Chapter 7

U Tingyu's mother was originally a well-known calligraphy enthusiast. Although she was not a master of calligraphy, her detailed knowledge of historical calligraphers was unparalleled.

When Zhang Tianyuan arrived at U Tingyu's house, he couldn't help but feel relieved because U Tingyu was not at home. She had gone to Hong Kong for a trip and wouldn't be back for a few days.

However, while feeling relieved, he also felt a bit disappointed.

U Tingyu's mother was in her forties, but due to good care, she looked like a woman in her thirties. For a moment, Zhang Tianyuan thought of another woman—Zhao Yazhi.

"Yuyu has told me about you many times. You helped her a lot in the past. If it weren't for you, she wouldn't have been able to get into the Chinese University of Hong Kong. It's a pity I've never met you before, and I haven't even had the chance to thank you. Today, I finally get to see your true face," U Tingyu's mother said.

From her words, it was clear that U Tingyu had not mentioned their romantic relationship, only the help Zhang Tianyuan had given her in her studies. This was good, as it avoided any awkwardness.

"Auntie, you're too kind. Yuyu getting into such a good university is all due to her own abilities, not much to do with me," Zhang Tianyuan smiled and shook his head.

"Don't be modest. I've already prepared dinner. Would you like to join us?"

Zhang Tianyuan declined her offer, saying he had already eaten. He had come to ask for her help and then showed her the calligraphy.

When Zhang Tianyuan took out the calligraphy, Xu Gang looked as if he had seen a ghost, his face full of disbelief.

The calligraphy, which had been broken into four or five pieces, now looked as if it had never been damaged, and the large oil stain was gone.

However, because there were others present, Xu Gang didn't ask more questions, but he was determined to interrogate Zhang Tianyuan later.

U Tingyu's mother took the calligraphy and brought out a magnifying glass. After examining it several times, she said happily, "What a treasure! This is a copy of the 'Shangyangtai Post,' but the person who copied it is quite famous. If you sell it to someone who appreciates it, it could be worth a lot of money."

From her expression, it seemed she wanted to buy it. Zhang Tianyuan was a bit troubled. If U Tingyu's mother made a request, he would find it hard to refuse, but he was reluctant to sell it now. Although his "Character Identification Technique" could roughly estimate the value of the calligraphy, it wasn't accurate enough, and he didn't know how much it was really worth. Selling it now would make him feel reluctant.

Fortunately, U Tingyu's mother seemed to have guessed Zhang Tianyuan's thoughts and didn't make any excessive demands. She just smiled and talked about the origin of the calligraphy.

It was then that Zhang Tianyuan learned that the person who had copied the calligraphy was a contemporary master calligrapher named Qi Gong.

Before leaving, U Tingyu's mother couldn't help but say to Zhang Tianyuan, "Child, if you want to sell it, can you sell it to Auntie first? The price can be negotiated."

Zhang Tianyuan nodded, not refusing. In fact, he had the same thought. If U Tingyu's mother offered a reasonable price, selling it to her would not only repay a favor but also be a good deal.

Xu Gang, who had learned that the calligraphy was very valuable, forgot to ask how Zhang Tianyuan had repaired it. He was excited all the way, praising Zhang Tianyuan for his keen eye.

After getting home, the two went their separate ways.

Zhang Tianyuan's father, Zhang Ruhai, asked if he had eaten. Zhang Tianyuan said he had and then went to his room with the calligraphy.

Because the family's financial situation was not good, although some people in the village had broadband, Zhang Tianyuan's family did not. However, his room was filled with books. These books were originally from a cooperative, but they were left there and became the Zhang family's private property. Zhang Tianyuan had read many books in his childhood because of this.

He remembered that there was information about Qi Gong in those books. So, he went to his room, closed the door, and started searching.

In a book titled "Modern Calligraphy Masters," he found some information about the great calligrapher.

Qi Gong (1912-2005), whose courtesy name was Yuanbai and also Yuanbo, and his pseudonym was Yuanbei Jushi. He was from Beijing. He was a famous contemporary calligrapher, educator, classical literature scholar, appraiser, Redology scholar, and poet, known as a master of Sinology.

This master was not just a calligrapher. He held many positions and was a prominent figure in modern Chinese history.

Qi Gong lost his father at a young age and lived with his grandfather from the age of 13.

To pray for blessings, his grandfather had him become a nominal little lama under an old lama at the Yonghe Temple, naming him "Chagdor Zhab." At that time, it was after the Xinhai Revolution, and the Qing Emperor had abdicated. His great-grandfather had given up politics and did not want to live in the capital, indicating that he would no longer be involved in state affairs. One of his great-grandfather's students, Chen Yungao, was also a scholar and the wealthiest person in Yi County. He provided funds to buy a house in Yi County for his great-grandfather to live in. The family then moved to Yi County, and Qi Gong was about three or four years old at the time. Later, he entered a private school to study poetry and literature.

By looking at Qi Gong's family tree, one could see that this great man was a descendant of Emperor Yongzheng, making his family lineage prestigious.

However, what Zhang Tianyuan was most concerned about was Qi Gong's achievements in calligraphy.

He read in an article that Qi Gong had created his own style, known as "Qi Style," which was famous in the calligraphy world.

