Wang Guan paused, thought for a moment, then fished a sealed pack of tissues from his pocket and handed it over with a grin. “Here, this is for you, a local specialty…”

“Get lost!”

Yu Feibai glanced at it and immediately snapped back, “What local specialty? This is clearly the stuff the flight attendants hand out, look, it even has the airline’s advertisement printed on it.”

“Is that so?” Wang Guan shrugged nonchalantly. “Doesn’t matter. Make do with it; close enough is good enough.”

Yu Feibai was speechless, wondering how Wang Guan’s skin could have become so thick. If he knew what Wang Guan was thinking, he’d probably just reply, I learned it from you…

As the two were whispering conspiratorially, Elder Qian and Fang Mingsheng finished their pleasantries and prepared to examine the two porcelain pieces.

Seeing this, Wang Guan quickly tore open the large package and carefully placed the large blue-and-white plate on the table. Yu Feibai naturally crowded over to watch the fun, nodded after a brief look, and said, “It is indeed the same, and it isn’t broken—it’s a complete piece. It must have been fired quite recently, yet there’s no kiln sheen at all; truly remarkable.”

“If I didn't have this skill, how could I fool the masses?” Wang Guan sighed, shaking his head. “This is the pinnacle of using chemicals to artificially age porcelain, so convincing that no flaws can be detected. By the way, where is Uncle De? Is he making any headway researching Mr. Zhu’s notes?”

“Not that fast; he’s still consulting with a team of experts,” Yu Feibai replied casually. “Forget about him for now. Hurry up and tell me, where is that secret mark?”

“Why don’t you try finding it yourself? Don’t always rely on others,” Wang Guan said with a smile, casually opening the large box beside him and gently lifting out the porcelain mother vase.

“Easy for you to say. If I had your discerning eye, I’d have picked up countless bargains already,” Yu Feibai grumbled, but his eyes widened when he saw the porcelain mother vase. “It really is this thing.”

“Didn't I tell you?” Wang Guan smiled. “You didn’t believe me?”

“I believe you, but I couldn't be sure how realistic the imitation was until I saw it with my own eyes.” Yu Feibai sighed softly. Anyone who understood the difficulty of firing this porcelain would realize how precious every stroke of enamel on the porcelain mother vase was.

It wouldn't be overly difficult to fire three or five colors, but having over a dozen distinct, clear enamel layers was an incredibly complex process that few could replicate so faithfully.

“Of course, it’s still slightly lacking in execution.”

At the same time, Elder Qian raised a magnifying glass, scrutinizing the large vase bit by bit, and commented, “Some of the glazes show a kind of ink-wash bleeding, which is why they had to be ground off, creating the effect of being a salvaged piece from the sea.”

“Elder Qian is brilliant!” Wang Guan wasn't just flattering him randomly; when he called earlier, he had only mentioned that the porcelain mother vase was a fake, not divulging much else. For Elder Qian to draw such a conclusion with just a casual glance was indeed worthy of respect.

“Tch, just buttering him up,” Yu Feibai scornfully interjected, then stated righteously, “Elder Qian’s brilliance is common knowledge; why do you need to point it out? You’re only scratching the surface, not showing true reverence…”

Now it was Wang Guan’s turn to be speechless. Who exactly was the flatterer here?

“Alright, stop fooling around, lest the guests laugh at us,” Elder Qian said with a wry smile, waving a hand to halt Yu Feibai’s sickening praise, and returned to studying the large vase.

Seeing this, Yu Feibai stopped causing trouble. He nudged Wang Guan’s shoulder and whispered, “Are the flaws in this thing very obvious?”

“Yes,” Wang Guan nodded lightly. “The craftsmanship is too complex; Mr. Zhu might not have fully grasped and mastered it. Still, this is a good thing, otherwise our problems would be much greater.”

Yu Feibai deeply agreed, understanding the implication. Mr. Zhu’s skill was already at its peak; if he had taken another step, the piece might have been flawless. At that point, who could check him? Even if Wang Guan had his special ability and knew it was a fake, if he couldn't point out the flaw, no one would believe him. The secret mark was only supplementary evidence, not direct proof. What if Mr. Zhu suddenly stopped leaving any secret marks? Thinking of this, Wang Guan felt a chill run down his spine.

“It’s precisely because the flaws are somewhat obvious that a certain amount of modification was needed to cover up the imperfections,” Elder Qian explained from the side. His critique was similar to what Wang Guan had said earlier, concerning the body and the glaze. However, his explanation was much more accessible and profound than Wang’s.

After a brief analysis, Elder Qian’s expression also grew solemn. “It can be seen that Mr. Zhu’s technique was quite refined. Given a little more time to study, he might actually have successfully replicated a truly perfect multi-colored glazed vase.”

Of course, “truly perfect” here didn't mean completely without flaws. After all, a copy would always differ slightly from the original. If Mr. Zhu had set aside the intention to copy and focused on artistic creation from his heart, the resulting work might have approached perfection.

