4. Ruthlessly Fleecing the Rich Heir

Luo Yu slung his backpack over his shoulder, opened the door, and shouted, “I’m home!”

Old Master Luo, who was watching TV in the living room, turned his head and grinned when he saw Luo Yu: “Well now! Judging by the look of you, you must have brought home some kind of bronze cauldron. You're in high spirits!”

Luo Yu said, “Grandpa, don’t be surprised. I really did bring back something good!” As he spoke, he eagerly took out the alchemy furnace to show off: “Look at this, Grandpa!”

Old Master Luo took the furnace, examined it, and frowned. “How did you end up with something like this? Where did you get it?”

Luo Yu sat cross-legged on the floor. “This thing has a story behind it…”

His grandfather interrupted, “It doesn’t even have a proper opening, looks odd—what story could there be?”

“Just look at that patina,” Luo Yu insisted.

His grandfather took a closer look and suddenly understood. “So you’re interested in the patina, are you?”

At that moment, Father Chu also emerged, inspecting the furnace as he commented, “The patterns are exquisite. The creator must at least have a master’s in arts and crafts.”

Listening to these two talk at cross-purposes, Luo Yu couldn’t take it anymore. He banged the floor and wailed, “Will you at least let me finish?!”

His grandfather relented. “Go on, then.”

Luo Yu, hugging the pitiful little furnace, feeling the cool sensation transferring to his hand, asked, “Do you know about the Limo earthquake?”

His grandfather nodded. “I heard about it on the news.”

Luo Yu continued, “That earthquake exposed an ancient cave in Huangyang Hollow. This thing came out of that cave.”

His grandfather said, “You weren’t fooled by some scam using the disaster as a cover to traffic goods, were you?”

Luo Yu ignored him and pressed on: “A couple of days ago, I saw someone bring a piece of jade into the shop. Two old appraisers couldn’t tell where it was from. I touched that jade myself… I felt something.”

He paused, waiting for someone to ask what he felt. No one did, so he shouted, “I felt something! Do you get it? It was really strange!”

Finally, his grandfather responded, “What did you feel?”

“It was odd. Cool air was flowing into my fingers, continuously, and it felt wonderful.”

At last, his grandfather gave him a proper look, while Father Chu remained expressionless. “A hallucination?”

“No! It was strong—like holding my hand under running water!”

Father Chu looked a bit stunned and distracted, as if lost in thought.

His grandfather asked, “Did someone buy the jade?”

Luo Yu shook his head. “They wouldn’t sell. When they left, I wanted to buy it but I’m broke. So I went to Huangyang Hollow instead and found this!” He lifted the furnace with joy.

Old Master Luo was beginning to understand. He probed, “Do you… feel something with this furnace too?”

Seeing his grandfather finally catch on, Luo Yu nodded vigorously. “I feel it right now! Not as strong as with the jade, but it’s like someone’s blowing cool air onto my hand!”

His grandfather pondered for a moment, then suddenly got up. “Wait here.” He hurried upstairs and soon returned with a bronze incense burner.

“Turn around, close your eyes, let me try something.” Luo Yu obediently turned his back. His grandfather pressed the incense burner into his hand.

“Nothing,” said Luo Yu.

His grandfather turned the burner over, tried again.

“Still nothing.”

Then he put the alchemy furnace into Luo Yu’s hand.

“There it is!” Luo Yu exclaimed.

Now both his grandfather and Father Chu were truly shocked, feeling a chill in their hearts. Father Chu, still skeptical, tried it several times himself, and each time Luo Yu’s response was spot-on.

The three of them huddled together around the alchemy furnace, launching into a family debate. The old man speculated, “Could it be a spirit dwelling in the furnace?” Father Chu wondered, “Or is it some unknown, intense radiation?” Luo Yu retorted, “I really like this furnace—it feels comfortable. How could it be radiation?”

Father Chu replied, “There’s beneficial radiation too.”

Old Master Luo tapped the side of the furnace. “What kind of radiation could bronze have? I say it’s become a spirit.”

Luo Yu and Father Chu countered, “Don’t talk nonsense about ghosts and monsters.”

