"I'm interested, very interested."

Yu Feibai, standing nearby, heard this and quickly leaned in, eagerly recommending himself: "Old Hou, not just him, I'm actually quite clever too. Can I learn mechanism craft?" "You?" Old Hou glanced at Yu Feibai, then suddenly chuckled, "No problem..." As he spoke, Old Hou fished a bronze plaque out of his pocket and smiled, "The plaque has a mechanism. If you can crack it, I'll teach you."

"It's a deal."

Yu Feibai’s face lit up with joy, and he quickly took the bronze plaque to examine it.

While he was studying the plaque, Old Hou continued to question Wang Guan: "Well, are you interested in learning mechanism craft from me? It's a very interesting subject..." "It also really tests one's mental faculties."

Wang Guan smiled and politely declined, "Old Hou, I am currently studying appraisal with Old Qian; I fear I cannot split my focus to take on anything else."

"Is that so? What a pity."

Old Hou shook his head and sighed, looking quite disappointed.

"Brother Hou, you already have seven or eight apprentices, aren't you satisfied?" At this moment, Old Qian laughed, "Trying to poach from my corner right to my face, that's a bit improper, isn't it?"

"Fine, I'll make amends with three extra drinks later as penance."

Old Hou chuckled, then complained, "I didn't choose to take those apprentices; they were all assigned by superiors. Moreover, every single one only knows how to rote memorize, possessing zero flexibility. They are dead wood."

"It's good that they can remember it; they will slowly figure it out later."

Old Qian offered comfort, then led everyone towards the dining hall.

Grandma Lu had already prepared the feast.

After a round of polite refusals, everyone was seated in order.

Barely seated, Old Hou immediately patted the table, urging, "Where is the wine we agreed upon?" "Don't worry, your cup won't go unfilled."

Old Qian said with a smile, "And you can drink as much as you like, no need to worry about getting drunk and messing things up."

Hearing this, Old Hou immediately frowned, "Are you planning to fob me off with champagne?" "How could that be..." Old Qian smiled and gave a slight signal, and Wang Guan immediately nodded.

He hurried off and brought back the fine spirit steeped in essence of white jade.

It was stored in a ten-jin jar, and placing it on the dining table caused Old Hou to exclaim in surprise, "Isn't that a bit much?" "No matter, drink as much as you can handle."

Old Qian smiled and personally lifted the jar.

He carefully poured a cup of wine for Old Hou.

A liquid clear as water flowed out, yet the rich, mellow aroma was incredibly inviting.

"The fragrance is good, I just don't know how it tastes."

Old Hou was a bit eager, but remained steady. Only after everyone's glasses were full did he raise his cup in a gesture, "Come, let's have one. Keep it casual."

The others naturally followed suit. Since they were using large, round-bellied glasses typical for wine, there was no talk of 'bottoms up'; how much one drank depended on their own sincerity.

In any case, Yu Feibai downed his in one gulp and casually set the glass aside to continue studying the bronze plaque.

"Oh, the taste is crisp and clear, yet the mouthfeel is soft and utterly mellow. Not bad."

Old Hou was pleasantly surprised. After all, as he was older, he certainly couldn't handle strong spirits, yet he didn't want to miss out on what was in his cup. He had called for wine earlier expecting Old Qian would arrange some lower-proof, health-preserving yellow wine. He hadn't anticipated that what was brought out would be baijiu, and this baijiu's flavor was unexpectedly mellow yet not harsh, perfectly suiting his palate.

"If it's good, try more."

Old Qian smiled and took the lead by raising his chopsticks, signaling the start of the feast.

"I've never had this before; is it a new variety? Which distillery made it? I'll buy a few jars when I go back."

"...This is brewed in-house; it's not available on the market."

"Are you serious? When did you gain the skill to brew wine? That would be perfect; send me a few jars when I leave."

"Deal!" Amidst the clinking of glasses, the atmosphere at the table was excellent. Everyone chatted and laughed heartily, listening to Old Hou recount fascinating, little-known anecdotes about mechanisms. He didn't mention specific times, locations, people, or events, merely describing various types of mechanisms. Even so, the others listened with great attention and focus.

Of course, Yu Feibai was the exception. He was focused, but not on listening; he was intently studying the bronze plaque.

Speaking of this bronze plaque, it was only about half the size of a palm and looked quite ancient. However, perhaps due to being handled for a long time, the surface emitted a warm, gentle luster, making it very beautiful. On one side of the plaque, five flying bats were inlaid, symbolizing the 'Five Blessings Descend.' On the reverse side were patterns of auspicious clouds.

Currently, Yu Feibai suspected the mechanism was hidden within the five bats or the cloud patterns, but no matter how he rubbed, pressed, or picked at them, the bats and clouds remained unchanged.

Ten minutes passed with no results, so Yu Feibai changed his focus, using a high-powered magnifying glass to repeatedly examine every inch of the plaque, yet he still found nothing.

