This is Chapter Two. This book is nearing its conclusion, so no need to rush; take your time. I also ask for your votes—please lend your support.

Undoubtedly, these items must have been looted or smuggled overseas during the tumultuous period of the last century.

It is also worth noting that, unlike domestic collectors who prioritize bronze Buddhist statues from the Ming and Qing dynasties, overseas collectors tend to focus more on stone Buddhist statues predating the Tang and Song dynasties. The reason for this likely lies in differing aesthetic values. Perhaps, in the eyes of Westerners, only stone sculpture constitutes true art. Consider the Statue of David, the Venus de Milo—these world-renowned treasures are all stone statues.

Therefore, Chinese stone Buddhist sculptures probably feel more familiar or relatable to Westerners.

Furthermore, during the Wei and Jin periods, particularly the Northern Wei era of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Buddhism flourished intensely. With strong backing from the aristocracy, Buddhists began to occupy mountains to establish temples and carve grottoes.

After a century or two of development, by the Sui and Tang dynasties, the craft of carving stone Buddhist statues had become highly sophisticated. The proportions of the figures were balanced, the structure sound, and the posture voluptuous and full; the **pectoral muscles showed subtle undulations, exhibiting a high degree of realism. Moreover, the posture was naturally extended, possessing a strong sense of movement.

The drapery of the statues was especially remarkable; the artisans managed to carve textures as soft as flowing water onto hard stone—a truly exceptional feat. Any person, unless blind, could recognize the exquisite mastery of these stone carvings. Coupled with the fact that Westerners naturally gravitate towards such artistry, this led to the great sacking of numerous monasteries during the late Qing and early Republic periods…

Statue after statue was shipped abroad, some ending up in museums, others falling into the hands of major collectors. Clearly, the provenance of the statues in this warehouse fell into one of these two categories.

Having witnessed such scenes repeatedly, Wang Guan felt no strong indignation, only a deep sense of regret. Naturally, there was a degree of lamenting their misfortune and anger at their inability to defend themselves. If only…

There are no "ifs." Wang Guan shook his head slightly and walked lightly towards a Buddha's head. It featured a topknot style where the hair was gathered on the crown. The gaze was level, the nose high and straight, the countenance dignified and delicate, with a serene and gentle expression, conveying a sense of solemnity.

However, the Buddha head was massive. Wang Guan stood beside it to gauge the size and found the head alone was taller than his waist. One could only imagine the colossal size of the complete statue. Perhaps because the statue was too large, the plunderers could not move it whole and simply smashed off the head to take away.

Such instances are common. Anyone visiting famous Buddhist mountains and temples can see numerous incomplete statues left over from previous eras. If one were lucky, only the head might be broken off; if unlucky, the body would be shattered.

Nevertheless, it was evident that the stone Buddhist sculptures in the warehouse were well-preserved. They looked clean and showed no signs of weathering. While it felt somewhat like celebrating the successes of others, one could not deny that in terms of heritage protection, developed Western nations were certainly ahead of China.

This was an inevitable reality; in any matter, progress is gradual. Before basic sustenance is secured, talking about animal protection is pure nonsense. The protection of cultural relics follows the same pattern: if the economy is underdeveloped and conditions inadequate, proper protection is impossible. Things are much better now; as lives improve and wealth increases, people naturally begin to pay attention gradually.

One cannot get fat from a single meal, and the protection of relics must also proceed step by step; expecting immediate perfection is unrealistic.

That was a digression. Upon seeing these stone sculptures, Wang Guan couldn't resist taking out his phone to snap a few pictures, sending them immediately to Elder Qian, Elder Zhou, and others.

Seeing this, Mr. John offered no resistance; in fact, he seemed pleased. Moments later, replies began arriving from Elder Qian and the others, all conveying essentially the same message: if possible, they should try to bring these items back.

Wang Guan naturally wished the same, though he did not show it. After casting another look at the statues, he moved past them to examine other items.

Indeed, at this moment, Wang Guan truly felt as if he were browsing through a museum. Row after row passed by, filled with exceptionally precious artifacts.

After walking past several more rows of shelves, Wang Guan suddenly stopped. He had spotted an object—an object he had not anticipated. The instant he saw it, he felt a surge of astonishment and surprise, causing him to halt naturally.

Looking closely, the object turned out to be a tortoise, a gigantic tortoise.

Of course, this tortoise was not alive; more precisely, it was a statue of a tortoise. The carapace spanned perhaps two meters in diameter. Its four limbs were slightly extended, but its head was partially retracted into the shell, giving it a vividly lifelike appearance.

However, that was not the main point. The crucial element was the tortoise shell, upon which rested a stone stele. Anyone with a modest familiarity with mythology knows that if something rests upon a tortoise's back, it ceases to be merely a tortoise.

If it bore a serpent, it became the Black Tortoise (Xuanwu); if it bore a stele, it was called Bixi.

Bixi, one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon, also known as Baxia, resembles a tortoise and enjoys carrying heavy loads, eternally bearing stone steles on its back. Such indefatigable strongmen are seen everywhere in temples and ancestral halls, and it is said that touching one brings good fortune.

