Chapter 1

As the first ray of morning sunlight pierced the horizon, it illuminated an ancient and picturesque city in China. The previously quiet city instantly became bustling and lively.

As time passed, the sunlight spread across the land and shone into a dilapidated building on the outskirts of the city, illuminating a messy rental room. The room was filled with a strong, strange smell and the scent of burnt circuit boards.

There, a young man of about twenty lay on his back on the ground, his body occasionally twitching. A stool lay askew beside him, as if he had fallen directly from it.

In front of him was a table with an old computer. The computer case and the large monitor were now sparking continuously, clearly broken.

Suddenly, the young man, who had been twitching, opened his eyes and quickly stood up, looking around the room with a dazed expression.

His gaze finally settled on the computer. Seeing the sparks, he remembered what had happened yesterday and burst into a tirade, "Damn it, is this a joke? I was just watching an educational video, and the computer caught fire, shocking me to the ground. This feels like a movie plot."

After a long rant, the young man couldn't help but touch his body to make sure all his parts were intact. He let out a sigh of relief, but a sense of fear still lingered.

His name was Chen Yi, a recent college graduate. Last night, while watching an educational video, the computer screen flickered, and sparks flew. His hand, which was on the keyboard, was suddenly jolted by an electric shock, causing him to lose consciousness.

At the moment of the electric shock, he thought he was going to die. However, when he woke up, he found himself still alive, a situation that left him in disbelief.

Suddenly, as he was still in a state of shock, the phone rang. "Xiao Yi, what are you doing? It's already nine o'clock. The sun is shining on the Qing Dynasty vase in the shop. Hurry up and come to work..."

"Yes, Uncle Liu, I'm on my way. I'm on the bus now, but I was delayed a bit," Chen Yi quickly replied before washing his face with cold water. He glanced at the still sparking computer, feeling a mix of frustration and helplessness, then unplugged the power cord and rushed out the door.

After graduating from a third-tier finance university, Chen Yi had been struggling in the famous ancient city of Haoyang. In a time when college graduates were abundant, finding a job to make ends meet was already a challenge, let alone one that matched his major.

He now worked as an apprentice and part-time accountant in a small antique shop in Haoyang Antique Market. The shop was unremarkable, with only him and Uncle Liu, the owner.

It took him a year to find a job in Haoyang, and he was only hired by Uncle Liu a month ago. Although Uncle Liu was strict, he was very caring, and Chen Yi was grateful for his kindness.

On the bus, he examined his hands, finding no trace of the electric shock. He was even more puzzled by why a simple educational video could cause the computer to explode, with the monitor and case both damaged.

After much thought, he still couldn't figure it out. Chen Yi held onto the bus railing and looked out the window at the bustling city, feeling lost and unable to find a place for himself.

"Haoyang Antique Market has arrived. Please exit from the rear door." Hearing the bus announcement, Chen Yi, who had been lost in thought, quickly got off the bus. A tall, ancient archway stood before him, with the words "Haoyang Antique Market" written in gold. Two large stone lions flanked the entrance, adding a sense of grandeur and ancient charm.

It was only a little past nine in the morning, and the antique market was sparsely populated. When Chen Yi first arrived, he was worried about the business, but over time, he learned that the antique trade could be unpredictable. Sometimes, a single transaction could sustain a shop for years.

For example, Uncle Liu once bought a broken bowl from an old lady for ten thousand yuan and later sold it for over a hundred thousand.

Chen Yi walked to the back of the market, where Uncle Liu's shop, Baozangzhai, was located. Though unremarkable, it attracted some people from the countryside who were hesitant to enter the more prominent shops and preferred this small, unassuming place.

Seeing two customers in the shop, Chen Yi hurried in, greeted Uncle Liu, and quickly served them tea and water. The two elderly men, dressed simply, seemed a bit uncomfortable with the enthusiastic service.

After serving the water, Chen Yi took a cloth to clean the antiques. Although antiques were valued for their age, they still needed to be kept clean. After working in the shop for over a month, he could tell that these two men were there to sell family heirlooms.

Uncle Liu was examining a painting on the table with a magnifying glass, his brow furrowing and relaxing intermittently.

"Xiao Yi, don't clean just yet. You've been here for a while. Let's test your skills. Appraise this painting," Uncle Liu called out, motioning for Chen Yi to come over.

"Uncle Liu, I can say a few things about ceramics, but I know nothing about paintings," Chen Yi replied, looking troubled.

Uncle Liu became angry, "Stop stalling. You've been here for a while. Even just watching can help. As the saying goes, 'An onlooker sees the game clearly.' Come on, appraise it."

