Ji Lao, Lei Lao, and Shen Tianyin all widened their eyes in surprise.
Elder Lei, in particular, became even more convinced of Ye Fan's identity.
The tomb keeper, the spokesperson of the antique circle of that era.
It was really him, it was actually him.
It's just that after decades, and she had already turned gray, why did he become younger and younger?
Could it really be related to that Suihou Pearl?
Even if Elder Lei racked his brains, he wouldn't have thought that Ye Fan had been resurrected from the dead.
"Since you are also a tomb keeper, you should know the meaning of tombs to me, and you should not covet this tomb anymore."
Qiao Ping watched him warily, her face full of seriousness.
Ye Fan was helpless and had to explain again: "Sister Qiao, we are not tomb robbers. In fact, Elder Lei can be considered half an archaeological expert.
We are only appropriately developing the ancient tombs. If we encounter organic objects, we naturally have to hand them over to the country. But we also need to live, and besides, if the objects in the tomb are not taken out, how can their value be reflected?
If those objects are not taken out, they will only be sealed in the dust of history forever. Do you really have the heart to let that treasure never see the light of day?"
Reasoning and presenting evidence, at this point, Ye Fan was only a step away from revealing his identity.
As a former tomb keeper, he knew the terrifying aspects of it.
If they wanted to open that ancient tomb, it would be difficult to achieve without Qiao Ping.
Qiao Ping frowned, her face dark, and fell into thought.
Elder Lei, on the other hand, took out his work ID from his pocket.
He was indeed a member of the Jiangnan Archaeological Association.
However, for many years, he had been dealing with antiques, and his so-called archaeology was merely acting as an appraisal consultant.
After glancing at Elder Lei's ID, Qiao Ping's wariness gradually subsided.
Seeing Qiao Ping's expression soften slightly, Ye Fan quickly spoke again: "Sister Qiao, I have been a tomb keeper and know the hardships. A tomb traps several generations firmly. I know this is your faith, and I once took this as my only坚持, but later I realized, should this faith really be kept like this? Perhaps a different way is the best choice."
"A different way?"
Qiao Ping looked at him, frowning slightly.
"Yes, a different way. If you don't mind, you can let Elder Lei arrange for you to join the Jiangnan Archaeological Association. When the ancient tomb is excavated comprehensively, you will participate in the whole process, and no one is allowed to sell any items inside without your permission. This way, the tomb can be revealed to the world, realize its greatest value, and you can also uphold your faith. Isn't it killing two birds with one stone?"
Ye Fan was not fooling Qiao Ping with these words, but rather his own most genuine feelings.
To dedicate one's life to a dead object, how pathetic it was to think about it.
Moreover, the treasures in the ancient tomb can only be considered treasures when they are taken out; otherwise, they will always be just a mark in history books.
"This is not a problem at all. As long as we can confirm the existence of the ancient tomb this time, I will write a report immediately after returning and ask the people from the Archaeological Association to come here for excavation. I think when this ancient tomb reappears, it will definitely shock the country and even the entire archaeological community and antique circle."
Elder Lei had the most say in this.
After thinking for a long time, Qiao Ping finally nodded slowly. Although she was still reluctant, just as Ye Fan said, was her persistence really worth it?
Seeing that Qiao Ping had finally been persuaded, Ye Fan breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "Sister Qiao, do you know the specific location of the tomb? To be honest, we have also obtained some clues about the treasure, and we know that the treasure is hidden in Qianfo Mountain, but we don't know the specific location."
Qianfo Mountain is so large, if they were to search for it bit by bit, it would take an unknown amount of time.
But Qiao Ping shook her head and looked up at Ye Fan, her gaze sincere.
"I don't know the specific location of the tomb either, only that the family passed down the word that the ancient tomb is in Qianfo Mountain.
Moreover, there is a song about sight: 'Where the thousand Buddhas turn their heads, when the three stars embrace the moon, the tomb will appear.'
Hearing this song, Ye Fan frowned and fell into thought.
What does 'where the thousand Buddhas turn their heads' refer to? The thousandth Buddha statue? Or Qianfo Mountain?
'Three stars embrace the moon' should be something from feng shui. Fortunately, Ye Fan has some knowledge of feng shui and geomancy.
However, at present, it can only be guesswork. Without being on-site and experiencing it firsthand, it is impossible to make a judgment.
After thinking for a while, Ye Fan said helplessly, "It seems we can only search in Qianfo Mountain, but knowing this clue is of great help in finding the tomb."
"I have spent twenty years searching many places in Qianfo Mountain, and I can confirm that nearly half of the places do not contain tombs. The remaining places are either owned by Nan Village and Bei Village, or they are in dangerous locations that I cannot enter at all."
Qiao Ping sighed and explained in detail to Ye Fan and the others the results of her investigations over the years.
"So, the range we need to search has been greatly shortened."
Ye Fan nodded with satisfaction, "Let's not think about this for now. Things will take their own course. What we need to focus on now is what that stone mentioned by Kong Weiren and Dong Dabiao is, and where Xu Laogun placed the broken porcelain pieces?"
These two matters are indeed of utmost importance, but solving either of them is fraught with difficulties.
...
The next evening, Ye Fan slipped out of the Xu Family Compound and went to Nan Village again.
For a full hundred days, the people of Nan Village and Bei Village had not stopped searching here.
Fortunately, the basement was built very secretively. Normally, except for Xu Sanhu, even his confidantes rarely knew about it, so it did not leak out. However, Ye Fan and the others remained cautious and did not dare to slack off at all.
It wasn't until evening that those people left, and Ye Fan came out at this time to go to Nan Village.
Along the way, Ye Fan followed the villagers who were searching, moving very cautiously, for fear of making any noise and alerting them.
Fortunately, these people were anxious to go back to sleep and were in a hurry, so no accident occurred.
When they arrived at Nan Village, it was already late at night.
"There is still no clue about the chicken-blood stone. If we can't find the chicken-blood stone, we can't find the tomb. That bastard Xu Sanhu, where did he hide the stone?"
At Kong Weiren's home, he and Dong Dabiao were sitting opposite each other, having a drink.
"Since we didn't find it in the Xu Family Compound, I think that chicken-blood stone must have been taken away by Xu Laogun. However, Xu Laogun's whereabouts are now erratic. My men have tracked him several times, but they have all lost him."
Dong Dabiao was very annoyed, but there was nothing he could do.
They talked as if no one else was around, but they didn't know that under the window, Ye Fan was curled up, listening to their helpless conversation clearly.