Professor Man shook his head and said, "No, there's only one Japanese man and the other is a translator. My friend, I've spoken with the translator, so don't worry, those Japanese can't cause any trouble. I guarantee that even if they find something, they won't be able to take anything with them..."
"Professor Man, thank you. My name is Zhuang Rui. I'll treat you to a drink once we're out of this desert..."
Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this. Not everyone in this world is willing to compromise their principles for money, at least the person in front of him wasn't. This made Zhuang Rui feel somewhat gratified, since people like the traitorous translator he encountered a few days ago were still a minority.
As for whether the Japanese could find the temple and whether there were any cultural relics left in the ancient temple, Zhuang Rui was not too worried. Just as Professor Man said, the other party was just one person. Could it be that he had storage equipment from novels and games and took things away?
Just as Zhuang Rui wanted to chat with Professor Man a little longer, the translator sitting on the camel called out to Zhuang Rui, "Professor Man, we have to go..."
Zhuang Rui then noticed that Erdan, who had been standing there, was now sitting on a camel and waving to Professor Man.
"Xiao Zhuang, goodbye then. If we happen to run into each other in town, let's have a drink together again..."
Professor Man waved enthusiastically to Zhuang Rui, then turned and mounted his camel. As the camel rode away, the melodious sound of camel bells echoed in everyone's ears.
"Brother Zhuang, those two people on the camel are acting suspiciously and don't dare to show their faces. They're Japanese, could they be here to steal cultural relics from our country?"
Peng Fei had followed Zhuang Rui for several years. Although he knew nothing about antiques and jade, he was still vigilant. He also knew that Chinese antiques were valuable and that collectors and antique dealers from many countries smuggled Chinese antiques out of the country through various channels.
"Xiao Peng is right. Zhuang Rui, why don't we go back and notify the local cultural relics department and ask them to follow up?"
Besides tomb raiders who wantonly destroy tombs, professional archaeologists have always hated foreign cultural relic plunderers the most. Every year, countless precious cultural relics are smuggled out of the country through various channels, causing great losses to the country.
"Brother Ren, why waste time on that? I'll go and drag that little Japanese guy down with me. Do you think he won't confess?"
Upon hearing this, Peng Fei curled his lip. Relying on relevant departments to crack down on cultural relic smuggling can only block the big ones and let the small ones go; those with connections will still ship things abroad.
my country's laws, for example, have many loopholes. Article 18 of the Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Regulations stipulates that the private baggage of diplomatic personnel is exempt from inspection, and the number of cultural relics lost through this channel every year is not small.
"Alright, stop talking nonsense. What gives you the right to interrogate someone without any evidence?"
Although Zhuang Rui acknowledged that Peng Fei's method was direct and effective, it was also prone to causing trouble. Zhuang Rui's fearlessness of trouble did not mean that he enjoyed causing trouble.
After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Rui looked at Dr. Ren and said, "Brother Ren, don't worry about that guy. He can't move anything by himself. As long as we can find that place, we'll make sure he comes away empty-handed..."
Zhuang Rui guessed that the Japanese were probably just scouting ahead, and would only gather more people to steal or excavate once they found the location.
However, Zhuang Rui was confident that as long as the other party was after the Chinese cultural relics that had not yet been discovered in the desert, he could use his spiritual energy to find them no matter where they were hidden.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Rui turned to Mengzi, who seemed a little sullen, and said, "Brother Mengzi, Erdan is going to that Devil's Forbidden Zone. Should we go with them? That way, if anything happens, we can lend a hand and rescue him. After all, Erdan is from the same town as you..."
Zhuang Rui knew that Mengzi was a generous and loyal person by nature. Even if Mengzi was afraid, he would probably agree to his suggestion after Zhuang Rui presented these reasons.
Sure enough, Mengzi's expression changed several times after hearing Zhuang Rui's words. Finally, he stomped his foot hard and said in a muffled voice, "Fine, but when you go back, none of you can tell my old man about this, or he'll break my legs..."
"I promise, I won't tell, Brother Mengzi, let's follow now..."
Zhuang Rui was overjoyed upon hearing this and happily went to lead the camel.
