Though judging a person by their looks is wrong, judging an object by its outward presentation is sometimes quite accurate.

For example, the item the vendor was now presenting, even if it was just a shard of broken porcelain, possessed an excellent surface quality.

At this moment, the vendor deliberately held the shard high, letting the sunlight strike it, which made a streak of bright luster even more conspicuous, letting anyone who saw it know immediately that the quality of the porcelain shard was extraordinary, far from common.

“It looks… genuinely promising.”

Yu Feibai narrowed his eyes slightly and reached out as well: “Boss, let me see it.”

“This is the cream of my collection, absolutely no mistake.”

The vendor smiled broadly, carefully placing the shard into Yu Feibai’s palm, even kindly reminding him to be careful not to cut himself.

Yu Feibai was certainly not so careless; he used his other hand to pinch the shard and began to examine it closely.

After scrutinizing it for a moment, a look of surprise mixed with doubt crossed his face.

At first glance, Yu Feibai could confirm the quality of the shard was indeed superb. The body was as thin as an eggshell yet dense and fine, even exhibiting the lustrous color of mutton-fat jade, testifying to the high level of craftsmanship.

The glaze was another factor; it possessed a certain lightness, much like celadon—a subtle, clear green—making it exceedingly elegant and pure, very much in line with traditional aesthetic tastes.

However, for some unknown reason, Yu Feibai sensed that something about this broken porcelain shard felt subtly wrong.

As for what exactly was amiss, he couldn't articulate it immediately.

After pondering for a moment without a solution, Yu Feibai simply handed the piece over to Wang Guan, gesturing: “You take a look too. It feels a bit like Song Dynasty Longquan ware, perhaps celadon glaze…”

“Little brother has sharp eyes.”

Before Wang Guan could even take it, the nearby vendor immediately jumped at the chance, nodding repeatedly: “Exactly, it is Longquan ware, the Longquan ware from the foremost folk kiln of ancient times.”

The title of the foremost folk kiln might have been a slight exaggeration.

But it was enough to illustrate the influence of Longquan porcelain.

And this influence was certainly among the common populace, as ordinary people would never have had the chance to use imperial kiln wares. Among the numerous folk kilns and workshops, only a select few produced truly superior quality.

Longquan Kiln naturally belonged to that echelon, and being near the coast gave it a unique advantage.

Kilns deep in the Central Plains faced intense competition, often succumbing to natural disasters or turmoil and shutting down.

But the Longquan Kiln had the support of overseas markets, so its kilns never ceased firing, allowing for a smooth inheritance of tradition.

After centuries of development, the influence of Longquan ware spread both at home and abroad; traces of Longquan production can be found all over the world.

While its overall strength might not claim the absolute top spot, it was certainly among the very best.

“Longquan celadon?” Wang Guan examined the shard in his hand.

In truth, the moment he held it, a sense of surprise filled him, mainly because the shard was incredibly light, almost weightless.

Light weight combined with dense body material suggested a semi-devoid technique.

Yet, in Wang Guan’s recollection, while Longquan celadon bodies were not overly thick or heavy, they shouldn’t be this light and thin.

With this doubt lingering, Wang Guan continued his inspection, paying close attention to the glaze color.

The pale green glaze resembled clear lake water, faintly revealing an emerald hue, exceedingly elegant and pure.

At this moment, Wang Guan mirrored the vendor, raising the shard slightly against the light.

Instantly, the thin piece of porcelain became almost translucent, and layers of soft halo light emanated from the glaze surface, making it look strikingly like fine jade.

“Huh?” Just then, Wang Guan’s expression shifted slightly, and he asked urgently: “Boss, where did you acquire this shard?”

“Longquan, of course.” The vendor blinked: “This is Longquan celadon; I naturally sourced it from the Longquan region. Genuine article.”

“That’s not right.” Yu Feibai’s brow shot up: “Didn’t you just say you got these items from Porcelain City?”

“The items on the stall were indeed from Porcelain City, but the deeply treasured Longquan shard, naturally, I went to Longquan separately to acquire it.” The vendor did not blink, looking completely sincere and guileless.

Hearing this, Yu Feibai nodded slightly, accepting the explanation. He wasn't planning to buy it, so he naturally didn't press the origins.

However, Wang Guan scoffed at the vendor’s explanation: “Boss, stop joking. This is hardly Longquan celadon; it’s clearly…”

What it was, Wang Guan paused before continuing: “You mentioned earlier that this is from the Song Dynasty?”

“Yes, Song Dynasty Longquan celadon.” The vendor asserted firmly. Whether it was true or not, he first needed to maintain his conviction. If he sounded hesitant, it would only confirm that he was lying and the piece was not Longquan ware at all.

“Song Dynasty?” Wang Guan shook his head instantly: “Why don’t you say it’s from the Shang or Zhou dynasties.”

“Little brother, do you really take me for someone ignorant of history?” The vendor sounded displeased: “The Shang and Zhou periods were the Bronze Age; where would porcelain come from?”

