Old Harden, can you handle having your vision-shifting abilities on all the time?

Xu Xing knew about Liuyu Meadow, located in the Qinling Mountains southeast of Chang'an. It was a high-altitude meadow with truly beautiful scenery.

"Will this disturb your sketching?"

"No, no! We're just out for fun. Sketching is part of the fun, and we're with my good classmates and Professor Feng, who's the kindest person in our department."

"Brother Xu, come over! I'll paint a portrait of you and give it to you."

Li Yuting's tone on the phone was half inviting and half coquettish.

Hearing her lively voice, Xu Xing felt his mood brighten up. Going for a walk in the mountains and breathing in some fresh air was indeed a good choice.

"Okay, I'll come over. Send me your location."

Li Yuting nodded like a chick pecking at rice on the other end of the phone and said, "If you drive here, just navigate to the Liuyusi Village parking lot, and then you'll have to hike for about an hour and a half to get to the meadow."

We'll camp on the east side of the meadow near the stream. Call me when you arrive and I'll come pick you up. Be careful on the road, Xu Ge.

After hanging up the phone, she sent me her location again.

Xu Xing quickly washed up, changed into a set of light, quick-drying clothes and hiking boots, and packed some water and snacks in a backpack.

So I set off in my Yangwang U8L, which didn't have license plates yet.

As the car drove out of the city and onto the mountain road, the scenery on both sides gradually changed from urban streetscapes to lush green mountains.

We arrived at Liuyusi Village more than an hour later. The village is small and retains a relatively original appearance. The parking lot was already filled with some self-driving tour vehicles.

After parking and locking the car, Xu Xing followed the signs and began walking uphill along a path clearly marked by hiking enthusiasts.

In mid-June, the Qinling Mountains are lush and green, with fresh, moist air carrying the fragrance of grass, trees, and soil.

The mountain road wasn't steep, but the continuous ascent was a test of physical strength, though it was easy for Xu Xing at his current pace.

After walking for about forty minutes, we passed through a relatively flat and open area where some huge stone foundations, broken steles, and traces of foundations were scattered.

Xu Xing knew that this was the ruins of Liuyu Temple, which had been completely abandoned.

Xu Xing stopped and took a sip of water. Looking at the ruins, he remembered that he had once seen a rubbing of an inscription from this place when he was helping to organize books in the archives of the Jingyang County Museum.

The inscription, carved in the late Qing Dynasty, records an anecdote about a scholar: Tang Bohu, a talented scholar of the Ming Dynasty, stayed briefly at this temple during his travels. He had a pleasant conversation with the abbot, Monk Jin Hui, and before parting, Tang Bohu gave Tang Bohu a jade pendant from his waist as a token of appreciation for his friend.

At the time, several colleagues at the museum discussed this matter and generally believed that it was mostly a legend fabricated by later monks of Liuyu Temple to enhance the temple's reputation and attract worshippers.

Very few of Tang Bohu's authentic works and relics have survived to this day. Each one is meticulously researched, so how could it have easily appeared in this desolate temple deep in the Qinling Mountains?

Xu Xing neither confirmed nor denied it at the time, but felt that what his colleagues said was more likely.

Standing here at the ruins, this little story from his memory naturally came to mind. He shook his head and smiled, thinking that the ancients' practice of trying to gain attention is the same in both ancient and modern times.

However, men subconsciously have a bit of a treasure-hunting complex, so he still curiously activated his X-ray vision, his gaze aimlessly sweeping over the ruins that covered an area of ​​about two or three hundred square meters.

Through the shallow layer of soil, one can see the crisscrossing foundations, scattered bricks and stones, and a small amount of remaining rotten wood.

However, no treasures were found.

However, just as he turned his gaze away and prepared to continue climbing the mountain, he discovered a patch of green in the mud of the roadside ditch that did not belong here.

It turned out to be a jade bracelet!

Xu Xing paused in his steps. Although he was not an expert who specialized in jewelry, jade was a separate major category in the classification of antiques.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the value of jadeite soared, so knowledge of its identification was naturally a must-learn subject. Identifying common jade varieties and judging their approximate quality was not difficult for him.

