Chapter 21: Purchase (Please Add to Favorites)

The next five items were in much the same condition—each had some sort of defect, but their overall quality was rather good. For an ordinary household, it would be a shame to throw them away, yet keeping them around was unsettling, so they inevitably ended up pawned off for good at the shop. The pawnshop, having paid for these things, found itself stuck with them once bizarre incidents arose: they couldn’t be sold, nor was it wise to throw them out, so they became dead assets.

Wang Liang examined them one by one. Of the five, only one was acknowledged by the system; the others could not be transformed into magical tools or furnishings of any sort. The item recognized by the system was a bronze bell about the size of a fist. Its color suggested it was meant to hang from the eaves of a pagoda. Yet no matter how it was shaken, not a sound emerged, and shaking it for too long induced dizziness and vertigo.

[Sentinel Bell (Item)]
[Quality: Blue]
[Note 1: When hung in a high place (eaves, branches), it automatically establishes a fifty-meter diameter alert zone. If a malevolent spirit enters, it will vibrate on its own, repelling an enemy’s attack once.]
[Note 2: After each move, it requires a three-hour cooldown before it can be hung again.]
[Note 3: After repelling an enemy, it takes an hour before the effect can trigger again.]
[Note 4: Prolonged manual shaking of the bell will subject the user to its power.]

This was of great use to Wang Liang. While it might have limited effect in daily life, it would be invaluable for survival in the wild, providing a precious moment to react against hostile spirits. Without haggling, Wang Liang paid the full asking price of seven strings of coins as set by Chen Chaofeng.

As for the remaining items, Wang Liang cared little for them since they could not be converted into system tools. Though some appeared uncanny, they were of little practical value to him. If Chen Chaofeng was willing to part with them cheaply, Wang Liang might take them; if not, he would simply ignore them.

In the end, Wang Liang selected only two other objects that were unfamiliar to him. One was a purple window prop—a wooden stick used to hold up a window. This particular stick was quite extraordinary: it could fly up and strike people of its own accord, and in sunlight, it would automatically open the window, making it a semi-automatic tool. Strangely, though, the system did not recognize it.

The other was a bronze ritual vessel. It resembled a cauldron, but in fact was a bronze jug, likely used for pouring wine during sacrificial rites. For some unknown reason, any water poured inside would generate hair that could not be cleaned out. Yet when the hair was pulled from the jug, it would instantly vanish, which is why the vessel was pawned. When Wang Liang first heard of this phenomenon, he thought the system might identify it as special. To his surprise, it had no attributes at all. Nevertheless, Wang Liang took a liking to the bronze jug and decided to take it.

Having bought all that interested him, Wang Liang browsed through some ordinary wares. He discovered that this pawnshop was bold enough to accept just about anything. Besides a great deal of furniture, there were garments worn only once or twice, as well as various jade pendants and jewels. Some of these items were of reasonably good quality. Wang Liang offered Chen Chaofeng a gemstone in exchange for a handful of decent jewelry and some yellowish stones that caught his eye.

These stones were lustrous, smooth, and brilliantly colored—clearly fine material for making seals. Since they were not widely known, Wang Liang bought several, intending to see if he could carve a personal seal out of them when he got home. His previous private seal had become the guardian talisman of his residence, so he no longer had one for his own use, which was inconvenient for daily affairs. Now, having found stones to his liking, he decided to take more, planning to carve them at leisure.

Once he had made his selections, Wang Liang declined Chen Chaofeng’s offer to have the items delivered to Lion Pavilion. Instead, with a sweep of his sleeve, he stowed everything in his own pack. Witnessing this, Chen Chaofeng was startled, but it only confirmed his initial suspicions.

“Fortunately, I didn’t offend this gentleman. He’s clearly no ordinary person. Such mastery of a pocket universe is not something just anyone can possess.” With this in mind, Chen Chaofeng silently reminded himself to tread carefully as he saw Wang Liang out of the shop.

After Wang Liang left, the shop owner summoned Chen Chaofeng to a room at the back of the inner courtyard.

“Who was that gentleman just now?” the shop owner asked casually.

This time, Chen Chaofeng did not respond with the same nonchalance. With utmost respect, he produced the small silver ingot and two gemstones Wang Liang had given him.

“He must be of dragon lineage—a figure among immortals, though I can’t say which Dragon King from the legends he is.”

The shop owner nodded in affirmation, noting the “Dragon King’s Seal” on the ingot. He picked up the gemstones and examined them closely. Realizing they were not of local origin, he finally said,

“You did well. These look like they come from the Dragon Palace. When you’re unclear about someone’s background, it’s best to be cautious. Remember, even the Dragon King of a mere brook or stream is not to be underestimated.”

He shot a glance at Chen Chaofeng. “Is there more?”

“Yes. It seems he just came down from Demon Ridge. Do you think he has designs on Demon Ridge?” Chen Chaofeng explained Wang Liang’s situation, the items he had appraised, and those he had chosen, then shared his own assessment.

The shop owner considered this seriously. “That’s entirely possible. There’s a saying: the wind follows the tiger, the clouds follow the dragon. If he is indeed a Dragon King, it’s likely that at some point he’ll need a demon tiger’s inner core. This could be an opportunity.”

Growing excited, the shop owner said, “Chen Chaofeng, arrange it—no, go yourself. Find out if anything happened today at Jingyang Hill in Demon Ridge.”

Chen Chaofeng replied at once, “No problem, sir. I’ll go right away. But after I gather news, should we—?”

“Don’t act rashly. After you’ve learned what happened, come back to me. I’ll take you to see the City God and ask his advice.”

Hearing this, a hint of delight appeared on Chen Chaofeng’s face. As a native of Yanggu County, he knew well the City God’s authority in this region.