Chapter 21

Qifeng, who had returned to the present world, was still laughing with joy, feeling as if he had discovered a huge gold mine! It seemed his luck was truly boundless. Now, Qifeng's mind was filled with the thought of the ninety-nine Golden Silkworm Kings. Qifeng hummed a tune as he returned to his dormitory, only to find that none of his roommates were there. Checking the time, it was already past nine. Where could everyone be?

Qifeng turned on his computer, preparing to look up the route to Panjiayuan. Panjiayuan was quite famous, but in the capital's antique collecting circles, it didn't rank very high. The market was large, but there weren't many genuine treasures. Most people came to find some items for fun, to display as crafts. Of course, there were those who found real bargains, either because of their incredible luck or because they were experts in the field. However, Qifeng only needed some ancient copper coins, and Panjiayuan was sufficient for that.

This city of the Four Ninth Districts was great in many ways, but it was crowded, with high housing prices. So, Qifeng, who was somewhat of a homebody, rarely left the campus, to avoid adding to the congestion in the capital! As a result, even though he had been studying in the capital for over a year, his knowledge of the city's roads was not much better than that of first-time visitors.

While he was looking up the route, his roommates all returned. Seeing Qifeng, they were all surprised: "Why are you back so early today? Didn't you have that yoga club activity?"

For nearly half a month, Qifeng had either been practicing yoga in the eastern district or finding a quiet place to practice the Dragon Elephant Prajna Power, rarely appearing in the dormitory this early.

Qifeng waved his hand: "Finally free! I've learned all I need to from yoga. From now on, I'll just be a honorary member and won't have to attend the training sessions or activities."

"Wow, you're such a waste!" the roommates exclaimed in unison.

Old He came over, his left arm around Qifeng's neck: "Do you know how many people envy that yoga club membership? So many girls, and you just say you won't go anymore?"

Qifeng pushed him away, "Envy? Waste? Give it a try and you'll see. Among two hundred girls, the pressure is unimaginable. It's a miracle if you don't chicken out."

Old Wu shook his head and sighed: "I was hoping you could help me find a few girls, but it looks like that's not happening."

"Speaking of girls, let me show you something good!" Qifeng took out his phone, found a photo, and showed it to everyone.

"Eh? Did you just take this? The little girl is really pretty! But she's too young, right? Looks like she's just in high school! Fengzi, you're really evil!" the roommates all criticized him.

"What are you talking about? This is a hard-earned keepsake." Qifeng was somewhat exasperated by these guys.

"Oh, who is this?" Seeing Qifeng's serious expression, everyone asked.

Qifeng looked smug: "Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er!"

Old Wu said indignantly: "We've been dragged to the library every night by the leader, and you go to a cosplay event to look at girls, then come back to show off. How can the treatment be so different for roommates in the same dorm?"

"Ah? You all went to study? Every night? What's going on?" Qifeng had been coming back very late recently and wasn't very aware of the dorm's dynamics.

Old Wu said weakly: "I've been reading too much and have a headache. I haven't slept well for days. Let the leader educate you. I'm going to take a nap." He lay down on the bed, pulled the blanket over his head, and fell asleep.

So tired? Qifeng flipped his hand and took out a small bottle, poured out a Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill, and dropped it into the water bottle. Seeing that the water wasn't enough, he added some hot water, filling the bottle. As the pill dissolved in the warm water, a floral fragrance filled the room, even reaching Old Wu, who was lying under the blanket.

"Fengzi, what did you put in there that smells so good?" Everyone gathered around.

Qifeng laughed: "An ancestral secret recipe, a powerful restorative. Quickly, get your cups and pour some."

After each of them drank a cup, their eyes sparkled. "Awesome!" All the fatigue of the day was gone, as if they had just had a full meal and a good night's sleep, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

"Fengzi, you've never shared something this good before!" Old Ji complained. "In the past, when we went to the internet cafe and stayed up all night, we were so tired. If we had had this, we would have been full of energy! How many treasures could we have found?"

Qifeng could only chuckle: "Drink this just to stay up all night at the internet cafe? This bottle alone costs a thousand yuan in materials. Your cup costs a hundred or two. If I hadn't made some money recently, I wouldn't have been able to make it."

The price made the roommates gasp. Good grief, one sip and half a day's earnings from the window were gone. They couldn't afford it. In the past, it would have been several days' living expenses.

Old Wu suddenly looked miserable: "Fengzi, you've ruined me. After one cup, I'm full of energy, and my mind is clearer than when I just woke up. How am I supposed to sleep tonight?"

The dorm leader, Old Feng, smiled and patted his shoulder, handing him a thick book with a black cover: "No problem, it's Saturday tomorrow, and you don't have class. You can start reading this book..."

