Luo Chao, carrying 2.76 million in cash, arrived at Huahai City's antique market.

This antique market is the place with the most concentrated variety of collectibles and also the busiest area in Huahai City.

Almost all antique enthusiasts in Huahai City come to this market to hunt for treasures.

Among the people coming and going, young men and women are the most common.

However, they mostly just glance around without stopping at one stall for long.

Even if they buy something, it's usually just items costing a dozen or twenty yuan, finely crafted artifacts meant to please their partners, which don't count as actual collectibles.

In contrast, there are middle-aged and elderly people.

These individuals linger at the stalls, either squatting or standing.

Some hold a Buddha statue or jade carving in their hands, negotiating with the vendor, while others use a magnifying glass to scrutinize an item, shaking their heads and sighing or nodding and smiling.

They are the main consumers at this antique market!

Yet, as the saying goes, those who drown are the ones who know how to swim. These people, who believe they understand the antiques trade, are often the easiest to deceive.

For them, treasure hunting in the antique market relies on insight, and it's a game of luck and heartbeats!

But Luo Chao is clearly not among them, as he obtained a national-level collectible appraisal certificate two years ago.

Moreover, since it's already top-level for a national certificate in the collectibles field.

In fact, Luo Chao can accurately appraise not only Huaxia Country's collectibles but almost all art collectibles worldwide, determining their authenticity and value.

Several times, experts from both domestic and international fields have sought advice from Luo Chao.

However, Luo Chao generally communicates with them via email.

There's an old saying: people with hairless mouths can't handle tasks well, and this saying is remarkably applied in the collectibles industry.

Appraising antiques requires experience, and even the most skilled appraisers could misjudge on any given day.

Only through decades of persistent appraisal and experience accumulation can one minimize the chances of misjudgment.

Thus, if those domestic and international experts were to discover that the hidden master in the appraisal field is just a young man in his early twenties, they'd be shocked beyond measure!

Luo Chao wandered through the crowd, carrying his tactical backpack filled with 2.76 million in cash.

This time, he's here to find jade that possesses the same unusual energy as the Wandering Dragon Jade Pendant, so he only stops briefly at stalls displaying jade.

As for stalls selling calligraphy, paintings, and ceramics, Luo Chao merely glances at them and moves on.

Most of these items are counterfeits, and with Luo Chao's keen eye, it takes mere seconds to appraise all the items at a stall.

Yet in a crowded antique market, pickpockets are naturally abundant.

However, Luo Chao's body technique is strangely elusive, and although pickpockets have had their eyes on Luo Chao's backpack, none have succeeded.

Soon, Luo Chao attracted the attention of the entire market's pickpockets, like a lamb among wolves.

"Boss, that young guy with the black backpack looks tough, difficult to handle!"

"That's right, boss, several of our brothers have tried to snag what's in his bag but failed."

"Hai-ge, I think that guy is a martial artist. The stuff in his bag is definitely valuable, if not cash, then something old and valuable!"

In a corner of Antique City, three pickpockets dressed humbly, blending in with street pedestrians, reported to their boss.

Their boss was called Hai-ge, an old pickpocket with thirty years of experience.

However, he had already washed his hands of the trade and remained backstage as a commander.

After listening to his underlings' report, Hai-ge stroked the gold ring on his thumb, raising his seemingly honest face to scrutinize Luo Chao from afar.

Soon, Hai-ge seemed to spot some clues, saying, "Look, that guy only stops briefly at stalls selling jade but doesn't make any purchases."

"Based on my years of experience in this market, such a person usually knows a bit about jade, but judging by his age, he's likely new to the field, a half-empty bottle kind of person!"

The pickpocket next to Hai-ge, upon hearing his analysis, asked, "So what's your plan, Hai-ge?"

"From what I see, this guy's base is solid. He moves through the crowd without brushing against anyone, he must be a skilled martial artist! Dealing with such a master of martial arts by force would be asking for trouble, so why not exploit his treasure hunting mentality and trick him once!"

As someone with thirty years of pickpocketing experience, Hai-ge has an eye for people, a true expert of the old guard.

"Boss, that's amazing, how do we dupe him?" another pickpocket asked.

"Competence has its specialization, we're pickpockets, not con artists. To pull off a scam, we have to partner with a con artist!"

After speaking, Hai-ge called the head con artist in the antique market, "Big Wolf."

"Hey, Big Wolf, it's Hai-ge. I just found a fat sheep, but it seems that guy knows martial arts, my boys couldn't get to him!"

"So I thought we could set a trap for him together and split the scammed money fifty-fifty, what do you think?"

"What? 64? Alright, alright, 64 it is then!" Ending the call, Hai-ge's gaze toward Luo Chao turned greedy.

"Come, come, take a look, Empress Dowager Cixi's chamber pot!"

"Look at mine, Emperor Dao Guang's underwear!"

"This here is a treasure, Qin Shi Huang's private figure, female terracotta warrior!"

Amidst the various sales cries at the stalls, Luo Chao could only shake his head and chuckle softly.

That so-called chamber pot of Empress Dowager Cixi is just a regular spittoon from the seventies.

As for Emperor Dao Guang's underwear, yellowed, probably dyed using a farmer's pants mixed with paint.

And Qin Shi Huang's female terracotta warrior, that's even more ridiculous!

In the collectibles industry, truly valuable items are mostly found within the shops in the antique market.

Those able to operate a shop in the antique market are the type that might not open for three years, but once they do, they earn enough to last for three years.

Their crafts displayed at shop entrances are mere showcases; the items in the inner rooms are the genuine treasures.

Thinking of this, Luo Chao quickened his pace, heading towards the shop area deep within the antique market...

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