[[[CP|W:210|H:140|A:C|U:http://file1.qidian.com/chapters/201212/3/2510132634901225114640000831821.jpg]]]Stepping through the gates of the Celestial Master's Mansion, Wang Guan gazed with keen appreciation at the architecture: crimson walls, emerald-tiled roofs, and mythical beasts perched on the ridges, wings extended. He proceeded deeper, quickly passing the second gate into a vast courtyard.
Within the courtyard stood over ten sprawling camphor trees, their foliage dense and vibrantly green. Flanking the second gate were a pavilion for tea tasting and a small shop, displaying various local specialties of Longhu Mountain for tourists to rest and sample.
However, what truly captured Wang Guan's attention was a colossal bell situated in the courtyard. Staff nearby informed him that this bell weighed a staggering nine thousand jin, cast in the eleventh year of the Zhizheng era during the Yuan Dynasty, making it seven or eight centuries old.
Gazing at the ancient, rustic bronze bell, a thought sparked in Wang Guan’s mind. When the tourist traffic thinned, he walked slowly around it, ostensibly examining the bell's texture and structure, though in reality, he was deploying a special ability.
In an instant, a brilliant, dazzling golden light flooded Wang Guan’s vision.
“What a profound aura.”
Wang Guan observed closely, noticing the bronze bell, where the golden light hovered, was entirely covered in a rich, golden Baoqi (Treasure Aura).
His excitement piqued by the discovery, Wang Guan hesitated no longer. With a mere flicker of will, the Qi energy from his eyes shot forth, drawing the Baoqi from within the bell continuously and funneling it toward his brow, storing it inside his pineal gland.
As strands of Baoqi integrated, Wang Guan keenly perceived subtle shifts occurring within the translucent crimson-gold coin nestled in his pineal gland. The coin's radiance intensified slightly, and delicate thread-like patterns began to emerge across its surface, rendering the coin even more exquisite and lifelike.
“Buzz!”
Soon, every trace of Baoqi was absorbed from the bronze bell by Wang Guan. At that very moment, the bell suddenly rang out spontaneously. It was as if struck by an unseen hand, the sound resonant, melodious, and lingering.
Simultaneously, Wang Guan felt a resonance deep within; his consciousness wavered, and his thoughts expanded, rippling outward like circles spreading across a lake, flowing throughout the entire courtyard.
His formless, intangible thoughts traveled over ten meters before encountering a thick barrier, rebounding immediately.
This sudden phenomenon jolted Wang Guan fully awake. He focused his gaze around him and immediately realized that the potency of his special ability seemed to have increased slightly once more.
The visual range accessible to his eyes had extended, and the three-dimensional perception had become clearer and more transparent. For a fleeting moment, Wang Guan felt as if his sight possessed physical substance, capable of penetrating the thick inner wall of the bronze bell and seeing the space beyond.
“What’s going on?”
While Wang Guan was silently studying the enhancement of his ability, nearby tourists also heard the bell chime. Some were quite startled and hurried over to gather around and watch.
To the visitors with strong beliefs, the bell sounding on its own could be classified as a supernatural phenomenon. After all, when the bell rang, the several pedestrians nearby, including Wang Guan who was closest, were unarmed—not even holding a stick—and certainly incapable of striking the massive bronze object. Consequently, as the bell sounded, these people immediately flocked to it, engaging in reverent worship.
However, among the tourists were those who were well-traveled and knowledgeable. Without waiting for staff members to intervene, one person explained with a smile that this was likely a resonance phenomenon. Someone outside must have been hammering metal or striking a bell, and the sound propagated inward, creating a specific node that happened to resonate with the great bell in the courtyard…
Whether it was scientifically induced or a divine manifestation, the curious tourists swarmed the area, inadvertently pushing Wang Guan to the outer perimeter. Staff members of the Celestial Master's Mansion quickly moved in to restore order. Some managers, however, were secretly delighted, musing internally whether they should occasionally orchestrate a spontaneous chime to attract more attention…
Meanwhile, Wang Guan, the actual culprit, walked away feeling relaxed and untroubled, quickly leaving that place of potential trouble.
“Ding ding ling ling…”
Just then, Wang Guan heard his phone ring. He pulled it out and saw the caller ID: Yu Feibai.
“Hello…”
Wang Guan answered, slightly surprised.
“Wang Guan? It’s me. Where are you right now?” Yu Feibai asked, his voice carrying a hint of urgency.
Wang Guan was confused. He replied truthfully, “I’m visiting the Shangqing Celestial Master’s Mansion.”
“Celestial Master’s Mansion? What a coincidence?”
Yu Feibai paused, then sounded delighted. “That’s wonderful! I’m in Shangqing Town too. Hurry over here…”
After rapidly relaying an address, Yu Feibai terminated the call.
“Eh!”
Wang Guan put his phone away, feeling rather surprised that Yu Feibai was also in Shangqing Town. With a touch of bewilderment, he turned and left the Celestial Master's Mansion. Following directions, he walked for a short while until he reached the location Yu Feibai had described.
It was an antique shop. Outside the entrance, various stones were neatly arranged. These stones ranged in size, possessing a waxy yellow surface and fine texture, suggesting they were ornamental viewing stones.
As he approached, Wang Guan glanced at the labels, which identified them as Yellow Wax Stones. But when he casually touched the surface of a few stones, though they felt smooth, they were slightly rough against his hand.
Without even employing his special ability, Wang Guan knew these stones were likely of poor quality—perhaps just ordinary river pebbles—dyed with chemical pigments to resemble Yellow Wax Stones. However, hearing tourists nearby haggling with the shop owner over prices ranging from tens to hundreds of yuan, Wang Guan understood that these were tourist souvenirs. Though inexpensive, they didn't quite qualify as outright scams. After all, tourists visiting such places should realize that items sold so cheaply couldn't be of high quality.
Of course, if someone genuinely spent tens of thousands on such a stone, there were only two possibilities: either their discerning eye managed to find a genuine treasure hidden among the rubbish, or they were simply muddled and fell for a massive swindle. Yet, in the antique trade, regardless of the reason, a transaction is a transaction—one party willing to sell, the other willing to buy. No one could truly blame the other, and certainly, they couldn't demand a reversal or retribution later.
“Wang Guan, you’re here.”
As Wang Guan was pondering this, Yu Feibai emerged from the antique shop.
Wang Guan snapped back to the present and smiled. “Weren’t you out trying to charm some girl? What are you doing here?”
“Charm a girl? I was out gathering intelligence, alright!” Yu Feibai declared proudly. “If I hadn’t sacrificed my good looks, how would I have known that this little shop holds something truly exceptional?”
“Gathering intelligence?” Wang Guan sounded surprised. “What’s going on?”
“Hmph. I knew you, like Uncle De, thought I was just chasing skirts and wasting time. You don't know that the beauty I spoke to is a local, well-informed about any genuine treasures. She told me everything,” Yu Feibai said smugly. “She referred me to this shop. Don't let its simplicity fool you; it harbors a treasure.”
“What treasure is it?” Wang Guan asked, curious.
“It’s a Ming Dynasty jade belt.”
Yu Feibai didn't draw out the suspense. He whispered, “The object looks promising. The leather strap is fragmented, but the jade plaques are well-preserved. However, I’m a bit uncertain about it, so I called you over to take a look.”
“You know my situation—I’m just a beginner. And you’re asking me to appraise it?” Wang Guan’s expression turned strange. “Why not ask Uncle De?”
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