Gao Wu: I'll enjoy the benefits, but you'll bear the side effects.

The traces of time erosion on the runes are clearly visible, and the fine lines seem to be silently telling stories of the past, conclusively proving that this little ornament has a long history.

Gao Jie's eyes were full of surprise. His gaze was fixed on the mysterious rune, and he kept wondering: Where did this thing come from?

The more he looked at it, the more he felt that it exuded an unusual aura, and the secrets it contained seemed unfathomable.

After considering it seriously, Gao Jie's expression became increasingly incredulous.

He had a vague feeling that this seemingly small thing had a value and influence that far exceeded his initial imagination, and was even more weighty than he had repeatedly thought about it, as if it carried countless unknown past events and powers.

At this moment, Huang Muran rummaged through his bag for a while, took out a slightly worn book, handed it to Gao Jie, and gestured for him to look at it carefully.

"I thought you would recognize this, but I realized you've never seen it before. As far as I know, this is a very ancient magical artifact, but I don't know what it's used for. Besides, the strange runes on it aren't written in detail, so I don't know what's going on either."

As Huang Muran spoke, he shook his head helplessly, his eyes filled with a mixture of doubt and curiosity.

"However, as it stands, this thing is far more mysterious than we imagined."

Upon hearing this, Gao Jie subconsciously rubbed his chin and nodded thoughtfully. His opinion on the matter coincided with Huang Muran's.

"Where did you find this? I have a weird feeling about this thing."

Gao Jie frowned and asked, a hint of wariness in his eyes.

"This thing seems a bit off. Why don't you tell me where it came from?"

Hearing Gao Jie press him for a moment, Huang Muran hesitated, but ultimately dared not hide it any longer and could only tell the truth:

"To tell you the truth, I got this from somewhere, but after checking the map today, I realized it was actually the Qin Family Ancestral Hall. I really didn't do it on purpose."

Huang Muran's voice carried a hint of fear, "Besides, what exactly is this thing? I really don't know, and as for other things, I don't know anything about it."

Upon hearing that it was the Qin family ancestral hall, Gao Jie immediately thought of the upcoming match against the Qin family's boxers the next day.

For a moment, he vaguely sensed something was wrong, and he couldn't help but frown slightly. That strange feeling spread rapidly in his heart, growing stronger and stronger.

"Then there's definitely something wrong with this thing. Let's go, let's go again. I want to see what's going on here." Gao Jie's tone was firm and unwavering.

Hearing this, Huang Muran felt a pang of anxiety and wanted to stop Gao Jie, but he knew that once Gao Jie made up his mind, it would be difficult to change it.

Left with no other choice, Huang Muran had to go along. Huang Xu, who was on his way home, saw the two from afar. Before he could ask what was going on, Gao Jie and Huang Muran pulled him along, and the three of them headed to the Qin Family Ancestral Hall.

They followed the winding road in a long circle and finally arrived at the location of the Qin Family Ancestral Hall.

There are two mountains near the university town, with beautiful scenery and clear waters. Behind the mountains are mostly ancestral temples that have been carefully built by wealthy families.

The Qin Family Ancestral Hall stands out in this area, having been passed down through several generations, and the passage of time has given it even more charm.

The architecture here is unique, with carved beams and painted rafters, flying eaves and brackets, it is so magnificent that one can't help but marvel at its former glory.

As Huang Muran walked, he explained to Gao Jie and Huang Xu: "I just happened to discover a broken wall behind this place, so I led the two of them through the gap, pushed open the back door, and entered this huge ancestral hall."

As they spoke, they passed through the door and entered the ancestral hall.

"Look, this is the place. There's nothing special about the surrounding area. It's basically the same as other temple buildings we've seen. I found that thing near the entrance; I don't know who threw it there."

Gao Jie glanced around, then suddenly pointed towards the second floor, a glint of light in his eyes. The three exchanged a look, then cautiously and quietly climbed up.

