Zhao Lida then introduced his friend who had invited Mr. Dong, named Li Dongbei, and Song Hao expressed his gratitude to him.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Song Hao beckoned Tang Yu to bring over the celadon bowl and said to Elder Dong, "Elder Dong, this is a porcelain bowl we unearthed from the basement of the main hall of an old house in a village in Diancang Mountain, Dali Prefecture. We know nothing about cultural relics, so we wanted to ask an expert to appraise it, but we never expected to disturb Elder Dong. We have no other intention than curiosity. Please take a look, Elder Dong."
"Oh!" Old Dong responded, took the porcelain bowl with both hands, looked at it for only ten seconds, and then slowly placed it on the table. He then sat there expressionless and without saying a word.
Upon seeing this, Song Hao sighed inwardly, "It really is just an ordinary bowl. How dare I invite such a high-level and authoritative expert to appraise it? Isn't this just an insult to their eyes and annoy them?"
At this moment, a hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the middle-aged woman who accompanied Mr. Dong. She stood up and said, "Mr. Dong has a rule when appraising cultural relics: only the true owner of the relic can stay on site. Please leave."
Upon hearing this, Tang Yu, Zhao Lida, and Li Dongbei got up and left the room with the middle-aged woman, waiting in the next room. As they left the room, the middle-aged woman whispered in Tang Yu's ear, "It must be something good, otherwise Old Master Dong wouldn't have made such a big fuss."
Only Elder Dong and Song Hao remained in the room. Elder Dong glanced at Song Hao and said calmly, "Song Dynasty celadon, a genuine Ru ware piece!"
"Oh!" Song Hao replied nonchalantly.
If Song Hao were standing here, anyone else with even a little knowledge of antique collecting would be overjoyed to hear the words "Song Dynasty celadon, genuine Ru ware!"
Seeing Song Hao's calm demeanor, Old Master Dong nodded and said, "For Mr. Song, something worth tens of millions is nothing. You should know that from Tang porcelain onwards, Song dynasty celadon reached the pinnacle of craftsmanship, with Ru ware celadon being the most outstanding. As far as I know, only a few dozen pieces of Ru ware celadon exist, most of which are masterpieces, each fetching astronomical prices. This celadon bowl is a typical example; its 'sky blue' color was the color designated by the imperial court at the time. Although its shape is simple and unadorned, it is very pleasing to the eye. Its inner charm shines through its soft and lustrous texture. It is light and smooth, with an exceptional feel, surpassing even the finest jade bowls."
"This porcelain bowl is worth tens of millions? Is that what you mean, Mr. Dong?" Song Hao was quite surprised, but not bothered by it. He said, "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Dong. However, this bowl has a strange function: it preserves food. We discovered this by accident. We put a bunch of grapes in it, and they didn't spoil or rot for three days in this hot weather. This is the main reason we invited Mr. Dong to come and answer our questions. As for its actual value, that's secondary."
"This celadon bowl has a food preservation function!?" Old Dong was taken aback upon hearing this. He quickly picked up the bowl with both hands and examined it carefully.
Immediately, Old Dong stood up without thinking, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes. He then excitedly said, "This... could this be the legendary 'Heavenly Bowl'?!"
Old Dong then carefully placed the celadon bowl in his hand on the table, then placed both hands on the table, remained still, calmed his mind, and looked down into the bowl.
Song Hao didn't understand why Elder Dong was acting this way, and not wanting to disturb him, he sat down to the side and waited for things to unfold.
About ten minutes later, a look of surprise appeared on Old Dong's face, and a hint of ecstasy appeared in his eyes.
Time ticked by, and Old Dong stared at the empty celadon bowl for over half an hour. The look of surprise on his face grew stronger and stronger until he was completely stunned.
Only then did Song Hao realize something was wrong. He feared that if Old Dong continued staring blankly at the empty bowl, it would steal his soul. So he stepped forward and softly called out, "Old Dong, are you alright?"
