Verification

This immediately lifted Chu Chen's spirits.

After obtaining the result he wanted from testing the Kangxi Tongbao, he hurriedly picked up another coin. This time, it was a Xianchun Yuanbao. Although the aura within it was still just as faint, he sensed it carefully and found that it lasted a little longer than before.

From his tests on the Xianchun Yuanbao, Chu Chen reached three general conclusions.

First, the length of time that wisp of aura was absorbed into his left hand seemed to depend on the antique's actual age—roughly half a second for every five hundred years. Of course, this conclusion was based only on the three times the aura had appeared just now, so it might not be entirely accurate. Still, the actual situation should be more or less the same.

As for why he had based his conclusions on only three instances, it was because after the Xianchun Yuanbao, he could still sense that aura in the coins, but it seemed to have reached its limit and was no longer being absorbed into his left hand.

From this, it was clear that his supernatural ability—as he called it in his mind—had its limits. Most likely, only three wisps of aura could enter his left hand within a certain period. As for the strength of the aura, there seemed to be no restriction.

That period was most likely one day. Whether it began when he used up his ability each time or reset at midnight would have to be confirmed through further experiments. There was another question as well: if he did not use up all his ability today, could the unused amount be carried over to tomorrow? He would need future experiments to determine that too.

Although there was a limit to the number of times he could use it, he could still sense aura within the coins. This was extremely useful. First, it could prove whether something was an antique. As for whether it was an old imitation and how much it was worth, he would have to rely on his own judgment. Even this single function had already helped him tremendously.

Finally, the strength of the aura most likely represented the value of the antique. He could only verify this at Uncle Wu's shop, because aside from those coins, which could barely be considered antiques, everything else he owned had already been sold off.

As mentioned before, Chu Chen had originally had four hundred thousand yuan in savings, as well as several thousand yuan in liquid funds for purchases. In order to buy that Tang Sancai Camel, he had sold off the jade and antiques he had that were worth anything. Because he had been in such a hurry, he had only managed to get twenty thousand yuan for them.

That was also why, after nearly five years of running a street stall in Panjiayuan, Chu Chen now possessed only these ancient copper coins—antiques that were not worth much.

After verifying everything just now and reaching the conclusions above, Chu Chen felt as if a treasure basin had fallen on his head. In his mind, priceless antique treasures were already waving to him.

What rent? What Tang Sancai? To hell with all of it!

"Hahaha! Hahaha!"

Chu Chen burst into loud laughter, yet tears streamed down his face as he laughed. These past few days had brought great joy, then great sorrow, followed by an unexpected turn of events. His mind had been wound tight the entire time.

From the joy of obtaining the Tang Sancai to discovering that it was a counterfeit, his mind had endured enormous pressure. After all, the losses had been real money. Then he had received one good and one bad piece of news, only to discover his supernatural ability afterward. If his mental resilience had not been fairly strong, he might well have gone insane.

Even if he had not developed a mental illness, such extreme ups and downs could still have caused him to fall seriously ill. By venting like this, Chu Chen had avoided the possible physical consequences. At the same time, his mental resilience had greatly improved, laying a certain psychological foundation for his future career collecting antiques.

Three or four hours had passed since he discovered his supernatural ability. Chu Chen now felt weak all over, probably because his mind had been overtaxed. He casually ate a bowl of instant noodles, then went to rest.

*****************************

When Chu Chen woke up, it was already six o'clock the next morning. He had slept wonderfully and felt refreshed, with strength surging through his entire body.

After getting up, the first thing Chu Chen did was not wash up. Instead, he went to the place in the living room where he kept the coins and picked one up with his left hand. As expected, he immediately sensed a faint aura, which was swiftly drawn into his palm.

This told Chu Chen that yesterday's supernatural ability had not been a hallucination. It also made him realize that the number of times he could use it probably reset at midnight every day.

Chu Chen nodded in satisfaction and cheerfully prepared to wash up. But after taking a few steps, he frowned and stopped.

"This won't do. If the daily uses are wasted on insignificant antiques like that, wouldn't it be a terrible shame? Can this ability be controlled?"

With that thought, he immediately turned around and returned to the pile of coins. Then he took a deep breath and reached his left hand toward another coin, silently repeating to himself:

Don't absorb it. Don't absorb it.

When he picked up the coin, he immediately sensed the aura within it. But when the aura tried to flow into his palm, it merely fluctuated once before returning to the coin.

"It worked!"

At that moment, Chu Chen was so happy he looked like a monk's wooden fish, grinning from ear to ear. The supernatural ability could be controlled—that was wonderful. This meant he could use his three precious chances on the antiques he considered more valuable, greatly increasing his chances of finding true treasures.

