Chapter 203: Coming to the Antique Street to Score Energy

Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Coming to the Antique Street to Score Energy

Zhang Yun didn’t actually go to sleep; instead, he headed straight out the door.

Given the effects of two Mysterious Petals, he used to be able to soak in Shantang all night, which meant it was more than enough for Qi Luo to soak until the afternoon. The room had been booked by He Xiong, so even if someone tried to track Zhang Yun’s information, they wouldn’t find him here.

Since it was a rare trip to the big city, Zhang Yun decided to take a good look around. There were quite a few things he needed to buy.

He first navigated to Liu Family Cave, a highly renowned antique market. Zhang Yun had never been interested in these things before, thinking of them as hobbies for middle-aged and elderly men. Later, after reading some novels about appraising treasures, he considered going to the antique market to hunt for hidden gems. However, when he thought about the sheer number of people trying to score a steal every day, he realized he wasn’t a main character—going there would just be paying a "tuition fee" to learn a hard lesson.

Now, things were different. His mysterious Iron Ring could absorb the Energy of Ancient Artifacts, meaning he could actually hunt for real treasures! Furthermore, if he only absorbed the Energy, he wouldn’t even need to spend a single cent.

After parking his car, Zhang Yun walked into Liu Family Cave. He looked at the dazzling array of antique shops lining both sides of the street, alongside numerous street stalls. This was a specialty market where setting up stalls was permitted.

Zhang Yun first entered a large store to take a look, but he was instantly hit with a wave of disappointment. The store kept all their valuable antiques locked inside glass counters. Even for a simple bracelet, he would have to ask a clerk to bring it out. The items with hefty price tags directly bore signs that read "Do Not Touch."

It seemed these were reputable, established shops with a steady clientele. Their prices might fluctuate, but they wouldn’t resort to selling obvious fakes.

This was highly unfavorable for Zhang Yun—he couldn’t freeload any Energy! He couldn’t possibly ask the staff to take out every single item for him to inspect. If he looked at that many things without buying anything, he would be kicked out, if not outright beaten! Moreover, he was outright denied access to the high-value items, and it wasn’t like he could afford to buy them all anyway.

Retreating back outside, Zhang Yun found a large stall. He touched the items one by one, appearing to be curiously browsing as he ran his hands over most of the merchandise.

Holy crap! This was ridiculous!

Whether they were delicate, crude, broken, or ancient-looking, every single one of them was fake! Not a single item at the entire stall possessed even a trace of Energy. They were worse than the broken bowl he had collected in Tianxin Village. This proved that they were all merely modern crafts, intentionally aged to cater to people’s desire to find hidden treasures.

"Young man, nothing catches your eye? We collected all of these from the countryside," the stall owner enthusiastically pitched.

Zhang Yun sneered inwardly. He knew that people who ran stalls every day couldn’t possibly have such a stable supply of genuine antiques. Only factories continuously churning out products could achieve that!

Having figured out the general situation of this street, he didn’t want to ruin the man’s business. He moved on to test his luck at other stalls. After checking out several stalls in a row, he still came up empty-handed. Some items did look like genuine second-hand goods they had bought, with prices ranging from a few dozen to tens of thousands of yuan.

"This is a Bronze Venerable. It was unearthed from a millennium-old Ancient Tomb in Guanzhong. I’ve had experts appraise it. Some say it’s from the Eastern Zhou, while others say it’s from the Western Zhou... I’m just running a small business without any backing, otherwise, if I took it to an auction, it could easily fetch tens of millions!"

A crowd had gathered to listen to this stall owner’s boasting, and Zhang Yun stopped to listen as well.

A man in his fifties or sixties, dressed in a traditional Tang suit, pushed up his glasses and playfully teased, "Eastern Zhou or Western Zhou? More like this week or last week, don’t you think?"

"Shoo, shoo! If you don’t understand, don’t mislead people! Look at these patterns, look at the shape. It practically radiates an ancient aura!"

The old man in the Tang suit chuckled. "Boss, you should be honest. The craftsmanship on this is only average. It’s a decent imitation, and it wouldn’t be a bad buy for a decoration. But asking 88,888 for it is a pure scam."

The bystanders immediately erupted into laughter. "If it were really from the Eastern or Western Zhou, you’d have to hand it over to the state! If it’s from last week, 888 might be acceptable!"