“I didn’t say Shang and Zhou,” Wang Guan chuckled lightly, “I meant last week…” “Last week, likely no more than ten days ago.”

“What?” Yu Feibai was startled, his gaze becoming suspicious. He keenly noticed the vendor’s expression change, his eyes flickering nervously, betraying a guilty conscience.

“It’s really new?” Compared to the vendor, Yu Feibai was more inclined to believe Wang Guan, and he murmured quietly: “But why is there no glare?”

“The glare has been removed.” Wang Guan whispered: “Turn the shard over and look against the light, and you’ll see how.”

“Hmm?” Yu Feibai was surprised but followed Wang Guan’s guidance, turning the shard over to examine it against the light.

Initially, he saw nothing unusual, but upon observing with concentration, he suddenly made a discovery.

“Ah!” A look of mixed surprise and delight flashed across Yu Feibai’s face. Suddenly, he felt the sensation of having searched high and low for something only to find it effortlessly.

At this moment, he finally understood why Wang Guan had felt the need to expose the vendor’s façade. For experts, there was an unwritten rule: unless absolutely necessary, even if one recognized an item was problematic, one would never proactively expose it. Leave room for future encounters; exposing someone’s secret could easily provoke shame and anger, just as it did now. The vendor, realizing the situation, immediately glared: “Buy it or don’t, but if not, put it back.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the vendor felt a pang of regret. After all, business relies on amiability; even if this sale fell through, there were other pieces. His harsh tone had surely ruined a potentially salvageable deal.

“We’ll buy it, of course.”

However, contrary to the vendor’s expectation, Wang Guan immediately pulled out a stack of cash and smiled: “Boss, I want to buy your item, but you must tell me its origin.”

“Origin? What origin?” The vendor’s eyes darted, and he said something insincere: “Didn’t I just tell you? It’s Longquan celadon.”

“Boss, you aren’t being entirely honest.” Wang Guan gently shook his head: “To tell you the truth, my family runs a kiln, and I have considerable knowledge of porcelain. I came to Kaifeng specifically to find a highly skilled master craftsman to oversee our work.”

“You might fool others, but you can’t fool me. The craftsmanship of this shard is exquisite; it must be the work of a master. However, due to uneven heating during the firing process, it cracked naturally.” As Wang Guan spoke, he sounded utterly certain: “This is a reject, something that was buried and subsequently found by you…”

Perhaps because Wang Guan had hit upon the truth, the vendor’s expression flickered. Seeing this, Wang Guan smiled and pressed the stack of bills into the vendor’s hand: “We are out-of-towners; we’ll be gone in a few days at most. We just need some information; that shouldn't be too difficult, right?”

“Uh…” The vendor hesitated, but his hand couldn't help but close around the money. Feeling the thickness of the bills, he unconsciously swallowed, then quietly stated an address.

“Thank you!” Sensing the vendor wasn’t lying, Wang Guan immediately stood up and signaled Yu Feibai to go. Of course, they took the porcelain shard with them.

After walking a few steps, they hailed a cab and sped off, heading toward the outskirts.

On the way, Yu Feibai finally calmed down, a look of sheer joy on his face: “I knew coming to Kaifeng was the right decision, and visiting the Grand Xiangguo Temple wasn’t wasted. Look, we already have a lead.”

“It’s only a lead.” Wang Guan was calmer, smiling slightly: “The vendor said he just picked the shard up at that location. As for who buried the shard there, that remains unknown.”

“Having a lead is better than stumbling around blindly; it gives us a direction to investigate.” Yu Feibai was confident: “Besides, if a broken shard was buried there, it means the person was definitely nearby.”

“Mmm.” Wang Guan agreed with a nod. Otherwise, there would be no point in taking a car to check the situation.

As a precaution, Wang Guan did call Elder Qian to update him on the situation. While he was on the phone, Yu Feibai continued to examine the shard. When held against the light, if one looked closely at the concave side of the shard, a circled, seal-script character written in vermilion could be seen. This was the unique mark of Mr. Zhu Da, and it wasn't hidden—it was written in transparent glaze. If one hadn't looked meticulously, such a detail would have been impossible to spot. This was why, upon seeing the mark, both of them had become so excited, realizing that Meng Jian had indeed not lied: there was indeed a clue to be uncovered in Kaifeng.

“Be careful…” Hearing Wang Guan’s report, Elder Qian was naturally delighted. He cautioned: “And don’t act rashly, lest you startle the snake again and let the person escape.”

“Elder Qian, rest assured.” Wang Guan quickly responded: “We will proceed cautiously.”

After a brief chat, Wang Guan concluded the call. Unconsciously, the car slowed and stopped in a relatively bustling small town. However, the town was not their final destination, but merely a stopping point... (To be continued...) 〖Book Network :: Fast Update :: No Pop-ups :: Pure Text :: www.〗RT