Chereads / Grave Robbers' Chronicles / Chapter 59 - Chapter 31: Twenty Years Ago

Chapter 59 - Chapter 31: Twenty Years Ago

Menyouping, no, it should be Zhang Qiling. His tone was calm, without any emotion. From his narration, I gradually saw a corner of this huge mystery. However, I had no way to understand from his narration what he thought and heard during the whole incident, nor could I understand his true background. Let us temporarily imagine him as a silent and wise young man. Deep in the sea, you can't hear the howling wind on the sea, but you can still feel the suffocation before the storm. Zhang Qiling sat quietly in the corner of the ear room, watching his companions scramble to study the blue and white porcelain on the ground. These porcelains had no appeal to him, but these seniors who looked older than him had been completely attracted by these things. They passed the copies to each other, some wanted to write down the patterns, some were discussing the meaning of the patterns. At this time, someone suddenly shouted, "Come and see! There is something fishy underneath these porcelains!" The person who said this was named Huo Ling. She was the youngest of the three girls on the examination team. Her parents were high-ranking officials. She was usually spoiled and liked to make a fuss to attract other people's attention. Zhang Qiling felt a headache when he heard her voice, but girls like her were still relatively popular in this small team. This delicate voice immediately attracted the other people over. These boys were vying to show off their knowledge in front of Huo Ling, and they shouted, "What's so strange? Show it to me." Huo Ling turned over a porcelain in her hand and showed it to them. One of them took a look and said, "This, I know. This is called the kiln number, which represents the origin of this porcelain." The other one immediately refuted and said, "No, the kiln number of the Ming kiln is not like this. This may be the prefecture number inscription representing the identity of the tomb owner!" The first one was a little embarrassed and said, "The prefecture number inscription is usually four characters, but there is only one character here, and it is very obscure. What you said is even more impossible." The two people inherited the legacy of the Cultural Revolution. As they talked, they started to argue with each other, and there was a tendency to evolve into a fight. Huo Ling, who was used to this kind of scene, sighed, and suddenly saw Zhang Qiling leaning against the corner coldly, ignoring her at all. She snorted in her heart, walked straight over, handed the blue and white porcelain long-necked bottle to him, and said playfully, "Xiao Zhang, can you help me see what this is?" Zhang Qiling didn't want to pay attention to her at all. He glanced at her calmly, but didn't see anything clearly. He turned his head and said, "I don't know." Huo Ling's face changed. She rarely got rejected in front of men. She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable and said, "Xiao Zhang, you are not allowed to perfunctorily answer me. Take a closer look before answering!" Then she stuffed the bottle into Zhang Qiling's hand. Zhang Qiling sighed and had no choice but to pick it up. Huo Ling proudly pointed it out to him. It turned out that there was a special inscription on the bottom of the knocked-over blue and white porcelain long-necked bottle. Zhang Qiling had never seen this inscription before, and he was stunned. The bottom of ordinary porcelain is the kiln number where it came from, but this inscription has a bumpy feel, but it is not the name of any kiln number, but more like a number. He picked up another one casually, turned it over, and sure enough, there was also one, but it was different from what he saw just now. At this moment, he suddenly felt vaguely that these porcelains seemed not to be as simple as simple burial objects. Seeing his expression change, Huo Ling thought that this piece of wood had finally come to her senses, and asked, "Xiao Zhang, how is it, what on earth is this?" Zhang Qiling simply treated her as transparent. He picked up these porcelains and looked at more than a dozen of them in a row. He found that there were different symbols on the bottom of each one, and these symbols changed regularly, as if they were numbers with a fixed arrangement order. Why do these porcelains have to be numbered? Is their arrangement order so strict? Or, if they are not arranged according to these numbers, a certain purpose cannot be achieved? Countless thoughts flashed through Zhang Qiling's mind, and he couldn't help but carefully examine these porcelains. He was stunned again when he took a look, because the content depicted by the pattern of the porcelain was not spring plowing or courtyard, but a picture of a craftsman carving a giant stone statue. This kind of picture was not elegant in ancient times, so why would it be depicted on porcelain? As he read on, he gradually found some clues. These porcelain paintings, when viewed individually, were nothing special, but as long as you follow the order of arrangement, you will find that these pictures are continuous, as if depicting the progress of a huge project. At this time, everyone was attracted by his strange behavior. Several boys didn't know what he was selling, and they stared at him inexplicably. Zhang Qiling ignored these people. He didn't read on like me, but walked