Chapter 1: Is Journey to the West a treasure?

  Huaxia Country, Jingdong City, Jingdong Antique Market!

  Jingdong Antique Street is a famous antique street in Jingdong City, which has existed since the Ming Dynasty. The ancient houses on this street are full of years of erosion and have a grand atmosphere. The green-tiled houses with moss growing on them leave behind a trace of time, making it a very old folk architecture that is protected by the state as an ancient building cultural relic and is also a famous scenic spot.

  Jingdong Antique Street is always bustling with cars, horses, and people coming and going from dawn till dusk every day. Only when night falls and darkness covers the earth does this street finally quiet down.

  Jingdong Antique Street, cars and horses are crowded, people are crowded with people, all kinds of hawkers' shouting voices, noisy voices are connected into a piece, the sound of noise converges into a torrential current rushing to the sky, showing the prosperity and prosperity of this place. Because this antique street is a scenic spot, every day there are many tourists coming to play, so in this antique street, there are some stalls selling various snacks, handicrafts, and imitation antiques. This antique market is not short of popularity! Every day can attract a large number of tourists.

  Sun Tuo, a native of Jingdong, was born and raised in the city. His family lived in Xiangmen Dian, which wasn't particularly wealthy or prestigious, but they were considered a good family. His parents worked in the education department, making Sun Tuo well-educated. Due to his good family upbringing, he didn't have the usual young person's fondness for fighting and violence, instead becoming fascinated with ancient books, especially rare ones that recorded strange and fantastical stories. Every weekend, he would visit the Jingdong antique market to see if there were any newly unearthed rare ancient books.

  Sun Tuo is eighteen years old, just the age when he is about to embark on a rebellious path. He loves to dream and fantasize. After reading some strange and mysterious stories, he became extremely fond of them. "The Classic of Mountains and Seas", "Records of Searching for Spirits"... Many famous writers have written about these topics. Because he believes that this world has immortals and spirits, otherwise why would there be so many?

  Sun Tuo wore a floral long shirt, with short hair, sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, his eyes seemed bright and deep. He had on a pair of dark gray jeans, white sneakers, and stood at 1.72 meters tall, exuding an inexplicable elegance. He arrived at Jingdong Antique Street and as usual stopped in front of a small stall selling antique calligraphy and paintings.

  "What can I get for you, young man? I have a collection of antiques and calligraphy." The antique stall owner had a wispy eight-shaped beard, triangular eyes, and a middle-parted hairdo. His gaze was somewhat lecherous as he glanced at the brightly dressed tourists, but when Sun Tao blocked his view, his white-as-jade eyes flickered over him, and with a hint of annoyance, he smiled and asked Sun Zhe.

  "Look! I'm just taking a look!"

  Sun Tuo was flipping through the calligraphy and painting section with his hand, smiling without looking up. The antique shop owner didn't think it was unusual, as most people who came to this street were tourists, just looking for something new and fresh, and few people actually bought antiques or paintings. Some sly-looking triangular eyes had already floated towards a beautiful woman wearing a short skirt walking from afar, and no one was paying attention to Sun Tuo.

  "How much is this Wu Cheng'en's 'Journey to the West'?" Sun Tiao, in the calligraphy and painting section, was attracted by an old book with a yellowish color and a musty smell. He picked up the yellowed ancient book and asked the boss.

  "This is the 'Journey to the West'! You really have an eye for things, this is a genuine antique from some years ago. Just look at the paper, it's definitely Ming dynasty Xuan paper. This is absolutely a valuable collector's item." The man with the eight-character mustache and somewhat lecherous eyes, who was dressed in fashionable attire, withdrew his gaze from afar, and with an air of being a connoisseur, said.

  "Is this tattered thing a relic from the Ming dynasty? I'm afraid you must have picked it up in some corner of a cliff! Look at the paper, its color has turned yellow, and it's even made of Ming dynasty Xuan paper. The handmade paper from 70 or 80 years ago is no different from this one. See how they've splattered vinegar and soy sauce on it, giving off a musty smell? And you're calling it an ancient book? Who are you trying to fool?"

  The antique shop owner was talking enthusiastically about the old book, but Sun Tao remained unmoved and just smiled.

  "Hey kid, are you trying to cheat me? This isn't a Ming dynasty paper, this is something I got from an old lady for...". The antique shop owner was about to retort, but he stopped himself halfway, realizing that if he continued speaking, he would reveal the truth. This handwritten copy of "Journey to the West" was actually bought from an old lady for 10 bucks. It had been displayed there for many days, and many collectors in the antique circle had come to see it, only to shake their heads and leave. It wasn't a genuine Ming dynasty artifact at all. If it were left alone for another hundred or eighty years, maybe it would become an antique by then. All the collectors who came to see it said that this handwritten copy of "Journey to the West" was actually copied by enthusiasts in the 70s based on the original work, and not a genuine Ming dynasty artifact at all.

  "Boss, how much is this thing worth? Give me a price, as long as it's not too outrageous, I'll take it!" Sun Tao saw that the antique shop owner stopped mid-sentence and didn't continue, there must be something fishy going on here.

