Chapter 010 An Antique Shop
After leaving Wanbaotang, Mo Xuanji followed the system's instructions to find the address on the deed.
This is a very ordinary-looking shop, and the rolling shutter door seems to have never been opened since it was installed.
The shop was located in a remote area, with many winding paths leading to the entrance. Furthermore, not many people came here on weekdays, so it was quite quiet. Mo Xuanji was quite satisfied with this, as he wasn't really running a shop just to make a living.
Mo Xuanji stood before the door, examining it carefully. Then, she tapped the lock lightly with her fan. Fiery red ripples began to spread outward from the lock, and the scene before her briefly distorted before transforming into something else.
"Sure enough, someone is setting up a sleight of hand outside."
A small, retro-style wooden building appeared before my eyes. From the outside, the building's overall color scheme was warm, with many dark colors, giving it a grand and simple appearance. The plaque on the gate was covered by a red cloth, making its details invisible.
Mo Xuanji pushed the door open and walked in. The wind chimes on the wooden door swayed gently, making a crisp and pleasant sound.
The first thing that catches your eye is a hollow wooden lattice screen, and after walking around it you can see the interior.
In the spacious space, there are rows of wooden display cabinets with a warm luster. The shelves are filled with all kinds of strange and bizarre things. At a glance, they seem to be just some antiques.
Looking left from the entrance, there was a full-moon-shaped archway partitioning the space behind it. Several bookshelves, a soft couch, a desk, and three cushions were placed in the space behind. The bookshelves were piled with bamboo slips. Mo Xuanji casually pulled out a scroll and unfolded it. The ancient characters engraved on the bamboo slips were clearly visible. It was unclear whether it was a replica or a genuine antique.
After staying in this space for a long time, Mo Xuanji always had the illusion of traveling back thousands of years.
Mo Xuanji walked over to the counter and sat down. Something triggered, and the bronze wall lamps began to ignite one after another. Blazing red flames danced within their shades, quickly illuminating the entire room. The lamp on the desk ignited last, and a wisp of flame leaped from it, transforming into a bright red bird.
The bird tilted its head, staring at Mo Xuanji with its dark, beady eyes, as if trying to confirm something. Then it chirped cheerfully. It flapped its wings, sparks flying from its body as it charged forward like a cannonball.
Mo Xuanji was startled and instinctively dodged. The bird failed to brake and crashed into the cabinet.
With a "bang", the bird's body turned into a ball of fire, and in the blink of an eye it condensed again and returned to its original appearance.
The little bird walked up to Mo Xuanji on its two legs, tilted its head and looked puzzled: "Chirp?" Why are you hiding from me?
It had no intention of attacking, and even wanted to stick to Mo Xuanji.
"System, what is this?"
"This fire spirit is the defense mechanism here. Its essence is fire, and it has been refined through the secret techniques of the demon race to give it spiritual intelligence. Now that you are the owner of the shop, it regards you as its master."
Mo Xuanji tentatively reached out his hand toward the bird, and it hopped obediently onto his palm, not making a fuss. Although it was made of flames, Mo Xuanji didn't feel the heat at all, as if he were holding a real bird in his palm.
"What a powerful secret technique."
“Chiu!”
"It's a pity that this secret technique was lost. The one you have in your hand is the only one left in the world."
It seems that I can’t learn it. Mo Xuanji was a little disappointed.
Whenever this little thing appears in the eyes of the outside world, it will definitely be listed as a first-class protected cultural relic... Well, since the body has no life, it should be considered a cultural relic, right?
"Chiu?" The first-class cultural relic tilted his head.
Mo Xuanji was so adorable: "System, does it have a name?"
Without waiting for the system to reply, the bird suddenly called out: "Six-six! Six-six!"
"Liuliu? Is that your name?"
"Six six! Six six!" The bird chirped even more happily.
The system's voice was a little amused: "Let's call it Liuliu."
So the bird got a new name: Liuliu.
Liuliu seemed to only be able to say this word. After calling it, no matter what Mo Xuanji asked it, the answer it got was a "chiu".
While teasing Liuliu, Mo Xuanji felt like something was missing. He pondered for a moment and pulled out a tea bowl from a nearby cabinet.
"Are you thirsty?" Seeing Mo Xuanji smiling without saying anything, the system suddenly had a bad premonition.
Mo Xuanji pulled out a bottle of X-leaf tea from somewhere, unscrewed the lid, and poured the pale yellow tea into the teacup. Liu Liu took a sip curiously, smacking his lips as he savored it.
