Journey to become a God

A group of six men, all heavily tattooed and armed with pipes and wooden bats, approached Ye Chen. Leading them was a man with dyed blonde hair, his smirk full of arrogance.

"Big Brother, this is the guy," one of the thugs said to the blonde man, who was clearly their leader.

Ye Chen remained calm. "What do you want from me?"

The leader of the thugs grinned. "We came to rearrange your face so that even your mother won't recognize you."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "I don't even know you guys. Why are you after me?"

The blonde-haired man let out a mocking laugh. "You really don't remember? You just humiliated our boss's brother, Bai San, and now you have the audacity to ask why? What a joke!"

Realization dawned on Ye Chen. "Ah, so this is Bai San's doing. If I see him again, I'll make sure he loses all his teeth."

Ye Chen found the situation tiresome and decided to end it quickly. He discreetly pulled out a spell paper from his storage ring and flicked it toward the group.

The blonde-haired man smirked. "What are you all waiting for? Get him!"

"Got it, boss!" his subordinates shouted, raising their weapons and charging forward.

A crowd began to gather around the antiques exhibition, murmuring amongst themselves. Those familiar with the city knew that these men belonged to the Red Wolf Gang, one of the three most powerful underground gangs.

Just as the gang members prepared to strike, agonized screams erupted—but they weren't from Ye Chen. Instead, the blonde-haired leader found himself being attacked by his own men.

"Ahhh! What the hell are you doing? Stop hitting me!" he yelled, trying to shield his face as his own men rained blows on him.

Onlookers gasped in shock, their jaws dropping as they witnessed the bizarre scene. The gang members were supposed to attack Ye Chen, yet here they were, mercilessly beating their leader instead.

Ye Chen smirked. The spell paper he had used was an illusion talisman, making the blonde-haired man appear as Ye Chen to his own subordinates. Now, he was enjoying the fruits of his trickery.

Knowing the spell's effects were temporary, Ye Chen quietly gathered his belongings and slipped away from the scene.

"Take this, bastard!" one of the thugs shouted, swinging a bat at who he thought was Ye Chen.

The blonde-haired man's screams filled the air as bruises and cuts covered his face. Five minutes later, the spell wore off, and the gang members finally realized what had happened.

"Boss?! What are you doing here? Where's that guy?" one thug stammered in confusion.

The blonde-haired man struggled to his feet, rage burning in his eyes. Without a word, he slapped each of his men hard across the face. "You idiots! You just spent the last five minutes beating your own boss! How blind can you be?!"

"B-But, boss! We swear we were hitting that guy, not you!" one of them protested.

Another round of slaps followed. "Excuses?! How long have you fools been following me? You don't even recognize your own boss's face?!"

One of the thugs gulped. "Boss, uh… that guy is gone."

The blonde-haired man turned and saw that Ye Chen had disappeared, leaving only murmurs and whispers from the surrounding crowd. Face burning with embarrassment, he growled, "Damn it!" before storming off with his gang.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen had not actually left the antiques exhibition. He strolled through the various stalls, scanning for anything valuable. Most of the items on display were worthless junk, but one object caught his eye—a piece of iron resembling a miniature gate, carved with an intricate image of a fairy.

Something about it called to him.

Curious, Ye Chen picked it up, and the stall owner quickly approached him. "Ah, dear customer! Interested in that piece?"

"How much?" Ye Chen asked, examining the object closely.

"You have good taste! This was found in a cave by an adventurer. It's a rare item, but I'll give it to you for a fair price—five thousand dollars."

Ye Chen frowned. It seemed expensive, but before making a decision, he attempted to probe the object with his mental energy. To his surprise, a powerful force repelled him.

"What the…" Ye Chen muttered under his breath. He tried again, but the resistance remained.

Determined to acquire it, he decided to haggle. "Five thousand is too much. How about I take this along with that black token over there for the same price?"

The seller glanced at the black token—a small, crusted-over piece that didn't seem valuable at all. Unbeknownst to him, beneath the crust lay a golden token with intricate patterns. Thinking he was making a good deal, the seller nodded. "Alright, you drive a hard bargain, but I accept!"

Ye Chen handed over the money and took both items.

The seller, oblivious to the true value of what he had just sold, was satisfied with his profit. In China, the antique trade was a tricky business—sometimes immensely profitable, but also risky, especially when buyers discovered they had been deceived.

After leaving the stall, Ye Chen found a quiet spot to inspect his new acquisitions. He tried to store the iron gate-like piece in his storage ring, but strangely, it refused to enter. Sighing, he tucked it into his shirt instead.

As for the black token, he carefully scraped off the outer layer, revealing the shining gold underneath. Patterns and engravings shimmered in the light.

"This could be worth a fortune," Ye Chen thought. "I'll hold onto it for now and sell it when I really need money."

With his purchases secured, Ye Chen decided to find a hotel for the night, eager to uncover the secrets behind his mysterious new items.