During the Tang Dynasty, there lived a man named Xi Nai, a renowned master ink-maker of that era. The Yishui ink he produced was famous throughout the realm. His descendants carried on the craft for three generations, continuously refining the techniques and earning even greater acclaim from the world.

Gao Dequan spoke at length: "However, due to the turmoil of the late Tang period, the Xi family relocated to She/zhou, An/hui. At that time, a member of the family named Xi Tinggui inherited his ancestors' skills while diligently innovating, ultimately inventing a new type of ink. This new ink resisted glue spoilage and maintained its form, its quality far surpassing that of his predecessors, reaching a zenith of perfection."

"Later, this ink highly impressed Li Houzhu, Li Yu, the last ruler of the Southern Tang, who bestowed the imperial surname upon the Xi lineage. From then on, Xi Tinggui changed his surname to Li Tinggui, and his ink came to be known as Li Tinggui Ink, or simply Li Ink."

Gao Dequan estimated: "Decades or perhaps a century later, She/zhou was renamed Huizhou. And Li Tinggui was subsequently hailed by later generations as the founder of Huizhou ink."

At the same time, Yu Feibai chimed in excitedly: "Legend has it that Li Tinggui was extremely particular about the materials for his ink, requiring pine soot, pearls, jade powder, borneol, mixed with materials like raw lacquer, deer antler glue, rhinoceros horn, musk, and other precious substances, ground one hundred thousand times before being finally formed."

"Therefore, such ink was hard as stone, richly textured and smooth, glossy like lacquer, so much so that it could even be used as a blade to cut wood or paper."

Yu Feibai looked at the ink cake in Gao Dequan's hand with keen curiosity, itching to touch it.

"If this ink cake is indeed Li Ink, it truly could achieve such feats."

Gao Dequan mused: "Historical records state that during the Southern Tang, a renowned official named Xu Xuan obtained a piece of Li Ink in his youth. He and his younger brother used it for their studies, grinding ink to write five thousand characters daily, yet the cake lasted them a full ten years."

"Another legend tells of a high official in the Northern Song who accidentally dropped a piece of Li Ink into a pond. Perhaps this official was so wealthy that he considered diving into the water to retrieve the ink too troublesome and simply ignored it. The following year, when he dropped something more important into the pond, he immediately sent men to dredge it up, and they recovered the Li Ink as well."

"However, after a full year submerged in the pond water, that piece of Li Ink remained as hard as it had been originally, consistent inside and out, its luster as fresh as new. Only then did the official realize the preciousness of Li Ink and treasured it carefully."

Speaking thus, Gao Dequan sighed: "As early as the Northern Song era, someone lamented that gold is easy to come by, but Li Ink is hard to find. This illustrates the rarity and value of Li Tinggui Ink."

"Uncle De, after all that talk, is this ink cake real or fake?" Yu Feibai asked impatiently.

"Wang Guan hasn't spoken yet, why are you in such a rush?"

Gao Dequan expressed his disappointment: "Have you forgotten? One must remain calm in all matters."

Wang Guan, though not directly involved, could only touch his nose and give a dry laugh. It wasn't that he wasn't anxious; it was just that he already knew the item's authenticity, which naturally made him appear unhurried.

"Didn't I say? The item is too precious; I can't handle it carelessly."

After reprimanding them, Gao Dequan frowned: "Do you know how extraordinarily valuable genuine Li Tinggui Ink is? When the Xi family moved to She/zhou (Huizhou), there were vast stretches of old Huangshan pine trees, the best raw material for ink making. But even countless pines couldn't withstand centuries of cutting."

"So, after Li Tinggui, over a hundred years later, the old Huangshan pines were nearly extinct. The master ink-makers had no choice but to change their craft again. Furthermore, many of the descendants of the Li family entered officialdom, and no one continued the ancestral trade. From then on, Li Ink was lost, decreasing with use, which is why it became so precious."

Gao Dequan gave a wry smile: "It wasn't until the Qing Dynasty that it is said Emperor Qianlong acquired a piece of Li Ink. Because he cherished it so much, he never used it, thus preserving it. Today, this ink is kept in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. This is also recognized globally as the only authentic piece of Li Tinggui Ink in existence."

"But now, another one suddenly appears here. How can you expect me to make a hasty determination?"

Gao Dequan sighed again, his fingers gently stroking the ink cake, a slight flush rising on his face. If this ink were truly Li Ink, the first person to authenticate it would surely leave an indelible mark on the collecting world.

"Uncle De, is there no definitive method to determine if it's real or fake?" Wang Guan couldn't help but ask. After all, others lacked his ability; he couldn't just claim it was real without presenting convincing evidence.

"The coloration and texture, including the coiled dragon motif and the faint seal marks, as well as the inscription on the back, they all appear flawless,"

Gao Dequan commented: "Especially the inscription: 'Sixth year of Xiande, Mid-Autumn, Gui.' The sixth year of Xiande was the reign title of Emperor Shizong Chai Rong of the Later Zhou. This reign title was inherited from the founding emperor of the Later Zhou, Guo Wei, and continued until Chai Rong's son, Emperor Gong Chai Zongxun, ascended the throne. In other words, the three emperors of the Later Zhou used the Xiande reign title for a total of seven years. It wasn't until later, when Song Taizu staged the Chenqiao Mutiny and claimed the throne, overthrowing the Later Zhou, that the era name was changed to Jianlong."

Hearing this, Wang Guan keenly sensed an issue and exclaimed in surprise: "Uncle De, since Li Tinggui was from the Southern Tang, why would this ink cake use the Later Zhou reign title?"

"Exactly," Yu Feibai realized and nodded, "That's an obvious flaw, which is why you, Uncle De, suspect this ink isn't Li Tinggui Ink."

"It's not a flaw."

Gao Dequan chuckled lightly: "In the future, you two need to read more books. As early as the fifth year of Xiande, the Southern Tang had already been defeated by the Later Zhou and forced to submit, yielding all the territory north of the Yangtze River in exchange for a border along the river."

"At that time, the ruler of the Southern Tang was not the famous Li Houzhu, Li Yu, but his father, Li Jing. After being defeated by the Later Zhou, they not only adopted the northern reign title to avoid direct confrontation but even moved the capital to Hongzhou. From then on, the Southern Tang's national strength was severely depleted, sowing the seeds of its eventual collapse."

"This means that in the sixth year of Xiande, the Southern Tang no longer used its own era name, adopting the Later Zhou's instead. This continued until Song Taizu seized power and changed the era name to Jianlong, forcing the Southern Tang to follow suit. This is why historians refer to Li Yu as Li Houzhu—because strictly speaking, he was not an emperor but a vassal to the Later Zhou and then the Northern Song."

Gao Dequan smiled: "So, the sixth year of Xiande is not an issue. Mid-Autumn goes without saying; that would be the time the ink cake was made. As for this character 'Gui,' that’s where it gets interesting."

"If one is unfamiliar with Li Ink, seeing the character 'Gui' here, most people would assume it's the biggest flaw, or simply conclude the ink is not by Li Tinggui but the work of someone else."

"However, according to expert assessment, the inscriptions found on Li Tinggui Ink pieces include the full name Li Tinggui, or just Tinggui, or even the single character 'Gui.' Naturally, it also includes this 'Gui'!"

Gao Dequan explained: "In ancient times, 'Gui' and 'Gui' could be interchangeable characters—what we call tongjiàzì (substitute characters), definitely not a mistake."

"That means this thing is real," Yu Feibai exclaimed happily.

"Hard to say..." ................. There is a survey regarding the female protagonist; please participate. Finally, please collect and recommend this, supporting it as much as possible.