Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 153 - 148: The Ding is the Emperor’s Vessel (Third Call for Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)_1

Chapter 153: Chapter 148: The Ding is the Emperor’s Vessel (Third Call for Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)_1

Only after having achieved complete peace of mind, did Li Xuan redirect his focus onto Shopkeeper Han.

In truth, he wasn’t particularly focused on it, only affected serious examination when the shopkeeper started to speak, nodding or shaking his head in turn.

The first level of Xuanyi House was mainly filled with metal decorations, paintings, porcelain, and gold, silver, and brass artifacts. While they weren’t magical instruments or treasures from heaven and earth, each piece was wonderfully crafted with extremely lavish patterns, which, consequently, resulted in high prices.

That being said, relative to regular markets, these items - most likely looted from Jinling or extracted from tombs - were priced at under 30% of standard retail value.

Perhaps considering that the visitors from the prairie were uninterested in paintings and jade artifacts, Shopkeeper Han instead introduced them to various gemstones, porcelain, and metalwork pieces.

"You gentlemen have come to the right place. If you’re looking for items that are easy to carry, rare, valuable, and fetch a high price, then look no further than these porcelain pieces from the imperial lots of various dynasties. Be it from Jun kiln, Ding kiln or blue and white porcelain, we have it all - each as unique as they are remarkable. If you’re looking for something on the cheaper side, look no further - Xuanyi House ranks second to none in Chuancheng."

Shopkeeper Han said this with a big smile, "Since Mr. Luo is here, let me tell you the truth. Indeed, the origin of these objects can be problematic, but it’s of no concern on the prairie. The authorities certainly won’t reach territories of our esteemed Khans, will they? In view of Mr. Luo’s presence, if you were to make a bulk purchase today, I could see myself offering an additional 10% discount off the negotiated price."

However, Luo Yan shook his head and laughed, "Forget the porcelain, porcelain is fragile. The prairie tribes live a nomadic lifestyle and would not have use for such costly items. Instead, show them precious stones and gold and silverware. From what I see, there aren’t many higher-grade pieces here. Most of them are rather common. By the way, I wonder if you sell Cloisonne? This kind of metalwork is very rare on the prairie. Each piece is worth a fortune, but is hard to come by. Some are even more valuable than magical instruments."

"Gold and Silverware? Cloisonne?"

Shopkeeper Han knitted his brows, he scrutinized Li Xuan and the others, and took his time before replying with a smile, "We do happen to have several cloisonne pieces available. If you will kindly follow me, gentlemen."

He led the group to a corner and opened a cabinet there, from which he took out six dazzling golden bowls.

It was at this moment that Li Xuan recognized the ’Jinsi Cloisonne golden Dragon Cup’ he saw in the Tayin Talisman.

He immediately stepped forward, seemingly unable to resist the pull of the beautiful bowl, and examined it for quite some time before signalling to Yue Qianqian.

Yue Qianqian feigned a few casual words in Mongolian to Li Xuan, then whispered a few words to Luo Yan. Luo Yan nodded immediately, then turned to Shopkeeper Han and said, "Lord Taiji confirms these are indeed Cloisonne. The craftsmanship is exceptional and he likes them very much. He wonders how much you’re asking for?"

Shopkeeper Han looked slightly pleased and held up one finger, "This is the highest-quality imperial bronze ware. Our shop has taken a huge risk to obtain this. Therefore, even with the discount for Mr. Luo, the price cannot be less than 1,200 taels of patterned silver each."

"It’s worth it," Luo Yan nodded in agreement. "Normally, this kind of item would not be priced lower than 3,000 taels. What we really want to know is if there are more. We’re afraid these six bowls won’t be enough to satiate my client’s appetite."

Shopkeeper Han’s demeanor faltered with uncertainty: "How am I supposed to find more of something as rare as cloisonne at short notice..."

Luo Yan laughed politely before opening his folding fan with a swish, "Don’t worry, Shopkeeper. My client just made a big deal. Right now, he lacks everything except money. Furthermore, if this deal goes through, you can expect your share of the profits."

Seemingly in response to Luo Yan’s words, Peng Fulai opened his money bag to reveal a pile of Bank of China notes, each with a face value of one thousand taels. At first glance, it was impossible to calculate roughly how much was there.

The pupils of Shopkeeper Han’s eyes suddenly dilated with greed, even his breathing became faintly heavier. After thinking for a moment, he cleared his throat and said, "Could our guest’s kindly wait a moment! Xiao Shao, ask some of our men to bring those items from the chest."

They waited for about two minutes, and looked at a few items introduced by Shopkeeper Han, until a few burly servants finally brought a couple of heavy boxes up to the third floor.

When those two large boxes were opened, radiant lushness burst forth. Inside, there was an array of items, made of gold and silver, which were all the essence of magnificence or delicacy, of grandeur, or of elegance.

"We have a total of twenty-three pieces of cloisonne right here. This includes the remaining twelve ’Jinsi Cloisonne golden Dragon Cups’. Apart from that, we have five gold objects made with gold peacock wire, and twenty-five gilded bronzes. They are all unique and exquisite products of the imperial factory. Lord Taiji, if you have enough money, you can take them all... "

But at this time, Li Xuan’s gaze was fixated on one of the items. He seemed entranced and couldn’t tear his eyes away.

