This entry is suspicious.

"Can I take a look?"

"Here." Song Ci handed over the phone.

Shen Fei took the phone with trembling hands. The screen displayed the real name, photo, company, and background of the person in the picture.

"Thirty-five years old, graduated from Yunzhou Art Academy under the Hehuan Sect, with an educational background... a junior college diploma?"

Shen Fei looked at this information, his mind buzzing. His favorite virtual streamer was actually a 35-year-old man, and a junior college graduate from the Hehuan Sect who didn't even have a bachelor's degree?

The sky is falling.

Although Shen Fei is an extremely passionate anime and manga enthusiast, he is still the son of an elite family member. Under the dual influence of family and society, he inevitably harbors prejudices against college students.

The thought of how he had showered a college student from the Hehuan Sect with gifts and money, and how he had been exploited by that student for a month, made Shen Fei feel as if he had swallowed a ton of dead flies and a dead rat.

Seeing his face turn pale and then flushed, his expression twisted and more painful than if he were crying, Song Ci nudged Zhou Ran and whispered, "What's wrong with him?"

Zhou Ran thought for a moment, then analyzed seriously, "The core selling point of virtual streamers is the virtuality and the persona. He probably discovered that the person behind the suit and the attributes of the person were seriously inconsistent, and his fantasy was shattered. I remember that the audience in the virtual streamer circle really dislikes streamers from the Hehuan Sect. Once they find out, they immediately shut them down."

"No...you don't understand anything..."

Shen Fei shouted in grief and indignation, "I was forced to study at the Hehuan Sect's college level for a whole month!"

"Oh, this..."

Zhou Ran's lips twitched. So it was educational discrimination.

He was speechless, then pointed to the pendant and said, "Now that we know Jiang Jiang Zi's true identity, this pendant can no longer be a strange item. It's probably some kind of dual cultivation artifact researched by the Hehuan Sect. Once you smash it, you won't be oppressed by your dreams anymore."

Shen Fei turned his head and his eyes immediately turned red when he saw the image of the girl on the pendant. He quickly walked to the gym next to him, grabbed a dumbbell, and smashed it down hard on the pendant.

boom!

The pendant shattered into pieces instantly. Although it was a magical artifact, its main purpose was to serve as a medium for dreams, and its grade and hardness were not high.

Looking at the shattered pendant, Shen Fei felt as if his heart had shattered as well. He stood there, looking up at the sky, closing his eyes in anguish, trying not to let the tears fall.

"Was my sincere affection ultimately misplaced...?"

"That's enough, buddy. Streamers are all here to hook up rich guys and make easy money. You might as well go and find a proper girlfriend," Zhou Ran said speechlessly.

"Three-dimensional women are boring; two-dimensional women are my true home."

Zhou Ran almost broke out in a cold sweat, but after seeing the prompt for resolving the incident, he couldn't help but feel overjoyed. Well, you're right.

You have resolved a golden incident.

[Life Mark +25]

25 life lines!

Zhou Ran was both surprised and delighted. With his previous savings, he now had a total of 49 life runes. He only needed to collect 51 more to draw an entry!

Although the rewards are not as good as dealing with the bloodshed, at least it's safe and there's no danger to life.

……

After washing his face in the restroom, Shen Fei finally returned to normal. He thanked the two of them and picked up his bag to leave.

"Wait, we're already here, aren't we going to make up for the two hours of lessons?" Zhou Ran called out to Shen Fei.

"I'm not in the mood right now." Shen Fei looked exhausted, as if all his strength had been used up. "Besides, I'm very weak right now. Forcing myself to train will only backfire. Let me recover for a few days."

"Don't forget the payment," Song Ci reminded her.

"I keep my word, I'll take you there after school tomorrow."

Shen Fei waved his hand, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and left.

Back home, he took a hot shower to wash away his fatigue and bad luck, then curled up in the sofa chair and watched two episodes of the new anime, which gradually calmed him down.

Just then, my phone rang, and the caller ID showed it was the Qinghe City Police Department.

Shen Fei frowned, hesitated for two seconds, and then answered the phone.

"Hello, is this Shen Fei?" A steady male voice came from the other end of the phone.

"It's me. What's wrong?"

"Did you ever tip a virtual streamer named Jiangjiangzi and receive a pendant or other merchandise from her?"

Shen Fei's heart skipped a beat, and he sat up from the sofa: "Yes, what's wrong?"

