"Holy shit!"
Gu Cheng nearly cried out.
Fortunately.
He caught himself in time.
And swallowed everything else he had been about to say.
"I... what's happening to me?"
"Could it be... my cheat has activated?"
To confirm his suspicions.
He looked at the other antiques in the shop.
[Item name]: Beast-head agate cup [Item grade]: None [Item ability]: None [Item description]: A wine vessel with 627 years of history.
[Item name]: Tianhuang jade thumb ring [Item grade]: None [Item ability]: None [Item description]: A jade artifact with 384 years of history.
[Item name]: Rice-grain porcelain [Item grade]: None [Item ability]: None [Item description]: A porcelain artifact with 1,018 years of history.
Holy fucking shit!
Gu Cheng was ecstatic.
This was seriously fucking awesome!
As long as he focused, he could see the information for every antique.
Such an absurdly powerful ability was practically the ultimate cheat.
From now on, wouldn't appraising treasures, hunting bargains, and excavating archaeological sites be child's play?!
Forget a little place like Panjiayuan.
He could have his way throughout the entire world of antiques.
But he had also realized something.
The young man had indeed been right.
Although all the antiques in his shop were authentic.
They were merely ordinary historical artifacts.
Compared with the young man's jade pendant.
They really were junk.
That jade pendant was actually a legendary supreme-grade enchanted artifact!
It possessed inconceivable powers.
Just like the magical treasures in cultivation stories.
"Wait, didn't he just say that pixiu of mine was interesting?"
Gu Cheng looked at the unremarkable bronze pixiu statue on the counter.
[Item name]: Swallowing-Heaven Pixiu [Item grade]: Low-grade enchanted artifact [Item ability]: Draw wealth and treasures [Item description]: A feng shui pixiu consecrated by a master, capable of gathering the aura of wealth and drawing in the aura of treasures.
"Holy fucking shit!"
Gu Cheng's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
This pixiu really was a treasure?!
No wonder this young man had proposed a bet.
So this pixiu had been his target all along?!
Huh?
This thing had been right under my nose for years, and I never noticed.
How had he spotted it?!
Could he have a cheat too?!
He gave the young man a strange look.
Noticing his gaze, the young man said impatiently, "Golden Eye, can you do this or not?"
Gu Cheng sneered inwardly.
He placed the jade pendant back in front of the young man. "Will you really honor the bet if you lose?!"
The young man said, "I have never gone back on my word."
Gu Cheng said, "In that case, I won't take advantage of you either. If I can't tell you anything about it, that pixiu and this shop are both yours."
"But if I happen to get lucky and identify your jade pendant, you won't have to buy the stock in my shop."
He pointed at the jade pendant.
"Just give me that."
"What do you say?!"
At Gu Cheng's words.
The arrogant expression on the young man's face froze.
He studied Gu Cheng for a moment.
Then suddenly dropped his arrogant expression.
In an instant, he seemed to become a different person.
His entire demeanor underwent a complete transformation.
The arrogant, rude, spoiled rich kid disappeared.
In his place stood a refined and courteous young gentleman with a deeply calculating mind.
He smiled self-deprecatingly. "It seems you really have recognized my jade pendant."
Gu Cheng chuckled too. "You could always bet that I'm bluffing."
The young man shook his head gently. "There's no need. Since you might recognize this pendant, I can't take that risk by betting with you. Knowing when to cut your losses, even at a painful cost, is what a smart person does."
"Going back on my word may cost me face, but at least I get to keep my jade pendant."
"If I want your pixiu, I can find another way."
"Trying something you know is impossible is called courage if you succeed, but utter stupidity if you fail."
After hearing this, Gu Cheng could not help feeling some admiration for him.
He knew when to bend and when to stand tall.
He could swallow humiliation without retaliation.
It sounded simple, but how many people could actually do it?
People who truly achieved great things often did not care about saving face.
They knew how to discard their so-called dignity and bow their heads at a critical moment.
Those were the people who ultimately succeeded.
That was why Liu Bang became emperor, while Xiang Yu slit his own throat at the Wu River.
"You're interesting. Let's get acquainted. My name is Xie Yuchen."
The young man held out his hand.
"My name is Gu Cheng."
Gu Cheng shook his hand, and just as he let go.
His expression suddenly froze.
"What did you say your name was?"
He asked with a look that suggested he doubted his own ears.
The young man repeated it. "Xie Yuchen."
Gu Cheng said, "Xie as in 'explain'? Yu as in 'rain'? Chen as in 'subject'?"
Xie Yuchen nodded.
Gu Cheng abruptly rose to his feet, his eyes widening as he stared at Xie Yuchen in shock.
"You're from the Old Nine Gates?!"
"The head of the Xie Family?"
"Ninth Master Xie's grandson and Xie Lianhuan's son?"
Xie Yuchen looked a little surprised. "You know me?"
Gu Cheng opened his mouth.
But he did not know what to say.
It felt as though a category-eighteen storm had erupted inside him.
His entire world was being turned upside down.
Gu Cheng was a transmigrator.
Three years earlier, the original owner of his body had accompanied his advisor to an archaeological site, only to accidentally succumb to poisonous miasma and die.
Then Gu Cheng had taken over his body.
Not only had he inherited the original owner's memories, along with his knowledge and experience in archaeology and treasure appraisal.
He had also become the young owner of the Treasure-Hiding Studio, with assets worth over a hundred million.
Gu Cheng smiled bitterly to himself.
Was I supposed to tell you that I'd read The Grave Robbers' Chronicles and watched the TV adaptations?
That I knew everything about your Old Nine Gates?
But!
How had characters from the story ended up in the real world?
Hadn't I transmigrated into a parallel world?
Had I actually transmigrated into the world of The Grave Robbers' Chronicles, or one of its TV adaptations?
No wonder.
Gu Cheng had thought the young man looked familiar all along.
He simply could not remember where he had seen him.
Now that he thought about it.
He must have seen him in a TV adaptation.