Reborn As Super Heiress

Capítulo 1436: Chapter 1420: The Truth Behind the Twin Bottles

Following the old man inside, Huo Sining discovered that it was a small Buddhist chapel. After closing the secret room’s door, Elder Feng gestured to Huo Sining: “Take a seat, I’ll find something for you.”

Huo Sining nodded, and Elder Feng had already retrieved a box from somewhere in the secret room, taking something out of it.

It was a pair of Jun Kiln sky-blue glaze bottles, somewhat resembling Guanyin’s Clean Bottle, yet with slight differences.

After taking out the bottles, Elder Feng directly handed them to Huo Sining: “Look at these, how are they?”

Huo Sining paused, taking the two sky-blue glaze bottles, examining them closely.

Jun Kiln is one of the five great kilns of Huaxia during the Song Dynasty, renowned for its unique kiln transformation art. It stands out in the colors, with every piece displaying natural effects like lakes, mountains, clouds, and fog.

These two, before her eyes, are precisely the legendary Sky Cyan Glaze with Red Inside, akin to looking at the starry sky on a moonlit night, with a natural glow, making them rare masterpieces.

However, what surprised Huo Sining was that, despite the shape, glazing, and even craftsmanship and color being equally exquisite, almost like twin sky-blue glaze bottles, Huo Sining made a shocking discovery using the Heavenly Eye.

To the naked eye, Huo Sining couldn’t discern any flaws, but under the Heavenly Eye, only one bottle had a rich purple aura, while the other was dull with no Spiritual Energy.

This result astonished Huo Sining; among the two bottles, one turned out to be a forgery!

Now, Huo Sining understood the purpose of Master Feng bringing out these two bottles. She looked up at Master Feng: “Mr. Feng, where did this sky-blue glaze bottle come from?”

Upon hearing Huo Sining’s words, Master Feng raised an eyebrow: “You’ve already assessed them?”

Huo Sining smiled: “These are indeed fine items, especially when placed together, they can pass for the real thing, but one of them falls short in demeanor, unworthy of the Song Dynasty Jun Kiln name.”

Master Feng’s eyes instantly revealed a look of amazement, his whole body tense, eyes tightly fixed on Huo Sining, asking eagerly: “Which one?”

Huo Sining picked up the one filled with rich purple aura and carefully placed it back in the box: “You should take good care of this one.”

Master Feng was suddenly extremely excited, looking at Huo Sining with a disbelieving expression: “How…how did you figure it out?”

“I told you, we’ve come here to inquire about someone. Over the years, I’ve encountered many pieces of Zhong Fang porcelain, and having handled them, I’m quite familiar with this person’s style. I can’t quite explain why, but once I get a hold of something they’ve made, I’m usually about ninety percent sure. If I’m not mistaken, this sky-blue glaze bottle should be his work!”

As Huo Sining spoke, she casually took out a magnifying glass from her backpack, searching all over the bottle, soon finding a similar hidden mark at the neck: the simplified Zhong character.

Master Feng slowly sat back into the chair, marveling: “You, young lady, are truly surprising; I really don’t know whose apprentice you are. At such a young age, you have such keen eyesight; you are destined for greatness!”

Master Feng’s words clearly indicated that Huo Sining’s guess was correct; this old man was merely testing her.

Frankly, although Master Feng crafts high-quality imitations, his ability to assess the authenticity of porcelain is no less than that of experts and professors. Since this old man can create indistinguishable porcelain, he must have completely understood their essence and characteristics, so concerning these two sky-blue glaze bottles, he should have no problems distinguishing their authenticity.

However, this bottle obviously has a story, possibly even a significant connection with the Zhong Fang she wanted to know about.

So upon hearing Elder Feng’s praise, Huo Sining didn’t respond, nor did she show any pride or arrogance, simply looking at him, waiting for his next words.

Elder Feng, after glancing at Huo Sining’s expression, seemingly saw through her thoughts, sighed, and said: “You’re right, this bottle is indeed Zhong Fang’s handiwork, and I personally watched him replicate this sky-blue glaze bottle back then!”

Upon hearing this, Huo Sining was genuinely shocked, abruptly standing up from her seat: “You knew Zhong Fang?!”

Seeing Huo Sining’s excitement, Master Feng waved his hand, signaling her to calm down: “Don’t worry, listen to me slowly.”

Huo Sining nodded and sat back down, though her eyes remained fixed on Elder Feng.

“When I was young, I apprenticed in Changnan Town, and my master happened to be a neighbor and a friend of Mr. Zhong, so sometimes when he visited Mr. Zhong, he would take me along.”

“Mr. Zhong possessed remarkable craftsmanship, able to replicate antiques to the point where they were indistinguishable from genuine pieces. Later, my master unintentionally acquired a genuine sky-blue glaze bottle, but these bottles as decorations look better in pairs, so my master sought help from Mr. Zhong.”

“Mr. Zhong was quite a character; he agreed to make my master an identical high-quality imitation but demanded my master to agree to one condition: once the bottle was made, it could only be for personal use or gift-giving and must not in any deceitful way be allowed to enter the market.”

“My master agreed to his request, and after his passing, the bottle was left to me, and according to Mr. Zhong’s requirements, the bottle was never to be circulated.”

The story from Master Feng matched the image of Mr. Zhong that Madam Yan had described, leaving Huo Sining without doubt that these two hadn’t colluded, proving they didn’t lie.

This only intensified Huo Sining’s curiosity; since Zhong Fang was a person of pure character, why decades later did he swap genuine pieces with imitations for profit? Could it be that over the years, he changed his nature, completely abandoning his conscience and the teachings of his master and ancestors?

“Mr. Feng, do you know where Mr. Zhong is now?” Huo Sining asked.

Master Feng shook his head and said: “Although Mr. Zhong was exceptionally talented, fate was harsh on him. Because of his outstanding skills, he invited disaster. One year, a Dongyang person came seeking a creation from him and was refused by Mr. Zhong. Shortly afterward, his youngest daughter was kidnapped and killed, leaving Mr. Zhong devastated, subsequently disappearing. Even when my master passed away, there was no news of Mr. Zhong.”