So the family bickered back and forth, reached no conclusion, and finally set the furnace in the center of the altar to study it again tomorrow.

The next day, after Luo Yu got up, he learned from Father Chu that his grandfather had already taken the alchemy furnace to the shop. Luo Yu was indignant. “He really took it to the shop? Isn’t he worried about being mocked? The thing doesn’t look like much at first glance—he’s bound to be laughed at… They laughed at me in the beginning too.”

Father Chu warned him, “Don’t get carried away. There might be something radioactive inside. Ancient alchemists used all sorts of strange things. Don’t lose your mind and actually eat those pills. You know what happened to Emperor Qin, right?”

Luo Yu put on a serious face. “We should warn Grandpa.”

After a brief exchange, the father and son retreated to the studio—one continued his unfinished oil painting, the other spread out fine rice paper, weighted it with a chicken-wing wood ruler, and picked up a fine wolf-hair brush to attempt a meticulous painting of the bronze furnace.

When one is absorbed in something, time flies. The Luo family fussed over the furnace for two days, but came to no conclusions, so they left it at the shop and life returned to normal.

It was another fine day, with lively crowds everywhere.

Luo Yu was still shuffling along in his slippers, full of vigor, down the main road of Transmission Lamp Temple.

Today, Old Master Luo had arranged to meet some old friends at the fifth “Qingning City Summer Antique Exchange,” so Luo Yu was put in charge of watching the shop.

He opened the shop and settled in with his laptop, fully engrossed in a game.

It wasn’t long before Luo Yu started cursing at the screen. “Crap! Dammit!”

His character, “Sword-Hiding Flying Plume,” had been challenged to a PK by a player called “Let’s Settle Our Grudge with One Cannon Blast.” Failing to win, the challenger instead began to pursue Flying Plume with suggestive advances, attracting a crowd of fujoshi to squeal and watch. Luo Yu found these vengeful tactics shameless and considered logging off to avoid the spectacle. If this kept up, his reputation would be ruined—the women in his guild were not to be trifled with.

Just then, someone entered the shop. Luo Yu glanced up absentmindedly and froze: Wasn’t this the poker-faced man he’d met in the mountains? Had he tracked him down here?

Luo Yu immediately assumed the man was after the alchemy furnace.

The handsome, cold-faced man scanned the shop, saw nothing of interest, and walked straight over to Luo Yu. “I’d like to see the alchemy furnace.” His voice was clear, carrying a hint of allure, and his slow cadence was like quietly flowing ice water.

Luo Yu shivered, feeling momentarily dazed, and found himself obediently fetching the furnace. The moment he touched it, he snapped out of it: Was he out of his mind? Why be afraid of this guy? Why so compliant?

But now it was too late to take it back. Since he wasn’t planning to sell the furnace anyway, he might as well let the man look at it. Perhaps he could learn something about the jade’s origins or the furnace’s value.

With that in mind, Luo Yu boldly placed the furnace on the table for him to examine.

The man picked it up, looked inside, then set it down. “Name your price. I like it.”

Luo Yu noticed his expression didn’t really convey any fondness for the furnace and forced a smile. “It’s my private collection, not for sale.”

The man frowned, paused, and said, “Ten thousand.”

Luo Yu was startled. Ten thousand? He scrutinized the man’s attire—it might not have labels, but the quality and workmanship rivaled Versace or Armani. A glimpse of the patterned leather belt through his jacket—definitely Cerruti. Damn, this guy was a rich second generation!

Luo Yu felt a surge of resentment. His own dream was to flaunt wealth as effortlessly as this man, to blind others without seeming to. Seeing his lifelong ambition realized in someone superior in every way, he was so envious it hurt.

“I’m not selling, no matter the price.” Luo Yu grew testy. Trying to buy him off? He might not have money, but he had principles!

The rich man remained calm. “Twenty thousand.”

Luo Yu could tell from his tone that “twenty thousand” meant as little to him as “two dollars.” He was annoyed. “Hey, man, show some respect, will you? It’s not for sale—even if you offered a million, I wouldn’t let it go.”

The man was dumbfounded and fell silent.

Luo Yu ignored him, fuming as he returned to his game. Let the rich boy loiter wherever he liked.

