34: Chapter 34 High Substitute

Han Jingyang walked into the shop carrying his compass, momentarily startled by the intense gazes inside.

"What was this? Were they going to eat him?"

Outwardly, however, he remained calm.

He walked in steadily, glanced around, and nodded slightly, acknowledging everyone in the shop before asking Zhou Yucheng, "Where are the items?"

Zhou Yucheng hurriedly gestured for him to follow, saying, "They are all in the safe."

"Bring them out."

"All of them?"

"Yes. I need to choose carefully; placing dharma instruments must be done according to the specific environment."

"Right, right," Zhou Yucheng hurriedly signaled a shop assistant to go to the back and retrieve the goods.

The manager was a middle-aged man in his fifties.

After sizing Han Jingyang up for a moment, he suddenly said, "Isn't this Boss Han?"

"And you are?"

"My surname is Wang, the manager of Jingpin Tianxia. You came by once half a month ago, right?"

"You have a good memory, Manager Wang."

"Why the sudden change in career?"

"The antique business isn't profitable, so I'm trying a different path."

"Heh, it certainly is a path. It's just that even a rabbit doesn't eat the grass around its own burrow. Boss Han, this..."

"Do you have an opinion?"

"No, no, no, no. I have no opinion, just a few insignificant thoughts. We all make a living on this same street; some things shouldn't be taken too far. I've seen all those so-called dharma instruments that Professor Zhou brought back. They are all common goods, worth maybe three hundred thousand in total, yet you asked for nearly three million. Isn't that a bit..."

Han Jingyang smiled but offered no explanation.

How could one explain such things?

And why should he explain anything to a manager?

To put it nicely, he was a manager; to put it bluntly, he was just a hired store clerk.

The owner didn't have any objections, so what was the store clerk blathering about here?

Therefore, he shook his head. "You should say these things to your boss."

"I cannot just sit by and watch Professor Zhou get taken for a ride."

"That is a matter between you and Professor Zhou. By bypassing Professor Zhou to tell me this, don't you think you are overstepping your bounds?"

This was a severe reprimand.

It was practically pointing at Manager Wang's nose and calling him a busybody who was more anxious than the person actually concerned.

Manager Wang's expression changed on the spot.

At this moment, Zhou Yucheng emerged from the back.

He swept his gaze across the room, glared fiercely at Manager Wang, and then warmly said to Han Jingyang, "Don't mind them. Let's continue."

Han Jingyang's heart remained completely unmoved.

Not to mention that he was no longer an ordinary person, even before this, he wouldn't have lost his composure over a few words from Manager Wang.

He believed his emotional management was quite good.

Now, it mattered even less.

Some say that all anger stems from one's own incompetence.

This statement is somewhat biased, but it applies to most situations.

Now, even glaring at Manager Wang would be beneath his station.

Faced with such provocation, one should either completely ignore it or casually eliminate it; any other choice would be a waste of time and energy.

Therefore, he didn't even glance at Manager Wang.

He casually picked up a Republic-era Bronze Pixiu, weighed it in his hand, and walked straight to the counter facing the door.

He observed the compass as he walked.

It took him only about ten seconds to find the suitable spot.

He placed the Bronze Pixiu there, adjusted its orientation slightly, and made a mark with a pen. "Right here."

Zhou Yucheng nodded hurriedly. "Right, right. This one is for attracting wealth, right?"

"Yes, but the effect is quite average. This Bronze Pixiu is a most basic dharma instrument, so the improvement will be limited. You should be mentally prepared for that."

"I know, I know," Zhou Yucheng nodded hurriedly. "Let's start with this, and we can replace it with better ones later."

Han Jingyang remained noncommittal.

This Bronze Pixiu was the lowest-level item, Rank 7, with +1 attributes and no skills.

Placing it in the shop was, at best, better than nothing.

Of course, business at Jingpin Tianxia was already quite good, and with this small boost, the effect should be better than the data on paper suggested.

Han Jingyang subsequently placed a few other small items in their appropriate positions.

After making marks and notes, he said to Zhou Yucheng, "We'll leave it like this for now. Do not change or move anything until you find better substitutes."

Zhou Yucheng nodded hurriedly and instructed Manager Wang, "Old Wang, treat this as a serious matter. Arrange what needs to be arranged, hang what needs to be hung, frame what needs to be framed, and consecrate what needs to be consecrated."

Manager Wang, of course, dared not contradict his own boss.

Outside, Zhou Yucheng drove personally. "Little Han, what use do those items placed in the shop have?"

"The Pi Xiu attracts wealth, while the other pieces are decorative. They can regulate the shop's magnetic field, creating an environment that makes people feel more comfortable and relaxed."

"Is that so?" Zhou Yucheng asked tentatively. "Are there any higher-tier substitutes?"

A higher-tier substitute meant a more advanced replacement.

Clearly, Zhou Yucheng was no longer satisfied with those basic dharma instruments and wanted better ones.

This indirectly showed that he trusted Han Jingyang and his dharma instruments one hundred percent; otherwise, he wouldn't be asking about higher-tier substitutes right after they had just been set up.

Han Jingyang shook his head. "dharma instruments are scarce resources. Even I don't know what the next item to undergo Consecration will be; it depends on luck and fate."

He paused here and gave a faint warning. "In the future, do not hoard goods like this. I do not want to implement any purchase limits because of your behavior; I would prefer everyone to be self-disciplined."

Zhou Yucheng hurriedly apologized. "It is my fault. I was only thinking about supporting your business; I will certainly not make this mistake again."

After speaking, he stole a glance at Han Jingyang.

Seeing that Han Jingyang's expression hadn't changed, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief and carefully changed the subject. "Little Han, are those dharma instruments all converted from antiques?"

"Yes. I call this process Consecration. Do you have any questions?"

"No, no. I mean, I have quite a few antiques in my shop. Would you like to take some time to see if any of them can undergo Consecration?"

"You have a good plan."

"I absolutely have no intention of calculating against you. I am sincerely inviting you to take a look. As long as it's something you fancy, you can take it at the wholesale price. Whether you take it to perform Consecration or resell it, I don't care. It's not for anything else, just to apologize; I was indeed not very polite regarding that previous matter."

Han Jingyang raised an eyebrow.

This Zhou Yucheng was really willing to spend big.

He had thought the old guy just wanted to freeload off his Appraisal Technique, but it turned out to be a favor.

As long as it was something he fancied, he could take it at the wholesale price.

This meant he could empty out Jingpin Tianxia at a relatively affordable price and make a huge profit by reselling them.

Wholesale prices were significantly lower than market prices, anywhere from ten percent to thirty or forty percent less.

If he emptied out Jingpin Tianxia at wholesale prices and resold them at market prices, his net profit would be at least ten percent.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do that.

Because he had just told Zhou Yucheng that doing business required self-discipline and not putting the other party in an awkward position.

He couldn't lecture someone one moment and then knowingly commit the same offense the next, could he?

That's not how one conducts oneself.

Moreover, his persona was that of a master of metaphysics, so he had to conduct himself with more grace.

He could strive to make money, but he couldn't be consumed by greed.

Therefore, he shook his head gently. "There's no need."

Zhou Yucheng still wanted to insist.

Han Jingyang raised his voice slightly. "Do not use your fixed mindset to speculate on my actions, and do not make pointless probes. I have neither the interest nor the inclination to engage in mind games with you."