I changed the world.

Page 270

"By the way, there's a calligraphy scroll hanging in that wooden house. According to the boy, it was made by that master. I secretly took a picture of it, but my skill in calligraphy is limited, and I don't recognize some of the characters..."

"Oh? Show it to your teacher quickly!" Zhang Sicheng said hurriedly upon hearing this.

Guan Zeping was clearly eager to show off, so he quickly took out his phone and pulled up the signature below the "perfect in form and spirit" calligraphy that he had photographed in the wooden house. He had already seen it afterward, probably because his phone was quite expensive, and the camera system had successfully captured the signature in great detail even in the dark room.

Zhang Sicheng took the phone, solemnly took out a pair of glasses from his pocket and put them on, and then began to carefully examine the text on the screen.

Unlike Guan Zeping, Zhang Sicheng possessed profound knowledge of epigraphy and calligraphy, which was to be expected. The Celestial Master's Mansion had a long and distinguished history, and its collection of epigraphic, calligraphic, and painting works from various dynasties was considerable—in fact, it could be said to be richer than the collections of most museums. Even if the Celestial Masters of each generation didn't particularly appreciate these arts, they could certainly be considered connoisseurs. As the saying goes, "One must see a thousand swords before recognizing their quality, and play a thousand tunes before understanding their sound"—it's all about familiarity.

Furthermore, Zhang Sicheng also held several directorships in related epigraphy and calligraphy societies. This world's Great Zhao did not experience the near-extinction of the nation that Zhang Jing's previous life had suffered. Therefore, many traditional cultural traditions were better preserved. Even in modern times, art forms such as epigraphy, ancient book inscriptions, calligraphy, and painting are still considered refined literary pursuits and remain quite popular in high society.

"Winter of the thirty-fifth year of Chenghe, Gu Shunzhi at the wooden hut." The handwriting was flamboyant and somewhat hasty. Zhang Sicheng frowned and examined it for a while before he could make it out. Following the signature was a square seal.

The seal's inscription is ancient and not one of the more popular modern fonts. Instead, it's a winding, looping script, more like a pattern than actual writing. Zhang Sicheng immediately recognized it as a script called "Bird and Insect Seal Script," an extremely ancient script that can be traced back to the early Xia Dynasty. In modern seal carving, this script is not mainstream; some artists use it occasionally, mostly out of curiosity. Conversely, it is frequently found in seals unearthed from dynasties before the Liang and Xia periods.

Zhang Sicheng couldn't immediately decipher the obscure script, but he felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had seen a similar seal somewhere before...

However, Guan Pingze's narration was not yet finished, so Zhang Sicheng could only ask him to send him the photos first, and then signaled him to continue.

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“A demon that has been sealed away by Dan Ding Mountain for a thousand years…” Zhang Sicheng muttered to himself, subconsciously swallowing a mouthful of saliva. He suddenly felt that there was a lot of information here.

His heart was racing, and he felt slightly dizzy. Zhang Sicheng quickly took a deep breath to calm himself down. He was getting old, and he couldn't handle any more shocks...

“Yes, Master, that’s what the demon said… Also, I think that the ‘Chixuzi’ mentioned by the demon should be the name of that master.” Guan Zeping nodded vigorously. He didn’t notice the turmoil in the old master’s heart. Seeing that his master was not asking any more questions, he continued to speak.

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When Guan Zeping recounted their attempt to climb the mountain again, only to be blocked by an inexplicable fog, he concluded by saying that a voice came from within the fog: "If you do not have the Celestial Master's talisman, do not come again!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sicheng, who had just managed to calm himself down, felt his heart pound again. Not wanting to lose face in front of his disciples, he quickly closed his eyes, feigning deep thought, and silently recited, "The mind should be calm, the mind should be calm..."

