Unexpected Awakening

Jianghai City, Antique Market.

The morning sunlight sprinkled on the bluestone path. Lin Mo sat idly at his small stall, watching the passersby with boredom. On his stall were some small items he had picked up from the flea market—a few copper coins, some jade pendants, a couple of porcelain bowls—all cheap trinkets.

"Another day with no business." Lin Mo sighed, feeling the few hundred yuan left in his pocket.

Ever since his business failed six months ago, leaving him with a debt of two hundred thousand yuan, Lin Mo's life had fallen into hardship. To repay his debts, he had no choice but to set up this stall at the Antique Market, selling cheap little items. But business had never been good; sometimes he wouldn't make a single sale all day.

"Lin Mo, time to pay today's protection fee."

A grating voice interrupted Lin Mo's thoughts. He looked up to see a short, stout middle-aged man with a face full of coarse flesh standing before him, wearing a malicious grin.

It was Liu San, the local bully of the Antique Market.

Lin Mo's heart sank. Helplessly, he said, "Brother Liu, business has been bad these past few days. Could you give me a few more days?"

"More days?" Liu San sneered. "Lin Mo, you've been selling here for two months now, haven't you? Every month you drag your feet on the protection fee. If you don't pay up today, don't blame me for being rude!"

Lin Mo gritted his teeth, pulled three hundred yuan from his pocket, and handed it to Liu San. "Brother Liu, this is all I have. Take three hundred first, and I'll make up the rest in a few days."

Liu San took the money, counted it, and his expression softened slightly. "Fine. You've got three days to come up with the remaining two hundred. If you drag it out again, hmph..."

With that, Liu San turned and left, continuing to collect protection fees from other vendors.

Lin Mo watched Liu San's receding figure, filled with helplessness and anger. But he knew he had no power to resist now. The debt of two hundred thousand yuan weighed on him like a mountain, suffocating him.

"Lin Mo, this is no way to live." Uncle Lao Wang from the neighboring stall walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Maybe you should find a proper job. In this business, without a sharp eye, it's hard to get by."

Lin Mo smiled bitterly. "Uncle Wang, I wish I could, but where is there a suitable job now? And I still owe so much debt..."

Lao Wang sighed, shook his head, and walked away.

Lin Mo sat at his stall, watching the bustling crowd, his heart filled with confusion. He was only twenty-four, supposed to be in the prime of his life, yet a failed venture had saddled him with a heavy burden of debt.

"Is this all my life is going to be?" Lin Mo murmured to himself.

Just then, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly came from the sky.

Lin Mo instinctively looked up and saw a black shadow hurtling down from above, heading straight for him!

"Watch out!" someone nearby shouted.

Lin Mo couldn't dodge in time and could only raise his hand to shield his face by reflex.

"Smack!"

With a crisp sound, the black shadow crashed onto Lin Mo's stall, shattering several small items into pieces. Lin Mo felt something graze his right eye, and a sharp pain shot through him.

"Ahh!" Lin Mo covered his right eye, crying out in agony.

People around him gathered, chattering and discussing.

"What fell from the sky?"

"Looks like a jade pendant!"

"Oh my god, that young man's eye is bleeding!"

Lin Mo felt a burning pain in his right eye, and a warm liquid trickled down his cheek. He pulled his hand away and saw it covered in blood.

"Call an ambulance!" someone shouted.

But just then, Lin Mo suddenly felt a strange surge of heat flowing through his right eye. The ancient jade that had crashed onto his stall was glowing!

No, not glowing—it was... melting?

Lin Mo watched in horror as the ancient jade gradually turned translucent, then transformed into a beam of golden light that shot straight into his right eye!

"Ahh!" Lin Mo screamed again, feeling as if his right eye was about to explode.

But the next second, the intense pain vanished, replaced by an uncanny sensation. Lin Mo felt as though a door had been opened in his right eye, allowing him to see things he had never seen before.

He looked up at the crowd around him. Suddenly, he noticed that each person had a faint halo of light around them, in different colors. Some were pale yellow, some pale blue, and some pale red.

"What... is this?" Lin Mo stared in shock at everything before him.

He lowered his gaze to the shattered items on his stall. Suddenly, he saw that one of the broken jade pendants actually had a faint golden halo around it!

"This jade pendant... is it real?" Lin Mo was startled.

He remembered that he had picked up this jade pendant from a flea market, spending only fifty yuan on it. At the time, he thought it was just an ordinary imitation. He never expected...

Lin Mo reached out with trembling hands and picked up the broken jade pendant. The moment his fingers touched it, a stream of information flooded into his mind:

"Qing Dynasty Hetian Jade Pendant, authentic, market value approximately five thousand yuan."

Lin Mo's eyes widened, unable to believe what was happening. His right eye... could identify the authenticity and value of treasures?

"Young man, are you alright?" A concerned voice snapped Lin Mo out of his thoughts.

Lin Mo looked up to see a plainly dressed elderly man gazing at him with concern. The old man appeared to be in his sixties, with silver hair and a white beard, his eyes gleaming like torches, giving him an ethereal, sage-like aura.

"I... I'm fine." Lin Mo answered instinctively, using his left hand to cover his right eye, afraid someone might notice something unusual.

The old man gave Lin Mo a penetrating look, as if sensing something, but said nothing more. He turned and left, leaving Lin Mo sitting alone at his stall, his heart filled with shock and confusion.

"What... happened to my eye?" Lin Mo murmured to himself.

He looked around again and saw that the halos were still there. He examined the other items on his stall and found that most had no halos, with only a few emitting a faint glow.

"So... the ones with halos are real, and the ones without are fakes?" Lin Mo speculated inwardly.

He picked up the broken jade pendant again and saw that its golden halo was brighter than the others. According to the information that had just rushed into his mind, this pendant was worth five thousand yuan, yet he had bought it for just fifty!

"This... is this a bargain find?" Lin Mo's heart raced.

He suddenly realized that his right eye had undergone some incredible change. This change might be able to change his fate!

Just then, Liu San's voice rang out again: "Lin Mo, your stall's been wrecked. Want me to help you clean it up?"

Lin Mo looked up and saw Liu San standing not far away, a gloating smile on his face. Clearly, he had come to enjoy the spectacle.

Anger flared inside Lin Mo, but he quickly calmed down. Now that he had this ability, perhaps... he could change everything!

"No need, I'll clean it up myself." Lin Mo said flatly, starting to gather the broken pieces from his stall.

Liu San snorted and turned away.

Lin Mo finished cleaning up his stall and looked down at the broken jade pendant in his hand, his heart brimming with anticipation. He knew that from today onward, his life might undergo a dramatic transformation.

"Golden Pupil..." Lin Mo whispered. "This is my chance!"

He stood up, packed up his stall, and walked deeper into the Antique Market. He wanted to test just how powerful this ability really was!