After shifting his gaze from the chime bells, Zhuang Rui looked elsewhere. On the ground near the entrance, there were many bronze weapons, including halberds, spears, axes, swords, and daggers. Many of these weapons were ones Zhuang Rui had never seen before. Although they were covered in rust, Zhuang Rui knew that these things were deadly weapons thousands of years ago.
Other scattered items were bronze ritual vessels, such as the bronze jue (wine vessel) that Yu Zhenping had previously sold to Zhuang Rui. There were fifteen or sixteen of them on the ground, lying there like trash.
There were also many dowry items from the marriages of slave-owning nobles, which were casually placed on the ground. Yu Zhenping and the others were so hungry that they didn't care what they had, and they even took bronze coins (cloth coins, knife coins), bronze hoes and other farm tools, stuffing the whole room full.
Zhuang Rui stood at the door and estimated that there were no fewer than two hundred artifacts in the room, mostly bronzes, with only a few pottery pieces, but the workmanship was rather rough, so Zhuang Rui didn't pay much attention to them.
Taking a deep breath, Zhuang Rui calmed his excitement at seeing so many objects. Feeling that the stale air in the room had dissipated, Zhuang Rui stepped into the room.
"Huh? What's going on?"
This house must have been closed for a long time, but Zhuang Rui didn't feel any stuffiness at all. As soon as he stepped into the house, the spiritual energy in his eyes stirred and automatically left Zhuang Rui's body.
Through the spiritual energy, one could see that the room was filled with an almost golden spiritual energy, so thick it was like liquid. When the spiritual energy entered Zhuang Rui's eyes, it was like a fish in water, constantly swimming around inside.
Zhuang Rui could feel that his originally purple spiritual energy was gradually changing color, with wisps of gold seeping into it, making the somewhat dim purple brighter.
After about four or five minutes, the spiritual energy in Zhuang Rui's eyes seemed to have been satiated and returned to his eyes. Without bothering to check the things in the room, Zhuang Rui closed his eyes slightly and began to sense the changes in the spiritual energy.
The original purple color has now turned into a purplish-gold color. Although he enjoyed the comfort of spiritual energy entering his body again, Zhuang Rui had no way of knowing exactly what kind of change had occurred for the time being.
Opening his eyes, Zhuang Rui looked outside. Spiritual energy pierced through the walls, and he saw the dirt road in the village outside. Looking further ahead, it seemed as if a camera was zooming in, stretching endlessly along the dirt road.
"Holy crap, no way?"
Zhuang Rui discovered that the distance at which he could see objects with spiritual energy seemed to have increased again. From Yu Zhenping's small building to the Hope Primary School at the village entrance, there was a distance of three or four hundred meters, but Zhuang Rui could see it clearly, and it seemed as if he still had energy left.
"When I have time in the future, I must go and travel around Mount Li in Shaanxi and the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Even if the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum and Genghis Khan's Tomb are buried deep, they can't possibly go three or four hundred meters underground, right?"
After discovering the eye mutation, Zhuang Rui immediately had this thought in his mind: he must persuade Professor Meng to excavate the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum. This is my only specialty, wouldn't it be a waste not to use it?
Zhuang Rui had given up on studying his eyes. Although he could control the spiritual energy, its upgrades were completely random. The changes that occurred to him in the Jokhang Temple, in Myanmar, in England, and in this relatively small room were all inexplicable.
Zhuang Rui guessed that it might be related to the room's airtightness. He thought that when he had time in the future, he would definitely take Jin Pangzi to the Palace Museum's antique storage room to take a look.
"Huh? We've finally arrived?"
Just as Zhuang Rui was about to look further into the distance, several people dressed in camouflage appeared at the village entrance, hidden in the darkness. Without a doubt, this was Jiang Hao's arrest team.
They hadn't entered the village yet; they had probably just arrived. Jiang Hao was talking quietly to someone, fiddling with his phone in his hand.