  "Hey kid, this is indeed an ancient book from the Ming dynasty. If you really want it, I'll give you a discount since my store hasn't opened yet. Give me 3,000 yuan and this handwritten copy of 'Journey to the West' is yours."

  "Three thousand yuan, you want three thousand yuan for this broken thing? Why don't you go rob someone instead?" Sun Tao's face was shocked as he said, how dare this broken thing be sold for such a high price of three thousand yuan.

  "Little brother, you know, this is a Ming dynasty manuscript! Not one of those printed versions that have been appearing on the market in recent years, which can be bought for just a few dozen yuan." The antique dealer's eyes narrowed into a line as he stared at Sun Tao.

  "Three thousand yuan, why don't you go rob someone?! Don't even mention it, what's with these ancient Ming dynasty books?! I don't want to hear this, three hundred yuan, sell it and I'll take it away, if not then forget it." Sun Tao said disdainfully, curling his lip.

  "Three hundred yuan is still not enough for my purchasing price, little brother, you need to add more."

  "Three hundred yuan, this is also considering that it's a handwritten copy, it has some collectible value, otherwise I wouldn't sell it for even thirty yuan." Sun Tuo shook his head upon hearing this.

  "Little brother, you're adding more, and the price is still not enough for me to make a purchase!" The antique shop owner said with a sorrowful face.

  "Three hundred yuan, take it or leave it!" Sun Tuo heard this and pretended to walk away.

  "I'm losing money by selling it to you for 300 yuan!" The antique shop owner said with a sorrowful face, as if he had just lost his parents.

  Sun Tuo heard this, withdrew his body and returned to the stall again, took out a leather wallet, pulled out three bright red Red Suns from it, handed them over to the antique shop owner, picked up the ancient book suspected to be the original manuscript of "Journey to the West" and left the Beijing East Antique Street.

  Back at his residence, today being the weekend, his parents had gone out to visit relatives, and there was only Sun Tao alone in the house. Arriving at his own small room, Sun Tao couldn't wait to start flipping through the ancient book that seemed to be the original manuscript of "Journey to the West".

  Sun Tuo likes to read some ancient books about supernatural powers, because he believes that there are immortals in this world. Nowadays, most of the ancient books seen on the market are printed copies, and the original manuscripts are extremely rare, so he can't find a truly authentic ancient book. Today, at the Jingdong Antique Market, he saw this yellowed handwritten copy of "Journey to the West", and he suspected that it was Wu Cheng'en's original manuscript.

  The Immortal's Strange Record, the chaotic power of the gods, all of which are based on a single principle. Although this book is somewhat worn and old, it has not been damaged in any way, with no missing pages or corners, as if there is a strange energy protecting it. Generally speaking, ancient books that have been read for many years will often be damaged, but this copy of "Journey to the West" is not, which is why Sun Wukong wants to buy it, because he believes in the power of the gods.

  But this "Journey to the West" is really because of its age, with yellowed pages but no damage, so it's not considered an antique, otherwise it would have been collected by some collectors who love antiques and calligraphy a long time ago, how could Sun Tao get his hands on it!

  "This 'Journey to the West' is a treasure of our nation, with sacred immortals and Buddhas, as well as demons and monsters. I don't know how Wu Cheng'en knew about these sacred immortals and Buddhas, demons and monsters in this world, and wrote such a strange and wonderful world. Did he see the gods in this world, or was he himself a god?"

  Back in the room, Sun Wei confirmed through research and ancient books that this yellowed ancient manuscript of "Journey to the West" might be Wu Cheng'en's original manuscript. Because no one had ever seen Wu Cheng'en's original script for "Journey to the West", it was not very certain. As he stroked the original manuscript of "Journey to the West" in his hand, Sun Wei was like a man stroking a woman's white and alluring thigh, with a flash of golden light suddenly shooting out from his eyes, muttering to himself.

  Fortunately, Sun Tao's father was not around. If he had heard this nonsense about gods and monsters, he would have definitely received a scolding. If he had retorted a few words, what awaited him would be a good thrashing with a feather duster for being idle and thinking of such absurd things all day long.

  Sun Tuo had always had this idea in his heart, that immortals existed in the world and he would one day meet the legendary immortals. It was precisely because of this idea that he could indulge in it without getting tired, spending a large amount of time every day studying these supernatural beings.

  "Journey to the West is a treasure, it's the pride of my Chinese nation. Look at this paper, it's not something that should exist in this world, although it's wrinkled, there's not a single tear. There's no missing pages either." Sun Wei wiped off the dirt on the cover and flipped through the yellowed original manuscript of Journey to the West, this ancient book looked very old and worn out, but upon closer inspection, you could discover that it was somewhat unusual, Sun Wei had some fanciful and absurd thoughts.

  "Journey to the West" is a treasure, Sun Wukong obtained a suspected Wu Cheng'en original manuscript of "Journey to the West", he was like taking stimulants, every day with high enthusiasm, every night reading under the lamp, wanting to see if there really is an elixir for immortality. If there really is an elixir for immortality, after learning it, wouldn't he become an immortal god?

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