Chapter 20 Three Steps of Identification

Time went by slowly and it was silent in Self House. Two hours later, Wang Ke slowly opened his eyes. When his vision regained its clarity and he saw the scene in front of him, a puzzled look appeared on his face. Because at that moment, Zhao Menfeng was looking at him strangely with a trace of wondering in his eyes. Quickly standing up, Wang Ke looked at Zhao Menfeng respectfully and said, "Mr. Zhao, I'm really sorry about what happened just now. The treatment of the injured was very exhausting, so..." Zhao Menfeng waved his hand and smiled, "It's Okay. I saw that you didn't look well. It's alright to have a rest. But how did you just do that? You know, using the spirit energy to heal the injured." Wang Ke nodded and said, "Right. I have tried to heal my own injuries with spirit energy before, and I have also treated others. So I know that spirit energy has a very good healing effect on injuries. But I didn't mean to teach a fish how to swim and to show off in front of you, Mr. Zhao. I just couldn't bear to watch them suffering and..." Zhao Menfeng interrupted Wang Ke again and said with a smile, "I understand. You don't need to explain. I was already very happy that you came to me. I just didn't expect that you would show me this miraculous treatment. It's so amazing! So incredible!" Wang Ke touched his nose, a little bit embarrassed by Zhao Menfeng's compliment. Looking at Wang Ke's expression, Zhao Menfeng smiled slightly and asked with a tentative look, "Your name is Wang Ke, right? Can I ask you a question?" Wang Ke replied immediately, "Mr. Zhao, you can call me Wang, or just call me Wang Ke. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I will tell you everything I know." Zhao Menfeng nodded with satisfaction and asked, "Can you tell me the characteristics of spirit energy? I'm curious about the wonders of this new energy." Wang Ke was a bit excited. He didn't expect Zhao Menfeng to ask him this question. Without thinking, he said, "Mr. Zhao, I can't exactly tell you the characteristics of spirit energy. But after cultivating it, it can strengthen my body and nourish all my organs. Of course, its main effect is to bring me strong power. This is a kind of gas and a very wonderful gas. At first, it was only a little. And then with the continuous progress of cultivation, the spirit energy also began to increase, flowing like a mist in my meridians. When I need it, I can make this mist-like spirit energy into my body muscles, bones, and even the internal organs." Five minutes later, he told Zhao Menfeng what he knew and what he thought about spirit energy unreservedly. Looking at the silent Zhao Menfeng, Wang Ke hesitated for a long time before he said, "Mr. Zhao, can I ask you a favor? I knew we are just meeting for the second time and it's a bit rude to say that." Waking up from his deep thought, Zhao Menfeng looked at the hesitant look on Wang Ke's face and smiled, "Just say what you want to say." With his eyes flashing with excitement, Wang Ke said, "Mr. Zhao, I would like to learn about antiques as well as the identification of magic weapons from you. I heard you said that you can also draw the runes of healing. Can you also teach me that? If you are willing to accept me as your apprentice, I would laugh my head off even in my dreams." Zhao Menfeng couldn't help laughing. He looked at Wang Ke's sincere face and said after a long silence, "I swore before that I would no longer accept any apprentice in my life. So don't mention the matter of apprenticeship again in the future. I can teach you the knowledge of antiques and also the skills to identify magic weapons. But never think about drawing the runes of healing. Even if I want to teach you, there is no way to teach." Wang Ke looked dumbfounded. He had a great curiosity about the mysterious runes and was even dying to learn how to draw them. What did Mr. Zhao mean? Did he mean that he could only draw the runes himself and would not teach others? Or he did not think that Wang Ke had the talent to learn and draw them? "Mr. Zhao, what do you mean by no way to teach?" Zhao Menfeng sighed, "Runes are the carriers of various mysterious energy and have wonderful effects. But if one wants to learn to draw runes, he must start training from childhood when he knows nothing so that he would have a strong belief that runes really work. You can also describe it as brainwashing. This is also the most important point of drawing runes, to always believe that the belief in a thing makes it happen." "It would be very difficult to teach grown-up children to draw runes. Grown-up children have their own thoughts and their own habits. So no matter what they learn, even if they believe it, but in the bottom of their hearts, there's always a doubt. And because of this doubt, they can never draw a useful rune." "Besides, drawing runes demands a lot, such as the understanding of the energy of heaven and earth, the drawing talent of the rune drawer, the memory of the rune drawer, and so on. This is like countless thresholds. Only after passing these thresholds can one try to draw runes. And of these runes, at least nine out of ten are a failure." Wang Ke looked dully at Zhao Menfeng in disbelief. To learn to draw runes, one must start training from childhood? So there was really no way for him to learn it. A taste of bitterness was lingering at the back of his tongue. At this time even if a feast was in front of him, he would also think it was tasteless. Drawing runes! It was his dream all these years. And the bitter feeling of seeing it become unattainable was hardly known by other people. After a few minutes, Wang Ke's face took on a usual look. He had already thought it over. Since there was no way for him to learn to draw runes, he would just let it go. One could not have everything the way he wanted. Moreover, now he had the spirit energy as well as the extraordinary vision. Even though he could not draw runes, which was a great pity, there was nothing he could do about it. A contented mind was a perpetual feast! The fat taxi driver also told him so yesterday! "Mr. Zhao, since I can't learn how to draw runes, I'll just let it go. In the future, I will definitely put my heart into learning the knowledge of antiques and magic weapons from you." Wang Ke said seriously. Zhao Menfeng had been observing Wang Ke's facial expression. He could see the disappointment in the face of