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(Search on Baidu) "Of course, it’s not entirely useless..." At this moment, Gao Dequan's face lit up with joy. "Having the seal mark confirms the origin of this kiln site, which means the miscellaneous items in the chest can be considered the belongings of the late Mr.

Zhu.

We can take them back to study; perhaps there are other clues." "If that's the case, then stop dawdling and hurry back." Just then, Yu Feibai turned and started to leave, and Wang Guan and the others quickly followed suit.

Watching their retreating figures, the men who had been excavating the kiln site were left confused and bewildered...

The thoughts of these onlookers were unimportant; what mattered were the miscellaneous objects that Yu Feibai had just dismissed as worthless trifles.

Not long after, the group hurried back and began a meticulous examination of the contents of the chest.

No one dared to be careless this time; they scrutinized every single item.

However, the objects were truly a jumble.

As Gao Dequan identified them, most of the miscellaneous items turned out to be tools for ceramic making, possessing little inherent research value.

Even if they could prove these tools belonged to Mr.

Zhu, it would be of little use, since, from ancient times to the present, the most crucial element has rarely been the tool itself, but the person wielding it—or rather, the technique mastered by that person.

Sometimes, one must admit that even when possessing the exact same skill, the results produced by different individuals can vary drastically.

The simplest comparison is the difference between a master craftsman and an apprentice.

Both know how to fire ceramics, but the resulting pottery produced by each is worlds apart, utterly incomparable.

The current situation was similar: without Mr.

Zhu himself, these tools were practically junk, merely taking up space in a room.

Excluding these tools, there weren't many miscellaneous items left.

They finished looking through everything quite quickly, yet found nothing. "Sigh, all that excitement for nothing." Yu Feibai sighed at this point. "I finally get it now.

Those seal marks must have been things the first Mr.

Zhu discarded, which is why he left them in the jar." "That makes sense." Wang Guan concurred, then speculated, "Perhaps that kiln site was just one of the many lairs of the cunning rabbit." "Exactly." Yu Feibai nodded in agreement. "The entire kiln site is empty, not even a single shard of pottery remains.

It must have all been moved." While the two speculated, Gao Dequan frowned in deep thought.

After a long pause, he shook his head. "You're mistaken.

Intact ceramics might be movable, but broken shards certainly are not.

I believe there must be some shattered pieces of porcelain left behind by Mr.

Zhu near the kiln site." "Uncle De, you mean...

I should call the men back to dig again?" Yu Feibai scratched his head. "But you saw just now, so many people were digging, yet they found absolutely nothing." "If they couldn't find anything, it means they didn't dig thoroughly enough," Gao Dequan mused. "A man as careful as Mr.

Zhu, even if he smashed obsolete shards into powder, wouldn't discard them carelessly.

Unless he rinsed them down a stream to be washed away, they wouldn't have been buried far.

He would only feel at ease if he dug a deep pit nearby and buried them right under his nose." "Uncle De, isn't that being overly cautious?" Yu Feibai was half-convinced. "You don't understand..." Gao Dequan shook his head. "Just listen to me, and you won't be wrong.

If we keep digging near the kiln site, we will surely find something." "Find what?" Yu Feibai frowned. "Even if we find something, it might just be powder, like you said.

What's the use of finding powder?" "Useful, of course, it's useful," Gao Dequan chuckled. "Don't think my workshop was established for nothing.

Sometimes, through the study of the powder, we can roughly understand the techniques used in firing the ceramics.

Perhaps we can even reconstruct the process." "Really?" Yu Feibai was startled. "Is modern technology that advanced now?" "If Uncle De says so, he must have some certainty." At this moment, Wang Guan stood up and waved. "Let's go.

Since we’re free anyway, let’s take another look." "Sigh, I wish we hadn't come back; running around is tiring," Yu Feibai grumbled, but he followed Wang Guan's steps and returned to the kiln site once more.

By this time, since no valuable items had been unearthed, most of the workers had left.

A few people remained, but they weren't digging the kiln site; they were working the plots they had leased, feeling it a waste not to utilize the land they had paid for.

Seeing Wang Guan and the others return, these remaining workers only glanced over curiously before continuing with their own tasks, having no inclination to meddle. "See?" Standing on a brick at the kiln entrance, Yu Feibai gestured around. "The surroundings are all pits.

If there were anything valuable, it would have been exposed long ago.

I think Uncle De might be right; perhaps Mr.

Zhu truly smashed all the broken porcelain into powder and scattered it into the stream to be washed away..." "Enough talk.

Let's check around some more," Wang Guan said, looking down, primarily comparing the shades of the soil in the pits to determine if the ground had been disturbed before.

Unfortunately, he wasn't an archaeological expert or the discerning eye of a tomb-raiding crew; he lacked the ability to read the subtle signs in the earth.

