I lent my brother 500 yuan, and he offered his wife as collateral.

……

The hidden door was pushed open.

A strange smell, a mixture of musty, earthy, and high-end cigar odors, wafted over.

Although it's called the "Top-Tier" private room, it's actually located on the third basement level.

Compared to the hustle and bustle above, this place is eerily quiet.

Seven or eight burly men stood on both sides of the corridor, their waists bulging, clearly carrying "clangs".

Uncle Fu walked ahead, bowing even lower: "Mr. Qin, this way please. It's just a coincidence today; normally, this 'Third Master of the Country' wouldn't be so willing to see guests."

Qin Feng remained expressionless, holding Su Qingxue's hand with steady steps.

Su Qingxue's palms were covered in cold sweat, and she instinctively shrank back behind Qin Feng.

"Don't be afraid."

Qin Feng tapped her palm lightly twice with his fingers to reassure her.

Push open the heavy, copper-clad wooden door at the end.

Inside the "Top Tier" private room, smoke filled the air.

Three middle-aged men sat around a round rosewood table.

They wore ordinary leather jackets, but the cuffs and collars were worn shiny, and their fingernails were covered in black grime that couldn't be washed off.

Those are traces left from years of contact with the burial soil.

Sitting in the main seat was a thin, old man.

He had only three fingers on his left hand, and he was casually toying with a bloodstained bronze dagger, his eyes filled with malice.

Tu Sanye.

The head of the underground tomb raiding industry in Sichuan has more lives on his hands than antiques.

"Uncle Fu, is this the 'appraiser' you've been raving about?"

Old Man Tu raised his eyelids, his murky eyes sweeping over Qin Feng, a mocking smile appearing on his face: "You haven't even grown all your fur yet, have you been weaned?"

Two of his henchmen beside him let out piercing, eerie laughter.

"Third Master, you can't say that." Uncle Fu's forehead was beaded with sweat, and he forced a smile. "Mr. Qin's judgment is......"

"Alright."

Tu Sanye interrupted impatiently, flicking his finger lightly.

call out!

The specially made black cigarette he held between his fingers, still glowing, shot straight toward Qin Feng's face!

The smoke had a strange, cloying sweet smell.

The powder of datura mixed with corpse grass is used by tomb raiders to numb their nerves before they go underground. Ordinary people will go hallucinating and insane after just one breath.

"Since you're here, try this 'local specialty' first. If you can handle it, sit down and chat; if not, go back to where you came from." Old Master Tu's voice was chilling.

As Mars drew nearer, Su Qingxue's eyes widened in horror.

Snapped.

Two slender fingers intercepted the rapidly spinning cigarette in mid-air.

Qin Feng remained indifferent, his fingertips exerting a slight force.

There were no fancy moves, and no dodging.

The spark extinguished on his fingertip, leaving not even a red mark.

After the marrow is cleansed, the body is already impervious to swords and spears, let alone a mere piece of charcoal.

Qin Feng released his grip, and black powder fell down in a flurry.

"Is this how you treat your guests?" Qin Feng clapped his hands. "The cigarettes are too strong. I don't smoke cheap stuff."

The laughter in the private room stopped abruptly.

Tu Sanye paused in his play with the dagger, his gaze suddenly turning cold.

A true expert's skill is immediately apparent.

That single finger strike, though seemingly simple, actually contained terrifying finger strength and precise control over the force.

This kid is a trained fighter.

"That's interesting."

Tu Sanye stuck the dagger on the table, his gaze passing over Qin Feng and landing brazenly on Su Qingxue.

"This place has a heavy yin energy, which is unlucky for women; they are prone to attracting unclean things."

Third Master Tu pointed to the tea table beside him, his tone flippant: "But since we've brought them in, they can't just sit around. Go, pour tea for these gentlemen to ward off bad luck. If you serve them well, I'll reward you with a jade bracelet."

"Hehe, Third Master is right, this girl is really pretty, that waist..." A burly henchman next to him licked his lips and reached out to pull Su Qingxue.

Su Qingxue screamed in fright and desperately tried to back away.

Uncle Fu's expression changed drastically: "Third Master! This is Mr. Qin's man..."

Just as the henchman's dirty hand was about to touch the hem of Su Qingxue's clothes.

A hand gripped his wrist.

Qin Feng's hand.

"ah--!!"

A bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered, suddenly rang out.

There was no intense fighting.

