Chapter 4

This situation instantly lifted Chu Chen's spirits. After the experiment with the Kangxi Tongbao coin, which yielded the results he wanted, he picked up another coin, this time a Xianfeng Tongbao. Although the aura within was still faint, he could sense that it lasted longer than before.

From the experiment with the Xianfeng Tongbao, Chu Chen drew three main conclusions.

First, the duration of the aura being absorbed into his left hand seemed to be related to the actual age of the antique, roughly half a second for about five hundred years. Of course, this conclusion was based on the three instances where the aura appeared, and it might not be entirely accurate, but the actual situation should be similar.

As for why the conclusion was based on only three instances, after the Xianfeng Tongbao, although he could still feel the aura from the coins, it seemed as if his hand was already saturated and did not absorb any more.

From this, it was clear that his ability (which he referred to as such in his mind) had a limit. It seemed that only three auras could be absorbed into his left hand within a certain period, and the intensity of the auras probably had no limit.

This certain period was most likely one day. Whether it reset after each use of the ability or at midnight each day needed further experimentation to confirm. Another question was whether unused ability could be carried over to the next day, which also required further testing.

Although there was a limit on the number of uses, the fact that he could sense the aura within the coins was quite useful. This could help determine whether an item was an antique, and whether it was a modern imitation or valuable would depend on his judgment. However, this function alone had already greatly helped him.

Finally, the strength of the aura likely indicated the value of the antique. This needed to be verified with Uncle Wu, as apart from the coins, all his other antiques had already been sold.

Previously, Chu Chen had a savings of 400,000 yuan and a few thousand yuan in cash for purchasing. To buy the Tang Sancai camel, he sold all his slightly valuable jade and antiques, getting only 20,000 yuan due to the urgency.

This was why, after nearly five years of practicing at the Panjiayuan market, he only had ancient coins, which were not very valuable.

After the recent experiments, Chu Chen drew the above conclusions, feeling as if he had been struck by a treasure pot. He was already imagining priceless antiques and treasures beckoning to him.

"Ha ha! Ha ha!"

Chu Chen laughed uncontrollably, but tears streamed down his face. The past few days had been a rollercoaster of emotions, and his mind had been under constant strain.

From the joy of acquiring the Tang Sancai to the discovery that it was a fake, he had endured immense pressure, as the loss was real money. Then, he received both good and bad news, followed by the discovery of his ability. If his mental resilience had been weaker, he might have gone insane.

Even if he hadn't gone insane, such a dramatic shift could have led to a serious illness. By releasing his emotions now, he avoided potential physical and mental pain. This also greatly enhanced his mental resilience, laying a solid foundation for his future career in antiques.

It had been three to four hours since he discovered his ability, and Chu Chen felt physically drained, likely due to the mental strain. He ate a bowl of instant noodles and went to rest.

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When Chu Chen woke up, it was already 6:00 AM the next day. He had a refreshing sleep, feeling refreshed and full of energy.

After getting up, the first thing Chu Chen did was not to wash up, but to go to the living room where the coins were placed. He picked up a coin with his left hand, and as expected, immediately felt a faint aura, which was quickly absorbed into his palm.

This confirmed that the ability from yesterday was not a hallucination and that the number of absorptions reset at midnight.

Chu Chen nodded in satisfaction and was about to go wash up, but he stopped and frowned after a few steps.

"This won't do. If I waste the daily uses on unimportant antiques, it would be a pity. Can I control this ability?"

With this thought, he turned back to the pile of coins, took a deep breath, and extended his left hand toward another coin, silently repeating:

"Don't absorb, don't absorb."

When he picked up the coin, he immediately sensed the aura within. When the aura tried to be absorbed into his palm, it only fluctuated and then returned to the coin.

"It worked!"

Chu Chen was overjoyed, his mouth wide open in a grin. Being able to control the ability was excellent, as he could use the three precious opportunities on antiques he deemed valuable, greatly increasing his chances of finding treasures.

Chu Chen skipped breakfast and focused on training his control over the ability, finding it enjoyable and not at all tedious. After half a day of training, he felt he had a good grasp of it.

"Beep beep..." A phone call from the bedroom interrupted his training. He quickly went in and answered without checking the caller.

"Hello, who is this? This is Chu Chen."

"You brat, I heard you bought that Tang Sancai from Old Xiang and haven't been practicing at the market for days. Is everything okay?" A slightly hoarse but loud voice came from the phone, which Chu Chen immediately recognized as Uncle Wu's.

"It's Uncle Wu. I'm fine, I've been studying that Tang Sancai."

"Oh! Have you figured anything out? I heard that Old Liu and Old Qian don't think much of it. Why didn't you consult me before making such a big decision?"

"Hehe, I was in a hurry at the time and didn't have time to consult you, Uncle Wu. Please don't be angry. I have figured out something about the Tang Sancai, and I'll explain it to you at your shop."

With the confidence from his ability, Chu Chen was no longer concerned about the Tang Sancai and didn't show any signs of disappointment. He also had a vague suspicion that the ability might have come from the Tang Sancai, as it appeared after the Tang Sancai broke.

"Alright, I just got a batch of goods from out of town and am back at the shop. Come over and let's see how you've progressed."

"Ah? Uncle Wu, you went out of town?"

On the phone, Uncle Wu said with a teasing tone, "Brat, I care about you so much, and you didn't even know I went out of town. I'm heartbroken."

Chu Chen felt a bit embarrassed. He had been so engrossed recently that he hadn't noticed such things. He quickly apologized, "Uncle Wu, I'm really sorry. I was a bit obsessed recently. How about I treat you to dinner later?"

"Never mind, I accept your apology, but we just had dinner, so no need to treat me."

"Alright, I'll come over right after I eat."

After ending the call, Chu Chen quickly washed up, changed clothes, and wrapped the Tang Sancai fragments in newspaper, placing them in a bag before heading out.

*****************************

After a simple lunch, Chu Chen made his way to Uncle Wu's antique shop.

The shop faced west, with a sign above the door that read "Ceramic Intent Studio" in clerical script. The shop was very small, less than a meter wide, and two adults had to squeeze past each other to enter.

The shop door was open, and the layout inside was visible from the entrance. The shop was about twenty square meters, small but well-organized.

At the entrance was a corner counter, and the other three walls were lined with multi-tiered display shelves. The bottom shelves were storage cabinets for more valuable ceramics, while the upper shelves displayed various high-quality imitations.

There were also a few small multi-tiered shelves in the remaining space, also filled with high-quality imitations.

These imitations were clearly priced, and their authenticity was explained to customers. The prices of the ceramics in the storage cabinets were negotiated.

Uncle Wu was originally a鉴定专家 at the Palace Museum and started his antique business in the early 1980s. Over the years, he had made a decent amount of money, enough to afford a larger shop.

However, Uncle Wu had a daughter named Wu Ke, who was the same age as Chu Chen, 21 years old. This indicated that Uncle Wu had her late in life, at the age of 39.

Wu Ke was very precious to her parents, who indulged her in every way, but they also pushed her in her studies. When she was born, they decided to send her abroad for further education, so they saved all their money for her.

Wu Ke was very diligent and, with her father's help, was admitted to the University of Oxford at the age of 18. However, as it was a private education, the expenses were high, and Uncle Wu spent most of his savings on it, living frugally.

Despite this, Uncle Wu was very generous to Chu Chen, always ready to help him, which deeply moved Chu Chen.

When Chu Chen decided to live independently and moved out of Uncle Wu's house, this was a significant factor. Seeing the small shop, he resolved to earn money and improve Uncle Wu's environment. (Please support with favorites and recommendations!)