"You people really lack vision. I’m not going to argue with you. Buying antiques is all about fate. If I don’t meet the person destined for it—someone who truly knows its worth—I wouldn’t even sell it for 99,999, let alone 88,888!"

While they were debating, Zhang Yun reached out and touched the item.

Having touched at least one or two hundred pieces along the way without finding a single one with even a faint trace of Energy, Zhang Yun didn’t have high hopes. He was just operating on a "since I’m already here" mentality, giving it a try in passing.

However, the moment his hand made contact, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning! The Energy was practically vast and turbulent! It was even stronger than the Energy he had previously encountered from the Compass, the copper bell, and the paintings!

"Let me take a look!"

He had initially intended to just graze it casually, but keeping his hand on it for so long would look strange. Using the excuse of taking a closer look, Zhang Yun grabbed the item before the stall owner could even agree.

"I think this thing is definitely not from last week..."

The stall owner was about to stop him, but upon hearing Zhang Yun’s words, he held his tongue. As long as someone was saying good things, they were a friend!

The old man in the Tang suit laughed, "Actually from a few weeks ago?"

The crowd burst into laughter!

"Young man, you’re taking this too literally! Saying ’last week’ is just a joke to indicate that it’s a modern imitation. It doesn’t mean it was literally made last week."

"Tsk! Do you think he doesn’t get it? He might just be playing dumb."

"It’s common to have a shill planted in the crowd."

Zhang Yun could feel the Energy surging madly into him. Even with such a rapid absorption rate, it still hadn’t stopped! He figured its age must be quite old, and that bronze materials had a better effect at gathering Energy. It could also be that it was buried in a place rich with Spiritual Qi, such as an Ancient Tomb.

"This is a real antique!"

To stall for time, Zhang Yun made a serious appraisal while continuing to inspect it.

"See! Now here’s someone who knows his stuff." The stall owner immediately smiled and said, "Young man, if you want it, you can have it for 88,888. Let’s make friends!"

The crowd booed. Some called him a shill, while others challenged him to buy it if he was so confident!

The old man in the Tang suit continued to smile. "Then what era do you think this antique is from? Eastern Zhou? Western Zhou?"

Zhang Yun shook his head. "I can’t say for sure, but it’s definitely not from the Eastern Zhou or Western Zhou."

"And so? Give us a rough estimate!" The old man in the Tang suit maintained a friendly attitude, not being aggressive at all.

The onlookers, however, grew even more excited. They all felt that the old man knew his stuff and eagerly waited for him to slap Zhang Yun in the face.

Zhang Yun felt the Iron Ring faintly flash a "4%." Was it 1% before? Was it actually more than all his previous acquisitions combined?

However, the flow of Energy from the Bronze Venerable was weakening. There probably wasn’t much left. Drawing on his previous Experience, Zhang Yun made a comparison and offered an estimate.

"I estimate it should be from the early Ming Dynasty."

He possessed absolutely no relevant knowledge or concepts; he was purely deducing it backwards based on the amount of Spiritual Energy.

The old man in the Tang suit immediately laughed. "Do you know what was popular in the early Ming Dynasty? Do you know the level of craftsmanship from that era? Do you even know how to appraise?"

"I don’t know." Zhang Yun shook his head. Feeling that the Energy from the Bronze Venerable was almost completely absorbed, he put it down. "But I’m willing to buy it!"

The amount of Energy alone was several times more than all the old items he had collected combined. He would have been willing to pay two hundred thousand for it. This wasn’t about scoring a steal; it was purely to compensate the boss. One should be decent and honest.

A chorus of boos erupted!

No one thought he was just some fool with more money than sense making a bad buy. They firmly believed he was a shill! They thought he was an insider trying to salvage the stall’s reputation after the boss had been exposed.

"I am Chu Zhongyang, a hired expert at the National Museum. Today, I’ll give you a lesson for free!" the old man in the Tang suit said with a pretentious smile.

As soon as he said this, the crowd cheered. It was no exaggeration to say this street was full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Impersonating an expert from the National Museum was easily exposed, so his confidence in stating his name outright proved his authenticity.

Everyone waited for the expert to prove Zhang Yun wrong, while the stall owner began to panic...