Just then, Zhuang Rui's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took a few steps into the house, avoiding Yu Zhenping's gaze who was counting money outside, and then took out his phone.
Have you received the goods?
A text message appeared on the phone screen. It was from Jiang Hao. Although this place was poor and didn't even have a telephone, Zhuang Rui should still thank China Mobile for actually setting up a wireless base on the mountain.
"Boss Zhuang, have you finished reading?"
Zhuang Rui glanced towards the door and was about to reply to the text message when Yu Zhenping's voice suddenly came through, startling him so much that he almost threw his phone away.
"No...not yet. Is it alright to move all this stuff out?"
Zhuang Rui quickly stuffed his phone back into his pocket, pretending to examine the bronze artifacts. At that moment, Yu Zhenping appeared at the doorway.
"It's alright, I just need to give Secretary Li a heads-up..."
Yu Zhenping seemed to have something to discuss with Zhuang Rui. He took a step into the room and continued, "Mr. Zhuang, if you are satisfied with this place, I have another business opportunity I'd like to discuss with you..."
"Oh? Let's talk outside then..."
Zhuang Rui felt somewhat helpless. He couldn't very well make a phone call in front of Yu Zhenping, could he?
"Boss Zhuang, please have some water. This is well water from our own well; it's very clean and thirst-quenching..."
The room was a bit stuffy, so Yu Zhenping invited Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei to sit in the courtyard. He found two tea mugs from somewhere and filled them with well water that he had just drawn up.
"If only we had some watermelon to eat..."
Zhuang Rui had drunk plenty of cold water since he was a child, and after looking at those objects, his mouth was already parched. He picked up his teacup and took a sip, and immediately felt a cool breeze enter his chest and lungs, making the hot weather seem to cool down in an instant.
"It's too late today. Tomorrow I'll have someone pick some watermelons and soak them in the well. That will taste so much better..."
Yu Zhenping answered casually, then added, "Boss Zhuang, I'd like to make a deal with you..."
"Tell me, I'm not afraid of having a lot of things..."
"I can tell that you are a person of high status, Mr. Zhuang. I would like to ask you for a favor. Could you please help me get out of the country?"
Although Yu Zhenping is now rich, he used to only be responsible for digging graves and didn't care about anything else. If you asked him to smuggle himself out of the country, he really couldn't find any way, so he turned to Zhuang Rui for help.
Zhuang Rui chuckled bitterly to himself upon hearing this: "Get you out of the country? Then I'll end up in jail..."
Seeing Zhuang Rui hesitate in silence, Yu Zhenping quickly said, "As long as Boss Zhuang can help with this, I, Ren, will definitely reward you. I have hundreds of similar old items, which I can give to you..."
"What? You have more? Those 1000-plus items aren't all here?"
Zhuang Rui was taken aback upon hearing this. So, this place was just one of the many hiding spots a cunning rabbit could hide in?
Zhuang Rui was shocked, but he didn't realize that he had let something slip. Yu Zhenping had never told him how much stuff he had.
"Boss Zhuang, how did you know my background?"
Zhuang Rui didn't notice, but Yu Zhenping heard it clearly. His face instantly turned gloomy, his eyes fixed on Zhuang Rui, while his right hand quietly reached behind his waist.
Chapter 703 Case Closed
"What...what exactly is going on?"
Upon receiving Zhuang Rui's call, Jiang Hao, the team leader, rushed over and looked at Yu Zhenping, who was bound in a ball on the ground, and asked in surprise.
Yu Zhenping was tied up in an interesting way. His hands were behind his back, and his legs were bent backward and tied tightly with a shoelace, making him look like a circus performer. His mouth was also stuffed with a rag, but his eyes were fixed on Zhuang Rui, filled with resentment.
Meanwhile, a commotion arose outside as dozens of police officers and armed police entered the village, causing a stir in the small village. Township-level leaders who followed were trying to calm the villagers down.
