Wang Ke and Ye Xianzhang continued to chat and walked forward.
Suddenly, Wang Ke saw the landlord, Uncle Geng, running in a panic from the cemetery. Wang Ke has lived in Longquanzhuang for several months and has never seen Uncle Geng running away!
"Uncle Geng, what's wrong?" Wang Ke left Ye Pianpian and hurried over to greet him.
"Something happened, something happened!" Uncle Geng ignored Wang Ke, but passed Wang Ke, saying as he ran straight to his home.
Wang Ke was confused. Could it be that something important happened at home? Otherwise, Uncle Geng would not be so panicked.
Wang Ke quickly pulled Ye Pianpian, and the two of them followed Uncle Geng back to their residence.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, Uncle Geng shouted anxiously: "Professor Wen, Professor Wen, that water-avoiding beast...that riverside..."
Upon hearing Uncle Geng's call, Professor Wen and Professor Ye Rongguang immediately came out of the west wing. "What's wrong?"
"That river edge has been dug up."
Professor Ye didn't understand what it meant, but Professor Wen understood it immediately. "You mean the water-avoiding beast was dug up."
"Yes, yes!" Uncle Geng was already panicking. Yesterday, a group of people went to Chongling. Someone took advantage of this time to break into the cemetery and steal the water-avoiding beast.
"Have you called the police?" Professor Wen asked anxiously. If a thief appears in this barren mountain, it may be too late by the time the police arrive.
"No, nothing was lost." Uncle Geng was a little confused. Logically speaking, if there were uninvited guests in the cemetery, the police should be called as soon as possible, but someone just destroyed some bricks and dug a gap on the riverside.
Yes, nothing was lost, and it’s useless for you to call the police.
"Come on, let's go take a look." Professor Wen immediately waved his hand and wanted to go see it right away. I really regret it now. At that time, I and Wang Ke judged that there was something inside, but why didn't we make a prompt decision and dig it out?
Follow the procedure and ask for instructions. Now it seems that it is these red tapes that miss the big deal.
When Uncle Geng heard this, he immediately turned around and led a group of people back to the cemetery.
Wang Ke was not in any mood now, and his head was foggy. But one thing he felt was strange. Who could find the water-avoiding beast so accurately? Aren't these people the only ones who know the location of the water-avoiding beast? And we all went to Chongling yesterday.
But if it’s not the person in front of me, then who is it? How did he know about this place?
No matter how much I think about it, I can't figure out why.
When we arrived at the cemetery, we saw a pile of soil on the edge of the West River from a distance, and a pile of bluestones and bricks on the edge of the river in a mess.
Sure enough it is! When they arrived, they saw that the head of the water-avoiding beast had also been pushed to the bottom of the river. But behind it, you can see rusty iron boxes, the lids of the boxes have been lifted aside, and there is nothing inside.
"It's over, the things have been taken away." Professor Wen shouted immediately when he saw it.
But Wang Ke didn't know what was taken from the iron box, and neither did Professor Wen.
"Old Wen, what should we do?" Professor Ye Rongguang asked.
"What else can we do?" Professor Wen spread his hands. Yes, I don’t even know what’s in this box, so what else can I do? You can only pretend that nothing happened.
"Godfather Wen? Who did this?" Wang Ke was also filled with indignation. Suddenly someone told you that something that was within easy reach was suddenly told to you that it belonged to him and you had no right to touch it.
This is how Wang Ke feels right now.
"Platoon leader, could it be him?" Gu Maolin muttered submissively.
Wang Ke raised his head and looked at Gu Maolin and asked, "Who?"
Ye Xianqian suddenly screamed, "Oh, I know, it must be him."
Following Ye Xianqian's scream, Wang Ke was also excited. "Yes, it should be him."
"Who is it?" Professor Ye Rongguang asked.
The old salesman, the three of them thought at the same time, the morning before yesterday, when everyone was squatting on the riverside to discuss, the gate of the cemetery opened with a creak, and the old salesman stretched his head to come in, but it was Gu Maolin who stepped forward to ask questions.
Of course, Wang Ke also went there later and agreed to sell the lamp.
But that's not right. Even if the old salesman saw everyone discussing on the riverside, how would he know what was going on behind the water-avoiding beast? Could it be that he has "clairvoyance" and "early ears"?
At this time, Wang Ke suddenly remembered another thing. He raised his head and said to Professor Wen: "Daddy Wen, I sold him that lamp."
"Is it the lamp from the Yongzheng period? Who was it sold to?" Professor Wen asked casually. His mind was full of confusion now. This person's technique was very skillful and his goal was very clear. He stole it from the iron box behind the water-avoiding beast. Things must be important too. But he didn't steal it sooner or later, but he stole it just after he discovered it. This is incredible.
Judging from the condition of the soil, it was last night or the night before, only these two nights.
Professor Wen noticed a rope hanging from the five-fingered peach tree and dragging it into the river. This rope is different from the others. It is made of twisted strips of cloth.
"Godfather Wen is the old salesman who deceived Gu Maolin. Thanks to me, I gave him several meals."
"How much did you sell it for?" Gandy Wen said in a confused tone. He looked at the rope and then at the hole dug here. He found that the hole was not dug with a shovel, but more like a professional Digged out with a shovel or knife.
Then, Godfather Wen noticed something unusual in the soil nearby. When I picked it up with my hands, I found a two-cell flashlight with no batteries.
"Godfather Wen."
"You said it, I'm listening." Professor Wen stopped completely at this time. He knew that what Wang Ke said at this time must have a lot to do with the excavation in front of him.
