Antiques with golden eyes

The light in the store was a little dim. Although Shen Yu could see things the same in the dark as in the day, he still subconsciously wanted to walk over and take a look.

But just when he was watching intently and about to take a step, a strange scene suddenly appeared.

About three inches above the golden toad, a ball of dark blue precious light quietly emerged. The ball of light was oval in shape, the size of a round pebble, rising leisurely from the bronze vessel.

At first it seemed like light smoke and illusory, then it actually seemed to be solid and spiritual, slowly flying around the bronze vessel.

Seeing this scene, Shen Yu couldn't help but secretly marvel in his heart, and subconsciously slowed down his breathing!

At the same time, a trace of surprise quickly flashed across his eyes.

Shen Yu really didn't expect that Xu Feng, an antique shop that looked extremely inconspicuous and even slightly shabby, could hide such a real antique from the early Ming Dynasty!

You know, it is difficult to find a late Ming Dynasty Jin Chan bronze ware in the antique market, let alone the much older and extremely rare early Ming treasures.

What shocked Shen Yu even more was that this bronze vessel was no ordinary ornament. To be precise, it was a Taoist ritual vessel.

Because Shen Yu knew very well that if it weren't for the magic weapon, this bronze vessel, even if it was from the early Ming Dynasty, would never have such a cobblestone-sized, solid and shining precious light.

At most, it is the size of a pearl or a broad bean.

"The golden toad, the orb, and the bronze statue of Hai Chan's true form, this magical weapon is incredible!"

The allusion of "bangs playing with golden toads" has been passed down orally among the people and is a household name.

According to legend, if you play with the golden toad with your bangs, the golden toad will spit out money and make you rich. Therefore, the auspicious saying "play with the golden toad with your bangs, and catch money every step of the way" is derived.

Moreover, the golden toad is a spiritual creature from the fairy palace, which means good luck. Toad and twine also have the same pronunciation, which symbolizes wealth, smooth fortune, and great wealth, so it is deeply loved by the people.

In fact, there was indeed Liu Hai in history, one of the famous Northern Five Patriarchs of the Quanzhen Sect of Taoism: Liu Haichan.

"Jianhu Ji" describes his life in detail: He was born in Bohai, Yan region. He was quick-thinking at a young age. He passed the Jinshi title at the age of sixteen and entered the official career of the Jin Dynasty.

He rose to prominence all the way. At the age of fifty, he became the Prime Minister and gained power in both the government and the public.

One day on the way back from the imperial court, I met two Taoist priests sitting on the roadside. I was curious, so I invited them to discuss the wonderful method of self-cultivation.

Unexpectedly, the two of them remained silent and only asked for one copper coin and ten eggs, then placed them on the table and stacked the eggs one by one on top of the copper coins.

When Liu Haichan saw this, he exclaimed: "This is very dangerous!"

The two responded calmly: "The public is in even greater danger, so why bother with this egg?"

The words awakened the dreamer, and Liu Haichan suddenly realized that the decline of the Jin Dynasty was irreversible and that there was no way to recover. He resolutely handed over the official seal and went to Zhongnan Mountain to devote himself to practicing Taoism.

He looked unkempt, diagnosed diseases for the common people, and eventually became an immortal.

He also became one of the gods of wealth.

Later, when Liu Haichan became an immortal, he found out that one of the two strange people who enlightened him was Lu Zulu, Lu Dongbin, and the other was Zhongli, a real man from Zhengyang.

Later, someone painted a portrait of a Taoist with a disheveled head, laughing and teasing a three-legged golden toad, which was called "The Picture of Bangs Playing with a Toad". Jade carvings, bronzes, calligraphy and paintings followed suit, and it has been passed down for thousands of years.

In addition, there is also a young version of the New Year picture with bangs and golden toad.

Shen Yu walked over slowly and gently stroked the golden toad with his hand.

Although the surface of the copperware is slightly cool, it gives people a warm and moist feeling that is both yang and strong.

Shen Yu encountered this feeling many times in Dongjiang Qingniu Temple.

Some of the magical instruments, seals, tokens, spiritual swords, whisks, bells, bronze statues of immortals, etc. in Qingniu Temple all have this feeling of supreme yang and supreme strength.

