From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Li Zhengxin didn't think much of it and instructed Steward Feng, "Keep a close eye on Third Brother's people and don't let Lin Yan have any contact with them. As for Lin Yan himself... let him go wherever he wants to go, as long as he doesn't leave the capital. Just keep an eye out for anything special about Lin Yan that might attract Third Brother's attention."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Steward Feng bowed and retreated, disappearing outside the study door.

……

Winter of the thirty-sixth year of the Wulie reign of the Great Yan Dynasty.

Lin Yan has been in the position of Beijing Defense Advisor for a month, a month is neither a long nor a short time.

The Ministry of Defense hadn't assigned him any tasks, so Lin Yan stopped focusing on them and just went through the same routine every day: clocking in, visiting shops, gathering herbs, practicing martial arts, and cultivating.

Lin Yan's proficiency in bone identification improved by leaps and bounds in the past month. He visited every shop in the capital, from century-old bone ornament shops to market carpet shops.

By the end of the month, my proficiency in [Bone Identification] was finally maxed out.

That day, Lin Yan was squatting in front of a street stall, fiddling with a few crude bone skewers, when he felt the panel in his mind tremble.

【Skill: Bone Identification (Mastery) 4000/4000】

[Has the bone structure identification technique reached a critical stage? Has it broken through?]

As expected, it arrived. Lin Yan was overjoyed and silently murmured, "Breakthrough!"

[Bone Identification (Mastery) Breakthrough to: Treasure Appraisal (Beginner)]

[Function: Has a 10% chance to identify the type, grade, and hidden attributes of a treasure.]

Appraising a treasure? He put down the bone skewer in his hand and glanced at the other items on the stall without making a sound: a dark yellow jade artifact, a dusty bronze incense burner, a bronze mirror with a crack... As he looked at them, some vague perceptions naturally arose in his mind.

However, these perceptions didn't provide clear written feedback like the [Bone Identification] technique. Lin Yan pondered to himself, "Could it be that the treasure appraisal failed? Or are these things not treasures at all?"

He didn't rush to verify it.

Lin Yan suppressed his curiosity, cupped his hands in greeting to the stall owner, and turned to walk towards the Lin residence.

Back at the mansion, Lin Yan went straight into the study, closed the door, and took a deep breath.

He thought for a moment and concluded that the most likely treasure he possessed was the [Zhenyue] sword that the emperor had bestowed upon him.

Lin Yan took out the Zhenyue sword from the cabinet, removed the scabbard, and pressed two fingers on the back of the blade to carefully feel it.

That vague perception reappeared, but there was still no feedback.

Hmm... Surely Zhenyue isn't a treasure either.

Lin Yan was not discouraged. He raised his hand and lowered it again, probing in with his senses once more, but still received no response.

After trying more than ten times, the panel finally responded.

[Feedback: The treasure type is a weapon, the grade is a low-grade Xuan treasure, and the hidden attribute is: the stronger the amount of true energy injected, the more difficult it is to heal the wound.]

【Jianbao (Beginner) (1/100)】

"Phew..." Lin Yan sighed, it seemed he was just unlucky.

Lin Yan decided that he wouldn't go to the bone ornament shop tomorrow; he was going to find a shop with treasures instead!

……

The next day, Lin Yan arrived at the Defense Department early as usual.

Upon entering the duty room, Lin Yan found that He Jin was not there. Instead, a younger clerk was sitting on a stool. When the younger clerk saw Lin Yan push the door open and enter, he quickly stood up and bowed. "Counselor Lin, Clerk He is on leave today. If you have anything to say, you can speak with me."

Lin Yan waved his hand, "It's nothing, I'll just have a cup of tea and then I'll leave."

Then he sat down with practiced ease, poured himself a cup of tea and took a few sips. The young manager sat beside him, nervously rubbing his hands.

Lin Yan first feigned concern by asking why Steward He had taken leave, then inquired of the younger steward, "Do you know of any shops in the capital that specialize in antiques and rare items?"

The young official thought for a moment and replied, "A shop that specializes in antiques and rare items... I do know one. There's one in the western part of the city called Jubaoyuan. If the general needs it, you can go and have a look."

Lin Yan's heart skipped a beat. "Jubaoyuan? What do they sell?"

"They sell everything: calligraphy and paintings, porcelain, jade, bronzes... as long as it's a good item, they buy and sell it."

After finishing his tea, Lin Yan stood up and said, "Thank you. I'll go take a look when I have time."

After leaving the Defense Bureau, he headed straight for the West City. He asked a few people and learned that Jubaoyuan was located in the most prosperous area of ​​the West City. It was a three-story building with a gold-plated signboard and two small stone lions standing at the entrance. It was very impressive, and you could tell from a distance that it was no ordinary shop.

Lin Yan pushed open the door and went inside. It was much larger than he had imagined. There were several large antique display shelves on the first floor, displaying all kinds of porcelain and jade. Several exquisite calligraphy and paintings were also hanging on the walls. Behind the counter sat a plump shopkeeper in his forties. When he saw Lin Yan come in, he quickly got up to greet him.

"Oh, sir, what would you like to see? We at Jubaoyuan may not claim that all our items are the best in the capital, but we guarantee that every single one has a distinguished provenance."

Lin Yan waved his hand, "Just browsing."

The portly shopkeeper didn't waste any time. He retreated behind the counter and continued fiddling with the account books.

Lin Yan walked slowly along the antique display shelves, his gaze sweeping over each item, feeling the feedback from the crafting panel.

To be on the safe side, he carefully examined each object twenty or thirty times.

However, it was all just a vague feeling in my mind, and the skill panel didn't give any feedback.

Lin Yan refused to believe it and carefully sensed it again, but still found nothing.

He turned around, walked up to the boss, and tapped the counter with his hand.

"Boss, are you sure this treasure is genuine?"

"What?" The fat shopkeeper was slightly taken aback, then his expression instantly turned furious. He slammed his fist on the counter. "What nonsense are you spouting? Go ask around in this western city, who doesn't know Jubaoyuan, who doesn't know my name, Ji Kun? You ask me if the treasure is real? I'd like to ask you if you're crazy!"

The portly shopkeeper's face flushed red, and he launched into a tirade against Lin Yan, spittle flying from his mouth, "You've been in the shop for almost an hour, just standing there watching. I bet you're too poor to afford anything. If you're trying to cause trouble, let me tell you, you've messed with the wrong person today..."

Listening to Ji Kun's words, Lin Yan suddenly began to doubt himself. Was he really having the worst luck today? Had he failed to appraise any treasures even once?

Just as Lin Yan was pondering, he suddenly noticed the ordinary-looking jade pendant on the fat shopkeeper's body.

[Feedback: This is a 60-year-old top-grade bluish-white jade, a fine gem. Wearing it for a long time is believed to have the effect of gathering spiritual energy.]

【Gathering Treasures (Beginner) (2/100)】

Lin Yan instantly felt reassured.

Reaching out and pressing down on the arm that Ji Kun was pointing at, he slowly said, "Boss, if I'm not mistaken, that jade on you is a 60-year-old bluish-white jade, right? It can gather spiritual energy."

Upon hearing this, Ji Kun instantly fell silent, his face turning ashen. "You, how did you know?"