It was only after Elder Qian's explanation that Wang Guan finally understood. In fact, Elder Qian wasn't wrong; he and Master Pei Shimin were not from the same generation and lived in different places, so there was truly no chance for them to have met.

Of course, not knowing each other didn't mean being unaware. After all, Master Pei Shimin was one of the Seven Artisans of Zisha, highly renowned in the industry, so it was unlikely Elder Qian wouldn't know of him.

"What, is this Sheng Tao Cup related to Master Pei Shimin?"

At the same time, Elder Qian mused, "I recall that during the Republic of China era, Master Pei Shimin once repaired a Sheng Tao Cup—the one you mentioned is housed in the Nanjing Museum. If I weren't certain that cup lacks such miraculous effects, and that the inscriptions and drawings don't match, I'd truly suspect you had bought back the Peach Cup from the Nanjing Museum."

"I’d like to have bought it, but they certainly wouldn't sell it," Wang Guan laughed, and Elder Qian nodded in agreement.

After all, that Sheng Tao Cup in the Nanjing Museum was considered a treasure that anchors the collection, a national first-class cultural relic whose name was recorded in the archives. No matter how valuable it was, certain people wouldn't dare entertain the thought.

At this point, Elder Qian urged, "Go on, how is this Sheng Tao Cup related to Master Pei Shimin?"

"This cup was originally discovered by Master Pei Shimin, but when he found it, the cup wasn't like this..." Wang Guan began to narrate slowly, letting Elder Qian understand the whole story from beginning to end.

"There was such a thing..." Elder Qian couldn't help but sigh, "Master Pei truly was born in the wrong era."

"What do you mean?" Wang Guan was quite taken aback. He had expected Elder Qian to praise him for being clever and quick-witted, not to utter such a sentiment.

"You are nimble and clever to think of boiling the cup with tea to complete the final step of the Sheng Tao Cup, but didn't you ever consider who first discovered the cup had a hidden mystery?" Elder Qian sighed, "You needed to know there was a mystery to think of a way to solve it, but Master Pei sensed the mystery within the cup without any prior knowledge—that is the true skill."

"Ah."

Wang Guan reacted, then became thoroughly confused, "If Master Pei knew the method to unlock it, why didn't he do it..."

"That's why I say Master Pei was born in the wrong era," Elder Qian shook his head slightly, explaining subtly and reservedly, "Master Pei passed away in '76. Before that, the domestic situation was relatively poor and backward; how could one casually procure several hundred pounds of high-quality tea for steaming and boiling?"

Wang Guan immediately grasped the situation. In that particular era, anyone who dared to do such a thing would certainly not have ended well. However, he was still slightly puzzled: "It's a fact that Master Pei knew the secret but it was hard to solve, but he could have told his descendants. Yet, it seems his descendants weren't aware of it, so they gave it to me so easily."

"Didn't I already say the circumstances were special at the time?"

Elder Qian spoke softly, "Everyone was caught up in the situation back then, and who could have foreseen that after Deng Gong came to power, such broad-mindedness and vision would lead to the implementation of the Reform and Opening Up national policy, causing earth-shattering changes in China? Those involved are often confused. Master Pei must have felt that possessing such a treasure was inviting trouble, so he simply chose not to tell his descendants, to prevent them from giving in to temptation and bringing disaster upon themselves."

Upon hearing this, Wang Guan found it even more reasonable. After all, Master Pei Shimin died in '76, a time when China was in a very delicate state. As an elder who had lived through the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the warlord era, the KMT-CCP struggle, the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Civil War, and the ten-year turmoil, Master Pei must have felt the hardships of the world and dared not reveal the secret of the Sheng Tao Cup to his descendants.

In reality, Master Pei's considerations were very thorough. Even after the Reform and Opening Up, the political climate in China remained somewhat precarious until Deng Gong's Southern Tour speeches before '92. Some even felt that if Deng Gong hadn't lived until '97, it remained an unknown what China's situation would be today.

While it was true that the future trajectory of China was also an unknown, this particular unknown was at least more comforting than the previous one. After all, no matter how uncertain things were now, people generally knew how they might die—either from gutter oil, shoe-sole capsules, or inflation...

While these random thoughts flashed through Wang Guan's mind, Elder Qian continued, "Moreover, although Master Pei did not state it explicitly, he did leave hints. His descendants mistakenly believed that the so-called mystery was the 'Tianqing Clay,' and so they stopped diligently researching the secret of the Sheng Tao Cup. Who can be blamed for that? If you think about it, you should be grateful; otherwise, how would such a treasure fall into your hands?"

"Yes, absolutely right," Wang Guan agreed wholeheartedly, a smile blooming across his face.

"Forget it, the coincidences and destiny involved are hard to explain in a few words," Elder Qian shook his head and cautioned, "In the future, if anyone finds out you possess such an item, do not reveal its origin. Just say you bought it by chance, to avoid unnecessary complications."

Wang Guan quickly nodded, worried that Pei Hongquan might regret parting with it and demand the ancestral heirloom back, which would be quite troublesome.

"This is a rare treasure."

At that moment, Elder Qian also smiled, "With something like this, you won't need to buy tea for a long time."

"Perhaps," Wang Guan replied with a smile tinged with hesitation, "but I worry that after using it for a long time, the flavor will fade, and I might have to boil it with tea again."

