Humility is not fearsome; what is truly terrifying is arrogance.

Wang Guan was fortunate; under the exemplary conduct of Elder Qian and the others, this tendency never surfaced in him.

Or perhaps, if such a sprout appeared, Elder Qian would detect it and promptly nip it in the bud.

In the eyes of Elder Qian and his peers, talented people are not frightening; what is frightening is when a talented person deviates from the proper path.

Take, for instance, Zhu Da; with his exquisite, almost divine skill in replicating antiques, he could have become a revered master.

Perhaps in two or three hundred years, his name could be mentioned in the same breath as Tang Ying of the Qing Dynasty.

After all, Tang Ying was also famous for his imitations, although his work was not purely replication; he also incorporated appropriate innovation, earning him the deep respect of the world.

People even named the kilns active during his tenure as the director in Jingdezhen the "Tang Kilns." To have one's name become synonymous with an era, look how successful Tang Ying was; not in two or three centuries, but even two or three millennia from now, as long as the art of ceramics exists, he will certainly appear in the annals of ceramic history.

As for Master Zhu Da, even if he achieved fame, it would likely be infamy, and his name would never appear in any reputable historical record.

The social nature of humanity dictates that evil must be suppressed while good is exalted.

If it were general history, perhaps the deeds of treacherous and cunning ministers might be recounted, since the true nature of many ancient court villains is still debated—there is no single, unified conclusion on whether they were fundamentally good or bad.

But the history of ceramics is different; it is a specialized historical record, noting only who invented what on what specific date.

It certainly would never record who manufactured a flawless forgery on a specific date.

Therefore, individuals like Master Zhu Da are destined to vanish in the long river of history, unknown to later generations.

Elder Qian would not allow such a fate to befall Wang Guan; in his view, given Wang Guan’s talent, as long as he applied himself diligently, the achievements he would reach at his current age would far surpass his own.

Although Wang Guan had never formally taken a master, Elder Qian already regarded him as his successor, and thus felt compelled to guide him carefully, lest he stray and waste his magnificent gift.

Wang Guan was somewhat aware of this and felt deeply grateful.

Consequently, when Elder Qian was intently observing the Chibi Fu long scroll, or seemed slightly thirsty, Wang Guan would simply offer him a cup of clear water.

“Thank you…” Elder Qian nodded slightly, taking the cup and taking a sip of the clear water.

Instantly, Wang Guan smiled broadly, “Elder Qian, how does it taste?” “Hmm?” Elder Qian paused, confused.

“What taste?” “The taste of the water.” Wang Guan chuckled.

“Can you tell what flavor it is?” “Why ask so suddenly? Is there something peculiar about it?” Elder Qian’s mind was sharp; he immediately sensed Wang Guan’s unusual behavior.

He raised the cup again and sipped the water, savoring it for a moment before chuckling, “Longjing from West Lake… wait, there seems to be something.” At that moment, Elder Qian looked down at the glass cup; the water inside was crystal clear, in no way resembling tea liquor.

One must realize that any tea, once steeped in hot water, will yield a colored infusion, varying from light to dark.

Clear, transparent water generally no longer possesses any tea flavor.

Yet, Elder Qian tasted a rich, fragrant aroma in this glass of plain water, which naturally struck him as odd.

However, he remained composed.

He merely smiled faintly, “Go on, what treasure have you unearthed now?” As he spoke, Elder Qian’s gaze swept around.

He suddenly spotted an object on the table covered with silk fabric and shook his head with a soft laugh, “So secretive, what surprise do you have for me this time?” “Elder Qian’s discerning eye sees all; nothing can escape you.” Wang Guan wore an expression of profound admiration.

While they were in the Pottery Capital, he had deliberately instructed Gao Dequan not to inform Elder Qian, precisely for this effect.

But Elder Qian proved far sharper than expected, instantly seeing through his intention.

Still, it didn't matter; even if the intention was known, the item itself might not be.

Thinking this, Wang Guan smiled, “Why don’t you guess what this is?” “Not a single hint? How am I supposed to guess?” Elder Qian gently shook his head.

Nevertheless, he examined the object closely, tracing the outline beneath the silk scarf, and mused thoughtfully, “It looks a bit like a bowl.” “It’s not a bowl,” Wang Guan denied, then stopped playing games, swiftly pulling the silk away with a beaming smile, “It’s a cup—a Sheng Tao Cup.” “A Sheng Tao Cup?” Elder Qian started, “Xiang Shengsi’s Sheng Tao Cup?” “Exactly, it is indeed Xiang Shengsi’s Sheng Tao Cup.” Wang Guan smiled, “But this Sheng Tao Cup is no ordinary thing; it’s worlds apart from the one in the Nanjing Museum.” “Is that so?” Hearing this, Elder Qian composed himself and examined it seriously.

At first glance, the cup's exquisite exterior was captivating.

The overall structure of the body resembled a large peach sliced in half, with the handle crafted from the gnarled, ancient look of a thick branch.

The inner and outer walls were smooth and lustrous, with scattered branches, leaves, and peach blossoms adhering closely to the cup wall, appearing to sway in the wind—vivid and graceful.

The small peaches at the branch tips added vitality to the aged wood, while the slightly protruding leaf tips, tiny peaches, and the branch itself formed a stable tripod on the same plane, acting as the three support points for the cup’s base, allowing the peach-shaped cup to stand steadily on the table.