However, since this place is far from the reach of the central government, the villagers were not very cooperative, and more and more people from outside gathered. If it weren't for the police tape cordon in front of the house and more than a dozen armed police officers with live ammunition standing there, the villagers would probably have rushed in long ago.
"It's nothing. He somehow found out who I am and tried to shoot me, but my friend subdued him. By the way, did you guys fail to ambush me properly and he discovered us?"
Zhuang Rui shrugged innocently. He wouldn't reveal what he had let slip, otherwise these police officers might turn their backs on him and deny what they had promised him.
Moreover, it was indeed very dangerous just now. If Peng Fei hadn't been quick-witted and swiftly stabbed Yu Zhenping's wrist with his knife just as Yu Zhenping raised his gun, it would have been like an adult bullying a child.
However, this time it was obviously not as thrilling as last time, because from the time Yu Zhenping drew his gun to the time Peng Fei subdued him, less than two minutes had passed. Before Zhuang Rui could even react, Peng Fei had already untied Yu Zhenping's shoelaces and tied him up.
Moreover, after Peng Fei looked at the gun, he curled his lip. The safety wasn't even off, what's the point of taking it out?
"Cuff him first, and protect the scene..."
Jiang Hao also saw the pistol on the ground and quickly had it put into a plastic bag. He was quite frightened. Team Leader Jiang knew Zhuang Rui's background. If he was really hurt by this Yu Laoba, he was afraid that even if the case was solved, he would not benefit.
To be honest, Jiang Hao was really relieved to have caught Yu Zhenping, because this guy was as slippery as an eel and could easily escape.
This place is surrounded by mountains and dense forests. Even if thousands of people were to sneak in, they wouldn't be able to be detected. If Yu Zhenping were to actually get in, even if all the police in Zhengzhou were mobilized, it would probably be to no avail.
Yu Zhenping knew he was doomed, but he didn't retaliate. Even after the rag was removed from his mouth, he didn't say anything, but his eyes were still fixed on Zhuang Rui.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm just cooperating with the police investigation..."
Zhuang Rui felt a little uneasy under Yu Zhenping's gaze, and quickly turned his face away, saying, "Team Leader Jiang, my mission is complete. I won't take too many of the artifacts you seized this time, just two pieces will suffice..."
Fearing that Jiang Hao might betray him after using him, Zhuang Rui quickly reminded him that last time in Shaanxi, his friend had done a good deed but didn't get any benefits; instead, his car was burned and he was given a fright. This time, he couldn't go back empty-handed.
"Two pieces? Didn't you say you needed a third of them?"
Jiang Hao was taken aback. This was not like Zhuang Rui who had bargained with him before they came. However, Jiang Hao did not care about these things. According to him, giving Zhuang Rui more would also earn him a favor.
"Alright, one-third it is then. Team Leader Jiang, you'd better keep your word..."
Zhuang Rui was delighted to hear this. He had originally been worried that the two items he wanted to choose were too expensive, so he changed his terms. Since Team Leader Jiang insisted, he would let Jiang handle any pressure.
"By the way, Team Leader Jiang, these Yu brothers once donated money to build a school in the village and are very popular with the villagers. I think you should take them out of here as soon as possible..."
Hearing the commotion outside, Zhuang Rui kindly reminded Jiang Hao that these villagers didn't understand the law. If you explained the law to them, they would only talk about personal connections. If you talked about personal connections, well... they didn't understand the law either.
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away. Are you going back now, or are you going to cooperate with the cultural relics experts we've invited to clean up these looted artifacts?"
Jiang Hao readily agreed. He knew that in these remote areas, some things were unreasonable, so he quickly used his walkie-talkie to call the police stationed at the village entrance to come and take the people away.
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and said, "I'll go back now, back to Beijing tonight. Team Leader Jiang, I was originally in Hainan taking wedding photos, but this matter delayed me. I'm saying, the bronze tripod and bronze chime bells from this batch of cultural relics must be left to my museum..."
"Okay, Mr. Zhuang, don't worry. After the stolen artifacts are inventoried, we will discuss with the cultural relics department to temporarily display the bronzes you mentioned in your museum..."
