Chapter 7

The antique street is located at the edge of Jianghai City, far from the city center. However, the foot traffic here is no less than in the city center. The shops on this street are all large antique and rare item specialty stores, and outside these shops, there are countless small stalls.

These small stalls are what people like the most. As for those shops, they are the kind that might not open for a year but, when they do, they can sustain themselves for a year. The shop owners themselves also set up small stalls outside their doors.

These small stalls are the most popular, selling all kinds of things, but most of them are deceptive, and many are fake. Truly good items are few and far between.

The people selling things here come from all walks of life. It is said that this place is beyond government control, but no one dares to cause trouble here because there is a boss, whom everyone calls Mr. Xue. With him in charge, no one dares to cause trouble.

Once, some people used the special conditions here to smuggle and sell drugs, but they all disappeared without a trace.

Mr. Xue once said, "This is a clean place."

Buying fake goods on the internet is common, but if someone tries to use this place for illegal activities, Mr. Xue will not tolerate it. Because of Mr. Xue's presence, the government does not interfere here.

There are no taxes on the transactions here.

Of course, there is no need to worry about thieves here; they do not have the nerve to cause trouble on Mr. Xue's territory.

The taxi driver dropped Xia Tian off at the entrance to the street, sighed, and left. In his view, Xia Tian was just another person with a get-rich-quick dream. He thought it was a pity that such a young person was already mixing in this place. He knew many people who had gone bankrupt here.

Many people come here with the idea of finding treasures, but they end up losing everything.

This place is like a huge casino, but unlike a casino, as long as you have some discernment, you won't be cheated.

As Xia Tian took his first step onto the antique street, he saw an endless sea of people and countless small stalls on both sides of the road. Although these stalls are small, each has its own style, and each stall displays different items. Many vendors are also shouting to attract customers.

Qing dynasty porcelain, bodhi seeds, Ming dynasty vases, Qin dynasty ancient swords, and more.

The shouts rise and fall. Hearing these calls, Xia Tian smiled slightly. If these things were genuine, they wouldn't be displayed on these stalls; they would be sold directly to the shops, and the prices would be high.

Even high-quality fakes are not cheap.

"This is really a good place," Xia Tian said as he entered the antique street and activated his透视眼 (X-ray vision) to look ahead.

Blue light rays emerged from the crowd, just as Xia Tian had guessed. The truly good items would emit this blue light due to the accumulated spiritual energy from the earth over time.

"Look, it's the famous appraiser Mr. Xu Dechuan," someone in the crowd shouted. Everyone then turned their gaze to Xia Tian, leaving him momentarily at a loss. However, he quickly realized that the person they were looking at was not him but an elderly man behind him.

The elderly man was dressed in traditional Chinese attire, exuding the air of a master from the 1960s and 1970s. His most distinctive feature was the goatee on his chin. He was followed by four bodyguards, each looking strong and robust.

The elderly man walked steadily, and the people around him looked at him with envy. Others parted to make way for him, but Xia Tian remained standing.

"Hey, kid, quickly make way for Mr. Xu," someone shouted.

Xia Tian ignored the person and walked forward. He didn't care who the old man was; he was there to buy things, which made him stand out.

The wide road was lined with people, but the middle was clear, reserved for Mr. Xu. Yet, Xia Tian was walking in the middle, making it seem as if Mr. Xu was following him.

Mr. Xu was slightly taken aback and stopped. He had never encountered such a situation before—someone walking in front of him.

"Hey, kid, didn't you see this is Mr. Xu's path?" One of Mr. Xu's bodyguards couldn't hold back and stepped forward to block Xia Tian.

"What a presumptuous kid, daring to walk in front of Mr. Xu."

"A disrespectful person, Mr. Xu is the one who leads us to wealth."

"Truly fearless, Mr. Xu is a highly respected person, and everyone willingly makes way for him, but this kid dares to take advantage of it."