It was a peculiarly shaped piece of the utmost intricacy: the ’Four-legged Gilded Golden Dragon Cauldron’. The entire piece was made using the cloisonne technique, the body being blue, decorated with twelve large pieces of emerald and twenty-four pieces of Hetian jade. It was dazzling, resplendent, with an aura of imposing grandeur.

Curiously, most censers are engraved with totems of dragon sons or mythical beasts likes Four Symbols or Taotie.

But this cauldron had four enormous legs modeled after a turtle - known as ’Ba Xia’. On top, there were four ’Golden Dragons’ as reliefs. The four lifelike golden dragons encircled the body of the cauldron, each facing a different direction - east, south, west, and north, their heads peering into the cauldron.

This seemed to be the most precious of all the gold and copper castings in the box, but what truly captivated Li Xuan was the reaction of the red-dressed female ghost.

She had actually run out from the scroll of the Song of Righteousness, her gaze fixated on this object.

Since the incident in the Underground, this was the first time Li Xuan saw such a strong reaction from the red-dressed female ghost, who had chosen to seal herself.

Li Xuan’s mind slightly concentrated, he walked over and picked up this ’Four-legged Gilded Golden Dragon Cauldron’. He felt the red-dressed female ghost’s reaction intensifying, a strong possessiveness reflected in his heart.

"It seems that Lord Taiji is quite fond of this?"

As expected, Shopkeeper Han smiled, "Although this object is not a magical instrument, a merchant from the Nanyang has already offered a high price of 120,000 teals of patterned silver. I thought the price was too low to let it go, but if Lord Taiji likes it, you can take it for an additional 50,000 teals."

Li Xuan’s expression remained dazed, with no reaction at all.

Seeing his abnormal expression, Yue Qianqian leaned over and asked him in a whisper, "What’s the matter, my Lord?"

"It’s my Guardian Spirit." Li Xuan returned with a bitter smile, also whispering: "I can’t let go of it!"

Dense threads and blood-red ribbons surrounded ’the Four-legged Gilded Golden Dragon Cauldron’.

Clearly, the red-dressed female ghost was expressing her determination to possess it.

Yue Qianqian looked stupefied for a moment, then took a closer look at the Golden Dragon cauldron and mused, "As a cauldron, it signifies the weight of a nation’s fate! This piece, with beasts of dominance as the cauldron’s legs and a golden dragon as decoration, is an excellent item for nurturing Dragon Qi. My Lord, do you remember what I told you before? Your Shouyuan Spirit is a qualification for an emperor, and only the Emperor’s Device can match it."

Li Xuan’s pupils dilated, "Are you saying, Yue Qianqian?"

"The cauldron is the Emperor’s Device! The Five-clawed Golden Dragon and the beast of dominance are divine beasts symbolising imperial power. Their appearance and shape are naturally in harmony with the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, this kind of item doesn’t require engraving of any talisman array. As long as there is a suitable person using the right method to nurture it, it is a natural magical instrument, and it’s of the highest grade."

Yue Qianqian pointed to the ’Four-legged Gilded Golden Dragon Cauldron’ in Li Xuan’s hand and continued, "This was clearly made by a skilled craftsman. I can feel that the Golden Dragon and the dominant beasts are breathing and moving, as if they can come to life anytime. However, judging by the shape of this cauldron, it seems incomplete. Looking at the soaring Golden Dragon, there should be another important object on top of it to contain the Dragon Qi without leaking it."

Luo Yan noticed the two of them whispering without any regard for the overall situation and couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Fortunately, Yue Qianqian soon muttered a few words to him in the Mongol language. Luo Yan immediately closed his fan, "Buy it! But 170,000 teals seems a bit pricey. We hope that the shopkeeper can make a reasonable offer. Lord Taiji said he would buy everything in this cabinet.

Do you have more cloisonné besides this? Lord Taiji said this cauldron is incomplete, there should be something else on top. I see that your items are likely from the palace, right? This is a big deal indeed, you are lucky to meet suitable customers, why not clear everything at once?"

Shopkeeper Han was clearly tempted, but after scrutinizing everyone for the third time, he still gave a bitter smile and shook his head, "You’re making this difficult for me, Luo. I must tell you, this cloisonné is consigned by someone else for sale at our Xuanyi House. They might have more, but I’m not entirely sure about the specifics."

While saying this, he was rubbing a ring on his hand, "How about you guys buy these items first, and then I’ll help you get in touch? It won’t take long. I only ask that you stay in Yangzhou for a few days."

Luo Yan noticed the shopkeeper’s hand movement. With a strange look in his eyes, he calmly turned to Li Xuan, "Lord Taiji, what do you think?"

Although he seemed to be asking for Li Xuan’s opinion, Li Xuan immediately understood Luo Yan’s look. This shopkeeper had probably become suspicious of them by now! If they didn’t act soon, things might turn for the worse.

Without any hesitation, Li Xuan instantly signaled the three people behind him to take action.

Yue Qianqian took the lead, her hand sent out a blazing yellow talisman. In an instant, the room fell into silence, devoid of any sound.

——The sound of Shopkeeper Han’s voice, the exclamations of the Xuanyi House servants nearby, the sound of Li Xuan’s footsteps, all seemed to have been sucked away by a mysterious power, unable to make even the slightest sound.

Not only the sound, but even the spiritual energy inside this floor of the Xuanyi House had become unusually stiff, as if it were stuck in place.