"Waaah!" Old Master Dong suddenly burst into tears, overwhelmed with emotion, tears streaming down his face. Supported by Song Hao, he kowtowed three times to the celadon bowl.
"I never imagined that in my lifetime I would be fortunate enough to witness such a legendary artifact!" Overwhelmed with excitement, Old Dong turned to the bewildered Song Hao and said, "Mr. Song! The celadon bowl you obtained is the legendary 'Heavenly Bowl,' also known as the 'Heavenly Divine Bowl.' When the Ru kiln was firing this bowl, various fortuitous events led to the creation of this unprecedented 'heavenly porcelain.' It is said that during the torrential rain and thunder, several kilns were destroyed, but the kiln used to fire this bowl survived. After its creation, the Heavenly Bowl exhibited extraordinary phenomena and was regarded as a divine artifact. Originally intended as a tribute to the imperial court, it was stolen by a kiln official with ulterior motives, who fled overnight. The court's fury caused the deaths of countless innocent kiln workers. This is a divine object, possessing unique spirituality; it is priceless. Its value is so immense that even the entire city of Kunming could not be exchanged for this Heavenly Bowl."
Song Hao was stunned for a moment.
Song Hao helped Elder Dong sit down to the side and said in surprise, "Elder Dong, please forgive my poor eyesight, but I really can't see anything special about this celadon bowl. It only has some function of preserving food. Why do you think it is a divine object?"
“Those things that reach their extreme possess a spirit!” Old Master Dong exclaimed. “As I just mentioned, this Heavenly Bowl, at the moment it came out of the kiln, through a series of coincidences, reached a state of ‘celestial porcelain,’ capable of communicating with the divine. The fact that it could keep the fruit inside from rotting for several days in the sweltering heat shows that it is no ordinary object. I don’t understand the reason behind this either. All spiritual objects possess functions that are beyond the comprehension of ghosts and gods. It seems that President Song has not yet discovered the true mystery of this Heavenly Bowl. With continued quiet observation, he should be able to make some discoveries.”
Seeing the old man before him so moved to tears by the celadon bowl, Song Hao realized it was likely due to his long-term immersion in collecting and appreciating such objects. Touched by the old man's spirit, Song Hao, without hesitation, said, "For me, such things are frivolous pursuits, their value is of little significance. If you like it, Elder Dong, please accept it. Whether it's a treasure or a divine artifact, it's just a porcelain bowl, of course, of little use to me. Elder Dong is an expert in antique collecting; consider it simply adding another item to your collection. It will serve its purpose."
Old Master Dong was stunned upon hearing this, almost unable to believe his ears. He then shook his head and said, "President Song is young and promising, with a broad mind. He founded Tianyitang to help people with medicine, which has already brought him immense merit. That's why President Song encountered this Heavenly Bowl. Although I am not talented, I cannot accept President Song's kindness, nor do I dare to accept it, because I do not have the ability or fortune to possess this treasure. Besides fearing divine retribution and misfortune, I also do not want to shorten my lifespan at my age. To have the honor of witnessing it once is already a blessing from my ancestors, and I am extremely fortunate. There is a certain realm in collecting cultural relics, which is that once it passes through my eyes, it is mine. So I am already very satisfied. I am even more grateful to President Song for giving me such an opportunity."
Upon hearing this, Song Hao felt a surge of respect for him, smiled, and didn't press the matter further.
Mr. Dong then asked, "General Manager Song just said that this 'Heavenly Bowl' was unearthed from the ground inside the main room of an old house in a village in the Diancang Mountains of Dali Prefecture, is that correct?"
Song Hao said, "That's right, we found it by chance while we were looking for other things. It seems that the original owner of that old house buried it underground as a kind of 'house-protecting' object."
"It must have been a divine object protecting the house! I never imagined that this 'Heavenly Bowl' would end up in Dali, Yunnan, and be buried underground as a 'house-protecting' object for five or six hundred years," Old Dong exclaimed.
"May I ask you, Elder Dong, why are you so familiar with the history of this Tianyi Bowl, and why are you so certain that it is a Song Dynasty celadon produced by the Ru Kiln?" Song Hao asked.
