Dragon's Origin

Brush, ink, paper, and inkstone are not all; there are many other accessories. Brush washers, water droppers, inkstone palettes, paperweights, brush racks, brush wipers, ink beds, seal boxes, paste boxes—these are the 'Nine Small Treasures of the Study' beyond the Four Treasures.

There are many accoutrements just for serving the brush, such as brush holders, brush pots, brush rests, brush washers, brush hangers, brush screens, brush boats, brush inserts, brush curtains, brush boxes, brush peeks, and brush wipers. Each of these tools has its function and becomes something practical and pleasurable to touch in the study, hence they are regarded as precious study items.

If you add some related peripherals, you can also expand to include seals, seal paste, small screens for the desk, and so on, endlessly. If you add mounting and framing, then scrolls, canvases, and the like are another heap.

Not to mention these artisan grandmasters, even Mei'er, who prides herself on being knowledgeable about stationery and wants to run Qianshengyuan, couldn't help but widen her eyes after hearing Wang Sheng describe these things. There are so many things just in the study?

Besides these, Qianshengyuan also needs to make tea rooms, and various tea sets and tea ceremonies are indispensable. This doesn't even include the various beads, gourds, walnuts, and other miscellaneous items suitable for playing with in hand. If each item requires a grandmaster, the people in Linglong Pavilion might go crazy.

Adding everything up, not counting what was said before, array masters, blacksmiths, carpenters, leatherworkers, potters, porcelain makers, incense makers, every industry—almost 99% of the grandmasters and great grandmasters in the Heavenly Craft Workshop can be involved.

The only one who might not be involved is the alchemy grandmaster, Li Ziyun, who is currently refining pills with Qingling Old Daoist. However, that's because Wang Sheng knows they are refining pills and didn't disturb them. If he were serious, Li Ziyun couldn't escape either.

In other words, all the grandmasters and great grandmasters in Linglong Pavilion can find the possibility to turn their peak skills into masterpieces within the small scope of Qianshengyuan.

This is just the result of Wang Sheng pointing out one or two material applications for each industry. If the various materials are widely distributed, the several grandmasters familiar with Wang Sheng calculated that even if the entire Linglong Pavilion worked for Wang Sheng, they probably couldn't keep up with the speed at which Wang Sheng comes up with various industry development directions.

They are already grandmasters and great grandmasters, they have money and gold coins, and they have the power of Linglong Pavilion. What else do they seek? It's nothing more than their skills and reputation. Who wouldn't want to be the super grandmaster who can push their industry to the extreme?

Therefore, those grandmasters and great grandmasters who were fortunate enough to come to Wang Sheng's marquis estate this time almost lined up to ask Wang Sheng questions. They don't lack skill; no matter how complicated the income, it's nothing to these grandmasters. What they lack now is creativity and direction.

"Paperweights look simple, but they are not simple. The material must be gorgeous—golden nanmu, thousand-year ebony, use everything you can. Use the best carving skills to show the style of a gentleman. There must also be an array on it. When the two paperweights are pressed down, the paper must be absolutely flat and give people a sense of stability like Mount Tai. Heavy—a gentleman is not dignified if he is not heavy!"

"The brush washer must be the kind that looks like it matches the color of clear water—clean, gentle, and restrained jade or porcelain. It should give people a refreshing taste when you pick it up, making people want to caress it in their hands. Of course, there must be an array. The brush tip must be quickly cleaned as soon as it is immersed, and the dirty water must be absorbed and replaced with clean water as soon as the brush is taken out. Combine this with the storage ring and figure out how to do it."

…

Wang Sheng can tell everyone the details of everything, speaking clearly and logically. If the materials of each item are separated again, I am afraid that Linglong Pavilion will not have to do anything else for a year. Just Wang Sheng's requirements, one of each material, will basically occupy all the work hours of everyone in the Heavenly Craft Workshop.

Mei'er followed Wang Sheng all day, listening to Wang Sheng's positioning of each item for every grandmaster who came to ask for advice, and occasionally had to record all these things for future sales pitches.

Strangely, Wang Sheng was clearly born a barbarian, but when he talks about the way of the gentleman, every sentence is like a gem, which surprised Mei'er. Listening to Wang Sheng's narration, Mei'er completely believed that when these things are displayed in the treasure pavilion of Qianshengyuan one day, those so-called scholars and contemporary literary masters will definitely not be able to recognize them all. Mei'er was born into the family of the great owner of Baoqing Yutang. She has seen all kinds of good things, but many of the things Wang Sheng said were the first time she had heard of them. Mei'er didn't believe that those literary masters could have more knowledge than the great owner of Baoqing Yutang.

Mei'er, who was like Wang Sheng's little tail, was finally caught by Wang Sheng. Everyone else was busy, and Mei'er couldn't be an exception. First, she let a carpenter grandmaster practice and make a set of wooden tea trays, and then ordered a set of the simplest tea sets from a pottery grandmaster. Then, she forced Mei'er to learn tea ceremony.

It was at this time that Qingling Daoist and alchemy grandmaster Li Ziyun had finished refining their furnace of pills and came to the marquis's mansion. Therefore, the two became the examiners of Mei'er's tea ceremony. The tea brewed by Mei'er had to be approved by them before it could pass.

The tea ceremony contains a life art of brewing and drinking tea, a life etiquette with tea as the medium, and a way of life that cultivates oneself with tea. Qingling Daoist immediately discovered that this and some things of Taoism really have something in common, and soon he was immersed in it and could not extricate himself.

Before long, Qingling Daoist, who was proficient in Taoist cultivation methods, pointed out some inappropriate techniques and postures to Mei'er, making the tea ceremony techniques more natural, quiet, and wonderful.

Due to Qingling Daoist's relationship, even Li Ziyun, the great master, was dragged into becoming a tea ceremony enthusiast. Then, Master Li became tragic, because Wang Sheng finally found a great person to complain that the taste of the tea was not good enough, and also said a method of stir-frying tea.

As the top alchemy grandmaster at the time, how could he not be able to handle even a small stir-frying tea? He pulled Qingling Daoist along. After Qingling Daoist pre-processed the tea leaves, Grandmaster Li Ziyun pondered over the method Wang Sheng said. Finally, Wang Sheng's taste buds tasted the familiar taste of green tea again, um, still the taste of top-quality green tea.

The poor alchemy grandmaster was ruined by Wang Sheng into a tea-stirring worker because of bad friendship. However, when Wang Sheng asked Mei'er to perform the tea ceremony for all the grandmasters and great grandmasters in the mansion and invited everyone to drink fragrant tea, Master Li's dissatisfaction was directly suppressed by a group of old friends from Linglong Pavilion.