Divine Eye Appraisal: Starting with a Lucky Pickup of a Beautiful CEO's Family Heirloom

Wen Zhaoye knelt before the bronze cauldron, his forehead pressed against the cauldron, as if all his strength had been drained away.

His shoulders were shaking, but he made no sound.

His dad told him not to cry, so he stopped crying.

Xuan Kongzi stood behind him, his gaze fixed on the cracks in the cauldron, his fingers gripping the bronze key slightly white. The key was engraved with the same patterns as the cauldron, a corner missing from its end, as if something had bitten off. Gu Qinghan, his hand on the sword hilt, stared at his master's back, his voice cold and hard: "Master, you knew the truth thirty years ago, why didn't you say anything?"

Xuan Kongzi did not answer.

He stared at Wen Zhaoye's back for a long time before speaking: "Your father left behind more than just these words."

Wen Zhaoye didn't move; his forehead was still pressed against the body of the cauldron.

"He said that if his son ever finds this place, he wants me to give you the key." Xuan Kongzi's voice was hoarse, like wood sanded by sandpaper. "Then he would tell you that his greatest fortune in this life was not protecting the seal, but having a son like you."

Wen Zhaoye's shoulders trembled even more violently.

He slowly raised his head and turned his face. His eyes were red-rimmed, but no tears fell. He stared at the bronze key in Xuan Kongzi's hand for several seconds, then reached out his hand.

Xuan Kongzi placed the key in his palm. The key was heavy, and the coolness of bronze seeped into his bones through his fingertips. Wen Zhaoye gripped it tightly, his fingers pausing at the indentation at the end of the key—that notch, as if it were a space reserved specifically for something.

He stood up, his legs a little weak, and he almost lost his balance. Gu Qinghan took a step forward, then stopped. Wen Zhaoye steadied himself by holding onto the cauldron, then turned around to look at the inner wall of the cauldron. The Divine Eye moved on its own. Pale golden characters emerged from the inner wall of the cauldron, appearing line by line—"Winter Solstice, Midnight, Blood as the Guide."

Below that was a line of small, shallowly engraved text, as if afraid of being discovered: "Next activation, 376 days from now."

Wen Zhaoye stared at the line of words, his fingers tightening on the key.

Three hundred and seventy-six days. He had three hundred and seventy-six days left. He gripped the key, turned around, and looked at Xuan Kongzi. Xuan Kongzi was still standing there, motionless, like a statue. "Can my father still come out?" Wen Zhaoye asked, his voice dry.

Xuan Kongzi remained silent for a long time.

So long that only the flickering light from within the cauldron remained in the stone chamber. Then he slowly shook his head. Wen Zhaoye stared at him, his fingers clenched so tightly they turned white, the edge of the key almost digging into his flesh. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his throat felt blocked, and he couldn't utter a sound. He lowered his head, looking at the key in his hand, at the notch at the end of the key. Then he hung the key around his neck, next to the jade pendant left by his father.

The bronze pieces clashed, producing a crisp sound.

He raised his head and looked at Xuan Kongzi: "I understand."

Xuan Kongzi looked at him, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions—guilt, relief, and a sense of finally letting go of something. "Your father is right," Xuan Kongzi said softly. "You are better than him."

Wen Zhaoye did not respond.

He turned around and looked at the bronze cauldron. Its surface was still covered in verdigris, and his father's jade pendant was embedded in the cracks, golden patterns slowly spreading across it. He reached out, placing his palm on the cauldron, feeling the faint vibration.

"Dad," he said, his voice soft but steady, "I'll come next winter solstice."

The cauldron trembled slightly, as if someone inside was responding. Gu Qinghan stood at the entrance of the stone chamber, remaining silent. She watched Wen Zhaoye's back, noticing the key and jade pendant hanging side by side on his chest, gleaming with the light of bronze and jade in the dim glow emitted by the cauldron.

She loosened her grip on the sword hilt, walked to his side, and stood still. "I'll stay with you," she said, her voice low but clear.

Wen Zhaoye did not turn around, but his hand on the cauldron paused for a moment.

Xuan Kongzi watched the two figures from behind, remained silent for a moment, then turned and walked towards the end of the passage.

His footsteps echoed in the stone chamber, one after another, growing ever more distant.

He paused at the entrance of the passage but did not turn around.

"I will come again on the winter solstice."

After saying that, he disappeared into the darkness.

The footsteps faded into the distance, until finally nothing could be heard at all.

Only Wen Zhaoye, Gu Qinghan, and the bronze cauldron remained in the stone chamber, along with the light within it that slowly, very slowly pulsed. Wen Zhaoye withdrew his hand from the cauldron and looked down at the key and jade pendant on his chest.

He reached out and touched the jade pendant, his fingertips lingering on the smooth jade surface for a moment, then turned and walked towards the passage. Gu Qinghan followed behind him. When they reached the entrance to the stone chamber, she glanced back at the bronze cauldron. The cauldron sat quietly on the stone platform, the jade pendant embedded in its cracks, its golden light flickering faintly, like a still-beating heart. She turned around and followed Wen Zhaoye into the darkness. The passage was quiet, save for the sound of their footsteps, one after the other, echoing between the stone walls.

Wen Zhaoye walked ahead, the key and jade pendant on his chest swaying gently with his steps, making a soft clinking sound in the darkness.

He didn't turn around. But he knew someone was following him.

It's not surveillance, it's not a mission. It's simply being there.

He gripped the key, his knuckles turning white, then released it.

As he stepped out of the hidden door, the sunlight outside was so bright he could barely open his eyes. The snow on Kunlun Mountain was dazzlingly white in the sunlight. He stood before the ruins of the Taoist temple, gazing at the distant, continuous snow-capped mountains, the key on his chest gleaming with a dark bronze light in the sunlight. Gu Qinghan stood beside him, silent.

The two of them stood there for a long time. The wind blew in from the mountains, carrying the scent of snow and a hint of pine.

Wen Zhaoye took a deep breath, then turned around and looked at Gu Qinghan.

"I'm gone."

Gu Qinghan looked at him and nodded.

The two walked down the stone steps side by side, behind them was the abandoned Taoist temple and below it, the bronze cauldron that had been sleeping for three thousand years.