Chapter 22

Qi Feng looked around the market and saw that the four large sheds in the center were filled with small stalls, and he estimated that the quantity would not meet his needs. He decided not to join the crowd over there, as it was already packed with people. Qi Feng had just endured the morning rush on the subway, and he didn't want to go through that again.

The four sides of the market were lined with two-story buildings, mostly shops with names like Treasure Pavilion and Jade Hall, which all sounded similar. The business at these shops seemed less bustling compared to the small stalls in the center. However, from the names alone, it was hard to tell what they sold, so he decided to visit each one. Since he was already out, he might as well take a stroll around the capital's folk culture area. The Golden Silkworm King wouldn't fly away, and even if he combined his remaining silver and money, he doubted he could buy ten thousand Kaiyuan Tongbao coins at once.

He entered the first shop and immediately felt it was a lost cause. The shop was filled with stones, and there were quite a few customers. Qi Feng moved closer to take a closer look and realized it was a gemstone gambling shop, just as Haozi had described.

Qi Feng didn't have any particular intentions; he was just curious. He pretended to be an expert, not touching anything but watching others handle the stones. He didn't speak (if he did, his lack of knowledge would be obvious). After wandering around the shop for a while, he found that gemstone gambling wasn't as mysterious as Haozi had made it out to be, and the entry barrier was low. You could play with just a few hundred yuan! The materials called "Huikar," "Damakan," and "Modongsand" were all quite cheap! However, some of the gemstone gamblers complained that in Myanmar, they used such materials to pave roads!

The gemstone gamblers themselves were quite an eye-opener for Qi Feng. Besides the middle-aged and older men he expected, there were also elderly women and middle-aged women carrying shopping baskets, with fresh vegetables inside! The highbrow image of gemstone gambling that Haozi had described was instantly brought down to earth by these shopping baskets. Qi Feng couldn't help but marvel at how literature is indeed derived from life but elevated above it. He regretted not bringing Haozi to see this.

Apart from the middle-aged men and women, Qi Feng also realized he wasn't the youngest customer in the shop. Two young boys in front of him were definitely not in high school yet! Listening to their conversation, he heard terms like "field," "skin," "window," and "quality," which made him dizzy. They even used professional white light flashlights to examine the stones, looking quite professional.

After wandering around for a while, Qi Feng couldn't reconcile the scene before him with his impression of gemstone gambling. Unable to resist, he looked around and found the shop owner to ask for some clarification.

The shop owner was very friendly, "You're asking why the gemstone prices here are so low? Oh! Upstairs, the prices are higher upstairs!"

Qi Feng thought it was like a bar or restaurant, with the private rooms upstairs. "How high are the prices upstairs?"

"From a few thousand to tens of thousands! We have a wide variety of materials and good sources. If you're interested, you can check upstairs."

"Only a few thousand to tens of thousands?" Qi Feng still felt the gap was too large. "How much can a successful cut be worth?"

The shop owner proudly said, "Last month, a regular customer cut a piece worth seven or eight thousand, and it turned into three hundred thousand. He took it home and wouldn't sell it! The highest value I've ever seen in my shop was over eight hundred thousand!"

A piece worth seven or eight thousand turning into three hundred thousand was a huge profit, but in the capital, three hundred thousand wasn't a significant fortune. Where did the grand reputation of gemstone gambling come from?

"I read in a book that some cuts can be worth tens of millions. What's that about?"

The shop owner looked at Qi Feng for a few seconds and then laughed, "Young man, you must have read too many novels. But I can tell you, such things do happen, but definitely not in places like this."

Qi Feng understood but was curious, "Where can you find such high-end gemstone gambling?"

The shop owner shook his head, "Compared to those places, our Panjiayuan and Liulichang are just small stalls. You won't find out about those places, and even if you do, you won't be able to enter. They're not for ordinary people. If you're at that level, you'll know about them without asking."

Qi Feng felt the shop owner's words were similar to the tactics he used to deceive Xu Xiaoxia. At least the shop owner didn't charge for his talk, whereas he had taken over eight hundred taels from Xu Xiaoxia, making him a real swindler.

