The original state of the Peach Cup was simply the color of slag, appearing extremely coarse—the lowest of the low grade.

Consequently, although it sat in Pei Hongquan’s collection room, it gathered no attention.

Yet, after nine days of steaming, followed by a full day of residual heat settling, Wang Guan finally retrieved it and rinsed it again with clear water.

The appearance of the Peach Cup was now completely transformed from before.

First, the color: it had shifted from the black of coal slag to a brilliant, luminous purple.

The sheen was incredibly soft and lustrous, and upon closer inspection, one could almost see tiny pinpricks of celadon starlight shimmering within.

A faint, elusive blue-green glow pulsed through the purple, as if echoing the starlight in a night sky—it was magnificent and breathtakingly beautiful.

Next was the feel.

All traces of roughness inside the cup body were gone; instead, it felt exquisitely fine.

A gentle touch revealed no abrasive sensation whatsoever, akin to the texture of fine jade.

By all appearances, this object was now a masterfully crafted, perfectly shaped, novelly designed Zisha treasure with a timeless resonance, bearing absolutely no resemblance to the dull, lackluster, coal-black item from ten days prior.

If one were to compare only the photographs, no one would ever believe these were the same object.

“The difference is too vast,” Gao Dequan remarked after scrutinizing it for a moment, unable to suppress a sigh.

“The Peach Cup bears some resemblance to the work of Xiang Shengsi, though sadly, there’s no mark…” As he spoke, Gao Dequan grew puzzled.

“Wang Guan, what’s wrong? You don’t seem very happy.

You’ve taken something roughly made and turned it into a masterpiece, yet you aren’t satisfied?” “It’s not that I’m dissatisfied, it’s just that…” Wang Guan didn't know how to explain, so he vaguely offered, “I just feel things shouldn’t be this way.” “If not this way, then how do you think it should be?” Gao Dequan was baffled.

“Look how wonderful it is! No one could have predicted that a Zisha ware, after being steamed, would transform into something entirely different.

That being said, this cup truly holds a secret; at the very least, this clay material must be very special.

By the way, how did you know the cup would achieve this metamorphosis only after being steamed?” “That’s my mother’s doing,” Wang Guan chuckled.

“She said bones need to be stewed slowly to bring out the flavor.

That reminded me—why not treat this dead horse as if it were alive and just boil it.” Wang Guan laughed.

He was still deep in thought, reflecting on whether a step had gone wrong, since the cup had not displayed the effect he had anticipated.

“I truly don’t understand what you’re disappointed about,” Gao Dequan mused.

“Just thinking of the cup’s perfect transformation leaves me amazed, even now.

Why are you so unaffected? Have you simply seen too many treasures, becoming numb to marvels?” “Not at all…” Hearing this, Wang Guan temporarily set aside his musings.

He smiled.

“Of course I’m happy! I was just pondering if brewing tea in this cup would make it taste even better…” At that instant, a thought struck Wang Guan, and he immediately snatched up the kettle.

He poured water directly into the cup until it was eight-tenths full before stopping.

He did not add any tea leaves, merely staring intently at the water in the cup, as if expecting flowers to sprout from it.

Seeing this, Gao Dequan was astonished again.

“What now? Ever since you retrieved the cup, you’ve been acting strangely.

Something is definitely up.” “Uncle De, you worry too much; there’s nothing unusual,” Wang Guan replied casually, though a flash of joy suddenly crossed his face as he prompted, “Uncle De, have you smelled it? I think I detect a fragrance of tea.” “Tea fragrance?” Gao Dequan started, then paused.

“But you aren’t brewing tea, so of course there’s a tea fragrance… wait a minute.” In a flash, Gao Dequan realized that Wang Guan had only just added water; no tea leaves had been put in.

Where was the tea fragrance coming from? Realizing this, he leaned forward to look into the cup.

The Peach Cup had a relatively wide opening, allowing Gao Dequan a clear view.

What he saw rendered him completely stunned.

After a long silence, he collected himself but remained somewhat speechless.

“Wang Guan, what in the world is going on here?” “I knew this cup wasn’t simple,” Wang Guan declared, unable to hide his radiant smile, feeling a surge of relief.

“So this is the secret.” “What secret? This is clearly a miracle,” Gao Dequan exclaimed, moving closer to examine it.

Inside the cup, which had a wide mouth nearly ten centimeters across—specifically, at the very bottom interior—a painting had emerged.

Through the transparent, clear water, Gao Dequan could see the image perfectly.

The painting depicted an elder with an unusually distinguished countenance, leaning against a gnarled, ancient plum tree growing among jagged rocks.

In his hand, he held a cup, seemingly savoring something.

Beside him stood a kettle resting over a pile of burning firewood, the flames vigorous enough to send wisps of steam rising from the spout.

The details of the painting were vividly lifelike, clearly depicting a scene of brewing and savoring tea.

Furthermore, inscriptions existed along the inner wall of the cup.

The script was in running style (xingshu), exceptionally elegant, with six or seven lines flowing like water—the lines of poetry intimately familiar to many.

“One bowl moistens the throat and lips; the second bowl breaks the lonely gloom.

The third bowl sweeps out the dried intestines, revealing only five thousand volumes of text.