Back in the game—oh no! His character was now surrounded by a crowd. “Let’s Settle Our Grudge with One Cannon Blast” was regaling onlookers with tales of a love story transcending gender.

“Damn!” Luo Yu nearly smashed his keyboard. He closed the game without a word. Looking up, he saw the rich man still standing there silently. Anger welled up—if not for this distraction, he wouldn’t have suffered such humiliation.

“What do you want, exactly?” Luo Yu snapped.

The man looked at him calmly, then spoke in a soft, cautious tone, “I don’t want the furnace anymore. But the three pills… may I have them?”

Luo Yu was at a loss, equal parts annoyed and embarrassed. He shot the man a cold glare. This time, the man seemed more sincere than before. Luo Yu, unable to keep shouting, replied gruffly, “You’re not planning to eat them, are you? They’re poisonous, you know?”

“I want them very much… I won’t cause you any trouble.”

Luo Yu rubbed his forehead, conflicted. “Do you know how old those pills are?”

“Made around the year 300, during the Wei-Jin period—about sixteen hundred years old.”

“You’re sure?”

The man nodded.

Luo Yu’s attitude warmed. He leaned in. “How can you tell?”

As he drew closer, Luo Yu sensed a faint aura emanating from the man, similar to the furnace’s, but even gentler—almost imperceptible, making him feel an instinctive affinity. Luo Yu sniffed at him. “Did you buy that jade piece?”

The man stepped back, but Luo Yu advanced. “You’ve been asking about me, haven’t you?”

He retreated again, brow creasing, but answered patiently. “Yes.”

His meaning was so plain that Luo Yu suddenly realized he was acting like a lecherous scoundrel teasing a proper young woman. Sheepishly, he backed off. “Tell me about the origins of the furnace and the jade, and I’ll let you have the pills.”

After a long silence, the man answered, “As you guessed, both are genuine Wei-Jin period artifacts.”

Luo Yu was dissatisfied. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. You must realize these two items are unusual, right?”

The man hesitated. “Give me the pills first.”

Luo Yu considered—these pills weren’t worth much. Did he really want to eat them to become immortal? That didn’t seem plausible. The pills, though well-preserved and faintly fragrant, had the same odd aura as the furnace, but nothing about them suggested immortality. Luo Yu, a staunch materialist, found the whole thing odd, but not miraculous.

He decided to gouge the rich man for all he was worth. “Three thousand each, no bargaining.”

“Wait here,” the man replied, and left.

Luo Yu wondered if he was just making an excuse to escape, but before long, the man returned with a wad of cash. Luo Yu thought, These rich kids really have no sense—who walks around with that much cash?

The man set the bills before him—nine thousand, counted out exactly. Luo Yu wrapped the three pills in a tissue and handed them over.

“Now, you should tell me what’s going on,” Luo Yu said, feeling pleased with himself.

After a long silence, the man finally spoke. “The jade medallion is the core of a formation used by cultivators. The furnace is also a cultivator’s alchemy tool.”

“So that’s it,” Luo Yu nodded. “No wonder I’d never seen a jade like that—it’s actually a magical tool for setting up arrays. The carving is phenomenal.”

The man seemed to want to say more, but Luo Yu didn’t notice. He continued, “Did you feel anything from the medallion when you touched it? You know… that sensation?”

“That’s spiritual energy. Anyone with an innate affinity can sense it.”

Luo Yu tensed. “What? Spiritual energy? That’s real? I can sense it too—does that mean I have talent?”

The man looked at him and nodded.

Luo Yu was excited. “How do you know all this?”

The man replied obliquely, “Some things are passed down. If you come into contact with them, you’ll know.”

“Come on, man—don’t keep things to yourself. Tell me everything you know.” Luo Yu pressed eagerly.

The man looked at him, a hint of disappointment in his expression, as if something on his mind saddened him. No matter how much Luo Yu coaxed, he got nothing more. In the end, the man left him with a few cryptic words: that tales of immortals are too fantastical and unreachable, so it’s better to live in the present. Then, almost as if fleeing, he vanished from the shop.

Thus ended the hard bargaining with the rich man.