Gu Wan Street lies on the outskirts of Jianghai City. Although far from the city center, its crowds are no smaller than those downtown. The street is lined with large antique and rare-item shops, and in front of them stretch countless small roadside stalls.
These stalls are what people love most. As for the shops, they're the type that stay closed for most of the year—but when they do open, they earn enough to last until the next. Even the shop owners set up small stalls in front of their doors.
The stalls are the most popular attraction. They sell everything imaginable, though most of it is fake. Genuine treasures are exceedingly rare.
The vendors here come from all walks of life. It's said that this place isn't governed by any official authority, yet no one dares to cause trouble—because of one man: Old Xue. Everyone knows him as the boss of Gu Wan Street. Under his watch, no one dares to cross the line.
Some people once tried to exploit this area for smuggling and drug trafficking, but every one of them eventually vanished without a trace.
Old Xue had once said, "This is a clean place."
It's one thing to get scammed on Taobao, but anyone who tries to engage in criminal activity here—Old Xue will never allow it. Because of his strict control, even the government keeps out of Gu Wan Street's affairs.
There are no taxes here, and no need to worry about thieves either. No pickpocket would dare operate on Old Xue's turf.
The taxi driver dropped Xia Tian off at the street entrance, sighed, and drove away. In his eyes, Xia Tian was just another dreamer hoping to get rich quick. The boy looked far too young to be mixed up in a place like this—it was a pity. The driver had seen too many people go bankrupt chasing luck here.
Many come hoping to strike gold, but in the end, most lose everything.
This place is like a giant casino—except here, as long as one has enough knowledge and insight, they can avoid being cheated.
As Xia Tian stepped onto Gu Wan Street, he was met with an endless sea of people and rows of stalls lining both sides of the road. Each booth, though small, had its own layout and variety of wares. Vendors shouted loudly to draw customers:
"Qing Dynasty porcelain! Bodhi seeds! Ming Dynasty vases! Qin-era swords!"
Their calls rose and fell through the crowd. Hearing the chorus of voices, Xia Tian smiled faintly. If any of these were genuine, he thought, they wouldn't be sitting on street stalls—they'd be inside the shops, selling for fortunes.
Even high-quality replicas weren't cheap.
"This really is a good place," Xia Tian murmured, activating his Clairvoyance as he stepped deeper into the street.
Thin streaks of green light shimmered faintly amid the crowd. As he expected, real treasures emitted this light—it came from the Spiritual Qi they had absorbed over the centuries.
"Look! Master Xu Decheng, the Great Appraiser, has arrived!" someone suddenly shouted. Instantly, the crowd turned their eyes toward Xia Tian—startling him—until he realized they weren't looking at him, but at an old man walking behind him.
The elderly man wore a Tang-style suit, exuding the aura of a master from the 1960s or 70s. The most striking feature was his neatly kept goatee. Four strong bodyguards followed close behind.
The old man's steps were steady, and the people around him looked on with admiration. The crowd parted into two lines to clear a path for him—everyone except Xia Tian, who still stood in the middle.
"Hey, kid! Make way for Master Xu!" someone shouted nearby.
Xia Tian ignored him and kept walking forward. He didn't care who this "Master Xu" was—it had nothing to do with him. He had come to buy something, not to worship anyone. His indifference made him stand out like a crane among chickens.
Both sides of the wide street were packed with people, but the center was empty—the path reserved for Master Xu. Yet Xia Tian walked straight down it. From afar, it almost looked as though Master Xu was following him.
Startled, Master Xu paused. It was the first time anyone had dared walk in front of him like that.
"Hey, kid, don't you see this is Master Xu's way?" one of the bodyguards barked, stepping forward to block Xia Tian.
"What an ignorant brat—daring to walk ahead of Master Xu!"
"Doesn't even know how to respect his elders! Master Xu brings prosperity to everyone here!"
"Truly a newborn calf unafraid of tigers. The rest of us gladly make way for a man of such virtue, yet this kid dares take advantage of it."
The crowd glared at Xia Tian in disapproval. Master Xu Decheng was a well-known figure on Gu Wan Street—an expert who could appraise antiques from any dynasty. He was known for freely identifying items for visitors and, each time he came, selecting three lucky people to help them find valuable treasures.
That was why he was so revered.
Ignoring the commotion, Xia Tian turned his eyes toward a nearby stall and walked over. Seeing him step aside, the bodyguard said nothing further, assuming the boy had realized his mistake. The crowd praised the guard for his restraint.
"As expected of Master Xu's men—so well-mannered.""Yes, his bodyguards are all carefully chosen. Skilled and polite.""That kid was really rude. If Master Xu had left in anger, everyone here would've torn him apart."
Master Xu, clearly pleased by the compliments, walked proudly down the center of the street. The shopkeepers on both sides stood to greet him, and he nodded in acknowledgment.
"How much is this?" Xia Tian asked, picking up a fish-shaped jade pendant. It looked plain and somewhat childish, like a toy. Seeing a customer, the stall owner immediately beamed.
"Young man, you've got a good eye! Of all my goods, this one's the most precious. It's carved from Western Region Heavenly Lake Jade. Dark and lustrous, elegant and noble! Wearing it regularly strengthens the body and promotes health."
He spoke fluently, sensing an easy target. The young man before him looked like a first-time visitor—someone easy to fool.
"How much for the jade?" Xia Tian asked again.
"For you, eight thousand yuan. I'd never let it go for less than ten thousand otherwise," the stall owner said smoothly. He didn't believe the boy could actually pay eight thousand—it was just his opening bid.
"Eight thousand? Too expensive. I'm still a high school student. I don't have that kind of money," Xia Tian said, playing along perfectly.
Just then, Master Xu stopped nearby, glancing at the jade in Xia Tian's hand. He smirked. It was clearly a twenty-yuan street trinket—cheap junk sold as treasure to gullible kids.
But he said nothing. Seeing the boy who had earlier walked ahead of him now being fooled pleased him greatly. Maintaining his "refined" image, he simply stood there to watch.
The stall owner, catching Master Xu's mocking smile, broke into a cold sweat. He knew his goods couldn't escape the master's sharp eye, and silently prayed that Master Xu wouldn't expose him.
"Boss, how about two hundred yuan? I already know it's fake," Xia Tian said with a faint smile, lowering his voice.
The stall owner froze for a moment, realizing his earlier expression had betrayed him, but he kept up the act. "Little brother, you've got sharp eyes! But five hundred is the lowest I can go. Any less, and you won't find one like it anywhere else."
"Alright, five hundred," Xia Tian said. "But these small stones look nice—throw them in for free." He pointed at a few decorative stones beside the jade—worthless but pretty.
"Deal! You're straightforward, young man!" the stall owner said cheerfully. Xia Tian handed him five hundred yuan in cash, then pocketed the small stones.
Master Xu approached with a smug smile. "Young man, you're a bit too green for this place. A trinket worth twenty yuan, and you paid five hundred. Only someone as inexperienced as you would fall for that."
"Oh? Is that so?" Xia Tian's lips curved upward. He released the jade pendant, letting it fall to the ground—where it shattered instantly. Even Master Xu was taken aback.
"What? You knew it was fake?" he asked, frowning slightly.
"When you have money, you can afford to be willful," Xia Tian said lightly.
The jade pendant meant nothing—he already had what he came for. Among the small stones he'd taken, one shone with an intense golden light. Unlike the green glow of ordinary treasures infused with Spiritual Qi, this light was pure gold.
His father had told him what that meant: such brilliance could only come from a relic—and judging by its radiance, it was very likely an ancient Buddha relic.