Chapter 57: Just the thing to cool your tempers

At a quarter past four in the morning, right outside the antique market of Jiangnan City.

The sky was still pitch black, relying solely on two dim streetlamps to illuminate the road ahead.

Having learned his lesson from when Ouyang Nanyu stole his bicycle, Qi Tian securely locked his bike before slowly stepping into the antique market.

People who study antiques believe in one golden rule: the fewer people around, the easier it is to unearth a hidden treasure.

Therefore, even though dawn had not yet broken, numerous enthusiasts were already lingering around various stalls in the antique market, hoping to score a major bargain.

"Four-Eyes," whom the staff member had mentioned earlier, was considered quite a well-known figure in this antique market.

After making a few inquiries, Qi Tian easily located his shop, and the man himself was currently in the middle of opening up for business.

"Brother, you're a new face. What are you looking for? Antiques, calligraphy and paintings, bronze wares, or jade tripods—if you can think of it, there's nothing you can't buy here!"

As soon as Qi Tian stepped into the shop, a man's voice rang out from behind the counter.

Immediately following that, a middle-aged man of about one meter seven in height, older, stubbled, and looking somewhat weathered, stood up from a reclining chair.

However, the moment the man got a clear look at Qi Tian's tattered attire, the smile on his face vanished completely in an instant.

"Go on, get out, get out! I don't welcome beggars here, and I don't have any money for you!"

"Boss, I'm here to buy things."

"Buy things? Dressed in those rags of yours, what could you possibly afford to buy?"

As Four-Eyes spoke, he walked right up to Qi Tian, attempting to push him out of the shop.

Yet Qi Tian stood there like a massive immovable Buddha; no matter how hard Four-Eyes pushed, he could not budge him even an inch.

"Kid, I'm warning you, don't come make trouble in this antique market, or you won't like the consequences!"

Since intimidation through physical force failed, Four-Eyes simply switched tactics and resorted to verbal threats.

Hearing this, Qi Tian smiled, turned around, and walked toward the shop entrance.

Four-Eyes subconsciously assumed his intimidation had worked.

Letting out a long sigh, he muttered to himself in confusion, "This kid looks as thin as a whippet, so how on earth is he so strong?"

"Snap!"

Just as Four-Eyes was standing there in bewildered suspicion, Qi Tian, who had reached the shop entrance, did not take another step forward.

Instead, he grabbed the rolling metal shutter above the doorway and pulled it down with a crisp, echoing rattle.

Right after that, Qi Tian turned back around, strode up to Four-Eyes, and clamped a hand firmly onto his shoulder. "I'm here to buy information. Show some respect."

"Buy information? My friend, you certainly don't look like you're here with the attitude of a buyer. Which gang do you run with, and who's your boss?"

"You don't need to worry about who I follow. You only need to know one thing: if you withhold what you know, I won't survive, and neither will you!"

Qi Tian had never interacted with Four-Eyes before and had no idea whether the man was a member of any spy ring.

Therefore, Qi Tian had no intention of revealing his true identity at this moment.

Instead, using his disguised persona and unleashing his full commanding presence, he combined intimidation with temptation to extract the intelligence first.

Of course, Qi Tian had another deeper motive for doing this.

For a well-known intelligence broker like Four-Eyes to still be operating freely outside meant his lips were tighter than usual.

Trying to squeeze information out of him using a friendly, heartwarming appeal would likely get him nowhere at all.

On the other hand, the underworld approach Qi Tian chose proved to be remarkably effective on a cunning old-timer like Four-Eyes who valued his life dearly.

Seeing Qi Tian's attitude shift, Four-Eyes hurriedly spoke up, softening his tone:

"Brother, don't get worked up. I can tell you're a heavy hitter yourself. Let's talk things out peacefully!"

"Someone in Jiangnan is selling fake watches—Class-A replicas, at that. Give me their location and contact information. They played dirty, and I need to snatch the goods back!"

"Hai, brother, is that all this is about? No problem at all. Let me off the hook, and I'll tell you everything!"

Realizing Qi Tian's objective, Four-Eyes immediately pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled down an address along with a string of phone numbers.

"Brother, this guy—all the counterfeit watches in the entire city of Jiangnan are stocked from him.

If what you're saying is true, then the person who played dirty with you is most likely him.

However, this rascal hides deep and rarely shows his face. Go to this place, tell them I sent you, and I guarantee you'll get to meet him.

As for how you two settle the transaction afterwards, that has nothing to do with me."

"Construction Road, Hongfu Pawnshop, Li Hongfu? You know what's good for you!"

Qi Tian glanced at the contents on the paper, let out a cold snort, and then walked over to the entrance, pushed the rolling shutter back up, and swiftly departed.

Watching Qi Tian's figure vanish outside the antique market, Four-Eyes finally let out a breath of relief and slumped back into his chair with a disgruntled expression:

"That kid just now was definitely not someone to mess with. That terrifying aura he exuded—I've only ever seen it in murderers and soldiers.

Judging by his looks, he probably has nothing to do with the military; most likely, he has blood on his hands!

No, I need to call Old Li right away and tell him to get prepared. If anything goes wrong, I'll end up implicated and locked up again."

With that, Four-Eyes leaped up briskly, dashed to the counter, and dialed a phone number.

"Hello? Is this Hongfu Pawnshop? Tell your boss that a heavy hitter is coming to make trouble, and he better get ready!"

...

Half an hour later.

Qi Tian rode his bicycle right up to the entrance of a pawnshop, above which the characters "Hongfu" were prominently displayed on the signboard.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Qi Tian strode forward, hammered on the door, and shouted inside, "Open up! Four-Eyes sent me."

"Coming!"

The moment Qi Tian's voice fell, a young man's response immediately rang out from inside the building.

Following a rustling commotion, the heavy doors of the Hongfu Pawnshop were pushed open from within.

A powerfully built young man, clearly someone trained in martial arts, poked his head out.

After scanning his surroundings to ensure there were no anomalies, he looked at Qi Tian and said:

"You're the guy Brother Four-Eyes mentioned? Come on in, our boss has everything ready and is just waiting for you."

"Oh? Talk about a blind cat running into a dead mouse."

Without overthinking it, Qi Tian followed the young man inside.

Yet, the exact moment he stepped across the threshold, the doors of the Hongfu Pawnshop were suddenly slammed shut and securely bolted from the inside.

Immediately afterwards, the lights inside flared brightly, and over a dozen burly men wielding wooden clubs were scattered around the first floor, sizing Qi Tian up with hostile glares.

A middle-aged man with a bald patch on top of his head was smoking a cigar while leaning against the second-floor banister, sneering coldly down at Qi Tian:

"Four-Eyes told me a heavy hitter was coming after me and warned me to be careful, but I didn't expect a scrawny piece of trash like you.

I don't care who you are, but you need to know one thing right now: trying to mess with Li Hongfu's business is out of the question! Beat him!"

At the middle-aged man's command, more than a dozen thugs instantly surged toward Qi Tian, brandishing their clubs and aiming viciously at his head.

Listening to the whistling sound of wind tearing through the air around him, Qi Tian's expression instantly grew ice-cold:

"I've been put through the wringer for a full five days and nights, and I was just wondering where to vent my anger. Since you lot delivered yourselves right to my doorstep, don't blame me for showing you no mercy!"