137: Chapter 137 Haunted House

"Dead?"

Han Jingyang raised an eyebrow. "A natural death or..."

Ye Fei answered in a low voice, "I asked a friend at the Public Security Bureau. It's a cold case."

"A cold case?"

"Yes, it hasn't been solved yet. It's been several years. It looks like murder, but also like suicide. There are many suspicious points."

"That's definitely a haunted house. Where did the current landlord get the guts to buy such a property?"

"It's cheap. It's a full thirty percent cheaper than other villas in the same compound. Besides, whether it's a haunted house or not, nobody really believes in it. Most people just feel uncomfortable or think it's bad luck," Ye Fei said with a wry smile. "Before this, I had the same mindset."

Han Jingyang nodded. "Wait for me for half an hour. I'll go over and check the situation in half an hour."

He added, "However, my fees aren't cheap. Regardless of whether it's successful or not, the appearance fee is one hundred thousand yuan. Other expenses will be decided based on the situation."

Ye Fei gritted his teeth. "Alright."

The cost would ultimately be borne by the landlord; once the expense list was finalized, he would discuss it with the landlord. This fee should rightfully be covered by the landlord.

Han Jingyang carried the large pile of loot into the inner room, locked the door, and began the appraisal.

Let's start with the set of twelve zodiac stone carvings.

Han Jingyang first looked at the patina and the carving style; it was very typical of the mid-Ming Dynasty.

Especially the carving work—rough, grand, and simple.

The facial features of the animals were even more interesting. The anthropomorphic feeling was very strong. At first glance, it felt a bit uncomfortable, even slightly eerie.

But upon closer inspection, the more you looked, the more vivid they seemed.

The patina was very smooth, showing heavy signs of being handled. The condition was excellent, with almost no traces of weathering or chips.

It was an old item.

But it wasn't worth much on the market.

For this whole set, given the age and condition, it wouldn't exceed one thousand yuan.

The size was too small.

Each one was only the size of an infant's fist, much like the currently popular purple clay tea pets.

If sold individually, they might only be worth a few dozen yuan.

This item was truly too niche, with almost no collection value.

But as a dharma instrument, that's another story.

After examining it, Han Jingyang performed an appraisal.

"Name: Ming Xuande Blue Stone Carving of the Twelve Zodiac Signs (Rat)."

"Grade: Fifth Grade."

"Attribute: Concealment +7."

"Skill: Obscure Heavenly Secrets (Set)."

Fifth Grade!

Such an inconspicuous little trinket was actually a Fifth Grade treasure.

Awesome!

Indeed, one cannot judge a dharma instrument by its appearance.

He appraised the next one.

The attributes were almost identical.

However, the skill required the set to be combined to take effect; the system explicitly marked it as a "Set Skill."

Very awesome!

Extremely awesome!

It must be set up in the house.

With such a set of small items, the whole family wouldn't need to worry about divination or prediction-type skills.

Plus, with the Concealment attribute, it might even be able to hide the villa directly, to the point where an average person couldn't even find the front door.

The skill is a set skill.

But the attributes are not.

Han Jingyang counted them up; the attributes of the twelve small stone carvings added up to a total of 76 points.

What kind of concept is this?

It's equivalent to the sum of the attributes of several Third Grade items.

Huge profit!

He continued the appraisal.

This time, it was the three bottles.

These three bottles also lacked any Japanese elements; they were definitely local products.

They were items from the Guangxi era.

Small white-glazed famille rose purification bottles.

With flared rims, slender necks, ring feet, elongated bellies, and erect shoulders, the lines were smooth. They were standard ritual objects for Buddhist use, which later gradually evolved into decorative items.

The condition of these three small purification bottles was quite good; the glaze was fine, the brushwork was smooth and natural, and the blending of the colored pigments was up to standard.

The inscription was a six-character regular script mark reading "Made in the Kangxi Era of the Great Qing," and it was written quite well.

Unfortunately, it was a folk imitation of imperial ware.

It was a famille rose porcelain with a tribute mark, where a folk kiln imitated the Kangxi imperial kiln.

The value of this type of porcelain depends entirely on the level of imitation.

