Chapter 009: Cooperation to Exorcise Evil Spirits
"Isn't this the guy?" Xu Lai went up to say hello.
"Damn it, how dare you come here!" Sun Muyu got furious when he saw him. Fortunately, Gao Xiang pulled him back and he didn't rush up to hit him.
"What's wrong?" Xu Lai asked.
"What else, you fucking you..." Sun Muyu was so angry that he couldn't continue speaking halfway.
When people asked him what happened, what should he say? Should he say that he wanted to use the abbreviation to trick him, but he got tricked instead?
How could he say such a disgusting thing?
"Haha, they are all trivial matters. After all, we are in the same industry. How about shaking hands and making peace?" Xu Lai said with a smile.
Damn it!
Sun Muyu really wanted to go up and beat him up.
Is this a small matter? Do you know how embarrassing it is for him in front of so many junior students? Now it has spread all over WeChat Moments, okay?
How is he going to survive in Jiangning City in the future?
"Call Xu Lai, do you want to reconcile with us?" Gao Xiang grabbed Sun Muyu.
Sun Muyu told him everything that happened before. Since this person was able to stick the shrinking talisman on Sun Muyu without anyone noticing, it showed that this person was quite capable.
"Yes, we are all in the same industry, so let's not worry about trivial matters and cooperate well in the future." Xu said.
Sun Muyu was furious when he heard this. Damn, this guy had just dealt a blow to him, but now he came over like nothing had happened and was talking about cooperating.
"Yeah, I think so too. We can become friends only after fighting." Gao Xiang acted as a peacemaker.
Sun Muyu was about to explode when Gao Xiang winked at him, knowing what he was planning, and he managed to suppress his anger. Then Xu Lai asked, "I want to ask you something. Is there anyone selling compasses here?"
"Brother, do you want to buy a compass? I know a place. How about I take you there?" Gao Xiang said with a smile.
"That's a bit of a bother for you two. Just tell me the place." Xu said.
"It's not a problem. We just happen to be going there for something. Come on, let's go together." Gao Xiang said, and pulled Xu Lai to set off together.
Sun Muyu followed behind him, took out her phone and sent WeChat messages to Gao Xiang frantically: "What's going on? What the hell are you doing? Are you really going to shake hands with him and make peace?"
Seeing that Xu Lai wasn't paying attention, Gao Xiang replied, "Why are you in such a hurry? Find a chance to beat him back."
When Sun Muyu heard his buddy say this, he immediately felt relieved.
The three of them walked along the street for about ten minutes, then turned an alley, and after several twists and turns, they entered a rather narrow street.
"Brother, this place is Malan Street. Everything you are looking for can be found here," Gao Xiang introduced.
Xu looked at both sides of the street and said with a sigh: "I really couldn't find the way without you leading the way."
Sun Muyu sneered, you’ll be in trouble later.
Gao Xiang led the two of them for a while and turned into an inconspicuous grocery store, which was filled with pots, pans, children's toys and other things. There was a sign on the ground: Qianji.
"Boss Qian, Boss Qian." Gao Xiang shouted into the store.
After a while, someone responded from inside, and a thin old man came out from among the dazzling array of goods. He was wearing reading glasses and had the temperament of an old scholar.
"Hey, you two are here." Boss Qian greeted them. It was obvious that he was an acquaintance of Gao Xiang and Sun Muyu.
"I'm here to introduce some business to you." Gao Xiang said with a smile.
Boss Qian looked at Xu Lai through his reading glasses and said with a smile, "You look unfamiliar. You must have just come from out of town, right?"
Xu Lai smiled and said yes, he was tired outside and wanted to go home to visit.
Boss Qian said with a smile, "No matter how much gold and silver there is outside, it can't compare to what's at home. What would you like to order, young man?"
"Buy a compass." Xu said.
"Which one do you want?" asked Boss Qian.
"Let's have the Sanyuan Plate." Xu said.
There are certain types of compasses. Nowadays, there are three most common types: Sanyuan compass, Sanhe compass and Sanyuan Sanhe compass. Of course, there are other more niche types, such as Yi compass and Xuankong compass, but they are not so easy to find.
The Sanyuan pan that Xu Lai wanted was the most common type of compass.
Boss Qian nodded and said, "Wait a minute." Then he turned and went into the store. After a while, he took out an object wrapped in a black velvet bag and handed it to me: "Take a look first."
Xu Lai opened it, took out the compass inside, took a quick glance at it, and then looked at the compass's Tianchi.
A compass, also known as a compass instrument, consists of three parts.
The most central of them is Tianchi, also called the seabed, which is the compass. It consists of a thimble, a magnetic needle, and a bottom line, and is located in the center of the inner disk.
The other two parts are the inner disk and the outer disk.
There are many concentric circles printed on the inner disk. Each circle is called a layer. Each layer has a different number of grids, ranging from hundreds to several hundred grids. Different contents are engraved according to different schools.
The outer plate is square and serves as the tray for the inner plate. There is a small hole on each of the four outer points, through which a red line is inserted to form the Ten Paths of the Center of Heaven, which is used to read the contents of the inner plate.
The plate that Boss Qian took out was finely crafted and indeed a good item.
"Boss Qian, how much is this?" Xu Lai asked.