Chen Yi reluctantly approached the painting. Whenever Uncle Liu was unsure about an antique, he would ask Chen Yi to appraise it. It was more for show, as Chen Yi would just take a cursory look, and Uncle Liu would observe the seller's reaction and engage in conversation to determine if they were a fraud.

In the past month, Chen Yi had mostly learned about ceramics. As for Uncle Liu, he initially thought he was an expert, but after a month, he realized Uncle Liu was more of a smooth talker with a basic understanding of antiques.

Chen Yi smiled bitterly at the painting. With his current level of knowledge, any painting would seem genuine to him. He was far from understanding even the basics of paintings.

"Detecting the host's appraisal needs, initializing the appraisal system..."

Suddenly, as Chen Yi was thinking about appraising the painting, a synthesized voice appeared in his mind. He froze, but after a while, the voice stopped.

Was it just a hallucination? Did the electric shock damage his brain? Chen Yi's face turned grim.

Looking at the painting, he had learned a bit about antiques in the past month, but it was just the basics. The painting depicted aquatic animals, including fish, shrimp, and a large crab. The signature read "Qi Da," but he didn't know who the artist was.

The painting didn't seem as beautiful as other Chinese paintings; instead, it felt strange and lively. He couldn't see anything else.

"Appraisal system initialization successful. Appraising the host's initial data... Appraisal successful. You can view your data in the system interface. As this is your first use of the appraisal system, you are gifted ten初级 appraisal talismans."

"Task issued: Identify the flaws in the painting in front of you and successfully prevent Uncle Liu from buying it. Task success reward: one appraisal point."

Hearing the synthesized voice again, Chen Yi, who was used to the internet, still took a few steps back in shock. "What is this? What's in my head?"

"Chen Yi, what's wrong with you? I don't need you to appraise the painting. These two gentlemen need the money for their child's treatment. Whether it's genuine or not, I'll buy it. It's a good deed. Gentlemen, we agreed on fifteen thousand yuan," Uncle Liu said, annoyed, then turned to the two elderly men with a kind smile.

"No, boss, a collector in my hometown said this is worth at least thirty thousand yuan. Fifteen thousand is too low. We need at least twenty thousand. My child has cancer and needs a kidney transplant. If you can't pay twenty thousand, we won't sell it. Dazhu, let's go," the elderly man said, reaching for the painting. The other elderly man sighed and prepared to leave.

Seeing this, Uncle Liu's expression changed, and he quickly intervened, "No, gentlemen, let's talk. I'll add three thousand, making it eighteen thousand. If that's not enough, you can leave."

"Uncle Li, let's sell it. We've visited several antique shops, and they all offered less than fifteen thousand. If we keep looking, the hospital might not wait. We can borrow a few thousand more from relatives to save our child's life," Dazhu hesitated and then said to the elderly man who was packing the painting.

At that moment, Chen Yi remembered the synthesized voice in his head. The task was to find the flaws in the painting and prevent Uncle Liu from buying it. If the painting was fake and Uncle Liu spent eighteen thousand on it, he would be devastated and might even close the shop in anger.

"Uncle Liu, don't buy it. The painting is fake," Chen Yi shouted, thinking of Uncle Liu's kindness.

The two elderly men and Uncle Liu were stunned. "Young man, this is our life-saving money. How can you accuse us of fraud? Our family has been honest farmers for generations," Uncle Li sighed.

"Uncle Li, let's go. If you think our price is too high, you can negotiate, but don't accuse us of being frauds. We just want to exchange our family heirloom for our child's life-saving money. Dazhu, let's go," Dazhu said angrily, coming to the table to roll up the painting.

"Chen Yi, you're really acting crazy. Go clean the antiques. Gentlemen, the boy is just being irrational. Please don't mind him," Uncle Liu shouted, quickly blocking the two elderly men and speaking kindly. He knew Chen Yi's level of expertise after two months in the shop.

Even if the painting was a fake, Chen Yi wouldn't be able to tell. Plus, with Chen Yi's irrational behavior, Uncle Liu didn't take his words seriously.

"Come, gentlemen, do you want a check or cash?" Uncle Liu asked politely.

"We want cash. We need to pay the hospital immediately. The hospital doesn't accept checks. If you don't give us cash, we won't sell it," the two elderly men said, still angry.

Uncle Liu smiled, "Alright, gentlemen, please wait. I'll get the cash from the back. Chen Yi, watch the shop and don't upset the gentlemen again, or you'll be in trouble."