The furnace tightly embraced by Bao Zhu appeared ancient from the outside. Beyond that, however, there was nothing visually appealing about it whatsoever.

Neither He Yiming nor the seasoned Zhang Zhongjin could discern what exactly made this object so captivating to Bao Zhu.

Only after witnessing Bao Zhu's actions, everyone except the still utterly clueless water-boiling old man realized that ownership of this item was likely about to change hands.

Jin Zhanyi and Zhang Zhongjin exchanged a glance. Although they too desired the purpose-unknown furnace, they understood even more clearly that positioning themselves as obstacles before Bao Zhu would surely incur the wrath of this mystical spirit beast. For the sake of a furnace of unknown origin, this seemed like a case of gaining little while risking much.

Thus, they immediately decided to forgo the seemingly unremarkable furnace.

After all, the treasure vault of the Lingxiao Palace held many similar items. The richness of their own reserves was also far beyond what He Yiming could imagine.

He Yiming withdrew his gaze and suddenly smiled at the old water-boiling man, "Boss, may I ask your esteemed name?"

The old man paused, "Gao Daming."

He Yiming was momentarily taken aback, finding the name quite amusing despite himself.

"Boss Gao, where did this furnace of yours come from?"

The old man, slightly hunched over, dared not meet He Yiming's eyes. After thinking for a moment, he mumbled, "Sir, I took over this humble tea-making spot thirty years ago. This thing was already here then." He suddenly slapped his forehead, "Sir, if you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have thought of it, but now I recall this furnace is indeed a bit peculiar."

He Yiming and the others exchanged glances, feeling a thrill of excitement. Had they inadvertently stumbled upon a supreme treasure of heaven and earth?

"Boss Gao, what is strange about it?"

Gao Daming was clearly speaking pleasantly to a person of high status for the first time. While his speech had been halting initially, he was much smoother now.

"Sir, we have guests coming and going from time to time, and whatever is on the furnace sits there for an entire day. Any ordinary furnace would have been ruined long ago. But this thing has been used for decades without any damage, so it must be strange." Gao Daming stated earnestly.

He Yiming and the others looked at each other, all feeling a sense of bewildered amusement.

If a furnace used for boiling tea for decades would be scrapped, why would Bao Zhu care so much about this one?

Shaking his head slightly, He Yiming said, "Boss Gao, to be frank, our pet is extremely interested in your furnace and wishes to purchase it. What are your thoughts on this arrangement?"

Gao Daming replied without hesitation, "Since you esteemed sirs are interested in this little object, please just take it. This old man has no objections whatsoever. It's just that today, this old man cannot offer you any more hot tea to serve you."

Though he felt a twinge of reluctance in his heart, having lived for decades and witnessed the ruthless, unrestrained killing methods of these people just moments ago, he dared not entertain any thought of defiance.

He Yiming reached into his robe and paused, a trace of awkwardness crossing his face.

Zhang Zhongjin, being exceptionally astute, grasped the reason immediately upon seeing He Yiming's expression. He let out a loud laugh, "Fei Tian Guo!"

Fei Tian Guo, standing respectfully with his hands at his sides within the small temple and not daring to take a full breath, immediately stepped forward. He reached out and once again produced a gold bar, presenting it with both hands to Gao Daming.

Gao Daming's eyelids twitched rapidly. Although he had an inkling of what might happen when He Yiming and the others mentioned the furnace, he hadn't expected these people to refrain from outright seizing it and instead offer such a substantial gold bar as payment.

His hands trembled slightly, his heart wrestling with indecision.

These people before him were clearly capable of killing without batting an eye. Could he accept their money?

He Yiming offered Zhang Zhongjin a slight smile. Since this furnace was discovered by Bao Zhu, it should ultimately belong to the beast regardless.

As for the gold bar produced by Fei Tian Guo, in their eyes, it amounted to nothing; none of them gave it a second thought.

Seeing the old man holding the gold bar, his eyes gleaming but his demeanor clearly uneasy, He Yiming shook his head. Observing that the heavy rain outside had stopped, he said, "Brother Zhang, Brother Jin, we should be on our way."

Zhang Zhongjin and the other nodded in turn. He Yiming reached out and gently pulled Bao Zhu up, then gestured into the air with his other hand, instantly tossing the firewood and other contents out of the furnace. These items tumbled a few times on the ground recently drenched by the downpour, mixing harmlessly with the soil and posing no fire risk.

Following that, He Yiming lifted Bao Zhu and the furnace as easily as if he were carrying a basket of cabbage and placed them into the carriage.

Zhang Zhongjin and Jin Zhanyi exchanged a look and shook their heads. Knowing Bao Zhu's status, only someone like He Yiming would treat it in such a manner...

A moment later, everyone mounted their horses and departed. They took the corpses scattered everywhere with them, intending to find a secluded spot along the road to bury them.

Only after these people were long gone did the old man cradle the gold bar in his hands, grinning so widely his face was nearly split.

