Chapter 1

**Update Time: November 1, 2012**

"Old man, you broke my magical artifact! Give me twenty thousand yuan right now, or I'll make you pay dearly today!"

"Brother, I... I don't have any money. I really can't afford twenty thousand. Can I write you an IOU? Please, have mercy..."

...

A magical artifact?

Wang Ke's brows furrowed at the words. He was on his way to work and couldn't help but stop to look at the crowd. In the crowd, a burly man with tattoos glared viciously at the elderly man sitting on the ground. The ground was littered with porcelain shards.

The old man's face was full of helplessness and panic, on the verge of tears.

Seeing the old man's tattered clothes, his dark skin, emaciated limbs, and deep wrinkles on his face, Wang Ke's frown deepened.

Even if the old man had broken the porcelain, he shouldn't be treated like this!

"Who are you calling 'brother'? I'm not that old! Give me the money now! I saw the money in your ragged bag, don't pretend to be poor! Old man, give me the money!"

The man said impatiently.

"This is my grandson's tuition, I need it urgently. I can't give it to you. Please, have mercy. I'll write you an IOU and pay you back later, okay?"

The old man clutched his greasy, tattered bag tightly, as if holding onto his life.

"Bullshit! Don't lie to me! Give me the money! That Qing Kangxi blue-and-white Guanyin vase is worth at least fifty thousand yuan. I'm being lenient by asking for twenty thousand. Don't be ungrateful!"

With that, the man tried to grab the old man's bag.

The old man, terrified, clung to his bag with all his might. This money was hard-earned from collecting trash and scrap to pay for his grandson's education. If the money was gone, his grandson would have to drop out of school. He would rather die than let his grandson's future be ruined!

Qing Kangxi blue-and-white Guanyin vase?

Fifty thousand yuan?

If it were really a magical artifact, it would be worth much more. Even as an antique, it would be worth far more than that, let alone a magical artifact that could change a person's and a shop's fortune.

Wang Ke, puzzled, focused his gaze on the porcelain shards on the ground.

He worked at the Jubaotang antique shop on Antique Street. Although he wasn't an expert on magical artifacts, he had a good eye for antiques.

Qing Kangxi blue-and-white porcelain was divided into three periods: early, middle, and late, each with its own distinct characteristics.

The Kangxi blue-and-white vase in front of him...

Wang Ke's brows furrowed.

"Give it to me!"

At that moment, the man, seeing the growing crowd, grew anxious. He grabbed the old man's bag when the old man wasn't paying attention.

The old man let out a cry, his withered hands bursting with strength as he clung to the bag, pleading with tears in his eyes:

"I'll write you an IOU. Everyone here knows me, the old man who collects scrap. Please, have mercy. I can't give you this money, I really can't."

"Go to hell, write your damn IOU!"

The man kicked the old man to the ground with a vicious kick.

A bone-chilling crack echoed from the old man's hand.

The old man's hand still clung to the bag.

"Please, please, I'll kowtow to you, I'll kowtow to you!"

The old man, one hand still clutching the bag, the other hand pressed to his chest, struggled to his feet and began to kowtow to the man.

The old man was driven to the brink, and he could only kowtow and beg for mercy.

The onlookers couldn't bear to watch. The sound of the bone breaking was clear, and the scene before them was both heart-wrenching and infuriating at the man's cruelty.

How could he treat the old man like this!

Sensing the crowd's unease, the man quickly pulled out a small knife and scanned the crowd menacingly.

Seeing the knife, those who had been about to intervene immediately quieted down.

This could turn deadly!

Forget it, the old man should have been more careful and not broken the porcelain. It was his fate!

Seeing the crowd subdued, the man breathed a sigh of relief but grew more anxious as more people gathered.

He knew he couldn't delay any longer and had to get the money and leave. He immediately raised the knife to cut open the bag.

"Stop!"

Wang Ke shouted angrily.

He had just snapped out of his thoughts and, upon raising his head, saw the old man kowtowing to the man. Each kowtow felt like a hammer blow to his heart. The man was unmoved and was about to cut the bag with the knife. How could he not be angry!

His angry shout drew everyone's attention to Wang Ke.

Seeing the young man, who was somewhat handsome but a bit thin, the onlookers couldn't help but admire him: "Well done!"

The man also paused, and the old man continued to kowtow, pleading: "Please, please, please..."

"Kid, where are you from? Go back where you came from, mind your own business!"

The man's worst fear had come true, but he wasn't afraid. He had been through life and death on the streets.