Although Mengzi was a rough man, he wasn't stupid. He grabbed Zhuang Rui and said, "No need to rush, brother. Let them walk for an hour or two first, otherwise I'm afraid the Japanese will lead us in circles..."
"Brother Mengzi, what if we lose them?"
Zhuang Rui hesitated for a moment.
"Cough cough, in this desert, there's no one who can shake off Mengzi..."
Mengzi rolled his eyes at Zhuang Rui. Unless there were special circumstances like a sandstorm, even if someone left an hour or two earlier, Mengzi could still deduce their whereabouts from the traces they left behind. ...
"Li Er... Mr. Dan, Nakagawa asked me to ask you, is it possible for us to go somewhere without anyone else following us?"
Amidst the melodious sound of camel bells, a voice rang out. The person asking the question was a young translator. Since Erdan's real name was Li Erdan, his address was quite awkward.
"this……"
Erdan paused for a moment, glanced back at the generous Japanese man, his eyes darting around, then nodded and said, "No problem, but Brother Yan, tell that Japanese man I need to take him on a few laps, it'll take a bit longer, and as for the fee..."
Although he lived in this remote town, Erdan had seen many tourists from all over the country. He also had the cunning of a farmer. Since the other party had made a request, he naturally wanted to take advantage of the situation and make him pay a price.
Yan, the translator, relayed Erdan's words to Nakagawa, a Japanese man who had been plagued by bad luck since arriving in Xi'an. Nakagawa waved his hand and mumbled a few words.
"Mr. Li Erdan, Mr. Nakagawa said that as long as you can prevent anyone from following you, he will give you an extra 50,000 yuan..."
Yan, the translator, spoke with a beaming smile, because not only was Erdan rich, but he and Professor Man also benefited from the deal, each receiving an extra 30,000 yuan afterward.
Chapter 1103 The Reason
Yan Xiaowei is a graduate student in the Japanese Department of Lanzhou University. However, he chose this major not because he had a fondness for Japanese, but because he lived in a city in Northeast China with a lot of trade with Japan, making it relatively easier to find a job after graduation.
Zhongchuan hired Yan Xiaowei for 30,000 yuan for two weeks, which far exceeded Yan Xiaowei's expected price. Now, he had received another 30,000 yuan for nothing. Naturally, Yan Xiaowei, whose family was of modest means and even somewhat poor, was very happy.
However, Yan Xiaowei also understood what Nakagawa meant. This money was hush money, meaning that he couldn't reveal the location of the place he went afterward. So, Yan Xiaowei, the translator, was smiling at the same time, and was already thinking about how to get back at Nakagawa.
"Fuck your mother, I earned an extra 50,000 yuan just by introducing you to my circle, you idiot..."
Erdan, who was laughing just as happily, was mentally cursing Nakagawa's immediate family members with the insults hurled by the gangsters in the Hong Kong movies.
Erdan's so-called roundabout way was just for show, because Erdan knew very well that if Mengzi and his group were determined to follow, they could be found by Mengzi even if they hid under the sand.
Furthermore, Erdan was still somewhat afraid after hearing Mengzi's words. He wished Zhuang Rui and the others were following behind; with someone behind him, there would be someone to lend a helping hand should anything happen.
"Could it be that I didn't pay homage to the Yamata no Okami this time? Or was I punished for fantasizing about the imperial concubine on the day I came here? Why am I so unlucky, always running into those same Chinese people?"
Riding steadily on the back of a camel, looking at the endless yellow sand, Zhongchuan was filled with thoughts. He couldn't understand why, out of more than a billion people in China, he kept running into Zhuang Rui and others.
While in Xi'an, Zhongchuan received a hint from Director Ma that the other party was someone he couldn't afford to offend. Well, if he couldn't afford to offend him, he could at least avoid him, right? After paying the fine, Zhongchuan moved out of that five-star hotel that same day.
Unexpectedly, when they went to visit the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum the next day, they ran into Zhuang Rui and his group again. Nakagawa, true to the Japanese spirit of being able to be both a grandfather and a grandson, disappeared from Zhuang Rui and the others' sight without saying a word.
