I have seen dragons

Chapter 52 Qi Dian's Mission

However, the small amount of popularity from the live stream didn't translate into much foot traffic. The next day, the agency still hadn't seen a single visitor. Occasionally, passersby would take photos outside, laughing and sharing them online, as if they were treating it like a tourist attraction.

Come to think of it, people troubled by evil spirits wouldn't be in the mood to watch live streams.

The people who came to see Yue Wen that day were all just people who had nothing better to do and were looking for fun. The probability of any of them living in City Seven and about to encounter an evil event was extremely small.

However, at least the name has been established, and the effect is definitely better than posting small ads and distributing flyers.

The next day, after 10 a.m., still no one had come to their door, so Yue Wen and Zhao Xing'er left together and rode their electric scooter to Baozhilin.

He had already messaged Qi Dian yesterday. Qi Dian was currently on security duty at the Baozhilin venue and was only free during lunchtime, so Yue Wen arranged to treat him to lunch nearby. They set off a little early to appraise some of their loot.

Baozhilin has become noticeably busier during this period. The main venue is preparing for the upcoming auction, and upon entering the array area, one can see multiple cultivators in training clothes making strict arrangements.

Providing security services to local businesses or wealthy individuals has always been one of the sources of income for sects. Even the most prestigious ancient immortal sects in the human realm undertake such tasks to maintain social order and earn a living.

Yue Wen looked on with envy. Only the major sects that could hold sway in the local area could accept such a commission; they were still far from being able to do so.

The evil cultivators and petty thieves around Jiangcheng City, upon hearing that the Xuanfeng Temple or Linjiang Gate were responsible for security here, immediately gave way. But if I heard it was the Yue Clan Cultivation Agency, then I'd have to show off my professional skills.

Nothing can be done.

The wait was a little longer than last time. After queuing for a while, their service number appeared on the display screen outside the room. Yue Wen and Zhao Xing'er walked into the room together, wearing masks.

Zhao Xing'er was initially reluctant to come, but Yue Wen insisted that she come along to hear about the value of these items. After all, they were spoils of war fought by the two of them, and he couldn't take responsibility for them all by himself.

"Hello, gentlemen. I am Guan Bo, appraiser number 65 from Baozhilin." A slightly overweight middle-aged man sat behind the table, giving a polite smile.

Compared to the young people last time, the middle-aged people this time seem more reliable. After all, when it comes to appraisal, older people are more trustworthy.

"Master Guan," Yue Wen greeted him, then expertly took out an item from his jade pendant. "Let's begin."

"Okay." Guan Bo nodded.

Yue Wenxian pulled out the piece of meat that he didn't know what it was and asked, "Can you tell what this is and what its effects are?"

Guanbo put on gloves, approached the hard chunk of meat to examine its texture, and looked up, saying, "Can I cut it? It won't damage its spirituality or efficacy, otherwise it will be difficult to judge."

"Okay," Yue Wen agreed.

Guan Bo then took out a shiny little knife and gently sliced ​​it on the piece of meat, releasing a faint, spiritual aroma.

"This should be the flesh and blood of some kind of demon beast with spiritual power leaning towards lightning and earth. After refining, its spiritual power was solidified inside. It's non-toxic, but the taste is so-so. The method is rough, like it was refined by a demon. Human cultivators' refining methods would be more refined." Guan Bo concluded while examining it. "If it was obtained near Jiangcheng City, I personally guess it might be a Sand Thunder Bear from the wasteland. After being killed by other demons, it refined a portion of its flesh and blood and kept it for later cultivation."

"The effect is that when you take it in advance while practicing martial arts techniques, it can strengthen your qi and blood and boost your strength for a period of time, making your training more effective. This stuff takes effect slowly and has little practical use in actual combat. You can only take a small piece at a time, and you can't take too much...it can cause constipation."

"Here, you can have this." Yue Wen pushed it to Zhao Xing'er.

Zhao Xing'er looked at him and asked, "Boss, are you constipated?"

"I haven't practiced martial arts much..." Yue Wen said speechlessly, feeling as if his good intentions had been taken for granted.

Zhao Xing'er frowned and said, "Actually, I don't want to eat it either. This thing looks pretty awful."

"If you don't like the texture, you can dip it in some barbecue sauce, and it will taste similar to beef jerky," Guan Bo reminded him.

"Just keep it, don't waste any more time." Yue Wen pushed the meat toward Zhao Xing'er, and smiled at Guan Bo with satisfaction. He really was an experienced chef, giving her all sorts of practical advice.

Actually, he hoped that Zhao Xing'er could get something useful, otherwise he would feel embarrassed to just take advantage of the young girl.

After Zhao Xing'er put away the piece of monster meat, Yue Wen took out the box of potions and asked, "What is the purpose of this?"

"A combat potion?" Guan Bo glanced at it and checked the packaging box. "It should be a low-quality power enhancement potion with strong side effects. Too much of it can damage your brain. It's usually given to spirit pets and demon beasts. If a human cultivator's physique is strong enough to withstand the side effects, then they don't need to add this power."

"So it's a veterinary combat drug." Yue Wen was somewhat disappointed.

Huang Dahu can fight this, but the two of them definitely can't, so keeping it is useless. Besides, with potions like this, if the packaging isn't complete, it'll be hard to sell secondhand; everyone will be worried about the risks.