Guan Zeping, who was standing to the side, looked up and saw Zhang Sicheng's silent posture with his eyes closed. He couldn't help but admire him inwardly, thinking that the old Celestial Master was indeed profound in his cultivation. He became even more certain that the Celestial Master lineage, with its two thousand years of history, must be keeping many secrets that even he himself did not know...

Having narrowly escaped fainting on the spot, Zhang Sicheng finally steadied himself and slowly opened his eyes. He subconsciously leaned forward and asked again to confirm, "The master you mentioned earlier, was he indeed referring to the Celestial Master's Edict?"

“It is absolutely true. I am certain that I did not mishear. I also asked the other disciples who accompanied me to confirm, and they all heard it said so,” Guan Zeping hurriedly replied.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sicheng's breathing became heavier, his mind racing with thoughts: Dan Ding Mountain—reclusive masters—demons—seal—Celestial Master's Mansion… These words seemed to be connected by a faint, indistinct thread…

Chapter 516 The Lost Seal

After finishing his narration, seeing that the old master no longer asked questions, Guan Zeping had some doubts in his heart, but some things were not convenient to ask directly, so he carefully spoke up: "Master, what I have encountered and heard on this journey has truly broadened my horizons. Before, I thought I had a rudimentary understanding of the classics, but now I realize that I was just a frog in a well, and I am ashamed to have failed your teachings..."

“There are always people more capable than you, and there are always higher realms to conquer. I am very pleased that you understand this,” Zhang Sicheng said, stroking his beard and smiling.

"Alright, this matter involves the secrets of my Celestial Master lineage. You and the disciples on this trip must be careful with your words and actions, and you must not tell anyone else, not even your fellow disciples. Do you understand?" Seeing that his disciple seemed to want to ask more questions, Zhang Sicheng quickly stopped him and instructed him.

"This disciple knows what is important," Guan Zeping replied respectfully, stopping his previous conversation.

The Celestial Master's Mansion usually has very strict rules. Although Guan Zeping is nominally a disciple of the Celestial Master, he entered the sect relatively late and was usually taught by other senior priests. In reality, he did not receive much oral instruction from the Celestial Master and held the Celestial Master in great awe.

The Celestial Master holds a lofty position in the Xuanmen (Taoist) sect, and the Celestial Master lineage has been granted imperial titles in every dynasty. The current imperial family reveres the Xuanmen sect, so during the reign of Emperor Taizong, he ordered the then Celestial Master Zhang Yujing to preside over the Golden Register Repaying Kindness and Extending Happiness Universal Salvation Ritual at the Xuanyuan Palace on Mount Dayue. Afterwards, he was granted the title of Great True Man of the Zhang Celestial Master lineage, with a rank equivalent to that of a marquis.

Following the "Jiashen Incident," the north fell to the enemy, and the imperial court moved south. At that time, the Celestial Master Zhang Yingshan maintained close ties with the pro-war faction in the court and leveraged the Celestial Master lineage's widespread influence within the Xuanmen (Taoist) community and throughout the southern part of the empire. This provided strong public support for Emperor Huanzong's subsequent northern expedition. Therefore, after the successful northern expedition and the recapture of the old capital, Emperor Huanzong bestowed upon Zhang Yingshan the title of "Great True Man of Successor to the Teachings, Condensing Sincerity and Wisdom, Spreading the Primordial and Profound Teachings," posthumously granting him the title of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent, with a rank equivalent to a duke, and ordering him to wear duke's court robes. In the following reigns, Dan Ding Shan maintained a good relationship with the imperial family, receiving numerous honors and titles, and wielding considerable influence in the eyes of both the Xuanmen community and the nobility.

As a disciple of the Celestial Master, Guan Zeping was not from an ordinary family, but rather a descendant of a prominent clan in Luling. His maternal family was also a noble family. In fact, most of the Celestial Master's direct disciples came from extraordinary backgrounds, and a considerable portion of the incense offerings received by the Celestial Master's Mansion each year came from these noble families and nobles.