A beautiful woman of extraordinary appearance sat upright in a rattan chair, playing with a small red bird in one hand and holding a teacup in the other. Her face was calm, a faint smile on her lips. She looked like she was enjoying a peaceful and tranquil life.
The system, which seems to be obsessed with appearance, looks a bit dull.
It should have been a beautiful picture, but as soon as the beauty opened her mouth, the system was immediately brought back to this damn reality.
"Walking my birds, drinking tea, and appreciating antiques. Tong, do you think I look like a retired old man now?"
"..." If the system had a physical body, it would definitely open Mo Xuanji's head to see what he was thinking about all day.
Mo Xuanji held up his fan, shielding the lower half of his face. A hint of cunning shone in his beautiful phoenix eyes. For some reason, he seemed to be getting more and more disdainful of Majia.
"Enough joking. Let's get down to business."
Mo Xuanji explored the entire shop. The small building had two floors: the first floor housed the antique shop, while the second served as the living room. The decor here was the same antique-themed as the first floor.
It looked like someone had lived here before. The room was clean and tidy. A scroll of bamboo slips lay spread out on a table, with a cup of tea beside it. It seemed as if the owner had just been sitting here reading a book before leaving for something unexpected.
"Has anyone else ever lived here?"
"No one else has lived here. These are just traces of Yuheng's existence."
"If a puppet fabricated out of thin air wants to gain recognition from the world consciousness, it is necessary to invent a reasonable past for it. These are part of its past," the system explained.
"World consciousness?" Mo Xuanji heard this term for the first time. However, whether it was because it could not be said or for some other reason, no matter how much Mo Xuanji asked, the system never responded.
Could it be that he accidentally said something he shouldn't have said and was punished? Mo Xuanji was a little worried.
Seeing that time was almost up, Mo Xuanji could only put on the vest first, and then his consciousness returned to his body.
The light in Yuheng's eyes gradually dimmed, and he turned back into a lifeless puppet. Liuliu couldn't understand what had happened to his master. He rubbed his master's palm for a while and then ran off to play on his own.
The moment Mo Xuanji opened his eyes, he wanted to close them and go back to sleep.
Although his body had been sleeping, his spirit had been quite active all night. He was now in a state of "physically energetic but mentally exhausted."
"Xuan Ji! Do you want to go to the cafeteria to eat together? The seniors said that you can eat in the cafeteria for free during the first month of school, and there will be activities!" Zhu Changan knocked on the door.
"Go." Mo Xuanji rubbed his face and became a little more sober.
Unlike the outside world, the only currency in Penglai Academy is credits. While they can't be exchanged for money, credits can be earned through classes, assignments, exams, and transactions.
Since freshmen have just entered the school and their credits are all zero, the college usually gives them a month to accumulate initial credits. From the second month on, freshmen have to rely on their own efforts to decide how to live their lives.
The credit system is practically a form of charity for students. Regardless of one's family background before enrolling, as long as one works hard, one can have a comfortable life at school.
Originally, Mo Xuanji was worried that the school would suffer serious losses over time, but then he thought about it and realized that the school was wealthy, so this amount of consumption would not be a big deal for the school.
"Ji Sheng isn't going?" Mo Xuanji walked out of the room and saw that Ji Sheng had turned back into a plant form and didn't look like he was going out.
"There are too many people here, so we can carry out photosynthesis." Ji Sheng stuck his roots into the flowerpots he had prepared in advance, and used the vines to wrap around the watering can beside him to water himself.
"So awesome!" Zhu Changan gave him a thumbs up.
The sunflower shook, not knowing whether it was shy or proud.
The two said goodbye to Ji Sheng and ran to the cafeteria. They met many people along the way, and they all seemed to be heading to the cafeteria.
It's just a bit too exaggerated.
A senior student whizzed past overhead on a flying sword. Mo Xuanji didn't pay much attention at first, until shadows flashed before his eyes, becoming more and more dense, making him dizzy.
Zhu Chang'an looked up, stunned. He saw those ethereal seniors atop flying swords, each one more skillful than the last, their movements faster than the last. After they flew away, the exasperated voices finally reached him.
"Go! Don't let that bastard take first place!"
"Damn, I never see this guy being so active in class! As soon as he hears about activities, he runs faster than a carrier pigeon!"
"How can I not be quick when talking nonsense? The first place winner gets a free meal today!"
In just a few seconds, all kinds of creatures flying in the sky and running on the ground appeared, which could be described as the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing their magical powers.
Mo Xuanji and Zhu Changan looked at each other and quickened their pace.
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