Onlookers Gather

Chen Mo understood that all three of them were running a fake accident scam, but he was neither afraid nor upset. During his earlier Spiritual Sense scan, he had discovered a pleasant surprise, and he was considering how to handle this situation.

"Kid, did we scare you stupid? Hurry up and tell us how you plan to settle this!" Yu Lao San said, grabbing Chen Mo by the clothes. Deep down, he could not help admiring his own mastery of fake accidents. His timing this time had been quite good.

"Talk if you want to talk, but don't grab my clothes!" Chen Mo reached out, seized Yu Lao San's hand, and gave it a light twist, forcing him to let go. He was no longer someone without any self-preservation ability. He was a Cultivation of Immortality practitioner at Qi Refining Layer One. Why would he fear a few scammers? What a joke!

"Damn it, you smashed my stuff and you're still acting all tough?" Yu Lao San shouted.

To put more pressure on Chen Mo, he immediately yelled at the onlookers gathering around them, "Everyone, come take a look! Come take a look! This youngster broke someone else's belongings and doesn't want to admit it! Everyone, judge who's right!"

"Who ran into whom isn't even clear yet. Just because you say so makes it true? Are you police or a judge?" Chen Mo was no pushover either, and he fired right back. Forget the surprise for now; he needed to deal with these fake accident scammers properly first.

"What the hell did you say? You broke my brother's stuff, and you still think you're in the right?" One fellow beside Yu Lao San immediately raised his hand, intending to slap Chen Mo.

But Chen Mo caught his hand at once and flung it aside. "Since you say I hit it, how do you want to settle this?" Chen Mo had originally intended to make him explain himself properly, but he noticed that this was a blind spot in the market's surveillance coverage, where no camera could possibly see them. So he changed his approach and questioned him instead.

Yu Lao San looked at Chen Mo, somewhat uncertain. He had not expected this young man to remain so composed. There was none of the panic usually seen on the faces of people being extorted. He was not someone to be underestimated. It seemed they had run into a tough one today.

"Fine! Since you want me to explain, I'll make it clear to you! This porcelain piece of mine is from the Ming Dynasty. I'm not trying to rip you off. Its market price is around a hundred thousand yuan. I'll take the loss today. Just compensate me for half of it—fifty thousand yuan will do," Yu Lao San said, taking a step back because he could not quite read Chen Mo.

Chen Mo sneered inwardly. Not trying to rip him off? This bastard was clearly trying to fleece him dry without even discussing it. If Chen Mo had not been so firm, Yu Lao San would never have spoken so reasonably.

The crowd was discussing the matter among themselves. A bright-eyed, white-toothed young girl of eighteen or nineteen asked the old man beside her, "Grandfather, is what he said true? Is that porcelain on the ground really worth a hundred thousand yuan?"

"Hehe, keep watching for now. We'll talk later," the old man said with a smile, neither approving nor disapproving of what was happening.

"That's right, hurry up and pay!" Although Yu Lao San's companion did not know why he had asked for only half the price, Yu Lao San was the boss. Whatever he said went. As a subordinate, all he had to do was follow his Oldest Brother's lead and provide support.

"Let's not talk about the money yet. Tell me this—how can you prove that this porcelain is from the Ming Dynasty? And its market value? You say it's worth a hundred thousand, so that makes it worth a hundred thousand?" Chen Mo smiled. Trying to extort him? Heh.

"This porcelain of mine was appraised by an expert. If I weren't short of money and planning to sell it, would you have been able to smash it?" Yu Lao San said. What he sensed from Chen Mo was neither fear nor worry, but an air of confidence. After all his years in the trade, it was the first time he had misjudged someone. He had thought he was picking on a newbie, only to realize he had misread the situation. But what was this kid relying on?

"Appraised by an expert? Who appraised it? Do you have an appraisal certificate?" Chen Mo asked.

"Heh! I didn't realize you had so much nerve. You smashed my stuff, and you still have the energy to make trouble? I was already being merciful by not making you compensate me the full hundred thousand. Yet you're getting cocky now?" Yu Lao San naturally could not lose momentum and immediately shot back. As for that expert appraisal he had mentioned, heh, who did not know the truth?

He turned to look around and saw that there were quite a few onlookers now. Wanting to wrap things up quickly, he gave his two subordinates a meaningful look.

"Why the hell are you asking so many questions? Pay up! If you don't pay, I'll show you why flowers are so red!" Yu Lao San's henchman shouted arrogantly. Having received his Oldest Brother's signal, he immediately began throwing his weight around. Anyone who operated in the market had some backing, which was why he dared to act so brazenly.

The other subordinate stepped forward as well, blocking Chen Mo's path behind him. He gave Chen Mo a shove from the back and shouted at him to pay up.

The onlookers surrounding Yu Lao San and Chen Mo had mostly understood by now that this was a fake accident scam. Yet no one stepped forward to say anything or do anything else. They simply stood around, watching the people inside perform this live spectacle of fake accidents and compensation. Indifference had long taken deep root in the hearts of many people.

"Hey! Why don't you say you weren't watching where you were going? You blame everything on someone else. What kind of nonsense is that?" The young girl shouted indignantly. The old man beside her showed no particular expression and did not stop her from interfering. He had no time to stop her; how could he have known she would simply shout out?

Yu Lao San immediately turned his head and glared in the direction of the voice. But when he saw the young girl standing beside an old man, his eyes narrowed. He said to her, "Miss, trouble comes from the mouth. We're discussing compensation with this youngster, so don't just interrupt. Besides, you don't even understand what happened. What are you shouting for?"

It was not that Yu Lao San did not want to curse at her. But when he saw the old man beside the young girl, his aura and bearing made Yu Lao San's heart tighten. At the Antique Market, the people you must not offend were precisely old men like this—men with aura and presence, who might just be some Big Boss. He was here for money, so he should not care about anything else.

"You..." The young girl still wanted to argue, but the old man beside her tugged her back.

"Wait a moment. Let's see how things develop," the old man said. He rather admired Chen Mo's calm temperament. He had not expected this young man to possess such poise. He would definitely become someone remarkable in the future. So the old man wanted to see how Chen Mo would handle the matter and stopped the young girl from speaking. She swallowed her words back forcefully, then turned to the old man in frustration. "Grandpa, how could you..."

"Just watch. Didn't I tell you? When you come here, watch more, listen more, and speak less." Without even looking at the young girl beside him, Grandfather knew that she was definitely fuming. But if he wanted to improve her experience and judgment, he could not simply indulge her wishes.

Chen Mo heard the young girl's shout, turned his head, and saw her as well. He rather admired her. He had not expected that the filth of society had failed to taint her. He gave her a slight smile in thanks, only to receive a pair of bright eyes rolling at him, which amused him. A girl's thoughts really were unpredictable.

However, he did not take the young girl's glare to heart. At the very least, she had been willing to stand up and speak for him, and that was already good enough. Among the dozens of onlookers around them, not one had possessed such kind thoughts as hers.