Upon reaching the second floor, I discovered that it was truly a treasure trove of knowledge, filled primarily with ancient books and texts.

The pages of those classic books were slightly yellowed and exuded a faint scent of ink. Much of the content contained valuable information that they could use on their path of martial arts cultivation.

The techniques, insights, and understandings of martial arts realms recorded in these classic texts were of considerable help in improving their martial arts skills, as if they had opened a door for them to reach a higher level of martial arts.

Gao Jie slowly circled the second floor, his eyes filled with focus and inquiry. As he walked, he gestured to Huang Xu and Huang Muran to tidy up the clutter around them so that they could have a clearer view of everything. The three of them worked together, and after a short while, the surrounding environment became somewhat more organized.

Gao Jie's gaze fell on a shelf. He walked over and searched the shelf carefully until he finally found a book.

The book's cover was simple and heavy, as if it carried the secrets of countless years.

Gao Jie gently held it in his hands and quickly glanced through it. He found that the contents were nothing special, just common martial arts theories and family records.

However, just as he was about to put the book down, he inadvertently saw the last page.

There were some notes on it, and the notes were exactly what they had just picked up about the mysterious thing.

Gao Jie's eyes lit up instantly. He quickly examined the text and patterns carefully and found a lot of key information.

As he read further, he discovered that much of the content was far more complex than he had imagined. The obscure expressions, mysterious symbols, and unique illustrations gave him a headache.

Gao Jie frowned slightly, his mind racing as he carefully considered the actual meaning behind the words.

After much contemplation, he slowly said, "I understand. This thing is mainly used to refine one's magical artifacts. Inside, there is a pill that can continuously allow one to make rapid progress."

He paused, a hint of doubt in his eyes. "It's clear that the Qin family's ancestors must have known about the effects of this medicine long ago, otherwise they wouldn't have dared to leave it behind. Did they offend some important figure?"

Gao Jie pondered to himself, why would the Qin family go to such lengths to bring back this thing for research if there were no special reasons?

There must be a deeper secret hidden here, and this thing seems to be much more troublesome than I imagined.

Gao Jie took a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination and resolve. He slowly stretched out his hands, which paused slightly in the air, as if gathering strength and courage, before carefully placing them on the mysterious artifact.

His fingers trembled slightly as he lightly touched the cold, strangely patterned surface of the magical artifact, and began his arduous attempt, following some clues and methods mentioned in the book.

Gao Jie kept recalling the activation steps described in the book. He first found a seemingly inconspicuous part of the magic artifact with special patterns, and gently pressed it with his index finger, controlling the pressure with extreme precision, for fear that the slightest mistake would ruin everything.

Next, at another rune, he applied force simultaneously with his middle finger and thumb at a specific angle and in a specific order. A wisp of blood energy slowly flowed from his palm, along his arm, through his fingertips, and into the magical artifact.

Time passed second by second, and fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on Gao Jie's forehead. His breathing became a little rapid, but his eyes remained unwavering.

Finally, after a long and agonizing struggle, he opened it with a soft "click".

The sound was exceptionally clear in the silent attic, as if it had opened a door to an unknown and mysterious world.

A relieved smile appeared on Gao Jie's face, but before he could examine the pill inside that was said to make people's progress by leaps and bounds, he heard the sound of a door being pushed open downstairs.

The sound of the door opening shattered the tranquility of the empty ancestral hall like a thunderclap.

Gao Jie was startled, his heart skipped a beat, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly calmed down.

He quickly raised his hand, signaling Huang Xu and Huang Muran to keep quiet. The gesture was concise, powerful, and left no room for doubt.

The three moved swiftly and in perfect unison, like well-trained secret agents. They crouched low, their footsteps so light they made no sound, and quickly hid in the corner behind the attic.

The location is secluded, surrounded by old clutter and tall bookshelves, and the lighting is dim. Unless someone downstairs comes up or walks nearby, they won't notice anything happening.

