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墨書 Inktalez
"Hu~~~~"
Standing in front of the Red Ant Bar, the Ancient Sorcerer lit a cigarette and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
Looking around, the entire street was bustling with activity, with well-dressed handsome men and beautiful women coming and going. The flashing neon lights and the smell of alcohol in the air created a vibrant nightlife atmosphere.
"It seems this is really not a place for me."
After throwing the cigarette butt on the ground and stamping it out, the Ancient Sorcerer walked forward, intending to find a taxi to leave.
"Ancient Sorcerer, where are you going? I'll give you a ride."
A red BMW pulled up, and inside was Shangguan Yue.
The Ancient Sorcerer glanced at Shangguan Yue and said, "No need."
"Oh..."
Shangguan Yue was taken aback. Not only did the Ancient Sorcerer reject her kind offer, but after looking at her, he continued to walk away with a rather cold demeanor, as if he didn't recognize her at all.
"What an interesting man. What happened to him? Why was he expelled from both school and the military?"
Shangguan Yue watched as the Ancient Sorcerer got into a taxi and left, feeling very curious. If it weren't for the Ancient Sorcerer exposing Jian Liang's scheme in the bar, she might have fallen into his trap. She had originally planned to invite the Ancient Sorcerer to dinner as a thank you, but now it seemed there would be no opportunity.
"Sis, are you at the hospital? If it's convenient, I can come see you now."
After getting into the taxi, the Ancient Sorcerer called Gu Fei.
"Yeah, you're back in Guanghai? Come on over; we can talk when we meet."
Guanghai Maternal and Child Health Hospital covers an area of 40,000 square meters, with a building area of 80,000 square meters. It is one of the largest hospitals in Guanghai, primarily featuring departments such as general outpatient services, obstetrics, gynecology, neonatology, and pediatrics. Among these, the pediatrics department ranks highly internationally, and Gu Fei is the chief physician of this department, only 29 years old, definitely a master among masters.
When Ancient Sorcerer arrived at Guanghai Maternal and Child Health Hospital, it was already 1 AM, but the entire hospital was brightly lit and still bustling with activity.
“Sir, I see you have thick eyebrows and big eyes, with well-defined features and a prosperous appearance. However, your Yintang is darkening; there may be great misfortune ahead. But don’t worry, as long as I give you a fortune reading and guide you through the confusion, you will surely turn misfortune into fortune and achieve great success…”
Ancient Sorcerer looked in the direction of the voice and discovered that there were several fortune-telling booths in a corner near the entrance of Guanghai Maternal and Child Health Hospital. The one shouting was from the booth closest to the edge, where an elderly man around sixty sat. In front of him lay a red cloth about one meter square, with a fortune stick container in the center and a palm-sized compass placed in the upper left corner.
Zhao Gao's eyes lit up. It was already quite late; he had only called out due to his “professional” habit when he saw Ancient Sorcerer approach, not expecting to draw his attention.
People who come to the hospital are usually unwell and psychologically vulnerable. When they fail to seek medical help, they turn to spiritual guidance. Those setting up booths for fortune-telling can naturally attract business by capitalizing on this mindset. Ancient Sorcerer understood this principle well and initially did not intend to pay attention. However, when he saw the piece of Tortoise Shell that the old man was playing with, he immediately squatted down in front of the booth.
“Business seems good.”
This statement caught Zhao Gao off guard. Normally, one would expect the other party to say something like “Master, how is my fortune lately?”
“Ah... it's manageable; it's hard-earned money... How about I read your fortune?”
“No need for that; is that Tortoise Shell you have for sale?”
Ancient Sorcerer did not hesitate and directly pointed at the piece of Tortoise Shell in Zhao Gao's hand.
“You want this piece?”
Zhao Gao opened his right hand to reveal a piece of Tortoise Shell about half the size of his palm.
“Yes, is it for sale?”
Ancient Sorcerer nodded. If it weren't for this Tortoise Shell, he wouldn't have stopped.
"That depends on how much you're willing to pay."
After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Gao decided to wait and see how much Ancient Sorcerer would offer.
"300 bucks."
"Oh, that's too cheap. Look at the color; I can't say it's crystal clear, but the brown mixed with dark brown definitely indicates it's a good piece."
Ancient Sorcerer smiled; it was not surprising at all that the other party would say that.
"Brown or dark brown is the natural color of Tortoise Shell. This piece appears a bit more transparent than usual because it has been handled for years, and sweat has seeped into it. There's nothing strange about that. How about this: I'll add 200 more. If you're willing to sell, then sell; if not, then forget it."
The Tortoise Shell in the other person's hand could only be truly appreciated by a highly skilled sorcerer; even a master collector wouldn't see anything particularly special about it. 500 bucks was already quite a sum. A fortune teller's stall, no matter how good the business was, wouldn't earn much in a day, so Ancient Sorcerer was confident that the other party would be tempted.
Sure enough, seeing Ancient Sorcerer stand up and prepare to leave if no agreement was reached, Zhao Gao began to hesitate.
Charging only 10 bucks for each fortune-telling session meant he would need to read for 50 people to make 500 bucks. Assuming he could manage three sessions a day—which was already considered good business—500 bucks would be half a month's income!
Under the dim yellow streetlight, Zhao Gao looked at the Tortoise Shell in his hand. The semi-transparent Tortoise Shell glimmered with a yellow light, but he knew that Ancient Sorcerer was absolutely right; this color was merely due to his long-term handling of it. More importantly, he had picked this piece up three years ago by a small ditch, and it definitely wasn't anything valuable.
So 500 bucks really wasn't low.
However, even though he was already tempted, Zhao Gao kept his composure and said:
"If it were an ordinary Tortoise Shell, then 500 bucks would indeed not be low. But this Tortoise Shell is used for my fortune-telling; it possesses spiritual qualities and is excellent for warding off evil. Not to mention 500 bucks—it's worth 5,000 or even 50,000."
"It seems we have nothing more to discuss."
The Ancient Sorcerer understood that regardless of whether he wanted the Tortoise Shell or not, he could not negotiate any further at this point; otherwise, the other party would definitely continue to drive a hard bargain. So he simply turned and walked away.
"Wait a moment..."
Zhao Gao immediately stood up and called out loudly, "The price is negotiable."
Stopping in his tracks, the Ancient Sorcerer turned around and said, "You know how much the Tortoise Shell in your hand is worth; I know it too. So don't ask for an outrageous price, or there will be nothing more to say."
Zhao Gao shrank his neck slightly. For some reason, he felt that the other person's eyes shot out a piercing light, as if they could see through his heart.
"Well, at least it has to be 1000."
"800; that's my final offer."
The Ancient Sorcerer secretly breathed a sigh of relief but did not show any sign of easing up.
"800 it is. Cash on delivery."
Zhao Gao gritted his teeth, looking pained. The Ancient Sorcerer smiled indifferently, said nothing, and after taking out the money from his wallet and handing it over, he took the Tortoise Shell and walked toward the hospital.
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