"To tell you the truth, my Dong family ancestor was the kiln official who stole the Heavenly Bowl. He changed his name and surname, went into seclusion in a remote place, and kept it a secret from everyone. However, in the early Ming Dynasty, due to an accident, the Heavenly Bowl was lost, and there has been no news of it since. This is a legend that has only been passed down among my Dong family members. The outside world does not know about it, and the world does not know that Ru kiln once produced a divine artifact—the Heavenly Bowl. It seems that this divine object is destined to be with my Dong family, and it has appeared in the present day, allowing me, a descendant of the Dong family, to witness the treasure of our family's legend," said Elder Dong.
"So this 'Heavenly Bowl' has such a legendary story behind it!" Song Hao exclaimed.
Old Master Dong said, "When I first saw this Tianyi Bowl, I recognized it as a genuine piece of Ru ware from the Song Dynasty, but I never imagined it was the legendary Tianyi Divine Bowl from our clan. It was only when you mentioned that this bowl has the function of preserving food that it caught my attention. Looking down into the bowl, I indeed saw something extraordinary. Mr. Song, you should experience the wonders of this Tianyi Divine Bowl. Just keep your eyes on the inside of the bowl."
"Could it be that we can see something?" Song Hao asked in surprise.
Old Master Dong smiled and said, "There is a world within a bowl, and there is a kind of wonder that can only be understood but not explained. You will know once you try it."
A thought struck Song Hao: from Old Dong's excited expression, it seemed he had seen something strange in the empty bowl. Curious, he stepped forward and peered down at the empty Heavenly Bowl.
Just like when he first discovered the bowl, he always felt that the air inside was a bit too thick. After staring at it for five or six minutes, a dizzying sensation seemed to appear before his eyes, and the air inside the bowl seemed to be moving, growing thicker and thicker.
More than ten minutes later, Song Hao was astonished to find that the previously empty Tianyi Bowl had miraculously filled with a bowl of clear water. It was about eight-tenths full, with the water level not reaching the rim.
"How could a bowl of water appear out of thin air?" Song Hao was extremely surprised.
However, an even more surprising sight appeared for Song Hao: as the water in the bowl rippled slightly, two small fish, each about an inch long, suddenly emerged. One was black, and the other was red, swimming happily in the water, a truly beautiful sight.
The sudden appearance of such a strange sight startled Song Hao. "How could this be?" He couldn't help but look up, his face filled with astonishment. Looking at the bowl again, it was clear that his shout had startled the two small fish, which had now disappeared without a trace, and even the bowl of water had vanished, leaving it empty.
“This is not a hallucination, but a real sight. Tell me, what did you see?” Old Master Dong said from the side.
"First, I saw a bowl of clear water appear in the bowl, and then two small fish fry appeared, one black and one red," Song Hao said, puzzled.
"Mr. Song was able to see two fish in 15 minutes! That's incredible. I spent more than half an hour and only managed to see one. There's a legend in our clan that it's not surprising for ordinary people to be able to see water for a long time. But those who can see swimming fish are blessed, and the more fish they see, the greater their fortune. It's said that those who are extremely wealthy and powerful can even grow bigger and bigger while they are watching the fish in the bowl, and there are even spectacular sights of colorful fish several inches long leaping out of the water," said Old Dong.
"Really! This bowl is truly a treasure!" Song Hao exclaimed in surprise.
"A bowl of heavenly water! So that's how it got its name from this wondrous phenomenon! How true!" Song Hao suddenly realized.
“That’s right! The Heavenly One Divine Bowl is named after the idea that Heaven generates water!” said Elder Dong.
"Then where did the water come from? And where did the fish come from?" Song Hao asked in surprise.
"If the bowl has a unique structure that creates a visual illusion, allowing people to see water appearing in it, that can be explained scientifically. But the appearance of the swimming fish is unbelievable. It can only be said that water appears in the sky and fish come from outer space!" said Old Dong.
"The world is full of wonders!" Song Hao exclaimed.