Chapter 88

While Yang Yijun and Tu Shou were arguing incessantly, Zhang Tianyuan was observing the calligraphy as if it had nothing to do with him. Since his Earth Qi advanced, his treasure appraisal ability had gained an additional feature, no longer limited to just透视 (penetrating vision) and 查微 (microscopic examination), but also a Dragon Phase!

The so-called Dragon Phase refers to the ability to judge the approximate age of a treasure based on the dragon-shaped Earth Qi formed inside it. Of course, it cannot be too precise at present, but it can still determine the general age.

For example, modern items have a hidden dragon, barely visible. Items from the Republic of China era have a clear young dragon. Items from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties have mature true dragons. Items from the Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties have a golden dragon. Items from the Northern and Southern Dynasties have a soaring dragon, giving a sense of a golden dragon rising to the clouds. Items from the Qin, Han, and Three Kingdoms periods have a shape of nine dragons protecting the master, which is very impressive. Items from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods have a leading dragon shape. Items from the Shang and Zhou dynasties have a grand and majestic shape of myriad dragons nesting. And for prehistoric items, it is a divine dragon whose tail is not visible, though its aura is slightly smaller, it is more primitive and genuine.

In fact, these several forms are precisely the nine realms of Earth Qi. Perhaps one day, when Zhang Tianyuan's Earth Qi realm advances again, he will not only be able to determine the general age but even the specific dynasty or even the year.

The Dragon Phase of the calligraphy in front of him was between the soaring dragon and the nine dragons protecting the master, which means it was likely from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the period when Wang Xizhi lived.

This judgment left Zhang Tianyuan amazed. Could he really get a genuine Wang Xizhi masterpiece at this auction? Could something from that era really be preserved to this day?

Despite his doubts, he decided to bid on it first. Regardless of whether it was a genuine Wang Xizhi piece, the Dragon Phase was so unique that it was definitely worth it, especially for just a thousand yuan. After all, opportunities like this don't come around often.

At this moment, he gave Xu Gang a signal. The two had already planned it out. Xu Gang would create a reason for Zhang Tianyuan to buy the calligraphy reasonably, without arousing suspicion.

This was not difficult; he just needed to act like a rich, spoiled brat. Seeing Zhang Tianyuan's signal, Xu Gang immediately said impatiently, "Brother, it's just a thousand yuan. If you like it, buy it. Treat it as a waste of money. What's the big deal? We have plenty of money."

This statement made him look like a complete fool, and Zhang Tianyuan took the opportunity to play along, gritting his teeth and saying, "You're right, it's just a thousand yuan. Save a few cigarettes and a bottle of alcohol, and it's back. What's the fuss about?"

Their conversation was extremely despised by others, but no one noticed the smug smiles on their faces. Zhang Tianyuan paid on the spot, took the calligraphy, and walked off the stage carelessly, as if he didn't cherish it at all.

"Idiot!"

"Rich brat!"

"Uneducated!"

"Young people are no good, just wasting their parents' hard-earned money!"

Various insults were hurled at him, but the more he heard them, the more reassured he felt. It was best if no one noticed anything suspicious, which would save him a lot of trouble.

He bowed to Tu Shou and said, "Thank you, Old Master Tu, for speaking up for me. But I impulsively bought this calligraphy. The thousand yuan is just for fun."

"Hmph, you are beyond teaching!" Tu Shou's slight good impression of Zhang Tianyuan and Xu Gang vanished.

But this was for the best. This old man was a true appraisal master with keen eyes. If he suspected anything, he would insist on checking, which would be a big problem.

After sitting down, when everyone's attention turned to the next item, Zhang Tianyuan carefully rolled up the calligraphy and put it back into the bamboo tube, patting his chest lightly. His heart was still pounding.

Seeing that no one was paying attention, Xu Gang leaned in close to Zhang Tianyuan and whispered, "Brother, is this thing really as amazing as you say?"

Xu Gang was really itching to know. Thinking about Zhang Tianyuan's successful deals in Xifeng and Shangpu, he couldn't help but ask. He basically trusted Zhang Tianyuan's judgment. Who else could he trust if not his brother?

Moreover, he wasn't a real fool. Once could be luck, twice could be a guess, three times could be continuous good luck, but if it happened a fourth time, he wouldn't believe it was just luck or a guess.

So he understood that Zhang Tianyuan must have some way to identify treasures, though he didn't know what it was. He didn't really want to know either. As long as his brother could make money through this, that was enough. It would make life easier for both of them.