To him, the soil looked essentially the same everywhere, with no discernible difference.

Well, it looked like he had to resort to his ultimate technique.

When normal methods failed, Wang Guan immediately focused his gaze.

As he looked down, his eyes became remarkably clear, and wisps of pure qi energy began to diffuse, easily penetrating the soil layers.

At that instant, with the kiln site as the center, the subterranean conditions within a radius of dozens of meters were instantly mapped out in Wang Guan's vision. "Hmm?" Suddenly, Wang Guan's eyes brightened; he had spotted a discrepancy. "What are you staring at?" Simultaneously, Yu Feibai walked over, casually placing a shovel next to Wang Guan, then shook his head and sighed. "Let's dig a bit too, shall we?" "...No rush," Wang Guan replied with a smile, his expression thoughtful. "Feibai, I suddenly realized something important we might have overlooked." "Overlooked what?" Yu Feibai seemed puzzled. "Uncle De just said Mr.

Zhu might have buried things right under his nose.

So, tell me, is it possible he buried things inside the kiln structure itself?" Wang Guan didn't keep him in suspense but directly voiced his "conjecture." "Inside the kiln?" Yu Feibai was momentarily stunned, then his face instantly brightened with realization. "That's right! It's certainly possible.

If he closed the kiln door and dug a hole inside to bury things, it would surely be done secretly, and no one would ever notice..." "Heh heh, not bad.

You’ve finally put your brain to work; you're half as smart as me now." As he spoke, Yu Feibai swaggered over and clapped Wang Guan on the shoulder before immediately jumping into the kiln structure to search again, looking for any sign of prior excavation.

Wang Guan smiled and followed him down, simultaneously reminding him, "Watch for areas that are sunken or slightly raised.

Any unevenness in the floor is suspicious." "I know..." Yu Feibai nodded and observed carefully.

The kiln space was relatively spacious but egg-shaped; while its volume was considerable, its actual ground footprint was limited.

So, after searching for a while, the two quickly locked onto a target.

It was in the corner of the space where they had found the wooden chest earlier; there was a distinct, slight elevation there that immediately warranted suspicion. "Let's dig!" In an instant, Yu Feibai rubbed his fists together, motioned Wang Guan to step back slightly, and then brought the hoe down fiercely with a heavy strike.

The flat-tipped hoe sank into the soil without much difficulty, suggesting that this spot might indeed have been dug before; at least the earth was relatively loose.

However, Yu Feibai rarely engaged in such manual labor, and after a brief period of hacking, he was drenched in sweat.

He then dutifully stepped aside to watch Wang Guan use the shovel with an ease and natural rhythm, quickly excavating a large hole. "Crack!" Just then, the tip of the shovel struck something hard, emitting a dull, low thud.

At that very moment, Yu Feibai bounded over, pushed Wang Guan aside, and began to excavate carefully himself.

Following the contour of the hard object, he slowly scraped away the dirt, and soon the outline of a large chest became visible.

The chest was truly massive, resembling the chest-style wardrobes common in rural homes for storing clothes.

It was constructed of wood but clad in a layer of copper sheeting and wrapped extensively with straw, indicating the extreme caution with which it had been buried.

After half an hour, the two managed to unearth the large chest.

A heavy lock hung on the chest, but after centuries of burial, the lock was completely caked in rust and mineral deposits from the earth.

Its material had become brittle; a firm tug would likely break the lock and allow the chest to open smoothly.

However, they did not do this.

Instead, they summoned a few more men to help carry the large chest back.

Afterward, Yu Feibai insisted on digging two quick holes in every part of the kiln site, just to be absolutely sure there were no oversights.

Wang Guan was certain that, apart from this one large chest, nothing else was buried in the kiln site, but he couldn't tell Yu Feibai directly, so he accompanied him in the cursory digging until his friend finally gave up. "Hmm, I think that's it," Yu Feibai concluded after another ten minutes, completely resigned, and called Wang Guan to run back.

It was similar to what happened before: after they left, a group of people materialized from somewhere, all digging furiously within the kiln site with expressions of regret. "If they get the meat, they should at least leave some leftover broth," some people comforted themselves, but the result was tragically futile; they were fated to have labored in vain.

Ignoring the fruitless efforts of these bystanders, Yu Feibai rushed straight toward the large chest upon returning to Gao Dequan's workshop.

But before him, Gao Dequan had surely already opened the chest and was gazing at its contents with an air of deep absorption.

Wang Guan arrived shortly after.

Despite having some mental preparation, upon first sight, he couldn't help but feel momentarily dazzled.

Inside the large wooden chest were not the expected shattered porcelain fragments, but dozens of exquisitely beautiful ceramic pieces.

Under the sunlight, these ceramics radiated a crystalline, dazzling luster, truly breathtakingly beautiful...