With that, Elder Qian shook his head. “He could have become a pottery master whose name would last through the ages, but because his heart was not righteous, he is destined to be reviled and never recorded in official histories. What a tragedy.”

“Elder Qian, we can barely look after ourselves right now; how can we spare time to worry about others?” Yu Feibai scoffed, adding, “Don’t you always say that someone with virtue but no talent is at least self-disciplined and won’t affect others? But someone with talent and no virtue causes far greater harm.”

“That is very true,” Elder Qian nodded. China had long established a standard for judging people over thousands of years. In times of chaos, talent was paramount, regardless of minor moral failings like deceit. But once peace was restored and the country governed, the character of the talent became key. The shift from rule by law to rule by virtue, and the promotion of spiritual civilization, demonstrated this change. Of course, viewed with a darker lens, or perhaps more cuttingly, people pursue what they lack. This suggested that the current social atmosphere was generally lacking in… virtue.

After this lament, since guests were present, Elder Qian couldn't delve deeper. After a general look, he returned to serving tea to Fang Mingsheng and inquired about Elder Zeng’s well-being.

“Elder Zeng is doing well…”

As he spoke, Fang Mingsheng lightly signaled, and one of his attendants stepped forward with a wrapped package. Fang Mingsheng began carefully unwrapping it with a smile. “By the way, knowing your vast experience, Elder Qian, Elder Zeng also hopes you can help him with something.”

“Help with what?” Not only Elder Qian but also the others were slightly surprised.

Fang Mingsheng smiled without answering immediately, quickly finishing the unwrapping. Inside lay a square object.

Everyone looked closely and saw that the object was very plain, without any ornamentation on its surface. Perhaps from being handled often, it had developed a smooth patina.

“Please take a look, Elder Qian,” Fang Mingsheng said, handing the item over. He smiled, but his eyes held envy; he too wished to possess such a marvelous thing. “Elder Zeng has had this for two or three years, but he hasn't been able to unlock its secret, so he hopes you can take a look.”

“Then I shall see,” Elder Qian said, intrigued. As soon as he took it, he realized something was unusual, and a slight weighing confirmed the object felt heavy for its size.

“This is… a piece of wood?” Yu Feibai, whose curiosity was high, crowded closer before Elder Qian could examine it thoroughly, even reaching out to touch it. Judging by the texture, it seemed to be a wooden product.

“It’s not wood, or rather, not ordinary wood,” Elder Qian shook his head gently and explained casually. “It’s heavy for its size, much heavier than wood of the same volume.”

“Oh?” Yu Feibai blinked, guessing, “Could it be rare wood like Zitan or Nanmu?”

Elder Qian remained silent, focusing intently on studying the object. Seeing this, Yu Feibai started to ask again, but Wang Guan stopped him. “Enough guessing. This thing is not simple.”

“What’s not simple about it?” Yu Feibai seemed confused.

“Idiot. If it were just rare wood, would Elder Zeng really need Elder Qian to help crack a mystery?” Wang Guan hit the nail on the head, then mused aloud, “And judging by the grain, it looks like Iron Birch, the hardest wood.”

“Iron Birch?” Yu Feibai was surprised. “The one renowned for being twice as hard as ordinary steel, the hardest wood in the world, sometimes even used as a metal substitute?”

“Probably,” Wang Guan nodded. “From the dense grain and the jet-black texture, that’s very likely. Rumor has it that bullets can’t even penetrate this tree; it mainly grows in the Northeast region. I saw some wooden products made from it when I was in Songyuan, so I remember it clearly.”

“Nonsense, any tree that bullets can’t penetrate would certainly leave a deep impression,” Yu Feibai commented with feeling, then pondered, “How would you even process wood that hard?”

“The same way you process metal,” Wang Guan replied casually. “Even metal can be cut now, let alone a mere piece of wood. Besides, the wood is just hard; it doesn't mean it possesses the properties of steel.”

“I understand that. If this tree could truly replace steel entirely, why bother smelting iron? We’d just plant trees,” Yu Feibai waved his hand, no longer focused on Iron Birch, but rather on the object in Elder Qian’s hands.

After a long while, seeing Elder Qian still studying it, Yu Feibai finally couldn't contain his patience and asked again, “Elder Qian, please say something! What’s so interesting about this thing?”

“It is interesting, indeed,” Elder Qian said, seemingly nonchalant but actually treating it with great importance. “It’s a box. I’m trying to find the mechanism to open it.”

“What, a box?” Yu Feibai was stunned, voicing his strong doubt. “Elder Qian, you’re not joking, are you?”

In an instant, Wang Guan understood a little more and quickly turned to Fang Mingsheng. “Boss Fang, is this one of the puzzle boxes you mentioned?”

“It is indeed a puzzle box, and Elder Zeng’s prized possession,” Fang Mingsheng smiled, though his eyes were filled with envy, as he too wished he could own such a marvelous item.