Transcendent

Zzz~

The silver-gray diamond knife scraped across the sky-blue tea tray, immediately leaving a long scratch.

This celadon tea tray was part of a complete set with the teapot and teacups on the coffee table. Crafted by a renowned artisan and fired in an official kiln, it was not a precious antique, but it was still worth at least a hundred thousand yuan. Yuan Bin had casually ruined its appearance.

But it also proved that there was nothing wrong with the diamond knife's quality.

Only then did Yuan Bin pick up the gold coin and place it on the tea tray before pressing the knife down with force.

This time, the diamond-set tip passed over the coin's surface without making a sound, leaving no mark whatsoever!

Yuan Bin froze for a moment, hardly daring to believe it, and continued scraping at it.

The result was exactly the same!

Now he was truly baffled.

Modern technology had advanced by leaps and bounds. Decades ago, scientists had already developed materials harder than diamond, such as boron carbide and carbyne. Some special alloy products were also incredibly formidable and could completely ignore diamond cutting.

Could this be some kind of special alloy?

Yuan Bin raised his head and looked at Guan Zhishang suspiciously, his gaze rather unfriendly.

Guan Zhishang shuddered and hurriedly said, "Young Master Yuan, I also brought the testing equipment from the shop. It was too large, so I left it in the car outside for now. Should I have it moved in so we can test it again?"

He was a shrewd man. Without sufficient confidence, how would he dare rashly present such a treasure to Yuan Bin? Before coming here, he had considered every possible issue.

Yuan Bin relaxed. Thinking it over, Guan Zhishang could not possibly be stupid enough to joke around with him like this.

"Can I take a look?"

At that moment, Ye Yingxue suddenly spoke.

This was the first time she had spoken since arriving. Earlier, when Chen Mingzhe introduced her, she had merely nodded to Yuan Bin, thwarting his attempt to hold her hand.

Her voice was clean and clear, like pearls rolling over a jade plate, soothing to the ears.

"Of course."

What remained of Yuan Bin's soul promptly flew away as well. He hurriedly pushed the gold coin and the celadon tea tray over to her.

Then he respectfully offered her the diamond knife.

Ye Yingxue waved her hand, politely declining the knife. One slender jade-like finger dipped into the teacup, its tip picking up glistening droplets of tea before descending toward the gold coin.

Her movements were elegant to the extreme.

What was she doing?

Yuan Bin stared unblinkingly at her finger, his Adam's apple bobbing several times unconsciously.

When Ye Yingxue's delicate finger landed upon the gold coin, he noticed a cold gleam suddenly flash across her fingertip.

A sharp mark, like one cut by a blade, appeared on the coin's surface—the very surface that the diamond knife had failed to scratch!

Yuan Bin's eyes widened at once.

The bizarre sight reminded him of certain secrets he had once heard. If he was not mistaken, Ye Yingxue was undoubtedly one of the legendary Transcendents!

He had actually coveted someone like her and harbored such filthy thoughts...

Yuan Bin involuntarily clamped his legs together, feeling cold all over.

"Hmm?"

But Ye Yingxue was not paying attention to him at all. The strange light in her beautiful eyes only deepened as she stared at the gold coin.

Chen Mingzhe, beside her, narrowed his eyes and twitched the corner of his mouth, seemingly lost in thought.

The sharp scratch on the coin's surface, left by Ye Yingxue's finger, visibly began shrinking. Within only a few seconds, it had returned to its original state, without the slightest trace remaining.

Only the glow it emitted seemed to have dimmed a little.

Yuan Bin said in astonishment, "Th-this is memory metal?"

Ye Yingxue and Chen Mingzhe looked at each other. The latter coughed lightly and said, "This gold coin is very likely a Curious Item. Young Master Bin, would you be willing to part with it?"

Yuan Bin was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood. "If Brother Mingzhe likes it, please just take it."

When he had assigned Yuan Bin to host Chen Mingzhe, his father had repeatedly instructed him to be sure to build a good relationship with this powerful dragon from the capital. If Ye Yingxue had not been present earlier, he might not even have considered competing with Chen Mingzhe.

Now that he knew what kind of person Ye Yingxue was, how could Yuan Bin dare entertain any improper thoughts? He was only afraid that he might have offended her carelessly with something he had said. This gold coin was the perfect way to make amends.

He was not an idiot. How could he fail to see that the person who truly wanted the gold coin was Ye Yingxue?

"Young Master Bin..."

Chen Mingzhe smiled. "You may not know what a Curious Item is. Put simply, to ordinary people, this is merely a commemorative gold coin worth a few thousand yuan. But to someone who likes it, selling it for several hundred thousand would not be a problem."

