Chapter 3

"Go, why not go?"

In response to Bao Longtu's threat, Fang Yuan immediately chose to compromise.

"That's right, why waste words, let's go quickly." After a series of twists and turns, the two finally arrived at the antique street in Quanzhou, urged on by Bao Longtu.

Speaking of collecting antiques, it could be considered Bao Longtu's greatest hobby outside of eating and drinking. Every weekend when he didn't have to work, he would come here to appreciate various antiques. However, due to his lack of spare money, he was very restrained, always just looking and rarely buying anything.

But now it was different. Because of yesterday's incident, Bao Longtu had unexpectedly received several ten thousand yuan, which he considered money he had found. Naturally, he planned to splurge and buy a few things he had long coveted.

"Don't worry, I only brought five thousand yuan. I'll leave as soon as the money is spent."

After depositing most of the money in a nearby bank, Bao Longtu said proudly, "This is an investment. If I spend five thousand yuan today, I might earn back fifty million tomorrow."

"Oh, I hope so."

Fang Yuan shrugged, not really expecting it.

"Hmph, don't think I'm boasting. You should know that such things are absolutely common in the collecting world." Bao Longtu listed them off like a treasure: "For example, my three idols often do such things."

"Which three idols?"

Fang Yuan was very surprised: "Why haven't I heard you mention them before?"

"I only started considering them my idols recently." Bao Longtu's face was filled with admiration: "If I had even half, no, just one-tenth of their skills, I would have been living in luxury long ago, residing in a villa, and driving a luxury car..."

"So impressive." Fang Yuan was quite curious: "Who are they?"

"Renowned collectors both at home and abroad."

Bao Longtu said proudly: "One is named Zhuang Rui, who is not only a great collector but also an explorer. His most famous achievement is finding the imperial jade seal buried in Genghis Khan's tomb and the legendary Solomon's treasure."

"The second is named Li Yang, who once apprenticed under a famous jade sculptor. In just a few years, he surpassed his master and became a jade sculptor on par with the revered Lu Zigang."

"The third, Wang Guan, is also a great collector. Do you know the Nine Tripods that suppress the nine regions? He was the one who found them..."

As Bao Longtu listed them, Fang Yuan's expression became increasingly strange. Finally, he couldn't help but ask: "The people and events you mentioned are so significant that they should be world-renowned. Why have I never heard of them?"

"Never heard of them?" Bao Longtu blinked: "That must be because you are ignorant... I'm not saying this to criticize you, but when you surf the internet, you should watch fewer romance action movies and visit more literary websites, like Qidian, to read more and gain knowledge. Then you would know about the things I'm talking about."

"Qidian... damn!"

Fang Yuan suddenly realized and immediately extended his middle finger to express his "respect."

"These are just minor details, not worth worrying about." Bao Longtu was not at all embarrassed and casually changed the subject: "Let's go, we're here to find bargains."

As he spoke, Bao Longtu took the lead, excitedly walking into the antique street. Fang Yuan followed behind, not particularly excited, as this wasn't his first time visiting the antique street.

In contrast, Bao Longtu was much more enthusiastic, his expression exuberant, as if declaring to the world, "I have money and a keen interest in antiques, and I'm here to buy things."

"Little brother, I have some new treasures. Would you like to take a look?"

The people who make a living on the antique street have very keen eyes and can read people's expressions instinctively. A stall owner noticed Bao Longtu's demeanor and immediately realized he was a potential customer, quickly smiling and inviting him over.

"New items?"

Bao Longtu couldn't help but stop and walk over to the stall.

"Ah, what a lucky break for him."

Seeing this, the nearby stall owners felt a bit envious, regretting that they had been a step too slow.

"Show me what you have."

Approaching the stall, Bao Longtu didn't hesitate, directly moving a small stool to sit down.

Although Bao Longtu rarely bought antiques, it didn't mean he didn't understand the market and the rules. If the stall owner thought he was a novice and planned to take advantage of him, he was mistaken.

At the same time, Fang Yuan also walked over and happened to see the stall owner placing a wooden carving. He looked closely and found that it was a horse, a galloping steed.

"This year is the Year of the Horse. I wish you success and vigor, little brother!" The stall owner smiled and said auspicious words.

"Thank you."

Bao Longtu was unmoved. He wasn't easily swayed by a few words and wouldn't buy something without verifying its authenticity.