But something unexpected happened again. In this desolate desert where even birds wouldn't lay eggs, he actually had the chance to see Zhuang Rui and the others again. If it weren't for Zhongchuan's strong will, he probably would have fallen off the camel's back just now.
Nakagawa already knew that Zhuang Rui and his group were an archaeological team, which made him even more guilty and eager to avoid them. He even abandoned his plan to visit the site and offered them a large sum of money to get away from Zhuang Rui and his group as soon as possible.
"Once we find the temple marked on the map, we'll give these people a large sum of money to keep it a secret..."
As Nakagawa pondered his thoughts, he glanced sideways at Erdan, Professor Man, and the others who were leading the way. In his mind, these Chinese people could all be bought off with money, and what Nakagawa lacked most was not money.
Little did Nakagawa know that even Erdan, who had only attended elementary school for six years, had seen through his little scheme. Erdan was currently pondering whether to develop a new desert tourist spot if they could find the ancient temple. Nakagawa wondered if he would be so angry he would vomit blood if he knew what Erdan was thinking.
As Nakagawa was lost in thought, he suddenly noticed that the camels leading the way had turned back the way they came. He couldn't help but call out, "Hey, what's going on? Why is the caravan turning back?"
“Mr. Nakagawa, didn’t you say you were worried about someone following behind? Mr. Erdan said he was doing it according to your instructions…”
While translating Li Erdan's words, Yan Xiaowei couldn't help but laugh to himself. "Why don't you at least go around in circles and come back to the point? Is this how you do things so perfunctorily?"
"Yo-hope, tell Mr. Li Erdan that we will all obey his orders..."
When Nakagawa heard that this was the case, he breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had a map from more than ninety years ago in his pocket, if he were to run into the desert to find the ancient temple on his own, he would probably die there before he even found the place.
Nakagawa should actually have been surnamed Yoshikawa. In the 1960s, his entire family changed their surname from Yoshikawa to Nakagawa.
Indeed, those familiar with the history of Dunhuang can already guess that Nakagawa is a descendant of Yoshikawa Koichiro, the Japanese explorer who tricked more than 400 volumes of handwritten scriptures into buying them for only 350 taels of silver in 1912.
Because Yoshikawa Koichiro traveled around Southeast Asian countries in the early 20th century, he stole a large number of foreign precious cultural relics and rare treasures through many shady means. After returning to Japan, he invested in many industries.
After Japan's defeat in World War II, the Yoshikawa family sold off many valuable items looted from abroad and, with their considerable wealth, secured a place in Japan's chemical industry.
However, in order to cultivate the family's cultural heritage, the Yoshikawa family has always kept the more than 400 volumes of Dunhuang manuscripts obtained from China, and has spent money to hire scholars to study and organize them.
Nakagawa's father was a famous theorist of Dunhuang culture in Japan in the 1950s and 60s. Unlike other family members who were keen on business, Nakagawa's father was most obsessed with these scriptures and documents that recorded ancient Chinese civilization. Therefore, he did not have a high status in the family and was not valued by others.
In the late 1960s, when Nakagawa's father was sorting through handwritten Buddhist scriptures he had acquired from China, he accidentally discovered a map in one of the scriptures. The map had detailed annotations indicating its origin.
When Nakagawa's father, who was familiar with Chinese characters, saw the map, he was overjoyed. It was a map made by Wang Daoshi himself, drawn in 1911, and the contents of it made old Nakagawa ecstatic.
The map annotations indicate that the number of scriptures and artifacts unearthed from the Dunhuang Mogao Caves was not the more than 50,000 pieces known to the world, but actually more than 80,000 volumes. However, more than 30,000 of these scriptures were given by Wang Daoshi to an old friend, the abbot of an ancient temple not far from the northern Gobi Desert, when they were first unearthed.
Although desertification wasn't as severe in the area where the temple was located at that time, the ancient temple had already been attacked by sandstorms, and the once bustling temple had become quite dilapidated.
If monks don't have food or water, they'll run away, so the entire ancient temple, including the abbot, only has three or four people.
And shortly after Wang Daoshi sent out the scriptures, the abbot passed away. Before his death, he had someone notify Wang Daoshi and asked him to keep the scriptures safe.
