47: Chapter 47 So... what can you figure out?

He knew that the Treasure Hunting Radar never made mistakes; the more ordinary an object appeared, the more likely it was to hide astonishing value. This was the so-called "You cannot judge a person by their appearance, nor can you measure the sea with a bucket."

"Hu Tian, what are you looking at?"

Zhou Waner noticed that Hu Tian's gaze had been fixed on the incense burner on the shrine, and his eyes looked a bit strange. She asked curiously, "Is there something special about that incense burner? It looks quite old, and it's all black, like a coal ball."

"It's nothing, I just think that incense burner has a sense of history, and its shape is very unique. It looks a bit like a certain type of ancient ritual vessel I saw in a book; it might even be a 'hidden master' level treasure."

Hu Tian replied casually, but his mind was rapidly calculating how to approach the incense burner. After all, there were too many eyes here, and he couldn't act rashly.

As a cultural heritage site, the items here certainly couldn't be moved at will; otherwise, it would be "damaging cultural relics," and he would be in big trouble.

Moreover, there were staff members watching, so he couldn't just reach out and examine it. That would be too obvious, unless he wanted to be on tomorrow's social news headlines with a title like: 《Shocking! A Certain Man Publicly 'Handles' Cultural Relics at the Confucius Temple.

"It is indeed quite antique."

Zhou Waner took a glance but didn't pay much attention. "But everything in a place like this should be a cultural relic, right? I doubt anything is worth much; they're probably just ordinary sacrificial items or crafts bought wholesale from some online marketplace."

Just then, a middle-aged man wearing a uniform walked over, holding a broom, as if ready to sweep away "trash" at any moment.

This middle-aged man was none other than Li Hao, the administrator of Wenchang Pavilion. He had been working here for over a decade and could be considered a "living fossil" of the place.

He had been patrolling the pavilion earlier, responsible for maintaining order and protecting the cultural relics. His eyes were like surveillance cameras, constantly monitoring every move of the tourists.

When he noticed that Hu Tian's gaze had rested on that incense burner for several minutes, he couldn't help but feel a sense of vigilance, as if he had spotted some suspicious character.

Over the years, Administrator Li had seen many people who had designs on the cultural relics in the pavilion. Some were antique dealers wanting to buy them privately, while others were criminals planning to steal the relics; it was simply impossible to guard against everyone.

Although the young man in front of him looked refined and was accompanied by his girlfriend, appearing like a "good family man," Administrator Li still decided to step forward and ask. After all, "one should not have the intention to harm others, but one must have the intention to guard against them."

"Sir, is there anything you need help with?"

Li Hao walked up to Hu Tian. His tone was polite but carried a sense of scrutiny, and his gaze seemed capable of seeing right through Hu Tian.

Hu Tian snapped back to reality. Seeing the work badge hanging on the other person's chest, he immediately understood the man's identity and thought to himself: "It's here, the main person in charge has arrived."

He put on a polite smile, a smile so standard it looked like a textbook example: "Hello, Master Li. I was just a bit curious about this incense burner. Looking at its style and material, it seems to have some age to it. Do you know which dynasty it's from?"

The vigilance in Li Hao's eyes eased slightly, but he still maintained professional caution: "You have a good eye, sir. This incense burner is indeed an old item; it is said to have been passed down from the Qing dynasty. However, we don't have detailed records of its specific age and origin, as it has been too long."

He paused and then added, his tone carrying a hint of warning: "However, the items here are all property of a cultural heritage protection unit and cannot be touched at will. You can look, but you cannot touch, just like the exhibits in a Museum."

His words carried a clear reminder, as if saying: "Don't get any ideas about it, or you'll be sorry."

Zhou Waner caught the warning in his words and quickly tugged on Hu Tian's sleeve, whispering: "Brother Hu Tian, let's go look somewhere else. Don't cause trouble for them; be careful not to get dragged off to drink tea."

Hu Tian, however, had no intention of leaving immediately. Instead, he looked at Administrator Li even more earnestly, as if he had discovered some earth-shattering secret: "Master Li, actually, I have done some research on antiques and cultural relics. If I am not mistaken, this incense burner is likely not as simple as an ordinary Qing dynasty incense burner. It might hide some unknown secret, for instance... could it be a lost descendant of a ming dynasty xuande incense burner?"

Li Hao was stunned, a flash of surprise appearing in his eyes as if he had heard something incredible: "Oh? Are you in the antique business, sir? Or are you some kind of expert?"

"Not a businessman, just a personal hobby. I usually like to study some vases and jars, and I know just a little bit."

Hu Tian explained with a hint of mystery in his tone, holding up a finger and waving it: "I see that although this incense burner looks plain on the surface with a thick patina, the patterns on the burner body vaguely show cloud and dragon motifs. Also, the tripod shape at the bottom is very special, somewhat like the style of the ming dynasty. If we could take a closer look at the base mark, we might have an unexpected discovery, like finding out it was used by some emperor."

Li Hao listened, dazed. Although he was half-skeptical, he was still somewhat moved by what Hu Tian said. After all, who wouldn't want the broken incense burner they managed to actually be a treasure?

"Really? Does this incense burner have so many intricacies?"

Li Hao scratched his head, his tone significantly softened: "Th-then what can you tell from it?"

Hu Tian smiled slightly, knowing the fish had taken the bait. He was just preparing to continue with the bluffing... oh no, continuing to popularize knowledge... about this incense burner.

