Fortunately, the light emanating from the porcelain seemed like a lamp, utterly devoid of heat. Otherwise, driven by pure instinct, Wang Guan might have tossed the bowl away immediately.

Yet, Wang Guan’s frozen demeanor caught the middle-aged man’s attention. Despite his outward coolness—tinged with displeasure at Wang Guan seeming to cut the line—the man had been observing discreetly.

At first, seeing Wang Guan hesitate, the man had already mentally written him off.

However, watching Wang Guan cradle the porcelain bowl, his gaze distant, the middle-aged man paused, wondering if the boy had stumbled upon success by sheer dumb luck.

After waiting a moment, realizing Wang Guan hadn't moved, the man hesitated before finally asking, "Young man, have you seen enough?"

"Uh..."

Wang Guan finally snapped back to awareness, managing to suppress the shock churning inside him, and feigned calmness. "Not yet. Give me a few more minutes."

"Mm."

The middle-aged man nodded, fixing Wang Guan with a deep look before returning to his newspaper.

"Hah!"

Wang Guan expelled a heavy breath and set the glowing porcelain bowl down.

The moment the bowl left his hands, the faint white luminescence vanished. More accurately, Wang Guan could no longer perceive the white light emanating from within it.

"It seems something quite extraordinary has happened to me."

At this moment, Wang Guan was certain that only he could see the light on the porcelain. If the middle-aged man had seen it, he surely wouldn't have remained so composed.

Vaguely, Wang Guan grasped at something, though he couldn't be entirely sure.

To verify his hypothesis, Wang Guan reached out and picked up the fifth bowl, but saw no white light. He then sequentially picked up the first three bowls again—still nothing.

It wasn't until Wang Guan lifted the fourth bowl once more that a faint radiance immediately began to drift within it.

"Just as I thought..."

Having confirmed his deduction, Wang Guan felt both startled and delighted. Just then, his vision suddenly darkened, and a wave of dizziness nearly made him collapse.

The sensation was strikingly similar to standing up too quickly after squatting for too long—a rush of blood, the world tilting into shadow, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

"Thump!"

Wang Guan hastily braced himself against the counter, squeezing his eyes shut. After a long moment, he recovered. When he opened his eyes again, the light in the porcelain bowl in his hand had disappeared, and everything had returned to normal.

"Well, have you made up your mind?"

Simultaneously, the middle-aged man lowered his newspaper and walked over.

Wang Guan knew this was not the time to investigate the source of his strange vision. He rubbed his slightly fatigued eyes and nodded gently. "I have. I think the fourth bowl is the best."

"Why? Can you give me a reason?"

The middle-aged man asked calmly, though curiosity stirred within him. Based on Wang Guan's actions, he appeared to be a novice. He hadn't expected such a greenhorn to be able to judge the relative merits of five bowls. Could it truly be luck?

"The reason..."

Wang Guan hesitated, unable to articulate a clear explanation. In a moment of panic, he blurted out, "I see a layer of Bao Guang—a treasure radiance—on this bowl."

The moment the words left his mouth, Wang Guan regretted them. But he wasn't overly concerned, believing the middle-aged man certainly wouldn't believe him.

However, whatever chord those words struck resonated with the middle-aged man, causing his expression to soften momentarily, and a faint smile touched his lips.

"Your eyesight isn't bad after all."

The middle-aged man’s eyes held a degree of approval as he casually picked up that specific porcelain bowl and said flatly, "Of these bowls, only this one is genuinely old. The other four are high-quality reproductions."

"High-quality reproductions..."

Wang Guan murmured, feeling that the other four bowls were less reproductions and more perfect duplicates. If his vision hadn't inexplicably mutated to see the bowl's white light, differentiating the age would have been impossible.

"These four bowls are meticulously replicated in every detail—the paste, the glaze, the pigments, the patterns, the shape, the weight. An ordinary person couldn't possibly distinguish the difference."

The middle-aged man's tone carried a hint of pride. "The only reliable way to authenticate them is by observing the sheen of the glaze surface. There is a subtle difference in the refractive index of light between a newly fired glaze and an aged one."

"However," he continued, looking surprised, "these variances are minute. Only seasoned experts can accurately discern them. How did you spot it?"

Wang Guan naturally bristled at the implied doubt in his own judgment. But he wasn't foolish enough to explain, responding vaguely, "It was a feeling."

"A feeling?"

The middle-aged man fell silent, his sharp gaze fixed on Wang Guan. Then, he suddenly chuckled. "Whether you truly discerned it or simply got lucky, since you chose this bowl, it means you've passed the examination."

"Ah!"

Wang Guan blinked, then his face lit up with sudden elation. "You mean..."

"Let's formally introduce ourselves. My name is Gao Dequan, and I am the manager of Jigu Zhai. From now on, we are colleagues." The middle-aged man stood up and extended his right hand.

"Manager Gao, pleased to meet you! My name is Wang Guan. I look forward to your guidance."

Wang Guan reacted quickly, modestly shaking the offered hand firmly.

Gao Dequan nodded, leading Wang Guan to the small meeting room adjacent to the counter, and asked as a formality, "Wang Guan, Elder Qian mentioned you previously worked as an accountant at a pawnshop?"

"That is correct," Wang Guan replied, sitting up straight.

"Very well. Once you familiarize yourself with our operations, you can manage the finances and expenditures of Jigu Zhai." Gao Dequan paused thoughtfully. "Regarding compensation, it won't include room and board, but a salary of four thousand per month. How does that sound?"

Managing the accounts was certainly within his professional purview, so Wang Guan had no objection. Compared to first-tier cities, four thousand a month was neither excellent nor terrible.

"Deal!"

Still preoccupied with the strange phenomenon he had just experienced, Wang Guan didn't haggle over the terms and agreed immediately.

"Hmm."

Gao Dequan then rose again, retrieved several folders from behind the counter, and placed them before Wang Guan, gesturing for him to start. "Here is some background material on Jigu Zhai. Get up to speed quickly and understand the situation."

"Yes..."

Wang Guan agreed while picking up the documents, examining them closely.

The materials primarily consisted of financial records. As Wang Guan reviewed them, his mood began to fluctuate wildly. He suddenly realized he had vastly underestimated this Jigu Zhai.

The financial data showed revenues and expenditures in minute detail, accounting for transactions both large and small. The minor ones were only a few thousand or ten thousand yuan. The major ones reached hundreds of thousands, millions, and even amounts exceeding ten million.

Seeing such figures, Wang Guan almost suspected he was looking at fraudulent ledgers.

However, recalling the frenzied rumors surrounding the antique market—a 'Ghost Valley Descends to the World' blue-and-white jar fetching a staggering two hundred million; a piece of calligraphy by Huang Tingjian valued at four hundred million—Wang Guan gradually calmed down. Jigu Zhai currently only showed tens of millions in circulation, which wasn't surprising at all. It simply proved the firm had substantial capital and no reason to default on his salary.

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