Folklore and Strange Tales: At the Start, You Retrieve the Sea-Suppressing Black Iron

When Cheng Xiaojin rode his bicycle to the entrance of Tieguai Li's basement, it was just dawn, and the breakfast stalls in the alley had not yet set up their stalls.

He barely slept last night, partly because those few words kept going over and over in his mind, and partly because the man with the buzz cut downstairs stood there for a full two hours before leaving.

When you push open the tin door with "Li Jixiu" on it, Tieguai Li is already waiting. A new black felt is laid on the workbench, and two iron lumps are placed side by side on the felt.

Cheng Xiaojin stood in front of the table, stunned for three seconds.

Which one is real?

Tieguai Li slammed his cane on the ground, a smug look on his face.

"You see it yourself first."

Cheng Xiaojin bent down, bringing his eyes to within ten centimeters of the table, looking left and right, then moving around to the other side of the table to get a different angle.

The two pieces of iron are almost the same size, the same shape, and the same transition of rust color on their surfaces. Even the irregular protrusions on the edges match up.

"You fucking amazing! I was kind of not used to it."

"Tch, I spent five days working on this. If you could spot it at a glance, then all my work would have been for nothing!"

Tieguai Li took a small scale from the shelf and placed the two pieces of iron on it one after the other to weigh them.

"The one on the left weighs 1.37 jin (approximately 650 grams)."

"The one on the right weighs 1.36 jin, less than a qian off. You can't feel the difference when you weigh it in your hand."

Cheng Xiaojin reached out, picked up the piece on the left first, weighed it in his palm, and then switched to the piece on the right.

The weight is indeed about the same, and the feeling of weight in the hand is almost identical.

He put both pieces of iron back on the felt, bent his right index finger, knuckle bent, and flicked the bottom of the left piece of iron lightly.

Hey~

The sound was clear and bright, with a short, sharp ending that dissipated quickly.

He then played the right side.

Ding~ Buzz...

The last note lingered, circling inside the iron body before slowly coming to a stop, as if something had swum inside.

Dragon's Roar.

Cheng Xiaojin straightened up and pointed to the piece on the right.

"This is true."

Tieguai Li nodded without saying a word, his eyes showing a hint of admiration.

"How did you figure it out? I typed it at least twenty times and the difference was so small it was almost negligible."

"The difference is not small."

Cheng Xiaojin picked up the genuine article and flicked it again, listening intently to the last note before speaking.

"The echo of a genuine artifact goes inward; the sound sinks down and then rises up, like water circulating in a pipe."

"This is fake. The sound radiates outwards, and it disappears as soon as the last note comes out; it can't be retained."

"My grandfather called this internal chanting and external chanting. Dragon chanting must be internal chanting, and the sound must revolve inside the iron body."

After listening for a long time, Tieguai Li remained silent, then took out a pencil from the tool rack and scribbled a few lines in his notebook.

"Inner chanting and outer chanting, this is the first time I've heard this in my twenty years of work."

"Is this your grandfather's special skill?"

"Yes, he said that this sound is related to the internal structure of iron. The lower the carbon content, the denser the iron crystals, and the farther the sound can travel inside."

"You used old iron from the Qing Dynasty, which is much better than modern iron, but compared to the imperial refined iron from the Yongle period, its crystal density is still far inferior."

Tieguai Li tapped the table leg with his cane, and the smugness on his face faded considerably.

"What should we do then? We can't pass the sound test. If the King of Glasses also flicks his finger, we'll be exposed right there."

"Eyeglasses King might not understand this."

Cheng Xiaojin turned the counterfeit over and examined the bottom carefully.

"There are no more than three people in the entire Panjiayuan who can hear the dragon's roar. My grandfather is one, Master Ma can barely be considered half a person, and the rest is me."

"Someone like King of Glasses can appreciate bronzes, porcelains, and other miscellaneous items, but ironware is an extremely niche area, so he probably wouldn't be sure about it."

Tieguai Li thought for a moment and nodded.

