Chapter One: The Green Brother’s Furnace

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Fangshan, Beijing. Deep within a mountain cave, a middle-aged man in his early forties sat cross-legged, hands and feet facing upward, eyes closed in meditation. The cave was filled with stone-carved Buddha statues. The man murmured an unknown incantation, a ring on his middle finger glowing faintly blue. The eyes of the surrounding Buddhas flickered with multicolored lights.

Suddenly, he ceased his chanting, opened his eyes, and stood. Slowly, he approached the statue at the center of the cave. Unlike the others, this Buddha did not bear a kindly expression; its face was twisted in grief, unsettling to behold.

He gazed at the weeping Buddha, recited another spell, and removed his ring, extracting the stone—resembling an eyeball—from it and placing it in the statue’s eye socket. At that moment, a trickle of blood-red tears flowed from the Buddha’s face, which slowly contorted into a sinister smile. A sharp crack echoed as the statue’s left arm lunged at the man. He dodged the blow swiftly. The Buddha’s head then jerked violently to the right with another crack, revealing a ghastly, demon-like visage.

The grotesque face opened its mouth and spat a steel spike at the man’s face. He jerked his head aside just in time.

A strange howl escaped from the statue, and its attacks ceased. The Buddha’s head slowly rotated, revealing a dignified expression once more. From outside the cave came a thunderous crash, and a grand door appeared at the center. The man nodded, stepped toward the abyss beyond, unaware that a group of shadowy figures, each bearing eerie smiles, followed close behind.

Meanwhile, in Panjiayuan, Beijing, a young man in his early twenties haggled with a stall owner over a green incense burner.

“I’ll take it for five hundred—look at this dish, the rim’s chipped. Five hundred is plenty.”

The vendor scratched his head, troubled. “Can’t do, make it eight hundred. I can’t take a loss.”

The young man grinned, feigning departure.

The vendor hurried after him. “Six hundred, final offer. Take it or leave it.”

The young man scoffed. “I’ve got one flaw—I never go back on a deal. Even if you drop it to a hundred now, I won’t take it.”

The vendor sighed in resignation. “Alright, five hundred it is. Let me wrap it up.”

The young man flicked open his bamboo fan. “How about this: I’ll give you five fifty, and you throw in that agate bead by your hand.”

The vendor nodded, packed the green incense burner and the dish with a red character for “longevity” into two boxes, and handed them over along with the bead. The young man, known to all as “Autumn Boy,” turned toward a nearby shop.

Carrying two boxes, he entered a store with a sign reading “Hall of Hundred Blessings.” Inside sat three people: a man in his early thirties, bald with glasses, wearing a traditional wrestling vest and lantern trousers—this was Xu Ning, the current master of Hundred Blessings Hall. Beside him was an elderly couple in their sixties. The old man’s small eyes and perpetually smiling, wrinkled face gave off a sly, untrustworthy air, reminiscent of a villainous eunuch in an old movie. The old lady, unremarkable in appearance, occasionally glanced at others sideways, her fingers adorned with five or six rings as if afraid they’d go unnoticed. Together, they were among Panjiayuan’s earliest merchants.

As Autumn Boy entered with two boxes, the old man continued sipping tea, the old lady cracked sunflower seeds, and Xu Ning, legs crossed, greeted him, “Well, what brings you here today? Out hunting for bargains again?”

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I smiled. “You guessed it. Take a look.” I handed him the box with the green incense burner.

Xu Ning opened it, his eyes lighting up as he examined the piece for a long time. “This must be a Qing Dynasty Green Brother? Twin beast ears, Qianlong period.”

I nodded. “Let the old master take a look. Check out the second item.” Xu Ning handed the incense burner to Old Xu, who scrutinized it, nodded, and rasped, “Not bad, it’s Green Brother.”

Xu Ning nodded, opened the second box, and took out the dish. “Hmm, Five Blessings Embracing Longevity, marked ‘Made in Guangxu of Great Qing.’ The rim’s chipped, not as good as the Green Brother.”

I smiled. The old lady chimed in, “These two must’ve cost a thousand or two, right?”

