Chapter 10

In the early morning, Ye Tian woke up to a faint odor.

After his mind cleared, he quickly identified the source of the smell—it was his own body!

A thin layer of grime, grayish-black and viscous, had formed on his body, emitting a pungent, fishy smell, as if it had been expelled through his pores.

Although the grime was not much, it clung to his skin, making him feel very uncomfortable.

His underwear and freshly changed bedding were also stained, emitting the same unpleasant odor.

I took a shower last night, so how could this happen?

Confused, Ye Tian got out of bed, walked into the bathroom, and started to shower. As the hot water flowed over his body, he pondered why this strange change had occurred.

After much thought, he could only connect it to the special ability of his eyes.

It seemed that most of the spiritual energy absorbed by his eyes yesterday was used to upgrade his ability, while a small part was used to improve his physical condition, expelling impurities from his body.

Once he determined the cause, Ye Tian felt a surge of excitement. His current physical condition was poor, and he had long needed to exercise! This sudden good fortune was exactly what he had been hoping for!

The body is the capital of revolution, and this saying couldn't be more accurate!

After the shower, he felt refreshed and invigorated, as if every cell in his body was singing. He felt lighter and more comfortable than the day before.

Ye Tian noticed that his skin had become more lustrous and elastic, and his muscle lines had become more defined and smoother. Although the changes were not significant, they were visible to the naked eye!

He then did a few push-ups, which were much easier than before, clearly indicating an increase in strength.

The most noticeable change was the scar on his thigh.

This was an injury from his youth, which required over a dozen stitches and left an ugly scar, resembling a centipede, which was quite frightening. Now, the scar had faded somewhat.

It seemed that if this happened a few more times, the scar would completely disappear from his body!

After the surprise, Ye Tian changed his bedding and then turned on his computer to browse the news.

There was something he needed to confirm, otherwise, he would feel uneasy.

He wanted to know the follow-up developments of the incident at the Metropolitan Museum of Art yesterday, to see how the museum and the police had classified the event and whether they had made any discoveries.

Soon, he found an authoritative report on the social news section of the New York Times website, and it was good news!

The museum and the police, of course, could not find the culprit behind the incident, so they attributed it to the natural aging of the artifacts and improper storage, which led to the unfortunate result.

The news also mentioned the serious concern of the Japanese government and people, as well as their dissatisfaction with the museum's artifact preservation efforts.

For all Japanese people, yesterday was an unfortunate day, as they lost a national treasure, a work that reflected the spirit and integrity of the Japanese nation.

Seeing these related reports, Ye Tian let out a long sigh, feeling much lighter in his heart.

This matter was basically over. As long as he was careful in the coming days and didn't make any mistakes, no one would find him.

As for the dissatisfaction and pain of the Japanese people, he could only let it be. The Chinese people have been dissatisfied with them for hundreds of years! This could be considered a small interest payment!

...

At ten o'clock in the morning.

Ye Tian, carrying his backpack, arrived on time at the Dumbo Flea Market, located under the Brooklyn Bridge, just a ten-minute walk from his home.

The flea market had just opened, and the vendors were setting up their stalls. He began his treasure hunt.

Today, his goal was clear: he would not consider old items but would only buy valuable antiques with a glow, and he would only buy small, portable items, not large ones.

If he had a car, he wouldn't have to consider this.

Unfortunately, his car had long been sold, and the money had gone into Susan's wallet and his stomach.

He was also very clear that he would not use his eye ability to see through the antiques here until he had full control over it, to avoid the risk of absorbing spiritual energy again, which would be disastrous!

He estimated that after the ability upgrade and the improvement of his physical condition, the spiritual energy absorbed yesterday should have been almost depleted. If he used his ability now, it was highly likely that the same scene from the museum would repeat itself!

The market had just opened, with few stalls and even fewer customers, and there were hardly any professional treasure hunters. This was the best time to start his treasure hunt.

The treasure hunt began!

Ye Tian started with the first stall he saw.

The stall was filled with kitchenware, and at a glance, there were no glowing items. The same was true for the vendor's stock behind the stall.

No antiques!

Ye Tian glanced at it for a few seconds and then moved on, not even taking five seconds.

The second stall displayed a large row of old clothes and women's bags, including some designer brands, but they were far from being antiques!

Ye Tian didn't even stop, just glanced and moved on.

Although this stall had no value to him, it was very popular in the flea market.

Don't be fooled by the wasteful and extravagant nature of Americans, who spend tomorrow's money today. In some areas, they are very frugal and rational, embodying a typical utilitarianism!

For example, in their attitude toward second-hand goods, whether they are billionaires or beggars, Americans do not shy away from using second-hand items, and many even have a preference for them!

