Reborn As Super Heiress

”Where is Jiaozhi? This place is in northern Vietnam, which was very poor at the time, but it had one thing—it produced raw materials for alchemy: mercury and sulfur.”

”What are these two things used for? The so-called cinnabar becomes mercury when burned, and through accumulation and transformation, it turns back into cinnabar. Cinnabar is the most crucial element in the art of alchemy, also known as mercuric sulfide. This was the key to his alchemy, which is why he requested to go to Jiaozhi as an official.”

”But this person was also quite willful. On his way to take office in Jiaozhi, he passed through Guangcheng, where the governor, knowing his hobby, promised to supply him with alchemical materials.”

”And guess what? He immediately regretted it, told the Emperor he wouldn’t go to Jiaozhi anymore, and even directly took up residence on Luofu Mountain in Guangcheng, never leaving for the rest of his life.”

Hearing Shi Qingyun talk about Ge Hong in such a teasing tone, Su Qingqing couldn’t help but laugh, and even a few professors also had smiles on their faces. Only Huo Sining’s expression carried a trace of seriousness and tension.

Among these people, the only one who probably had some apprehension about Ge Hong was Huo Sining.

She really wanted to explore Luofu Mountain, but it’s not that she expected to find anything valuable there.

In the past, when she followed Zhou Shitao on archaeological expeditions, she hoped the tomb would yield as many artifacts as possible, but after discovering that the inscriptions on the Medicine King Cauldron were written in the same language as the text in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Huo Sining felt a vague struggle and unease in her heart.

She even hoped the ancient tomb contained nothing at all, because if anything related to Ge Hong’s alchemical secrets was unearthed, Huo Sining feared these meticulous professors would trace it all the way back.

But Huo Sining knew very well that, under the current circumstances, she had no way to conceal the existence of the Medicine King Cauldron, nor could she prevent these old professors from heading to Luofu Mountain. She could only hope that there were no clues related to Jiaoren over there, or else it would cause quite a stir in the archaeological community.

Huo Sining’s mindset was contradictory, but she couldn’t show it.

”To find a copper cauldron appearing on Luofu Mountain, which is over 1700 years old, besides being Ge Hong’s alchemical furnace, we really can’t find any other suspects. That’s why we think this cauldron is something Ge Hong left behind, and the place where this cauldron was found is most likely where Ge Hong sacrificed himself.”

Over there, Xie Daoyuan and Huang Zhenlong were still focused on carefully studying this Medicine King Cauldron, and Shi Qingyun continued speaking. However, his gaze fixed upon those inscriptions, revealing an odd expression. While explaining, he was deep in thought, and then suddenly said something that startled Huo Sining.

”I’ve seen the text on this cauldron somewhere before.”

Hearing Shi Qingyun say this, Huo Sining’s heart skipped a beat. Almost instinctively, she abruptly raised her head, her gaze locked onto Professor Shi.

Even Zhou Shitao was quite surprised. Previously, when Huo Sining sought him out to identify these characters, he had searched through a lot of materials but hadn’t found anything useful. So, Shi Qingyun suddenly saying he had seen these characters made Zhou Shitao feel quite amazed, and he subconsciously asked:

”Where have you seen them?”

Shi Qingyun furrowed his brows tightly: ”I can’t recall at the moment, but these characters seem very familiar to me. I should have seen them somewhere, but I probably didn’t pay much attention at the time, so the impression isn’t very deep.”

Upon hearing Shi Qingyun’s words, Huo Sining inexplicably felt a sense of relief.

”No matter what, we must go take a look at Luofu Mountain. If that Oil Rat has turned the ancient tomb into a sieve, then we have nothing to say, and excavation is our only option.”

Zhou Shitao was consistently decisive and efficient. After seeing the Medicine King Cauldron, he immediately picked up the phone, called the Cultural Relics Bureau, and instructed them to hand over the Medicine King Cauldron and expedite its delivery to the identification department for artifact authentication.

With Zhou Shitao’s orders, the Magic Capital Cultural Relics Bureau acted swiftly. Half an hour later, someone came to Huo Sining’s villa to collect the item. Zhou Shitao and Huang Zhenlong, feeling uneasy, insisted on accompanying the Cultural Relics Bureau’s vehicle, and Huo Sining had no choice but to dutifully continue as the driver, taking her teacher to the identification department.

The identification results were out within an hour. It was consistent with what the Oil Rat had claimed—the Medicine King Cauldron was indeed an artifact from 1700 years ago.

While everyone breathed a sigh of relief, they simultaneously felt a sense of tension, thinking about the Oil Rat digging a tunnel into the ancient tomb. Everyone was deeply concerned. An ancient tomb over 1700 years old, if opened without any protective measures, who knows how severe the damage to its contents could be?

”Bring the Oil Rat along. This person is useful. When we get there, we’ll need him to lead the way!”

Zhou Shitao decisively said they should bring the Oil Rat to Luofu Mountain.

The Oil Rat was already being interrogated by the police and had been charged with an official prosecution. The procedures were underway, but Zhou Shitao couldn’t wait, directly reaching out to the Imperial Capital, and soon a red-headed document came down. They even dispatched a commissioner to escort, essentially to monitor all of the Oil Rat’s actions.

The Oil Rat was obviously aware that his matter couldn’t be settled peacefully this time, so he obediently provided whatever information he could. He wasn’t stupid; he knew he was in trouble and had been officially charged. Confessing would lead to leniency, while resistance would result in severity. Helping the Cultural Relics Bureau could count as redeeming his crime, and he hoped this could reduce his sentence by a few years. How could he dare to play tricks?

Zhou Shitao was quite satisfied with the Oil Rat’s compliance, but remembering that this man had dug a tunnel into the Luofu Mountain Ancient Tomb, he felt rather annoyed. He really didn’t know what attitude to take toward people like the Oil Rat.

But undeniably, this person did have some skills. Just in geomancy and tunnel digging, this person could be considered top talent, but it’s a pity he took the wrong path and went astray. Otherwise, he could absolutely make a name for himself in the archaeological circle. While not necessarily achieving high social status, at least he wouldn’t end up in prison, closing the Chapter so hastily.

Zhou Shitao also learned some things about the Oil Rat from Huo Sining, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity. If such talent could receive formal education and enter the Cultural Relics Bureau’s Archaeology Department, contributing to the country would undoubtedly have been immensely beneficial. Yet, he took the wrong path and became a criminal, which was truly lamentable.