Qi Gong had practiced a large number of stele rubbings. His calligraphy, whether in scrolls, albums, or couplets, could express beautiful rhythms and profound meanings, and was called "Qi Style."

The calligraphy world commented, "It is not just the work of a calligrapher, but also the work of a scholar and a poet." This showed the high regard for his work.

Of course, these were just evaluations. For those in the antique or collection business, no matter how highly praised something was, it all came down to one word—money.

Although money might seem vulgar, it was the only way to represent the value of these things. Without money, how could one show the value of these people? After all, people need food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, and without money, how could they live?

Of course, Qi Gong's calligraphy works were also highly sought after in the market.

For example, in the 2003 Beijing Spring Auction, China Guardian Auctions offered 10 of his works, all of which were sold. Four of them sold for more than 80,000 yuan, and the "Seven Tang and Song Poems in Running Script" was sold for 418,000 yuan, a staggering price.

Zhang Tianyuan felt that this "Shangyangtai Post" written by Qi Gong, although not as valuable as the original, could still be worth at least 100,000 yuan. Buying it for 20,000 yuan was a good deal.

After all, rarity is what makes things valuable. To this day, no one has ever heard of another similar item.

Qi Gong was also very knowledgeable in the field of art appraisal. He was truly a man of many talents, which is why he never called himself a calligrapher, painter, or scholar, as almost all professions were just side jobs for him.

In his book, he wrote about his views on art appraisal: "One of the most diligent and effective careers in my life is art appraisal. I have summarized seven taboos, or social resistances that can lead to unfairness: 1. Imperial authority, 2. Nobility, 3. Seniority, 4. Self-protection, 5. Respect for the virtuous, 6. Avoiding harm, 7. Tolerance for the masses. In short, the first three are pressures from social authority, and the last four are from the appraiser's private interests."

This statement caused a significant stir in the art appraisal world, and many later appraisers took these seven points as their motto.

Qi Gong's life was full of glory and numerous accolades, but he was extremely humble and cautious. At the age of 66, he wrote his own epitaph: "High school graduate, associate professor. Broad but not deep, specialized but not thorough. Famous but not enough. Too high to be low, too low to be high. Left paralyzed, once right. Face slightly round, skin not thick. Wife dead, no children. Grief still new, illness still old. Sixty-six, not too old. Baoshan, gradually approaching. Life reviewed, epitaph simple. Body and name, both stink."

This epitaph was full of self-mockery, humorous yet humble.

After reading this, Zhang Tianyuan couldn't help but feel deep respect for this master. He had always been more interested in objects than people, so his knowledge of objects was much greater than his knowledge of people. However, today he realized that objects are created by people, and people are the key.

Qi Gong's life made Zhang Tianyuan reflect deeply. He might never become such a great person, but with the Six-Character True Technique, he could at least be a filial and humble person.

Closing the book, Zhang Tianyuan carefully placed the calligraphy in an aluminum box to protect it from rats, which were common in the countryside and could easily damage it if it were in a wooden box.

If it were just missing pages, he could still repair it, but if it were missing characters or pages, he would be unable to fix it unless he could use the Character Creation Technique to create an exact replica. Otherwise, the flaws would remain.

After putting the calligraphy away, Zhang Tianyuan sat by the window, watching the snowflakes fall, and carefully considered his future.

From now on, his life would be completely different.

How could he make the best use of the Six-Character True Technique?

Finding treasures by chance, buying them at a low price, and then selling them at a high price, becoming a middleman in the antiques world, was a good idea. With the Six-Character True Technique, he had a keen eye and superior knowledge. If he supplemented his knowledge in various fields, he could have a place in the appraisal world.

Of course, using the Character Repair Technique to repair various calligraphy and antiques was also a good idea. Buying damaged items, repairing them, and then selling them could be even more profitable than being a middleman.

After all, once something is damaged, its value drops significantly.

However, he needed to be cautious and careful, and not let too many people know. Otherwise, he might not only lose his peace but also be kidnapped and taken to a research institute, which would be a terrible outcome.

He had many other options, such as finding an archaeological job and using the Character Search Technique and Character Identification Technique to become a great archaeologist.

If the Character Imitation Technique could be successfully used, he could also create and sell forgeries. The forgery market is not small, and many people can't afford the real thing or are afraid to buy it because it is a national treasure. Forgeries would be the best way to fill this gap.

The most amazing thing would be if he could master the Character Creation Technique, which would be a god-like ability. The Character Creation Technique could not only repair damaged calligraphy and antiques but also create genuine antiques.

Unfortunately, the Character Creation Technique was too powerful, and the required earth qi was extremely high. Zhang Tianyuan couldn't reach that level even in the game, let alone in real life. It was better to be realistic.

However, as a young man, he had many ideas. At 25, although he had been a prominent figure in school, he had achieved nothing. Now, with this unexpected gain, he couldn't help but feel ambitious.

Beauty, money, luxury cars, and mansions—although these things might seem vulgar to those in the antiques world, Zhang Tianyuan was practical. He was a person, and life was not easy. He didn't know when his ability would disappear, so he needed to earn as much money as possible. Who knew what the future would hold?