This has created a unique second-hand culture, leading to the proliferation of second-hand stores and active treasure hunters.

Second-hand cars, second-hand clothes, and so on, as long as they are not second-hand food, they generally do not refuse them, using them with a clear conscience and without any sense of loss.

This is somewhat incomprehensible to the Chinese.

In the eyes of the Chinese, unless one is living in poverty, who would willingly use second-hand items, let alone worn clothes?

Several people were already picking through the clothes at this second-hand clothing stall, seemingly students from various universities in New York, all of them enthusiastic and excited.

The third stall sold miscellaneous items, and Ye Tian found nothing of value, so he quickly moved on after a few seconds.

"Hey!"

Just as he reached the fourth stall, a pleasant surprise fell from the sky!

A white glow suddenly appeared in his eyes, making Ye Tian extremely excited, and he couldn't help but exclaim.

This was a small round table in the Baroque style, made of cherry wood, with a luxurious design, smooth lines, and excellent craftsmanship.

From the outside, he saw no signs of damage, indicating that it was a well-preserved old piece of furniture.

But that was secondary. What was most important to Ye Tian was the white glow and the two layers of light around it.

From the brightness of the white light, he could roughly determine that the table was about seventy years old, dating back to the 1930s and 1940s.

The light halo indicated that the table had some artistic value and was not a common piece.

Although he didn't plan to buy large items today, this was the first antique he had seen, and he couldn't resist inquiring about it.

"Hello, can I take a look at this round table?"

Ye Tian smiled and asked the vendor.

"Sure, go ahead!"

The white vendor nodded, a hint of joy in his eyes.

"Great!"

Ye Tian responded, immediately squatting down to inspect the table.

He didn't need to determine the age or artistic value; he just needed to check for any damage on the back and bottom, which he did quickly.

A minute later, Ye Tian stood up, satisfied, and smiled.

"Hello, sir, I really like this table. Could you tell me the price? How much are you asking for it? If it's reasonable, I'd like to buy it."

Ye Tian was excited!

This was the first antique he had encountered in his treasure hunt, and it had significant sentimental value, so he decided to buy the table as a keepsake to use himself.

Moreover, the market was close to his home, and he could easily take it back with a taxi without any inconvenience.

Hearing Ye Tian's inquiry, the vendor immediately replied,

"Thank you for your interest. This is a Baroque-style cherry wood table, very beautiful and in perfect condition. I want to sell it for fifty dollars. If you can accept that, you can take it home after paying."

This was where Americans were straightforward. The price of second-hand items was generally reasonable, even a bit low.

If this were in Beijing's Panjiayuan, the price would be sky-high, and the vendor would tell a tear-jerking story to make you feel guilty for not buying it, as if you were missing out on a rare treasure!

Hearing the vendor's price, Ye Tian almost agreed immediately but held back and started to haggle.

"Fifty dollars! That's too expensive! I think twenty dollars is more reasonable. What do you think?"

The vendor looked a bit disappointed, shook his head, and replied,

"No, twenty dollars is too low. I can't accept it."

"How about thirty dollars? That's a fair price. You can buy a new one at IKEA for about the same amount."

Ye Tian didn't give up and offered a new price.

The vendor pondered for a moment but still shook his head.

"True, you can buy a new one for thirty dollars, but it won't be as luxurious or made of cherry wood. So, I still can't accept that price."

"What about thirty-five dollars? That's my final offer. If you accept, I'll pay. If not, I'll have to pass."

Ye Tian pretended to be reluctant and made his final offer.

The vendor fell silent again, considering the price.

After a few seconds, he smiled and extended his hand to Ye Tian.

"OK, deal! You're my first customer today, so let's call it a good start. I accept that price!"

"Deal! I really like this table. Thank you for selling it to me!"

Ye Tian shook hands with the vendor, sealing the deal.

He then said,

"I want to keep looking around, so I'll leave the table here and come back for it later. Is that okay?"

"Sure, but you'll need to pay a deposit, ten dollars should be fine."

The vendor nodded in agreement.

"OK, here you go."

Ye Tian took out ten dollars and handed it to the vendor.

After receiving the deposit, the vendor immediately covered the table with a cloth, indicating it was sold.

Ye Tian continued his search, visiting several more stalls without any success.

He would glance at each stall, and if he didn't see any glowing antiques, he would quickly move on to the next one.

This made him a unique presence in the market, moving through it at a rapid pace.

It wasn't until the twentieth stall that Ye Tian stopped, looking down at an item on the table.

A red glow flashed in his eyes, incredibly alluring!

A 19th-century antique!

Ye Tian felt a surge of excitement!