Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 32 Unexpected Gains

"Some time ago, my third senior sister and I helped a wealthy man resolve some trouble." Chen Anran's eyes shone brightly as he only told Wei Qingyi about his first plan, but he didn't rush to talk about his second plan, which was about agritainment.

"...Last night I told him that our sect leader has recently crafted some new magical artifacts. As soon as he heard that, he expressed great interest."

Wei Qingyi looked at her strangely, "Although our sect's teachings are diverse, when did our senior sister learn the skill of weapon forging?"

Chen Anran smiled slightly, "Didn't I tell you, Senior Sister? Your junior brother now understands a little bit about the method of nourishing all things with spiritual energy."

"The method of nurturing all things?"

Chen Anran did not explain, only saying that her senior sister would know later.

After all, explaining such a fantastical story with words is rather pale; only when Wei Qingyi sees it with her own eyes will it have credibility.

After breakfast, Chen Anran began helping Wei Qingyi pack her luggage.

Wei Qingyi didn't have much stuff. Apart from a few faded clothes and heavy study materials, she had nothing else. A slightly worn suitcase and a bulging backpack contained all her belongings from the past few years in this bustling city.

Chen Anran deftly picked up the suitcase and handed the lighter hiking backpack to Wei Qingyi.

"Let's go, senior sister. Let's put my luggage back at my place first, and then you can take me somewhere."

"Where to?" Wei Qingyi locked the door, took the backpack, and asked with some confusion.

"An antique market or a flea market will do," Chen Anran said as she walked downstairs, her eyes filled with a treasure-hunting anticipation. "It's a place that sells old things that look like they've been around for a long time."

Wei Qingyi was even more puzzled: "What are we going there for? We should be saving money now." She subconsciously touched her empty wallet.

Chen Anran turned around and gave her a mysterious smile: "Go find the 'little trinkets' for Chairman Zhao. Senior sister, don't forget, I know how to 'nurture' things. Some old items with a good history might have even better results after being 'nurtured'."

Chen Anran had visited the antique and flea market when he and Feng Xiaolu were in Lincheng, but he hadn't found anything he liked. However, if he were to trade with ordinary people, many of the items there would meet his requirements.

Wei Qingyi was still somewhat skeptical, but seeing Chen Anran's confident gaze, she nodded: "I know a 'Wenhua Antique City' nearby. It's quite large, and the genuine articles are mixed with fakes. Shall we go take a look?"

"Okay, let's go there!"

The two first took the luggage back to the residence. Seeing the quiet and elegant environment where Chen Anran lived, a world apart from her dilapidated rented room, Wei Qingyi felt both moved and relieved, at least her junior brother hadn't suffered.

After a short stay, they set off again, taking the subway to Wenhua Antique City.

The antique market was already quite lively in the morning, with shops lining the streets and stalls everywhere. Porcelain, jade, wood carvings, copper coins, old books... the dazzling array of goods was overwhelming. The air was filled with the scents of old paper, wood, and a faint aroma of incense. Some stall owners were enthusiastically trying to attract customers, while others remained nonchalant, with an attitude of "take it or leave it."

Wei Qingyi looked around blankly: "There are so many things here, how am I supposed to find anything?"

"Senior sister, don't rush, let's take our time looking around." Chen Anran said as she squatted down in front of a stall selling all sorts of miscellaneous secondhand items.

The stall owner was an old man wearing reading glasses and fanning himself with a palm leaf fan. When he saw a customer, he merely raised his eyelids slightly.

Chen Anran's gaze fell on an inconspicuous copper coin in the corner of the stall. The coin was dark and covered in green rust, looking no different from the pile of "Five Emperors' Coins" next to it. However, the information from the museum gave him a jolt:

"Item: Damaged Treasury Coin (weakly imbued with spiritual energy)"

Status: Evolvable

"Evolution Path: Small Accumulation of Wealth (Estimated Time: 24 hours)"

"Effect: Slightly improves the wearer's wealth luck, and gathers wealth energy in a small area."

"Boss, how much is this?" Chen Anran picked up the copper coin and asked casually.

The old man glanced at it and said lazily, "Kangxi Tongbao, average condition, fifty yuan."

Chen Anran didn't haggle and paid the money directly.

Wei Qingyi watched from the side, her brows furrowed slightly, and she whispered, "Fifty yuan? This quality... it's probably fake, isn't it?"

"Whether it's real or fake doesn't matter, as long as it works." Chen Anran smiled mysteriously and put the copper coin into his pocket.

Next, they visited a few more stalls. Chen Anran acquired two small items: a piece of dried wood struck by lightning, which the museum indicated could evolve into a "calming wood charm"; and an old glass bead with a dull color that could evolve into a "glowing night pearl".

These things don't take long to evolve, mostly within a few days, and their evolutionary direction is clear, making it easy to explain and demonstrate their value to Zhao Qiming.

"That's about it." Chen Anran looked at the few "junk" items in his hand that cost less than five hundred yuan in total but had great potential, and nodded in satisfaction.

Wei Qingyi looked at the things in his hand, her doubts deepening. "Anran, are you sure... these things, after being 'nurtured' by so-called spiritual energy, are worth millions?" She simply couldn't connect these old items with the exorbitantly priced magical artifacts.

"Senior sister, trust me." Chen Anran looked at her, her eyes clear and confident. "You'll understand after they 'transform.' Now, let's go back first; I need some time to 'process' them."

Just as Chen Anran was about to leave with Wei Qingyi, a heated argument broke out from a nearby shop specializing in building stone, shattering the market's hustle and bustle.

"Your bricks have obvious color differences! And the hardness is wrong too! You think you can fool me with substandard products? No way!" A middle-aged man in work clothes and a hard hat shouted, his face red and neck thick.

The shop owner, a chubby middle-aged man, was sweating profusely and waving his hands frantically: "Foreman Li, you can't just say things like that! These are all Grade A marble tiles from a reputable manufacturer, how could there be any quality problems! Please take another look!"

"What are you looking at! I've been in the renovation business for over twenty years, how could I be wrong? Return it! You have to return it!"

The argument attracted a crowd of onlookers, who pointed and whispered. Chen Anran didn't want to get involved, but in the commotion, he was pushed and shoved closer to the pile of light gray marble tiles that had sparked the controversy. Out of curiosity, or perhaps some kind of intuition, he subconsciously reached out and touched one of the cool, smooth tiles.

The instant their fingertips touched, a stream of information naturally flooded into his mind, originating from that mysterious Museum of Evolution:

Item: Ordinary marble floor tiles (Grade A)

Status: Evolvable

"Evolution Path: Minor Spirit Gathering Floor Tile (Estimated Time: 720 hours)"

"Effect: After installation, it can slightly increase the concentration and stability of spiritual energy in a small area, which helps to calm the mind and assist in basic cultivation."

Chen Anran's hand trembled slightly as if she had been electrocuted, and her eyes instantly flashed with disbelief!

Floor tiles? Even building floor tiles can evolve? And the effect is... gathering spirit energy?!