Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 492: Chapter 488: Ominous Object

While Huo Sining and the others were engaged in the compensated redemption at the temporary appraisal area, Gu Xu was also making smooth progress on his end.

Through interrogation, the tomb robbers had confessed to many clues, and quickly during the pursuit, a batch of stolen cultural relics was traced following the vine.

Not only that, Xie Daoyuan and many other professors pushing forward the excavation of the ancient tomb were also effective; almost at the same time, they opened the tomb chamber, and although it had been looted, many well-preserved artifacts were consecutively brought out.

Hearing that the archaeology team had entered the tomb chamber, the students all became somewhat restless, and their appraisal work was also done with a somewhat distracted mind.

Luckily, by this time the compensated redemption was nearing its end, and the number of people seeking appraisals from the students had also dwindled a lot. Ding Liang was not too demanding; he only asked Huo Sining, Feng Yang, and Li Xuanbing to stay with him, while the others were free to move around.

With Ding Liang’s permission, those students were thrilled and dashed toward the ancient tomb, leaving only the four of them - Huo Sining’s group, sitting dry in the tent, waiting.

Just as the compensated appraisal activity was about to conclude that evening, a man with a disheveled beard and ragged clothes burst into the appraisal area, his eyes filled with a mix of fear and panic, ”Take this thing back, I don’t want it anymore!”

A wooden box lay in front of Ding Liang’s table. Just as Ding Liang was about to ask questions, the man retreated again and again as if avoiding the plague, his emotions somewhat frantic.

Ever since the discovery of the ancient tomb, many things had happened: tomb robbers, explosive packages, and scammers—all these chain reactions had also put the students on high alert, keeping a watchful eye for any abnormal people and objects.

Now seeing this man with unclear thoughts, Ding Liang and the others feared trouble might ensue and naturally didn’t dare to take it lightly.

Ding Liang, playing it safe, didn’t rush to open the box. He signaled a few guards not far away, and the man was quickly taken into custody by the guards.

The box remained untouched, but that peculiar man was taken into an office, where Captain Wu, learning of the situation, came over with several men.

After some investigation, Captain Wu brought Ding Liang and the others a piece of news that left them bemused.

”This man was one of the excavator drivers from last time, a relative of that contractor. When the contractor colluded with the tomb robbers to enter the ancient tomb, he was responsible for keeping watch outside. This box was the payment from the tomb robbers to him,” Captain Wu explained.

Huo Sining was almost at a loss for words; how could someone be so foolish? They had a system for compensated redemption here, promising not to press charges as long as the items were returned with no further repercussions. Yet this man, crazed and in disorder, was openly admitting to being a suspect, wasn’t he?

”Since he fled, why would he send the object back and walk straight into the trap?” Ding Liang also felt puzzled. If this man had just let other relatives or friends bring the item over, perhaps he wouldn’t have been caught and still would have received a sum of money.

As Captain Wu held the box, recalling what the man had just told him, he seemed unsure of how to begin:

”The driver probably got scared out of his wits by our recent police manhunt. He’s not quite right in the head, keeps saying the item in the box is an omen of bad luck, claims he’s seen a ghost claiming lives. Supposedly after he brought this box home, his wife miscarried the next day, and a fellow worker living with him fell from a tower crane and broke his leg.”

Li Xuanbing couldn’t help snickering from the side, ”Heh, it seems to me this guy is just guilty and haunted by his conscience. These are just coincidences. It’s his guilty conscience that makes him afraid of ghosts knocking on his door. Where are there ghosts in this world? Aside from the ghosts in one’s heart and traitors within, all that’s left are cowards, right?”

Captain Wu nodded with a smile, ”Whether what he said is true or not, the fact that the Tang Sancai was returned intact shows that his conscience hasn’t been completely obliterated. He’s just an accessory to the crime, and since we had promised earlier that we would not pursue related liabilities, we’re prepared to just give him a lesson and let it be.”

For those with a weak understanding of the law, Captain Wu also found it problematic.

As migrant workers already have little status, everyone has greed in their hearts, and this person didn’t commit any heinous crimes. It is estimated that the driver has not yet realized that destroying ancient tombs and stealing cultural relics is against the law.

None of the others had any objections, as long as the cultural relics were not damaged, the students wouldn’t pursue the matter too harshly, but Huo Sining’s thoughts stirred upon hearing Captain Wu mention the Tang Sancai. She asked, ”Captain Wu, is the item in the box Tang Sancai?”

Only then did Captain Wu remember; he slapped his forehead and said, ”Yes, indeed, this item still needs your appraisal to confirm its authenticity before we can release the driver!”

With that, he opened the box to reveal a lustrous Tang Sancai.

It was a Tang Tri-colored Galloping Horse Statue, standing at fifty centimeters tall, with the horse’s head held high, eyes wide open, as if it were neighing to the sky.

At the same time, the horse’s hooves were split in ’bay’ shaped, hooves lifted in the air, and the muscles of its legs protruding, giving the appearance described in the poem ”Hu horses from Dawan, their sharp spines and slender bones formed. Bamboo-like ears stand firm, and the wind makes their four hooves light,” instantly capturing everyone’s attention with a powerful visual impact that was deeply memorable.

The entire horse statue was white, and the saddle was adorned with extremely refined craftsmanship, every detail meticulously handled.

For example, the neatly combed mane, apricot leaf-shaped ornaments, and the green borders on the saddles, all of which exhibited such exquisite workmanship that elicited admiration.

Among Tang Tri-colored Pottery, horses were the most common theme, and Tri-colored horses were generally made as burial objects, which were highly popular during the Tang Dynasty.

The Galloping Horse Statues have been discovered again and again among unearthed Painted Pottery Figurines, but they are extremely rare within Tang Sancai.

Even the Imperial Capital Museum, which holds many collectibles, only has one such specimen of a Tri-colored Galloping Horse Statue with glaze hanging basket, and no similar statues have been found elsewhere, domestically or internationally.

Just by looking at the charm of the horse statue before them, it didn’t seem to be a fake; precisely because of this, not only Li Xuanbing but also Ding Liang and Feng Yang were excited and eager to touch the national treasure-level relic.

However, given Huo Sining’s status and ability, nobody fought over it and instead gave her the first opportunity to examine the piece.

Huo Sining wasn’t in a hurry, but since the three were deferring to her, she didn’t feel good about continuously declining, so reluctantly, she reached out first to pick up the galloping horse to examine it closely.

But what Huo Sining did not expect was that the moment she held the horse in her hands, the Azure Pearl on her forehead suddenly emerged and flickered intensely.

However, unlike the usual excitement and eagerness when the Azure Pearl appeared, Huo Sining felt as if the Water-Repelling Pearl was showing strong resistance.