Chapter 20: Something Interesting

“Something interesting?” Chen Zhaofeng thought for a moment, glanced at Wang Liang, and immediately understood what he was after.

“Yes, absolutely, we have just the items you’re looking for. Please wait a moment.”

Soon, under Chen Zhaofeng’s direction, the shop assistants carried over seven wooden chests of varying sizes. Each chest was tightly sealed, reinforced with copper bands, and secured with copper locks.

Wang Liang examined them closely. “And these are...?”

“As you can see, these are all ancient ritual vessels and funerary objects. But don’t worry, everything here comes from legitimate channels—not unearthed by grave robbers, but pawned by bankrupt families who handed over their heirlooms to us.

Most things are easy to resell, but items like these are almost impossible to move. They usually sit in storage, and as you know, these objects are unlike any others. If left too long, strange occurrences tend to happen. I’ve selected these myself; they’re definitely interesting.”

With that, Chen Zhaofeng began to open the chests. Peering inside, Wang Liang saw that each box was lined layer upon layer with talismans made of yellow paper and cinnabar. Beneath the talismans lay the item stored in each chest.

It was clear from the arrangement that each chest contained only a single object.

This time, Chen Zhaofeng didn’t take the items out. Instead, he invited Wang Liang to inspect them at the chest.

“These things are certainly fascinating, but also somewhat dangerous. Taking them out is easy, but sealing them again is far more troublesome, so I’ll leave them inside for now.”

Having explained, Chen Zhaofeng began to describe the contents of the chests.

The nearest chest contained a pair of candlesticks. Even suppressed by the talismans, it was clear at a glance that these were dragon-and-phoenix wedding candlesticks, customarily used in marriage ceremonies.

“This pair is the safest among everything here. They’re also known as ‘Heart to Heart’ candlesticks. As long as the candle on the phoenix holder burns, the one holding the dragon holder will have light before their eyes, untouched by darkness.

Originally, they never would have fallen into our hands, but the catch is, when used, the candles burn at three times the normal rate. Even if not lit, a candle is consumed each day. The family simply couldn’t afford to keep them, so they pawned them to us, and we sealed them up.”

As Wang Liang listened, information appeared before his eyes.

[Dragon and Phoenix Wedding Candlesticks (Magical Artifact)]

[Quality: Green]

[Note 1: Equip the dragon holder in the artifact slot, light a candle on the phoenix holder to gain 10-meter range night vision (the phoenix holder consumes one standard candle per hour).]

[Note 2: Equip the phoenix holder in the artifact slot, light a candle on the dragon holder to gain a 10-meter fire protection aura (the dragon holder consumes two standard candles per hour).]

[Note 3: If both holders are equipped in the artifact slot simultaneously, the artifact is nullified and the user’s left and right hands will clasp together, unable to separate for one hour.]

“Interesting. I’ll take this one,” Wang Liang decided before Chen Zhaofeng had finished speaking.

“All right, but sir, this item—” Before Chen Zhaofeng could finish, Wang Liang placed a gemstone on the table. “See how much this is worth.”

This gem was a fine piece Wang Liang had found in Marco Polo’s caravan. Back in his own dynasty, he’d sold one just like it for a considerable sum, and he still had plenty more, so he had no worries about money.

Chen Zhaofeng immediately picked up the gemstone and examined it in the sunlight. After a careful look, he said, “Sixty strings of cash.”

Wang Liang didn’t know the exact value of local currency. He pointed at the chest containing the candlesticks. “And what about that one?”

“Three strings,” Chen Zhaofeng replied. While eager to make a sale, he dared not overcharge Wang Liang for fear of causing trouble for the owner, so he set a fair, mid-range price—enough to profit, but not excessively.

Wang Liang considered the exchange and nodded with satisfaction. “Very well, next item.”

As soon as he finished speaking, an attendant closed the chest and moved it beside Wang Liang.

Following Chen Zhaofeng’s guidance, Wang Liang now examined another item—a sacrificial altar table nestled among talismans and wood shavings.

The altar table was fairly large, about one meter high, with a rectangular top. Through the shavings, he could see it was made from ordinary mulberry wood. Over time, its once pale-red surface had darkened to black.

Standing before the chest, Wang Liang caught a faint scent of incense—oddly, it provoked a strong sense of aversion in him.

“This was the ancestral altar of the Xu family. After their line died out, their ancestral hall was divided, and the altar changed hands several times before ending up here. No matter what is offered on this table, there will be backlash. It can’t be chopped up for firewood, and no one wants it. It’s caused us quite a headache.”

With that, Wang Liang’s information updated:

[Blood Sacrifice Altar Table (Furniture)]

[Quality: Green]

[Note 1: Due to an error in ancestral rites, fresh blood and raw meat were placed on the table, transforming it into a blood sacrifice altar. All offerings are converted into raw bloody foods, and ancestors or deities who reject such offerings cannot absorb them.]

[Note 2: Fruit offerings are turned into hearts, livers, and other viscera, while grains become freshly slaughtered animals (from a divine perspective).]

[Note 3: All incense is converted to blood energy, which offends ghosts and deities who are repulsed by it.]

Piecing together the information and Chen Zhaofeng’s account, Wang Liang understood what had happened.

Clearly, the Xu family had made a mistake during an ancestral offering, causing the altar to change, making it useless to the gods.

Yet, unaware, they kept making offerings.

In this era, who would offer freshly killed blood and flesh? Isn’t incense fragrant enough?

So the more they offered, the closer they came to disaster—until their entire family was lost.

But on reflection, this was an excellent tool for demonic cultivation—demons and monsters would find it most useful.

Wang Liang thought of his own estate, where it could serve as a dining table for the lesser demons in the outer courtyard.

He pointed at it. “How much for this?”

“Just one string,” Chen Zhaofeng replied.

“Done. Next!”