They were going to be in the antiques business, and having Zhang Tianyuan as an expert gave them confidence.

"Shh—! Don't let anyone hear. This is definitely a rare treasure. I don't know if it's a genuine Wang Xizhi piece, but it's definitely worth a fortune." Zhang Tianyuan also lowered his voice, but Zhao Liangde, who was sitting too close, still heard.

Zhao Liangde didn't know Zhang Tianyuan's story, so he thought Zhang Tianyuan was boasting. He really thought a thousand yuan could buy a treasure worth a fortune?

This wasn't entirely his fault. Several appraisal masters had already examined it and said it was worthless, just a print. Could Zhang Tianyuan be better than these masters?

Regardless of whether he believed it or not, Zhang Tianyuan was confident. He suddenly thought of a special period in Chinese history when many artifacts were destroyed, and some people used various methods to protect or hide treasures. He believed the fieldstone seal was one of them, and this calligraphy might also have some secrets.

On the surface, it looked like a print, and the framing was very ordinary, almost shoddy.

But what caught Zhang Tianyuan's attention was that this "Kuai Xue Shi Qing Tie" was missing four characters compared to the one in the Taipei Museum.

The missing characters were "Shanyin Zhang Hou."

According to Zhang Tianyuan's knowledge, these four characters did not match the main text's calligraphy style and were generally believed to be added later or by the copyist. Without these four characters, it was more likely to be from before the Tang Dynasty, and "Shanyin Zhang Hou" was the copyist, who was from the Tang Dynasty.

This four-character difference made the "Kuai Xue Shi Qing Tie" unique, making Zhang Tianyuan even more intrigued.

However, a print was still a print. The material used was not paper but a special plastic-like composite material, which was not easily broken or torn, allowing it to be well-preserved.

From a distance, it was hard to tell, but up close, it was obviously fake. Although xuan paper was not widely used in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, most calligraphy and paintings were still on paper, and it was impossible to have such a composite material at that time.

So the most likely scenario was that someone created this print to protect the genuine Wang Xizhi piece, using mounting techniques to hide the original inside the print.

But this didn't seem quite right. For a while, Zhang Tianyuan remembered that plastic prints on the walls at home were burned to avoid trouble. If this was used to protect the genuine piece, it wasn't very reliable.

Could it be that the material was fire-resistant or not easily melted by normal temperatures? Was it not made of paper?

Once a fixed mindset sets in, it's hard to change. If paper was not good for preservation, what would Wang Xizhi use to leave his calligraphy for future generations? He would have to choose something more durable.

He was puzzled and decided to use his appraisal technique again, combining penetrating vision and microscopic examination to see if there was a hidden layer and what was inside.

What he saw was a brilliant golden light.

"Gold foil!"

Zhang Tianyuan was secretly amazed. Gold is stable, does not oxidize, is moisture-resistant, corrosion-resistant, mold-resistant, insect-resistant, and radiation-resistant. Gold foil has many uses.

Although gold can burn, it is not easily melted by normal temperatures. It is very malleable, and if it was sandwiched between the composite material, it would be hard to detect unless someone damaged the print.

But plastic is not paper and is not easily damaged. This item also escaped being burned, so no one knew its secret.

The last time he found a treasure map, and this time he discovered gold foil, which was likely inscribed. This made Zhang Tianyuan's breathing difficult. It was like suddenly discovering a vast treasure trove, leaving him amazed.

According to the current mainstream view, no genuine Wang Xizhi pieces exist. If the calligraphy on this gold foil was indeed written by Wang Xizhi, it would be an absolute rarity, worth tens of billions of RMB.

This time, he might really strike it rich.

He swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. He didn't know if it was a genuine Wang Xizhi piece yet. The plastic and the gold foil's reflection greatly affected his penetrating vision and microscopic examination. To be sure, he would have to take out the gold foil and examine it closely.

Of course, even if it wasn't a genuine Wang Xizhi piece, gold foil from the Eastern Jin Dynasty was still a valuable artifact. Traditional gold foil, made from 99.99% gold, goes through over ten processes, resulting in a golden, bright, soft, light, and thin material, less than 0.12 micrometers thick.

In the past, without modern technology, handmade gold foil was a remarkable achievement. If it had calligraphy by an Eastern Jin Dynasty calligrapher, even if not Wang Xizhi, it would still be worth a lot. After all, a thousand yuan was a steal, no doubt about it.