directly to the last small porcelain flower double-ear pot. He picked it up and took a closer look. His heart was moved. He saw that the last double-ear pot had outlined the scene when the entire project was completed. It was a palace that could not be described in words, floating in the sky. There were clouds and mists under the palace. The builders of the palace stood on the ground, looking up at the sky, and there was a Taoist on a mountain next to it, smiling contentedly. This small double-ear pot could not express any of the magnificence of this project, but Zhang Qiling still felt an uncontrollable excitement because he knew he had found something. He could almost conclude that the content depicted above was the Yunding Palace designed and built by Wang Canghai, a master craftsman in the early Ming Dynasty! This palace that could float in the sky had long appeared in the legend of the Ming Dynasty. However, the explanation at that time was that Wang Canghai used a huge kite with a large amount of gold thread to create the illusion of a beautiful palace in the sky to please Zhu Yuanzhang. But if the legend is correct, then what is the scene depicted here? If the legend is incorrect, then do these porcelain paintings mean that Wang Canghai really built a palace floating in the sky? Legends and facts, facts and legends, which one is true and which one is false, Zhang Qiling began to be confused. He thought for a while and had no clue, so he told these things to his companions who were still confused. Of course, these people did not believe it, and they hurriedly followed his method to look at the porcelain one by one, and they could not help but be stunned. This is not only unique in Chinese history, but also the most incredible discovery. When Huo Ling saw that her discovery had led to such a major discovery, she was overjoyed and kissed Zhang Qiling on the face. The other men immediately became jealous. Zhang Qiling didn't notice this. He probably didn't know who kissed him, and he didn't want to know. He walked directly to Wen Jin and suggested to search in the back hall immediately. He believed that more clues could be found in the coffin. Wen Jin was the person in charge. She thought it was too dangerous and said hurriedly, "No, absolutely not. We can't go into the ancient tomb by ourselves without the leader!" Zhang Qiling didn't say much when she saw that she didn't agree. She packed her equipment and walked towards the corridor. Wen Jin was a heroine after all. Seeing that he didn't take her seriously, she couldn't help but feel unhappy and wanted to teach him a lesson. Anyway, she often used some kung fu in the research institute to teach those little guys who didn't obey her a lesson. Thinking of this, she suddenly stepped forward and tried to grab Zhang Qiling's thin wrist joint. This is called "knocking the pulse gate". Once the pulse gate is grabbed, it can be used to move a thousand pounds. As a woman, she is naturally not very strong, but as long as she takes the initiative, it is enough to make Zhang Qiling, a big man, beg for mercy. The other men have all been hit by Wen Jin's trick, and they couldn't help laughing secretly, wanting to see Zhang Qiling's joke. This move worked every time she tried it. People without martial arts skills would never be able to defend against it. However, she was not caught by it this time. She was shocked. At this time, Zhang Qiling had turned around and said lightly: "Don't worry, I can take care of myself!" Wen Jin sneered and said, "How can you take care of yourself? Xiao Zhang, you are famous for being unorganized and undisciplined in the station, but this is an ancient tomb. Please don't consider yourself, but also consider everyone's safety." Zhang Qiling nodded and said, "I'll think about it, I'll be back soon." Wen Jin's face turned red with anger. She wondered why she had to deal with such a thorn in her side. Seeing his lukewarm tone, she couldn't get angry, so she went up and grabbed him, saying, "No, no matter what you say, you're not going to go. We're already one person short. How can I explain to the station if you ask me to go back?" Zhang Qiling seemed a little impatient. He turned his head, his eyes cold, and said, "Let go." Wen Jin looked at him very firmly. I think any man would compromise when seeing such a lovely woman looking at him with such eyes. But Zhang Qiling suddenly opened his eyes wide, and his eyes instantly became like a demon. Wen Jin was so scared that her hands softened and he pushed her away. When she looked again, Zhang Qiling's eyes turned back to that indifferent look, and he nodded to her and said, "Thank you!" When the others saw this scene, they thought Wen Jin had agreed to his request, and they were all dissatisfied. People are like this. As long as one person breaks the rules, others will rush in. When the other few saw Zhang Qiling walk into the corridor, they were afraid that he would take all the credit, and at the same time, their suppressed curiosity was ignited, and they all clamored to follow. Wen Jin was a woman after all. She knew that she had lost control of these people when she let go of her hands just now. At this point, unless she had a gun in her hand, there was no way to stop these young people. Uncle San had a bad temper. If Wu Sanxing was woken up at this time, he would have a violent conflict with Zhang Qiling for his own face, and things might get out of