Otherworldly Merchant

From that day onward, there was no paranormal activity in Ru Xue’s apartment building. The girl was very grateful.

The only regret was that we were unable to get Li Mazi and Ru Xue together.

I initially thought that the duo’s love story had ended here. However, one day, Yin Xinyue told me that Li Mazi and Ru Xue were now seeing each other.

I was puzzled. Those two constantly fought whenever they were around each other, how could they be together?

“What’s going on?” I couldn’t help but ask.

Yin Xinyue simply smiled. “See for yourself. Li Mazi’s coming.”

Li Mazi showed up shortly after, and Ru Xue was with him. She had a small notebook and a pen in her hands. She seemed to be deep in thought, almost hitting the door frame.

I smiled at Yin Xinyue, who sat across from me. It appeared as if these two did have something going on.

Li Mazi was exasperated. “Yin Xinyue, can you please take this woman away from me? Is this some plan to annoy me to death? She’s like a bum beetle that follows me around all day. I can’t even go to the bathroom in peace.”

Yin Xinyue smiled and said nothing. She looked at Ru Xue. “Ru Xue, how is your script coming along?”

“Oh, it’s still somewhat lacking. Right, little Mazi, you said that you had planted many peach trees for Chu Chu. Does she know about it?”

“How would I know that? Does asking me all these questions make you happy? I’m not an encyclopedia! Sooner or later, you’re going to make me die of annoyance. Yin Xinyue, hurry, take her away, please,” Li Mazi begged with a gloomy face.

Now I finally understood what was going on. After Ru Xue heard about Li Mazi and Chu Chu’s love story, her interest was piqued. Since she just so happened to be writing a script about a ‘human and ghost’s love story,’ she now pestered Li Mazi every day to find some sparks of inspiration.

Li Mazi was annoyed to death but couldn’t get rid of her no matter how hard he tried.

Seeing the annoyed Li Mazi and the serious-looking Ru Xue, I couldn’t help but smile. They looked like a quarrelsome but loving couple.

While we were enjoying this ‘joyous’ scene, the door of my antique shop was pushed open, and a bony, listless man walked in.

The first thing I noticed about him wasn’t his thin body, but the strong smell of smoke exuding from his body.

His eyes were sunken, and his teeth yellowed. I specifically observed his fingertips. They were yellowed with some specks of dust. It seemed that he was a hard-core smoker.

All of us settled down, gazing at the man with rapt eyes. “Do you need help?”

“Who’s the boss?” His voice was ginger as he asked.

“I am,” I answered.

“I see.” He lifted his head to throw me a glance, smiling embarrassedly, “Oh… Nevermind, I came to the wrong shop.”

Then, appearing flustered, he hastily ran away.

I was perplexed, staring at his fleeing figure.

Is there something wrong with this fellow? My antique shop is located in the most remote area of this old street. How could he have come here by mistake? 

We didn’t dwell on the man for long, opting to forgo cooking and buying some food for a simple dinner. Eventually, Yin Xinyue and the others left.

While I was about to clean the table, my shop’s door was pushed open again. I went to check, and it was the heavy smoker again!

His shifty eyes observed the shop. After confirming that no one was here except for me, he lowered his voice, greeting me, “Hello.”

I furrowed my brows. “Why are you looking for me?”

“I just wanted to ask if you collected antiques here,” the smoker asked.

Of course, I didn’t buy ordinary antiques. I only collected otherworldly items. Compared to my vast knowledge regarding these special items, my expertise with normal antiques was next to zero. Moreover, it wasn’t easy to evaluate ordinary antiques, and the money I’d made from them couldn’t even compare to the profit that otherworldly items fetched me.

“It depends. I want to see the antique first,” I inquired.

He cautiously said, “It’s a treasure!”

“Oh, is it?” I was interested, “If you don’t mind, can you show me?”

“Oh… Uh-oh, I need to reconsider this one more time,” the man sighed and turned around, leaving again.