The more it resembled Kangxi porcelain, the higher the price.

The three small purification bottles in Han Jingyang's hands were imitated to a level of 70-80%, with a market price starting at at least fifty thousand.

Since these three were a set, the price could float up another ten or twenty thousand.

Added together, they could easily sell for two hundred thousand.

Of course, that's not the price now.

These are dharma instruments; even adding a zero might not be enough to buy them.

Han Jingyang appraised them in succession.

"Name: Qing Guangxi Famille Rose Purification Bottle with Gan Fengchi Sword Practice Pattern."

"Grade: Seventh Grade."

"Attribute: Spirit Cultivation +2."

"Skill: Everlasting Sword Qi."

"Name: Qing Guangxi Famille Rose Purification Bottle with Lü Siniang Dragon Assassination Pattern."

"Grade: Seventh Grade."

"Attribute: Spirit Cultivation +1."

"Skill: Everlasting Sword Qi."

"Name: Qing Guangxi Famille Rose Purification Bottle with Fu Qingzhu Gathering Pattern."

"Grade: Seventh Grade."

"Attribute: Spirit Cultivation +1."

"Skill: Everlasting Sword Qi."

Good heavens.

This is a "Restore the Ming and Overthrow the Qing" set.

Han Jingyang was shocked.

Gan Fengchi, Lü Siniang, and Fu Qingzhu—these were major anti-Qing figures from the early Qing Dynasty.

Gan Fengchi was a real historical figure. He truly existed in history and was indeed a grandmaster of martial arts, and he genuinely undertook many causes for the restoration of the Ming and the overthrow of the Qing.

Lü Siniang was even fiercer. Legend has it that it was she who cut off the head of the Yongzheng Emperor. Although it is folklore, there is some basis for it; it is not purely fabricated.

Not to mention Fu Qingzhu, one of the top figures among the six great grandmasters of the early Qing. He was a polymath, ranging from calligraphy and painting to medicine, textual research, epigraphy, health preservation, and martial arts; he even practiced Taoist internal alchemy. He was well-versed in the classics of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, and was one of the leaders of the anti-Qing movement at the end of the Ming and beginning of the Qing, skilled in using the sword.

In Liang Yusheng's novels, Fu Qingzhu was portrayed as a martial arts expert with superb sword skills.

In reality, the real Fu Qingzhu was many times more formidable than the Fu Qingzhu in the novels. In thousands of years of history, there haven't been many polymaths like him.

Firing a set of bottles with this theme during the Guangxi era was likely done by some anti-Qing loyalists to commemorate these predecessors.

Then, by some twist of fate, they evolved into dharma instruments and fell into the hands of the Japanese.

These bottles are interesting.

The grade is the lowest.

The attributes are the fewest.

But the skill power is great; it's a purely offensive skill.

It's just not very convenient to carry around; the slightest bump and they would shatter.

However, good things are good things.

Activating these three skills simultaneously, releasing three sword qi beams—how many people in this world could withstand that?

They are suitable for display at home or in the shop.

They can also be used in battles like today's, where preparations can be made in advance.

Good stuff!

Han Jingyang put away the three bottles and turned his gaze to the doll.

Peach wood.

It has some age to it.

The carving style is also local, unrelated to the Japanese.

The carving is quite rough, but it has a somewhat ancient and mysterious feeling.

There are incised line-carved runes on the back.

Judging by the patina, it has a history of two or three hundred years.

It is an old item, but not valuable. The condition is very poor, with absolutely no collection value. If thrown on a street stall, nobody would want it even for twenty yuan.

Appraise.

"Name: Qing Qianlong Peach Wood Carved Doll."

"Grade: Fifth Grade."

"Attribute: Protection +6."

"Skill: Sacrificial Substitution."

Another Fifth Grade.

The Japanese are living quite well.

Good items one after another.

Not only is the grade high, but the attributes and skills are also quite good.

However, these items are all indigenous; they were robbed or stolen by the Japanese. Now, it can only be considered returning them to their rightful owner.

If there's a chance, I must go to Japan and take a look, and recover a few more lost treasures.