Duan Rong returned to Antique Street once more.
He feigned leisure as he strolled to the vicinity of the alley entrance where the murder had occurred, noticing several stall owners calmly setting up their stalls nearby.
It had been several days since the murder.
Thinking back to that day, those four people's attire and accents suggested they weren't locals; having died suddenly in that secluded alley, their identities were likely never confirmed.
Nor was there any victim to file a complaint. Why would the government office take it seriously?
Without a victim, whom would they extort?
The bodies were probably taken to the crematorium and burned immediately.
On the Nine Provinces Continent, the lawlessness meant occasional deaths were all too common.
These people vanished from this world, leaving only another unresolved case in the government office, likely recorded in a few lines on the Chief Constable's desk.
Duan Rong breathed a sigh of relief and strolled up and down Antique Street.
He decided to spend a few days thoroughly scouring the street, to see how much gold could be sifted from the sand.
Anyhow, since he could only practice his Pile Skill for an hour and a half each day, he had plenty of free time to dedicate to treasure hunting...
Three days later, Duan Rong straightened his aching back in frustration at the rear of a stall at the end of Antique Street.
His back, toughened through Pile Skill exercises, although not quite a thousand times refined, was at least well-trained.
Yet at this moment, it could barely hold up.
Mainly because Duan Rong had been incredibly thorough!
In three days, he nearly searched through the entire Antique Street, and his method involved touching every item.
After these three days, Duan Rong earned the nickname "Touch Once" on Antique Street.
The stall owners initially resisted Duan Rong, but after three days, his reputation spread, and they viewed him as a novelty, letting him do as he pleased.
After all, he wasn't stealing or robbing; he was merely touching everything openly.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" said the stall owner at the last stall, chuckling as he saw Duan Rong stand up.
But Duan Rong was extremely frustrated and had no time for banter.
Aside from the Lady Painting by Fan Yunlin he discovered a few days ago, he found nothing genuine on Antique Street.
"A bunch of frauds!"
Duan Rong was quite displeased with the stall owners on Antique Street.
Duan Rong suddenly recalled a story he had learned in his past life, called "Waiting by a Tree for a Hare," seemingly from Han Feizi's "Five Vermin."
"A farmer from Song had a field with a tree. A hare ran into the tree, broke its neck, and died. The farmer abandoned his hoe and waited by the tree, hoping for another hare. A hare never came again, and he became a laughingstock in Song."
At that moment, Duan Rong felt like that farmer waiting by the tree; not only had he failed to catch another hare, but he had left his field neglected too.
He wasted three days for nothing!
Exhausted both mentally and physically, Duan Rong left Antique Street and sat down in a nearby beef soup shop.
He ordered a bowl of beef soup and two sesame buns, poured a large spoonful of chili oil into the soup, and began eating with gusto.
As Duan Rong was eating and sweating profusely, he suddenly noticed a stall across the street.
It was a thin, scholar-looking middle-aged man, sitting there writing letters for people.
The scholar's stall also had some calligraphy and paintings hanging behind it, seemingly all his own creations.
Most were portraits, featuring bold and graceful ladies and martial artists wielding weapons, all appearing lively from afar...
Sitting across from him was an old lady with a basket and headscarf.
Duan Rong watched for a while before having a sudden epiphany, exclaiming, "I'm just too smart!"
"Have you seen Lady Paintings? Have you seen Photoshop?"
"What is industrial upgrading? What is a new business model?"
"What is a dimensional reduction strike!"
Duan Rong jumped up with excitement and accidentally knocked his soup bowl to the ground, with a crash. Both the soup and bowl shattered.
"Hey, my bowl!" The shop owner, a stout woman, approached angrily, wiping her apron, and glared at Duan Rong. "How can a grown man be so careless?"
Duan Rong chuckled awkwardly and said, "Calm down, boss lady, I was just careless! I admit my mistake! Here's a piece of silver, please accept it and clean up."
After slipping a piece of silver into the lady's hand, Duan Rong hastily left the soup shop and rushed back to Antique Street.
Duan Rong wasn't being generous; he simply had no time to waste with the shop owner, plus the smallest piece of silver he had was one tael.
"Hurrying to collect a corpse!" The woman spat as she watched Duan Rong run off. Looking into her hand, she found a piece of one-tael silver, smiled, and said, "This guy is generous, but too rash and not suited for everyday life!"
As she spoke, she slipped the silver into her sleeve, picked up a broom, and swept the broken pieces into a dustpan.
The woman was thrilled with her windfall, her mood instantly lifted, and even her eyes expressed flirty satisfaction...
As twilight descended, the stall owners on Antique Street were beginning to pack up and head home.
Among the bustling crowd, Duan Rong swiftly moved towards a stall in the middle of the street.
The stall owner was a middle-aged man with a thin mustache, resembling Bao Butong.
Duan Rong rushed over and immediately started rummaging through a painting holder beside the stall.
"Hey, Touch Once, why are you back again?" The stall owner was preparing to pack up when he noticed the frantic Duan Rong.
Duan Rong didn't say a word, focused solely on searching the holder. Suddenly, he beamed, saying, "Found it!"
He opened the painting, revealing a magnificent artwork titled the Night Banquet of Ladies.
The painting depicted seven or eight ladies relaxing or sitting, petting cats or waving fans, each graceful and distinct.
Though the artistic level wasn't top-tier nor a masterpiece, it suited the public's taste well, making it a pleasant addition to any bedroom.
However, Duan Rong had no time to admire; he merely smiled at the data floating before him.
Artifact: Night Banquet of Ladies
Artifact Spirit Tier: Tier One
Devouring Requirements: Host's Spiritual Power Level 1 (Satisfied)
Devouring Effect: Danqing Brush, Beginner Level.
"Kid, you've got an eye for this! This painting is a fine piece here. Look at this brushwork, this figure's beauty. These ladies' fair skin is like peeled scallions." The stall owner, with his mustache, spoke with a lecherous gleam in his eyes.
"Devour!" Duan Rong ignored the stall owner and silently chanted in his mind.
He then rolled up the painting and placed it back in the holder, saying, "This painting's just like an Erotic Painting; not good for the body!"
Having said this, Duan Rong turned around and left.
The stall owner was stunned and blushed slightly, muttering, "You…! You…! Nonsense! I'm a married man!"
He wanted to explain further but found that Duan Rong had already disappeared.
He thought Duan Rong had returned to make a purchase, but Touch Once was indeed just touch once, never to buy.
He just touched without buying, purely freeloading!
Yet the stall owner still felt something was odd, wondering how the young man identified his prized item with just a touch. "Weird people are always mystifying!"