As the two entered the Jade Tower, a clever little boy came forward and said, "Gentlemen, are you here to pick up goods or to ship them out? Do you know any shopkeepers? I'll call them over for you."
Ding Weixiang looked around but didn't see the person he was looking for, so he said, "Is the head shopkeeper here?"
There are eight shopkeepers in the Jade Tower. Each of them has his own specialties and usually runs the shop with great skill. However, a group of dragons cannot be without a leader, so there is a chief shopkeeper above the eight shopkeepers. The chief shopkeeper is the boss, the real owner of the Jade Tower, and the most senior expert among them.
The boy was stunned. He didn't expect the other party to ask to see the host right away. He politely declined, "Sir, you don't know. The head shopkeeper is old and has difficulty moving. He hasn't seen guests for many years."
Ding Weixiang said, "We have an appointment with the chief manager. Please inform him that Master Zhongli is here to see you."
The child agreed and walked quickly to the backyard.
After about a cup of tea, he came out with the help of an old man who was leaning on a cane with a carved jade dragon head. It was the head manager himself.
He was also a little surprised to see Zhongli Jing. After a while, he signaled the child to leave, took the lantern himself, and led the two to the backyard.
The backyard of the Jade Tower is a long and narrow corridor with low houses on both sides. Each door has a huge copper lock, which is where the jade materials are stored.
The chief shopkeeper finally stopped in front of a small tiled house at the end and spoke slowly.
"Father caught a cold a few days ago. The doctor who came to see him said he wasn't in good health. If you have anything else to say, let's finish it now."
Zhongli actually bowed and said, "I am fortunate to see you again, old sir. I have no further requests."
The head shopkeeper smiled and said, "It's rare for you to have such a heart. My father is indeed old, and I'm afraid I can't give you the answer you want."
After saying that, he pushed open the door.
The room was very small, but it had everything it needed. Although the weather was a little hot in early summer, the room was cool and pleasant. There was a small pool of ash in the corner, which was the ashes left from burning mugwort.
After passing the simple barrier, there was a warm couch, on which lay an old man wrapped in a thick blanket. His hair and beard were completely white, and his face was haggard. One of his hands resting on the blanket was bony. If it weren't for his slightly rising and falling chest, anyone who saw him would have thought he was a dried corpse.
The old shopkeeper, leaning on a cane, bowed respectfully to the person on the bed and raised his voice deliberately: "Father, the person you are waiting for is here."
The old man's eyelids, which had been tightly closed, trembled and slowly opened. His cloudy eyeballs turned and barely fell on Zhongli Jing. After a moment of identification, he moved his fingers slightly.
"I understand. You can go down now."
The chief manager glanced at Zhongli Jing and Ding Weixiang, said no more, and bowed and left.
The old man on the couch raised himself slightly to make it easier for him to breathe: "Sir, you are finally here. I thought I would not be able to wait for you any longer."
"Old man, there's no need to get up." Zhongli actually gestured to Ding Weixiang to bring the things up. "I've already brought the things. Just look at them from the couch."
Ding Weixiang walked over and took the small table that stood beside the bed and set it up. It was made of ordinary camphorwood, polished to a shine from years of use. He wondered how many precious jades and rare stones had passed through it over the years. After placing the table, Ding Weixiang carefully unwrapped the contents of the soft towel. Lying quietly on the plain white cloth was a square object, about the size of a man's palm. It looked grimy, and it was unclear what it was made of.
The old man took a breath and slowly rolled up his sleeves. His skinny fingers seemed to become flexible the moment they touched the thing. He fumbled around and nodded imperceptibly when he saw the small hole in the middle.
"There's a black jar under the cabinet over there. Bring it up."
Ding Weixiang followed his instructions and brought over the fist-sized jar. Inside was a colorless, transparent liquid with a faintly bitter smell. The old man trembled and poured the contents onto the box. A layer of tiny bubbles rose on the surface of the box. The old man then grabbed a nearby silk cloth and wiped it carefully. The cloth seemed to have a magical effect, wiping away the mud and dust wherever it passed, revealing the translucent essence beneath.
A moment later, a crystal clear emerald green jade stone wrapped in a transparent thin wall appeared, but it turned out to be placed in a custom-made box.
Such exquisite things are rare. If you don’t see it with your own eyes, it would be difficult to describe its mystery even with thousands of words.
"My eyesight is failing. Take a look, is there any writing on the jade inside?"
Zhongli carefully lifted up the transparent box, and through the carved crystal wall, he saw a square piece of jade with eight smooth, mirror-like sides hanging quietly inside, as if floating in a transparent liquid. It was very wonderful.
“No words.”
"Is there a crack in one corner?"
Zhongli fiddled with the box, letting the candlelight illuminate the four corners, and finally saw a subtle crack on the jade through the box.
"have."
"Then you can't be wrong, this is what you are looking for."
Although he was already 70% certain in his heart early in the morning, Zhongli still raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard these words.
Although this trip to Huozhou was unconventional and full of dangers, the result was indeed worth the trip. Moreover, he also met some interesting people.
The slender fingers gently tapped on the jade, and the white and emerald green formed a striking contrast, just like the deep time gap between youth and antiquity.
"How did the old man see this thing back then?"
The air was silent for a moment before the time-worn voice slowly began to speak again: "Someone like me would never have seen anything like this in my lifetime. Just consider this a coincidence."
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