Seeing his figure leaving, I was speechless. That fellow must have had some problem. If he couldn’t let go of his antique, why did he even come to me?

I ignored him and just continued with my business.

However, on the evening of the next day, the man unexpectedly returned. This time, he came with something on his back. It was an old, ragged cloth, which contained his treasure, I supposed.

“You’re here again, eh?” I glanced at him, annoyed. “What do you want today?”

“I know your shop collects items that shouldn’t see the light. You don’t need to hide it from me,” he said.

I was speechless. I was running a legitimate business, and even if it was otherworldly item trading, it was a respectable profession. I had never hidden my business. Yet, this guy made me sound so dishonest.

“If you have something to say, just spit it out. If you don’t, please leave.” I waved my hand, somewhat annoyed.

“I wanted to ask you something. How much would that type of item cost?” the heavy smoker asked.

“It depends on the item itself,” I said. “Do you think gold and scrap iron garner the same price?”

“Sir, could you check this item of mine and tell me how much it’s worth?” He suddenly held up the cloth, impolitely charging into the room in the back of my shop.

I shook my head with a wry smile. If he dares to show me some garbage, I’ll kick him out.

The heavy smoker hugged the cloth tight to his chest. He threw a stealthy glance towards my room, asking, “There’s no one else in your house, right?”

Looking at his cautious mannerisms, I was curious about what was inside that cloth.

“I’m alone,” I answered.

He nodded then gently placed the cloth on the table, gently unfurling it. His hands were shaking anxiously.

I didn’t know how precious the thing inside the cloth was, but it was wrapped in three layers. Eventually, the item was revealed.

It was an old-fashioned opium pipe!

My first impression was that this opium pipe was big, very big. It was almost three times larger and longer than an ordinary opium pipe. A small sachet sat alongside it to store tobacco leaves.

The opium pipe was very dazzling, and I wondered if it was gold-plated. The surface had exquisite carved patterns, and if one looked carefully, they would notice that the designs were very realistic. From its appearance, the opium pipe seemed to be a precious antique.

Instinctively, I felt a desire to reach and touch the pipe. The smoker patted my hand away, quickly picked up the pipe, and hugged it against his chest. His actions made me think that he treasured the item more than his father.

I glared at him. “Do you want to sell it or not?”

“Even if I do, you don’t need to touch it. What if you ruin it?”

I felt both amused and angry. How could a simple touch ruin it? That pipe isn’t your wife. Nothing will happen even if I touch it!

“Just give me a price. How much is it worth?” asked the heavy smoker.

“I don’t know,” I responded. “I haven’t had a close look yet. How can I give you a price if I haven’t properly assessed it?”

Looking at his tattered clothes and thin body, I assumed he was broke. If I named him a price of several thousand renminbi, he would probably be extraordinarily happy.

After a quick glance, I deduced that the opium pipe was an antique. Moreover, from the exquisite, complicated carved patterns, it should be something that once belonged to royalty. I could sell it for around a hundred thousand renminbi.

However, that was assuming it was just an ordinary antique. If it were an otherworldly item as this man had stated, the price would be vastly different.

“I need to think one more time,” he said, then left hastily.

I was furious, but there was nothing I could do; I read the sacred text of Daoism to calm myself. Then, I laid on my chair and watched the starry sky, waiting for customers.

Unfortunately, no one else dropped in. However, it was expected as there weren’t many otherworldly items in the world.

Several days later, just when I had almost forgotten about him, the heavy smoker came to my shop again.

This time, just the sight of him made me angry. I waved my hand and said, “Why are you here? I don’t want your item. I won’t buy it even if it’s cheap.”

He said hurriedly, “Sir, don’t be angry. I’m not here to sell the opium pipe.”

I noticed that he didn’t bring his opium pipe along this time.

“So, why are you here?” I was asked in puzzlement.

“I wanted to ask you one thing,” he said, “Do you think a ghost can smoke? How can we make a ghost smoke?”