At four o'clock in the early morning of the next day, Shen Qiang, who was deeply asleep in the arms of Xiu Ju from the Dark Department, was startled awake by the vibrating sound of the phone on the bedside table.

The call came from Sun Kaiping, and after hanging up, Shen Qiang, still feeling somewhat groggy, clung to Xiu Ju from the Dark Department, unwilling to get out of bed.

In fact, Xiu Ju from the Dark Department wasn't unattractive, but she had many freckles on her face, dressed in a very plain style, so often she looked much older and uglier than she was. In reality, she had an amazing figure.

Not only that, but she was about one hundred and sixty-eight centimeters tall, not only with a round butt and long legs but also used a bath gel with a light jasmine fragrance. Wrapped in his arms, she was soft and fragrant like jade, so even if there was an earthquake, Shen Qiang wouldn't want to get up, preferring to keep holding her and continue sleeping.

But Shen Qiang's thoughts were wishful.

At that moment, Xiu Ju nudged Shen Qiang, "You should get up, strolling the antique market with added weight is a good way to practice Body Refinement."

Shen Qiang drew her closer into his embrace.

Bang!

Completely unprepared, Shen Qiang was pushed right off the bed by her.

"I'm not your girlfriend," Xiu Ju said coldly. "So stop messing around with me, got it?"

Shen Qiang was stunned for a moment, pondering for a long time but still feeling that something was not quite right.

She wasn't Shen Qiang's boyfriend, yet they slept in the same bed. At night, when Shen Qiang held her, she did not resist, but in the morning, she pushed Shen Qiang off the bed, saying with a look of righteousness that she was not his girlfriend. What was this all about?

The structure and inner workings of a woman's brain are really incomprehensible.

Despite his helplessness, another call from Boss Ma came through and he had to get moving to the antique market.

He changed his clothes and prepared to head out.

Xiu Ju, who was sitting on the bed in her pajamas, said, "You're going to browse the stalls, and since there's no high-intensity training, I think you can add two hundred kilograms to your weight today."

Shen Qiang replied impatiently, "I know."

He left the room.

The weight of the Heavenly Palace Jade Lock was adjusted to two thousand kilograms. Carrying two tons of weight on his body, even Shen Qiang, who trained like a madman, found it a bit too much to handle.

Because it looked like a small weight increase, but in reality, it had pushed Shen Qiang's physical abilities to their limit.

So much so that he was sweating profusely after just a short walk.

He crossed several streets.

From a distance, he saw the crowd, made a phone call, and then saw Sun Kaiping and Boss Ma coming to meet him.

They noticed Shen Qiang was panting and sweating from his forehead.

With a chuckle, Boss Ma said, "Qiangzi, you're not up to the mark. Back in my youth, I was well-known. You look at yourself, your condition... sigh, it's so far off. When I have some free time, big brother will teach you the Secret Manual, hehehe, handling two masseuses in one night will be no problem for you."

Shen Qiang frowned, "Enough, enough, Brother Ma, I know you can't help but boast. Let's talk about serious things, shall we? How's this place?"

Hearing this, Sun Kaiping looked at the long row of stalls by the roadside, "This place is famously known as the Fu You Road Crafts Market, also known as the Treasure Building. It's not too different from the old goods market in Provincial City. It's the weekend today, so there are street stalls."

Shen Qiang followed them, scanning the stalls next to the bustling crowd, "There are more fakes than real ones."

"It's like that everywhere." Boss Ma laughed, "If antiques were all genuine and everywhere, they wouldn't be worth much."

Shen Qiang frowned and said, "Is there any point in you guys coming here to look around? You've come so far, but it's not as good as sticking to our own plot in Provincial City."

Sun Kaiping smiled and said, "The benefit of coming here is that most of the merchants gather antiques from various places across the country to sell here. It can roughly reflect the real situation of the antique market. After all, the antique market is always changing. Generally speaking, we come here twice a year, not really to try our luck at finding hidden treasures, but to understand the market trends."

Shen Qiang responded, "So this place can represent the antique market of Huaxia?"

Sun Kaiping chuckled, "Comparing Pan Family Garden in Beijing and Fu You Road in Shanghai, you can get a rough idea of the overall market trends."

"Oh, I see." Shen Qiang said, sounding half-interested, but after walking around, he frowned, "Why do I feel like this place is even smaller than the old goods market in Provincial City?"

Boss Ma laughed, "This place is expensive, so it's normal for it to be smaller. Plus, the stalls are all inside the Treasure Building. There are about four hundred stalls on the first and second floors, and on the fourth floor, there are street stalls on Saturdays and Sundays. Today is Sunday; those who came late and couldn't get space inside have set up their stalls by the roadside."

"So, if you want to find hidden treasures, just check these roadside stalls and then head directly to the fourth floor of the Treasure Building. If you want to understand the proper market trends, the fixed stalls on the first, second, and third floors are pretty much the weathervane."

At this time, Shen Qiang, who had already begun practicing his official skills, glanced at a roadside stall and indicated with his eyes, "That blue and white porcelain pen holder in that small stall is from the late Ming Dynasty. It's got a tiny nick and seems like it shouldn't be valuable."

Hearing this, Boss Ma dashed over and grabbed the pen holder, refusing to let go.

Watching Boss Ma's excitement, Sun Kaiping frowned slightly and said, "Qiangzi, do you really still plan to open your antique shop?"

Shen Qiang sighed slightly and said, "I truly don't have the time and energy to manage that shop right now. When I find a suitable manager, we'll see."

Sun Kaiping fell silent for a moment before saying, "Alright, it's your shop, and of course, it's up to you. But just leaving it like that means it's a dormant asset and isn't bringing you any income."

Shen Qiang smiled and said, "Once I've taken care of everything I have on hand, we'll talk about it."

Just then, Boss Ma, clutching the pen holder and returning with a glint in his eye, grinned at Shen Qiang, "Deal! 850 yuan. When I get back, I'll find someone skilled to repair it nicely. This pen holder could easily fetch tens of thousands. When that happens, it'll be a split between Brother Shen Qiang and me, half each."

Watching the overjoyed Boss Ma, Shen Qiang shook his head with a bitter smile, "You two split it. I'm not interested in that broken thing."

Boss Ma chuckled, "Then I won't be polite."

Sun Kaiping frowned, "Old Ma, you're really something."

Boss Ma laughed heartily, "Shut it. If you don't want your share, I'm happier to keep the profit to myself."

Hearing this, Sun Kaiping frowned, "Why are you so pleased with yourself?"

At that moment, they turned their heads and saw Shen Qiang squatting next to a stall, looking at an olive-shaped porcelain vase painted with a vibrant image of a tree laden with peaches.

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