control. Finally, after weighing the pros and cons, she decided to take them into the back hall and come back as soon as possible. With her many years of experience in tomb robbing, if this was just an ordinary tomb, there would be no problem. The subsequent process was basically the same as what we experienced. As for how they passed through the corridor with many mechanisms, found the stairs in the pool, and then went down to the bottom of the pool, although it was also very tortuous and bizarre, it was not the point that needed to be narrated. Zhang Qiling also took it away in one sentence when he narrated it. The most critical thing was that they went down to the bottom of the pool surrounded by water mist and saw the stone tablet without words. The scene at the bottom of the pool was simply bizarre. Under the illumination of the flashlight, the thick fog changed into various facial expressions from time to time, making people feel fearful. When they walked down the last stone staircase, the group suddenly united, not daring to breathe, pulling each other in the fog, trembling, fearing that something would suddenly rush out. Huo Ling saw Zhang Qiling, without any fear, and the other few people on the side, the so-called seniors in the institute who were usually so majestic, now shrank and hid behind him. She couldn't help but feel a little good about him and said to those boys: "Look at you guys, you are several years older than Xiao Zhang, and you are not even as good as his scum. Isn't it shameful!" People of their age were born with courage and fearlessness. After hearing what Huo Ling said, their blood boiled and they didn't care about their lives. They all rushed to the front of Zhang Qiling. The pool was not big, so they ran a few steps and saw that nothing happened. They became bolder and walked straight into the center of the fog and took a few steps. Suddenly, the leader shouted, "There's a monster inside!" and ran back. This shout scared almost everyone to death. The others didn't care whether they saw it or not. They retreated with their scalps numb. Zhang Qiling ignored them and led the others to walk in. They saw the so-called monster, the Dinghai Stone Monkey. Then, they saw several other Dinghai Stone Monkeys and the mysterious stone tablet without words. Instantly, everyone was deeply shocked. Although the things in front of them were not spectacular, they were of great significance in the eyes of these people. Everything in this ancient tomb overturned the textbook-like Chinese tomb concept that had remained unchanged for thousands of years. It has immeasurable archaeological value. Even Wen Jin was so surprised that he couldn't speak. He murmured, "My God, these things are too incredible. This place may become another milestone in the Chinese archaeological community." After the shock, there was ecstasy. In that era, a major discovery meant a huge opportunity. Once the discovery was announced, their names would immediately become household names. Thinking of this, a few stupid ones had already started to giggle, and one was so excited that he couldn't help but start dancing. At this time, Zhang Qiling, who caused this trouble, frowned deeply. He looked more carefully than anyone else and had already seen the ancient text engraved on the foundation of the stone tablet. "This tablet will show the gate of the heavenly palace to those who are destined to enter it. If you enter it, you can reach the fairyland." This sentence shocked him far more than the other discoveries. He was not infected by the madness of the people around him and fell into deep contemplation. According to his idea, such words could not be written in this place for no reason. As the saying goes, if there is something, it must have its use. The owner of the tomb must have a reason to put these things here. So where is the door to the Heavenly Palace in this stone tablet? How can it be considered a fate? He stood in front of the stone tablet and searched inch by inch, but the stone tablet is just a stone tablet, without any trace of mechanism or secret text. The others made a fuss for a while, and gradually calmed down. Wen Jin felt that the time was almost up, and it was not appropriate to delay here, so she called them back. Those people were happy enough, and they had seen enough , so they put their minds at ease, and walked towards the stairs with laughter. Wen Jin counted them one by one, and when she counted to the end, she found that Zhang Qiling had not come yet. Zhang Qiling had disobeyed the leader at first and insisted on coming to the back hall. Now he refused to return to the team. Thinking of this, Wen Jin was very angry, but she couldn't just leave him alone because of her duty. She gave instructions to others in a bad tone, and the team walked back into the fog quickly. They walked a few steps and saw Zhang Qiling squatting in front of the stone tablet studying something. Wen Jin couldn't help but get angry and shouted: "Why don't you leave! How awkward are you going to be——?" Before she could finish her words, Huo Ling grabbed her hand and told her not to speak. Wen Jin was confused and looked at the others. She found that they all looked a little panicked and puzzled. Seeing that she hadn't reacted yet , Huo Ling pointed at the mist. Wen Jin looked in the direction of her hand and saw a huge figure appearing in the depths of the mist less than two meters away from Zhang Qiling.