The fourth bowl brings forth a light sweat; all the unfairness of life escapes through the pores.

The fifth bowl clarifies the bones and flesh; the sixth allows connection with the spiritual.

The seventh bowl cannot be consumed; one only feels a gentle, refreshing breeze stirring under the armpits…” This was an excerpt from Lu Tong’s poem, Ode to New Tea Sent by Councilor Meng Jian, taking the most classic portions to form the inscription within the cup.

However, what truly moved Gao Dequan was the inscription below the poetry: signed Sheng Si, followed by an impressed square seal bearing the character Sheng Si Di.

Seeing this, Gao Dequan was certain: “Xiang Shengsi’s Sheng Tao Cup!” It should be noted that because Xiang Shengsi’s Peach Cup was considered a divine Zisha artifact, some people used a homophonic pun, calling it the Sheng (from Sheng Si) Tao (from Peach) Cup! But after his initial awe, Gao Dequan became even more shocked.

“Wait, the painting and the inscription inside the cup don’t look carved.” It wasn't entirely Gao Dequan’s fault for the delayed realization; he had been too absorbed in admiring the cup’s interior, forgetting that the cup had been completely bare initially.

Only after calming down did the oversight dawn on him, leading to greater shock.

“I never said it was carved,” Wang Guan replied with a smile.

“It seems like an imprint of some kind of substance!” As for why the image didn't appear when he first filled the cup with water before the steaming, Wang Guan couldn't offer a clear explanation, nor did he intend to research it.

He wasn't a scientist; knowing the result was enough, why press for the root cause? “It must have been painted on,” Gao Dequan agreed.

“Some sort of pigment that only reveals itself when it contacts water.” “We’ll discuss that later,” Wang Guan waved his hand, then suddenly smiled.

“Uncle De, don't you want some tea?” “Huh?” Gao Dequan started, then suddenly registered that he was smelling a rich, fragrant aroma—the scent of high-grade Shifeng Longjing.

Just then, Wang Guan brought over two glass cups and gently poured the water from the Peach Cup into them, then gestured.

“Uncle De, do you dare take a sip and taste how it is?” Gao Dequan hesitated briefly before picking up a glass cup.

The water inside was transparent, and upon a slight sniff, he could still detect a faint fragrance.

However, until he was certain the water quality was safe, he truly didn't dare try it.

Wang Guan, however, held no such reservations; he downed the water in his glass in one gulp.

Instantly, he felt a familiar essence flood his mouth and teeth—the taste of premium Shifeng Longjing.

“Don’t be so reckless,” Gao Dequan admonished, while also asking, “How does it taste?” “Absolutely magnificent.” Wang Guan smacked his lips.

After savoring the flavor, feeling it was still insufficient, he continued pouring the water from the Peach Cup into the glass and tasted it more carefully, finding the taste richer and the aftertaste endless.

“Is that for real?” At this point, Gao Dequan could hold back no longer.

He took a small sip, and the clear, gentle flavor made his eyes light up.

He immediately set aside his worries and began sipping slowly, mouthful after mouthful.

Thanks to their efforts, they soon finished the water in the Peach Cup, which was large enough to be called a basin.

Simultaneously, the image and inscription inside the cup vanished, confirming their hypothesis: the artwork only materialized upon contact with water.

What happened next was inevitable: Gao Dequan immediately grabbed the kettle and carefully refilled the Peach Cup until the water was nearly overflowing, then fixed his entire focus on the bottom of the cup, watching intently.

In the beginning, due to inertia, the water inside the cup surely swayed, and it took about a minute before it gradually stabilized.

It was at that precise moment that the painting and the inscription materialized from thin air, vividly rendered.

“Just as we thought…” Gao Dequan blinked, a look of profound realization washing over his face.

“The Sheng Tao Cup.

Only this Peach Cup deserves the title of Sheng Tao Cup—the true Sheng Tao Cup!” Wang Guan nodded slightly, understanding what Gao Dequan meant: the Sheng Tao Cup he spoke of no longer carried the homophonic connotation, but meant a miraculous, sacred object.

As they spoke, Gao Dequan chuckled.

“Wang Guan, your hundreds of catties of top-grade Shifeng Longjing tea were not wasted; all its essence is now in this cup.

The facts prove it: you truly managed to make a dead horse perform like a live one.” “A blind cat stumbled upon a dead mouse again,” Wang Guan laughed, which was the honest truth.

He only knew there was a hidden inscription inside the cup; he had no idea the cup body could absorb the essence of tea leaves to achieve the magical effect of carrying the tea aroma in plain water.

“Your instances of a blind cat stumbling upon dead mice are a bit too frequent,” Gao Dequan sighed, shaking his head.

That was the polite way of putting it; if Yu Feibai were present, he would likely be jumping up and shouting that Wang Guan was cheating again.

Regardless, having acquired another treasure, the two naturally spent time carefully observing, handling, and repeatedly filling the cup to study the changes in the tea flavor.

They eventually reached a conclusion: The cup body was sensitive to temperature; hotter boiling water was more effective at leaching out the flavor, and the image and inscription would appear faster.

If using ordinary cold water, they would have to wait patiently—it would take at least seven or eight minutes for any effect to manifest… (To be continued) RT