Two hours later, Su Han and Shen Yuan disembarked from the plane.
They were met by someone at the airport.
A group of people boarded a car, bouncing all the way, and arrived at Longyao Village, located in the ancient city of the northwest.
The large tomb was located at the foot of the mountain behind the village, named Longyao Mountain.
Usually places like Longyao Village, Tianjing Village, and Shiyong Village, as well as mountain ranges with the word "grave," such as Laofen Mountain and Huafen Mountain, and place names with "mausoleum" like Jiangling and Lanling, mostly have ancient tombs.
Longyao Mountain is surrounded by mountains, with a super large lake in front.
Although remote, this place is an excellent Feng Shui treasure.
Under the guidance of the reception staff, Su Han and Shen Yuan arrived near the ancient tomb on Longyao Mountain.
This place is remote and desolate, with few people around.
The large tomb has already been half excavated.
The leader in charge of this archaeological excavation is Professor Gu Mo, a contemporary renowned historian and archaeologist.
He led a group of team members to welcome Su Han.
Professor Gu, with gray-white hair, appeared to be in his fifties or sixties.
His face, with distinct angles, wore a pair of black-framed glasses, behind which his eyes sparkled with wisdom.
Seeing Su Han, Professor Gu's eyes flashed with surprise.
He hadn't expected her to be so young and beautiful.
In his past experience, girls who were too beautiful were like vases, all style and no substance.
The several team members standing behind him, upon seeing Su Han, all had their eyes fixed on her, their gaze captivated by her stunning beauty.
It's not surprising.
The archaeological team works in the wilderness all year round.
Normally, they don't even see the shadow of a woman, let alone a young girl as beautiful as Su Han.
Professor Gu realized first, coughed twice into his fist, extended his right hand, and smiled, "Welcome, Specialist Su."
This unfamiliar address made Su Han feel embarrassed.
She politely shook his hand and said, "Professor Gu, you can just call me Xiaosu."
Professor Gu said seriously, "No, you are the special invited expert in artifact restoration for our archaeological team, and that's how I should address you."
Su Han didn't say anything more, glanced at the tomb behind him, and asked, "Can we start now?"
Seeing her so efficient, not even taking a break, and wanting to get straight to work in the tomb, Professor Gu couldn't help but look at her with high regard.
He had thought she looked too delicate, like someone who couldn't endure hardships.
"Yes," Professor Gu said, having someone bring a mask and special shoes, handing them to her.
Su Han took them, put on the mask, and bent down to change her shoes.
Then, she followed Professor Gu into the tomb.
The Warring States tomb was dug deep, more than ten meters underground.
The tomb was eerie, with a much colder temperature than above ground.
Su Han couldn't help but shiver.
Because it was an emergency excavation, time was tight, and some parts of the tomb were still being excavated.
With insufficient manpower, some locals were hired to help.
Many archaeologists were squatting on the ground, using brushes to clean the dust off pottery jars.
They were all men.
Professor Gu pointed to the mottled murals on the wall and said, "When the tomb was just opened, these murals were colorful and beautiful, but they quickly oxidized upon exposure to oxygen. I didn't even have time to take pictures before they faded like this, a pity."
Su Han carefully observed the murals on the wall.
Although faded and aged, the artistic skill of the painter was still evident.
Many ancient wisdoms are beyond the reach of later generations.
Shen Yuan stared at the murals, sighing with regret, "Our Sister Han's brain is even more powerful than a camera. She can memorize everything at a glance and reproduce it exactly. We should have invited her earlier."
Professor Gu, hearing this, flashed a approving light in his eyes and praised, "Heroes emerge among the young generation. You young people of this generation are truly talented."
Shen Yuan raised her eyebrows, "Of course, my Sister Han is a once-in-a-century genius."
Su Han lightly nudged her with her elbow, indicating her to stop bragging.
Shen Yuan immediately shut her mouth.
Su Han modestly said to Professor Gu, "Where could I, still so young with limited experience, have learned a lot from senior experts like you."
Professor Gu laughed heartily and asked, "I heard you are the granddaughter of Su Wenmai, the old master Su?"
"Yes."
"I've heard of his great name. I've collaborated with him many times before, but unfortunately, the old master has passed away."
Thinking of her deceased grandfather and grandmother, Su Han felt a sharp pain in her heart.
After a while, she continued to listen to Professor Gu's introduction.
He said this was a large tomb from the Warring States period, belonging to a vassal lord.
Burial in a lavish style was popular during the Warring States period, and people at that time viewed death as life, believing in eternal life.
The tomb was richly furnished with various burial items, highly valuable for research.
This archaeological excavation invited many archaeological experts and team members.
Su Han followed Professor Gu to the main burial chamber.