Afterward, Chu Chen did not even have time to eat breakfast. He remained absorbed in practicing his control over the supernatural ability, enjoying himself immensely. He went back and forth without feeling bored in the slightest. After half a day of training, he felt he had more or less reached the point where the ability responded as naturally as an extension of his arm.

"Beep, beep..." A burst of ringing from the bedroom interrupted Chu Chen's training. He hurried inside and answered without checking who was calling.

"Hello, who is this? I'm Chu Chen."

"You little brat, I heard you bought that Tang Sancai from Old Xiang. You haven't even come to practice your stall these past few days. Nothing happened, did it?" A slightly hoarse yet booming voice came through the phone. It was particularly recognizable, and Chu Chen knew at once that it was Uncle Wu.

"Oh, it's you, Uncle Wu. I'm fine. I've just been studying that Tang Sancai." Hearing the concern in Uncle Wu's voice warmed Chu Chen's heart.

"Oh? Have you figured anything out? I heard Old Liu and Old Qian weren't optimistic about it. With something this important, why didn't you discuss it with me first?"

"Hehe, I was in a hurry at the time and didn't get the chance to consult you. Uncle Wu, please don't be angry. As for that Tang Sancai, I really did figure something out. I'll tell you the details when I get to your shop."

Now that he had his supernatural ability to rely on, Chu Chen no longer cared about the Tang Sancai, and there was no trace of dejection in his voice. He also had a vague suspicion in his heart. Perhaps this ability had been brought about by the Tang Sancai. Otherwise, why would it have appeared so coincidentally, right after the Tang Sancai shattered?

"All right. I just brought back a batch of goods from out of town and have only now returned to the shop. You can come over and let me test what you've learned."

"Huh? You went out of town, Uncle Wu?"

Over the phone, Uncle Wu said teasingly, "You little brat, I've always cared so much about you, yet you didn't even know I went out of town. I'm truly hurt."

Chu Chen felt somewhat embarrassed. He really had been so obsessed recently that he had not even known about something like this. It truly was inexcusable. He quickly apologized. "Uncle Wu, I'm really sorry. I may have been possessed lately. How about I treat you to a meal later?"

"Forget it. I accept your apology, but we just ate, so there's no need to treat me."

"All right. I'll come over as soon as I've eaten."

After ending the call, Chu Chen immediately washed up and changed clothes. Then he wrapped the Tang Sancai fragments in newspaper, put them in a plastic bag, and carried them out the door.

************************

After a simple lunch, Chu Chen took a few turns and arrived outside Uncle Wu's antique shop.

The shop faced west. Above the entrance hung a sign bearing the three clerical-script characters "Ciyizhai." The storefront was tiny, less than a meter wide. Two adults had to turn sideways to enter together.

The door stood open, allowing the interior layout to be seen from outside. The shop occupied roughly twenty square meters. Though small, everything was arranged in perfect order.

A corner-shaped counter stood near the entrance, while the other three walls were lined with multi-tiered antique shelves. The bottom shelves were storage cabinets containing the more valuable porcelain. The upper shelves held all kinds of high-quality imitation porcelain.

Several small, multi-tiered display racks stood in the remaining open spaces, also filled with porcelain of every description. These pieces were likewise high-quality imitations.

All the imitation porcelain had clearly marked prices, and the customers were always told plainly that they were imitations when making a purchase. The prices of the porcelain in the storage cabinets, however, were open to negotiation.

Uncle Wu had originally been an appraisal expert at the Palace Museum. In the early 1980s, he had left his job to enter the antique business. After so many years, he had earned quite a bit—enough, at least, to move into a larger shop.

The reason he had not done so was that he had a daughter named Wu Ke, who was twenty-one this year, the same age as Chu Chen. This showed that Uncle Wu had had his daughter late, at the age of thirty-nine.

The couple doted on her and gave her whatever she wanted, but they were also strict about her studies. When she was born, they had already decided that they would send their daughter abroad to study in the future, so they saved all their money for her.

Wu Ke had lived up to their expectations and excelled academically. With Uncle Wu's connections, she had been admitted to Oxford University at eighteen. But because she was studying as a private student, the expenses were enormous. Uncle Wu's savings accumulated over all those years had been spent on it. He also lived frugally, which was why he had no money to replace the shop.

Uncle Wu, however, was very generous toward Chu Chen. Whenever something was within his power, he never hesitated. This moved Chu Chen deeply.

This was also one of the major reasons Chu Chen had insisted on making his way alone and moved out of Uncle Wu's home. Looking at the tiny shop, he made up his mind that once he had earned enough money, he would definitely give Uncle Wu a better place.