"That makes sense, but what if?"

"There's no 'what if'. If he really does play it, I'll be there and I'll find a way to smooth things over."

Cheng Xiaojin took a sewing needle out of his pocket and waved it under the light at the workbench.

"Make the mark first."

He turned the fake over to the bottom, found the thickest rust layer, used the tip of a needle to pry open a small piece of the rusty surface, and slowly, too slowly, to exert any force, carved something on the iron surface underneath.

Tieguai Li came over to take a look, but after a long time he still couldn't figure it out.

"What did you carve?"

"A vertical hook."

Cheng Xiaojin put the needle back in his pocket, picked up a small pinch of rust powder from the table, mixed it with his saliva to form a paste, applied it to the spot he had just carved, and pressed it twice with cotton.

"Once the rust powder covers it, it's completely invisible to the naked eye. You can only feel the scratches by scratching the area with your fingernail."

"No one knows where the mark is except myself."

Tieguai Li clicked his tongue as he watched his actions.

"Did your grandfather teach you that too?"

"My grandfather taught me the craft of authentication, but I figured out how to make marks myself, hehe."

Tieguai Li was amused by him and chuckled twice, tapping his cane on the ground.

"Alright, the deal regarding the counterfeit goods is done."

"What's the next step?"

Cheng Xiaojin separated the two pieces of iron, wrapped the genuine one in cloth and put it in his canvas bag, leaving the fake one on the table.

"Next step, let's have some fresh air."

"What rumor are you spreading?"

"Let the whole Panjiayuan know that Cheng Xiaojin chickened out and wanted to sell his stuff at a low price, but he was too proud to sell it directly to Fatty Sun."

Tieguai Li frowned.

"You call this luring the snake out of its hole?"

"Pretty much. I don't need to actively lead it. I can just let the news grow its own legs and reach Fatty Sun's ears."

Cheng Xiaojin took out his phone from the side pocket of his canvas bag, scrolled through his contacts for a while, and found a name.

Third Master Qi.

The old mastermind of the underground black market in the Bell and Drum Tower area has been a middleman in the Beijing antique underground circle for more than 20 years, profiting from both sides and giving face to both.

This kind of person is perfect for keeping watch, because no one will believe the news he spreads is false.

Cheng Xiaojin dialed the number, and it rang six or seven times before being answered.

"Third Master, I am Cheng Xiaojin, and I have a favor to ask of you."

On the other end of the phone, Third Master Qi's voice was hoarse, tinged with morning grumpiness.

"Little Jin, what's up so early in the morning?"

"I have something I want to sell, but I don't want to give it directly to Sun Bingde; I can't afford to lose face like that."

"Could you please spread the word for me that I'm looking for a reliable middleman to connect me with someone, and that the price is negotiable?"

Master Qi remained silent for two or three seconds.

"What is it?"

"Ironware, old, from the Yongle period."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Third Master Qi laughed.

"Little Gold, are you fishing for me or do you really want to sell?"

"Third Master, you're overthinking it. I'm just a street vendor, how could I possibly have the skill to fish?"

"I'm really scared of trouble. That fat guy is making me so afraid I can't even sleep soundly. I'll just admit defeat, okay?"

Master Qi chuckled twice more.

"Okay, I'll pass on your message, but let me make this clear beforehand: you'll have to pay for the tea and drinks in between."

"Of course, of course. You'll definitely get your share of the tea money once the deal is done."

After hanging up the phone, Cheng Xiaojin put his phone in his pocket and made a gesture towards Tieguai Li.

"The hook's down, just wait."

Tieguai Li looked at him, his crutch slowly spinning in a circle on the ground.

"Are you sure this Master Qi is trustworthy?"

"Unreliable, but useful."

Cheng Xiaojin slung his canvas bag over his shoulder and walked toward the door.

"The kind of person who makes money from both ends is a middleman. Once the news gets to him, it can spread throughout the entire circle in half a day at most."

"Sun Pangzi will definitely find out immediately."