this young man in front of him. But one could not have everything the way he wanted. And he also didn't have that ability to teach him. "Knowledge of antiques is the most basic thing. If you want to identify whether the object in your hand is a genuine antique, you have to master a wealth of knowledge, covering everything from historical allusions to the subtle clues on the antiques. Only with the use of a wealth of knowledge and your keen observation will you be able to identify whether an antique is genuine or not. A lot of collectors have been tricked because they do not have such a wealth of knowledge nor keen observation." After Wang Ke promised to learn from him, Zhao Menfeng explained to him about antiques without the slightest hesitation. He didn't say anything about magic weapons, but it took almost an hour for him to talk about just the general knowledge of antiques in one breath. At noon, Zhao Menfeng stopped explaining. He took a sip of tea and laughed, "It's already noon in a flash. How time flies! Wang Ke, let's have lunch in the store today! It is also my way to welcome you here in Changji. By the way, I forgot to ask, did you find a place to live? Are you going to stay in Changji from now on?" Wang Ke laughed and said, "Yes! I've already found a place to live and I've also found a job. I will work as I learn from you." Zhao Menfeng nodded and smiled. He knew Wang Ke had money. The first time they met, Wang Ke had found a magic weapon whose price was one hundred thousand yuan. And he had told Wang Ke the price. As long as Wang Ke was not a fool, he must have sold it for no less than one hundred thousand yuan. It was not a fancy lunch. Zhao Menfeng called and ordered a take-out of four dishes and one soup. The two men were chatting while eating and really hit it off. After lunch, Wang Ke cleaned up the leftovers and threw them in the trash bin. After Zhao Menfeng rested for half an hour, he began to continue his explanation about antiques. "You must keep in mind what I have said. This is the most basic thing about antiques. As the saying goes, ‘High buildings rise from the ground.’ Without a good foundation, everything is in vain." Zhao Menfeng admonished after explaining to Wang Ke for another hour. "Mr. Zhao, every word you said today, every word, I will engrave it firmly in my mind." Wang Ke said seriously. Zhao Menfeng nodded his head with satisfaction, the look on his face as if to say this student was worthy to be taught. He smiled and said, "If you're not tired, I'll continue to teach you something about magic weapons." Tired? Wang Ke shook his head hard. How could he possibly feel tired when he had such a good opportunity to learn? "Mr. Zhao, go ahead! I'm not tired." Wang Ke said quickly. Zhao Menfeng straightened his face. He was always very focused and serious when he was explaining, "Magic weapons are treasures that can change persons' fortune. They can also affect Fengshui and persons' fate. Magic weapons are divided into three kinds. The first one is an ancient object that has existed at some specific location for a very long time and can absorb the energy of heaven and earth. Just like it says in the mythical stories, this kind of magic weapon is formed by absorbing the radiance of the sun and moon and gathering the spirit of heaven and earth.” "The second kind is personal wearing objects of geomancers, such as jade pendants, Buddha statues, jewelry, and so on. Geomancers often deal with Fengshui and often use some special energy. For example, drawing runes is a way to gather the energy of heaven and earth, collect it into a rune paper, and then set it out. As long as an object is worn by geomancers for ten years, it can almost become a common magic weapon." "Now is the third kind. Our country has countless eminent monks who are experts at Buddhism and can consecrate objects in special means. These objects are also a kind of magic weapons. The consecration by these eminent monks is not a trick. Every time they consecrate an object, they will be somewhat affected. So this kind of consecrated magic weapons is not much inferior to the other two kinds." "Of course, most magic weapons are the second kind. And it can only be the second kind. After all, in our great country with a history of five thousand years, extraordinary people and strange things have kept emerging. And masters who delve into Fengshui Theory are even more. The accessories they wear or the objects they use can generally be stored for more than ten years." At this point, a faint smile emerged on the corners of Zhao Menfeng's mouth. Looking at the attentive Wang Ke, he chuckled, "Magic weapons can change people's fortune and fate, but they can also change the Fengshui of a place. The reason why they are so highly sought after by countless people is that they also have countless wonderful uses." "Take my store as an example. It does not have a very good Fengshui or is even a place destined to lose wealth. But if you use a magic weapon to bless the house, you will be able to break its destiny of losing wealth. Take a person facing a great disaster as another example. If there is a magic weapon to change his fate, he will be able to get away from the great disaster." Wang Ke listened very carefully and very seriously. After Zhao Menfeng finished his last word, Wang Ke asked, "Mr. Zhao, then how to identify a magic weapon?" Zhao Menfeng took a sip of tea and said, "About how to identify magic weapons, I will tell you my experience that I have gained over the years. To identify a magic weapon, you must be able to tell, to observe, and to inspect." "First is to tell if the object is an antique by using your extensive knowledge of cultural relics. Most magic weapons are antiques and contain special energy. Only those antiques with special energy can be called magic weapons." "Second is to observe the energy. Magic weapons project an indescribable sense of wonder that can only be detected by geomancers. Because geomancers identify the Fengshui of a place also by observing the energy." "Third is to inspect if there are Fengshui layouts or Fengshui paintings on the object, if it is in the shape of a Fengshui item, and if that mysterious energy can be detected. All magic weapons have a unique Fengshui layout on them because of the energy they contain. These Fengshui layouts can not be seen with naked eyes. You can only inspect the shape of the object with Fengshui-related skills."