"That's a good thing," Elder Qian beamed, "Next time, use Lushan Cloud Mist Tea to boil it."

"No problem," Wang Guan readily agreed. He knew that Elder Qian's preference leaned toward Lushan Cloud Mist Tea. But it didn't matter; he wasn't picky about tea as long as the flavor was potent. He had initially thought of using West Lake Longjing tea to boil the Sheng Tao Cup because the literature suggested it was better for rinsing new Zisha teapots.

"We'll talk about that later. The effect should last quite a while and won't fade easily." As he spoke, Elder Qian inquired, "By the way, is the Buddha Bell cast yet?"

"It’s finished casting, and it feels absolutely perfect," Wang Guan praised endlessly, "Truly the work of a master..."

"Indeed, the work of a master."

The next day, the logistics company delivered the Buddha Bell—a benefit of paying extra. As long as enough money was offered, the logistics company would naturally comply with the customer's wishes and deliver the item to the designated location as quickly as possible.

Upon seeing the Buddha Bell, Pi Qiushi also offered high praise, but when he noticed the inscription on the bell body, he was suddenly filled with mixed feelings of surprise and joy: "Brother, what is going on here?"

The inscription not only recorded the date and month the Buddha Bell was cast but also included a dedication mark. This indicated the item was donated to Banshan Temple, yet the donor's name was not Wang Guan, but Pi Qiushi.

Seeing this, Pi Qiushi immediately understood what had happened and couldn't help but feel a wave of gratitude.

"No need to thank me," Wang Guan said with a smile, "Verbal thanks won't suffice. I need something tangible. You must be responsible for reimbursing the cost of casting the bell, plus travel expenses, food expenses, and so on."

"Absolutely no problem, and I'll add a stipend subsidy for you as well..."

Amidst their banter, the two delivered the Buddha Bell to Banshan Temple. At this moment, many high-rise buildings at the foot of Banshan Temple had begun to top out; the next step was decoration. At this pace, the project would surely be completed before the end of the year.

Anyway, Baye had mentioned that Mrs. Tang had already started planning for a New Year's Day opening. Since expertise lies in specialization, Wang Guan only needed to know the general progress and never inquired about specific details. Still, an earlier opening was good news, which made him slightly happy.

Relatively speaking, however, Banshan Temple might open even sooner. At least, according to Pi Qiushi, Master Banshan had made all the necessary preparations, and as soon as the Buddha Bell arrived, arrangements could be made for the temple's inauguration ceremony.

Soon after, arriving halfway up the mountain and seeing the state of the monastery, Wang Guan knew Pi Qiushi hadn't lied, because the temple's condition was now completely different from before. A month ago, the temple was deserted—it could be called serene, or less kindly, gloomy and lifeless.

But now, as soon as he entered the mountain gate, Wang Guan saw two or three young novices sweeping fallen leaves, and vaguely spotted many monks busy working in the various halls, presenting a scene of thriving vitality.

"Roughly how many people have arrived?" Wang Guan asked curiously.

"There were only a little over thirty to begin with," Pi Qiushi chuckled, "but with the inauguration ceremony approaching, another thirty-plus have arrived."

"Oh, quite a number," Wang Guan chuckled lightly, "I wonder if Master Banshan can hold the fort. Be careful of power slipping away, and someone else taking over the nest."

"Brother, don't take this the wrong way,"

Pi Qiushi couldn't help but shake his head and said softly, "Monks are ascetics; they don't engage in striving for profit. You should only say things like that privately to me, and definitely don't broadcast it around. Otherwise, even if Master Banshan doesn't mind, the other monks will feel uncomfortable."

"Fine, I won't say it," Wang Guan shrugged, "I'm just worried for Master Banshan, fearing that the temple he painstakingly managed will end up being easily plucked by others."

"Don't worry, that kind of thing won't happen," Pi Qiushi laughed, "Do you know what lineage Master Banshan belongs to? That's the Vinaya School (Lü Zong); they value rules and discipline above all else."

"Vinaya School?" Wang Guan was momentarily stunned, then let out a self-deprecating laugh, "I always thought he was a Chan (Zen) monk..."

Perhaps some people are unfamiliar with the Vinaya School, which is quite normal. After all, there are quite a few schools within Buddhism: the Sanlun School, Faxiang School, Tiantai School, Esoteric School, Chan School, Pure Land School, Huayan School, Vinaya School, and so on.

Currently, the dominant schools are Chan, Pure Land, and Esoteric, but each school further divides into many sub-schools. For example, the famous Chan School has the Five Houses and Seven Schools classification.

And the Esoteric School in Tibet has several branches: Red Sect, Yellow Sect, White Sect, Flower Sect, Black Sect. In short, there are many schools and even more sub-schools. This is just the situation in China; if we include places like Japan and Korea, we would need to sort them out patiently.

Among them, the Vinaya School, also known as the Nanshan School, was actually founded by Daoxuan during the Tang Dynasty. Because Daoxuan lectured and propagated the Dharma on Mount Zhongnan, it is also called the Nanshan Vinaya School, or Nanshan School. The tenet of the Vinaya School is to strictly observe precepts and rules, requiring self-reliance and strength. One must internally understand the requirements and meaning of the precepts and sincerely wish to uphold and practice them to truly solve problems.

This is why Pi Qiushi said these monks place great importance on rules, and the situation Wang Guan was worried about would not occur...