Mu Lin had no idea what these people were up to—he was busy enhancing the martial cultivation of his two newly appointed butlers. He left the New York delegation waiting at the hotel. These people wanted to visit Mu Lin’s villa, but Boston’s elite, claiming Dr. Daniel was currently dealing with an urgent matter, managed to ward them off.
The two butlers had previously practiced a fundamental soft-style martial art. Although regarded as advanced in this ordinary world, the style was evidently incomplete. Their dedicated cultivation, reaching the prenatal realm, demonstrated their talent. Yet, attaining this level in their fifties meant they would have already reached their limit in abilities had they not encountered Mu Lin. Now serving as Mu Lin’s butlers, their martial arts skills surpassed the female attendants at home. Mei Zi’s cultivation level was similar, although she lacked their worldly experience.
With Mu Lin planning to leave Boston for a while, these two elderly butlers would be in charge of the household, expected to maintain stability in his absence. Using Yuan-enhancing Pills, Mu Lin conducted a special ritual in the basement, channeling his Mind-force Skill directly into their minds through a crowning technique, while also restoring the final sixteen forms of the Soft Fist to them.
Therefore, Mu Lin felt confident that even if intruders arrived armed with guns, as long as it wasn’t a large-scale attack, the two enhanced butlers should be able to handle the situation. After a day spent in the basement, the elderly couple had advanced to the late先天 stage, approaching the realm of 三花聚顶 (Triple Blossoms Gathering at the Crown), and appeared nearly a decade younger. Their previously gray hair had turned jet black again, thanks to their renewed vitality.
Finally, Mu Lin set up a Dragon-Imprisoning Formation at the basement entrance of the residence, explaining the access method to the household staff before leaving for the clinic.
Upon arriving at the clinic and entering his office, he learned that the New York delegation had been waiting for three days. He immediately invited them into his office. Upon seeing Mu Lin, one of the delegation leaders stepped forward and said, “Dr. Daniel, we warmly welcome you to New York.”
He then took several wooden boxes from his companions and placed them on Mu Lin’s desk. “To express our gratitude, our friends in New York have sent us to escort you—we are ready to serve you anytime, sir.”
Mu Lin hadn’t expected such an elaborate gesture—sending a group and gifts just to invite him. After a brief contemplation, he decided not to accept the gifts.
“Sir, we have already prepared a small house for you on Long Island, New York, to serve as your clinic,” the man hurriedly explained, noticing Mu Lin’s silence. Long Island, located east of Manhattan, is a renowned luxury residential area in the U.S., surrounded by sea on three sides. Many powerful and famous figures reside there. As a famous affluent district, Long Island is filled with million-dollar mansions. Among its current 2,800 residents are notable families like the Vanderbilts, the Guggenheims, and the Hearsts. Known for its beautiful scenery and expensive real estate, Long Island’s coastline is called the “Gold Coast.” The island is patrolled by only about twenty police officers.
To prepare even a modest clinic in such a prime location showed how eager these people were to bring Mu Lin to New York. Mu Lin himself owned a villa there, so he understood the effort involved.
“Sir, to welcome you, we specially prepared a collection of Han Dynasty jade artifacts as a gift,” the man continued proudly. “After careful examination, we can confirm they were all carved using the Han Eight-Cut technique. These items merely reflect our deep respect for your character.”
“Oh!” Mu Lin was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected these foreigners to know about the Han Eight-Cut technique. Yet, did they even realize this technique was only used for burial jade in the Han Dynasty and didn’t represent the full level of Han jade craftsmanship? Not that Mu Lin intended to explain this to them.
“Look, Dr. Daniel, these are all Han Dynasty jade artifacts you like,” the man eagerly opened all the boxes, displaying the jade items before Mu Lin.
Since they had gone this far, the old saying goes, “Don’t strike a smiling face,” let alone a gift-bearing one. Since they had made the effort, Mu Lin decided to accept their gifts.
He picked up each jade piece for inspection. Surprisingly, these people had managed to collect most types of Han Dynasty jade artifacts, including bi (discs), gui (tablets), huan (rings), huang (arch-shaped pendants), jixinpei (heart-shaped pendants), chongya (decorative teeth), daigou (belt hooks), jianshi (sword decorations), gangmao (rigid pendants), yanmao (solemn pendants), wuren (dancing figures), wengzhong (figures of officials), animal-shaped jades, and jiuqiaosai (nine-orifice plugs). They had missed only larger pieces such as yuyi (jade burial suits), zuoping (seated screens), and pushou (door knockers).
The jade craftsmanship of the Han Dynasty was primarily characterized by techniques such as “You Si Mao Diao” (delicate thread-like carvings) and “Han Ba Dao” (Han Eight-Cut), each possessing distinct features.
With a sweep of his spiritual perception, Mu Lin confirmed that only three of the jade pieces were authentic Han Dynasty artifacts; the rest were Qing Dynasty imitations.
He picked up the three genuine pieces and said calmly to the delegation, “Congratulations. I’m pleased you managed to find these three Han Dynasty pieces among so many others—it’s not easy. Still, I’m happy to accept your gift.”
“That’s impossible! We hired professional appraisers!” The New York delegation had expected to showcase their resources and expertise, but the outcome was unexpected.
“Take this jade cicada, for example,” Mu Lin explained. “Its flat, thin shape, smooth head, eyes carved on both sides, a slit between the wings, and 5–6 engraved lines on the abdomen—its sharp-edged wings and pointed belly are typical of the Han Eight-Cut technique. The lines on the head, neck, between the wings, and on the abdomen are all classic Han Eight-Cut features.”
He pointed to the cicada’s back. “These lines are simple but bold, powerful and precise, sharp and straight without any cracks or tool marks.”
Looking up, he saw only blank expressions on their faces. He suddenly realized and smiled wryly at himself. Why was he even explaining this to them? They weren’t antique enthusiasts—they were just greedy money-grubbers. Talking to them was like a chicken trying to chat with a duck.
Unexpectedly, one of the delegation members, still unconvinced, pointed at the other jade pieces and said, “Then how do you explain that these are not from the Han Dynasty?”
Mu Lin picked up a dragon-patterned jade disc. “Fine, let me explain. This dragon-patterned jade disc features a dragon design carved with fine incised lines, primarily depicting a frontal dragon head. The eyes and nose are large. The dragon has a double-bodied form, with flowing lines extending to both sides, entwining the dragon’s body and representing claws or wings. You identified this as Han Dynasty jade based on this unique dragon disc craftsmanship, right?”
“That’s exactly what our appraiser, Steve, said,” the same man replied.
“Then did no one tell you that Han Dynasty discs were mostly made from water jade, which contains white speckles known as ‘rice infiltration’ (饭渗)? Han ‘greenish jade’ (碧玉) usually has water or earth infiltration marks (‘沁’). Qing Dynasty jade used pure ‘green jade’ (青玉) and ‘green jade’ (碧玉), rarely imitating these infiltration colors. Now, look at these jade pieces—do they show such infiltration marks?” Mu Lin said calmly.
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