He took a few steps closer, squatted down, and focused his attention to look again.

With X-ray vision, the object's full appearance clearly emerged even through the loose soil and sand only two or three fingers deep.

It is a jadeite Guanyin pendant that is missing its chain. The jadeite is a rich, pure, even, and full green color throughout, and it is a very high-grade, high-ice type of jadeite with floating green patterns.

It has a delicate texture and is extremely moist; you can feel its icy and translucent quality even through the soil.

Judging from the craftsmanship, it's a modern design; it must have been buried here less than two years ago.

"Did a tourist drop it?"

Xu Xing made a guess in his mind.

The Liuyu Temple Ruins is a relatively unpopular hiking route, and it's not uncommon for enthusiasts to lose their belongings in their haste to visit.

However, it is quite strange that such a top-quality item worth over a million was left here and not found.

Xu Xing glanced again at the terrain of the ditch and the traces of soil erosion, suspecting that this thing might not have been lost here originally, but was washed here by rainwater from the mountain.

He looked around and saw that the mountain path was quiet except for the sounds of birdsong and the wind.

After a moment's hesitation, he broke off a suitable branch from a nearby bush, squatted back down, and carefully dug out the jade pendant by brushing away the loose soil.

Then I poured some clean water from the kettle and rinsed it briefly. The dirt was removed, and the jade became even more dazzling in the sunlight.

The greenery seems to be flowing out; it's a rare and high-quality item.

With a slight thought, the Guanyin pendant disappeared from his palm and was stored in his dantian space.

After finishing all this, Xu Xing got up, patted the dirt off his hands, and felt even better.

He threw the tree branch back to the roadside, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and continued walking up the mountain.

With light steps and a gentle mountain breeze on my face, even the air felt fresher and sweeter.

More than an hour later, everything suddenly became clear.

Nestled amidst mountains, a vast alpine meadow unfolds like a green velvet carpet, with verdant forests in the distance and wildflowers dotting the landscape nearby. A clear stream meanders through the landscape like a silver ribbon.

Several brightly colored tents dotted the eastern side of the meadow near the stream, which was where Li Yuting and her group had set up camp.

Xu Xing spotted the familiar figure wearing a light yellow sun-protective shirt, busy in front of the easel.

He raised his hand and waved. Li Yuting happened to look up and saw him. She immediately jumped up and waved her arms vigorously, a big smile spreading across her face.

"Brother Xu! Over here!"

Her clear voice came from a distance.

Xu Xing walked over with a smile.

Besides Li Yuting, there were five young people in the camp: two men and three women, as well as a sprightly old lady with gray hair sitting in a folding chair.

An easel was also set up in front of him.

"Brother Xu, you've finally arrived! Were you tired from hiking up here?"

Li Yuting excitedly stepped forward, then turned to her companions and introduced, "Everyone, this is my friend Xu Xing, who works in the antique business."

"These are all my classmates: Wang Rui, Chen Fan, Zhou Xiaowei, Li Jing, and Liu Yunxi."

She pointed them out one by one, and finally looked at the old lady, saying, "This is Professor Feng Manli from our department. We came out to sketch and learn with her this time."

Xu Xing smiled and nodded to everyone: "Hello Professor Feng, hello students, sorry to bother you."

"Comrade Xiao Xu, welcome."

Professor Feng smiled kindly, his gaze lingering on Xu Xing's face for a moment, a barely perceptible scrutiny flashing in his eyes. He then asked casually, as if in conversation, "I heard from Yu Ting that you work at a museum? Which museum and what is your area of ​​expertise?"

Xu Xing answered frankly, "I used to work on cultural relic restoration at the Jingyang County Museum, and I recently changed jobs to the restoration center at Chengxinzhai."

Professor Feng raised an eyebrow, sat up slightly, and said thoughtfully, "Xu Xing?"

She read the name aloud, then suddenly seemed to remember something.

He asked, "Are you the craftsman Xu who perfectly restored a Yongzheng celadon-glazed Yuhuchun vase in just three days?"