Numerous aristocratic families, primarily from Luling and the Hunan and Hubei regions, subtly formed a vast network centered around the Celestial Master's Mansion, operating under the guise of master-disciple relationships, faith, patronage, blood ties, and long-standing friendships. This network even extended into investments in finance, media, real industries, and infrastructure. Given the Celestial Master's Mansion's two-thousand-year history, the true extent of this network remains unknown to outsiders. From a more objective perspective, it possessed the substance of a financial magnate, but lacked its official name. To some extent, this is one reason why the imperial family treated the successive Celestial Masters with exceptional favor.

In fact, this is not only the case at the Celestial Master's Mansion, but also at the Three Mountains of Xuanmen, the Great Zen Temple of the Buddhist Sect, the White Horse Temple, and other ancient temples, to varying degrees.

"Well, get some rest. I might need you to make another trip tomorrow," Zhang Sicheng said gently, glancing at Guan Zeping, who looked rather disheveled. Then, he picked up the teacup beside him.

Seeing his master make the gesture of serving tea, Guan Zeping, though filled with many questions, knew it was inappropriate to ask further. He respectfully rose, inquired a few times about the old Celestial Master's health, and then carefully left the room...

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Originally, Zhang Sicheng had planned to spend some time today discussing some religious issues with the visiting Bishop of Wells. However, after his conversation with Guan Zeping, he lost interest in receiving the Bergopelli delegation and went straight to the Imperial Library.

The Imperial Edict Pavilion is located in the rear hall of the Grand Master's Mansion. It was built more than 400 years ago and was originally intended to "store the imperial edicts of past emperors." After a fire, it was expanded and is now the place where the Celestial Master's Mansion stores various books, documents, imperial edicts, decrees, and other literary and artistic collections from various dynasties.

The Imperial Edict Pavilion is a five-story traditional building with carved beams and painted rafters, covering a large area. Except for the first and second floors, the other three floors are usually closed and guarded by special disciples, and entry is not allowed easily.

Considering the old Celestial Master's advanced age, an elevator was installed in the Imperial Edict Pavilion ten years ago. The old Celestial Master went directly to the fourth floor, instructed his disciples to guard the door, and then entered the Imperial Edict Pavilion alone.

The fourth floor of the Imperial Edict Pavilion houses many of the Celestial Master's Mansion's valuable collections, including a large number of rare ancient books, paintings, and calligraphy. There is even a study on the east side, which was used by the Celestial Master to copy and appreciate the works when he was in the mood.

Upon entering the Imperial Edict Pavilion, Zhang Sicheng quickened his pace and headed straight for the study. He then searched the bookshelves on one side of the study and quickly found a large, hardcover book, which he pulled out. This book was "A Complete Collection of Ancient Bird-and-Insect Seal Script," a reference book on the appreciation of seal carving and epigraphy.

Zhang Sicheng put on his reading glasses, pulled up the photo from his phone again, examined it carefully for a while, and then opened the book and sat down at his desk to carefully read through it.

He flipped through the pages slowly, after all, he was an old man in his eighties. Even though the old master took good care of himself, his energy and reaction were no longer as good as those of a young man. However, these matters were too sensitive, and he did not trust his disciples to handle them, so he had to do them himself.

After a long while, Zhang Sicheng finally determined the contents of the seal in bird-and-insect script, which read "Gate of All Wonders".

The sense of familiarity in his heart grew even stronger. Zhang Sicheng took a notebook and carefully copied the four characters onto it. Then, he left the study and came to a bookshelf against the wall. This bookshelf was a typical traditional rosewood bookshelf, which contained some ancient books of old material.

Zhang Sicheng searched among them for a while, then carefully pulled out an ancient book from a shelf, confirmed the title, and then took out about ten other ancient books with similar appearances from that shelf, indicating that they were a set.

Zhang Sicheng carried the set of books back to his study, which was not far away. The short walk of a few dozen steps made him feel a little tired, and he sighed to himself that he was really getting old. Zhang Sicheng sat back down at his desk and began to examine the ancient books.