Someone brought over a tray with a silk painting.
Su Han fixed her eyes on it.
The painting was mottled and heavily oxidized, with holes, making restoration quite challenging.
Professor Gu pointed to the silk painting and said, "This was retrieved from a coffin in a side chamber. There were silk paintings in the accompanying coffins, and based on that, we speculate that there should be some in the main burial chamber as well. We didn't open them before, waiting specifically for you to arrive."
Su Han nodded, "I can memorize quickly. As long as I remember it, I can restore it to its original state."
"Good," Professor Gu signaled to the people next to the coffin, "Let's open it."
The coffin actually had five layers, meaning it was five layers deep.
The outer four layers had already been opened, leaving only the last one.
Shen Yuan, afraid that Su Han might be scared, grabbed her fingertips and whispered, "Sister Han, don't be afraid. There's actually nothing scary about dead people, they won't turn into zombies like in the movies."
Su Han nodded, whispering softly, "Don't speak. I need to concentrate."
"Okay, Sister Han, you can do it!"
After several people opened the coffin together, inside was a decaying skeleton.
The skeleton was clothed.
The clothes were made of silk, relatively well-preserved but quickly started to oxidize visibly.
The accompanying items in the coffin were diverse, including various gold and silver objects, lacquerware, and bronzeware.
Sure enough, there was a scroll of silk painting nearby.
Professor Gu bent down to pick up the silk painting and quickly unfolded it.
A staff member began taking photos with a camera, with the flash turned off to avoid damaging the painting.
Meanwhile, Su Han concentrated, focusing on the silk painting and starting to memorize it
.
The vast tomb suddenly became quiet.
Everyone dared not make a sound, fearing to disturb her.
In the blink of an eye, the colors of the silk painting faded away.
Professor Gu turned his head to look at Su Han, his eyes questioning.
Su Han nodded, "It's done. I've also memorized the colors of the clothes."
Professor Gu breathed a sigh of relief, handing the silk painting to his assistant, "Before, I heard from Shen Yuan that your brain is more efficient than a camera, and I didn't believe it. Now I know that talent surpasses one generation after another."
Su Han smiled, "Wait until I finish restoring the painting, then you can praise me."
"I believe in you. The restoration you did of Wang Meng's Hermitage painting for the museum exhibition was perfect."
"You flatter me."
Next, Su Han would restore the silk painting.
Because it required absolute quiet, she was arranged to stay in the guesthouse in the town.
Other members of the archaeological team either slept in tents or stayed in the village.
Su Han and the group arrived at the guesthouse.
After settling in, she began studying how to restore the silk painting.
Once she figured it out, she made a list of materials and asked Shen Yuan to have someone prepare them.
She opened her suitcase, took out the painting tools, and carefully removed the dust from the silk painting.
Busy until late at night, she had dinner with Shen Yuan and the two bodyguards.
Shen Yuan looked at her room and asked, "Han Han, are you scared at night? Do you want me to sleep with you?"
Su Han shook her head, "No need."
The conditions in the guesthouse were simple, with only one bed in the room.
Sharing a bed would mean sharing a pillow with Shen Yuan.
She was slow to warm up and found it difficult to feel close to people.
Apart from sleeping with her grandmother when she was very young, and later with Gu Beixian, she hadn't slept in the same bed with anyone else.
Not even her mother, let alone Shen Yuan.
After dinner, Su Han called Gu Beixian to report her safety, and the two chatted for a while.
After hanging up the phone, she continued working.
When she was busy, she often forgot the time.
Busy until late at night, feeling tired, she went to bed.
After the exhausting journey by boat and car, followed by the excavation, and then focusing all her attention on cleaning the painting, she was extremely tired.
Su Han had only been lying on the bed for a short while when she fell into a deep sleep.
In her drowsy state, she felt a chill on her body as the blanket was lifted off.
Then, someone started to take off her clothes.
Su Han suddenly woke up, seeing a dark figure in front of her.
A pair of rough hands violently tore at her nightdress, the calluses on the hands scratching her delicate skin, making her feel nauseous.
"Who are you?" Su Han asked in horror, struggling to get out of bed.
The man remained silent, breathing heavily, grabbing her arms and pushing her back onto the bed.
"Help! Help!" Su Han shouted loudly.
The man covered her mouth with his hand and stuffed a towel into it.
"Let me go!" Su Han's heart was pounding, and she kept waving her arms, desperately struggling.
At the critical moment, there was a loud bang, and the door was kicked open from the outside.
Immediately after, a tall and straight figure walked in with brisk steps, arriving at the bedside in the blink of an eye.
The man paused, hurriedly stopped his actions, and slowly raised his hands.
Because a stiff gun was pressed against the back of his head.