“There aren’t any left. Handwritten compasses are things from a long time ago. Back during the ‘Destroy the Four Olds’ campaign, they were all smashed to pieces. Where could you find one now!”

The shop owner’s words made Henry Foster’s face show a pained expression. He knew this part of history—many of China’s traditional items were completely destroyed during that period.

“Forget it, I’ll just pick one at random for now!”

Henry Foster casually took a compass off the wall, walked inside, and asked, “Boss, how much is this compass?”

“This compass is made of top-quality rosewood, six hundred yuan each!”

The old man hadn’t expected Henry Foster was really here to buy a compass. He flashed a mouthful of yellow teeth stained by tobacco and quoted his price with a smile.

Henry Foster curled his lips. The boss was taking advantage of his youth. The function of a compass is to determine position based on the magnetic field. Normally, compasses aren’t made of rosewood, because the magnetic field of a rosewood compass needle is affected, and its stability is much lower than that of compasses made from ordinary wood.

The wood suitable for compasses is generally chosen for its balance of firmness and flexibility, like a sheet of xuan paper. For example, ginkgo wood and tiger bone wood are standard materials for compasses. When ink is written on them, it seeps vertically. But sandalwood, rosewood, and red sandalwood seep horizontally or don’t seep for a long time—by the time the writing is done, it’s just a black dot. What does this show about a compass? Stability! The closer the wood is to the effect of xuan paper, the more suitable it is for compasses, so it won’t affect the compass’s ability to sense energy.

“Boss, give me a fair price. This is just ordinary pine, how could it possibly be rosewood!”

“Four hundred sixty yuan, that’s the lowest I can go.”

Having had the wood type of the compass called out by Henry Foster, the boss didn’t argue. Since Henry Foster could identify pine, he must know something about compasses, so the boss didn’t bother with a fake price anymore.

“Three hundred, if that’s okay I’ll take one. Honestly, I’m just researching ancient feng shui culture. To be honest, those metal compasses only cost a few dozen yuan each. If this doesn’t work out, I’ll just buy one of those.”

The boss looked Henry Foster up and down, weighing whether what he said was true. In the end, he agreed. Mainly, Henry Foster was too young—he didn’t look like a feng shui master, more like a student. If he really was just researching feng shui culture, he could indeed just buy a metal compass.

Compared to the metal compasses that cost a few dozen yuan, the profit on this wooden compass was much higher. Even at three hundred, it was still more profitable.

The boss went to find a bag to pack the compass. Henry Foster casually looked around the interior. When his gaze swept over the table, his expression suddenly changed. There was a compass with a missing corner, and it was one with hand-brushed ink characters. A strange look flashed in Henry Foster’s eyes, but he quickly returned to normal.

“Boss, how come this compass is missing a corner?”

Taking the bag the boss handed over, Henry Foster pointed at the compass with the missing corner on the table and asked.

“Oh, that one? It belongs to a relative of mine from the countryside. Their family used to specialize in feng shui, but during those turbulent ten years, they suffered for it. The old man passed away, and many things were smashed. This compass was found when they moved house—probably destroyed back then.”

“Boss, can I take a look at it?”

“Sure, this compass is missing a corner, so it’s useless. Go ahead and take a look!”

A compass is all about the way of Taiji, the circle gives birth to all things. No feng shui master would use a compass with a missing corner.

As soon as he picked up the compass, Henry Foster felt its weight. He had a feeling this compass was unusual, and the material was jet-black and glossy—it must have been made by a master.

“Boss, even though this compass can’t be used, it’s still useful for my research into ancient feng shui culture. I wonder if you’d be willing to sell it?”

“I think this compass is pretty nice too. I’ll just keep it for myself to fiddle with!”

The old man’s face showed a reluctant expression, but Henry Foster understood this was just a tactic to raise the price. The compass was covered in dust on the table—hardly something that was often handled and cherished.

“Since it’s something you love, boss, I won’t take it from you. After all, a compass is a compass. I’m just researching feng shui culture.”

With that, Henry Foster picked up the bag and turned to leave. He was sure the boss would call out to him.

“Wait, young man!”

Sure enough, just as Henry Foster was about to step out the door, the boss’s voice came from behind, his face showing a look of painful reluctance as he said:

“Young man, since you’re planning to research ancient feng shui culture, it’s best to use something truly old. This compass is an antique. I haven’t had much schooling, but I really respect you scholars. How about this—I’ll sell you this compass!”

“Oh, boss, you make a good point. So, how much do you want for it?”

Henry Foster stood at the door, not going back in, and asked directly. He wanted the boss to think he wasn’t that interested in the compass.

“Five thousand!”