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

……

Antique City.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the trees, making them look like ghostly figures.

The chubby stall owner, who was using Tianhuang stones as a mat just two and a half hours ago, is now slumped in a folding chair, slapping his thighs loudly, crying like a 200-pound child.

"120,000! That's 120,000!" The fat man pounded his chest and stamped his feet, his beady eyes filled with tears of regret. "I'm a fucking blind man! Really blind! I don't want to live anymore!"

None of the passing stall owners showed any sympathy; they were all just watching the spectacle unfold.

"Alright, fat guy, that's life. That young man has a good eye, just accept it."

"That's what you call missing out on a treasure. Who told you to try and rip people off like fools?"

"Hahaha, selling Tianhuang jelly for fifty yuan, I could laugh about this for a year!"

Not far away.

Zhang Qiang held the half-smoked cigarette butt in his hand until the sparks burned his fingers, then suddenly jerked and smashed the cigarette butt hard on the tea-stained table.

His eyes, bloodshot and filled with resentment, were piercingly red.

"Eye for appraisal? Screw eye for appraisal! If that good-for-nothing Qin Feng knows how to appraise treasures, then I'm a treasure appraisal master!"

Zhang Qiang spat out a mouthful of phlegm, gritting his teeth, "This is pure luck! That stone... I bought it with money that was originally mine! That was my destiny!"

He had just gone to Qin Feng's house and waited at the door, but no one was home.

That makes sense; when you're on a winning streak, you'll definitely keep betting.

So.

Qin Feng will definitely come to Panjiayuan again today!

Thinking this, Zhang Qiang took out his phone from his pocket, and his originally ferocious face suddenly became full of smiles, even his voice became a few decibels.

"Hey~ Is this the blond-haired brother? Oh, it's Qiangzi..."

Listening to the voice on the other end of the phone, Zhang Qiang shifted his hips, picking at his nails with one hand, his tone so cloying it gave one goosebumps:

"Someone has a big business opportunity to introduce to you... It's right near the exit of Panjiayuan. A poor student just made over 100,000 yuan by snatching a bargain. They don't care, they feel sorry for him just looking at his nouveau riche attitude. Brother, please teach him a lesson for me."

A rude male voice came from the other end of the phone: "A few hundred thousand? That's a tough one, isn't it?"

"Hey, why are you pricking my hand? You're just a poor student, and you're carrying around a face full of sores."

Zhang Qiang's eyes were cold, but he muttered, "Brother, we'll be guarding the entrance to Panjiayuan. You think you can just run away after getting a bargain? Tonight, we'll make him vomit his guts out, with interest."

"After we get the money, Qiangzi will treat you to a bath..."

……

Meanwhile, in the lobby of Haiweixuan Restaurant.

Just as Qin Feng was about to leave with Su Qingxue, before the revolving door had even finished turning, they heard a series of hurried footsteps behind them.

"Stop! You two in front, wait a minute!"

Qin Feng frowned slightly and stopped.

Su Qingxue froze upon hearing the shout and instinctively hid behind Qin Feng.

The waitress who had rolled her eyes earlier was now leading a security guard and a panting manager, rushing over like a madwoman.

The surrounding diners all stopped eating, their hearts pounding with anticipation.

"What's going on? Are they going to arrest someone?"

"Heh, judging from the poor looks of that man and woman, they must be trying to skip out on the bill because the prices inside are too high."

"Tsk tsk, Haiweixuan dares to dine and dash? These two are really bold. They'll probably be carried out later."

Whispers could be heard.

Su Qingxue's face turned deathly pale, her hands gripping Qin Feng's clothes tightly: "Brother Qin... I told you not to eat here... We can't afford to pay for it... What are we going to do..."

In her naive worldview, being chased often meant an impending beating.

She wasn't afraid of being beaten herself; she was afraid of implicating Qin Feng.

Qin Feng felt a pull from the hem of her clothes; it was the girl's only reliance.

His eyes sharpened, and he slowly turned around.

Those eyes, which were originally calm as still water, swept over the group of people rushing towards them.

"Gentlemen! Please wait a moment!"

The portly manager slammed on the brakes and rushed forward.

"brush!"

He suddenly bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, bending so low that he almost touched his head to his knees, his attitude extremely respectful.

"I'm so sorry! The store was too busy just now, and we couldn't provide adequate service. I really apologize!"

Quiet.

The surroundings suddenly fell silent.

The passerby who was just making sarcastic remarks now had his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

The waitress who was expecting to see the joke fall flat on her face, and she froze on the spot.

Su Qingxue was also stunned.

This seemingly fierce boss is actually apologizing to Brother Qin?

Qin Feng's tone was indifferent: "What is it?"

The manager wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and quickly presented a black and gold card with both hands.

The card was edged with gold thread, which reflected a luxurious glow in the setting sun.

"Mr. Qin, this is a 'Supreme VIP Card' that Mr. Zhao specifically instructed us to get. There are only ten of these in the entire Sichuan province. It's pre-loaded with 100,000 yuan, which will grant you free access to any branch in the future. You can also withdraw the money if you wish!"

"Old Zhao said this is your consultation fee. If it's too little, he'll come to apologize in person later!"

One hundred thousand?!

Those around gasped, their expressions changing instantly.

Not only is the meal free, but you also get 100,000 yuan as a gift?

Who exactly is this young man?

Even Zhao Huaichuan of the Provincial Appraisal Association has to fawn over him like this?

The waitress was now pale and her legs were weak.

She was well aware of the value of this card; anyone who owned it could make her unable to continue working in this industry with just a flick of their finger.