Qin Feng simply held the man's wrist expressionlessly and slowly pressed down.

Click!

The crisp sound of bones cracking was particularly jarring in the quiet private room.

The subordinate's wrist was twisted at a bizarre ninety degrees, with broken bones piercing through the flesh, revealing the white bone fragments.

Qin Feng kicked the man in the stomach, sending the 200-pound strongman flying three meters before he crashed heavily against the wall.

"She is my woman, not a maidservant to serve you."

Qin Feng withdrew his foot, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing Tu Sanye: "Take another look, and I'll gouge out your eyes."

boom--!

A suffocating aura of malevolence erupted from Qin Feng without reservation.

That was the inherent pressure that came with mastering the "Ancient Martial Arts: Eight Extremes Collapse," mixed with the arrogance of being a master appraiser in his previous life.

The temperature in the private room seemed to drop ten degrees.

The bodyguard behind Master Tu instinctively reached for his waist, but Master Tu stopped him by raising his hand.

At this moment, a fine layer of cold sweat seeped from Tu Sanye's forehead.

He had spent years surrounded by corpses and was extremely sensitive to killing intent.

The young man in front of me was so full of life that he looked like a ferocious beast that had just crawled out of a battlefield!

Tough stubble.

Absolutely a tough nut to crack!

"Uncle Fu".

Third Master Tu took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and said with a forced smile, "It seems you've brought someone extraordinary this time."

Uncle Fu wiped his sweat and quickly smoothed things over: "Third Master, Mr. Qin has an excellent eye! He just acquired a piece of top-quality lightning-struck jujube wood heartwood. Mr. Qin is straightforward, please bear with him."

"Lightning-struck jujube wood?"

Upon hearing these four words, Master Tu's expression changed.

Those in their line of work are most lacking in yang energy, and lightning-struck wood is a life-saving treasure.

"Since you are a master, I was just blind." Although Tu Sanye was fierce, he knew when to back down. He lifted the red cloth off the table.

Splash!

The red cloth fell down.

Bronze tripods, jade ruyi scepters, golden nanmu boxes... each piece carries a strong earthy smell, clearly indicating they are newly unearthed artifacts.

"Mr. Qin, would you like to show me something?"

Third Master Tu pointed at the table full of treasures, his tone provocative: "To make amends, if you can explain the origin of any of these items, I'll give you a 50% discount on one item."

Qin Feng remained silent.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and his [Divine Eye for Observing Treasures] was activated.

[Early Han Dynasty Bronze Jue (wine vessel): Genuine, valued at 300 million.]

[Song Dynasty white jade pendant: Authentic, valued at 120 million.]

[Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain bowl: a fine example from a folk kiln, valued at 80 yuan.]

All of these are good things.

This old man is indeed quite capable.

But Qin Feng's gaze did not linger on those dazzling antiques for even half a second.

What he was looking for was the core of the Five Elements Formation.

My gaze swept across the corner of the table.

There was a dark, irregularly shaped "lump of iron" there.

It was covered in red rust, like scrap iron dug out of the mud, and was casually used to weigh down a corner of the tablecloth.

that's it!

[Item: Essence of Geng Metal (encased in meteorite iron)]

【Attribute: Extreme Metal (The first of the Five Elements, unparalleled sharpness)】

[Status: Covered in dust.]

[Value: Priceless (Top-tier weapon material, core of formation combat).]

I've searched high and low, but I can't find it anywhere!

Qin Feng suppressed the smile on his lips, revealing a listless expression on his face.

He casually picked up the "lump of iron," weighed it in his hand, and let out a sneer:

"The table is full of junk."

Master Tu's face darkened: "Trash? This is genuine Shang and Zhou bronze artifact!"

"While it's not from last week, it definitely can't reach the Shang and Zhou dynasties." Qin Feng didn't say much more, only pointing to the lump of iron in his hand, "This piece of scrap iron is the only one that looks somewhat decent. I want it."

There was a two-second silence.

Immediately afterwards, a burst of laughter erupted.

"Hahaha! I thought he was some kind of master, but he's just a junk collector!"

"That's a piece of our entrenching tool that broke off when we were digging the hole! It's rusted like this!"

Third Master Tu laughed so hard he almost fell over, pointing at Uncle Fu:

"Old Fu, you really misjudged him this time. He's a complete idiot! You want that piece of junk? Take it! It's yours!"