I glanced at her. “You didn’t mention it cost me a hundred; I spent five hundred fifty altogether.”

Old Xu snorted. “Sell me that incense burner then. How much?”

I flicked my fan. “No rush, I’ll take a walk and we’ll talk later.” With that, I took the boxes and left.

Outside, I headed to a shop at the east gate of the market and knocked. The place was chaotic, dusty, bottles and jars everywhere, some broken, some whole. To the right, a filthy Ming Dynasty huanghuali chair sat an old man with greasy hair, wearing a black-and-white T-shirt, jeans, and shoes that looked like relics. Before him were inkstones and a laptop displaying red and green stocks. This was my master.

“Master, trading stocks again?”

He sighed, closed the laptop—clearly another loss. Seeing my boxes, he asked, “What did you buy now? Let me see.”

I handed him the box with the dish. He set it on the table, put on his tortoiseshell crystal glasses, examined it, and nodded. “Five Blessings Embracing Longevity, Guangxu period. Civil imitation of official ware, but the provenance is weak.”

I nodded. He reached for the box with the Green Brother incense burner, but I blocked him with my fan. “Master, don’t bother with that one—it’s wrong.”

He paused, took out the counterfeit 'Qianlong Twin Beast Ear Green Brother Incense Burner,' glanced at it, and set it aside.

“Why buy it if you know it’s wrong? Too much money?”

I scratched my head and grinned. “Heh, take a look at this.” I pulled out the bead I’d gotten from the vendor.

The bead was pale red, with rows of white dots as if dabbed with correction fluid. Master examined it. “I knew you wouldn’t fall for that. This ‘starry sky’ bead is quite decent, and the engraving’s neat.”

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Engraving, an ancient technique, used natural materials to etch designs onto beads. Most of the “heavenly beads” we see are made with this method, which was popular in the Tang Dynasty, both in China and abroad, though the techniques varied.

Master handed the bead back to me. I picked up the Green Brother incense burner. “Master, Old Xu from Hundred Blessings didn’t spot the fake. He wants to buy it. What should I do? Selling it isn’t right, but if I don’t, he’ll resent me. You know his temper. What’s the proper way?”

Master thought for a moment, took a half-smoked cigarette from a red incense burner, lit it, and pondered deeply before sighing. “If you don’t sell, he’ll surely hold a grudge. He knows if it were genuine, it’d be worth tens of thousands. Sell it to him—better that than making enemies. You won’t be at fault; everyone knows his character. Do what you see fit, but don’t be too harsh.”

I nodded, handed him the Five Blessings dish. “Here, use it as a salad plate. I’m off.” Saying goodbye, I returned to Hundred Blessings Hall.

Inside, Old Xu was still sipping tea, the old lady cracking seeds, and Xu Ning polishing walnuts. No one rose when I entered. Old Xu saw me with a single box and paused. “So, sold one?”

I shook my head. “A friend bought the Five Blessings dish for three thousand. He wants the Green Brother incense burner, but I told him Master Xu wants it. If he doesn’t, I’ll sell it to you.”

Old Xu nodded, took a drag on his cigarette. “Name your price.”

I smiled. “You know what it’s worth. You decide.”

He grinned slyly. “I’ll give you three thousand. That’s five hundred profit for you. How’s that?”

I flicked my fan. “I didn’t plan to sell, but if you want it, let’s trade incense burners. That Ming Dynasty white jade incense burner on the wooden block—I need a flowerpot, so let’s swap. It’s fairer than haggling over money, don’t you think?”

The old man nodded, examined the Green Brother incense burner carefully, then told Xu Ning, “Drive this to Mr. Meng’s shop,” and turned to me with a smile. “You got a good deal. I paid six thousand for this incense burner in Shanxi. I’m letting you off easy since you’re younger. I never fuss about such things. If you like it, take it.”

I nodded, thinking, “Old fox, still playing the generous card—but it doesn’t matter, since the burner’s fake and I scored the white jade piece.” I bid farewell to the old couple, had Xu Ning put the incense burner in the car, and drove back to my own shop.