The crowd looked at Xia Tian with dissatisfaction. Mr. Xu Dechuan was a well-known figure on the antique street, recognized for his knowledge of antiques from various dynasties and his ability to help people with free appraisals. He also selects three people each time he visits to help them find three treasures.

This is what made Mr. Xu so respected.

Xia Tian's gaze was fixed on a stall, and he turned toward it. Seeing Xia Tian leave the middle path, the bodyguard didn't say anything, and everyone thought the newcomer had realized he shouldn't be there.

The bodyguard's restraint was praised by the crowd.

"True to Mr. Xu's bodyguards, they have high standards and didn't make things difficult for the kid."

"Yes, Mr. Xu's bodyguards are carefully selected, not only for their skills but also for their manners."

"That kid was really disrespectful. If Mr. Xu left because of this, the crowd would have torn him apart."

Mr. Xu seemed to enjoy the praise, walking confidently down the street. The shop owners greeted him, and he nodded in response.

"How much is this?" Xia Tian asked, pointing to a fish-shaped jade pendant. The pendant looked very old and simple, like a child's toy. Seeing a customer, the stall owner immediately smiled.

"You have good eyes, young man. This is the most valuable item on my stall. It is carved from Western Tian Tan jade, which is black and lustrous, elegant yet grand. Wearing it regularly can strengthen the body." The stall owner, seeing an easy target, began to talk non-stop. From his experience, the young man in front of him was definitely a first-timer and knew nothing.

This kind of person is the easiest to make money from.

"How much is this jade?" Xia Tian asked.

"Seeing your sincerity, I'll sell it to you for 8,000 yuan. For others, I wouldn't sell it for less than 10,000 yuan," the stall owner said, not believing the young man could really pay 8,000 yuan. He set the price high to make it easier to negotiate later.

"8,000 is a bit expensive. I'm still a high school student and don't have that much money," Xia Tian said, playing along with the stall owner.

At this moment, Mr. Xu stopped and looked at the jade in Xia Tian's hand, then smiled disdainfully. He could see at a glance that the jade was a 20-yuan decorative item sold on the street, and it could only fool someone like Xia Tian.

Although he saw through it, he didn't explain it but stood there to watch the show. Xia Tian walking in front of him had already annoyed him, and if not for maintaining his dignity, he would have had the young man taught a lesson.

Now, seeing the young man fall for it, he wouldn't intervene.

The stall owner, seeing Mr. Xu's smile, broke out in a cold sweat. He knew his item couldn't escape Mr. Xu's discerning eye and hoped Mr. Xu wouldn't expose him.

"Boss, how about 200 yuan? I already know this jade is fake," Xia Tian said with a smile.

The stall owner knew his expression had given him away but still tried to haggle: "Young man, you have a keen eye, but 500 yuan is the minimum. Otherwise, you can try other stalls."

"Alright, 500 yuan it is. But these small stones look nice; can you give them to me as a gift?" Xia Tian pointed to a few ordinary stones, which had no value. The stall owner had only placed them there because they looked nice.

"You're a good sport, deal," the stall owner said, taking the 500 yuan and putting the stones in Xia Tian's pocket.

Mr. Xu smiled and came to Xia Tian's side, saying, "Young man, you're still too inexperienced. A 20-yuan decorative item can be sold for 500 yuan, and only a young, inexperienced person like you would buy it."

"Oh, really?" Xia Tian's lips curled, and he let go of the jade, which fell to the ground and shattered. Even Mr. Xu was slightly taken aback.

"Why? Did you know it was fake all along?" Mr. Xu looked at Xia Tian, puzzled.

"Money, that's all," Xia Tian smiled. The treasure was already in his hands, so the jade was no longer useful. One of the small stones he had just bought was emitting a strong golden light, different from the blue light of other treasures, which indicated the presence of accumulated spiritual energy.

The golden light had only one possible explanation: it was a relic, as his father had once told him. The strong light suggested that this relic might be a relic of an ancient Buddha.