Professor Ye Rongguang, Ye Pianpian, and Dr. Xiao Zhang all stood up now, and everyone looked at Wang Ke together.
"I sold it for fifteen yuan."
"What, you sold it for fifteen yuan?" Godfather Wen shouted, because although the lamp was an old object, its collection value was not great, and it cost two or three yuan a day. How can it be sold for fifteen yuan? The person who bought it either doesn't understand or has a story.
"Yes, Godfather Wen, this is very suspicious."
"Wang Ke, what is this suspicious method?" Professor Ye Rongguang asked.
"Because, because everyone knows, it's not worth it at all." Wang Ke swallowed and said calmly.
"Yes, is this lamp famous?" Professor Wen thought for a moment, then shook his head to deny his idea.
"Daddy Wen, he asked me where I got it from, and he said he doesn't accept things from unknown sources." Wang Ke continued.
"So, you told him that you got it from the cave over there..." Professor Wen suddenly stopped his speculation, and he suddenly woke up. "Little Wang Ke, hurry, hurry, let's go to the cave."
Professor Wen's actions awakened everyone present. Is there any relationship between the cave and the current excavation?
"Gu Maolin."
"arrive!"
"Go back quickly and get my three flashlights."
"yes."
Uncle Geng was still worried about something like this happening in the cemetery. While everyone was talking, he quickly walked around the cemetery and looked at several halls. It was indeed okay, so he followed everyone with confidence. After leaving the cemetery, lock the palace door.
This group of people left the cemetery and turned to the bottom of the south wall.
"Daddy Wen, are you doubting that cave within a cave?" Wang Ke asked Professor Wen when everyone stopped and waited for Gu Maolin.
"It's not a suspicion. I judge that the old salesman should live in that cave."
"Old Wen, can you?" Although Ye Rongguang didn't know what they were talking about about the lamp, he still didn't believe from the conversation between the two that the thief was the old man who appeared at the gate of the cemetery that day.
"Whether it is possible or not, we will know later." Professor Wen stood under the wall, and everyone was waiting for the flashlight Gu Maolin went back to get.
After more than ten minutes, I finally saw Gu Maolin running back panting.
Not only did he bring a flashlight, but he also carried the air gun.
Wang Ke glared at Gu Maolin, took the flashlight and walked straight towards the cave-in-a-cave. There are too many mysteries here. If the old salesman is really a thief, he must find out. Now he also somewhat believes that the old salesman lives in the cave, and this matter must have something to do with him.
When he arrived at the cave, Wang Ke was instinctively startled. The stone blocking the hole has been removed.
"Is there anyone in there?"
There were no people there, but there was a vague smell coming from inside.
"There's no one, we're going in." Wang Ke looked inside with a flashlight, then shrank up and got in.
Then, Gu Maolin, Professor Wen, Professor Ye Rongguang, etc. all got out.
After getting into the hole, wherever the flashlight went, I discovered that the strange smell was that someone had roasted some meat in there.
"Dog meat!" Gu Maolin shouted. He found a pile of dog skins in the corner and the remaining bones. I don’t know if it was the mad dog that the reconnaissance team saw before, but a person who can kill and skin a living dog must also be a ruthless person.
Wang Ke shone a flashlight around the hole and found nothing suspicious except for the dog skin.
What a joke. Just to catch a dog, roast it here, eat it, and then leave?
Wang Ke was about to speak, but suddenly he was stunned. Because the light beam of the flashlight shines on the lamp nest above the stone bed, and what is placed inside is the lamp with green glaze that he sold.
"Lamp!" Wang Ke walked over, and there was a small candle end inside.
Needless to say, he is indeed an old salesman. Wang Ke took off the lamp, with a piece of paper pressed underneath. Take off the piece of paper, there are only three words on it, "Thank you!"
What does it mean? Wang Ke also had mixed feelings about the loss and recovery, but when he thought about it carefully, he was afraid, could it be that this old shopkeeper...
Wang Ke didn't dare to think about it anymore. He handed the piece of paper and the lamp to Professor Wen.
By the light of the flashlight, Professor Wen looked at these three words, turned the piece of paper over and read it again, and then said: "Xiao Wang Ke, he returned this lamp to you, and thanked you. You helped him uncover the answer to the mystery and fulfilled his wish. Thank you for helping him find what he was looking for. He flew away."
"Godfather Wen, who is he?"
"I guess he is a tomb robber. How old is he?" Godfather Wen put the piece of paper into his pocket and asked suddenly.
"He must be sixty or seventy years old!"
"Little Wang Ke, do you still remember the story you told me? In 1938, a pair of tomb robbers, a father and his son, robbed Chongling. How old would that child be if he grew up to this day?"
"Ah! Godfather Wen, are you saying that this old salesman is the child from back then?"
Professor Wen nodded and said solemnly: "Since you started showing me this lamp, I assumed that it must be related to the soldiers guarding the tomb. As for how the soldiers guarding the tomb learned the secrets in the tomb? And his father and son How did we get separated? I’m afraid no one will know anymore.”
Having said this, Professor Wen raised his head and said, "Thanks to him for meeting you, Xiao Wang Ke. His kindness was rewarded. He found this hole, saw this picture, and dug out the thing behind the water-avoiding beast. He won't thank you." Who else can you thank?”
"Daddy Wen, you mean he understood this picture?" Wang Ke was really surprised. How could the old man see and understand this picture carved on the top of the stone wall?
"Since this lamp was found in this cave, his father lives here and will definitely leave him a hint in this cave. That is this picture. You can't understand it, but he can understand it."
Isn't this just a picture of playing with a snake? After Professor Wen's explanation, everyone looked up.