What did he have to fear from a young punk?

"Let go of the bag!"

Wang Ke stared coldly at the man, his face like ice, and took a step forward.

To use fake porcelain to cheat an old man!

He recognized this type of porcelain. It was a special item from Old Zhang's porcelain shop on Antique Street, costing twenty yuan each. This guy was using it to cheat a poor old man, and he deserved to die!

"Who do you think you are? You tell me to let go, and I'll let go? You better go back where you came from, or I won't be nice!"

The man brandished his knife menacingly. If the situation were different, this little punk would have been dead by now!

As he spoke, the brave young man suddenly vanished!

The onlookers only saw a blur, and the next moment, the brave young man appeared in front of the burly man.

No one reacted in time.

Did they see wrong?

Many began to doubt their eyes. How could someone move so fast?

"I told you to let go!"

Wang Ke's eyes flashed with a cold light, and his hand already gripped the man's hand holding the bag.

The man also thought he had seen wrong. How did the young man suddenly appear in front of him?

But he didn't care about that. He cared about the money. Anyone who stood in his way would be dealt with!

"You damn..."

Before the man could finish, he felt a tremendous force on his wrist, as if it were clamped in an iron vise, unable to move. The force continued to increase, making him feel his wrist was about to break. His face turned pale, and cold sweat poured down.

The man looked at Wang Ke in terror, unable to believe this young man had such strength!

"Let go!"

Wang Ke repeated, his voice even colder.

"Go to hell!"

The man roared and burst into action, lunging at Wang Ke with the small knife.

Seeing this, the onlookers gasped in shock. They never thought the man would actually attack, and they were worried for Wang Ke.

"I told you to let go!!!"

Wang Ke's eyes flashed with cold light, and he unleashed a powerful force from his hand.

"Crack!"

A sharp crack echoed, followed by the man's pig-like scream.

"Ah—"

Everyone was stunned by the scene.

A thick wrist had been broken with such force!

The man crouched on the ground, clutching his wrist in terror, his face pale, and sweat pouring down.

His wrist had been broken like that?

Who was this guy?

How could he have such strength?

Was he even human?

The man's small knife had fallen to the ground from the pain.

As someone who had been on Antique Street for a while, Wang Ke had heard of many cases of fraud, but he never thought he would witness one today, and against a poor old man!

It was inhumane!

If it were before yesterday, he might have hesitated, but yesterday he had successfully broken through to the third level of the *Dragon Elephant* technique, his body filled with true qi, and he had nothing to fear.

"Grandpa, you can get up. His porcelain is fake, you don't need to pay."

Wang Ke glanced coldly at the man and turned to help the old man up.

As he helped the old man, his hand also tended to the old man's broken fingers, quickly setting them and using his true qi to heal. If the old man didn't do heavy work, his fingers would be fine in three days.

The old man, clearly shocked by the man's actions, nodded mechanically, tears streaming down his face, as if still kowtowing...

The onlookers were stunned to hear that the porcelain was fake.

"Kid, what makes you say my porcelain is fake? You hurt me, and I'll make you pay for my medical bills, bankrupting you!"

The man's voice wavered as he saw Wang Ke's cold gaze, and it grew even weaker as he thought of his broken wrist.

"Whatever!"

Wang Ke didn't care. He had no money anyway. He stared into the man's eyes and asked:

"You said this is a Qing Kangxi blue-and-white Guanyin vase, right? Kangxi blue-and-white porcelain is divided into three periods: early, middle, and late. Early Kangxi blue-and-white porcelain is heavy and thick, with a fat, bluish-white glaze, often with shrinkage and small pinholes. Middle Kangxi blue-and-white porcelain is white and hard, with a 'sticky rice cake' texture, few impurities, and a moderate thickness, with a focus on refinement. Late Kangxi blue-and-white porcelain is mostly bluish-white or bright bluish glaze, with a deep, restrained luster, heavier and harder than the middle period, with deeper, flat-cut feet. Which period does your porcelain belong to?"

Wang Ke recited the characteristics of the three periods of Kangxi blue-and-white porcelain without hesitation.

Not only was the man stunned, but the onlookers were also dumbfounded.

It turned out this young man was an expert!

The man never thought he would encounter an expert today. He had deliberately chosen a place far from Antique Street to commit fraud, but he had run into a tough opponent.

He was in a hurry to get the money because he feared the police. He had just been released from jail a few days ago and didn't want to go back.

"I... I... This is a magical artifact!"

The man tried to avoid Wang Ke's gaze and argued.

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