It seemed that high-end gemstone gambling, like limited edition luxury cars and Black Card credit cards, was something you couldn't just pursue. Even if you were a nouveau riche with money, it wouldn't matter. Once you achieved success and fame, they would naturally come to you. This was class!

After chatting with the shop owner for a while, Qi Feng casually asked if any nearby shops sold copper coins. The owner was surprised, "Copper coins? Aren't they everywhere on the stalls outside?"

Qi Feng sighed, "Those small stalls can't do much. They definitely won't have what I need."

The shop owner slapped his forehead, "Oh, I see, I see." He pointed to the south, "There, the one in front. Look for Wang Fat. He has a lot of antiques! And funerary objects. If you want copper coins, he's your man!"

Qi Feng thanked the shop owner and left the jade shop, shaking his head. The shop owner wasn't a simple person. Funerary objects, or mingqi, were generally not allowed to be sold. The jade shop owner had revealed that Wang Fat had funerary objects after just a few words, suggesting a strained relationship between them. Although they dealt in different items, it seemed there was some personal conflict.

As Qi Feng walked south toward the row of two-story buildings, he marveled at how deep the waters were in the capital, with intrigue everywhere. Suddenly, there was a commotion on his right.

"Stop the thief!"

"Don't let that kid get away!"

Qi Feng turned and saw a man running ahead, with several people chasing him. The crowd, which had been packed, suddenly parted to make a path!

Seeing the runner heading his way, Qi Feng quickly moved back with the crowd. What? Heroic deeds? Don't be ridiculous. In this day and age, if you chased a thief and the thief got hurt, you could face criminal charges! Thieves have rights too! With his first level Dragon Elephant Power, Qi Feng could exert several hundred pounds of force. If he accidentally injured the thief, he could be charged with excessive self-defense, potentially spending the rest of his life in prison.

Unfortunately, avoiding trouble doesn't mean trouble will avoid you. The runner, seeing he was about to be caught, grabbed a passerby, causing them to fall and trip the pursuers. The thief was quite clever! Seeing it worked, he repeated the tactic until he grabbed Qi Feng.

With Qi Feng's reflexes and skills, he could have easily dodged, but the crowd was packed like sardines, leaving no room to move. The thief grabbed his arm and shoulder, pulling hard... almost dislocating his own joint, but Qi Feng stood firm.

The thief was taken aback, but Qi Feng smiled, "You made the first move! Don't blame me for defending myself!" He reached out, grabbed the thief's collar, and lifted him off the ground, throwing him back like a piece of trash. In a dramatic description, it would be "lightly extending his ape-like arm, he captured the enemy and threw him to the ground." The pursuers, about to grab the thief, were startled by the sudden action. The thief, though dazed, found the strength to get up and pull out a half-foot-long dagger, waving it wildly, scaring the crowd even more and making the pursuers hesitate.

The thief looked nervous, eyes filled with menace, pointing the knife around and shouting, "Back off! Anyone who comes near, I'll stab them!"

For a moment, no one dared to breathe, even the pursuers were hesitant. Only Qi Feng laughed, "You pulled out a knife? Great." He turned to a passerby, "Is that a controlled weapon?"

The passerby, confused by the young man's behavior, heard an older man whisper, "Yes, definitely."

Qi Feng clapped his hands, delighted, "That's perfect!"

The passerby was puzzled, and the thief, seeing Qi Feng, was scared. This guy was incredibly strong, and the knife was no match. He pointed the knife at Qi Feng, shouting, "You... don't come any closer!"

Qi Feng smiled, "Don't worry, you have a knife, I won't come closer, I'm not that stupid!" Without waiting for a response, he suddenly turned, grabbed a large vase from the shop entrance, which was about as tall as a person.

Wow! The vase was heavy, and the crowd was shocked again, moving back a few more steps.

Before the thief could react, he saw a large cylindrical object whizzing toward him. There was a loud crash, and he felt himself flying through the air, spinning, and then everything went black.

Qi Feng held the broken neck of the vase, still in the pose of a baseball player after hitting a home run, and looked at the knife-wielding thug who had flown several meters and was now unconscious on the ground. He smiled, "Don't worry, I don't hit faces!"

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**End of Chapter**