PS: It's the third watch of the night, and I finally have the nerve to ask for votes. I hope everyone can support me a lot.

Old Zhang's words were by no means an exaggeration; the reverence for culture in ancient times was something later generations could hardly imagine, and the Five-Color Brush, in a sense, was a symbol of talent. For a scholar, was not the lifelong pursuit to possess outstanding talent and earn the respect of the world? One only hears of people studying hard to improve their learning; surely no one would refuse an offering of "talent" delivered right to their door?

"It's only a symbol, then?" However, Wang Guan was somewhat insatiably greedy: "It has cultural value and symbolic meaning, but no economic value?"

"Culture itself possesses extremely high economic value," Old Zhang shook his head. "Setting aside the most straightforward examples like bestselling authors and various cultural industries, the meaning represented by the Five-Color Brush alone is enough to cause a frantic scramble. I must say, you gambled right again; the value of this item truly far exceeds that of the Fisherman's Painting."

"Haha, I knew it."

At this moment, Wang Guan was beaming with a smile: "My luck has always been excellent."

"It's not just good; it's practically... enough to make people intensely jealous."

Hearing Old Zhang use that adjective, Fang Mingsheng, who was standing nearby, repeatedly nodded in agreement. He had merely borrowed the Zitan sunken wood bead, yet obtained a treasure equivalent in value to it. Such luck was absolutely heaven-defying.

"This item..."

Knowing he had provoked them, Wang Guan stopped feigning modesty and immediately changed the subject: "Old Zhang, Boss Fang, you must help me keep this a secret. Otherwise, if Zhang Qing and the others find out, they might try to renege on the deal."

"Relax, they wouldn't do something so unseemly." Old Zhang waved his hand. "Of course, we understand that you don't want to make a scene. I can guarantee that this matter will absolutely not leave my lips."

"Thank you, Old Zhang." Wang Guansmiled in thanks, having no doubt about Old Zhang's integrity. As for Fang Mingsheng, Wang Guan figured if he let it slip, he could just deny the whole thing later.

If Fang Mingsheng knew Wang Guan's thoughts, he would surely feel greatly wronged, as he actually placed a high value on promises. Since he had agreed, he certainly wouldn't go blabbing carelessly.

"Of course. But I can't let you off so easily either. Let me borrow the item to admire for two days; consider it hush money," Old Zhang said with a sly smile, showing a hint of 'taking advantage of the situation.'

"No problem. Leave the item with you. Just return it to me after the Mid-Autumn Festival," Wang Guan readily agreed. Having experienced such situations many times, he was long past the initial anxiety of fearing the item wouldn't be returned.

"Mmm."

Old Zhang grinned broadly, turning the Five-Color Brush over in his hands as he asked, "From your words, it sounds like you're heading back tomorrow. Are you not going to ask Daozhen to help write the Huang Ting Scripture after all?"

"That's not urgent; I'll think about it some more," Wang Guan hesitated. "We'll talk about it later."

"Whatever you wish..."

Old Zhang intended to stay out of it and naturally didn't press the matter, continuing to admire the Five-Color Brush. A long time passed, and it was very late before he finally returned to his room to rest at Wang Guan's urging.

At the same time, Wang Guan was also preparing to go to bed but was stopped by Fang Mingsheng.

"Something up?" Wang Guan asked, slightly puzzled.

"Yes, there is," Fang Mingsheng nodded, seeming hesitant. "There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you... Can you really discern the orientation of the mechanical gears in that golden coffer's combination lock?"

Wang Guan didn't answer directly, merely asking curiously, "Why ask this out of the blue? You didn't forget the code to the villa's hidden room, did you?"

"It's not me who forgot, but someone else. I think I mentioned this to you before..." Fang Mingsheng reminded him. "I have a friend in England; he forgot the password to his treasure vault and hasn't been able to open it. If you could help him solve this problem, he would certainly be very grateful."

"The matter with the golden coffer was just a coincidence; you could even call it luck," Wang Guan immediately shook his head. "If you ask me to crack a code now, I probably couldn't do it either. So, let's forget about it. Don't actually think I have that ability..."

Fang Mingsheng could tell Wang Guan was brushing him off and quickly interjected, "Don't rush to refuse. I know you don't care about a reward of a few million pounds, but there are quite a few rare treasures in his vault. He promised that whoever solves this problem for him can freely choose one item."

"If you really have that capability, you might consider helping him with this favor,"

For some reason, Fang Mingsheng strongly encouraged him: "I haven't visited his vault, but I know there are definitely many treasures inside—not just Western artifacts, but also Eastern rarities."

"Eastern rarities?"

Wang Guan’s brow furrowed instantly. "Is your friend's ancestor a British military officer from the Eight-Nation Alliance?"

"Uh..."

Fang Mingsheng instantly felt awkward, suddenly feeling like he had shot himself in the foot.

"If yes, then yes; if not, then no. What’s there to hesitate about?" Wang Guan said frankly. "That was over a hundred years ago; there's no need to hold a grudge against your friend for it."

