Chapter 38: The Yongle Encyclopedia

You never know what you might stumble upon in a second-hand market! And, of course, you never know what new skills you might unlock. Porcelain, art, bronzeware...

"Recent imitation of Western Zhou bronze, accelerated aging via soaking in a urine pit..."

The system’s pop-up notification nearly made Li Yian drop the bronze vessel in his hand. It was actually cured in a urine pit! Even so, the seller spoke of it with great reverence.

"100 packs of Camel cigarettes, sir! Just 100 packs. My father bought this when he was in China; it’s an antique from thousands of years ago!"

*Right...*

His father must have run into someone specializing in swindling foreigners. Thanks to a television series he had watched, Li Yian knew that ever since the country opened its borders, there had been many experts who made fake antiques specifically to hoodwink foreigners. According to their logic, if you encountered an ignorant foreigner and didn't fleece them, you were doing a disservice to your ancestors.

"My apologies, I truly don't have that many cigarettes. It’s a fine piece, what a pity..."

Shaking his head in feigned regret, Li Yian didn't bother exposing the man. Having spent half a day roaming the market, he had already harvested quite a haul. Beyond a Picasso oil painting, he had collected over twenty pieces of porcelain from the Ming Dynasty and the Kangxi and Qianlong eras of the Qing Dynasty, all for a mere few dozen packs of cigarettes. Although the system hadn't provided an appraisal for these items and each transaction failed to grant experience points—since the system was assisting him with authentication—Li Yian was nonetheless very satisfied. After all, he now had family heirlooms.

"Not to mention anything else, that vase alone would be worth two 'small targets' [two hundred million yuan] in a few decades!"

Marveling at how the second-hand market was teeming with treasures, Li Yian left from the other side. Just as he was about to exit the park, he suddenly froze. His 5.0 vision came into play; his eyes were locked onto a pile of books. Had it not been for the yellowed covers and the vertical alignment of the characters, which stood out sharply among the English books, Li Yian wouldn't have spared them a second glance. But now, he stood there rooted to the spot.

Staring fixedly at the yellowed covers, Li Yian could hardly believe his eyes. After a moment of shock, he hurried toward the elderly British woman’s book stall, though he intentionally slowed his pace as he neared, hoping to hide his eagerness. Once close, he forced himself to remain calm. When he picked up one of the books, while appearing composed on the surface, his heart was racing, and his hands were perhaps even trembling slightly.

"Yongle Dadian."

The moment he picked up the book, he opened the system. The information displayed confirmed that these were original volumes of the *Yongle Dadian*! Before coming to the market, he had never imagined he would see this book here—and not just one, but over thirty volumes! The thick stacks made him doubt his own eyes.

"Sir, you are Chinese, aren't you? My husband brought these back from China over forty years ago when he was serving in the military..."

Just then, the old woman's words reached his ears. *Serving in the military!* Curse those Eight-Nation Alliance bastards! No... curse your husband!

The bespectacled old woman looked at him and said, "If you are interested, two pounds per book!"

Hearing this, Li Yian dropped the book. "Ma'am, these are just books! And they're incomplete..."

"Sir, if you need them, I have some more at home, um..." The woman adjusted her glasses and thought for a moment. "There’s probably a crate. Yes, a Chinese-style wooden crate. I really don't understand what Adam was thinking. When others went to China, they brought back porcelain and gold; he brought back an entire crate of books. Could he even read those characters? If you want them, I can sell them all to you for just two hundred pounds."

*What, an entire crate?* Were they all *Yongle Dadian*? Wait, how could there be so many? Could this be some kind of trap?

As it turned out, Li Yian was overthinking it. When he drove to the woman’s house, he wasn't even invited inside. She led him directly to the yard, where a small wooden shed stood. When she pointed to the Chinese-style wooden crate beneath a pile of firewood, he realized his fears were unfounded. Only then did he take his hand out of his pocket, where he had been gripping his pistol.

"They're all here. A whole crate, all these books..."

Looking at the wooden crate sitting alongside the firewood, Li Yian strongly suspected that had he not appeared, the old woman might have turned these books into kindling to heat her home this winter or next!

*A waste of heavenly treasures!* This was absolutely a crime against history!

Despite his inner fury, he felt a greater sense of relief—relief that he had come here. Especially after opening the crate and seeing it packed full of volumes. It was indeed the *Yongle Dadian*, and most of them were even preserved in protective cases. Who could have imagined that the *Yongle Dadian*, which future generations would lament and yearn for, was right here? Though it wasn't the complete set, there were at least six or seven hundred volumes!

While silently congratulating himself, Li Yian said, "Ma'am, these books are certainly worth more than 200 pounds, but I have..."

As he spoke, he pulled four packs of Camel cigarettes from his bag. "I have these four packs of Camel cigarettes. I can trade them for the lot, if you're willing..."

Before he could finish, the old woman said, almost impatiently, "Deal!"

It was common knowledge that in the market, Camel cigarettes were more useful than pounds. And this was four packs! Even as the crate was being loaded into his car, the old woman kept repeating, "Adam finally did one good thing in his life..."

*Yes, and you’ve done one good thing too!*

Li Yian couldn't help but feel ecstatic. As he drove away, his heart was still racing. He knew the value of those books—it could no longer be described in mere money.

"These aren't just books! They are national treasures!"

Beaming with joy, he felt so good that he secretly decided to visit Britain often whenever he had the time. Not for anything else, but just to scour the second-hand markets. Who knew what other treasures he might find? The treasures in the hands of the British were quite numerous, after all...

This was no longer just "picking up leaks"—it was reclaiming lost national treasures.