A Kind Heart

"Of course.

Even newcomers had a chance.

I remember last time, there was a pawnshop appraiser apprentice who had only just started. Because he appraised an unusual treasure, his physique changed drastically, and he soon became a full-fledged pawnshop appraiser.

I heard he was now an official pawnshop appraiser at Sky Treasure Pavilion. His status and standing were completely different."

As Ayong spoke, a strange light appeared in his eyes.

He had actually been waiting for such an opportunity as well.

After appraising countless treasures, miracles would always descend eventually.

He hoped the next miracle would happen to him.

That night, many of the pawnshop appraiser apprentices could not calm their thoughts.

The news of the Treasure Fair had struck them hard.

Some were excited and expectant, while others were worried and terrified, even contemplating escape.

The horrifyingly high death rate was enough to make one shudder. Not everyone believed fortune would fall upon them.

Yet a single deed of sale had sealed off all their paths of retreat.

"The Treasure Fair truly is an opportunity.

Not only can I appraise treasures like mad and reap rewards on a grand scale then.

I can also use this opportunity to make the Divine Gaze Technique 'break through' in one leap to the minor mastery realm, truly becoming a full-fledged pawnshop appraiser and escaping my current identity restrictions and environmental shackles."

Chen Shaojun was deep in thought as well.

He had never believed that he would fail to become a full-fledged pawnshop appraiser. In fact, even without the Spirit-Communing Pills he had received these past two days, he could feel his Divine Gaze Technique improving rapidly.

It was estimated that before long, it would break through and reach the minor mastery realm.

A Divine Gaze Technique at minor mastery was the standard for a full-fledged pawnshop appraiser.

Originally, he had been considering how he could reasonably reveal it once his Divine Gaze Technique reached minor mastery, thereby shedding his slave status and regaining his freedom as quickly as possible.

But now, this Treasure Fair had let him see hope.

He did not need to be like those few lucky people who appraised treasures containing spiritual energy and auspicious energy. He only needed to use this Treasure Fair to 'become' one of those lucky people.

Once he made up his mind.

Chen Shaojun cast aside all other thoughts and immediately entered cultivation, visualizing the Tai Shang Perception Scripture.

With twenty more pawnshop appraiser apprentices in the pawnshop, Chen Shaojun had originally thought the treasures left for them to appraise would be greatly reduced.

Unexpectedly, not only had the treasures they needed to appraise not decreased, they had increased considerably.

Many were old stock from years past.

No one knew how long they had been gathering dust in the pawnshop's treasure vault, to the point that the Killing Intent which should have been completely cleansed away showed signs of gathering anew.

Of course, compared to 'fresh materials,' the Killing Intent contained within these treasures was naturally much weaker, with almost none exceeding three wisps.

Clearly, the pawnshop had specially brought them out to train this batch of newly arrived pawnshop appraiser apprentices.

After all, even when hiring cannon fodder, the pawnshop needed capable, experienced cannon fodder.

Perhaps someone would stand out at the Treasure Fair?

The only thing that made Chen Shaojun uncomfortable was that there were not enough appraisal rooms.

There were only ten appraisal rooms for apprentices in total, and now almost all of them were shared by two or three people.

At the same time, in order to quickly train a batch of usable pawnshop appraiser apprentices, the shop had also instructed senior apprentices like him to provide guidance and teaching.

Thus, each of them had been assigned three or four new apprentices.

He had three under him as well.

One was named Guo Haiwang, one was named Sun Ming, and the other was called Li Dan. They were all around fifteen years old, each one thin and withered, clearly suffering from long-term malnutrition.

"You're all not from Shengjing City, are you?"

Chen Shaojun had noticed something off about their accents.

"We all came from Chu Commandery."

Guo Haiwang, the taller of the group, was a little bolder and answered.

"Chu Commandery? That's not close to here. How did you end up here?"

Chen Shaojun was startled.

Travel was far from convenient for ordinary people in this world. Even traveling between counties required moving in groups and hiring experts for protection, let alone going from Chu Commandery to Shengjing City, separated by two commanderies.

Through mountains, marshes, and waterways, they had to guard not only against bandits, venomous insects, and wild beasts, but also against demons and ghosts.

The journey here must have been fraught with danger at every turn, as if walking on thin ice.

"A demon caused trouble at Zhou Lake in Chu Commandery. The lake water flooded backward, and everything within thirty miles suffered disaster, so we followed our elders and fled from the famine all the way here.

When we reached Shengjing City, we truly could no longer survive.

Fortunately, the Lin Family showed kindness and handed out porridge on Oil Mill Street. Then a steward said the Lin Family needed workers, so they bought us.

After staying there only a few days, someone taught us the Divine Gaze Technique. Once everyone learned it, we were brought here."

Guo Haiwang explained.

Chen Shaojun could only fall silent after hearing this.

They were all children of poor families. Unless driven to the wall, who would be willing to leave their homeland behind?

Even he himself, though he was said to be a native of Shengjing City, actually had his real home thirty miles outside the city. If he had not been unable to survive, he would not have been sent to the Lin Family.

But compared to him, these people had even more tortuous fates.

With the Treasure Fair imminent, it would be difficult for them to return alive.

They truly were only being used as cannon fodder, gambling on that slim thread of possibility that they might succeed.

Moreover, the Lin Family had not bought them out of kindness. They simply wanted them to risk their lives for the Lin Family.

Of the twenty pawnshop appraiser apprentices, including Chen Shaojun and the other six, even if every last one of them died at the Treasure Fair, the Lin Family likely would not find it a pity.

And if even one among so many apprentices could succeed and become a full-fledged pawnshop appraiser, then to the Lin Family, everything would have been worth it.

"Actually, we know how dangerous the profession of pawnshop appraiser is.

My great-grandfather once worked in a pawnshop as an appraiser apprentice. Later, he personally saw an apprentice with him die right before his eyes, and only then did he not dare continue. That's why I know some of the inside details too.

But there's no helping it.

Now that we've come here, we have to do it whether we want to or not. We can only take one step at a time."

Guo Haiwang sighed. Children from poor families grew up early. Having endured hardship, every one of them was mature beyond their years.

Chen Shaojun nodded and said nothing more.

They did not need comfort. They had simply all been driven into helplessness by life.

He then began guiding them in appraising treasures.

Light candles and burn incense.

Use the Divine Gaze Technique.

He explained every point that required attention clearly, one by one.

In truth, there was nothing to hide, because in the end, the foundation of it all was still the Divine Gaze Technique.

The Divine Gaze Technique was what determined whether they could survive during the appraisal process.

The three had each previously received a piece of material. Most contained only weak Killing Intent, and after appraising them one by one, they did not spend much effort.

Then Chen Shaojun sent them off to rest.

With their spiritual strength, a single appraisal was enough to leave them mentally exhausted and unable to continue.

Only then did Chen Shaojun begin his own appraisal.

He even skipped lighting candles and burning incense.

He directly used the Divine Gaze Technique.

With a wash of spiritual power, a treasure was quickly appraised.

.