"Keep it," Zhao Xing'er said. "What if we raise a silly roe deer as a pet someday?"

"You think the roe deer is cute after you've killed it, huh..." Yue Wen complained, then pulled out two more things, "Oh right, these two too."

He also took out the hammer and wrench belonging to the Paozi brothers, saying, "These two things are just simple tools, but they are extremely hard. They haven't been damaged even when they collided with some divine weapons. Could you also help me identify what materials they are made of?"

Although this tool is useless, if the materials are valuable, it should still be able to fetch a good price.

Originally, they thought they'd just ask around since they were already there, but when Guan Bo saw the two tools, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "These are tools from the Tiangong Sect craftsmen?"

"Hmm?" Yue Wendao asked, "The Heavenly Craftsmen?"

He had heard of this sect before; it was a well-known craftsman sect in the cultivation world, originating from an ancient lineage. They were highly skilled in weapon crafting, formations, and architecture, and many famous magical artifacts and buildings were their creations. "That's right, the materials are all Nine-Fold Dao Pattern Steel, which only the Heavenly Craftsmen can refine. Who would use such precious materials to forge these tools? They're all kept by the masters of the Heavenly Craftsmen for their own use. Usually, there's a number on the bottom of the handle." Guan Bo picked up the hammer and turned it upside down to take a look.

Sure enough, there was a number printed on the bottom of the hammer: "4090".

Yue Wen looked at the wrench again, and sure enough, there was an inconspicuous number on the bottom.

"How did the tools belonging to the craftsmen of the Heavenly Crafts Sect end up in the hands of those two demons?" Yue Wen frowned in thought, then a possibility came to mind, "Could it be..."

“The craftsmen would never be without these tools. If you seized them from the monsters, they were likely lost in the wilderness and picked up by the monsters, or…” Guan Bo paused and said, “The craftsmen were murdered.”

"It's better to return this kind of thing to its owner," Yue Wen said.

There is a rather vague unspoken rule in the cultivation world regarding the ownership of treasures.

If you directly snatch treasure from someone else, then you are definitely a robber. But if your magical artifact is stolen by a demon, and I recover it from the demon, then I will not bear any responsibility.

Of course, if the original owner wants to get the treasure back, the two parties will usually negotiate a reasonable price amicably.

However, there is still no clear law defining this kind of thing. After all, there are still many gray areas. For example, if I hire a monster to steal your treasure and then give it to me, who knows how that happened?

Sometimes, it comes down to who has higher moral character and who can be more assertive.

These tools used by the craftsmen of the Heavenly Craft Sect are useless to them; they're numbered and no one would dare buy them... Besides, no one else would need them anyway. If they were returned to their rightful owner, the major sect would surely understand human relationships and would offer some form of thanks, not treating you unfairly.

In this case, the biggest gain might actually be these two tools.

Yue Wen hesitated for a moment when he picked up the hammer and wrench, but in the end he thought that he was not rich and, based on the principle of not wasting, he would recycle both the valuable and the cheap. Who would have thought that he would have an unexpected gain.

Thank you, poverty.

……

After leaving the room for appraisal and going downstairs, I saw Qi Dian already waiting in the lobby.

He was still wearing that same worn-out training uniform, his bangs covering his eyes, and he had a cool expression. When he saw Yue Wen and Zhao Xing'er come down, he greeted them with a smile, "I saw your performance in the live stream, it was great, I even sent you a big flying saucer."

"Thanks to your recommendation, that's why I've come to properly thank you," Yue Wen said with a smile.

After meeting several times, Qi Dian and Qi Dian became quite familiar with each other and stopped being so polite. The three of them walked outside chatting and laughing, and went to a restaurant near Baozhilin.

This is the shop that Qi Dian chose. There are very few restaurants on this street, and this one is the closest to Baozhilin, but when we arrived, it was closed.

"Why isn't the door open in broad daylight?" Zhao Xing'er asked, puzzled.

"I don't know what happened," Yue Wen said. "Let's go to another place."

“There’s only one restaurant around here. If we go too far and there’s an emergency, I won’t be able to get back in time. That won’t do,” Qi Dian said. “Let’s just order takeout and eat together back in the room.”

"Alright, that's the only way," Yue Wen said. "I'll order a deluxe takeout."

"I'll do it," Zhao Xing'er said again. "I managed to snag some coupons again recently."

"Oh dear, how can I let you pay for my friend's meal?" Yue Wen said.

“Qi Dian is also my friend,” Zhao Xing’er said.

“You’re the assistant, so of course I’ll pay the bill…” Yue Wen said.

"Don't forget how much you earn a month," Zhao Xing'er said.

"..."

Qi Dian watched this scene and suddenly smelled a familiar scent. He tentatively said, "How about I..."

The two of them turned around at the same time and looked at him together: "That's not good!"

……

After Qi Dian finished ordering takeout, Yue Wen asked, "Is your security mission this intense? You can't even eat far apart for a moment."

“In previous years it was fine, but this year the final item at the Baozhilin Auction is in high demand. It’s said that some demonic forces have their eyes on this item, so we’re keeping a close watch on it day and night,” Qi Dian said.

Yue Wen asked curiously, "What is it that's so attractive?"

Qi Dian replied, "It is a bronze cauldron from Snake Mountain."

　Good morning.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)