These ancient books are titled "Collection of Private Seals of Celestial Masters Through the Ages". When you open them, each page contains a seal with vermilion ink, along with several rubbings of inscriptions in black ink on the sides.

This set of books was made during the lifetime of the previous Celestial Master. It was not the kind of book that was widely distributed. Only three sets were made. Two sets have been sealed away, and this last set is placed on the bookshelf for the Celestial Master to enjoy occasionally.

Chapter 517 The Lost Seal

The most well-known Celestial Master's Seal in the Great Zhao Dynasty is the one that is said to have been passed down from the Ancestral Celestial Master. In fact, in addition to the seal that has always been sealed and kept secret, Celestial Masters of all generations also had a large number of private seals. Among these, the largest number were actually seals used for appreciation and enjoyment.

After all, seals have been a great hobby of scholars throughout history, especially when appreciating calligraphy and paintings. Many scholars have the habit of adding their own seals. In fact, identifying the seals of famous figures throughout history is one of the important features used to distinguish the authenticity of many ancient books and rare editions.

The Celestial Master's Mansion has a tradition of sealing away the seals of each Celestial Master upon their death. To this day, the collection contains nearly a thousand seals of various kinds. The previous Celestial Master was fond of bronze and stone inscriptions and had nearly a hundred personal seals. Out of his refined taste, he commissioned the compilation of this seal catalog, mainly for appreciation.

The seal album is bound using traditional thread-binding techniques and is exquisitely made. The pages are made of fine traditional Lian Shi paper produced by the papermaking bureau under the Tianshi Mansion. The paper surface has a watermark with a hidden pattern that reads "Supervised by the Grand Master's Mansion". The ink used for the seal impressions is also privately made by the Tianshi Mansion. The seal inscriptions are not the cicada wing rubbings commonly used in seal albums, but rather black gold rubbings with three layers of ink, resulting in excellent texture and layering.

Following his memory, Zhang Sicheng found one of the seal engraving books and then began searching for the table of contents. He quickly found the word he was looking for in the table of contents—"意与古会" (meaning "meeting with the ancients").

Suppressing his excitement, Zhang Sicheng turned to that page in the seal catalog and was astonished to find a seal that was exactly the same as the one in the photo.

There were two inscriptions on the side. Zhang Sicheng examined them and found that the inscriptions were not in bird-and-insect seal script. He could recognize that one inscription read "Taking the style of Xia Guanyin Shichi, carved in the thatched cottage." The other inscription read "I brought this stone back, with the East Sea in my sleeve." The carving style was ancient and vigorous, clearly the work of a famous artist.

Below the seal catalog is a brief introduction to this seal. This seal belongs to his grandfather, who was fond of epigraphy, and is one of nearly a hundred seals belonging to the previous Celestial Master Zhang Yangzheng. According to the introduction, this seal is a Tianhuang stone seal, which Zhang Yangzheng greatly admired. He commissioned the seal-carving master Yan Yuanlu to carve a seal for him. Yan Yuanlu, who called himself a stone fanatic, had served as a guest of the prominent Zou family in Luling. He was extremely skilled in epigraphy and was a representative figure of epigraphy and seal carving in the Dazhao Kingdom at that time.

Zhang Sicheng carefully compared the differences between the two seals in the seal catalog and the photograph. He found that seals engraved by famous seal engravers all have a strong personal style, with their own characteristics in terms of structure, composition, and carving techniques.

Similar to Yan Yuanlu's seal carving, his aesthetic viewpoint was "dyed from the blue, returning to the simplicity," so his works often show a sense of decay, like unearthed ancient bricks or bronze mirrors. As the saying goes, "The broken borders capture the charm of the seal clay, the form is scattered but the spirit remains."

Such seals are unlike modern machine-carved seals and are extremely difficult to imitate.

