At this moment, Yu Feibai pondered aloud, "I hear it's quite bustling there. It might be good luck to try our fortune there as well."

"That works," Wang Guan nodded. "We don't have a concrete destination anyway, so we'll take it one step at a time. If all else fails, we can just tour all the historical sites in Kaifeng city and then head back home."

"I think that's a good plan," Yu Feibai immediately agreed. "If we can pick up a few treasures to take back, at least we'll have something to show for the trip."

"Good..."

Having made their decision, the two quickly finished breakfast, settled the bill, and took a ride to the Daxiangguo Temple.

Anyone familiar with Water Margin would certainly not be strangers to this place. It's where the famous episode of Lu Zhishen uprooting the weeping willow tree took place.

Of course, Water Margin is just a novel, and Lu Zhishen's tale is mere fictional embellishment that shouldn't be taken literally. However, during the Northern Song Dynasty, Daxiangguo Temple was indeed the most prosperous and lively spot in Kaifeng.

Naturally, the Daxiangguo Temple today is also quite impressive. Not only is it sought after by domestic and international tourists for its fame throughout history, but it has also become a center for Kaifeng’s Lantern Festival celebrations, Double Ninth chrysanthemum viewing, bonsai displays, and various cultural and entertainment exhibitions, attracting thousands of pilgrims and visitors daily.

Take the present time, for example. Though this is considered the off-season for tourism, there are still many devout pilgrims praying within the temple grounds. The scene is bustling and quite lively indeed.

Speaking of which, the scenery within Daxiangguo Temple is quite pleasing. The architecture within the complex is lofty, adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, exuding an ancient, rustic charm. Unfortunately, these ancient structures are not from the Northern Song era.

One must remember that during the Northern Song Dynasty, Daxiangguo Temple was the largest Buddhist monastery in the entire nation, spanning over five hundred mu. It governed sixty-four Chan-lü monasteries, each headed by an abbot granted a special title, housing over ten thousand monks. Major national events, such as imperial birthday prayers, royal visits, and the posting of successful Jinshi scholars' names, were often held here, earning Daxiangguo the title of a Royal Temple.

Such a glorious history is likely the lifelong aspiration and dream of the modern monks residing here. Yet, time is merciless. Following the collapse of the Northern Song, Daxiangguo Temple suffered severe destruction. This was due not only to warfare and fire but also to the devastating floods of the Yellow River, which submerged the entire city of Kaifeng, destroying all structures—and Daxiangguo Temple, naturally, could not escape this fate.

The existing architecture of Daxiangguo Temple was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty, funded by Emperor Qianlong, on the original site. While it possesses a certain grandeur, it pales in comparison to the splendor of its past—when its gold and jade shimmered so brightly that they outshone the clouds—a disparity that cannot be overlooked.

Of course, the temple's past and present realities were irrelevant to Wang Guan and Yu Feibai. The two were simply wandering aimlessly through the complex. After making a full circle, the sticks of incense they held were all distributed, but they hadn't stumbled upon anything of note. After all, they weren't just there for worship; they had other objectives.

Having found nothing noteworthy at Daxiangguo Temple, the pair naturally emerged and began strolling through the nearby streets.

"Look!"

After walking for a short while, a smile spread across Yu Feibai’s face. "I knew it. Beside a famous scenic spot, there's bound to be a collection of street vendors."

"Knowing they are just street stalls, don't get your hopes up too high," Wang Guan kindly reminded him, though this was the truth. It wasn't that stalls never had good items; in fact, many people made incredible finds at these informal markets. However, one had to admit that the chance of such a score was minuscule—one in ten thousand would be considered lucky.

"Don't dampen my spirits," Yu Feibai grumbled. "Besides, how can you know the outcome before you even look?"

As he spoke, Yu Feibai hurried forward to the side of the street, where he saw a long row of stalls displaying all sorts of wares. Some sold calendars and books, others sold prayer beads, bracelets, and protective talismans—a dazzling array that was endless. Naturally, among them were some antiques, some genuine and some fake, with fakes possibly mixed among the genuine articles. Whether an item was real or not depended entirely on one's discerning eye.

At that moment, Yu Feibai squatted before one stall, ignoring the vendor's greetings, and began picking through the merchandise himself. In the end, however, nothing caught his eye.

"Boss, do you have anything better?" Yu Feibai asked directly, casually setting down a resin-composite bracelet. Such an item's weight felt immediately wrong, not to mention its texture—it lacked any sense of warmth or luster. It might fool a novice, but to deceive a Jade Appraisal Master like himself, it was off by a mile.

Of course, the title 'Jade Appraisal Master' was one Yu Feibai had bestowed upon himself; whether others acknowledged it was irrelevant to him.

"Yes..."

The vendor heard this and quickly nodded. Which stall owner didn't have some secret, best-kept items? Furthermore, seeing Yu Feibai dressed handsomely and clearly well-off, the vendor had no doubt about his financial capacity and immediately pulled out several items from a box nearby.

