"Well..." Hearing Elder Hou's inquiry, Yu Feibai considered carefully, then finally sighed, "I can't think of anything. I just know that what I want, you probably won't be willing to give."

"If you don't say it, how can I know if I can give it?"

Elder Hou smiled and also declared, "Of course, if you want anything from the Golden Casket, then I am certainly powerless to help."

"If it's not something from the Golden Casket, can I at least know what those things are?" Yu Feibai seized the chance to ask.

"That's also not possible."

Elder Hou shook his head with a smile, "Haven't you seen? Even I am not qualified to know what those things are, so how could I possibly tell you?"

"Hey, it's just a few things, at most there's an imperial decree. Why hide it so tightly?"

Yu Feibai pouted, clearly displeased.

"It's more than just an imperial decree."

Wang Guan seemed to grasp something, quietly reminding them, "The key is, if the contents of the decree were made public, that whole period of history might need rewriting. Naturally, we must be cautious..."

"It's not rewriting, at most it's confirming speculation."

Just then, Yu Feibai changed the subject, "But you are absolutely right. Thinking about it, recalling all the textbooks nationwide—that's quite an expense. It really can't be done hastily. Speaking of which, let's open a printing factory right now; who knows, we might make a fortune."

"Dream on."

Wang Guan chuckled lightly, "We've kept Elder Hou busy long enough today; we should be taking our leave. Let's go grab lunch first, and then we can browse the antique market in Hanzhong."

"Excellent! I was waiting for you to say that."

Yu Feibai's spirit instantly lifted, and he immediately voiced his agreement.

"Good idea."

Fang Mingsheng also smiled broadly and nodded.

It was quite clear that once the Golden Casket was opened, Elder Hou would undoubtedly be tied up with business. Not only did Wang Guan understand this, but Yu Feibai and Fang Mingsheng were perceptive enough to chime in immediately.

"Wait a moment..." Seeing the three about to leave, Elder Hou stopped them. After a moment of thought, he gestured for the three to wait a moment longer, then walked over to the elderly man surnamed Pan, and the two began whispering, seemingly discussing something.

Shortly after, Elder Hou returned, chuckling softly, "You have helped the institute immensely. There won't be a grand reward, but we can certainly give you a few small tokens of our appreciation."

"Elder Hou, there's really no need."

Wang Guan habitually declined politely.

However, Yu Feibai knew nothing of formality. Hearing this, his face immediately lit up, and he eagerly asked, "Elder Hou, what gifts are you giving us? If they are just tourist souvenirs, then forget it."

"No wonder Lingxi calls you a scamp."

Yu Feibai’s "frankness" truly amused Elder Hou. After a hearty laugh, he waved, "Come on. Follow me. Although the gifts aren't overly magnificent, you should be satisfied."

As he spoke, Elder Hou led the way into another room.

Upon entering, Wang Guan looked up and realized this space resembled a storage room, not very large, containing four or five iron shelving units. Each shelf held various items.

Glancing around, Yu Feibai felt a surge of excitement, "Are these things... really allowed to be given to us?"

"These are the trinkets we phased out. We put them here after fixing them up," Elder Hou smiled at this moment. "Pay attention, though, only one item per person. And once you take it out, don't go broadcasting it around; we certainly won't admit to it."

"Don't worry, Elder Hou. Even if we say something, they probably won't believe us anyway," Yu Feibai tossed out before excitedly rushing to the shelves, looking and touching, searching for something that caught his eye.

"Right, don't touch those crossbows. Those are controlled national items and cannot be given to you."

Elder Hou quickly reminded him when he saw Yu Feibai picking up something. Yu Feibai let it go with a pout, then turned his attention back to other objects.

Fang Mingsheng, casting aside his reserve, picked up a Buddha statue with keen interest, smiling as he asked Elder Hou about any hidden mechanisms or mysteries it held. Elder Hou quietly explained, while also recommending a small pagoda to him, leaving Fang Mingsheng wrestling with indecision.

What a pity this wasn't an antique shop; otherwise, he could just throw money at it. Fang Mingsheng sighed internally, then settled into his dilemma.

Elder Hou was happy to relax. Turning his gaze, he noticed Wang Guan still standing by the doorway and looked puzzled, "The other two are picking things out; why haven't you moved?"

"...Oh."

Wang Guan had been somewhat lost in thought until Elder Hou approached. He snapped back to the present, then pointed to an object in the corner near the door, asking with great curiosity, "Elder Hou, is this a sculpture or a statuette? Does it have any mechanisms too?"

Elder Hou followed his gaze and smiled, "It's a mud sculpture from ancient times, so no mechanism. However, the base of the statue does have a mechanism that could eject a sharp knife. We removed the base mechanism for study later, but no one paid attention to the statue itself, so we just left it here in the storeroom."

