From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Chapter 101 Incense Burner

Lin Yan's gaze was fixed on the bronze incense burner.

No, this is not an incense burner.

He squatted down and took a closer look. Although the thing was covered in dust, its shape was not quite the same as the incense burners Lin Yan had seen. This burner had three legs at the bottom and several small holes on the lid.

It looks like an alchemy furnace.

But this is too small.

The [Jianbao]'s perception enveloped the entire furnace, once, twice, three times...

There has been no feedback.

Lin Yan wasn't in a hurry. He squatted there for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before the panel finally reacted.

[Feedback: Object, grade unknown, suspected damage, function unknown, further assessment required]

【Jianbao (Beginner) (26/100)】

Unknown? Damaged?

But at least the proficiency level has increased, so this should be an item of at least the level of a treasure.

Lin Yan remained expressionless, stood up, dusted off his hands, pointed to the shelf, and asked, "Boss, how much are these things?"

Ji Qian walked over and glanced at them, but frowned. "Why is the general interested in these? These items were sold together when we were buying things. My brother and I studied them for a long time but we still don't know when they came from. They've been sitting there for almost two years. If the general likes them, you can take them all for twenty taels."

Twenty taels.

Lin Yan almost burst out laughing.

They didn't know what it was, but since it was an item that the [Treasure Appraisal] could respond to, even if it was a defective product, it was definitely worth more than twenty taels. Ji Kun obviously didn't take this thing seriously.

"Alright, twenty taels it is." Lin Yan nodded, then casually picked out three treasures from the antique shelf: a mid-grade jade artifact and two high-grade porcelain pieces. "Let's add these three together and calculate the total."

Ji Qian quoted a price: the three treasures together cost less than three hundred taels of silver. Lin Yan didn't haggle and paid the money readily.

Ji Kun came up from the first floor, wrapped up the alchemy furnace, inkstone, and broken sleeve sword, and then pulled out the few broken stones from the corner and stuffed them into the bag.

"These stones were also collected along with that furnace back then. If the general doesn't mind, you can take them with you."

Lin Yan took the bag, thanked him, and turned to leave Jubaoyuan.

Back at the Lin residence, Lin Xiu was squatting in the garden talking to a little tabby cat that had appeared out of nowhere. Seeing Lin Yan return, she skipped over and asked, "Brother! Why are you so late today!"

"I went to take care of something." Lin Yan patted his younger sister's head. "Where's Mother?"

"Mom is cooking in the kitchen; she said she's going to stew pork ribs for lunch today!"

Lin Yan smiled, picked up his bundle, and went into his study.

He closed the door, took the alchemy furnace out of his bundle, and placed it on the table to examine it carefully.

He tried to lift the stove lid and found it empty, with nothing inside.

He reached inside and touched the inner wall of the furnace. It felt very rough, but he could vaguely feel fine lines, as if some kind of pattern was being carved. However, most of the pattern was covered by rust, so he couldn't make out what it was.

Lin Yan activated the [Jianbao] again.

This time, the panel reacted much faster.

[Feedback: The alchemy furnace is severely damaged, and the internal array is incomplete. It is suspected to be a mid-grade Xuan treasure and needs to be repaired before it can be used normally.]

Mid-grade Mystic Treasure!

Lin Yan's hand suddenly trembled.

It's a mid-grade Xuan treasure, a full grade higher than his [Zhenyue] Blade. Even though it's damaged now, it's still a genuine Xuan treasure.

He actually bought this thing for only twenty taels of silver?

He took a deep breath to calm himself, and then took out the strange stones that were with the alchemy furnace from his bundle.

[Feedback: Spirit stone fragment, containing trace amounts of spiritual energy, can be used to craft artifacts]

Spirit Stone Fragments.

Lin Yan held several stones in his palm and could feel a faint trace of spiritual energy seeping from the surface of the stones, slowly flowing into his body through his palm. Although it was very small, it was definitely spiritual energy.

It seems I need to learn some weapon-refining techniques so I can repair this alchemy furnace.

He carefully put away the alchemy furnace and spirit stone fragments, and was about to go out for a meal when he suddenly heard several knocks on the door.

"General, Steward Feng has arrived," a maid's voice rang out.

Lin Yan frowned. Why had Manager Feng come in person? It must not be anything good.

Upon opening the door, Steward Feng was standing in the courtyard with a smile, holding an invitation in his hands.

"General Lin, congratulations!"

"Manager Feng, what is there to be happy about?"

"His Highness said that he would like to invite the General to the East Palace for a meeting tomorrow," Steward Feng handed over the invitation. "The General has been resting at home for so long, it's time to stretch his muscles."

Lin Yan took the invitation, opened it, and saw only one line: Tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), East Palace Garden.

He closed the invitation and looked at Steward Feng. "Do you know what it is?"

Steward Feng shook his head. "His Highness said that the general will know when he goes tomorrow."

After saying this, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and left the Lin residence.

Lin Yan knew that this month of peace was finally coming to an end.

……

The next morning, Lin Yan left home on time.

Instead of wearing the official robes of a sixth-rank official, he changed into a dark blue close-fitting outfit, with the Zhenyue Sword hanging at his waist.

Although he didn't say what it was about, Steward Feng's suggestion to "stretch his muscles" didn't sound like the Crown Prince was inviting him for tea and a chat.

Upon arriving at the East Palace, Lin Yan presented his invitation, and a eunuch led him to the garden.

Crown Prince Li Zhengxin was sitting in the pavilion, with a pot of tea and two cups in front of him.

"You've arrived?" Li Zhengxin looked up, a gentle smile on his face, and said to Lin Yan, "Please sit down."

Lin Yan clasped his hands in greeting and sat down opposite him.

"How is your injury healing?" Li Zhengxin looked Lin Yan up and down.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am now out of danger."

Li Zhengxin nodded. "That's good. You must be bored after resting at the manor for so long."

Lin Yan didn't respond. He knew that the Crown Prince wouldn't care about his injuries for no reason; these polite words were just a prelude.

Sure enough, Li Zhengxin took a sip of tea, his tone becoming casual, "Have you heard about the strange thing that happened in the capital a few days ago?"

"I have been staying at home and haven't heard of anything unusual."

"On the main street in the north of the city, a man suddenly went mad and injured several people in the street. Several died on the spot, and two are still lying unconscious in the clinic." Li Zhengxin sighed and continued, "The people from the Jingzhao Prefecture arrested him. During the interrogation, they found out that he was a rogue cultivator with a second-grade cultivation level. He was usually well-behaved, but that day he suddenly went into a state of demonic possession and lost his mind, which is why he injured people in the street."

Lin Yan frowned. "It's rare for rogue cultivators to suffer from qi deviation, but it's not exactly uncommon either."

"The question is, why did he go mad with qi?" Li Zhengxin held up a finger. "The people from the Jingzhao Prefecture found several pills on him. After testing, they found that the medicine was very potent and that long-term use could easily cause problems."

Lin Yan's heart stirred, and he vaguely guessed the reason why the Crown Prince had summoned him today.