Guanzhong Tomb Robbery Notes

Chapter 392: From the Tianshi Mansion, find the cause

Huang Yupu suddenly reached out to take the gilded jade album.

I quickly raised my left hand to stop him, and picked up the gilded jade album with my right hand and put it in my arms.

One could tell from his expression that the jade album was extraordinary.

Good things naturally cannot be given away.

When Huang Yupu saw me holding the gilded jade album, he immediately puffed his beard and glared at me.

"What are you doing with it?!"

"Take it out and let me see it!"

"Don't worry, I'm just taking a look!"

The more he said this.

The more I held the gilded jade album tightly in my arms.

It's not that I'm stingy.

The so-called rare goods are valuable.

The more others care about something, the more valuable it is in their eyes.

It is easier to get people to talk to you by appearing defensive and not showing it.

"Master Huang, it's not that I won't show it to you."

"You look really scary right now."

"How about we first talk about the origin of the gilded jade album?"

"So that I can understand it too."

Huang Yupu sat sideways on the edge of the bed, his eyes staring straight into my arms.

"The gilded jade album has a very impressive origin."

"From the Heavenly Master's Mansion in Mount Longhu!"

The six words "Longhu Mountain Tianshi Mansion" gave me a shock.

Although I didn't have time to take a closer look at the gilded jade album, I could tell from that quick glance that the jade was of extraordinary quality.

It is definitely the best mutton-fat white jade!

When talking about mutton-fat white jade, people usually think that only snow-white jade can be called mutton-fat white jade.

actually not.

The term "mutton-fat white jade" originally referred to white jade that feels as oily as solidified mutton fat.

It does not mean that the jade is absolutely white.

When you look at very white jade from the side under strong light, you will see a lot of white cotton-like substances inside.

These cotton-like substances will make your skin look dull and stupidly white.

The white one lacks agility and has an oily feel.

A truly good jade stone has no structure when strong light is shone into it from the side, and the overall jade quality is very lustrous.

Therefore, the best mutton-fat white jade is not pure snow-white.

If you encounter a merchant who calls silly white jade material mutton-fat white jade, it is best to stay away from them.

Nine out of ten businesses like this are scams.

Let’s talk about the gilded jade album.

The gilded jade album is made of mutton-fat white jade, and the size of the album is definitely large enough.

What's more, this thing came from the Tianshi Mansion.

The value is even higher!

No wonder Huang Yupu was so anxious to take a closer look at the bridge.

I weighed the value of the gilded jade album in my mind, but pretended to be unconvinced on my face.

"This gilded jade album looks quite valuable."

"Such a valuable item should be well protected by the Tianshi Mansion, right?"

"How did it flow out from the Tianshi Mansion and into the hands of your senior brother?"

I continued to ask questions and first asked about the origin of the gilded jade album.

If the source is not legitimate.

There are causes and effects that are difficult to explain.

Then you have to think carefully about how to deal with it.

Well, this can be considered as learning from one's mistakes.

The fact that I took the statue of the Great Black Goddess from the crypt was linked to karma made me wary of objects of unknown origin.

What if there is a similar cause and effect on the gilded jade album?

Even if I had ten lives, they wouldn't be enough to put them in there.

"Ugh!"

Huang Yupu sighed softly and said, "It's a long story."

"In 1949, the 63rd Heavenly Master, along with his eldest son, the Heavenly Master Seal, the Heavenly Master Sword, and other items, followed the remnants of the defeated army to the island."

"Among them was a complete set of gilded jade albums."

"We were robbed on the way, and among the lost items was a complete set of gilded jade albums."

“In the 1950s, my senior brother was invited to perform rituals there.”

"I came across the piece you picked up in an antique shop while wandering around, so I spent a lot of money on it."

"At the time, he inquired about the origins of the jade album leaf, hoping to find the other fifteen pieces to complete the set."

"But the store owner is unwilling to tell us where it came from."

"My senior brother tried very hard to persuade the shop owner, and even helped the shop owner change its feng shui, only to be told that the goods were stolen many years ago."

"The thief who sold the goods has long since disappeared."

"Senior Brother had no choice but to return to Hong Kong Island. From then on, he regarded this gilded jade album as a treasure, chanting scriptures and refining it every day..."

That sounds fine.

It seems that the gilded jade album is not affected by cause and effect.

The tension in my heart relaxed.

So he took out the gilded jade album from his arms.

Huang Yupu quickly stretched out his hands to take it: "I'll just take a look, just for a moment!"

"We agreed to just do it for once." I emphasized and put the jade album into his hand.

Huang Yupu held the jade album and read it carefully.

He looked like a child who got the toy he had longed for.

Boss Dong and I also stuck our heads out and started looking from both sides of Huang Yupu.

In the middle of the jade album, the image of Taishang Laojun is engraved using the negative carving technique.

Gold powder is then filled into the grooves of the engraved lines to highlight the image of Laozi.

There is no choice in the jade material and carving.

Based on these two points, the value will not be low.

Boss Dong narrowed his eyes and said, "Good stuff!"

"I've seen gilded Arhat jade albums from the late Ming Dynasty court before, and the workmanship is slightly inferior to this jade album."

"And that set is made of green jade."

"The jade material is much worse than this piece."

"I think judging by the craftsmanship, this jade album leaf may have come from the Ming Dynasty court, most likely a gift from Emperor Jiajing to the Tianshi Temple."

What Boss Dong said is typical storytelling by an antique dealer.

In order to sell their goods at a high price, antique dealers often use storytelling and historical figures to increase the value of items.

For example, this one was used by Empress Dowager Cixi, and that one was used by Emperor Qianlong, and so on.

As long as the story is told well, you can really trick many people into paying a high price.

However, his story was well-founded and not completely nonsense.

After all, Emperor Jiajing did believe in Taoism.

He is one of the famous immortal emperors in history.

It is said that Emperor Jiajing gifted the Tianshi Mansion with gilded jade albums with Taoist themes, but it will always be inappropriate no matter when.

Huang Yupu carefully read the front and turned the jade album to the back.

There is a talisman engraved on the back.

He looked at the talisman, raised his hand and started drawing in the air.

It was then that I suddenly realized.

It turns out that he wanted the jade album in order to learn how to draw the talisman on the back!

I just don’t know what kind of talisman this is?

Can I also learn from it?

Huang Yupu's painting went smoothly at first.

But when he drew the second half, his fingers stopped moving.

His brows gradually furrowed.

After thinking for a moment, he started drawing again.

I repeated this several times without success.

"Oh!" Huang Yupu sighed in disappointment.

Put the jade album back into my hand.

He shook his head helplessly and said, "It's definitely not something I can learn."

"Keep it well."

"Perhaps it will be useful when you settle your karma."

I pointed at the talisman and asked, "What is this talisman?"

Huang Yupu waved his hand and said mysteriously, "Don't ask too much."

"Just know that I can save your life at the critical moment."

"If even this talisman can't save you, then I can only say that you are destined to face a calamity that you cannot overcome."

The more mysterious he is, the more I want to know.

But I guess you can't get the answer by asking directly.

I could only ask indirectly, "Then how do I use this talisman at the critical moment?"

"Wear it close to your body and it will automatically activate when your life is in danger."

Huang Yupu turned and walked out after he finished speaking.

When he reached the door, he stopped.

With his back to me, he said, "Cause and effect, there is a cause for every effect."

"Since you were able to accept this karma, you didn't die tragically like the other people who occupied the Great Black Goddess Buddha statue."

"Maybe it's because you've experienced something similar."

"Finding that cause may help you completely resolve the cause and effect."