The ancients had limited understanding of the earth; in their imagination, a massive tortoise held up the world in the vast ocean to prevent it from sinking. Thus, the tortoise was deified, leading to the creation of the images of Xuanwu and Bixi.

As for why Bixi bears a stone slab, that too has its origin, linked to Yu the Great and his efforts to control the floods.

Legend says that in ancient times, Bixi often carried the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Peaks, stirring up trouble in rivers, lakes, and seas. Later, when Yu the Great controlled the floods, he subdued Bixi, who then obeyed Yu’s commands, pushing mountains and digging channels, dredging the river courses, and contributing greatly to the flood control efforts.

Once the floods were subdued, Yu the Great worried that Bixi would cause mischief again. So, he procured an enormous stele, towering enough to reach the sky, inscribed it with Bixi’s achievements in taming the waters, and commanded it to carry it. The immense weight of the stele pinned it down, preventing it from roaming freely and causing trouble. Later, that stele gradually evolved into monuments commemorating the great merits of emperors and generals, the inscriptions no longer detailing Bixi’s deeds.

At this moment, Wang Guan carefully examined the Bixi. The stele on its back showed many mottled traces left by the vicissitudes of time. Large portions of the inscriptions had flaked off, becoming blurred and indistinct. The Bixi itself was also in poor condition, showing severe signs of weathering, with visible surface cracks.

Wang Guan strongly suspected that without immediate restoration, the Bixi might naturally crumble into small stones within another hundred or eighty years. While assessing it, he made a preliminary judgment: given the size of the stele, its configuration likely dated to the Ming or Qing dynasties. It was a pity the text was so indistinct; otherwise, its origins might have been clearer.

Perhaps the previous incident involving the rubbings and the tortoise shell fragments had made Wang Guan even more alert.

Now, encountering this Bixi statue, Wang Guan consistently felt that something was amiss. He often trusted his intuition, so after giving it a couple more looks, he bypassed the Bixi and moved toward a shelf nearby.

On the shelves were various carvings made from ivory, horn, and wood. Wang Guan casually picked up a carved dragon boat to admire. Ostensibly, he was admiring the boat, but in reality, he was intently focused on the Bixi.

At first glance, Wang Guan froze, lost in a moment of mingled surprise and delight. After a long pause, he finally collected himself. After striving to steady his mind, a faint smile touched the corners of his lips. He knew his intuition was correct; it was proving remarkably sharp.

Pity…

A while later, Wang Guan sighed inwardly with a touch of melancholy. It was a pity this wasn't an antique shop; otherwise, if he fancied something, he could just buy it outright. No matter the price, it would just involve haggling, and he could eventually acquire it. But this was different; the items belonged to someone else, and the owner was certainly not lacking in funds—buying was out of the question.

It seemed the only way was to reach an agreement, an exchange between parties. In fact, Wang Guan had already entertained this possibility, and now this conviction was only strengthened.

On the surface, however, Wang Guan remained outwardly composed, continuing his tour of the warehouse. After the ivory, horn, and wood carvings came the section for calligraphy and paintings. Flipping casually through them, he found works by famous ancient masters as well as paintings by masters from the Republic era. In short, the collection was immensely valuable.

However, having just viewed a large batch of precious paintings the day before, Wang Guan experienced a degree of aesthetic fatigue. He was pleased, certainly, but not overwhelmingly excited.

It was this very lack of intense fluctuation in his demeanor that misled Mr. John. Thinking Wang Guan was unimpressed or felt the items were subpar, Mr. John quickly changed direction and approached him, saying, "Mr. Wang, please do not rush. These outside pieces are only a portion of the collection; there is more inside."

"Oh?"

Wang Guan paused, feeling a touch of surprise himself. But he reacted instantly, seizing the opportunity smoothly: "Since that is the case, please lead the way, Mr. John."

Mr. John naturally had no objection and hurried to the front. In a corner, there was indeed another door. Upon opening it, Wang Guan found himself facing a room of about thirty square meters.

As he opened the door, Mr. John also switched on the lights. Before even stepping across the threshold, Wang Guan sensed a burst of dazzling light emanating from within the room.

Instinctively, Wang Guan narrowed his eyes to peer inside. What he saw were not the antiques he expected, but a dazzling array of gemstones. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, cat's eyes—and certainly diamonds among them.

The various gems were displayed under specially made tempered glass covers, varying in size from as large as a fist to as small as a peanut. All of them radiated variegated, crystal-clear, brilliant light. Under the illumination, their radiance competed and complemented each other, spectacularly dazzling and captivating.

At first glance, never mind Wang Guan, even Mr. John was momentarily stunned.

"Mr. Wang, what do you think?"

After a long while, Mr. John recovered, his gaze tinged with pride: "These items are absolutely natural gemstones, then cut by the world's top gem designers. In terms of quality and appearance, they are flawless."

"They are indeed very beautiful." Wang Guan could not deny this point. The facts were right before his eyes; to deny them would only invite ridicule.