Fang Mingsheng didn't reply, mainly because he wasn't sure if Wang Guan was speaking seriously or sarcastically.

However, Wang Guan wasn't joking. Past humiliations should be remembered, but there was no need to constantly bring them up. Even the ancients knew the wisdom of feeling shame and striving for improvement; modern people should understand even better that fortune turns—the losses suffered in the past will eventually have opportunities for repayment later.

Of course, Wang Guan knew that would be a long time away. For now, he felt a bit more interest in that underground vault. "You aren't lying, are you? Can I really pick any one item, even a priceless treasure?"

"Absolutely no problem."

From the sound of it, he seemed inclined to agree. Fang Mingsheng was delighted and hastily nodded. "His family is considered old nobility in Britain; they value their reputation above all else, so they wouldn't go back on their word. Besides, compared to everything in the vault, a mere precious treasure is just a drop in the ocean; he has no reason to refuse."

"Is that so."

Wang Guan pondered for a moment, then shook his head again. "Let's talk about it later. I'll give you an answer after the Mid-Autumn Festival."

"Alright, alright..." Fang Mingsheng naturally had no objections and quickly escorted Wang Guan back to his room to rest.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, without even eating breakfast, Wang Guan went straight home, taking a car back to Jiangzhou to celebrate a fulfilling Mid-Autumn Festival with his family.

For some unknown reason, as society developed, modern life sped up and conditions improved, yet the festive atmosphere seemed to thin out. However, no matter what, being able to return to reunite with family during the Mid-Autumn reunion was a good thing in itself. The atmosphere of the festival could largely be disregarded.

Time seemed to fly by quickly on the way home; several days had passed in a flash. Wang Guan had originally planned to stay home for a couple more days, but after receiving a call from Yu Feibai, he had to pack his bags, first going to the provincial capital to get the Five-Color Brush back from Old Zhang, and then taking a direct flight from the provincial capital to the capital city.

"Here..."

Upon exiting the airport, Wang Guan immediately saw Yu Feibai waving nearby. He promptly dragged his luggage bag over, crisply opened the car door, got in, and settled down before Wang Guan quipped playfully, "This is surprising; you're being so nice as to pick me up."

"Who's picking you up? The main thing is, did you bring that ancient Han Dynasty sword?" Yu Feibai sneered. "Oh, right, and that box of resin—Old Qian is planning to study it."

"Uh..."

At this moment, Wang Guan scratched his head. "I forgot to call and tell you guys. That box of resin really is fluorescent resin."

"How do you know?"

Yu Feibai sounded somewhat surprised. "What evidence do you have?"

"It's quite a coincidence. Right after you left that day, Old Zhang came to my place as a guest," Wang Guan explained with a light laugh. "After his elderly assessment, he confirmed it was definitely fluorescent resin."

"That certain?" Yu Feibai was naturally a bit doubtful. "What did Old Zhang say?"

"He didn't say much; he just verified it himself," Wang Guan chuckled. "It's basically the harmonization of water and fire. When you burn the resin with water, the resin melts immediately, turning into a jelly-like substance that emits light..."

"Really?" Yu Feibai grew excited. "Then we'll have to verify it when we get there."

As he spoke, he also sounded somewhat curious. "By the way, why was Old Zhang visiting your house out of the blue?"

"Don't even mention it; it's all because of the Zitan sunken wood bead matter." Wang Guan shook his head. "Once the people of Longhu Mountain learned about the grand spectacle at Banshan Temple, they naturally couldn't stand it and immediately begged Old Zhang to act as a mediator one more time."

"So that's it." Yu Feibai suddenly understood, then laughed, "So you must have given them the cold shoulder again."

"No, I agreed,"

Wang Guan stated lightly. "Sincerity moves mountains, and hearing their profound devotion, I was deeply moved, and couldn't refuse Old Zhang's favor, so I finally agreed to their request."

"No way."

Yu Feibai looked utterly stunned. "That sounds incredibly fake... Did they threaten you? Or perhaps they offered you some irresistible price that made you change your mind? But no matter the cost, you have no reason to just hand over a peerless treasure like the Zitan sunken wood bead!"

Seeing Yu Feibai genuinely worried, Wang Guan stopped teasing and told him the truth: "It wasn't a sale, but a lease. I'm leasing the item to them for a year; it's still mine. There's a contract as proof; they probably wouldn't dare try to seize it by force."

"No wonder. I thought you were being awfully generous,"

Yu Feibai felt somewhat relieved, then asked with interest, "Since it's a lease, given your personality, you certainly wouldn't let them have it without getting something in return. Tell me, what benefit did you receive?"

"Nothing much," Wang Guan said casually. "Just picking one item from the secret vault at Longhu Mountain."

"The secret vault that Old Zhang mentioned, the one filled with many precious treasures?"

Yu Feibai became excited. "A vault that Old Zhang keeps in mind must contain nothing ordinary. Especially since you have the nature of 'leaving no stone unturned when in a treasure mountain,' you must have picked the most expensive one..."

(To be continued.)