Unlucky Ye Qing: Nothing Goes Right

In Capital City, at an antique market.

The stalls were lined with all sorts of antique treasures, bustling with a steady stream of passersby. There were even quite a few police officers patrolling the area.

Normally, these officers rarely wandered around such places, but these were critical times. Even the borders of Capital City had been sealed off—all because of a fugitive!

A grandmaster-level fugitive!

At this point, Ye Qing had already committed six or seven criminal offenses: assault, endangering national security, illegal border crossing, prison escape... If caught again, he would undoubtedly face the death penalty—no leniency whatsoever!

"Excuse me, have you seen the person in this photo?"

A police officer stopped a middle-aged man and asked patiently.

"Huh? No, I haven’t. What’s the matter?"

"Oh, nothing. The person in this photo is an S-class wanted criminal—extremely dangerous. If you have any leads, you can contact us. A crucial tip is worth a reward of 1 million in cash."

"Got it. I’ll keep an eye out," the middle-aged man nodded.

Once they parted ways, in a secluded corner where no one could see, the man’s lips curled into a smirk.

"Mortals with mere flesh eyes—how could they possibly see through the transformations of an immortal?"

That’s right. This middle-aged man was none other than Ye Qing!

As a top-tier chosen one, he had countless tricks up his sleeve. His disguise technique was so flawless that even a grandmaster wouldn’t be able to see through it.

And here he was, strolling openly through the antique market.

Of course, his appearance here wasn’t without purpose.

"Little do they know, I, Ye Qing, have another title—Treasure Appraiser!"

Ye Qing’s grin widened.

Having mastered all the skills of his eighteen mentors, he was naturally an expert in appraising antiques. And if anyone wondered where he’d gotten his hands on antiques to practice with in the Immortal Prison—well, the answer was simple: his mentors taught him.

Ye Qing began wandering around, casually scanning the items on the stalls.

"Tch, nothing but fakes."

But soon, his gaze landed on a porcelain plate on a shabby stall. His eyes lit up instantly.

"Now that’s the real deal!"

This was a surefire opportunity to strike gold. Before coming here, he’d been frustrated by his lack of starting capital—but fortunately, that transcendent powerhouse had appeared by his side once again and lent him 1 million!

At the time, he’d been so moved he nearly considered the supreme expert his mentor.

Loan? Debt? No—this was clearly a blessing from the heavens!

Undoubtedly, that transcendent powerhouse had recognized his incredible cultivation talent and was helping him in a roundabout way.

You can drop the act. I’ve already seen through everything.

Many people were blindly confident—and Ye Qing was a prime example.

...

"Hey, vendor, how much for this plate?"

The old man glanced at Ye Qing. "500,000."

"500,000? Are you robbing me? How about 50,000?"

Just as Ye Qing was about to haggle, a rough voice cut in from behind him.

"Vendor, I’ll take it for 100,000."

"Deal!" The vendor had been ready to sell for 50,000, but now that a bigger sucker had appeared?

No hesitation—sold!

Money changed hands, and in less than half a minute, the burly man was already scurrying off with the porcelain plate.

"Hey! I saw it first! How could you sell it to someone else?"

Ye Qing was furious. If his appraisal was correct, that plate was a royal artifact from the Yongle era—worth at least 20 million!

"Pfft. Broke losers shouldn’t even bother."

The vendor shot him a disdainful look.

Ye Qing gritted his teeth, barely suppressing his rage.

Then, he spotted a jade pendant.

Another priceless treasure!

But just as he was about to make his move—another unexpected twist.

"I’ll take it!" A young woman swooped in, completed the transaction in record time, and sauntered off without a second glance.

"???"

Ye Qing was dumbfounded. Why was everything going wrong today?

But since it was a woman, he couldn’t bring himself to make a scene. He moved on.

"Hmm... A painting within a painting? The outer layer is a fake, but the inner one is a national treasure—its value is beyond estimation!"

Suppressing his excitement, Ye Qing had learned from his earlier failures. This time, he didn’t act rashly. Instead, he casually approached the stall.

"Vendor, how much for these big vases?"

"100,000 each."

"Fine, I’ll take all of them. But throw in that old painting—I need something to wrap them in."

Clearly, Ye Qing had gotten smarter. His real target wasn’t the vases at all!

But no matter how careful he was, misfortune struck again.

"Vendor, I’ll give you 500,000 for that old painting. Deal?"

The vendor’s eyes gleamed. "Deal!"

Ye Qing’s composure shattered. "Wait, wait! I was here first! I’ll give you a million—a million for that painting!"

He couldn’t take it anymore.

"Big bro~ I saw this painting first. Can’t you let me have it? I just turned eighteen this year~~~"

A sweet, coquettish voice whispered in his ear.

Ye Qing’s lips twitched. He turned to see a rather pretty girl beside him—and instantly, his brain short-circuited.

"Ahem... Since the young lady wants it so badly, I suppose I can reluctantly step aside."

But the moment he backed off, the girl’s demeanor shifted instantly.

She clapped him on the shoulder, her voice suddenly deep and gruff. "Thanks, bro!"

"!!!"

That voice—it was clearly a rough, bearded man! Ye Qing’s fragile heart took a critical hit.

Having trained in the Immortal Prison since childhood, Ye Qing’s worldly experience was sorely lacking.

Three treasures—all snatched away from him! And to top it off, he’d been tricked by some disgusting cross-dresser.

His face darkened as he scanned the surroundings.

"Damn it, who’s messing with me? There’s no way my luck is this bad!"

He was convinced someone was targeting him—but he had no proof.

From then on, every time he spotted a valuable item, someone would swoop in and outbid him. Naturally, the vendors sold to the highest bidder.

"Screw it! This time, I’ll buy a fake—let’s see if anyone still tries to snatch it!"

But what happened next left him even more baffled. He deliberately picked a counterfeit—and suddenly, no one competed with him.

"Hahaha! Young man, you’ve got a sharp eye! This is the Nine-Eyed Heavenly Bead once worn by the god Erlang Shen himself. A million for it is a steal!"

The vendor happily pocketed Ye Qing’s money and handed over a blatantly fake bead.

Ye Qing: "......"

He was completely broken.

When he went for the real treasures, everyone fought over them. Now he spends a million on this plastic junk?

His blood pressure skyrocketed.

Later, Ye Qing tried his luck elsewhere.

He went to a jade gambling den, only for others to snatch up all the stones he’d picked. They sliced open imperial-grade jade, raking in hundreds of millions—while he walked away empty-handed.

He went to treat the sick and save lives, only to have someone from the crowd report him for practicing medicine illegally—he nearly got arrested!

He tried fortune-telling, only to have city enforcement officers flip his stall over...

Never in his life had Ye Qing felt so utterly humiliated!

With all his skills and talents, yet nowhere to put them to use—it was enough to make him want to die of frustration!