Supernatural Abilities

"Gu Ming, which one of Professor Wang's two items is real?" After pulling the distracted Gu Ming back to her seat, Bai Fangfang frowned.

She was weak in jade appraisal, and many times she relied on Gu Ming to successfully pass the teacher's evaluations. So, as usual, when unsure, she directly asked Gu Ming.

"Both are real," Gu Ming responded instinctively.

"What?" Bai Fangfang looked at Gu Ming in surprise, slightly furrowing her brows. "Professor Wang asked us to appraise them. Shouldn't one be real and the other fake?"

Gu Ming snapped back to reality, grabbed Bai Fangfang's hand, and urgently said, "Let me see your jade cicada."

"What are you trying to do?" Bai Fangfang looked puzzled at Gu Ming, whose emotions had suddenly become a bit agitated. Without stopping her actions, she took down the Han Dynasty jade cicada hanging around her neck and handed it to Gu Ming.

Except for a few larger ones with perforations used as decorative jade ornaments, most Han Dynasty jade cicadas were funerary jade meant to be held in the mouth. Bai Fangfang's jade cicada was one her father had bought at a high price when she was young. It wasn't large but was intricately carved, with a small hole in the middle of the head for easy stringing.

This jade cicada was Bai Fangfang's tenth birthday gift, and she had worn it every day for many years. Due to long-term wear, the jade cicada looked exceptionally beautiful.

Gu Ming didn't have time to address Bai Fangfang's questions. After taking the jade cicada, she placed it in her left hand and immediately felt a higher temperature compared to the Double Happiness pendant. Additionally, a deeper sense of joy surfaced in her heart, and she seemed to hear the chirping of cicadas, as if the jade cicada was alive.

This shocked Gu Ming greatly. She even doubted if she was hallucinating from lack of sleep last night and quickly switched the jade cicada to her right hand.

As soon as the jade cicada touched her right hand, all the strange sensations vanished. When she gently touched it, she only felt a delicate and warm sensation.

Determined not to believe she was hallucinating, Gu Ming tried a few more times to confirm her experience. She was certain that placing the jade cicada in her left hand brought warmth and a special feeling, while placing it in her right hand did not.

"Zhou Tao, let me see your fake jade Guanyin." Gu Ming turned around and whispered to a boy sitting behind them.

Zhou Tao loved studying jade artifacts the most. To remind himself not to be deceived by appearances, he always carried a high-quality fake jade Guanyin. When Gu Ming called him, he was discussing the jade Guanyin with a classmate. Although Zhou Tao had heard the rumors about Gu Ming recently, as a boy, he felt it inappropriate to gossip about a girl's personal matters. Hearing that Gu Ming wanted to see his fake jade Guanyin, he assumed she wanted to compare them and generously handed it over.

Gu Ming thanked him and placed the fake jade Guanyin in her left hand. However, this time, she felt no warmth or any sensation. Switching it to her right hand yielded the same lack of feeling.

Could it be that only real jade had this sensation, while fake jade did not? Does higher-quality jade from older periods feel warmer when held? Gu Ming's mind raced as she played with Bai Fangfang's jade cicada and Zhou Tao's fake jade Guanyin, the significant difference further confirming her thoughts.

"What's wrong with you, Gu Ming?" Bai Fangfang watched Gu Ming switch her hands repeatedly and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Nothing." Gu Ming paused, then returned the jade cicada to Bai Fangfang and the fake jade Guanyin to Zhou Tao. Although her heart was tumultuous, her face showed no sign of it.

Seeing that Gu Ming had regained her composure and wasn't pressing further, Bai Fangfang said, "Are you sure both are real? These are graded for your regular grades. If you're wrong, it could be bad. I think the Double Happiness is real, but the Money Turtle doesn't seem like it."

Gu Ming steadied herself, contemplating how to respond to Bai Fangfang. Previously, she had only focused on the odd sensation in her left hand and had just glanced at the Money Turtle and Double Happiness without careful observation. She couldn't possibly tell Bai Fangfang that she was judging based on the warmth sensed through her hands!

"I think both the Double Happiness and the Money Turtle are Hetian white jade. The Double Happiness, based on its form, should be from the Ming Dynasty. Have you observed carefully? The patina on the Double Happiness isn't thin, and it feels good to the touch. The Money Turtle has old craftsmanship, and the sheen doesn't look dyed. However, its patina isn't thick, so it shouldn't be too old," Gu Ming couldn't reveal her true reason for judgment, so she just shared her observations.

"Is that all?" Bai Fangfang was somewhat skeptical. "Professor Wang always gives us one real and one fake for appraisal. Many times, those items were so similar that they proved to be fake in the end."

"My intuition tells me they're both real," Gu Ming looked towards Professor Wang. She saw that Professor Wang still wore his usual stern expression, but she felt a hint of mockery beneath his stern facade.

Gu Ming's intuition was actually a form of perceptiveness. Intuition is elusive and intangible; no one can precisely define what it is. Some call it enlightenment, others call it inherent wisdom. A person's lifetime might be enough to excel at one thing, thanks to their intuition. People are destined to mess up most things, regardless of their intelligence or education level. There's nothing to argue about; the more you resist, the deeper you fall. Intuition is like a guiding hand from above.

In appraisal, besides solid foundations and experience, intuition is also extremely important. Fortunately, Gu Ming's intuition was top-notch in her field, and many times it had earned her the professor's praise.

Bai Fangfang verbally claimed that the Money Turtle was fake, but deep down, she was also unsure because she couldn't really tell what was fake about it. Following Professor Wang's usual testing methods, she assumed the Money Turtle was fake.

Seeing Gu Ming's confident expression and hearing her rely on intuition, Bai Fangfang decided to trust Gu Ming's judgment. After all, they were best friends—if one was to fail, they would fail together!

After most people had finished discussing, everyone was asked to write down their conclusions and submit them.

"Alright, everyone has their answers. Now I will announce the results." Professor Wang scanned the classroom and continued, "First, I want to say that both items are real. Those who thought one was real and the other was fake were wrong this time. While appraisal requires experience, careful observation and reasoning are even more important. You can't always assume that what I gave you before was one real and one fake. This time, both are real."

As Professor Wang finished speaking, the classroom erupted in groans. It was clear that many people, like Bai Fangfang, had thought one was real and the other was fake.

"Gu Ming, you're amazing!" The previously anxious Bai Fangfang, upon hearing Professor Wang's announcement, couldn't help but grab Gu Ming's hand excitedly, her smile uncontainable.