique of discerning aura was very useful, and the color of the halo on his boss's head changed unpredictably. After chatting with his boss for a while, Xuan Qi gradually grasped some tricks. He discovered that when his boss told the truth and when he was bluffing, the colors would be different.

  Then, Xuan Qi repeatedly haggled with the boss based on the color change, and both sides insisted for about ten minutes before the boss finally surrendered.

  "Little brother, I'm impressed. You're really... " The boss wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave a thumbs up. "This jade pendant was bought from someone else for 6,000 yuan. If you really want to take it home, just make an offer, give me 6,888 yuan, and I'll make a small profit, consider it good luck, and we can be friends. What do you think?"

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