To this, Wang Guan and the others were quite satisfied; as long as the place wasn't deserted, it was a good start. Moreover, this was only the beginning, and they were confident that more people would be drawn in as time went on.

As it turned out, their speculation was correct. After noon, more and more visitors arrived at the museum. Furthermore, those who came early had already toured the entire museum twice but showed no signs of leaving.

The reason for this was simple: the "Revival of the Deadwood Vase" had been taken off display from the pedestal in the main hall. Those who saw it yesterday wanted to admire it again, and those who hadn't seen it naturally wanted to verify if the vase was truly as miraculous as rumored.

With this thought in mind, many people waited patiently, as the museum staff had explicitly informed them that the item would only be displayed again around noon.

The item belonged to others, and when they chose to display it was their prerogative. Even if some people were annoyed, it wouldn't change the fact, so they could only wait. Fortunately, the museum had plenty of other excellent pieces, so watching those while waiting kept boredom at bay.

Time slipped by without notice, and soon it was noon. Someone must have started it, but regardless, a throng of people gathered near the hall, or by the second-floor corridor, having selected the best viewing spots, awaiting the reappearance of the Revival of the Deadwood Vase.

Perhaps sensing the collective anticipation, Elder Qian, surrounded by Wang Guan and others, slowly made his entrance. Seeing the main figure appear, the crowd quickly cleared a path, their gazes filled with expectation... and, of course, skepticism.

Even now, some people did not truly believe the vase possessed such miraculous properties.

But whether expectation or doubt dominated, Elder Qian walked up to the display stand. Looking at the crowd, which was significantly smaller than yesterday, the smile on his face only grew wider.

"Everyone has come."

At the opportune moment, Elder Qian chuckled, "Of course, many people who might have come are absent. However, I can responsibly state that those who are not here today are missing out."

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, some quick-witted individuals felt a stirring in their hearts, vaguely detecting an unusual implication in Elder Qian's words.

"However, before that, I must offer an apology."

At this point, Elder Qian smiled, "I know that many of you here came specifically for the Revival of the Deadwood Vase, but we will not be displaying that piece today..."

"What, not displaying it?"

"Then didn't we come for nothing?"

"Are you deliberately tricking us? You can't run a business like this!"

In an instant, many brows furrowed. Some expressed understanding, others were deeply surprised, and some even reacted with angry condemnation, while naturally, others were lost in thought. The reactions varied widely.

Seeing this scene, Elder Qian did not rush to explain, simply smiling at the crowd until more people had processed the news and settled into quiet attention. Only then did he speak: "There's no need to rush, everyone. I can guarantee that the Revival of the Deadwood Vase will be displayed again in the future. However, today, I wish to invite you all to view something else."

As he spoke, Elder Qian lightly pressed a button on the display stand. Then, under everyone's gaze, the tabletop of the stand split open again, but what emerged was not porcelain, but two antennas...

Uh, no. They were two long iron pipes, extending upwards to the sky, one on the left and one on the right. But those with sharp eyes could clearly see a scroll suspended between the two pipes.

A moment later, the iron pipes stopped moving. The space between them was about seventy to eighty centimeters, and the height was about a meter and a half to one sixty. Combined with the scroll fixed across the top ends, it resembled a simple, small gateway.

However, it was obvious to discerning eyes that what Elder Qian intended for them to view was the scroll itself. It was unclear whether the scroll held calligraphy practice sheets or a famous painting.

Whatever it was, for Elder Qian to single it out for exhibition, it certainly wasn't an ordinary object. At once, many became curious, and more importantly, regretful. Mainly because they were not positioned in front of the scroll, so out of habit, many began pushing towards the front, causing a slight commotion.

"Don't crowd," Elder Qian quickly intervened upon seeing this, then gestured, "Look closely, the display stand can move."

As he spoke, Elder Qian pressed another button. Instantly, everyone could see the stand begin to rotate slowly, turning a full 360 degrees with smooth, unimpeded motion.

Seeing this, the crowd felt a bit sheepish and settled down. After a moment of silence, some couldn't help but urge Elder Qian to untie the cords holding the scroll so they could see the contents.

"Then watch carefully," Elder Qian accommodated their request, smiled, and gently tugged the rope dangling from the scroll. The ground bar of the scroll immediately dropped down.

In that instant, the scroll unfurled completely, allowing everyone to see the actual situation. But at first glance, many were stunned, completely perplexed.

"What's going on? It's completely blank?"

It was understandable why everyone was bewildered; the scroll surface was neither calligraphy nor a painting, but a vast expanse of white, as pristine as new paper that had never been inked. Seeing this unexpected sight, naturally, some began to question, wondering if Elder Qian had accidentally picked up the wrong scroll.

