C15 In Order to Live a Better Life

In the blink of an eye, the day's lessons had come to an end.

Yuh Wenming, who had traversed these streets countless times, was deep in thought about his family's living situation.

Previously, lacking the means to improve his siblings' lives, compromise was his only option.

Now, with better prospects, Yuh Wenming pondered why he shouldn't strive to make a difference for them by seeking treasures at the Antique Market.

He was confident that with Wenn Zheming's memories and skills at his disposal, their lives would steadily improve.

Lost in these thoughts, he opened the door to his home.

His brother and sister had already prepared the meal, though meat was conspicuously absent from the table as they eagerly awaited his return.

Upon his entrance, they rushed over to relieve him of his schoolbag.

"I need to step out for a bit. You two stay home and focus on your homework. If anything comes up, just give me a call," he instructed.

They exchanged a glance and obediently nodded, hoping Yuh Wenming might return home sooner.

Distracted by his preoccupations, Yuh Wenming barely touched his food, ignoring the questions posed by his siblings. He pushed his bowl aside after a few absent-minded bites.

"Just leave the dishes on the table; I'll take care of them when I get back. I've got to handle something right now."

He set out alone, his goal crystal clear: to reach the bustling Antique Night Market as quickly as possible, where numerous vendors had already displayed their wares.

Elder Yuen wasn't one for evening strolls, so Yuh Wenming anticipated finding traces of Lord Fifth there, a figure of some renown within the antique circle.

With a bank card in his pocket—the spoils of a victory over Jiaang Han—he was ready.

At the Antique Night Market, aside from the onlookers there for entertainment, most patrons carried pockets heavy with wealth.

Antiques weren't common commodities to be casually acquired; the genuine articles were rare, with fakes far more prevalent.

Many passersby eyed Yuh Wenming with curiosity, deeming him too young for such a place, some even assuming he was just another spectator there for the spectacle.

Yuh Wenming was unfazed by their stares as he entered the Antique Night Market and paused at the entrance, curious to discern any specific rules of the place.

Drawing on Wenn Zheming's recollections, he could infer some of the unspoken guidelines and was determined to avoid breaking them.

Vendors at nearby stalls were calling out to Yuh Wenming, assuming the young man was there to test his fortune.

They figured if they encountered a naive youngster, they could easily take advantage of him without worrying about repercussions later.

With antiques, the rule was simple: once a purchase was made and the buyer walked away from the stall, their fate with the item was sealed.

"Move aside, why are you loitering under the signboard?"

Onlookers cast puzzled glances at Yuh Wenming, finding his choice to stand in the middle of the entrance odd.

If not for the ample size of the doorway, he would have been an obstruction to all those entering.

What they didn't realize was that Yuh Wenming was attentively listening to a voice in his head.

No sooner had he stepped inside than a metallic voice rang out: "Mission tip: Find a rare treasure fragment within the Antique Night Market."

He had yet to independently undertake a Treasure Appraisal, and to his surprise, a countdown followed, indicating a deadline of six o'clock the next morning.

"One night to locate the fragment? This must be a joke."

The electronic voice chimed in once more: "Failure to complete the task will result in a random deduction of a skill."

The thought of losing a skill did not sit well with Yuh Wenming. His combat abilities were essential for confrontations, and his Treasure Appraisal skills were fundamental to his livelihood. Losing either could be devastating.

Glancing at his watch, it read 9:30 PM.

To find the fragment in the vast night market, he would have to rely on luck and meticulously inspect each stall.

Truly valuable items, even if concealed, had a way of shining through. They didn't deserve to be dismissed as mere rubbish.

Yuh Wenming meandered through the stalls, and to many vendors, he seemed like a walking jackpot, eager to entice him to linger.

But for Yuh Wenming, only the presence of something genuinely worthwhile would prompt him to stay and consider making a purchase.

With only 20,000 yuan in his pocket, Yuh Wenming was aware that he couldn't afford to squander it, especially since the cost of the fragment was unknown to everyone.

Inside, Yuh Wenming spotted numerous fakes. Some vendors even had the audacity to engrave their names on the bottle necks, a mark of the maker's identity.

"Ah, I purchased this from you just yesterday. Why won't you take back this counterfeit? Look, here's the transfer record," a woman, clad in lavish attire, protested as she attempted to return a jade hairpin to a street vendor.

But having possessed the hairpin for over a day, the vendor flatly refused to recognize the sale.

In this business, authenticity had to be determined on the spot. Once a buyer stepped away, the vendor's responsibility vanished.

Aside from a few genuinely duped customers, the majority were knowingly peddling fakes. They were well aware of their deceit, adopting a 'fleece them once' mentality, as repeat customers in the antique trade were rare.

From the sidelines, Yuh Wenming observed the scene. Without concrete proof that the item was the same one from the previous day, the woman had no recourse but to swallow her loss.

And it wasn't an isolated incident. Yuh Wenming witnessed similar disputes at other stalls.

Some customers, having purchased items and then verified them as fakes at an external appraisal center, returned with certificates of counterfeit only to be dismissed by the vendors.

Yuh Wenming couldn't intervene in every case; reluctantly, he had to step back.

"It's odd, where could the fragment be hidden? Perhaps with one of the unassuming vendors?" he mused.

Despite the prevalence of fakes in the Antique Market, Yuh Wenming knew that genuine articles were still being sold by a select few. These vendors were often slight in stature but surprisingly muscular—a sign they might have unearthed the treasures themselves, ensuring their authenticity.

Since these finds were their own, they essentially had no overhead, and their pricing was whimsical, subject to their current mood.

Occasionally, one could stumble upon a genuine piece at a steal of a price, a true find.

With this insight, Yuh Wenming resolved to focus his search on these individuals, determined to locate the fragment without delay.

Despite having wandered around, Yuh Wenming had yet to lay eyes on the quality items he had imagined. It seemed as though there was a secret spot where the real treasures were stashed away, while all he encountered were counterfeits strewn everywhere.

Back at the entrance, Yuh Wenming recognized the turmoil within himself. He knew he needed to find tranquility to restore clear thinking and prevent the chaos of his surroundings from muddling his thoughts.