At this moment, the anger of the old Taoist Xuan Yuan has not dissipated. He blushed and scolded his nephew: "Huh! I thought you were hiding something good here. It would be best to find a magic weapon to solve the problem of my old friend. The problem of Feng Shui, whoever thinks of all the things that are of no use will be in vain!"

Shen Yu pointed and smiled: "Senior Brother Xuanyuan, there is a good magic weapon here."

When Xuan Yuan heard this, his eyes widened and he looked at Shen Yu suspiciously. His eyes swept back and forth between him and the golden toad, "This bronze? Hey, this bronze is really a good object!"

The old Taoist was originally full of doubts and didn't quite believe what Shen Yu said!

But what Shen Yu said is not good either.

He shuffled closer to the bronze vessel with bangs and golden toad, and his turbid eyes glanced at it casually. He thought it was just for a casual inspection, but the moment his eyes touched the golden toad, his slightly hazy eyes suddenly glared. Big and surprisingly bright.

Then he couldn't wait to stretch out his hand, touch the golden toad with his dry fingers, and slowly rub it from the toad's body to the top of the golden toad's head. His excitement was beyond words: "What a magic weapon, it really is a good magic weapon! Look at the texture, it looks simple and unpretentious. In fact, it is made of excellent fine copper and has not lost its original copper spirit after hundreds of years."

The old Taoist squinted his eyes slightly, looked closer at the shiny orb in Jin Chan's mouth, and marveled: "This orb is not simple. It looks like an ordinary jade bead, but in fact it contains a Taoist pure and yang power, which is beyond the reach of common things. .

"If I, the old Taoist, have guessed correctly, this object must have always been with a Taoist master, and it was blessed by the spiritual power of the Taoist scriptures day and night to become such a strange object!

"Moreover, this vessel also absorbs the pure Yang aura of the mountains and rivers. Over time, the aura not only lingers, but also seems to be integrated with the vessel, forming its own aura.

"In addition, this lifelike bronze statue of Hai Chan has a smile on his face, fluttering clothes, and the immortal spirit in his movements. With this blessing, it is no exaggeration to say that it is a rare Taoist instrument! "

After admiring for a long time, the old Taoist suddenly came back to his senses, as if he suddenly remembered something, his sharp eyes shot at Xu Feng like lightning, and asked in a loud voice: "Xu Feng, how did you get this magical weapon? Ru Shi said Come on, don’t miss even a cent!”

Xu Feng was stared at by the old Taoist's sudden and stern gaze, which made his scalp numb. His neck subconsciously shrank, and his stature became a little shorter. His voice unconsciously had a hint of grunt, "I want my uncle to know. This matter is also a coincidence." .

"The year before last, I traveled to a remote town in Tianhai City, Yuedong Province. There was a large family there. After the renovation of the ancestral house, the feng shui went wrong, which made the whole family panic.

"I happened to be passing by, so I helped check the Feng Shui pattern around the house.

"The owner of that family is honest. Coincidentally, his ancestors were also members of the Taoist sect. Unfortunately, the family fortunes changed in the late Qing Dynasty, and he had no choice but to return to secular life, and many inheritances gradually declined.

"I thought that I was from the Taoist family, and without taking any money, I tried my best to help his family reorganize the Feng Shui aura. I also carefully created a Feng Shui bureau for his family with the idea of ​​'golden carps coming out of water' to ensure the peace of his family for future generations.

"The master is so grateful that he must give something as a gift.

“His family has a rich collection of antique calligraphy and paintings, porcelain and jade, which can be said to be dazzling, but I was firmly attracted by this bronze sculpture of Master Liu playing with a golden toad at a glance, and I couldn’t take my eyes away.

"When the owner saw that I liked it, he said it was a treasure passed down from our ancestors.

"Originally, it was placed in the main hall of the ancestral home to pray for blessings.

“Later, the ancestral house fell into disrepair and suddenly collapsed due to a heavy rain that had not happened in a century. Then it was moved to the new house after being renovated for safekeeping.

"I couldn't hide my love for it and couldn't resist it, so I accepted it.

"Uncle, this thing is really a gift from someone else. It is definitely not something that my nephew got by deception or deception!"