At this moment, the bodyguard uncle, sturdy as steel and iron, remained impassive and nodded, "Indeed, I am a descendant of the Li Tang Imperial House."

"...Uh."

Yu Feibai paused, then burst into loud laughter, "I never expected Uncle Li to have such a sense of humor."

"Uncle Li isn't lying; he really is a descendant of the Li Tang royalty."

However, Qin Yue, standing nearby, gently shook her head and explained with a smile, "There is basis for this, and we even have the genealogy records to prove it."

"No way, what a coincidence!" Yu Feibai was momentarily stunned; he hadn't expected a casual remark to hit the mark.

Looking at it this way, perhaps he had the makings of a fortune teller.

"It’s not just Uncle Li; everyone in his entire village is."

Qin Yue chuckled, "And Uncle Li's situation isn't unique. In the Guanzhong region, anyone surnamed Li can likely trace some connection back to the Li Tang dynasty."

"That’s true."

Wang Guan smiled, "The Li Clan of Longxi, that was a major lineage of the Guanzhong region. During the end of the Sui Dynasty, the lineage of Li Yuan seized the empire. But whether by degree of kinship or blood relation, they were still all family."

"Hey, hey, we're getting off topic."

In an instant, Yu Feibai decisively steered the conversation back, "We were questioning if he is a member of the Han Imperial Clan, not discussing the Five Great Clans of the Sui and Tang dynasties."

As he spoke, Yu Feibai fixed his gaze on Professor Liu, pressing him aggressively, "You claim to be a descendant of the Han Empress; do you have a genealogy?" "That... I really don't."

Professor Liu shook his head, "However, my family has resided in the Chang'an area for generations. That can be considered auxiliary evidence, perhaps."

"Tsk, maybe your family only moved to Chang'an later."

Yu Feibai looked smug, "You don't have a genealogy, but we do. Dare you verify it?"

"What genealogy do you have?" Professor Liu asked in astonishment, "And how do you plan to verify it?"

"You claim your ancestor was from the Han dynasty royalty."

Yu Feibai chuckled mischievously, "Then you must have an ancestor, right? Dare you name one. Just don't say Liu Bang. Otherwise, I'll look down on you."

"I told you, you might not know him," Professor Liu smiled faintly.

"I might not know, but it can be verified."

Yu Feibai snorted and immediately ran outside, retrieving the Liu Family Genealogy from the car.

Although the genealogy book wasn't thick, it contained simple descriptions of how many sons each emperor had and what titles they were granted, passed down through generations. Even though the Eastern Han dynasty was quite unfortunate, often seeing young rulers ascend the throne, and sometimes even lacking sons, requiring someone from another branch to inherit the throne, the situation of this particular branch was still documented. Overall, the genealogy was quite detailed, fitting for its name.

However, when Yu Feibai returned to the hall holding the genealogy.

He found that Old Master Jin had also taken something out, placing it on the table for Professor Liu to examine.

At that moment, Yu Feibai took the opportunity to look over. What lay on the table was a Boshan Censer.

A Boshan Censer is a style of incense burner popular between the Han and Jin dynasties, shaped like a mountain. The mountain peaks were layered, intricately carved with flying birds and beasts in the openings. It was named after the legendary immortal mountain, Mount Bo.

It is necessary to mention here. In ancient myths and legends, there were three immortal mountains overseas: Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou. Emperor Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han once made eastern tours to seek immortals, medicine, and eternal life, sending people to search for these three mountains. However, many people are unaware that there was another version of the three overseas immortal mountains; in the popular understanding during the Han Dynasty, the three overseas mountains were not Fangzhang, but rather Boshan, Penglai, and Yingzhou.

The Boshan Censer resembled a mountain shape, some entirely decorated with cloud patterns, others gilded or inlaid with gold and silver. When incense burned inside the body of the censer, the smoke billowed out from the carved mountain openings, resembling swirling ethereal mist, giving one the feeling of being in an immortal realm, just like the legendary Mount Bo. Thus, whoever named it, since the Han Dynasty, people had called this style of burner a Boshan Censer.

Although this type of burner was popular in the Han Dynasty, many replicas were made in later generations. This is a Chinese characteristic: the parallel existence of antiquity appreciation and innovation. While constantly inventing new things, people also deeply cherished ancient artifacts. A contradictory behavior, perhaps validating the wisdom of using the past as a mirror.

Furthermore, Boshan censers came in two material types: metallic construction and ceramic. The one Professor Liu was currently examining was a copper Boshan Censer. Its surface was mottled with traces of rust, but its design was quite unique. The lid was hollowed out into a mountain shape, connecting to the censer body. The base was a coiled dragon with its body twisted, its two claws bracing the ground, head raised, mouth open, tongue extended. A figure squatted atop the dragon's body, pushing open the dragon's head with his left hand and supporting the towering, peak-shaped censer body with his right, creating a form that was both stable and dynamic, as if possessing the power to lift immense weight. At first glance, this item certainly had the potential to be an antique from the Han or Jin dynasties. If genuine, its value would be extraordinary.

"What a fine piece," Professor Liu exclaimed, deeply impressed after studying it for a moment, "Old Jin, I knew you had treasures on hand."

