Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

Su Yuan looked around and saw more than three hundred immortals, all quiet and unchanged.

The Pure Yang Master, dressed in a blue robe, was still standing on the clouds. The crack from his shoulder to his waist was almost invisible!

This time, the empty space of the main god's position needed repair. Because there were several pieces of peeling and small cracks on the edge, and it was feared that it would get worse, Zhao Cheng told Zhang Weiyi after returning.

Su Yuan walked over and stood in front of the empty space. He tiptoed and reached out to touch the patch of plaster on the wall; it crumbled at the slightest touch.

Without further ado, I opened the toolbox and took out a scalpel, a small spray bottle, rice paper, and gelatin.

He sat on the stool prepared by Master Xu, looked at the empty space for a while, then reached over with his scalpel and gently scraped off the peeling paint from the edge of the wall.

Continue using the scalpel, bit by bit, to scrape away all the loose plaster, revealing the mud underneath. Then, using a small spray bottle to spray water, and soaking strips of rice paper in gelatin, begin stuffing them into the cracks.

The process was very gentle, as Su Yuan was afraid that if he used too much force, he would push up the gap on the side!

The old Taoist priest stood behind and watched, also keeping an eye on Su Yuan to make sure he didn't miss the stool.

After about an hour of patching, all the cracks on the side were sealed up. Su Yuan got off the stool and took two steps back.

Looking at that empty space, although it was still full of potholes, the plaster on the surrounding wall was no longer peeling, and the cracks had been filled in.

Finally, he took out the talisman that Zhao Cheng had given him yesterday, found a crack in the bricks in an empty spot of the main god, and pressed the talisman into it!

Master Xu asked, "Master Su, what is that?"

"The talisman was given to me by Master Chunyang."

Old Master Xu simply said "oh" without asking any further questions. After Su Yuan finished speaking, he stood facing the wall for a while, then turned to look at the portrait of the Taoist priest in the blue robe. At that moment, the portrait was also smiling at him.

"They're gone..."

After speaking to the portrait and greeting the old man, Su Yuan packed up his toolbox and headed out.

As they reached the door, the old Taoist priest called out from behind, "Master Su!"

Su Yuan thought to himself that he liked it, so he stopped, turned around, and hummed in agreement.

"That gap...it won't come back, will it?"

"Won't."

Old Master Xu smiled and nodded, asking no further questions: "Take care..."

Qian Weidong was waiting in the car, and started the engine when he saw Su Yuan come out. Su Yuan got in, put away the toolbox, and leaned back in his seat.

"Is it fixed?" Qian Weidong asked. Su Yuan rubbed his arm and replied, "Yes, it's fixed."

"What about the position of the chief deity?"

"Well... since I couldn't fix it, I just stuffed a talisman in."

Qian Weidong didn't ask what kind of talisman it was, and put it in gear and set off.

After driving for about half an hour, Su Yuan suddenly asked, "Master Qian, the Hall Heart Stele is still inside the crack. Can you bring it out?"

Qian Weidong glanced at him twice: "Didn't Director Zhang say we can't bring them now?"

"I know... you mean later."

Qian Weidong then spoke up: "That monument has grown together with the crack. If we try to remove it by the crack, it will collapse. We have to wait for some things to happen."

"Wait for what? When will it happen?"

Qian Weidong didn't answer; perhaps he didn't know either. Su Yuan kept quiet and didn't ask again.

Raindrops started falling from the sky, and then the rain got heavier and heavier until the wipers were on their fastest speed and we still couldn't see the road ahead.

Qian Weidong parked his car on the side of the road and waited for the rain to subside before continuing.

Su Yuan listened to the sound of the rain and looked ahead:

"Master Qian."

"Um."

"Is the person who's been cultivating this situation about to reveal themselves?"

Qian Weidong didn't answer. He also looked out the window at the rain and asked in return:

"You guessed it?"

Su Yuan didn't speak, and Qian Weidong patted Su Yuan's arm:

"If you've already guessed it, don't ask anymore. It'll come out on its own in a couple of days."