"I won't take advantage of you. I'll pay five hundred thousand for it."

Yuan Bin immediately refused. "That won't do! If you want it, Brother Mingzhe, I'll give it to you. Offering me money would be looking down on me!"

Did the dignified Young Master Bin look like someone short of five hundred thousand yuan?

Chen Mingzhe chuckled and did not insist. "Then thank you very much."

Yuan Bin laughed. "Brother Mingzhe, you're being too polite."

With that, the atmosphere in the room became much more harmonious.

Ye Yingxue suddenly asked, "Sir, could you tell me where it came from?"

She pointed at the gold coin and looked at Guan Zhishang.

Yuan Bin and Chen Mingzhe both turned to look at Guan Zhishang, causing the latter to break out in a cold sweat.

Guan Zhishang swallowed and quickly recounted, in full detail, how he had received the gold coin at the jewelry store yesterday. He even described the seller's appearance and clothing very carefully.

The people present exchanged looks after hearing it.

A man dressed in leather armor, cosplay, magic tricks, 7,300 yuan...

Yuan Bin's eyes lit up. "Brother Mingzhe, if you're interested in this person, I can help investigate him. The store's surveillance cameras must have captured his face. As long as he isn't some visitor from outer space, we should be able to find out who he is."

The Yuan family was a major local family in Hang City, deeply rooted and broadly connected. Golden Jade Fortune Group had started out in the jewelry business and had always valued its relationship with the police. Looking into someone's identity was not much trouble at all.

Therefore, Yuan Bin was very confident.

After thinking briefly, Chen Mingzhe readily agreed. "Then I'll trouble you, Young Master Bin."

Yuan Bin instantly felt immensely proud. He smiled so broadly that his back teeth showed, completely unaware that he had revealed his bumpkin nature.

A family of distinction took a hundred years to form, while an aristocratic clan took a thousand. The Yuan family had risen in Hang City only a few decades ago.

They had only just escaped the ranks of the poor.

Of course, to ordinary people, the Yuan family was still an unreachable existence. In this small patch of Hang City, there truly were not many things they could not accomplish.

At the same time, Zuo Yi had just returned to his old riverside house.

By the time he returned, it was nearly dark. That afternoon, he had completed a major shopping trip at the mall, buying many daily necessities. He had also bought quite a bit of fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, and other ingredients at the mall's underground supermarket, wiping out one-third of the savings in his payment account.

Once home, he took everything out of his spatial ring and piled it all up on the floor.

That was the convenience of a spatial ring. Whenever he bought something, he could simply find a place with no one around and toss it inside. He did not need to lug around bags and packages until he was exhausted. It could not have been more convenient.

Then Zuo Yi summoned the Giant Spirit Witch Slave and had it sort and store all the supplies and ingredients he had bought.

Having received Zuo Yi's memory seed, the Giant Spirit Witch Slave had already adapted to Blue Star's technological lifestyle.

It could handle chores such as cleaning, hanging clothes and airing bedding, washing vegetables and dishes, taking out trash, and more. It worked tirelessly without ever complaining, making it a true supermodel household helper.

It simply could not be exposed to the public.

As night fell, a barbecue grill was set up in the courtyard. Skewers of thoroughly washed and briefly marinated meat were laid over the charcoal fire, sizzling under the heat and releasing the distinctive aroma of grilled meat.

The grill had been moved up from the basement. The ingredients were fresh beef, grilled until charred outside and tender within. After sprinkling it with cumin and chili, Zuo Yi ate to his heart's content with beer.

He had no particular talent for cooking, but his grilling skill was practically maxed out, like an oil seller made perfect by practice.

Sadea World also had spices, but no cumin. It did have chili peppers, though they were exceptionally spicy, too much for ordinary people to endure. They called them demon fruits, and wizards used them as spellcasting materials.

Back when Zuo Yi had traveled with an adventuring party, everyone had been shocked to see him sprinkle chili powder over grilled meat and eat it.

However, some of his teammates had developed a taste for it under his influence, creating the first generation of chili lovers in Sadea World.

Remembering those old days, Zuo Yi could not help but smile.

And now, he had returned to his own world and gained a daughter.

He drank can after can of beer, letting the alcohol burn through his blood. With a faint drunken haze, Zuo Yi fell into a deep sleep.

PS: The contract has already been signed. Friends who invested in the first batch have received their returns. Those who have not invested can continue to do so. As long as the results are not too poor, this book will run for several million words. Aside from film and television adaptation, which may be difficult, the other returns are guaranteed.

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