Gao Jie pressed himself tightly against the wall, his body trembling slightly. He tried to control his breathing, making it slow and long, afraid of being noticed by the people downstairs.

Huang Xu and Huang Muran were equally nervous. They stared at each other, their eyes wide, and saw worry and unease in each other's eyes.

But at that moment, they heard Qin Hailong's voice.

The voice traveled up the stairs, carrying an innate sense of authority and oppression.

"I've already settled things for tomorrow. As for that matter you mentioned, I hope you can clarify everything for me as soon as possible. In short, I'm giving you time; you need to handle things diligently, understand?"

Qin Hailong's tone carried an unquestionable air of authority, as if he were the master of this land and everyone had to obey his orders.

"I don't care how you see this, I just want you to get what you're supposed to do done as soon as possible, understand?"

This was Xu Wenfeng's voice, which sounded respectful and submissive.

His voice no longer carried its former arrogance and domineering tone; instead, it was filled with a cautious, ingratiating quality, like a little dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy, displaying utter humility before its master.

Then came a brief silence, a silence like the calm before a storm, which made people feel a strange sense of oppression.

Xu Wenfeng then said, "I understand. I will definitely handle this matter seriously. Also, my daughter wants to go out with Young Master Qin these next couple of days. When is a convenient time for you two to get to know each other?"

Xu Wenfeng's words carried a hint of anticipation. He seemed to have already envisioned the bright future his daughter would have after marrying into the Qin family, the glory and status he had always dreamed of.

Qin Hailong was delighted to hear this and said loudly, "No problem! Young people should spend more time together. I think your suggestion is excellent. It's settled then."

Qin Hailong's laughter echoed in the empty ancestral hall, filled with smugness and satisfaction, as if everything was under his control.

"But then again, there's something else I need to remind you: don't do things you shouldn't do."

Xu Wenfeng was taken aback at first, and a look of confusion appeared on his face. He obviously did not understand the meaning behind Qin Hailong's words.

His brain paused briefly before starting to work again, then he gave an awkward laugh, realizing that what the other person meant was not to let the two of them do things that shouldn't be done before marriage.

Although he felt somewhat uncomfortable, he still didn't say anything. After all, in his opinion, how could Qin's foolish son possibly know how to get along with women?

In his mind, his daughter was clever and quick-witted. As long as his daughter could coax that fool, his smooth entry into the upper class of Jinling would be just around the corner.

He was willing to endure some minor humiliations for this goal.

Just then, Qin Hailong chuckled and instructed him, "I've already taken care of the matter you needed me to handle. It won't be long before that young man is punished. If you're free tomorrow, come with me to take a look. I've already dispatched our best boxer."

Qin Hailong's words carried a hint of cruelty and smugness; he seemed to already see the young man beaten and bruised all over.

"And I also made it clear to Ah-Wen that they should cooperate with us in a fake fight tomorrow, but actually I'm going for the real thing, understand?"

Qin Hailong's laughter rang out again, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet ancestral hall.

Hiding in the corner of the attic, Gao Jie immediately realized that the man surnamed Qin had tricked Sister Wen.

Anger surged within him, and he clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, but he was completely unaware of it.

Sister Wen probably never imagined that they would dig such a big hole for themselves!

Gao Jie secretly rejoiced that he had learned of the news in advance, while also pondering how to deal with this complex and thorny situation.

His eyes revealed a hint of determination and courage. He knew that he could not sit idly by and wait for his death. He had to find a way to expose Qin Hailong's conspiracy and protect himself and the people around him.

These guys are absolutely inhuman beasts, they're the worst of the worst.

They are unscrupulous and shameless in achieving their goals.

Qin Hailong's cunning and treachery, and Xu Wenfeng's sycophancy, both filled Gao Jie with utter disgust.

They were like a group of demons in the darkness, running rampant on the land of Nanjing, trampling on the dignity and rights of others.

Gao Jie secretly vowed to make them pay for their actions and restore peace and order to Nanjing.