After lunch, his father-in-law, Xiao Changkun, was already dressed up and eagerly urging Ye Chen, “Ye Chen, hurry up and get ready! Drive our new car and take me to the antique market. A shop there just received a Tang Dynasty official kiln vase, and I want to go appraise it.”


Ye Chen couldn’t help but advise, “Dad, you’re getting into antiques again? We don’t have that much money. Isn’t buying antiques a bit too extravagant?”


Xiao Changkun had never been good at making money, but he loved dreaming about getting rich. He frequently visited the antique market, hoping to strike gold, but over the years, he had mostly been scammed.


He had calmed down for a while, but now, not only did he not give up, he seemed even more eager.


Hearing Ye Chen’s words, Xiao Changkun snorted coldly, “Stop talking nonsense and just drive me there!”


Ye Chen was helpless but couldn’t refuse, so he had no choice but to take his father-in-law to the antique market.


Jinling, as a historical city, had a famous antique market located just outside the scenic area. It attracted antique dealers and treasure hunters from all over the country.


Sensing an opportunity, the local tourism department invested heavily in renovating the market, turning it into a tourist attraction.


Upon arrival, Xiao Changkun confidently led Ye Chen to a well-known antique shop. After informing the staff about his appointment, they were invited into a VIP room for a private viewing.


Just as Ye Chen was about to follow, Xiao Changkun turned back and said, “You don’t need to come in. You wouldn’t understand anything anyway. Just wait for me outside.”


Ye Chen could only nod. “Alright, Dad.”


Xiao Changkun, hands behind his back, followed the staff into the VIP room while Ye Chen sat in the waiting area.


A few minutes later, a loud crash suddenly echoed from inside the VIP room.


Then, Ye Chen saw his father-in-law, Xiao Changkun, rushing out, looking completely panicked.


He was muttering under his breath, “Oh no, oh no! This is bad!”


Ye Chen quickly approached and glanced inside, only to see a tall, slender porcelain vase shattered into pieces on the floor.


Judging from the fragments, it appeared to be a Tang Dynasty Yuhuchun vase.


Having grown up in the Ye family, Ye Chen had been exposed to many antiques and could instantly tell that the vase was genuine. It was easily worth several million yuan.


It seemed his father-in-law had really caused a disaster this time.


Inside the VIP room, a middle-aged man with a darkened face said, “Mr. Xiao, this Yuhuchun vase cost us over 5 million yuan. Since you broke it, you must pay for it in full!”


This man was Zhou Liangyun, the manager of Ji Qing Tang, the antique shop.


Xiao Changkun quickly grabbed Ye Chen and, unable to hide his panic, said, “This is my dear son-in-law! Do you know how much money he has? Forget 5 million—he can easily afford 50 million! You two can sort out the payment. I have urgent business and need to leave!”


Before Ye Chen could react, Xiao Changkun shoved him forward and bolted out the door!


Ye Chen was left speechless. This shameless old man was clearly dumping the responsibility on him!


Zhou Liangyun turned to Ye Chen with a cold expression and said, “Sir, the total amount is 5.38 million. Will you be paying by card or bank transfer?”


Ye Chen simply shrugged and said, “I have no money.”


Of course, he could afford to pay, but he wanted his father-in-law to learn a lesson. Otherwise, he’d keep dragging him to the antique market and getting into trouble.


Zhou Liangyun’s expression turned grim. “No money? Do you think you can just walk away after breaking something in Ji Qing Tang?”


Ye Chen sighed, “I’m not trying to avoid responsibility, but I really don’t have money. Besides, I wasn’t the one who broke the vase. Why should I pay?”


Zhou Liangyun fumed, “Wasn’t that your father-in-law?”


Ye Chen nodded. “Exactly! He’s my father-in-law, not me. You should go after the person who broke it. Ever heard of ‘debt has a debtor’? It’s basic common sense.”


Zhou Liangyun was furious but had to admit that Ye Chen had a point.


If he forced Ye Chen to pay, it would damage Ji Qing Tang’s reputation.


So, he turned to his employees and shouted, “Go find that old man and bring him back!”


Ye Chen watched as the antique shop’s staff scrambled to chase after his father-in-law. He simply smiled without saying a word.


Truthfully, he could have just paid the amount, but why let his shameless father-in-law off so easily?


If he paid, the old man would just take advantage of him again in the future.


Now that the staff were busy chasing after Xiao Changkun, Ye Chen found himself with some free time. He glanced at the broken vase on the floor.


The vase, about half a meter tall, was now in two large pieces, with smaller fragments scattered around. It was truly a pity.


However, something caught his attention.


Inside the bottom half of the broken vase, there seemed to be something hidden.


He quickly reached in and pulled out a small wooden box.


A hidden compartment inside an ancient vase? Interesting.


The mouth of a Yuhuchun vase was quite narrow, yet this box was clearly wider than the opening. That meant the box had been placed inside during the vase’s production, meaning it was as old as the vase itself—dating back to the Tang Dynasty!


His heartbeat quickened. This box could be an extremely valuable relic!


Ye Chen carefully examined the box before exerting a little force and clicking it open.


The moment it opened, a faint but incredibly refreshing fragrance wafted out, making him feel instantly invigorated.


Inside, he found a tiny ancient book, no larger than his palm.


On the cover, written in old-style calligraphy, were four characters: 《Nine Heavens Divine Scripture》.


“What an interesting name. What could it be about?” Ye Chen mused as he flipped through it.


The first section was titled “Medical Techniques” and contained numerous medical cases and treatment methods.


Ye Chen furrowed his brows. He had some knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine, but the techniques described in this book were far beyond anything modern TCM practitioners knew.


It even mentioned alchemy and the creation of miraculous pills, which sounded completely mystical.


Curious, Ye Chen sat down on the floor and continued flipping through.


To his amazement, the book also covered topics such as Feng Shui, divination, artifact appraisal, restoration techniques, and many other mysterious arts.


He was utterly engrossed.


As he read on, he felt as if each word was imprinting itself in his mind, as if the book was transferring its knowledge directly into his brain.


His heart pounded with excitement.


He had hit the jackpot!


This was an absolute treasure!