Those Years When I Appraised Treasures At The Pawnshop - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Apprentice Pawnbroker

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Chen Shaojun’s head was dizzy. It was as if a heavy hammer had smashed into his head. He felt very uncomfortable.

He opened his eyes with great difficulty. There was only a table in the spacious room. On the table, an oil lamp was burning brightly.

Meanwhile, beside the oil lamp was a piece of green jade.

Where was this?

Just as he was wondering, fragmented memories suddenly appeared in his mind.

Through the memories in his mind, he was almost certain that he had transmigrated.

This place was not the Earth from his previous life, nor was it any dynasty from his memories.

Instead, he was the Great Zhou Dynasty. It was currently the 97th year of the Sheng De Era.

That was right. Ever since Emperor Sheng De ascended the throne at the age of 35, he had been in power for 97 years.

Moreover, there was no news that his body was unwell. It was unknown just how many more years he could sit on the throne.

It was obvious.

This was not an ordinary world.

Of course, ordinary people could not really live beyond 100 years old.

One would know their fate by the age of 50. Meanwhile, living 60 years was considered a long life.

The reason why Emperor Sheng De was able to live over a hundred years was said to be because… he had succeeded in his cultivation.

Without a doubt, this was a world with cultivation.

Demons and ghosts ran rampant, while the Dao and martial arts coexisted… Chaos, strangeness, demons, ghosts, and all sorts of legends existed in this world.

It was a prosperous era for ambitious people, but it was a nightmare for ordinary people.

He was an ordinary person.

He had signed a slave contract and became a pawnbroker at the Lin Pawnshop in the capital.

What was a pawnbroker?

To put it simply, he was an appraiser in a pawnshop who appraised the value of the items in exchange for silver.

Generally speaking, being able to become an apprentice pawnbroker of a pawnshop meant that in the future, he might be able to hold his own in the court. This could be considered a meteoric rise in his career.

After all, in the pawnshop, the status of a pawnbroker was not low. They were only below the shopkeeper.

Even the shopkeeper had to take good care of high-leveled pawnbrokers.

However…

After all, this world was extraordinary.

Humans died and ghosts lived, while demons frequently appeared. Furthermore, there were all kinds of strange and mysterious items.

Moreover, if the pawnbroker appraised ordinary items, then it would be fine. However, if they came into contact with some special items, once they didn’t have corresponding methods to deal with them, it was extremely likely that they would endanger and lose their lives.

Therefore, in this world, being a pawnbroker was definitely not a good profession. It was even a high-risk profession.

Chen Shaojun remembered this very clearly.

Half a year ago, when he first entered the Lin Pawnshop, there were 12 apprentices like him. Now, there were only seven left.

Even though not all of them suffered mishaps, there were still some who might have taken the path of making a living through their connections.

However, the dangers of this industry were evident.

“This world is too unusual and dangerous.”

After sorting out the memories in his mind, Chen Shaojun felt a chill run down his spine.

Who would have thought that an ordinary, non-living object could endanger his life?

Furthermore, in this world, there were countless non-living things that could threaten his life.

If possible, he was unwilling to stay here any longer.

He had to switch to a safer industry.

He believed that with his memories and knowledge from his previous life, even if he did not have anything, it would not be difficult for him to survive in this world. After settling down for a period of time, even if he wanted to learn the legendary Dao and martial arts techniques, he should have plenty of ways to do so.

However…

He had signed a slave contract with the Lin Pawnshop.

Slave contracts in the Great Zhou Dynasty had a legal effect.

Once he dared to escape, the Lin family would immediately capture him, regardless of whether he lived or died.

Furthermore, after reporting to the authorities, the authorities would also issue a notice to arrest him and send out constables to track him down. At the same time, he would not be able to obtain his household registration and could only hide for the rest of his life.

With his methods, even if he was lucky enough to run out of the city, it would be extremely difficult for him to survive, let alone escape the pursuit of the authorities.

After all, those constables were all trained in martial arts.

Even the Lin family had their own servants and guards. Each and every one of them were people who could single handedly fight against ten people.

He did not resent his father for selling him to the Lin family. After all, his family was poor. They only had three paddy fields and five children. If he was not sent away, at least a few of them would starve to death. As a sickly child, he might have been the first one to die.

If he was sent to the Lin family, he would be able to eat and have a chance to survive.

“Therefore, for the time being, I can only stay in the Lin Pawnshop.”

Chen Shaojun sighed and finally returned to reality. He looked at the green jade on the table.

His face was filled with uncertainty.

This ancient jade was an appraisal item given to him by the pawnshop.

The pawnshop was a place for business. Every day, various items would be gathered and pawned. The rare and special items would naturally be handled by the official pawnbrokers in the pawnshop, while the ordinary items would be distributed to the apprentice pawnbrokers in the pawnshop.

Some of the ordinary items had been appraised and were given to the apprentices as tests. Others were raw materials that had yet to be verified. They had unknown origins and contained an uncertain amount of danger.

Obviously, this green jade was a raw material.

At the thought of his sudden transmigration and rebirth, Chen Shaojun had no choice but to be wary of this green jade.

He wanted to turn around and leave.

However, he knew that the pawnshop was never a kind place. If he could not complete this task, he would be punished and whipped.

After all, the status of an apprentice pawnbroker was not much higher than the servants in the pawnshop.

Chen Shaojun took a deep breath and carefully picked up the ancient green jade. Then, he observed it carefully.

When appraising raw materials like this, apart from the necessary observations, the most important thing was the unique method that only pawnbrokers possessed, the ‘Divine Vision’ technique.

The so-called ‘Divine Vision’ technique involved using one’s spirit to observe.

Every person possessed spiritual powers, which were relatively weak and hard to detect in ordinary people.

However, the pawnbrokers in the Lin Pawnshop could use a special method to condense their spiritual powers and expand it by ten times in an instant. This allowed them to detect the special attributes of the items that needed to be appraised.

Chen Shaojun had been in the pawnshop for half a year. Thus, he had naturally mastered the Divine Vision technique.

Every time he used it though, it was extremely taxing on his mind. He would need at least several hours of rest to recover afterward.

Furthermore, when he used the ‘Divine Vision’ technique, it was also the time when he had the closest contact with the items he needed to appraise. As a result, it was also the time when he was the weakest and in the most danger.

If the treasure he appraised contained a dangerous aura, he could only forcefully resist it.

One of the five former apprentices had encountered a mishap and disappeared from the pawnshop.

But Chen Shaojun remained calm and focused. His eyes narrowed and his breathing slowed.

With a special rhythm, the qi and blood in his body surged towards his head.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes…

This was the process of gathering power. It was slow and firm.

Shua!

At that moment, his eyes widened as a beam of light shot out and entered the green jade.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths…

Chen Shaojun’s face gradually turned pale, and he looked dispirited. It was obvious that using the Divine Vision Technique consumed a lot of energy.

After a while, he finally looked away and let out a long breath.

Fortunately, nothing happened.

However, just as he was rejoicing, his mind went into a trance.

Boundless white clouds appeared in front of him. At the edge of the white clouds, it looked like a majestic palace had appeared. Upon closer look, regardless of whether it was the boundless white clouds or the majestic palace, they were only reflected in an ancient and majestic Eight-Directional Spirit Realm.

Furthermore, above the Eight-Directional Spirit Realm, there were several strange runes.

The moment he saw the runes, he understood what they meant.

This was the Psychic Treasure Mirror..