Every time Zhuang Rui used the spiritual energy in his eyes, a patch of greenish light would appear before him, invisible to others. However, if someone stared at his eyes, they might notice his Double Vision. Liu Chuan was sitting behind him, so Zhuang Rui raised his arm, lifting the book higher to block the old woman's view.
Zhuang Rui casually released the spiritual energy from his eyes. He didn't think much of the tattered old book in his hand, merely checking it with a 'better to check than miss out' mentality. But the moment the spiritual energy touched the book's cover, he was stunned—he sensed an aura far denser than his own spiritual energy instantly merging into it and then returning to his eyes.
What is surprise？ When something unexpected happens—and for the better. Zhuang Rui was experiencing just that.
The surprise wasn't over yet. The spiritual energy in his eyes normally lay dormant, only circling his eye sockets when used. But now, after absorbing the book's aura, it began spinning rapidly. Wisps of spiritual energy surged into his eyeballs, bringing not pain but an indescribable tingling itch. Zhuang Rui resisted the urge to rub his eyes and squeezed them shut tightly.
If anyone had seen Zhuang Rui's eyes at that moment, they'd have noticed a faint orange glow flickering across his closed eyelids. But within a few seconds, it withdrew into his eyes and vanished.
The spiritual energy in his eyes was still spinning rapidly, continuously merging into Zhuang Rui's eyeballs. Slowly, Zhuang Rui discovered that he could clearly see his double visions and the faint light yellow spiritual energy in his eyes. The strands of spiritual energy all poured into one of his pupils. The originally slightly bluish-green pupil, after absorbing a large amount of spiritual energy, gradually turned pale yellow, then emitted a powerful suction force, instantly drawing all the spiritual energy in Zhuang Rui's eyes into it.
The pupil that had absorbed all the spiritual energy suddenly burst forth with a dazzling yellow light, filling Zhuang Rui's vision with flickering yellow stars. After an unknown amount of time, the light dissipated. Zhuang Rui found that the double visions had merged back into one, and all the strange phenomena in his eyes were gone.
The itchy feeling in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by an indescribable pleasure—like taking a hot bath after a day of rolling around in mud, washing away all the filth, or like a traveler who had been without water for three days in the desert suddenly discovering an oasis and drinking heartily. The cool sensation in his eyes made Zhuang Rui feel light and ethereal, as if he were no longer in the mortal world.
"Young man, young man, are you alright? How's my book, young man? Say something, will you? Strange, why did you close your eyes while reading..."
An ethereal voice that seemed to come from far away sounded in Zhuang Rui's ear, instantly pulling him back from the clouds to the ground. He reluctantly opened his eyes and was startled by a face full of wrinkles. He thought that if he hadn't opened his eyes soon, the old lady's hand would have touched his face.
"Uh... ma'am, what did you just say？"
Although Zhuang Rui had heard a voice in his ear just now, he hadn't clearly caught what was said.
“Blockhead, that auntie asked if her book was a treasure. What was wrong with you just now, holding that shabby book in front of your face for ages? I called you but you wouldn’t answer. What’s up, is the injury on your head not healed yet? Want to go to the hospital for a check-up…” Liu Chuan stopped playing his game, pulled up a chair, and sat in front of Zhuang Rui, asking with a worried expression.
“No, my head just hurt a bit. Maybe it’s not fully healed yet. It’s fine now, no need to go to the hospital…”
Zhuang Rui had no idea how to explain this to his friend. What had happened to him was way too fantastical; if word got out, he’d probably be taken straight to a science institute for dissection. He could only use the headache as an excuse.
“Young man, are you okay? No wonder you were staring blankly at the book just now—you’ve got a screw loose…” the old woman muttered with sympathy, but her words nearly made Zhuang Rui choke. What kind of nonsense was she saying?
“Yeah, yeah, Auntie, this kid’s had a screw loose since he was little. Better stay away from him—when he has an episode, he bites. Last time he almost bit my shop dog…”
Liu Chuan laughed heartily from the side, not missing the chance to fan the flames. He rarely got to see Zhuang Rui embarrassed.
“Th-then I’m not selling the book anymore, young man. Give it back to me.”
The old woman was gullible and actually believed Liu Chuan’s words. She stepped back a few paces, but kept her eyes glued to the book in Zhuang Rui’s hands, terrified he might go crazy and tear it up.
Zhuang Rui looked at the book in his hands with a wry smile. Now he no longer thought it was just a shabby book—it was a priceless treasure. He wanted to inspect it further, but at the moment both Liu Chuan and the old woman were watching him. Besides, he had no idea what would happen if he used his spiritual energy again after the strange change in his eyes earlier. He didn’t dare risk it. Still, he really couldn’t bear to give the book back.
“Auntie, this book of yours is for sale, right？ How much do you want for it？ Name a price, and if it's reasonable, I'll buy it…”
After some thought, since he wanted to keep this book, he figured he might as well just buy it himself. Having replenished his own spiritual energy was already a huge gain, and subconsciously, Zhuang Rui felt this book was something special—likely far more valuable than the couplet at home, simply because the spiritual energy contained in this book was much denser than that in the couplet.
“Blockhead, come out here. I need to talk to you. Get over here…”
Liu Chuan, who had been watching the fun on the side, changed expression upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words. Without waiting for Zhuang Rui to reply, he pulled him outside the shop without further ado.
“What are you doing? Phew… it's freezing! If you have something to say, say it inside…”
As soon as he stepped out of the shop, the biting wind chafed down his neck, making Zhuang Rui shiver several times in a row. He turned around to push the door back inside.
“Let me finish talking first, then you can go back in…”
Liu Chuan grabbed Zhuang Rui firmly and said, “Blockhead, listen. I've been hanging around this market for four or five years now. I've seen everything—not just book sellers, but even people trying to sell humans. I'm not saying you're naive, but the story that old lady just told you? I could spin you a tale for three days and nights that's ten times more tragic.
Take my advice: let her talk, we'll treat it like a joke and move on. Don't get hot-headed and actually shell out money for that shabby book. If word gets around the street that Liu Chuan's buddy got conned by an old lady, I can't afford to lose face like that…”
So that's what Liu Chuan dragged him out for. Zhuang Rui felt relieved. That book was definitely an ancient rare text, and handwritten by a notable figure. Although Zhuang Rui hadn't learned this trade in the pawnshop, he knew the price wouldn't be low. He just didn't know how to explain it to Liu Chuan.
Zhuang Rui thought it over and couldn't come up with a good excuse, so he just said bluntly： "Rascal, you know what I do for a living in Zhonghai. When it comes to playing with dogs, raising fish, or fighting crickets, I admit you're better. But when it comes to appraising antiques and judging with your eyes, you're way behind me. I don't care if the story is real or fake, but that book is a good find, absolutely worth the money. Have you ever seen me waste money since we were kids? Trust me, I'm right."
Zhuang Rui was just winging it. If he didn't use the spiritual energy from his eyes and had to rely solely on his vision to judge, he'd probably throw that shabby book into the stove and burn it.
"Really?" Liu Chuan muttered, putting on a half-believing, half-doubting look as he followed Zhuang Rui back into the shop.