Such conception, such exquisite detail, was enough to put it ahead of all competitors in Zisha artistry, making it no wonder Xiang Shengsi’s peach cups were hailed as divine artifacts.

Of course, all this hinged on the cup’s warm color and delicate luster, which brought the cup’s vibrant form to life.

Otherwise, it would be the same as before: with a color resembling cinder, no one would bother to look twice, let alone notice the exquisite, lifelike beauty of the form.

“Oh.” At the same time, Elder Qian also noticed the inscription and painting within the cup.

Beneath the placid water’s surface, a scene of a distinctive, aged man brewing tea was perfectly clear.

Especially at the moment when the painted firewood blazed, causing steam to rise from the kettle, the boiled water in the cup simultaneously emitted faint wisps of vapor.

If one’s eyes deceived them, it would be truly difficult to discern whether the steam belonged to the illusion or reality.

But regardless, upon clearly perceiving the imagery within the cup, Elder Qian immediately exclaimed in astonishment, “The Lu Yu Brewing Tea scroll.” China has a long history of tea, but the one person who truly popularized tea leaves, elevating them to an object of refinement and creating a lasting trend, was a man revered as the Tea Immortal, honored as the Tea Sage, and worshiped as the Tea Deity.

Unnecessary to state, this person was Lu Yu, whom Elder Qian mentioned.

He devoted his life to tea, mastered the Way of Tea, and penned a book that would become immortal and the world's first specialized treatise on tea—the Classic of Tea.

It was this book that established Lu Yu as the patriarch of the tea industry, earning him profound respect, viewing him as the immortal, sage, and god of the tea ritual.

Thus, it wasn't particularly strange for Xiang Shengsi to depict Lu Yu on the cup.

However, Elder Qian's eyes were not mistaken; he saw with absolute clarity that the drawing and text inside the cup did not appear to be engraved.

That was the first anomaly.

Furthermore, as he leaned in to examine it, Elder Qian also detected a faint, elegant fragrance—the scent of tea.

Yet, there were no tea leaves in the cup, only boiling water filled to the brim.

Boiling water is clear and transparent and possesses no inherent taste; where could the tea aroma originate? These two anomalies deeply stirred Elder Qian, who asked with wonder, “Wang Guan, what is going on here?” “I can’t explain it precisely,” Wang Guan smiled.

“You will understand once you experience it yourself.” As he spoke, Wang Guan carefully poured a small amount of water from the Sheng Tao Cup into the glass cup and gestured, “Elder Qian, please taste this and see what flavor it has.” “Mmm!” Elder Qian seemed enlightened.

He picked up the glass cup and examined it closely; the water inside remained crystal clear, without the slightest impurity.

Yet, within the warm vapor was a relatively rich tea fragrance, astonishing him.

Without hesitation, Elder Qian raised the cup and sipped the plain water.

Instantly, he felt a mellow, rich tea fragrance linger between his lips and teeth—precisely the taste of authentic Shifeng Longjing tea, with an exquisite mouthfeel.

“Tea fragrance from simply adding water to an empty pot?” At this, Elder Qian’s expression grew slightly excited, then he suddenly shook his head, “No, that’s incorrect.

If water is added to a pot used for a long time, the pot wall absorbs the tea essence, resulting in a faint flavor.

But this cup clearly transforms the water into tea liquor, similar to the function of a Luminous Cup.” “Luminous Cup?” Wang Guan was taken aback.

“The Luminous Cup from the poem, ‘Fine wine in a Luminous Cup’?” “Precisely.” Elder Qian took a little more clear water from the Sheng Tao Cup and sipped it carefully, then spoke slowly, “Legend has it that during the Western Zhou Dynasty, an envoy from the Western Regions came to pay homage and presented a Luminous Cup to King Mu of Zhou.

It is said the Luminous Cup was made of the purest white jade; not only could it emit a light like the full moon at night, but it could also directly convert clear water into mellow wine…” Here, Elder Qian chuckled, “In a way, the function of the Luminous Cup is quite similar to your Sheng Tao Cup; both are incredibly magical treasures.” “Elder Qian, the reason this Sheng Tao Cup is magical is that I boiled several hundred pounds of superior Longjing tea for nine days and nights.

The essence of the tea was absorbed by the Sheng Tao Cup, resulting in this water-to-tea transformation when water is added.” Wang Guan explained, then asked with surprise, “But how could the Luminous Cup possess such an effect?” “The world is vast, and wonders abound,” Elder Qian chuckled lightly.

“Since the Sheng Tao Cup can absorb the essence of tea, why couldn't a similar jade-like substance absorb the essence of wine?” “Ah, that makes sense.” Wang Guan considered it carefully, instantly relieved, then asked curiously, “Elder Qian, have you ever seen a Luminous Cup?” “They say it’s a legend; how could I have seen one? You are incredibly lucky.

If you ever have the chance to acquire such a treasure, remember to bring it for my appraisal…” Elder Qian showed a flicker of expectation, then smiled again, “We’re getting off track.

Let’s return to this Sheng Tao Cup.

What did you mean about boiling it for nine days and nights?” “That’s a long story,” Wang Guan smiled.

“Elder Qian, you must know the great Zisha master Pei Shimin, right?” “I don’t know him,” Elder Qian shook his head.

Under Wang Guan’s astonished gaze, he smiled and explained, “I certainly know of Master Pei Shimin, but we never met personally.

He lived in Yixing for many years and passed away in ’76; I never had the opportunity…” To be continued…