Qin Feng didn't stand on ceremony; he simply pinched the black card between his fingers and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Please thank Mr. Zhao for me."

Saving a life and getting some interest is only right and proper.

Qin Feng spoke calmly, but his gaze bypassed the manager and landed on the trembling waitress.

The waitress shuddered and involuntarily shrank back.

"However," Qin Feng smiled, a hint of amusement in his eyes, "the standards here are indeed quite high. This young lady just said that only a corner seat is suitable for us."

The manager is a shrewd person; he could easily understand the meaning behind those words.

He turned and glared at the waitress, wishing he could fire her on the spot.

Qin Feng didn't waste any more words and patted Su Qingxue's hand.

"Let's go home."

……

The way back to the rented room was an old bluestone alley.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows on the road, occasionally overlapping each other.

Su Qingxue kept her head down and followed closely behind Qin Feng, as if she were walking on his shadow.

She would occasionally raise her head and steal a glance at Qin Feng's profile through her hair.

Everything that just happened felt like an unreal dream to her.

Even big shots like him would give him money?

"Brother Qin... Brother Qin..."

Su Qingxue finally mustered her courage and asked in a voice barely audible, "When did you learn how to treat illnesses?"

Qin Feng slowed his pace and turned his head to the side.

Looking into the girl's adoring eyes, he smiled and casually made up a story: "I learned this folk remedy from a barefoot doctor in the countryside. I never thought I'd stumble upon it by sheer luck. That old man was just lucky."

Explaining it is too complicated, so let's make up a down-to-earth reason.

"Oh……"

Su Qingxue nodded, feeling a sense of security she had never felt before.

Regardless of whether it was a folk remedy or something else, it's a fact that Qin Feng saved her and protected her.

This is enough.

The alley was quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps.

Su Qingxue hesitated for a long time, looking at Qin Feng's large hand hanging by his side.

Then, it was as if they had made an extremely important decision.

She stretched out her small, slightly rough, and faded hand and carefully hooked her little finger around Qin Feng's.

"Brother Qin... thank you."

Su Qingxue lowered her head, her face as red as a ripe apple, and her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

Qin Feng was taken aback.

The touch from his fingertips was very light, yet it sent a shiver down his spine.

He didn't shake her off; instead, he wrapped her small hand in his palm.

"Silly girl."

However, just as the warmth was spreading...

"Hmm!"

Su Qingxue suddenly let out a painful groan and squatted down without warning, covering half of her face covered with birthmarks with her hands.

"What's wrong?" Qin Feng's expression changed, and he quickly helped her up.

Su Qingxue was curled up on the ground in pain, her whole body convulsing violently, and suppressed sobs could be heard coming from between her fingers.

"It hurts...it hurts so much..."

Her whole body was convulsing violently, and large beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.

Qin Feng's eyes narrowed, and he abruptly pulled her hand away:

"let me see!"

Under the dim streetlights, a chill ran down his spine.

On Su Qingxue's face, the birthmark that was originally dark red had turned blood red!

Even more terrifying, the skin beneath the birthmark was undulating and wriggling strangely, as if countless tiny worms were frantically crawling under the skin, trying to break through!

[Status: Acute exacerbation of chronic mixed toxins.]

[Toxin Type: Miao Jiang Heart-Eating Gu Toxin (Residual) + Heavy Metal Deposition.]

[Description: The toxin is eroding the facial nerves, causing pain equivalent to being burned. As the frequency of attacks increases, the toxin will penetrate deep into the bone marrow, eventually leading to brain death.]

Qin Feng's heart sank.

Poisonous Gu?!

This is not a birthmark at all; it is clearly a curse that someone planted on her twenty years ago!

What kind of deep-seated hatred could the Su family possibly harbor to kill an infant in swaddling clothes?

"Hold on!"

Qin Feng pointed his fingers like a sword, gathering power at his fingertips, and struck Su Qingxue's "Yifeng" acupoint behind her ear and "Tiantu" acupoint below her throat with lightning speed.

He has no silver needles now, so he can only forcibly use internal force to seal the blood and qi, temporarily numbing the pain.

"Huff... huff..."

As Qin Feng moved, the eerie writhing gradually subsided, and the crimson color faded somewhat.

Su Qingxue leaned weakly against Qin Feng's chest, panting heavily, her eyes unfocused.

"How often does it occur?" Qin Feng asked in a deep voice.

"It used to be once a month, but lately... it's only once every few days," Su Qingxue replied weakly, her voice trembling with tears. "Brother Qin, am I going to die...?"

A sense of urgency welled up in Qin Feng's heart.

With a god-level treasure appraisal system, this poison can be cured!

However, it requires 100 points of Treasure Value.

Saving Zhao Huaichuan cost 5 points, and now only 5 points remain.

We're still 95 points short!

Looking at the weak girl in his arms, Qin Feng felt a surge of anger.

This poison not only needs to be treated, but the person who administered it must also pay the price!

Qin Feng had a thought and opened the system panel.

[Remaining chances to gain Treasure Points today: 2.]

Don't waste today's opportunity!

"Qingxue, can you still walk?" Qin Feng helped Su Qingxue up and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

Su Qingxue nodded obediently.

"I'll take you home to rest first." Qin Feng's gaze was deep as he looked towards the antique market. "I still need to go to the antique market tonight."

Panjiayuan Night Market.

That's the real place, a chaotic mix of good and bad, where big profits can be made but people can also lose their lives.

During the day, you pick up money; at night, you gamble with your life!