Suddenly, Yu Feibai grew suspicious and couldn't help but ask, "Old Hou, you aren't tricking me, are you? Does this bronze plaque really have a mechanism?" "What, you don't believe me?" Old Hou smiled and extended his hand, "Give it back to me, and I'll open it for you to see. However, doing so means your test is failed."

"Wait, let me examine it a bit more..." Hearing this, Yu Feibai hesitated again. He picked up the plaque, looking at it left, right, up, and down, examining it several more times, prying, pressing, twisting, and turning, but gained nothing.

"I'm stumped."

After a long pause, Yu Feibai finally admitted defeat, sighing dejectedly, "I can break it, just give me a hammer."

"Old Hou asked you to crack the mechanism, not to smash it apart through brute force," Wang Guan shook his head, advising, "If you can't figure it out, forget it. Focus on your jade research; that also holds great promise."

"It's truly frustrating."

Yu Feibai sighed, then curiously asked, "Old Hou, is there something hidden inside the bronze plaque as well?" "There is nothing hidden inside."

Old Hou shook his head and frankly stated, "The plaque is proof of identity. Generally, only fellow sect members, colleagues, or informed parties with connections know how to crack the mechanism."

"Has no one ever cracked it by accident?" Yu Feibai was looking for a loophole.

"I already told you the plaque has a mechanism; why haven't you 'accidentally' cracked it?" Old Hou countered, then smiled, "Besides, I told you, this is a test. Whoever cracks the mystery of the bronze plaque proves they have an agile mind and talent in this area—a good prospect worth considering for recruitment into the organization."

"The organization? What organization? Old Hou, are you part of this organization too?" Yu Feibai seized upon the most crucial point.

"An ancient, secret organization that is now defunct. As for me..." Old Hou chuckled, "Didn't Ling Xi tell you? I'm involved in archaeology, specializing in the study of mechanisms and hidden weapons. This bronze plaque was discovered in an ancient tomb; it took us several days of research to uncover its secret."

"No way."

Yu Feibai immediately complained, "Even you needed several days of research; how could you expect me to crack the mechanism's mystery instantly?" "I was talking about forty-five years ago."

Old Hou smiled slightly, a touch of reminiscence in his expression, "I was about your age back then. On my first archaeological dig, I found this marvelous mechanical object. It was fate, perhaps; from then on, I focused exclusively on this area, researching for decades, and finally achieved some small success. It's a pity this discipline is so obscure. Many people are willing to study it, but few have the natural talent..."

"Decades already?"

Only then did Yu Feibai realize, "No wonder the plaque is so smooth and bright."

"The plaque was intact when unearthed, though it did have some verdigris, which has since been removed. The internal mechanism broke down once during that time, and I repaired it myself."

Old Hou smiled, "I often carry it with me, not just for sentimental value, but also as a testing tool. Over a decade ago, when I was qualified to take on apprentices, I started using this as the examination question."

As he spoke, Old Hou sighed with some regret, "Over the years, I've tested many people. Those who couldn't crack it I won't mention, but there were also those with great talent who solved the mechanism smoothly after half an hour of research. However, these individuals either didn't want to learn mechanism craft, or after studying for a while, felt the profession had no future, couldn't bear the loneliness, and gave up halfway through..."

"Brother Hou, you shouldn't be discouraged. As far as I know, in recent years, quite a few people have been willing to learn mechanism craft."

Old Qian laughed, "Brother Pan often complains to me that as soon as a new person joins the institute, they run straight to your place."

"It's just three minutes of enthusiasm; once time passes, they drift off elsewhere."

Old Hou shook his head, "They only think mechanisms are magical, but when they actually have to crack one, they find it tedious and boring. Especially when they hit a roadblock and can't solve it, they become agitated and ultimately can't endure the pressure, giving up directly."

The others present nodded in agreement, feeling a sense of shared experience. After all, they deeply understood that feeling of being stuck, unable to solve a mechanical mystery—it was torture. Sometimes, mental torment was a hundred times more painful than physical harm. This kind of suffering was definitely not something an ordinary person could bear. Look at Old Hou; he was perhaps only a year or two older than Old Qian, yet his hair was completely white, clearly indicating a mind overworked. Perhaps Old Hou's fondness for alcohol wasn't mere greed, but a way to moderately numb himself, preventing his brain from constantly operating at high speed, which was extremely taxing on the spirit. Drinking, in a way, was a form of balancing work and rest.

With a sigh, Yu Feibai finally gave up, then shifted the trouble, pushing the bronze plaque towards Wang Guan: "You try it too."

"Why are you giving this to me when I’m busy eating?" Wang Guan mumbled indistinctly, chewing a piece of meat.

"Busy doing nothing," Yu Feibai scoffed, then tempted him, "Old Hou said this plaque is an identity marker for some organization. Don't you want to know what it is? Maybe it’s the legendary Mohist school, or the Lu Ban school."

"Nonsense."

After swallowing the meat, Wang Guan shook his head, "Let's not even discuss whether those two schools exist; even if they did, they probably vanished by the time of Emperor Wu of Han..."