As Bao Longtu picked up the carving to examine it, Fang Yuan sat beside him, bored, and started browsing the items on the stall. Most of the items were various ornaments, gray and old, exuding an ancient and rustic charm.

Antiques, after all, should look old to live up to the name "antique."

However, Fang Yuan had also heard Bao Longtu say that old things weren't necessarily antiques. They might be deliberately aged, a common method of faking antiques. Eighty to ninety percent of the items on the antique street were aged, and anyone who bought them would be cheated.

Fang Yuan didn't know how to identify antiques and couldn't tell which items on the stall were aged and which were naturally old. But sitting there was boring, so he picked up a copper coin to play with.

Copper coins were the currency of ancient society, round on the outside and square on the inside, usually made of copper. If well-preserved, they would have a golden luster, similar to gold, and a very solid feel.

Due to the ancient custom of saving money, many copper coins have been passed down through the ages. The stall had quite a few copper coins, but it was hard to say whether they were genuine or modern reproductions.

"Kangxi Tongbao!"

At this moment, Fang Yuan picked up a copper coin and saw that the front had neat text, written in beautiful regular script. It was heavy and felt good in the hand, likely a genuine item.

"Wait..."

In that instant, Fang Yuan realized that he didn't know how to authenticate antiques, so how could he be sure it was genuine?

"Whoosh!"

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Fang Yuan suddenly felt a throbbing pain in his forehead, followed by a darkening vision, as if he had suddenly stood up after squatting for a long time.

Fortunately, this sensation passed quickly. After the darkness faded, Fang Yuan immediately saw an invisible energy field spreading from the copper coin in his hand. The energy field was like a sun's halo, tangible yet intangible, faint yet distinct.

"What's happening?"

For a moment, Fang Yuan was stunned: "Is this an illusion?"

After rubbing his eyes, Fang Yuan looked again and found that the energy field was still there, surrounding the copper coin like a transparent shield, enveloping his palm.

This strange phenomenon naturally made Fang Yuan so startled that he almost dropped the copper coin. Although he didn't throw it away, he couldn't help but put it back on the stall out of nervousness.

With a clink, Fang Yuan's gaze also fell. At this moment, he was surprised to find that the items on the stall seemed to have similar energy fields, but there were differences. Some items had energy fields, while others were completely ordinary, showing no energy reaction at all.

Moreover, some energy fields were larger, some smaller, and even the colors varied.

After observing for a while, Fang Yuan felt that these energy fields seemed harmless. Curiosity piqued, he couldn't resist picking up the Kangxi Tongbao coin again and then another item with an energy field.

Hesitantly, Fang Yuan gently brought the two items close together. As soon as the two energy fields touched, they immediately became chaotic, as if creating a slight resistance. However, the resistance was very slight, and he might not have noticed it if he hadn't been paying close attention. The chaos didn't last long, and the energy fields of the two items quickly canceled each other out and disappeared.

"Strange."

Seeing this, Fang Yuan's curiosity grew even more. He moved the two items apart, and the two energy fields returned to normal. This intriguing scene further fueled his interest in studying it further.

At this moment, Fang Yuan put one item down, leaving only the Kangxi Tongbao coin, and then picked up another coin with an energy field. In his eyes, the energy fields of the two coins were very similar. He wondered what would happen if the two items were brought close together.

Thoughts turned into action, and Fang Yuan immediately placed the two coins in his palm. Without a doubt, the two energy fields overlapped and began to oscillate and become chaotic.

However, unlike the previous cancellation of the energy fields, the energy fields of the two coins actually merged, gradually forming a new energy field. Moreover, the range of this new energy field was larger than the combined volume of the two original energy fields.

If the energy field of one coin was the size of a fist, then the energy fields of two coins should have been the size of two fists, similar to a bowling ball.

However, when the energy fields of the two coins merged, a one-plus-one-greater-than-two effect occurred. The volume of the new energy field was like a basketball, and the originally faint energy glow became slightly stronger and more substantial.

"Could it be that energy fields of the same nature can not only merge but also amplify each other?"

At this moment, Fang Yuan had a flash of inspiration. To verify his guess, he picked up another coin and carefully placed it in his palm. The three coins were arranged side by side, and their energy fields overlapped.

At this moment, another strange phenomenon occurred... During the new book period, I urgently need your support for collections and recommendations. Please support me.