Therefore, after comparing them for a long time, Zhang Sicheng's suspicion became clear: the seal in the photograph was very likely the one right in front of him!

Just to be on the safe side, Zhang Sicheng got up and went to the storage shelves on the other side where the paintings and calligraphy were stored. These antique-style storage shelves were specially used to store scrolls of paintings and calligraphy. After Zhang Sicheng unlocked the password, he began to search for the scrolls from memory and opened them to take a look.

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Time passed slowly, and about half an hour later, Zhang Sicheng sat in the rosewood armchair in the study, his forehead covered with beads of sweat. On one side of the desk in front of him, there were a large number of ancient scrolls of varying lengths.

In front of him were two open scrolls.

One scroll is "Spring Water Garden" by Luo Yuxiu, a famous painter of the Qi Dynasty, and the other is "Xiping Post" by He Shizhi of the Liang Dynasty. Both scrolls have a series of seals in the blank space after the lifting of the brush. These seals were stamped by later collectors for appreciation, which also indicates that the works have a clear provenance. At the end of this series of seals, Zhang Sicheng discovered the seal "Yi Yu Gu Hui".

Overwhelmed with excitement, Zhang Sicheng's hands trembled slightly, nearly knocking over a water bowl and shattering it. He silently recited the "Purification Sutra" for a while before calming down. Afterward, he stood up, tidied his appearance, and, holding the "Collection of Private Seals of Celestial Masters Through the Ages," eagerly headed outside.

Once outside, Zhang Sicheng's expression had returned to its usual calm and composed state. After instructing his disciples to go inside and tidy up, Zhang Sicheng took the elevator to the top floor of the Imperial Edict Pavilion.

Apart from the most important few, the private seals of the Celestial Masters of all generations are kept on the fifth floor of the Imperial Edict Pavilion. Zhang Sicheng came here to make a final check to see if that seal was still there.

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"Are these all the private seals of the sixty-first Celestial Master?" Zhang Sicheng sat upright in his chair, with 76 seals of various shapes and sizes laid out on the long table in front of him. These seals were not allowed to be taken out of the fifth floor of the Imperial Edict Pavilion without the Celestial Master's decree.

Zhang Sicheng carefully examined the seals in front of him, picking them up one by one to check them, and asked questions as he did so.

"That's all?"

"Reporting to the Celestial Master, these are all the private seals stored in the pavilion, they are all here." The middle-aged Taoist priest in charge of guarding the fifth floor stood aside and replied respectfully and cautiously. He did not know why the old Celestial Master had suddenly come here, and he was a little uneasy, but since the Celestial Master did not speak, he could only stand aside with his hands at his sides.

Zhang Sicheng examined each seal one by one, and selected more than ten seals to examine their surfaces. He spent about fifteen minutes scrutinizing them.

As expected, the seal was not there... Although he had suspected it for a while, Zhang Sicheng still opened the seal catalog in his hand and asked, "I haven't seen this private seal recorded in the seal catalog here. Do you know where it is?"

The steward's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. After all, in such a large mansion as the Celestial Master's Mansion, it was not uncommon for a guard to steal from someone else. Could the old Celestial Master's sudden question be an implication?

The steward hurriedly took the seal catalog and examined it. Seeing that the seal was indeed missing, he became increasingly uneasy, cold sweat beading on his forehead. After all, he didn't know if any of his subordinates had stolen it. If so, stealing the Celestial Master's private seal, even if it had been sealed, would be a huge scandal, and his job as steward would be over today...

With so many collections on the fifth floor, how could the manager possibly remember them all? He apologized and went to retrieve the files.

Chapter 518 The Lost Seal

The Imperial Library's collection has a comprehensive archival system, with systematic records for each item from its entry into the warehouse to its exit. Especially for valuable items, there are both electronic and paper records. After a thorough search, the manager breathed a sigh of relief, as the records indeed did not contain any entry record for the "Yi Yu Gu Hui" seal.