"Did he take the wrong one?"

At this moment, Wang Guan also frowned, showing a hint of hesitation.

"Don't worry, just keep watching," Elder Old Zhou was remarkably calm. "Do you think someone as meticulous as Ling Xi would make such a significant oversight?"

"That's true."

Hearing this, Wang Guan knew there was a hidden mechanism at play and comfortably settled in to observe. Meanwhile, amidst the uproar from the crowd, Elder Qian remained unperturbed, even leisurely sipping his water...

"Pfft!"

Just then, for some unknown reason, Elder Qian, who was drinking water, suddenly spat it out, ejecting a misty cloud of water vapor. Everyone was startled to see a splash of water arc into the air and land upon the blank scroll suspended above.

"What happened?"

Inevitably, many felt a wave of confusion, and amidst their surprise, some quick-reacting individuals rushed to look at the scroll, exclaiming in astonishment.

"Look quickly..."

"The surface is changing."

Prompted by others, more people looked up. Fortunately, the stand was still rotating slowly, so nobody needed to jostle for position. Looking closely, everyone noticed that the surface indeed showed a clear transformation. After being sprayed by Elder Qian’s mouthful of water mist, the moisture naturally spread and dripped down the surface.

As the water mist descended, the plain white surface suddenly underwent a subtle change, clearly showing color—specks of crimson beginning to emerge, looking somewhat terrifyingly like fresh blood.

Even in broad daylight, witnessing such a blood-stained appearance made even some of the bolder individuals feel a shiver of unease. Those less courageous certainly couldn't bear to look directly.

Of course, upon seeing the surface react to the water, some seasoned experts immediately had an idea, unable to suppress their mixture of excitement and surprise as they observed closely. A rarely heard term soon circulated among their hushed discussions.

"What, an 'Hidden Painting' (Yin Hua)?"

"Hidden Painting, what does that mean?"

Hearing the experts mention the term 'Hidden Painting,' some were utterly bewildered and began asking each other. Some, who were on good terms with a particular expert, shamelessly sought clarification and received an answer.

"If you haven't heard of a Hidden Painting, you must have heard of invisible ink, right?"

"Invisible ink isn't a modern invention; it existed in ancient times. There was a period when some painters enjoyed using invisible ink to create art, then inviting others to view it, or gifting it to others."

"Some people didn't understand the secret and became very angry or confused when they found the scroll completely blank. Only after the painter explained did they understand what was happening..."

"Some painters found amusement in this, managing to trick quite a few people. However, the flaw of the Hidden Painting was very obvious: once painted, the design remained hidden, only reappearing when exposed to water. This meant that if too much water was used, the scroll would easily rot. Second, because the surface appeared blank, uninformed viewers might easily set it aside carelessly or even destroy it without knowing its true nature."

"Due to these two reasons, very few Hidden Paintings have survived; most people have never seen a real one and assume they are merely vague legends."

Under the explanations of some grand masters, many people suddenly understood, and their previous dissatisfaction and confusion vanished, replaced by the feeling that the trip had been worthwhile.

"I knew we came to the right place today."

"Exactly, missing the Revival of the Deadwood Vase isn't so bad if we get to see a Hidden Painting."

Amidst the excited voices of the crowd, a spray of water mist gradually saturated the entire scroll surface. Then, the bloody crimson color slowly deepened from pale to intense, finally revealing the hidden image.

Everyone gazed intently, but found the image on the scroll strangely familiar. The bloody color wasn't real blood, but a magnificent red robe. The painting depicted a figure clad in a voluminous red garment, holding a broadsword, bearing a face with a leopard's head and round eyes, and an iron mask with a curly beard—the very image of a resurrected Zhang Fei.

"A likeness of Zhong Kui!"

With one glance, many exclaimed the name.

"Zhong Kui Subduing a Demon Scroll!"

A sharp-eyed person noticed the image of a small, green-faced demon with tusks next to the leopard-headed figure and immediately and accurately stated the name of the painting.

However, whether it was a likeness of Zhong Kui or the Zhong Kui Subduing a Demon Scroll, the meaning was the same. The figure in the red robe with the bizarre appearance was undeniably Zhong Kui—the King of Ghosts worshipped by common folk as the Holy Lord of Blessing and House Protection, legendary for his ability to subdue demons and expel evil spirits.

It could be said that compared to lofty deities like the Jade Emperor, the Three Pure Ones, or the Buddha Guanyin, the image of Zhong Kui was far more widespread among the populace. In ancient times, families commonly hung images of Zhong Kui to bless their homes and performed the Zhong Kui dance to pray for fortune and ward off evil; nearly every household had Zhong Kui protecting the household...