"Here's the situation. This streamer was arrested by the tax authorities a month ago for tax evasion and has been sentenced to three years in prison. But just an hour and a half ago, she voluntarily surrendered in prison and confessed that those so-called limited edition pendants were actually carefully crafted dual cultivation artifacts. For the past month, she has been using these artifacts to illegally perform dual cultivation with the holders."

"Your name is on the list of victims, so we're calling to get more details. If it's convenient, could you come to the police station now?"

Shen Fei opened his mouth, his mind blank, and after a long while, he hurriedly said, "I can go, but can you not notify my guardian?"

"I'm sorry, we have already notified them. Since your parents didn't answer the phone, the notification was sent to their mobile phones via SMS."

Suddenly, another phone call came in; it was from Shen Fei's father, Shen Haichuan.

Shen Fei closed his eyes peacefully.

After a while, the housekeeper walked into the house holding a mobile phone.

"Xiao Fei, I saw the text message from the police station. What's going on with you?" A deep, middle-aged male voice came from the other end of the phone.

"It's the situation mentioned in the text message, right?" Shen Fei said weakly. After being punished by the Hehuan College students for a month, he could already imagine how furious his father must be.

"Hahaha, good, good, good!"

To everyone's surprise, Shen Haichuan didn't get angry but laughed instead, "Isn't the taste of a three-dimensional woman a hundred times better than the two-dimensional characters you like?"

Shen Fei was utterly astonished: "Dad, what are you saying? I was... I was tutored for a whole month by a girl from a college specializing in aphrodisiacs!"

"It's a bit embarrassing if word gets out, but it's fine if it doesn't. Besides, I think I'd be more accepting of you working with college graduates than with anime/manga. It would be even better if you could work with more in the future, of course, they'd have to be highly educated."

"Your mother and I are busy outside, so we won't go to the police station. You can go there yourself and explain the situation clearly."

Shen Haichuan finished speaking and hung up the phone with a smile.

Shen Fei was struck dumb. Was his love for anime and manga really worse than being forced to take courses in a junior college?

……

Inside the police station.

Shen Fei explained the whole story and learned from the police why Jiang Jiang Zi turned herself in.

"Did someone trace back to the source using ritual implements?"

Shen Fei was utterly astonished. This must be a technique possessed by a powerful being at the Golden Core or Dao Embryo realm.

"Yes, she was terrified, thinking she had offended someone she shouldn't have, so she turned herself in."

The police officer on the other end paused for a moment, "But after checking the family backgrounds of all the victims, we couldn't find a single person who matched the criteria. You're the closest one."

Shen Haichuan's fourth son... and Shen Haichuan came from the Shen family. There are quite a few old monsters in aristocratic families, and the police know this very well.

But the question is, would such a powerful being really go to the trouble for Shen Fei? This high school student doesn't seem like the type to be spoiled by his elders.

"I don't have the ability to invite such a powerful figure." Shen Fei shook his head.

Immediately, a thought inexplicably popped into his mind.

She went to Zhou Ran to handle the matter herself, and then Jiang Jiangzi turned herself in. Judging from the timing, the two things happened at almost the same point in time. Why is it such a coincidence?

Could it be... Zhou Ran?

Shen Fei was amused by his own absurd idea. How could that be? Zhou Ran was just at the Enlightenment Realm.

This is most likely a coincidence.

In other words, even if he hadn't asked Zhou Ran for help, he could have resolved this mess tonight.

However, a gentleman's word is his bond, and since he had already promised Zhou Ran and Song Ci, he had to take them there.

……

The following evening, after school.

Zhou Ran and Song Ci arrived at the meeting place they had agreed upon with Shen Fei—the entrance to the warehouse area of ​​Shen Ji Antiques.

"You have absolutely no idea what happened last night."

As soon as they met, Shen Fei started talking about Jiang Jiang Zi's surrender in prison, while keeping a close eye on Zhou Ran, trying to read something from his face.

Unfortunately, all that was seen was surprise and astonishment.

I knew it! How could it be Zhou Ran who did it? Shen Fei had his answer: some powerful figure must have unexpectedly intervened in this matter.

Zhou Ran was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected Jiang Jiang Zi to be so frightened that she turned herself in. It seemed that the ability of the [Eye of Truth] to trace back could also be used as a means of coercion.

Soon, Shen Fei led the two into the warehouse area.

The park covers a huge area, about the size of a shopping plaza in the city center. It is a standalone building surrounded by wasteland with no trees. The view is open and unobstructed, and anyone who gets close can be clearly seen by the surveillance cameras and the people in the security booth.