※※※※

Inside the carriage, He Yiming and Jin Zhanyi watched Bao Zhu, who still refused to let go of the furnace, each lost in thought.

This was Jin Zhanyi's first encounter with Bao Zhu, and he was extremely curious about the beast's actions. Furthermore, the little creature's adorable appearance played a crucial role, captivating Jin Zhanyi's gaze endlessly.

He Yiming, however, was much calmer. While he hadn't forcefully pulled Bao Zhu off the furnace, he was constantly tapping and feeling around the object, trying to pinpoint why it held such fascination for the beast.

After all, Bao Zhu had a very high standard. Even when presented with a replica of the Five Elements Ring, it hadn't displayed such an exaggerated reaction. Only upon first meeting 'One Hundred and Eight' had it shown such frenzy. Could this insignificant-looking furnace hold a status in its eyes comparable to the replica Five Elements Ring or even One Hundred and Eight?

The furnace appeared quite ancient from the outside, differing significantly from contemporary craftsmanship. The strangest feature was a rotatable disk atop the furnace.

When this disk was turned inward, it could seal the furnace completely, leaving no gap whatsoever. If the disk were turned outward, the interior would naturally be exposed for the placement of fuel.

The base of the furnace was rounded. Perhaps from prolonged use as a tea stove, the inside was blackened to the point where no other color was discernible.

The entire furnace gave off a feeling, paradoxically, of luxury amidst the mundane.

Yes, luxury—although its exterior bore no resemblance to that word, this notion flashed through He Yiming's mind after his examination.

He frowned slightly and cautiously infused a small stream of his true Qi into it.

To his surprise, the furnace did not reject his Qi. However, after his true Qi circulated within it for a while, no special change was triggered.

This left He Yiming completely perplexed.

An object capable of withstanding the infusion of powerful true Qi must surely be a type of 'Treasure Vessel,' but an artifact that showed absolutely no reaction after receiving true Qi was a first for him.

After a pause, Jin Zhanyi asked, "Brother He, did you discover anything?"

He Yiming shook his head slightly, "I'm ashamed to admit, I cannot recognize what this thing is refined from."

Jin Zhanyi's eyebrows lifted in surprise. He hesitated for a moment. "May I take a look?"

He Yiming unhesitatingly placed Bao Zhu, furnace and all, in the very center of the carriage.

Jin Zhanyi dared not be as casual as He Yiming, practically ignoring the Bao Zhu pressed tightly against the furnace. He carefully avoided the direction where the beast was lying and began to gently tap and examine the object.

Even with Jin Zhanyi's insight and learning, he could not identify its origin just by its external form.

Perhaps in this world, apart from spirit beasts like Bao Zhu, born with an innate attraction to treasures, no one else could recognize the true value of this thing at a glance.

After the time it took to steep a pot of tea, Jin Zhanyi finally stopped fiddling with it, his face a picture of continuous doubt.

Finally, a glimmer of light flashed from his hand as he injected a surge of true Qi into the furnace. Moments later, his expression became even more astonished and uncertain.

He Yiming felt a flicker of amusement; it seemed Jin Zhanyi had followed in his footsteps.

This furnace was too bizarre. Although it could handle the infusion of true Qi, it stubbornly refused to yield any effect. Such a Treasure Vessel, regardless of its potential might, was nothing more than a useless object.

Jin Zhanyi set the furnace down and said gravely, "Brother He, I truly am ashamed; I too cannot ascertain the origin of this item."

He Yiming was slightly stunned. He noticed Jin Zhanyi said he 'could not ascertain,' which was different from his own experience of having found nothing at all.

"Brother Jin, perhaps you noticed some clues?"

Jin Zhanyi hesitated. "I once read descriptions of Divine Artifacts in an ancient text. A common trait among those artifacts was that until one fully understood the method of use, no matter how much true Qi was poured into them, they would show no effect."

He Yiming's expression shifted slightly. "You mean this might be one of the surviving Divine Artifacts?"

Jin Zhanyi gave a wry smile. "Brother He, this is merely my guess. Ever since the cultivators of the Divine Path vanished thousands of years ago, these Divine Artifacts have disappeared without a trace. No one has been able to explain why over all these years." He glanced toward the back of the carriage and continued, "If we could find a Divine Artifact in a random small temple, then our fortune would be excessively heaven-defying." Saying this, he became serious, "I suspect this is an ancient Treasure Vessel, but it has been damaged and is therefore unusable."

He Yiming's great enthusiasm was instantly dampened as if doused with cold water.

However, when his gaze swept over Bao Zhu, who was still nestled tightly against the furnace, a wave of doubt arose in his heart. Something so valued by this little beast could not possibly be that simple!

Ps: It is five chapters again today, and there will be five chapters tomorrow as well. However, the double monthly ticket period will end by noon tomorrow. In this final stretch, with less than twenty-four hours remaining, Bai He makes a final plea for votes...