Chapter 5

This time, the appraisal was particularly simple.

After using the Appraisal Technique, Zhang Tianyuan hadn't even had a close look yet, but the flaws in the calligraphy were already obvious. Under the influence of Earth Qi, his eyes were much sharper than the average person's. Even without using the透视 (penetrating vision) and 查微 (microscopic examination) techniques, he could tell the authenticity of the calligraphy.

Zhang Tianyuan closed the scroll and smiled, saying, "Quan翁 (Quan翁) styled himself as the 'First of the Right Army,' and he was extremely proud. His calligraphy is graceful and unrestrained. From the characters alone, you might not see the beauty, and you might even think it looks a bit messy. But if you look beyond the characters themselves, you can understand Quan翁's nature and straightforwardness. Your scroll, though signed as Quan翁, lacks any of his spirit. The calligraphy is good, but it's filled with impatience and irritability. To put it bluntly, it's like fast food in the world of calligraphy, probably written by a modern person purely for profit!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that this scroll was written by someone later on, and then signed as Quan翁. It's not even a good imitation, let alone an authentic piece. Anyone who knows a bit about brush writing could have done it," Zhang Tianyuan said.

"Don't talk nonsense! I spent over ten thousand yuan on this. If it weren't for the jade in his shop, I wouldn't have exchanged it for anything, even if you killed me," the man said with a grim face.

"If you really spent over ten thousand yuan on this, I advise you not to play with antiques anymore. You can't afford it. And if you're lying, we're not fools. This thing is worthless. I'd even find it annoying to use it as toilet paper," Zhang Tianyuan said coldly.

The man suddenly stood up, snatched the scroll, and glared at Zhang Tianyuan before running away.

He didn't dare cause trouble. Recently, there had been a nationwide crackdown, and on **Street, there were armed police nearby. If he dared to cause trouble, he would be asking for trouble. Besides, Zhang Tianyuan and Xu Gang weren't weak either. Two young men against one person was more than enough.

Seeing the man run away, Xu Gang wiped his sweat and said, "Tianyuan, I'm glad you were here. Otherwise, I might have been taken advantage of again."

"If you weren't sure about its authenticity, why didn't you just refuse the exchange?" Zhang Tianyuan sat down, and a shop assistant brought him a cup of tea. In the cold weather, drinking a hot cup of tea was truly a pleasure.

Xu Gang also sat down and shook his head, saying, "Tianyuan, you don't understand human nature. Even though I couldn't be sure if it was real or fake, there was a voice in my head urging me to buy it. If it were really a genuine piece by Bao Shichen, I would have made a profit. The jade he wanted to exchange was worth very little."

"Greedy!"

"Hehe, greedy, but how many people can resist such temptation? If you found a lottery ticket on the street and saw that you had won, wouldn't you cash it in? You definitely would! At that moment, you wouldn't doubt it was a trap or anything," Xu Gang laughed.

Zhang Tianyuan scratched his head, thinking that it was true. Even he, if he found a winning lottery ticket, wouldn't consider it a trap. People are indeed greedy, and no one can change that.

"Let's not talk about this. Have you eaten yet?" Xu Gang asked.

"I had two meat buns and a bowl of spicy soup," Zhang Tianyuan said.

"That's not enough. Come on, I'll treat you to steamed buns with soup, just nearby," Xu Gang said as he got up.

Zhang Tianyuan rubbed his stomach, feeling a bit puzzled. He had clearly eaten enough before, but now he felt a bit hungry again. Could using Earth Qi make him hungry?

He thought about it but didn't quite believe it. However, he was indeed hungry, so he didn't refuse and went out with Xu Gang to the nearby steamed bun shop.

As they stepped out, a cold wind blew, and Xu Gang shivered, but Zhang Tianyuan didn't seem to feel the cold at all.

"Aren't you cold?"

"Um, a bit, but it's not much," Zhang Tianyuan replied.

"That's strange. I know you're usually the most afraid of the cold. How come you're suddenly not cold at all? You're not wearing any special clothes, are you?" Xu Gang asked in surprise.

