"Young man, if it's fake, I'll pay you ten times the price. At a glance, I can tell you're an expert. Don't be fooled by the size of my stall; everything here was freshly unearthed." The middle-aged man saw Ye Guichen holding a pipe and quickly said, "You truly have an eye for things. This pipe was used by Ji Xiaolan himself. Because you recognize its value, I'll sell it to you cheaply for fifty thousand. How about it?"

Ye Guichen couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.

The pipe he was holding was probably worth only five bucks, but in the man's words, it had suddenly multiplied by ten thousand times.

Indeed, his mouth was truly skilled at making up stories.

"If this is fake, will you pay me five hundred thousand?" Ye Guichen asked with a smile.

The middle-aged man's smile froze, unable to answer directly: "Haha, young man, if it's fake, I'll pay you ten times the price. No cheating, no deceiving."

"Never mind, I'll look around a bit more." Ye Guichen knew full well that these folks relied on their words to fool people; he threw the pipe on the ground and stood up to leave. The middle-aged man immediately called out, "Don't rush off! We can discuss the price further. I have many small items here; take a look. Alright, because I find you likable, I'll bite the bullet and sell it at a loss, how about ten thousand?"

The middle-aged man held up one finger, showing an expression of pain and reluctance.

Many onlookers around laughed.

Regular visitors to this place were all enjoying Ye Guichen's plight.

It was obvious this was not a place Ye Guichen frequented; to let someone like him go unscratched would be a waste of their efforts.

However, no one offered any warnings because such transactions relied on persuasive talk for money. No one wanted to offend others and block their pathways to profit.

Ye Guichen shook his head and initially didn't want to waste more words with the middle-aged man. But then his gaze suddenly fell on a bronze ring in the corner.

The ring looked extremely old, with rust on its surface, yet it seemed to have a hidden compartment.

Ye Guichen's eyes lit up instantly.

That object didn't seem ordinary at all.

Moreover, with Ye Guichen's sharp eyes, he noticed a faintly detectable aura on the ring's surface.

However, knowing these folks kept a close watch, Ye Guichen remained calm and said, "Five hundred, not a cent more."

This suddenly cut the price by twenty times.

The middle-aged man immediately shook his head: "No, no, this is Ji Xiaolan University's Scholar's pipe, letting you have it for ten thousand is already cheap."

As he said this, a hint of triumphant cunning flashed deep in the middle-aged man's eyes.

Seems like this young man is really a novice; buying a broken pipe for five hundred, haha, my pipe indeed cost five bucks to buy. I just buried it in the earth to age it; I didn't think it could be sold at all.

"Just five hundred, not a penny more." Ye Guichen stood up to leave.

"Alright, alright, since we are kindred spirits today, five hundred it is." The middle-aged man seemed to muster all his energy: "Ah, such a big loss. If it weren't for not making sales today, I wouldn't sell it to you. If my wife finds out at home, I'll surely have to kneel on the washboard."

While saying this, the middle-aged man wrapped the pipe for Ye Guichen.

Ye Guichen didn't rush to pay, casually glancing at the pile of stuff in the corner: "Boss, why not give me one of those scattered items as a token?"

"Give you?" The middle-aged man looked at the corner.

Those were all scraps; even ordinary folks would see them as worthless.

"Sure, consider it a gesture of friendship." The middle-aged man agreed readily: "Pick whatever you like; it's on me."

Ye Guichen didn't hesitate, directly taking the ring, handed the middle-aged man five hundred bucks, and stood up to leave.

The middle-aged man felt somewhat odd, faintly sensing something amiss: "Hey, hey, hey, brother, did you come specifically for that ring?"

Holding the ring, Ye Guichen didn't hide his intentions anymore, waving the ring in his hand: "Yes, I plan to gift this ring to my wife. It seems to be worth something."

"Haha, you picked it randomly to gift someone, huh?" The middle-aged man sighed in relief: "This small item costs just two bucks, but if you want, I've got a whole bunch more."

With that, he dug out a handful from his pocket, identical to the one Ye Guichen held.

Ye Guichen smiled: "Maybe you misjudged it. Haha, thanks!"

Then he turned and headed deeper into the antique street.

Ye Guichen's words made the middle-aged man's heart start to itch like it was scratched by a cat.

Though many had said the ring was worthless, Ye Guichen's confident demeanor made him uneasy.

Despite earning five hundred bucks, if he was wrong, he'd be a laughing stock.

"Hey, Old Zhang, watch my stall, I'm going to have a look." The middle-aged man called out to the stall owner next door and quietly followed Ye Guichen, curious to see what he was up to.

Ye Guichen casually tossed the pipe in his pocket, walking whilst observing the ring.

The more he looked, the more he felt the ring was tailor-made for Chen Ziran.

The ring seemed to have a diamond set on it, but the diamond was fake. There was a button on the side; with a light press, the diamond would pop open, revealing a space the size of a sesame seed inside.

Though the space was small, it was adequate.

Ye Guichen speculated the ring might have belonged to someone important in ancient times, used in emergencies.

A little poison hidden inside would make it a perfect self-defense tool.

Soon, Ye Guichen arrived at Wannian Chang.

Wannian Chang was almost the largest place on the antique street. As soon as he stepped inside, a clerk greeted him: "Sir, are you here to sell something or buy something?"

"I'm here to see Boss Zhou." Ye Guichen smiled.

"You want to see our boss?" The clerk, evidently not recognizing Ye Guichen, scanned him: "Who are you? Do you know our boss?"

"Yes."

"Your name is..."

"Ye Guichen."

"Alright, I'll inform him." The clerk, although doubtful, turned to go into the inner room.

Ye Guichen didn't rush, browsing the hall.

The hall was spacious, about a hundred square meters, with paintings hanging on the walls and various antiques displayed in cabinets.

"Haha, Mr. Ye, I didn't expect it to be you!" Before long, Zhou Huairen emerged from the inner room, laughing heartily, stepping forward to shake Ye Guichen's hand excitedly: "I never thought it would be you. I thought you had forgotten this old man."

Zhou Huairen personally came out to greet him and was so warm, leaving the clerk bewildered.

Usually, no matter how important the person, Zhou Huairen never came out to greet them.

The middle-aged man who sold Ye Guichen the ring stood there stupefied.

This lad was Mr. Zhou's friend?

Instantly, the middle-aged man panicked.

He knew how formidable Zhou Huairen was. If Mr. Zhou found out he sold fake goods to his friend, he'd be done for on this street.

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