90,000 Years of Longevity

Chapter 325: Carving Master

Seeing Ye Bei holding the wooden sculpture in a trance, the old man didn't speak either, just waiting quietly beside him.

"How come this shop is very empty?"

"Hey, where's the clerk? Why is there no one to welcome me?"

"But the door is open..."

During this period, there were many tourists who walked into the antique shop.

But after seeing Ye Bei and the old man, those people spat out a few words and left one after another, but there was no major conflict.

Tick, tick, tick.

Since it rained heavily yesterday, the water above the eaves still remained.

When the sun shining over, clear water droplets fell from time to time, hitting the floor on the street outside.

The old man had been waiting for more than ten minutes.

Seeing that Ye Bei was still holding the woodcarving, he couldn't help but said, "Hey, boy, have you finished looking at it? If you really want to keep it, make a price. This thing will be yours by that time. You can watch it as long as you want, and no one will disturb it."

And Ye Bei who heard this slowly he came back from his thoughts.

He glanced at the old man before him with a little interest.

He lived too long, under normal circumstances, he rarely found people to confide in the past.

But there were some times that he would tell some people some things.

This seemed to have become a habit, a unique way of life.

So Ye Bei spoke with a flat voice, "You, don't want to hear stories about it?"

With that deep gaze, he looked at the old man.

"Uh..." The old man paused, then shook his head repeatedly, "What are you kidding about? How can you know that kind of ancient thing at your young age? I have asked a lot of experts before, but none of them know..."

With a click, Ye Bei placed the rattan sculpture on the table, interrupting the old man.

"Probably, more than 700 years ago, the northwest was not a desert. At that time, there were many people living in it and forming a small town. In the town, there was a very young master woodcarver. What he did in a day was to open the door, sat in the middle of the lobby, watching the pedestrians coming and going in the town, year after year, day after day, so every pedestrian's appearance was clearly remembered by him. At night, this person would close the door and start carving inside..."

Ye Bei's voice was faint but it was like a flow of magical chant coming out of an immortal's mouth instead...

When these magical words fell, the old man standing in the lobby of the Wensheng Antique Shop found that all the sights in front of him had completely changed.

He suddenly appeared on a bustling old street.

Everyone around him was pedestrian wearing blouses.

There were men and women, old and young.

Some people were whispering to each other

Some people were chasing each other

Some people were exchanging goods...

On one side of his body, there was an ancient house with the door open, and a teenager was sitting in it, watching him.

"Over time, all the people in the town were carved and shaped by that master, looking very lifelike. Later, many people in the town saw them and asked for their own carvings on the pretext of wanting to preserve them. That master also gave it away for free..."

Ye Bei's voice continued.

"In just a few days, the master gave away all the carvings! It was fine at the beginning. The residents in the town were very satisfied. They kept the wood carvings well. They treated that master with respect and even gave him food. But one day, a merchant in a neighboring town came over and entered the town. He found a wood carving. And seeing that it was so outstanding, he spent some money and bought it..."

But with this, the old man suddenly recovered.

Before Ye Bei continued speaking, he opened his mouth and interrupted Ye Bei's words, "Yes, when we entered the tomb in the Great Northwest Desert, we found that it was not a simple tomb. It was too big, like a city buried underground. There are many skeleton frames in it."

Hiss!

When it came to this the old man drew another breath and looked at Ye Bei, "Young man, you keep talking."

Ye Bei opened his mouth. Whether it was his face or voice, it was very calm from beginning to end, without the slightest change, "Later, when the people in that town saw profit, they sold the carvings at home. And, after the sale, many people went to that master to ask for new wood carvings!"

"Insatiable." The old man shook his head, expressing disdain.

"In the beginning, he didn't care about it. He carved them as usual. Everyone still treated them with courtesy. However, as more and more wood carvings were sold, the prices continued to rise. The people in the town all thought of that master as their cash cow instead! Because when they first asked for wood carvings, they didn't pay any price... So later, when they continued to ask for it, they didn't want to pay for it even more."

"The story of the farmer and the snake! I have heard a lot of this type."

The old man narrowed his eyes.

Yes, when his thoughts come back a bit, this old man listened to what Ye Bei said as a story.

"That's not the case." Ye Bei shook his head, "Wood carvings naturally requires a lot of wood. Those townspeople asked for it at first but found that the master's carving speed was too slow. So many townspeople also began to learn to carve and even cut down all the trees around the town. Later, without the protection of the trees, a sandstorm happened to hit the town, and all the woodcarvings and wealth were all covered by sand! As time goes by, the whole area has completely turned into a desert, and the town has disappeared from history. No one mentions it again, but the master is still alive, traveling all over the world and even lived to the modern age."

Speaking till here, Ye Bei's voice stopped.

The entire lobby became extremely silent.

The old man's old gaze looked at the wooden sculpture in front of the table, looking a little surprised.

After a long time, this veteran looked away from it and turned to look at Ye Bei as if thinking of something.

His voice was a bit rush and doubtful, "The small town in the story you told wouldn't be a real thing, right? Is it the place our team encountered when we went to the tomb? How could this kind of thing be possible? And that master, are you sure he's still alive?"