More than 30,000 volumes of scriptures is no small amount. When Wang Daoshi transported them there, he used a lot of horse-drawn carriages. Transportation back then was not as convenient as it is now. It took three days to travel from Dunhuang to Qiujiawo by horse-drawn carriage.
Therefore, Wang the Taoist priest did not transport the scriptures back. Instead, he built a secret room in the temple and hid the more than 30,000 scriptures there. He never mentioned this matter to anyone afterward.
However, out of habit, Wang Daoshi recorded this matter in detail and made a map. Lao Zhongchuan deduced that Wang Daoshi may have accidentally included the map when he was organizing Dunhuang handwritten documents.
After obtaining the map, Old Nakagawa was overjoyed. In order to let his family know that doing research could lead to success, Old Nakagawa never told anyone about the discovery. He wanted to find these artifacts and bring them back to Japan to make a name for himself.
However, due to the strained relations between China and Japan, Nakagawa has been unable to come to China.
After the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan in 1972, through various connections, Nakagawa finally arrived in Dunhuang as a scholar in the mid-1970s.
However, when Old Nakagawa was about to head to the ancient temple, he was dumbfounded, because the original oasis had turned into a desert, and he alone could not reach the ancient temple at all.
At that time, China was still in the midst of the unprecedented Great Leap Forward. Government agencies were in chaos, and the general public had no concept of protecting cultural relics. After promising huge profits, Lao Zhongchuan gathered more than a dozen young men from Qiujiawo and rode camels into the desert.
Little did Old Nakagawa know that this trip to China would be his death. Near the ancient temple, a strange quicksand swallowed more than a dozen lives, including the ambitious Old Nakagawa.
When foreign friends die in China, the government always treats it with special consideration and immediately launches an investigation. However, of the people who went into the desert at the time, one went mad and the other did not know the reason why Lao Zhongchuan went to the desert. In the end, the matter was left unresolved.
For Qiujiawo, this was a tragedy in the town, but it did not attract much attention from the Nakagawa family in Japan. Because the elder Nakagawa did not explain the incident to the family, the Nakagawa family members thought it was an accident that happened when the elder Nakagawa was following in the footsteps of his ancestors.
However, last year, while organizing his father's diary, Nakagawa finally discovered this shocking secret and obtained a photocopy of the map.
Unlike in the 1970s, Dunhuang studies have developed into a culture, and Nakagawa is well aware of the value and influence of these more than 30,000 Dunhuang handscrolls.
In order to avoid a leak and attract the attention of relevant Chinese authorities, Nakagawa came to China alone under the guise of an investment inspection.
Although more than 30 years have passed, Nakagawa has not forgotten how his father died. He does not want to reunite with his dead father under the sand, so he formed an expedition team consisting of a guide, a desert expert, and a translator.
Chapter 1104 Desert Water Source
"Where did the camel caravan come from? (Aiya Limei, aiya Limei) The camel caravan came from Hami. (Xia Lihongba Rui) The wild geese of Tianshan call in the sky. (Aiya Limei, aiya Limei) Desert footprints, one pair after another. (Xia Lihongba Rui) Desert footprints, one pair after another. (Xia Lihongba Rui) Aiya..."
Amidst the melodious sound of camel bells, a rugged song rang out, its resounding voice echoing across the desert for a long time. Zhuang Rui and the others were all invigorated, and even the scorching sun overhead seemed to dim.
"Brother Mengzi, well done! One more song..."
Zhuang Rui clapped loudly. To be honest, Mengzi's rendition of the song, written by Wang Luobin and reinterpreted by Dao Lang, was quite good. His deep voice had a hint of hoarseness, and with the accompaniment, Zhuang Rui believed that Mengzi's singing was not much worse than Dao Lang's.
"Hehe, it's just a casual song, just don't think it's bad..."
Mengzi smiled憨厚ly. He usually loves listening to Daolang's songs and likes to belt out a few songs when he has nothing to do.
"Brother Mengzi, won't the people in front hear us singing?"
Xiao Jia sat on a camel behind Mengzi, his entire face covered by a veil, and he wore large sunglasses. He spoke weakly and listlessly.