Chapter 34: Sweeping Through the Ghost Market

Indeed!

Through [Mind-Reading], Xu Yi discovered that the stall owner was, in fact, a tomb raider. Just a month ago, he and his accomplices had looted a tomb, and this man was specifically responsible for fencing the stolen goods. Furthermore, there was a peculiar detail: this was the man’s first time attending the Ghost Market.

Xu Yi felt a surge of excitement; it seemed his haul tonight would be substantial. While he was thrilled internally, his expression remained perfectly calm. He dismissed the stall owner’s threats as entirely inconsequential.

Zeng Lili, however, was clearly uncomfortable. After hearing the threats, her hand hesitated as she reached out to touch the items. She knew this Ghost Market trade was unique and that this was her first time working for Xu Yi. It was completely different from business outside, and she was terrified of making a mistake that might ruin things for him.

Sensing her agitation, Xu Yi immediately reassured her: "Don't worry, go ahead. If you break something, I'll take responsibility."

Encouraged by Xu Yi’s backing, Zeng Lili took a deep breath, calmed down, and focused on searching the tent.

The stall owner was a shrewd operator and quickly realized that Xu Yi was the one in charge. His eyes, visible beneath his mask, stared fixedly at Xu Yi as he spoke: "Heh! You’ve got guts, boss. You came to the right place. I’ll tell you this: apart from my stall, everything else in this entire Ghost Market is fake. Only here can I guarantee that buying will make you rich!"

"Is that so?" Xu Yi replied with a cold, noncommittal smile.

He then used [X-Ray Vision] to scan every item on the stall. To his disappointment, none of the objects contained any spiritual energy. He shook his head and waited for Zeng Lili, who was still carefully examining the wares.

Ten minutes later, Zeng Lili stopped. "How is it?" Xu Yi asked.

Zeng Lili pointed tentatively at three items: a porcelain dish, a fragment of an ancient book, and a bronze vessel. "I’m not sure about these three. They might be genuine antiques, but they require careful appraisal. Just by looking at them, I can’t be certain."

The stall owner immediately chimed in, "Heh! You’ve got a good eye, boss. These three items were only just unearthed last month; they’re the best things in my stall. Since you’re my first customers and I like you, I’ll give you a deal. How about ten million for each?"

Zeng Lili shook her head instantly. "Thirty million for a 'possibility'? The risk is too high."

"Then what are you willing to pay?" the owner asked. Zeng Lili looked at Xu Yi, who signaled for her to negotiate.

"One million each?" she ventured hesitantly.

"One million?" The owner scoffed. "Do you think we’re idiots? If these three went to an auction house, they’d fetch tens of millions, minimum. This is my price: thirty million, not a cent less. If you aren't serious, then leave."

Zeng Lili looked to Xu Yi again. Xu Yi sneered, "Thirty million? Do you take me for a fool?"

Through [Mind-Reading], Xu Yi knew the truth: while they were indeed tomb raiders, these three items had nothing to do with any tomb. The pair had bought them from a forgery factory for a mere 50,000 yuan. To mark up 50,000 to 30 million—the waters of this Ghost Market were truly deep.

"Look, brother," Xu Yi said casually, "I'll be honest with you: I’m not short on cash. If these were real, thirty million wouldn't be an issue. But I suspect this whole pile came from a forgery factory. You can fool others, but it won't work on me. Is this your first time at the Ghost Market? Do you really think everyone here is blind? If you don't have the real deal, you won't sell a single thing tonight."

His assertive tone caught the owner off guard. The man's inner thoughts echoed in Xu Yi’s mind: *Damn, this guy is sharp. Is he bluffing? No, he sounds too confident. Damn it! I didn't expect a pro to show up at this market. And that damn fake factory told me no one could tell the difference! Fuck, I guess I have to bring out the real stuff.*

After a moment of internal struggle, the stall owner said coldly, "You want to see real stuff? Wait a moment." He turned around and carefully retrieved a wooden box.

When he opened it, a heavy scent of soil and rot wafted from a bronze basin inside.

"This..." Zeng Lili examined it for a moment before whispering to Xu Yi, "Boss, I’m not sure about this one. It’s definitely an antique, but the price..."

"Ten million! Final price," the owner blurted out.

Xu Yi’s eyes lit up. This basin radiated a pulse of spiritual energy, stronger than anything he had encountered so far. But as for the price...

"Two million," Xu Yi said coldly.

The owner’s voice deepened. "Boss, two million? You're not being sincere. This is a genuine, authentic piece."

"It’s genuine, alright," Xu Yi replied flatly, "but this is the Ghost Market. Do you think you can charge outside prices here? If you don't want to sell, fine."

The owner struggled internally for a moment before gritting his teeth. "Fine! Two million it is."

Xu Yi let out a sigh of relief and quickly paid via his phone. Once the money was received, the owner handed the box to Zeng Lili. Having scored on his first attempt, Xu Yi was satisfied and immediately began absorbing the spiritual energy from the basin.

After leaving that stall, Xu Yi and Zeng Lili continued through the other tents. With his [Mind-Reading] and [X-Ray Vision], Xu Yi essentially swept through the entire market.

Two hours later, he had acquired three more items containing spiritual energy: a set of porcelain dishes, another fragment of an ancient book, and a jade pendant. Using [Mind-Reading] to gauge the owners' bottom lines, he had secured all three for 10 million. He absorbed the energy immediately.

So far, he had gathered four strands of spiritual energy. He had perfectly achieved his goal for the night, and although he hadn't tested them, he felt a tangible increase in his abilities.

Beyond those, they had picked up six other items. While they lacked spiritual energy, [Mind-Reading] confirmed they were genuine loot from ancient tombs. These six cost him 2 million.

In total, he had spent 14 million on ten items—without even touching Gu Lao’s money. Regardless of the market value of these items, he had already made a clean profit of 50 million. Making money was too easy; it felt fantastic.

Xu Yi was in high spirits. The market was large enough that his ten transactions hadn't attracted any unwanted attention. As they neared the end of the tent rows, only a few stalls remained.

Suddenly, Xu Yi stopped in front of a stall filled with bronze artifacts.

"Huh!"

He was startled to find that one bronze piece radiated an incredibly dense amount of spiritual energy—more than all four previous finds combined. However, just as he was about to ask the price, two men in blue masks stepped forward ahead of him.

"Boss! I want this bronze piece. Name your price."

Xu Yi looked up. Oh, he had run into an acquaintance. To be precise, he didn't recognize the man speaking, but the person beside him was someone he knew quite well: the wealthy second-generation heir who had harassed Zeng Lili earlier—Zhao Jian, the second son of the Zhao Group.