Chen Xiao didn't know much about antiques before, but he knew that large items like bronze tripods were important national treasures. Because of the limitations of ancient smelting technology and the control of metal deposits, casting a large bronze tripod required not only superb technology, but also strong strength to afford so many materials.
The same is true in this world. It is even more difficult to make things with firewood than in the previous world, where there is coal available. The large bronze tripods are considered treasures. Just looking at the appearance of this bronze tripod, which is half the height of a person, you can tell how precious it is.
Soon, regular customers heard the news and flocked to the store to see it. Inspired by them, other antique collectors also came, just to see this rare treasure.
Among the antique buyers, there are many experienced players who are knowledgeable and experienced, and even better than the shopkeepers in the store.
Chen Xiao and the other shop assistants were so busy that they served tea to each of them, brought chairs, and invited them to sit down. They were busy running around, but they were all treated as invisible. No one sat on the seats that were brought, and no one drank the tea that was served. They were all just standing in the middle of the shop, admiring the bronze tripod placed on a table.
Seeing that no one cared that the guest was being neglected, Chen Xiao boldly slipped aside and listened.
An old man in his seventies, with a very thin face and a goat's white beard on his lower jaw, was talking. He said, "This tripod with a hundred beasts and a variety of treasures must be an artifact from the Zheng Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago. You can see that the beasts in the pictures at that time were mostly fierce beasts and few fierce beasts. The lines are rough, simple and vivid!"
He said it with certainty, but the sixty-year-old man wearing a square hat standing on the other side disagreed: "No, I think it might be later. This group of flowers is entangled and orderly. If you look closely, the beginning and the end are connected without any breakpoints. This kind of decorative habit only appeared when my Dai Kingdom was founded."
The kingdoms in this world lasted for a long time. If there was no particularly idiotic monarch, the royal family would not be overthrown. Because the city lords below basically guarded their own little piece of land and didn't bother to care who sat on the throne above. Therefore, although there were records of the succession of countries, it was not very frequent. Chen Xiao remembered it when he started to ask the masters.
The previous dynasty of Dai State was Zheng State, which existed for more than two thousand years. In comparison, Dai State was very young, only more than nine hundred years.
At this time, the boss standing aside spoke up and said, "I think what Mr. Qi said makes sense." Mr. Qi was the old man wearing the square hat. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he said solemnly, "I bought this bronze tripod from a poor family. According to him, this bronze tripod has been passed down in his family for generations. His ancestors were descendants of the royal family of Zheng. This bronze tripod was brought out by the royal family of Dai when they migrated to the capital."
"As everyone knows, when the State of Dai was founded, all the sacrificial objects from the State of Zheng were destroyed. If it wasn't for the newly made sacrificial bronze tripod at that time, it would have been impossible to be brought out." The old man surnamed Qi testified for him.
In the past dynasties, the state used to use bronze tripods as ritual vessels for offering sacrifices to the heaven. If the superiors like something, the subordinates must follow it. Most people also use bronze tripods as sacrificial vessels. However, the common people cannot afford the big ones, so they only use the small ones.
The old man with a goatee disagreed: "You are all old players. Don't you know that you can't believe the seller's story? Besides, who said that the bronze tripods from the Zheng Dynasty were destroyed? There are still some left today, and we can hear news from time to time."
The old man surnamed Qi argued with the old man with a goatee, saying loudly: "You said it yourself, it's just 'hearsay', no one has seen it with their own eyes. Hearing is not believing, seeing is believing!"
Goatbeard spoke louder, "The beast pattern is proof that this vessel is definitely from the Zheng period. It's true that you said that round flowers and vines became popular in Dai, but that doesn't mean they weren't used before! We occasionally see them on Zheng porcelain from the same period."
The old man surnamed Qi argued with him until his face turned red: "Can porcelain be the same as bronze? The casting method during the Zheng Dynasty was not as sophisticated as that of the Dai Dynasty. Maybe they could cast continuous branches in bronze, but there would definitely be breakpoints!"
Chen Xiao listened with great interest, feeling that this was even more exciting than watching treasure appraisal programs in his previous life. The current point of contention was to determine when this vessel was cast. Unlike in the previous life, there was no carbon-14 test that could be used to directly determine the time, so here we could only speculate based on various characteristics.
Pang Hemu was very proud of the sensation caused by the bronze tripod. He did not mind the increasing number of people coming to his shop, and he enthusiastically received wave after wave of people. This made the shopkeepers and the shop assistants in the shop exhausted. The boss and the shopkeeper were not supernatural, so they had to keep an eye on each other and serve the people well.
Forced to work overtime until the lights came on, the people in the Snow Seeking Immortal Pavilion gradually dispersed. Only the shop assistants stayed to clean up, put the chairs back in place, and pick up the teacups and other debris on the floor.