Zhang Tianyuan was also puzzled. Xi Feng City's winter was much colder than Nan Du City. He had only worn a sweater and a coat when he came back, and it had just snowed, but he didn't feel cold, only a slight chill.

Could it be related to Earth Qi?

He was confused but didn't worry too much since it wasn't a bad thing.

"Maybe it's because I'm fatter now," Zhang Tianyuan said casually.

"Fatter? If you're fat, all the fat people in the world should be hitting their heads against walls," Xu Gang shook his head and didn't ask more because they had already reached the steamed bun shop.

At the shop, there was an argument.

A well-dressed foreigner, speaking broken Mandarin, was arguing with someone from the shop.

"Who wants your broken calligraphy? If it's damaged, it's damaged. I'll give you a few dozen yuan, and that's generous. Stop纠缠 (harassing) me, or I'll call the police," the shop assistant said.

"My calligraphy is by Li Bai. Do you know Li Bai? It's a priceless treasure. You give me a few dozen yuan? Are you treating me like a beggar?" the foreigner said indignantly.

"Get lost! If you don't, I'll really hit you. I won't even report you for fraud, which would be better for you."

Zhang Tianyuan walked over and suddenly paused, a smile appearing on his face. He walked up and said, "I'll buy your calligraphy. Why don't we go inside and talk?"

The foreigner's stomach growled, indicating he was hungry.

"Ha, boss, give me five steamed buns, beef and three-flavor fillings," Zhang Tianyuan laughed and pulled the foreigner into the shop.

The shop assistant, seeing someone take care of the mess, didn't stop them and let them in.

Xu Gang was stunned. He knew Zhang Tianyuan was a good person, but this level of enthusiasm was surprising.

He followed them in and asked Zhang Tianyuan in a low voice, "He said his calligraphy is by Li Bai. Do you believe him?"

"No," Zhang Tianyuan shook his head and smiled.

"Li Bai's genuine calligraphy is only one piece in the world, and it's in the Palace Museum. How could it end up in his hands? Even if it did, it would be a national treasure, and he wouldn't dare sell it, nor would I dare buy it, or I'd end up in jail," Zhang Tianyuan added.

"Then why did you say you'd buy it? And why did you say you'd treat him to steamed buns?" Xu Gang was even more confused.

"Ah, steamed buns are cheap. Look at him, he looks pitiful. Treating him to a meal, what's the harm? I know you're not that heartless," Zhang Tianyuan laughed.

"You little brat, sigh, fine, I'll treat you. You little rascal," Xu Gang shook his head and went to pay.

In this shop, you pay first and then get the buns.

On the second floor, in a warm room, the foreigner started talking more, telling Zhang Tianyuan his story.

He said he was from Germany, and his wallet was stolen when he got off the train. He only had a little money left and wanted to eat something in the shop. But the shop assistant accidentally spilled soup on his calligraphy, and the wet paper tore into pieces. Even if it were glued back together, it wouldn't be worth as much.

When the steamed buns arrived, the foreigner's eyes lit up.

"Go ahead and eat. Show me the calligraphy. If I like it, I'll buy it at a satisfactory price, okay?" Zhang Tianyuan smiled.

"The calligraphy is damaged and stained with oil. It can't be cleaned. Do you really want it?" the foreigner asked.

"I said I want it, so I will. Eat first," Zhang Tianyuan was confident because when he got close to the foreigner, his Earth Qi reacted, and he used the Seeking Technique. Indeed, the foreigner had a treasure, and he wasn't about to let it go.

The foreigner nodded and started eating hungrily.

Xu Gang looked at the calligraphy and shook his head repeatedly. To him, even if it were a treasure, it was now in pieces, and many characters were obscured by oil. It probably wouldn't sell for much, and he didn't believe it was genuine, as Zhang Tianyuan had said, Li Bai's genuine calligraphy was only one piece, and it was in the Palace Museum.

Zhang Tianyuan didn't pay attention to Xu Gang's expression and unfolded the calligraphy to look at it.

"High mountains and long waters, myriad images, without an old brush, the clear and strong cannot be exhausted. On the 18th day, written at the Upper Yangtai, Li Bai."