Hu Tian continued to chatter away for quite a while.

Relying on the silver tongue he had developed from working in sales, he finally got Li Hao to agree to let him examine the burner.

"Master Li, how about this: let's go somewhere else, and I will help you take a good look at this incense burner. If it really is what I suspect, it might be a great thing for your cultural heritage unit, and you could also benefit from it, right?"

Hu Tian's tone was sincere and confident, just like a doctor convincing a patient to undergo surgery.

Li Hao hesitated for a moment, secretly weighing the pros and cons in his heart.

On one hand, he didn't want outsiders messing with these cultural relics; but on the other hand, if this incense burner really had some history, wouldn't he be credited with a merit?

Thinking of this, Li Hao finally nodded: "Alright then, I'll trouble you, sir. But we have to go to the quiet room next door. The lighting is better there, and it's quiet, suitable for careful research."

"No problem, I'll follow your arrangements."

A satisfied smile appeared on Hu Tian's face, but inwardly he was secretly smug: This administrator really took the bait; it seems my "bluffing technique" has improved again.

Li Hao carefully picked up the incense burner and led Hu Tian and Zhou Waner through a narrow corridor to a quiet room with excellent lighting.

This room was clearly intended for organizing the cultural relics in the pavilion. The walls were pristine white, the windows were bright and clean, and several workbenches were placed against the walls, covered with soft velvet cloth.

Li Hao gently placed the incense burner on the workbench, then stepped back, crossed his arms over his chest, and struck a pose as if to say, "I'd like to see what kind of nonsense you can spout."

Hu Tian, however, was unhurried. He took a pair of pure white cotton gloves out of his pocket and elegantly put them on. His posture was so professional that he looked like a cultural relic restorer who had worked at a Museum for over a decade, his aura instantly fully unleashed.

"Master Li, please bring me a soft-bristled brush. Make sure it has fine bristles and isn't too hard, so as not to damage the surface of the object."

As Hu Tian spoke, he flexed his fingers to make the gloves fit better.

Li Hao was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected this young man to have even prepared his own tools. He really looked a bit like a professional.

He turned around, and Li Hao took a soft-bristled brush from the tool rack nearby and handed it to Hu Tian.

"Young man, you must be careful. Although this thing doesn't look like much, it is, after all, an item from the pavilion. If you drop it, it won't be easy to explain."

Li Hao instructed as he handed over the brush, his tone devoid of the previous vigilance, instead carrying a hint of anticipation.

"Rest assured, Master Li, I know what I'm doing. This is my 'old trade' after all."

Hu Tian took the brush, weighed it slightly, and then carefully picked up the incense burner, his movements as gentle as if he were holding a fragile baby or a newly hatched chick.

Just then, Zhou Waner stood by, her large eyes staring at Hu Tian without blinking, her gaze full of surprise and admiration.

At this moment, Hu Tian, wearing white gloves and holding the soft brush, looked focused and serious, every movement exuding a sense of professionalism.

That temperament, that expression, was almost exactly the same as her grandfather in her memories.

Since she was young, she had watched her grandfather wear white gloves and often use various appraisal tools to carefully identify precious cultural relics.

That focused gaze, those cautious movements, were all deeply imprinted in her mind.

And now, the Hu Tian in front of her was slowly overlapping with the image of her grandfather from back then.

"Brother Hu Tian is so professional..."

Zhou Waner thought secretly, her little face slightly flushed. She didn't know if it was because the quiet room was a bit stuffy, or because of something else, but she just felt that Hu Tian was incredibly handsome at this moment.

Hu Tian did not notice Zhou Waner's abnormality; he had already fully entered the zone, leaning down to begin carefully observing the incense burner in front of him.

He first used the soft brush to gently brush away the dust on the surface of the incense burner, his movements as gentle as stroking a baby's cheek, fearing that one careless move would damage this treasure.

Li Hao had initially felt uneasy, fearing that this young man was a con artist here to cheat him. But watching Hu Tian's series of operations—putting on gloves, checking the brush, and his posture while observing the incense burner—all identical to the Museum experts he had seen before, he immediately relaxed. He even moved a chair over to sit down, prepared to learn a thing or two.

Hu Tian placed the incense burner on the soft cloth spread out on the table and adjusted the angle to let the light shine better on the burner body.

He first used the brush to gently sweep away the floating dust on the surface of the incense burner, his movements as gentle as brushing away the dust of time from a sleeping ancient person.

"Master Li, do you usually take care of this incense burner?"

Hu Tian asked casually while cleaning.

"Where would I have the spare time for that?"

Li Hao waved his hand. "There are too many things in this pavilion, and I'm the only one managing it. It's good enough that I can ensure they don't get dusty. This incense burner is usually just placed in that corner; visitors don't even take a look at it, they all go to look at the paintings and calligraphy. It's simply 'a talent unrecognized'."

"Then that's my gain."

Hu Tian smiled, a glimmer of keenness flashing in his eyes.

As the brush cleaned it, the dust on the surface of the incense burner was gradually swept away, and the originally dull burner body gradually revealed its true appearance.

The bronze texture emitted a faint green light under the light, and the patterns faintly visible on the burner body became increasingly clear.

"Look,"

A poem says: In the quiet room, dust-free, the sunlight stretches long, White-gloved hands test their mettle. Gently brushing away a thousand years of grime, The true appearance revealed is a precious radiance.