"These look promising," Yu Feibai remarked after examining them for a moment, unable to hide his approval. As expected of his top-tier stock, they were indeed out of the ordinary. Though none could be called priceless treasures, their quality was certainly good.

Especially noteworthy was a small jade carving: a monkey sitting atop a horse. While the jade material wasn't exceptional, the carving skill was rather mature, vividly capturing the horse's robust musculature and the little monkey’s gesture of scratching its ear.

Moreover, the jade piece carried an auspicious meaning. Having both a monkey (hóu) and a horse (mǎ) implied 'instant promotion to marquis' (mǎ shàng fēng hòu), a particularly favorable omen for those in officialdom.

Although Yu Feibai wasn't involved in politics, he felt a certain fondness for this jade ornament. Perhaps for him, as long as the jade material was decent and the carving technique competent, it was a good item worthy of collection.

Seeing Yu Feibai’s evident interest, the vendor seized the opportunity, launching into a nonstop sales pitch, praising the jade carving as unparalleled in heaven and earth.

Meanwhile, Wang Guan strolled over, ignoring Yu Feibai’s haggling with the vendor, and walked a few steps further to a nearby stall.

Unlike the stall Yu Feibai was at, this one displayed items that were far more singular in focus. Wang Guan looked down and saw only shards of porcelain—broken pieces scattered randomly, displaying no discernible pattern whatsoever.

As he examined these porcelain fragments, a hint of emotion flickered in Wang Guan's eyes. In truth, his very first acquisition had been porcelain shards, and it was through such means that he had gradually developed his expertise to its current level.

"Young sir, come take a look," the vendor of the porcelain shards called out warmly. "Don't let the brokenness fool you; these are valuable. Do you know of the famous collector 'Piece Bai' in the capital? He built a massive museum starting with nothing but broken porcelain shards..."

Hearing this, Wang Guan smiled and squatted down to casually observe the fragments.

At first glance, Wang Guan couldn't help but frown slightly. The fact that the shards were broken was normal, and Wang Guan paid it no mind. However, the current state of these pieces—not only shattered but also extremely filthy—raised his suspicion.

Whenever he saw such a condition, Wang Guan knew something was amiss. While most porcelain shards are excavated and thus naturally grimy, they are always thoroughly cleaned before being put out for sale.

After all, in the Porcelain Capital, or any hub for antiques, many shards are sold, but those are meticulously cleaned, often emitting a bright luster that is pleasing to the eye.

These shards, however, looked ancient and were coated in grime, making them genuinely unpleasant to look at. Anyone with a touch of mysophobia would surely retreat several steps.

Of course, Wang Guan understood why they were so soiled. This was a rather clumsy trick used in the antiquities trade. People generally believe that true antiques must look old, but many small vendors lack the skill to artificially age objects convincingly. Thus, they resort to deliberately making the items look dirty.

Such cheap tricks might fool a novice, but to a seasoned expert, they are utterly transparent. Worse, they often elicit immediate distaste from experts, creating a preconceived notion that the items are flawed. After all, only inferior objects require dust to conceal them.

This was precisely how Wang Guan felt. He casually picked up a shard and lightly wiped the surface with his finger; the dirt and grime easily flaked off. Seeing this, Wang Guan became even more certain: the items were truly subpar.

"What are you looking at?"

Just then, Yu Feibai approached, now holding the 'Monkey on Horse' jade carving. He had clearly concluded his haggling and purchased the piece.

"Porcelain shards," Wang Guan replied casually. "Broken shards, and not very good ones at that."

'Not very good' was a rather polite way of putting it; he hadn't actually said the items were garbage, which was a measure of Wang Guan's restraint.

"Mmm," Yu Feibai glanced over and agreed readily. "They really aren't much."

"Hey, you two young masters, you can't just speak ill of them! These are fine items. I traveled thousands of miles to the Porcelain Capital to handpick them myself," the vendor protested defensively. "They are absolutely top quality and worth collecting."

However, Wang Guan and Yu Feibai remained unmoved. They were both seasoned veterans of the trade and wouldn't change their opinions based on a few words from a vendor. The vendor also understood this reality, which was why he had already brought out his finest stock.

This vendor wasn't slow-witted; when doing business, he kept his eyes peeled and his ears open. He had already noticed Yu Feibai paying for the jade carving. Now that Yu Feibai had returned, he certainly wouldn't ignore him, eager to close another deal.

To be honest, after realizing the porcelain shards were nothing special, Wang Guan had lost interest and was about to leave. But seeing the vendor present his prized possessions, a flicker of curiosity made him pause and look over.

"Oh!"

Upon one glance, both Wang Guan and Yu Feibai showed a measure of surprise.

While they knew that anything the vendor treated with such seriousness and kept locked in a box must be decent, they hadn't expected them to not just look good, but actually possess a luster as translucent as fine jade...