Jiang Hao nodded in agreement. This matter was not difficult. With over a thousand antiques, lending a few to Zhuang Rui Museum was not a big deal. After all, the ownership still belonged to the state, and placing them in any museum was for the service of the people.
Not long after, the sound of car brakes was heard at the entrance. Two armed police officers escorted Yu Zhenping into a police car. When the villagers saw Yu Zhenping come out in handcuffs, they immediately became agitated. Some impulsive young men tried to rush forward to snatch him away.
"Bang! Bang bang!"
Three sharp gunshots stunned the crowd. Jiang Hao stood at the door and shouted, "Fellow villagers, this man has broken the law! Don't act rashly..."
Perhaps the villagers couldn't understand Jiang Hao's Beijing-accented Mandarin, but the pistol was real. Yu Zhenping wasn't their village's Er Gouzi or their benefactor, Boss Yu. Immediately, the young men who had rushed to the front all retreated.
Although these people's ancestors rose to power through rebellion and killing officials, the color TV that Boss Yu bought for them made them realize that this was a new society, not an era where ancient spears and broadswords were still popular.
Seeing the villagers gradually disperse under the reassurance of the township leaders, Jiang Hao breathed a sigh of relief. "Mr. Zhuang, you two should also go in this car. I need to stay here with these cultural relics experts today; I can only go back tomorrow..."
Jiang Hao had carried out a mission to rescue trafficked women in the past. He was beaten by some ignorant villagers and was bedridden for a whole week. So when he saw things were not going well, Jiang Hao immediately fired a warning shot.
"Hey, Team Leader Jiang, couldn't you arrange another car?"
To be honest, Zhuang Rui really didn't want to ride in the same car as Yu Zhenping. The way this guy looked at him was like that of a vicious bastard, with that cold and arrogant look. Zhuang Rui had no doubt that he would pounce on him and bite him.
Jiang Hao thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Okay, then I'll arrange another car..."
Because of the local people's fierce and unruly nature, the township leaders who came with him wouldn't be leaving today either. Jiang Hao arranged for a local criminal police officer to drive his colleague and Zhuang Rui back to Zhengzhou. Although he couldn't leave, he still needed to conduct a surprise interrogation of Yu Zhenping. ...
"Damn, isn't this kid trying to make things difficult for me?"
Jiang Hao, who had been up all night watching the experts inventory the cultural relics, couldn't help but swear. After a night of learning about cultural relics, he finally understood the value of the two bronze artifacts and why Zhuang Rui had specifically requested them yesterday.
After figuring out the value of the two items, Jiang Hao didn't dare to make a decision on his own. He submitted a report to his department and asked them to handle the matter, while he himself took a car back to Zhengzhou.
Because the number of cultural relics counted did not match what Yu Laoqi had told him, Jiang Hao had to pry open Yu Zhenping's mouth and find out the location of the remaining cultural relics.
For some reason, Yu Zhenping, whom Yu Laoqi described as a tough nut to crack, confessed the details of the remaining two cultural relic hiding places before Team Leader Jiang even arrived, and also revealed all the tombs he had robbed over the past ten years.
It wasn't until Yu Zhenping revealed that his physique was stunted due to drugs administered by Boss Yu when he was young that Jiang Hao suddenly understood something.
The sky in Hainan is very blue, and the seawater along the beach is crystal clear, but there aren't many tourists at this time of year.
Going to Hainan in July or August is pure torture. In temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius, you have to wear a suit and pose for photos. Zhuang Rui was driven crazy. They had to shoot the sunrise in the morning and the sunset in the evening. Zhuang Rui almost asked the photographer if they should also film him having sex with his wife at night.
After returning to Beijing from Zhengzhou, Zhuang Rui took Qin Xuanbing and Peng Fei and his wife to Hainan. However, after arriving, he realized he had made a mistake. Although the sea view was beautiful, the weather made it difficult to keep his clothes dry.