"No wonder it's only half there," Wang Guan realized. He had been wondering why such a fine statue was missing its lower half—it turned out the mechanism was the reason.

The statue was indeed incomplete, or rather, mostly complete: the upper body down to the knees was intact, but everything below the knees was missing, giving it a bizarre appearance that caught Wang's attention. Of course, the style of the statue was also quite striking; it resembled an ancient general, clad in armor, hands clasped at his waist, gripping a broken sword—very heroic and imposing. However, perhaps due to weathering the ages, the statue's features were somewhat blurred, and when placed in the corner, it held a certain eerie, chilling quality.

"What era is this sculpture from?" Wang Guan examined it, curiosity piqued. His expertise wasn't deep enough in sculptural styles; he only knew it was ancient but couldn't pinpoint the dynasty.

"Based on what I see, it should be from the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties," Elder Hou said casually. "This is the sculptural style of the Southern Dynasties; they placed great emphasis on detail. For example, the carving of the armor plates and the proportion between the body and arms are very coordinated and delicate, unlike the more natural and unrestrained style of the North..."

"Southern Dynasty sculpture," Wang Guan understood. He then laughed, "I thought it might be from the Qin Dynasty, since this looks somewhat similar to the Terracotta Army."

"How could that be?" Elder Hou shook his head with a wry smile. "The Terracotta Army are national treasures; every single one is meticulously cataloged. Who would dare leave something like this lying around carelessly? As it happens, this statue was unearthed from a dilapidated mountain temple buried under mud and stone. It was probably a temple dedicated to celestial soldiers or divine generals."

"During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, various states were constantly at war, the people suffered terribly, living day by day without certainty of tomorrow, forcing them to build temples to worship heavenly generals, hoping for temporary peace," Elder Hou mused, and Wang Guan nodded thoughtfully.

It seemed that the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties was when religion flourished most vigorously in China; both Taoism and Buddhism experienced rapid growth, laying the groundwork for their later status as major state religions. Buddhism, in particular, having traveled east from the Eastern Han Dynasty, had previously maintained a low profile, suppressed by indigenous religions. Then, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, once its philosophical theories gained recognition from the ruling class, it experienced a sudden reversal, rising to become one of China's great religions.

It truly proves that circumstances create heroes. Whether Buddhism, Catholicism, or Islam, their initial establishment was often fraught with difficulty, sometimes even facing suppression from the ruling powers. But they knew innovation, constantly refining or adjusting their developmental path, actively aligning with mainstream thought, and ultimately achieved success. That aspect alone commands respect. Perhaps modern people only see the triumphant appearance of the world's major religions now, failing to realize the countless declines, tribulations, and struggles they endured, clinging desperately to a sliver of opportunity to climb upward until they finally distinguished themselves.

Of course, most religions possess an inherent tendency toward exclusivity. When weak, they lack this mindset, but once powerful, they begin to exclude rivals. Relatively speaking, the situation in China was better; the strength of Buddhism and Taoism was balanced, allowing for mutual checks and balances. But in the Western world, things were more dire; a single dominant power resulted in what is known as the Dark Ages.

Then again, it must be said that during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, various deities were very active, fighting amongst themselves, and incidents of tearing down temples were not uncommon. The most famous example is Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain, whose prestige was established only after a period of conquest. Perhaps for this very reason, a sharp knife mechanism was installed beneath this statue—a form of protection, so that anyone who dared to carelessly smash the sculpture would suffer the pain of being stabbed by the knife.

Getting sidetracked, back to the matter at hand. At this moment, Wang Guan approached the corner and examined the statue closely. For some reason, seeing this statue, or perhaps the broken sword in its hand, stirred something within him. The long sword in the statue's hand must have been attached after the casting process was complete. But due to the immense age, the blade was broken, with one piece lost somewhere, leaving the statue holding only half a broken sword. Yet, this half-broken sword gave Wang Guan a strange sense of déjà vu.

"Elder Hou, I want this statue."

Just as Wang Guan was pondering, Yu Feibai silently appeared and unceremoniously cut in front, "What?" Elder Hou looked surprised. "You want the statue?"

"That's right." After glancing at Wang Guan, Yu Feibai smiled broadly, "I've recently become very interested in ancient carvings and am studying the origins and development of sculptures. Seeing this piece now, I can't help but feel a strong pull. I ask for Elder Hou's generosity."

In that instant, Wang Guan was momentarily speechless. He somewhat understood Yu Feibai’s thought process; he must have assumed Wang Guan had taken a liking to the statue and rushed over to claim it first. Wang Guan found this situation both absurd and amusing; heaven knows, he had never once claimed this statue was a treasure! (To be continued...)