Old Wu took the book, feeling its weight. He looked at Old Feng sheepishly: "Actually, I don't feel so energetic anymore."

After some commotion, everyone still went back to bed, even though they were all very energetic. But... the dormitory building had its power cut off and the lights turned out. So, the dorm started a pillow talk session. They talked about everything, from astronomy and geography to international politics, and from relationships to campus gossip. Pillow talk was a common form of campus culture.

Qifeng just listened to everyone's chatter without joining in. He was practicing the second level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Power, which included some lying-down postures, making it convenient to practice in bed at night.

Finally, they talked about their weekend plans. Old He, of course, would spend time with Lily. Old Feng would go to the library, a true scholar. The other three had no plans, probably just going online, exercising, and sleeping.

"Fengzi, what are you doing tomorrow?" Old Feng, as the dorm leader (and now also the chairman), cared about everyone in the dorm and fulfilled his duties and responsibilities.

"Oh, I'm going to visit Panjiayuan..."

"Panjiayuan?" Everyone was surprised. Haozi asked, "You're not going there to appraise antiques, find bargains, and gamble on stones, are you?"

Qifeng was confused: "What do you mean by appraising antiques and gambling on stones?"

"First, you practiced a divine power, then you stepped on the basketball team captain in front of everyone, then you received the ** from over two hundred girls. Now, going to Panjiayuan, you're definitely going to find bargains and gamble on stones, pretending to be a novice and then showing off your skills..."

Qifeng was speechless: "What are you talking about?"

Haozi laughed: "That's the typical plot of web novels. I bet in a few days, you'll encounter a series of second-generation rich kids who will try to step on you, only to be humiliated by you. This is the capital, where the powerful are as numerous as dogs, and the second-generation rich are everywhere! You'll have plenty to fight!"

Qifeng admired his imagination: "Alright, use this as your outline and submit it. If you write well, you'll become a god before graduation. Go ahead, young man, and don't forget me if you become rich!"

Finally, the dorm leader, Old Feng, concluded: "Let's all go to sleep. If we don't sleep soon, it'll be morning."

The next morning, Qifeng first went to the cafeteria to prepare the beef he needed to sell. After practicing the Dragon Elephant Prajna Power, the most obvious benefit was that he could carry beef much more easily. Two hundred pounds was no problem, and he could carry it all at once. Checking the time, he set off for Panjiayuan.

Panjiayuan was located inside the Third Ring Road of the capital, right next to the Third Ring Line, with a dedicated subway station, making transportation relatively convenient. However, the capital's subway... Qifeng didn't want to complain, but he could only sigh that it was lucky it was Saturday, otherwise, he would have had to practice the Dragon Elephant Prajna Power to a higher level to squeeze onto the train at this time.

Exiting the subway, it wasn't far to the west to the famous Panjiayuan Old Goods Market! Yes, you read that right, not an antique market or a collection market, but clearly written in large traditional characters on the main gate: Panjiayuan Old Goods Market.

It was said that this place originally was where the fallen officials of the late Qing Dynasty secretly set up stalls to sell their family treasures, antiques, and paintings. Why secretly? To save face. Later, it gradually developed into a large market. So, this so-called "old goods market" was not the same as other old goods markets. From the beginning, it was dedicated to antiques and collections, not an old goods market that later specialized in a particular business.

Before coming, Qifeng had done his homework. He also heard that Panjiayuan held a "ghost market" every weekend, opening before dawn, with some experts coming to find treasures under the cover of darkness. Visitors had to bring a flashlight, an old rule, or they would be considered outsiders and mocked.

This "ghost market" had created many legends of people finding bargains and becoming rich overnight. But whenever someone envied those who found bargains in the "ghost market," the experts would proudly ask, "Have you ever seen the capital at four in the morning?"

Qifeng was somewhat interested in this "ghost market," not because he expected to find anything, but just for the novelty and excitement. However, he overslept. Four in the morning was not a normal human's wake-up time!

Qifeng walked into the market and couldn't help but marvel at the sheer number of items and people! From leader badges and old ration tickets to gold, silver, and copper artifacts, and from Ming and Qing furniture to jade and carnelian, basically, any ancient item you could think of was sold here. The authenticity of the items was questionable, but in terms of variety and quantity, this place could outshine any museum.

Qifeng also noticed many backpackers and domestic tour groups in the crowd. It seemed this place had become a tourist attraction, though it was unclear if there was any forced consumption.

"Hmm, where can I buy ancient coins?" Qifeng looked around, but the dense crowd made it difficult to find what he needed. He wasn't looking for just a few coins; he needed a lot, so he couldn't rely on small stalls.