796: Chapter 791 Tear it open and see

The two of them walked out of the dilapidated bookstore one after the other.

Outside, the sky had turned completely dark.

But this old neighborhood had become lively.

On both sides of the previously deserted street, stalls had been set up at some point.

Selling old porcelain, copper coins, calligraphy, and paintings.

There were even people selling old radios and watches.

Cries of vendors and the sound of haggling rose and fell.

This was the famous "Ghost Market" of the Jinghai.

By day it was a Scrap Street, and by night it was a treasure-hunting ground.

Ghost Eye Seven walked ahead with his hands behind his back.

He took large strides, his old Beijing cloth shoes making no sound as they stepped on the stone-paved road.

Shen Yan led Youyou, following at a leisurely pace.

Along the way, Shen Yan witnessed Ghost Eye Seven's prestige.

The small vendors who had been squatting on the ground, spitting as they haggled with customers, immediately stopped talking as soon as they saw Ghost Eye Seven walking over.

Each of them stood up respectfully to greet him.

"Seventh Master, you're here!"

"Seventh Master, what good treasures did you find today?"

"Seventh Master, could you take a look for me? I just acquired a xuande censer..."

Ghost Eye Seven only nodded slightly in response.

Occasionally he would stop, glance at the xuande censer, drop a line like "Wholesale from Yiwu last week, right?", and then walk away.

Leaving the vendor looking embarrassed, yet not daring to say a single word.

"See that fat man in black?"

By the roadside, two young men picking through porcelain shards lowered their voices to discuss.

"Which one?"

"The one who just greeted Seventh Master."

"That's the local big shot of this area; he owns several antique shops. He's usually incredibly arrogant, but in front of Seventh Master, he's like a grandson."

"That's what you call real skill."

"It's said that Seventh Master's eyes have never been wrong."

"Last time, a merchant from Hong Kong brought a Yuan Blue and White Jar to show off, saying he bought it at Sotheby's for eighty million. Seventh Master said it was a fake from three meters away."

"What happened then?"

"Later they did a carbon-14 test, and hey, it really was fired just last week!"

"Since then, a saying has circulated in this Ghost Market: 'When the King of Hell calls you at the third watch, you die; when Seventh Master calls it a fake, it's a counterfeit.'"

The discussion drifted into Shen Yan's ears with the wind.

Shen Yan heard it clearly.

It seemed he had made the right bet this time.

Ghost Eye Seven's status in the Jinghai's antique circle was likely even higher than that of some auction house owner.

A person like this didn't care about money.

What he cared about was discernment, reputation, and the pleasure of being the only one sober while everyone else was drunk.

That concession earlier didn't just give up a book.

It gave him the qualification to stand on equal footing.

"Little brother, just listen and let it go; it's all just praise from friends in the trade."

Ghost Eye Seven didn't even turn his head, as if he had ears in the back of his head.

"In this business, there's no such thing as an ever-victorious general."

"It's just that I've paid a few more decades of tuition than others."

As they spoke, the three of them arrived in front of a shop named "Treasure Gathering Studio."

Unlike the surrounding shops with "Clearance Sale" signs.

This shop's storefront was antique and elegant.

A black plaque with gold characters hung over the lintel, the handwriting vigorous and powerful.

Two large red lanterns were hung high, making the stone lions at the entrance look majestic.

Before even entering, one could smell a faint scent of sandalwood.

"Come in."

Ghost Eye Seven pushed open the two heavy wooden doors.

"My place is a bit messy, but the items are relatively clean."

Shen Yan stepped over the high threshold.

The furnishings in the shop made his eyes light up.

It wasn't the vulgarity of piled gold and jade.

But rather a sense of beauty that revealed order within the chaos.

Curio shelves were filled with various porcelain, bronze, and jade items.

The walls were covered with calligraphy and paintings.

In the corner, there were even several uncut raw jade stones.

Every item exuded a sense of the accumulation of years.

But what attracted Shen Yan's attention most was not these antiques.

But the young woman sitting behind the counter wiping a vase.

The woman wore a plain-colored qipao.

Her hair was tied back in a bun, secured with a wooden hairpin.

Hearing the door open, she looked up.

That face was as cold and clear as a piece of unpolished jade.

"Dad, where did you go to pick up trash again?"

The woman spoke.

Her voice was crisp but carried a coldness that kept strangers at a distance.

"What do you mean 'picking up trash'!"

Ghost Eye Seven sat down on a Huanghuali armchair and slapped the book Thirty Days to Become a Billionaire onto the table.

It made the teacup lid rattle.

"This is a huge find today!"

"Also, go brew my Lao Banzhang; a distinguished guest has arrived."

The woman put down the vase in her hand, her gaze landing on Shen Yan.

A flash of doubt appeared in her eyes.

Usually, the "distinguished guests" her father brought back were either pot-bellied coal bosses or grey-haired old scholars.

This was the first time she had seen someone so young, and with a child too.

"Shen Yan."

Shen Yan took the initiative to reach out and introduce himself.

"I do a bit of small business."

The woman shook only the tips of his fingers politely, letting go immediately.

"Qi Wan."

"The shop assistant here."

Ghost Eye Seven chuckled nearby.

"Don't listen to her nonsense. This is my daughter, and also the Appraiser Master of my Treasure Gathering Studio."

"Her temper is just a bit foul, but her eye for antiques has inherited quite a bit of my skill."

Qi Wan ignored her father's teasing and turned to brew the tea.

Her movements were as smooth as flowing water, a pleasure to watch.

"Little brother, sit."

Ghost Eye Seven pointed to the chair opposite him.

"Since you're on my turf, let's speak frankly."

He picked up the book on the table, his fingers gently stroking the rough cover.

His gaze became sharp.

"How did you see through it?"

"This book was mixed in with a pile of scrap paper, and the cover is newly made. Other than being a bit heavy, there were no flaws."

"Even I only dared to be certain after feeling the thickness of the paper."

"You didn't even touch it, yet you dared to bid two thousand with me?"

Shen Yan leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed.

He glanced at Youyou, who was focused on playing with her bracelet, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

How did he see through it?

He couldn't exactly say that the system had marked the coordinates directly on his retina.

"Intuition."

Shen Yan gave the most universal and irrefutable answer.

"Intuition?"

Ghost Eye Seven was stunned for a moment.

Then he burst out laughing.

"What an 'intuition'!"

"In our line of work, sometimes no matter how deep your knowledge is, it's not as useful as a sudden flash of intuition."

"This is what they call being blessed by the heavens!"

Just then, Qi Wan walked over carrying a tea tray.

Two cups of steaming Pu'er tea were placed on the table.

The tea was a bright red, and its aroma was pungent.

"Dad, this book..."

Qi Wan glanced at the incongruous book on the table, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Tear it open and see."

Ghost Eye Seven gestured with his chin.

Qi Wan reached out with her slender fingers and carefully picked at the edge of the cover.

That layer of offset paper printed with "Billionaire" was peeled off like a layer of dead skin.

Revealing the blue thread-bound book cover inside.

The cover was already somewhat damaged, its corners worn round.

But the handwriting on it was still clearly legible.

Qi Wan's hand trembled.

In those eyes that were originally cold, an unbelievable light instantly erupted.

"This... this is..."