The Rogue Villager Chen Erbao

Speeding along, Chen Erbao reached the highway exit. He took the wheel, told the driver to find his own way back, and then headed straight for the Antique Street.

He found a street selling porcelain and jade vases, plunged into the crowd, and started looking around.

He didn't have high hopes for this particular street, to be honest.

Porcelain is inherently fragile and, being man-made, it was highly unlikely that any pieces would have survived the ravages of time to become a Spirit-Containing Object.

Still, since he was already here, and he had a little time to spare, he figured he might as well look around.

He made much quicker progress on his own. By noon, he had already covered the entire street. Not in any rush to leave, Chen Erbao continued on to the next street over.

The fourth street specialized in jade and gemstones. Chen Erbao's eyes lit up; he had a feeling he'd find something good here.

Sure enough, he hadn't gone far before the goods at a roadside stall caught his eye.

On a spread of burlap cloth lay all sorts of exquisite jade items, wine glasses, tea bowls, and even some scattered diamonds and Jade Pendants...

Among them, a circular Jade Ring tossed in a corner made Chen Erbao's heart pound.

'A Spirit-Containing Object!'

The Jade Ring looked impure. Its material wasn't very translucent and was riddled with impurities. The carvings were average, with no remarkable features.

From a distance, you couldn't tell it apart from a five-dollar trinket from a street stall.

Chen Erbao quietly shuffled over.

"Sir, see anything you're interested in? Everything I have here is the real deal, absolutely guaranteed. If it's fake, you don't pay a cent!"

The vendor was a greasy, middle-aged fat man with a crafty smile. His beady little eyes, glinting with greed, were locked onto Chen Erbao.

Chen Erbao walked a lap around the stall, then pointed to a Glazed Wine Glass in the center. "How much for this wine glass?"

The fat man clapped his hands and laughed. "Sir, you have a great eye! This is a Glazed Wine Glass from the Tang Dynasty. As the old saying goes, 'Grape wine in a luminous cup, we raise to drink but the pipa calls us forth…'"

The fat man was a chatterbox, rambling on to Chen Erbao about the origin of the Glazed Wine Glass, taking forever to get to the point.

Chen Erbao frowned impatiently. "Just tell me the price. I like to enjoy a drink, and this glass has a decent shape. I'm thinking of buying it for my collection, so spare me the other nonsense!"

The fat man stopped short, then chuckled sheepishly. "Sir, this glass has an extraordinary origin, so as for the price…"

Seeing Chen Erbao frown again, the fat man didn't dare beat around the bush and quoted a single price: "Fifteen thousand!"

Chen Erbao was silent for a long moment before looking at him and asking bluntly, "Is this a robbery?"

"COUGH, COUGH… Sir, that's a bargain, I swear! You have to understand, it's rare to find a Glazed Wine Glass this perfectly preserved anywhere in the country. Whether you buy it to show off or to add to your collection, it has tremendous value…"

Seeing that Chen Erbao was still hesitating, the fat man grew anxious. "Thirteen thousand! I can't go any lower!"

Chen Erbao picked up the wine glass and looked it over, then chuckled. "Thirteen thousand, and you throw in a few small items. Take it or leave it, I'm ready to walk."

Seeing Chen Erbao point to a large pile of miscellaneous small jewelry on the left, the vendor looked pained. But the thought that this was his first sale of the morning made him grit his teeth. With a face full of reluctance, he said, "Fine, fine! We'll do it your way. I'll just take the loss!"

Chen Erbao sneered inwardly at his words.

'Thirteen thousand for this glass, and you're taking a loss? My ass.'

'You're probably making a tearful profit of twelve thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine off me, aren't you, you bastard!'

But the wine glass wasn't his real goal anyway.

Handing his card to the fat vendor, he ambled over to the pile of trinkets. He looked at one piece, then another, before finally picking up a Jade Pendant and the Jade Ring.

He weighed them in his hand for a moment before saying calmly, "Just these two. Wrap them up with the wine glass for me."

"You got it!"

The vendor charged the card, then delightedly bagged everything for Chen Erbao and watched him depart.

Watching Chen Erbao's retreating figure, he was secretly overjoyed.

'Those two worthless trinkets are worth five bucks, tops. And I finally got rid of that useless glass…'

Of course, Chen Erbao had no idea what the fat vendor was thinking. But even if he did, he would have just sneered. 'You may have made a small profit, but I will never be on the losing end!'

'The third Spirit-Containing Object is in my hands!'

Chen Erbao ambled along the crowded street, using the sunlight to carefully inspect the Jade Ring in his hand.

It was perfectly formed, without a single crack. Most importantly, this Jade Ring contained a large amount of Spiritual Power. Under the inspection of his Divine Sense, he could see that the Jade Ring was still actively absorbing the ambient Spiritual Qi from the surrounding air.

'What a find!'

Filled with anticipation, Chen Erbao pocketed the Jade Ring and continued to browse.

The farther in he went, the denser the crowds became.

Binhai truly was one of the most developed cities; even on a remote corner of the Antique Street, Chen Erbao could see plenty of foreign tourists. Though they didn't seem to understand what they were looking at, they were still browsing with great enthusiasm.

The surging crowd pushed and shoved, slowing Chen Erbao's progress significantly. He stood on his tiptoes to get a better look and saw the street ahead was completely packed. After a quick glance at the time, he decided to get some lunch first and come back in the afternoon when things had quieted down.

Just as he was about to leave, a hand suddenly reached out from the crowd and brushed against him.

At first, Chen Erbao dismissed it as an accidental bump in the dense crowd, but a second later, his expression changed. He whipped his head around, his Divine Sense flaring out!

"Stop!"

'Damn it, a pickpocket!'

'If the Jade Ring hadn't disappeared, he never would have noticed!'

'A Qi Refining Fourth Layer Cultivator getting robbed by a mortal thief—the humiliation would be immense!'

The crowd was dense, but Chen Erbao's Divine Sense was unrestricted. He instantly spotted a slender figure weaving through the throng of people, moving away.

The people nearby were startled by Chen Erbao's shout and turned to stare.

Chen Erbao didn't have time to care about the onlookers. He forced his way through the crowd, instantly activating his Misty Step. In a single flash, he was blocking the path of the black-clothed thief who had stolen his Jade Ring.

After intercepting the thief, Chen Erbao paused, slightly stunned.

'A woman?'

He didn't let that stop him, reaching out to grab her arm.

But the woman sidestepped his grasp and cried out in alarm and anger, "What are you doing?"

"Give me back my property!"

Chen Erbao's face was stern as he held out his hand to the woman.

"Are you crazy? What property?"

The woman was gorgeous, with large, bright, dark eyes, slender, arching eyebrows, a delicate nose, and crimson lips. The features complemented each other perfectly, making her a classic ice-cold beauty.

Her skin was fair and smooth, so inviting one couldn't help but want to take a lick.

Coupled with the pitiful expression she now wore, it was enough to stir feelings of pity in anyone's heart.

By now, a larger crowd was gathering, and their argument had drawn everyone's attention.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. Looks like that guy is harassing the young lady…"

"…"

With enough whispers, a rumor becomes fact. In no time at all, the passersby, who didn't know the first thing about what happened, were all glaring angrily at Chen Erbao.

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