Chen Xiao deliberately stayed until the end, helping the newly recruited night watchman finish the last bit of work. The handyman was grateful for his kindness, and when Chen Xiao said he wanted to leave later and take another look at the bronze tripod, he agreed without hesitation.
Anyway, since the bronze tripod is in the shop, the customer who hasn't had enough of it will come back after dinner.
Chen Xiao walked around the bronze tripod. Compared with other immortal antiques he had seen, this bronze tripod had a more obvious aura. Of course, its activity level was far different from the one in his courtyard. What made him feel awkward was that although the aura of this bronze tripod was stable, he always felt that something was wrong.
Chen Xiao stared at the upper part of the bronze tripod thoughtfully. Suddenly, he bent over and smelled it.
Pang Hemu happened to step into the store at this time. Seeing Chen Xiao's head facing the bronze tripod, he smiled and said, "Are you also curious about this bronze tripod?"
Chen Xiao quickly stood up and greeted politely before saying, "Yes, I think everyone in the county is very curious about it now. This time our store has become very famous."
Pang Hemu had been drinking at the banquet and was now drunk. After hearing what Chen Xiao said, he laughed happily: "Not only will you become famous, but you will also make a lot of money."
Chen Xiao frowned slightly. Although it was a busy day, he noticed that many people dressed in luxurious clothes had come into contact with Pang Hemu. I'm afraid Pang Hemu will sell this bronze tripod soon.
However, the price of selling it as an ordinary valuable antique cannot be compared with the price of selling it as an immortal antique.
Unlike ordinary people who don't know the inside story, they can indirectly contact antique shops about the deeds of immortals, but they know that the so-called immortal sects are actually just the mountain gates of immortal cultivators. The so-called immortal antiques are nothing more than things used by immortal cultivators in the past, which have been passed down. The distance between immortal cultivators and real immortals is basically two worlds apart, and the two are not the same thing at all.
However, there is a huge gap between the circle of immortal cultivators and ordinary people, and immortal cultivators will not specifically clarify such things. In the eyes of those who know the truth, immortal cultivators have the ability to penetrate the heavens and the earth, and are immortal, and there is no difference between them and immortals. Just like modern collectors attach great importance to the objects handed down by ancient celebrities, immortal cultivators are out of reach in their eyes.
This is why the value of immortal antiques remains high.
Whenever a big deal was done, the generous Pang Hemu would always reward the shop assistants. The head shopkeeper and the shop assistant would even get a very generous red envelope, and the shop assistants would also benefit from it and get extra money. If he knew that the bronze tripod in front of him was an antique from an immortal, the money he gave to the shop assistants would definitely be enough for an ordinary family to save for ten years without eating or drinking.
Chen Xiao was not greedy for the red envelope, but he realized that this was an opportunity for him, an opportunity to show his special talents.
Ever since he knew that he could absorb luck through Feng Shui to cultivate like an immortal, he changed his mind and no longer intended to hide his ability to distinguish which antiques were immortals. Among them, Pang Hemu couldn't understand the aura part, and he would not tell him from this aspect.
How to let Pang Hemu know was a difficult problem. Now, an opportunity was in front of Chen Xiao, and Chen Xiao was not going to miss it. He said seriously to the drunken boss, "Boss, could this bronze tripod be an antique from an immortal?"
Pang Hemu had drunk too much that night. His mind was very slow and his feet felt like they were stepping on cotton. After a long while, he sneered and said, "You are such a whimsical kid. Are these immortal antiques so easy to find? Don't think that they are immortal antiques just because you see some rare treasure. That's different, different--" As he spoke, he waved his hands vigorously to emphasize.
Seeing him so drunk, Chen Xiao was a little speechless. He could only help him sit in the reception area and make him a cup of tea to sober him up.
Pang Hemu had a good taste in wine. Although he thought Chen Xiao was ridiculous, he did not scold him. While drinking tea, he muttered: "Oh, my friend actually thinks that the bronze tripod is an antique of immortals..."
It's no wonder Pang Hemu didn't believe it. The truth is that most of the immortal antiques circulating in the market are hairpins, jade belts, daily utensils and other daily necessities, and there are very few weapons, books, calligraphy and paintings.
Chen Xiao was not angry either. He said, "I just feel that there is a smell in this bronze tripod. Logically speaking, it has been passed down for so many years, and the smell should have dissipated."
Pang Hemu didn't take it seriously and said to him in a lecturing tone: "You still don't know enough. Do you know what those nobles in the royal family burn when they offer sacrifices to the heaven? The real spiritual incense obtained from the immortal gate, even if it is burned out and only ashes are left, the fragrance can last for a hundred years. I don't know how many times that bronze tripod has been burned, so of course it will be tainted with a lingering smell."
Chen Xiao felt that the smell was not like incense, but more like... medicine.
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