This was Li Bai's "Upper Yangtai Scroll," but it was only a forgery. The genuine piece not only had Li Bai's signature but also inscriptions by many historical figures.

For example, the introduction had Emperor Qianlong's calligraphy, "Qing Lian Yi Han" (Elegant Writing of the Green Lotus), and the right upper corner had Emperor Huizong's signature, "Tang Li Taibai Shang Yangtai" (Tang Dynasty Li Bai's Upper Yangtai).

The back had inscriptions by Emperor Huizong, Yuan Dynasty's Zhang Yan, Du Ben, Ouyang Xuan, Wang Yuling, Wei Su, Zou Lu, and Qing Dynasty's Emperor Qianlong.

The scroll had seals from Song Dynasty's Zhao Mengjian, Jia Sidao, Yuan Dynasty's Zhang Yan, Ouyang Xuan, Ming Dynasty's Xiang Yuanbian, Qing Dynasty's Liang Qingbiao, An Qi, and modern times' Zhang Boju.

Zhang Tianyuan had some knowledge of the "Upper Yangtai Scroll." His six-character technique could identify authenticity, but it couldn't provide historical details. He had learned these through his own studies, and his interest in archaeology had led him to choose this field.

The calligraphy only had the main text and signature, so it was definitely a forgery. But was a forgery worthless?

Zhang Tianyuan didn't think so. He didn't know who had copied it, but he was sure it was written by a great calligrapher. Otherwise, the Seeking Technique wouldn't have reacted, and his Earth Qi wouldn't have been triggered.

To confirm further, he tried infusing Earth Qi into the calligraphy and used the Appraisal Technique's touch, sight, and smell methods. He finally determined that the calligraphy was about a hundred years old, from the Republic of China era. While not an ancient artifact, it was still quite valuable.

As for the damage, it wasn't a problem. He had the Repair Technique to fix it.

Of course, he couldn't tell the foreigner this, or the price would be much higher.

Seeing the foreigner finish eating, Zhang Tianyuan asked, "Sir, how much do you want for this?"

The foreigner hesitated and said, "I didn't want to sell it, but now I have no money, not even for the fare home. You decide! I bought it for fifty thousand yuan, but now it's damaged, so ten thousand yuan would be fine."

"What! Ten thousand yuan! Why don't you rob someone? This broken thing for ten thousand yuan?" Xu Gang was upset. For a rural person, ten thousand yuan was a lot, and he couldn't accept paying that much for a damaged calligraphy.

The foreigner looked embarrassed, opened his mouth to lower the price, but Zhang Tianyuan waved his hand and said, "Gangzi, as a friend, lend me twenty thousand yuan."

Xu Gang said irritably, "I don't have that much money."

But seeing Zhang Tianyuan's look, he sighed and said, "Fine, fine. We'll go to the jade shop later, and I'll get it for you. I don't know what you're thinking, paying ten thousand yuan for a broken calligraphy!"

"It's not ten thousand, it's twenty thousand," Zhang Tianyuan smiled.

His Appraisal Technique could also estimate value, and this calligraphy was definitely worth more than fifty thousand yuan. He was sure he could make a profit. Zhang Tianyuan always felt that dealing in antiques was against nature, and many things were from the dead. To live a long life, one needed to do good deeds. Whether it was superstition or not, he intended to do so.

So he offered twenty thousand, but his explanation was, "Ten thousand yuan is for the calligraphy, and the other ten thousand is a donation to help you. You came all the way to China, and you lost your wallet. I can't let you think all Chinese are bad. Don't worry, if you come to China again, you can find me. I can introduce you to good places to buy things, and I won't cheat you."

In the antique business, connections were also important. Even if the person was a stranger, you never knew when they might be useful.

The foreigner was moved to tears, grabbing Zhang Tianyuan's arm and speaking in German, saying a lot of thanks.

"I said I'd never come to China again, but seeing someone like you, I will definitely come back. Thank you, I don't even know your name yet?"

"He's called Zhang Tianyuan, a well-known good person in our village," Xu Gang said with a smirk, teasingly.