Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 473: Chapter 469 All in Cash

The old man was stunned when he heard Huo Sining’s words, thinking to himself, ”Didn’t that professor just say this bowl was only worth one hundred and twenty-three thousand? Now this girl is offering him one hundred and fifty thousand, could she be a fool?”

Professor Xie, however, understood what Huo Sining was thinking. From her perspective, there was no question of cheating in acquiring the old man’s items, but to outsiders, it might look like taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable position.

The market value of the bowl might not be one hundred and fifty thousand, but the fact that Huo Sining was willing to pay such a price demonstrated that she didn’t have any ill intentions just because the bowl’s owner was an unsophisticated farmer. This made Professor Xie nod to himself in approval.

Earlier, he had taken a liking to Huo Sining and wanted to take her on as an apprentice, not just because he felt she was to his liking, but now seeing that this child was not only immensely talented but also maintained a pure and unpretentious heart, he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of regret.

Such an excellent prospect—had he also set aside his pride and half-forced, half-begged her, perhaps she would now be his apprentice, Xie Daoyuan. How could it have become Zhou Shitao’s turn?

But now that things were set, his regrets were useless.

They had agreed on one hundred and fifty thousand for the bowl, but the old man didn’t have a bank card, nor did he understand bank transfers, so they had to deal in cash.

If it had been anyone else, in a place without a village in front or a store behind, they wouldn’t know where to get the cash immediately. But Huo Sining was different; she had a storage ring.

Because she often encountered unexpected situations and worried that it would be too late to get money when she needed it, Huo Sining had developed the habit of keeping a large amount of cash in her storage ring since obtaining it.

It was intended for emergencies, and she hadn’t expected to use it so soon.

Of course, she couldn’t just take out so much cash in front of so many people, but worried that delaying might cause complications, Huo Sining decided to make a quick trip back to the archaeological team’s temporary accommodations.

When Huo Sining took out a backpack filled with stacks of cash from the dormitory, Ji Kun, Zhou Shitao, and Ding Liang were all astonished.

Nobody had imagined Huo Sining’s backpack would contain so much money, especially Ji Kun, who had been tasked by his master to ensure Huo Sining’s safety on their journey.

Ji Kun could never have imagined this little girl would be so bold. Traveling far from home to such a secluded place, she had brazenly carried a bag full of cash, which was truly...

Ji Kun couldn’t find the words to describe his feelings at the moment, but Huo Sining’s nonchalant attitude, as if it were all perfectly natural, made Professor Xie and his disciples twitch at the corners of their mouths.

With Ding Liang’s company, Huo Sining and the old man completed the transaction for the porcelain bowl, with one hundred and fifty thousand in cash handed over to the old man, and Huo Sining finally getting her hands on the bowl she had been so eager to acquire.

The old man was overjoyed to get so much money but being well aware of the principle of keeping wealth a secret, he warned Huo Sining not to make a fuss about it and advised her and Ding Liang to leave quietly.

Huo Sining found it a bit funny; although the old man was a hard nut to crack, his personality was quite endearing.

Back at the ancient tomb, Professor Xie and the other professors were there. After passing around the bowl in Huo Sining’s possession, Professor Xie finally spoke up.

”The situation is like this, that old man looks just like a simple farmer, there’s nothing remarkable about him, but still, for safety’s sake, we should ask the public security department to investigate,” Huo Sining said.

”I think the biggest issue is at the landlord’s homestead. I’ve been there with Little Ji, and the way those earthen houses are constructed is very illogical. The plot is just across a small hill from the tombs, which is highly suspicious.”

Huo Sining and Ding Liang exchanged glances, both feeling somewhat surprised.

No wonder when the old man took them to his father-in-law’s homestead, Professor Xie and Ji Kun spent more than half an hour circling those earthen houses. It turned out they were suspecting something was wrong with the foundation of the houses.

”Professor Xie, are you suggesting that the old man’s father-in-law might be a tomb robber?” Captain Wu asked tentatively.

Xie Daoyuan shook his head, ”We can’t be certain yet. This is just my speculation, we need to wait for your investigation to be clear.”

”I don’t know if that group of houses has been expropriated, but I suggest you try to investigate the foundation without demolishing the buildings, to see if there is anything unusual underneath, and try to avoid damaging the integrity of the homestead.”

”Oh, and by the way, could you help us look into a person for us? The owner of those earthen houses, the landlord’s adopted son.”

Captain Wu was taking notes, and when he heard Professor Xie mention the landlord’s adopted son, he paused and asked, ”Is there a problem with this person?”

A glint of sharpness flashed in Professor Xie’s eyes, ”Little Ji and I checked this afternoon. Although those earthen houses have been abandoned for many years, we actually found footprints inside them, and these footprints are very fresh, likely made within the last few days.”

”The old house has been deserted for so many years. Normally, no one would go there, so I suspect that the landlord’s adopted son has returned. He might even be hiding nearby the village, and it is highly possible that he is related to the tomb robbers who sneaked into the recently discovered ancient tomb, or even part of the same gang.”

”Go check if anyone has been lurking around the ancient tomb hill lately, or if they’ve been asking about the tomb for no reason. List these people as suspects.”

Huo Sining listened in admiration, thinking that just by a few footprints, one could think of so much. Professor Xie’s meticulous observation was even more impressive than Sherlock Holmes!

What Huo Sining did not know was that in his youth, Xie Daoyuan had apprenticed at Yin Yizhai and had even participated in tomb raiding with its former manager, Lu Huairu.

At that time, the country did not place enough emphasis on the protection of ancient tombs and cultural relics; tomb raiding was just a means of livelihood. Digging up ancestral graves might cross a moral line but was not considered a crime.

Professor Xie’s top-notch archaeological techniques stemmed from his accumulated experience in tomb raiding.

The professors were there to oversee archaeological work, not to investigate suspects. However, the information Professor Xie provided was undeniably an important lead for the police station. Having a specific scope and target for the investigation, at least they would no longer be as disorganized as headless flies like before.

With a lead in the investigation, Captain Wu couldn’t sit still. He hurried back to the police station and quickly shared the news with the others. Taicheng police department reacted swiftly, dispatching a team of elite officers to investigate the matter.

Just by going out once, they managed to discover a vital clue. The trainees all looked at Ding Liang and Huo Sining with envy, while Li Xuanbing watched Huo Sining with a face full of jealousy, saying sourly, ”Hmph, damn lucky!”