Professor Zhuang, an old friend, was startled by his laughter. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, hahaha, really, I'm doing great, hahahaha!" Huang Yiping couldn't contain his elation, laughing uncontrollably like a madman.
Huang Bai also felt genuinely happy for him. "Second Uncle, your intuition was completely correct. This item is indeed a treasure."
"Yes, hahaha!" Huang Yiping was still laughing.
Professor Zhuang said, "Don't celebrate too early. There's still one character that hasn't been deciphered. If it turns out to be something bad, it would be a case of extreme joy turning into sorrow."
"What bad thing could it be? This item is from King Zhou of Shang anyway," Huang Yiping said.
Professor Zhuang paused, then thought, "That's true. No matter how bad it is, it's still a genuine treasure from the Shang Dynasty."
He also became excited, staring intently at the bead. "Looking at the structure of this character as a pictograph, it might be the character for 'zhu' (bead). But it's hard to say for sure."
"This must be the 'zhu' from 'Tian Zhu'!" Huang Yiping smiled and looked at Li Yang. "Boss Li was absolutely right earlier. This bead is indeed King Zhou of Shang's Tian Zhu!"
"Oh, if that's the case, then 'zhu' for bead does fit the meaning of the character better." The old professor's eyes lit up slightly, and he also looked at Li Yang.
"Is this gentleman also an expert or scholar in oracle bone script?"
"I just happen to know a little about oracle bone script; I'm neither an expert nor a scholar," Li Yang replied with a smile, shaking his head.
"That's still very impressive! Being able to recognize these oracle bone inscriptions is no less than a graduate student in our field," the old professor said with a smile. "May I ask your name?"
"Li Yang, the 'yang' from 'sunshine is infinitely good'."
"Good, good, good, that's a very nice name," the old professor said, making conversation. He genuinely wanted to befriend someone as intelligent and knowledgeable as Li Yang, but outside of his lectures, he truly lacked eloquence and didn't know how to engage Li Yang in a deeper conversation.
Seeing everyone in such good spirits, Old Man Fan's face darkened. He let out a muffled grunt and quietly walked away.
Huang Yiping noticed this but didn't try to stop him. Pretending not to notice anything, he turned to Li Yang and said, "Boss Li, although we now know the origin of this bead, what is the purpose of the Tian Zhu?"
"It's for bringing the dead back to life," Li Yang said.
"What is it used for?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Yiping was so excited that he almost grabbed the Tian Zhu and swallowed it. Could this item truly bring the dead back to life?
But then he thought, if it truly had such a power, why hadn't King Zhou of Shang been resurrected?
"Bringing the dead back to life."
Li Yang smiled and said, "The ancient people's simple view of life and death was very different from ours today. Some believed that after death, people would become immortals in this world, meaning half-human, half-beast, which is common in myths and legends.
"Another belief was that souls ascend to heaven and undergo reincarnation. And to achieve resurrection, ancient people with such views on life and death would wear various jade artifacts during burial, believing that jade could absorb and store a person's soul. When the time was right, the soul would return to its body, thus achieving resurrection."
"Why would they have such an idea?" Huang Yiping asked curiously.
Li Yang chuckled, "Because of cicadas. We all know that cicadas appear for a season and then hibernate underground. When the same season arrives the following year, they shed their shells and emerge from the ground again.
"In reality, these cicadas are not the same ones as before, but the ancients were unaware of this. They believed these cicadas were still the original ones, capable of continuous rebirth.
"Thus, by the Han Dynasty, this simple view of life and death gained greater acceptance, leading to the practice of burying jade cicadas, known as the 'Eight-Knife Technique of Han Dynasty'."
"So that's how it is," Huang Yiping said, enlightened.
The appraisers present who had some knowledge of jade were mostly aware of this explanation. They nodded one after another, their gazes towards Li Yang taking on a different hue.
It seemed that this Boss Li was a genuine master of appraisal.
But how, at such a young age, had he honed such superb appraisal skills and also possessed such a deep understanding of the causes and effects that shaped the world of antiques?
Could it be that he had started learning appraisal while still in his mother's womb?
This was simply too monstrous!
Huang Yiping played with the Tian Zhu of King Zhou for a while, feeling exceptionally pleased and reluctant to part with it. However, he didn't forget his manners as a host. "Thanks to your appraisal, Boss Li, I learned the origin of this treasure. Do you happen to be free now? How about we have a meal together?"
"Thank you for your kind invitation, Uncle, but it's getting late," Li Yang said, pointing to the wall clock.
It was almost midnight.
Professor Zhuang looked surprised. "It's not late, is it? My graduate students usually don't sleep until three or four in the morning. They are still studying diligently in the university's study rooms! Boss Li, you look even younger than them, you can't possibly be resting this early, can you?"
"I..."
Good grief!
Who stays up until three or four in the morning?
Is studying this competitive now?
Li Yang shook his head and said, "I can't help it, I'm a working professional."
"I was negligent. Boss Li, please do me the honor tomorrow." Huang Yiping said with a smile, "Xiao Huang, see Boss Li out."
"Yes, Second Uncle."
Huang Bai nodded and enthusiastically escorted Li Yang out.
Li Yang asked with some curiosity, "Why does your Second Uncle call you Xiao Huang instead of Xiao Bai?"
"It's probably a habit. He called me that when I was little. And he calls my father, his elder brother, Da Huang." Huang Bai said with a wry smile.
This way of addressing them sounded more like calling some kind of animal.
Li Yang laughed, "Your Second Uncle is quite interesting."
"Thanks to him, our Huang family's reputation has been maintained during the time my father passed away," Huang Bai said with a touch of melancholy.
The previous generation of the Huang family actually had seven sons, but only Huang Bai's father, the eldest brother, and their Second Uncle, Huang Yiping, truly made a name for themselves.
One became an extremely skilled appraisal master, but unfortunately, his health was not good, and he rarely went out. His fame was thus difficult to spread to the public, but he remained a respected figure among many appraisal masters.
The Huang family gradually rose to prominence because of Huang Bai's father.
As for Second Uncle Huang Yiping, he possessed considerable business acumen. Working with his elder brother, their synergy was unparalleled. In just a few years, he had become a leading antique dealer and collector in Jiangcheng.
It was precisely because he was still around that the Jiangcheng Jewelry and Jade Convention was still hosted by the Huang family; otherwise, it wouldn't have been Huang Bai's turn to be the person in charge.
As for the other five brothers, although they had some talent, it was not much. One even took a risky path into illegal activities. When he was arrested, he blamed his two elder brothers for being too outstanding, which had put immense pressure on him, driving him to a life of crime.
Of course, these were very unfair words.
Looking at the road ahead, Huang Bai said, "Boss Li, I am immensely grateful for your help."