"Since you were introduced by an acquaintance, I'll give you the cheapest price. Just give me 8,000 yuan. What do you think?" said Boss Qian.
"This thing is really good, but it's too expensive." Xu Lai clicked his tongue a few times and said, "Boss, would you like to rent this compass? I'll just use it for a day."
Boss Qian was stunned by what he said. Where can you rent this compass?
"I'll give you 100 yuan for a day's rent, what do you think?" Xu Lai asked.
"This won't work." Boss Qian shook his head and looked at Gao Xiang, wondering where he found this customer.
Gao Xiang and Sun Muyu also felt embarrassed listening to this, but they couldn't say anything at this time because they were the ones who brought the person here.
"How much is the cheapest compass?" Xu Lai asked.
Boss Qian quoted a number: "The lowest is two thousand, but the workmanship is much worse."
"Are there any cheaper ones?"
"Well...why don't we just buy it online? It costs dozens of dollars," Boss Qian suggested.
"That won't work. It can't be used." Xu said.
Boss Qian, you also know that that can’t be used!
"Boss, do you have any second-hand goods? It doesn't matter if they are a little torn?"
"There is one." Boss Qian remembered that there was indeed one in the store. "I'll sell it to you for twelve thousand."
"Six hundred, maybe."
"No, the minimum is one thousand!"
"Eight hundred?"
"no!"
"Eight hundred and five?"
“…”
Boss Qian was speechless, Gao Xiang and Sun Muyu were embarrassed. What kind of person is this? He is a mage, is he really so shabby?
Finally, the deal was done at a price of nine hundred and fifty. Boss Qian took out a second-hand compass. Xu Lai checked it and found the workmanship was okay. Although it was a bit old and had some damage, it could be basically used after some repairs. He was quite satisfied.
"Boss, do you have any acacia seeds?" Xu Lai asked. Acacia seeds are red beans, also known as acacia beans.
"Yes, how much do you want?" Acacia seeds are a very common material in the industry, so Boss Qian naturally has them in stock.
"Let's start with three pounds." Xu Lai estimated and gave a number.
Boss Qian was drinking tea and almost spit it out.
Three pounds! When did the acacia seeds start to be sold by the pound? Do you really think they are red beans and take them home to make soup?
"Not that much?" Xu Lai calculated. If it wasn't three kilograms, two kilograms would be about the same.
I only heard Boss Qian say, "Yes, yes, I'll get it for you later."
After a while, Boss Qian came out with a white cloth bag and said, "It's exactly three pounds. Let me tell you, no bargaining. This is already the cheapest!" He gave us a heads-up.
This time Xu Lai really didn't bargain, because acacia seeds are cheap, and even three pounds would not cost too much.
"Boss, the stuff here is really good. I'll come again next time." Xu Lai was quite satisfied with the goods in this store.
Boss Qian laughed, thinking that it would be better for you not to come. At this time, Gao Xiang asked, "Boss Qian, do you have any good jobs to recommend today?"
"You're not going to lie, it's true," said Boss Qian.
"Then we're done." Gao Xiang said with a smile.
"But...these two jobs are not easy to handle." Boss Qian reminded.
Gao Xiang was delighted when he heard this. He was looking forward to encountering a difficult situation, so he said hurriedly, "With Mu Yu and I here, what are you afraid of? Tell me now."
Xu Lai put the acacia seeds and the compass into a bag, and saw Boss Qian take out a notebook and talk to Gao Xiang and Sun Muyu about something about the Wang family and the Zhao family, and then gave them a string of addresses.
"How about it, buddy? Come with us and take a job. We'll split the reward equally among the three of us." Gao Xiang turned around and shouted at him.
"Is it a job to exorcise evil spirits?" Xu Lai also understood the general idea.
"Yes, didn't you say that we in the same industry should cooperate more? Now the opportunity has come!" Sun Muyu was afraid that he would not go, so he quickly added.
He had just communicated with Gao Xiang on WeChat. Originally, he wanted to find a corner to beat this guy up, but Gao Xiang had a better idea. He planned to let him do an exorcism job, make him look bad in front of others, and then teach him a lesson with a legitimate reason.
Sun Muyu praised this idea. He was afraid that Xu Lai would not go. After all, if he really didn't want to go, they couldn't force him.
Just as I was about to try harder to convince him, I heard him say, "Okay, where is it?"
Sun Muyu was secretly delighted. Gao Xiang said hurriedly, "We'll lead the way. Let's go together. You can store your things with the boss first. You'll have to come back later."
So the three of them set off, and Gao Xiang made a phone call on the way, probably to contact the family. After leaving Malan Street, Sun Muyu hailed a taxi.
Twenty minutes later, the three got off the car at the gate of a residential area.
"This place has a lot of yin energy." Sun Muyu said after taking a look. This community is quite old, and the trees inside are tall and big, with lush branches and leaves that block out the sun. In this kind of environment, the yin energy is generally relatively heavy. However, it is not very harmful to ordinary people.
The family Gao Xiang contacted was surnamed Wang and lived on the top floor. The house was old and there was no elevator. The three of them went up the stairs and just as they reached the door, they heard a burst of shouting and cursing coming from inside.
Gao Xiang went forward and knocked on the door.