"Haha, I'm glad you like it, Professor Liu," Old Master Jin grinned broadly, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out in delight.

"A replica from the Republican era made this exquisitely; that's no small feat," Professor Liu commented, then smiled, "Old Jin, name your price. We're old friends; don't fleece me too badly."

"How could I?" Old Master Jin grinned, waving his hand as he began to quote a price.

"Too expensive, too expensive," Professor Liu shook his head, "You should knock off three fingers for it to be fair..."

"Then I'll be losing money."

After a short period of back-and-forth haggling, the two quickly reached a compromise and concluded the sale. Only then did Professor Liu shift his attention back, glancing at the object in Yu Feibai's hand. Seeing it was the Liu Family Genealogy, he was immediately surprised, "How do you have this? Are you perhaps also surnamed Liu?"

"Nonsense, don't go randomly claiming ancestry for me," Yu Feibai rolled his eyes, then smiled cunningly, "Tell me, which branch of your ancestors do you belong to?"

"...King Jing of Zhongshan!"

Professor Liu's statement rendered Yu Feibai speechless and made Wang Guan stifle a laugh. King Jing of Zhongshan was the son of Emperor Jing of Han, the elder brother of Emperor Wu of Han. He was enfeoffed as the King of Zhongshan, and after his death, he was posthumously honored as Jing, hence the common reference to him as King Jing of Zhongshan. Most people's impression of him is the world-famous gold-threaded jade burial suit, a precious artifact excavated from his tomb. Perhaps also the line Liu Bei frequently quoted in Romance of the Three Kingdoms to assert his status: 'Bei is a member of the imperial clan, a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan.' According to the claims of many today, Liu Bei was falsely claiming ancestry to gain prestige, thus winning popular support. The fact that he could stage comebacks after repeated defeats was partly due to the powerful reputation of King Jing of Zhongshan. Here, we can hypothesize that if Liu Bei was indeed an imposter, claiming descent from King Jing of Zhongshan was undoubtedly a clever move. This is because historical records state that Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan, indulged in wine and women throughout his life to conceal his talents, fathering over one hundred and twenty sons. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, in an effort to weaken the power of the vassal kingdoms, the Edict of Favoring Distant Relatives was implemented, allowing vassal kings to divide their fiefdoms among their sons. King Jing of Zhongshan was no exception; before his death, he divided his kingdom among twenty favored sons. The remaining hundred were so-called illegitimate sons, lacking any rights, forced to seek their own paths. Contemplating this, after several hundred years of propagation among these one hundred individuals dispersed across different regions and establishing their own families, the resulting descendant base would be immensely vast. Therefore, whether Liu Bei was truly a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan is a matter of dispute; some doubt it, while others believe it. After all, the King of Zhongshan's prolific fathering of sons is astounding—the kind of capability that could single-handedly spawn a large population group. In fact, this wasn't unique to King Jing of Zhongshan; it seems every founding monarch had such a phenomenon associated with them. Getting sidetracked, now that Professor Liu claims his ancestor belongs to the line of King Jing of Zhongshan, although there's a hint of opportunism, it doesn't rule out the possibility. Regardless of whether others believe it, Professor Liu firmly believes it.

"Alright, if you want to know if I have the formula for Luan Jiao, you can come to my house and see for yourselves," Professor Liu said with a slight smile. "Whether it's true or false, you can judge for yourselves; why get so fixated on my status."

"Right."

In a flash, Yu Feibai realized he had been overly fixated on a single point. Whether Professor Liu was a descendant of the Han Imperial House was less important than whether he actually possessed the formula for Luan Jiao.

"This is a welcoming gift for you."

Realizing this, Yu Feibai, without another word, placed the Liu Family Genealogy in front of Professor Liu and then decisively stood up, signaling, "Are we done here? Can we go now?"

"Uh..." Professor Liu was slightly taken aback by Yu Feibai's sudden shift in demeanor, but after a brief pause, he recovered and smiled openly, "No rush. I still need to ask Old Jin if he has any other treasures besides this Boshan Censer?"

"There are some," Old Master Jin hesitated, "But they are all mediocre things; Professor Liu might not find them interesting."

"If you have them, bring them out," Professor Liu immediately chuckled, "I never judge things by price; if something catches my eye, even a broken shard of porcelain on the ground, I'll pick it up and keep it for my collection."

"Since you say so, I'll go get them."

"Bring out everything you have that's portable; don't make us go back and forth repeatedly."

"Got it..."

While speaking, Old Master Jin walked out and soon returned carrying a pile of items.

"Look, these are them," Old Master Jin chuckled, "To be honest, these are the leftovers after everyone else picked through them. If you don't want them, I'll package them up and sell them to Little Pang another day."

"Old Master Jin, the way you put that..." Pang Yue looked displeased, "It sounds like I specialize in picking up garbage."

"Don't be angry, it's just that I don't phrase things well," Old Master Jin apologized sheepishly, correcting himself immediately, but even this apology sounded awkward to Pang Yue.

While the two were debating the art of conversation, the others were examining what Old Master Jin had placed on the table. At first glance, these items appeared somewhat scattered, and most were damaged, pieces in poor condition...