Once the rain subsided a bit, we set off again and continued our journey. By the time we got back to the office, it was already past four in the afternoon.

The rain was still drizzling. Su Yuan got out of the car carrying his toolbox. Qian Weidong greeted him after he got out and then drove away.

Su Yuan stood at the entrance of his workplace, looking inside.

The lights inside were all on. Wu Zhenshan was sitting on a bench in the lobby on the first floor. When he saw Su Yuan return, he waved to him.

Su Yuan walked over and sat down next to him. Wu Zhenshan smiled and asked:

"Is everything finished at Yongle Palace?"

"Um."

"Where is the position of the chief deity?"

"A talisman was inserted..."

Wu Zhenshan nodded: "The one that Pure Yang Master had Zhao Cheng bring over?"

Su Yuan asked with a surprised expression, "How did you know?"

Wu Zhenshan smiled:

"That old Taoist priest has waited all these years, just waiting for the Su family to help him slip that talisman. There's really no need to be in such a hurry..."

Su Yuan kept his head down and didn't speak. Wu Zhenshan asked:

"Do you know what that talisman is for?"

Su Yuan shook his head, while Wu Zhenshan looked like a prophet:

"The main deity in that empty seat is gone, and the energy flow in the hall is unstable. That talisman can replace the main deity and reconnect the energy flow."

"It's not permanent; it can only last for a few decades. I believe someone will fix it soon."

"Who could it be?"

Wu Zhenshan smiled mysteriously, not answering the question, and said:

"Besides the one Old Zhang gave you, you also have another talisman in your pocket, given to you by Master Chunyang!"

Su Yuan didn't react much, he just patted his pocket. Wu Zhenshan continued:

"That one is yours. Nobody knows you have it, not even Zhang Weiyi, right?"

Su Yuan looked at Wu Zhenshan with a surprised expression.

"I've been in this building for so many years, what don't I know? Keep that talisman safe, you'll need it later..."

After Wu Zhenshan finished speaking, he picked up an umbrella and left. Su Yuan sat on the bench, watching his back disappear.

After walking to the office and putting the toolbox away, he told Zhang Weiyi that it was fixed and that Zhang Weiyi told him to go home and rest and not to come back today!

Su Yuan saw Chen Xiaohe staring at him at the warehouse door, greeted him, and then went back to his dormitory.

Apart from the bright spot still flashing in the bronze mirror, the shadows beside it were unusually quiet.

After a normal night, the next morning when I passed by the director's office, the door was open. Zhang Weiyi was sitting inside, with something in front of him.

—It's that sword!

Su Yuan stood at the door, unsure whether he should go in and ask. Zhang Weiyi saw him and said, "Xiao Su, come in."

Su Yuan stared at the sword belonging to the King of Yue's son as he sat down opposite Zhang Weiyi. His gaze remained fixed on the sword. The blade had been cleaned, leaving no fingerprints or other marks.

"Have you confirmed who took it?" Su Yuan asked.

Zhang Weiyi didn't answer, but lit a cigarette and looked at Su Yuan with a speculative gaze:

"Didn't you guess? Or did you already have someone you suspected?"

Su Yuan looked at the wear and tear on the bronze sword without saying a word.

Zhang Weiyi took a drag of his cigarette: "Tell me who you guessed?"

Su Yuan turned to him and whispered:

"Wu... Wu Zhenshan."

Zhang Weiyi looked at Su Yuan, who neither said yes nor no, and asked:

"Then why him?"

Su Yuan said with a somewhat distressed expression:

"Only he knows everything... whether it's the things in the warehouse, the people in the unit, or even what's going on in the mezzanine."

"There's nothing he doesn't know..."

"That's all?"

"And this sword..."

Su Yuan looked at the Su Zhi Forged Sword on the table and continued:

"He once said that the sword had been in the storeroom for many years, and no one knew where it came from. I checked some records, and in 1990, the sword was not in the storeroom."

Can you guess where it is?