In addition, there are squads of security guards patrolling, making security extremely tight.

"Didn't you say you'd sneak in? How come you brought us in so openly?" Song Ci asked, puzzled.

"Sigh." Shen Fei sighed, his expression somewhat subtle. "When my dad found out about this yesterday, he wasn't angry at all. Instead, he was very excited and pleased that I finally got to date a real-life woman, even if she's just a college student... I think he's so happy that he wouldn't say anything even if I brought people to take some antiques, especially since you guys are people of status."

Song Ci is the daughter of an elite family, so her family is naturally powerful and influential. As for Zhou Ran... although he is from humble beginnings, Shen Fei has been tutoring him for the past few days and has concluded that he has extraordinary talent and is destined for great things. If he befriends such a person, his father will definitely not say anything and will instead give his full support.

Upon reaching the main entrance of the warehouse, a heavy, massive explosion-proof door blocked the way.

Shen Fei walked to the door, placed his palm on the sensor area, and entered a password. Only then did the door slowly open.

Behind the door was a spacious corridor with clearly visible dirty tire tracks on the ground, and at the end of the corridor was another door.

This time it's iris recognition + password input, and behind the door there's a long corridor and an explosion-proof door.

"Isn't the security a bit excessive?" Zhou Ran couldn't help but say.

"These antiques not only contain priceless treasures, but may also contain forbidden or strange items. If a strange power were to resurface and be released, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, the security level is definitely high. My dad said it is two levels higher than a bank vault, and it is of military grade."

Shen Fei stepped forward and swiped his key card to open the last door.

The view behind the door suddenly opened up.

The warehouse was much more spacious than I had imagined, with a high ceiling that was at least two or three stories high, and rows of huge light tubes overhead that illuminated the entire space as bright as day.

Hundreds and thousands of boxes filled most of the warehouse, stacked neatly, with just enough space between each row of boxes for one person to pass through.

There was a team of security personnel in the warehouse. When they saw the three people enter, they immediately came over to inquire about the situation, verify their identities, and only allowed them to pass after confirming that everything was correct.

"Take whatever you like. This batch of goods was just received from the archaeological team a few days ago, and the appraisers haven't had a chance to examine it yet. If you find any dusty magical artifacts or any forbidden items, you can take them all," Shen Fei said.

Zhou Ran approached the nearest box and bent down to examine it. The box was open, lined with thick hay, and on the hay was a vase covered in dirt and dust, with a faint bluish-gray glaze visible. There seemed to be some blurry patterns on the vase.

The side of the box is marked with a serial number, the date of excavation, and the approximate year the antique was made.

"From 9985 to 9995 in the old calendar... This is an artifact from before the cataclysmic era." Zhou Ran was slightly taken aback.

The great catastrophe six hundred years ago nearly buried the entire world, almost causing civilization to be interrupted. Countless ancient books and documents were destroyed in flames, blood, and dust. Coupled with the ensuing dark century, it has made it difficult for modern people to understand the long history of the past.

The old calendar only sets a timeframe of 10,000 years, but the history of the ancient cultivation world must have been much longer, but the academic community simply cannot find relevant documents.

The Great Cataclysm has severed the history of the world into two parts: the end of the old calendar and the beginning of the new one. It is now the year 612 of the new calendar.

In other words, this vase is only about 600 years old.

In the cultivation world, it's not considered very valuable; at most, it might sell for a hundred thousand or so.

Zhou Ran withdrew his gaze and continued walking and looking around.

Because the Eye of Truth can cause unexpected events, it cannot be used immediately. You must first use the Book of Fate to check, just in case there is a strange dormant state.

Half an hour later, Zhou Ran suddenly stopped in front of a small box.

A grayish-white jade bracelet lay quietly on the haystack in the box, its texture as smooth and warm as water.

[Mirage Bracelet], [Level Two Forbidden Item], [Silent and Eerie], [Mirage-like Appearance]

Shipped!

Zhou Ran was shocked. This was actually a silent and eerie creature that had been turned into a forbidden object!

The Silent Eerie is an extremely special state, equivalent to the complete death of the eerie entity, but the eerie power remains. When this eerie entity is made into various tools, it becomes a forbidden object that can be freely manipulated by the living.

Zhou Ran actually came with the idea of ​​trying his luck. Even if he didn't find any dusty magic treasures or forbidden items, he could still make hundreds of thousands or millions by selling a few antiques. Unexpectedly, his luck was so good that he actually found some good stuff.

I've decided on you!