"Dad, there's actually a secret I haven't told you."
Gu Cheng looked at his father with a serious expression.
"My fifth sense is actually incredibly strong."
"Not only can I identify divine artifacts, I can even sense some of their effects."
He mixed truth with lies.
Gu Sihai looked at him and sneered. "Go on. Keep making things up."
"I've been in the antiques business for years, and I've never heard of anyone who could sense a divine artifact's effects."
Gu Cheng said anxiously, "Dad, why won't you believe me? I'm telling the truth."
Gu Sihai said, "You think I don't know how good your fifth sense is? I tested you in secret before, and you didn't react at all. That means your fifth sense is no different from an ordinary person's."
Dad, you actually tested me behind my back?
That's playing dirty!
Gu Cheng grumbled inwardly.
"Dad, I really am not lying. I really can sense divine artifacts."
"For example, of these five divine artifacts in your collection, the other four are genuine."
"But this one..."
He picked up the Mutton-Fat White Jade Seal and held it before Gu Sihai.
"The Mutton-Fat White Jade Seal is a fake."
Gu Sihai immediately frowned. "What did you say?"
Gu Cheng said, "I said this Mutton-Fat White Jade Seal is just an ordinary antique, not a divine artifact."
Gu Sihai took the seal and examined it.
Gu Cheng continued, "Also, that Child-Giving Guanyin should help people carry on their family line-in other words, have children."
Gu Sihai looked at the Child-Giving Guanyin in astonishment.
"This bamboo slip should be the legendary Dao-Passing Secret Slip. According to legend, immortal sects used these to pass cultivation methods down to their disciples."
Gu Sihai looked utterly shocked!
"And this dagger is called Little Divine Edge. It was the personal weapon of Chen Yulou, the Xieling chief, leader of all the thieves under heaven, and head of Ever-Victorious Mountain, the largest underworld organization several decades ago."
Gu Sihai was completely dumbfounded.
He stared at Gu Cheng in amazement. Only after a long silence did he ask, "You're not lying to me? Everything you said is true?"
Gu Cheng said helplessly, "Dad, even if I lied to anyone else, I'd never lie to you!"
"Besides, why don't we test it and see whether I'm telling the truth?"
With that said.
He picked up the roll of bamboo slips, turned it over to inspect it, then pressed it against his forehead.
He closed his eyes, focused his attention, and tried hard to sense the bamboo slips.
Three seconds.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Suddenly, Gu Cheng felt his consciousness plunge into a mysterious space.
A giant whose features he couldn't make out sat cross-legged on the ground.
His body was transparent.
His internal organs, acupoints, and meridians were clearly visible.
As an explanation of how to practice the technique sounded in Gu Cheng's ears, a thin line traveled through the giant's body.
He had no idea how much time passed.
Then, abruptly.
Gu Cheng's consciousness returned to his body, and his eyes flew open as he snapped awake.
The first thing he saw was Gu Sihai standing before him, watching him anxiously.
Seeing him open his eyes.
Gu Sihai hurriedly asked, "Son, how do you feel? Are you all right?"
Gu Cheng sensed the faint energy circulating through his body.
He immediately broke into a broad grin.
"Dad, don't worry. I'm fine."
He excitedly raised the bamboo slips in his hand.
"These bamboo slips really are the legendary Dao-Passing Secret Slip. They contain a cultivation technique called the Fetal Breathing Method. Practicing it consistently can strengthen your body and prolong your life. If you reach its highest level, you can even breathe without using your mouth or nose."
Gu Sihai was speechless.
After that.
With Gu Cheng's guidance, Gu Sihai successfully learned the Fetal Breathing Method as well.
Only then did he truly believe what Gu Cheng had told him.
"If you had this ability, why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
Gu Sihai demanded angrily.
"I didn't understand it either. Before, I just treated it as an extra tool for appraising antiques. I never imagined it could identify divine artifacts."
"If Xie Yuchen hadn't told me about divine artifacts, how would I have known it could do that?"
"Come to think of it, it's your fault. You're the one who never told me about divine artifacts."
Gu Cheng pretended to blame his father.
Gu Sihai was left speechless, then looked filled with bitter regret.
"Ah, you're right. It's all my fault."
Seeing that.
Gu Cheng quickly comforted him. "Dad, there's no need to regret it. It's not too late to find out now."
"Don't worry. With me around, our family will have more and more divine artifacts."
"I won't take these bamboo slips."
"I get the feeling they have a limited number of uses. Once that limit is exceeded, they'll stop working."
"So after you teach Mom, put them away."
Gu Sihai nodded. "That's right. We mustn't let anyone find out about these bamboo slips, or they'll bring our family a lot of trouble."
Gu Cheng picked up Little Divine Edge and chuckled. "Dad, can I keep this one for self-defense?"
Gu Sihai glanced at him and said, "Take it if you like. From today onward, you're the pillar of this family."
"Thanks, Dad, but I'm still young. You're still the pillar of our family."
Gu Cheng quickly put Little Divine Edge away.
"As for this wine pot..."
Gu Cheng looked at the Nectar Jade Pot, feeling a headache coming on.
He had been too caught up in his excitement.
He hadn't noticed the materials it required.
[Item description]: Fill with nectar and immerse spirit jade in the wine. After eighty-one days, it can be refined into jade nectar.
Where the hell was he supposed to find nectar and spirit jade?
After giving it some thought.
He went to the dining room's liquor cabinet and found a bottle of special-supply aged liquor his father treasured too much to drink.
At the sight, Gu Sihai's expression changed in alarm.
"What are you doing?!"
"Put that down!"
Gu Cheng grinned. "Dad, I want to run an experiment. Don't you want to know what this divine artifact does?"
Gu Sihai's cheek twitched. Looking pained, he said, "It's just an experiment. Do you have to use that? Use something else! That's special-supply liquor aged for eighty years. I went to a lot of trouble and paid a fortune to win it at Christie's. You can't buy it even if you have the money!"
"Dad, this experiment needs old liquor."
As he spoke, he simply unscrewed the cap.
Gu Sihai's eyes immediately widened. He clutched his chest with his left hand and reached toward the bottle with his right, his face deathly pale.
"Dad, your acting is terrible."
Gu Cheng glanced at his father and spoke disdainfully.
Then he poured the liquor into the Nectar Jade Pot.
Finally, he washed the Mutton-Fat White Jade Seal clean and tossed it in as well.
"Leave it for three months!"
"We'll check the results after three months."
To all you handsome readers, writing a book isn't easy, and mine isn't one of those cookie-cutter tomb-raiding novels.
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