Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 524 Jade Pendant
The items inside Mount Siguniang are meant to be used in conjunction with the entrance to the Zhang Family Ancient Building.

The entrance to Zhang Family Ancient Building.
The Huo family matriarch has been studying that place for decades, in addition to possessing a complete set of architectural drawings from the Lei family.

If that's the case, then she can no longer find the entrance to the Zhang Family Ancient Building.
Hu Ming had nothing more to say.

In fact, the entrance to Zhangjia Ancient Building was already found half a century ago during the "largest tomb raiding operation in history," and Huo Xiangu is definitely one of the few surviving insiders.

Huo Xiangu went to such great lengths to find the last piece of Yangshi Lei's blueprints, all for the sake of finding a way to survive in the Zhang Family Ancient Building.

After all, far too many people died in the Zhang Family Ancient Building during those years.

Those people, aren't they all top-notch experts in their respective fields?
The sole survivor, the "Ghost Man," has also disappeared without a trace over the years, living in anonymity and voluntarily guarding the secrets of the Zhang Family Ancient Building.

In short, this thing, taken alone, is simply an ingeniously structured ancient mechanism.

Without finding the "door," a single "key" is useless.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Hu Ming and the others' efforts here were in vain for the time being.

First, they had eliminated the obstacles; second, deep within the cave, there were still many things that the people of that time hadn't taken away, for example...
Hu Ming and his two companions sat cross-legged on the nest, facing the sunrise in the east, idly playing cards.

Fortunately, the three of them knew beforehand that this was going to be a long job and had prepared some entertainment equipment in advance.

Of course, these days, once you're detached from human society, entertainment options are pretty much the same old thing.

Hu Ming covered the last two cards and, facing the rising sun, carefully stroked an ancient jade pendant in his hand.

This is a strange, roughly shaped, pig-head-shaped, semi-circular white jade pendant.

Judging from its color and patina, it is an exceptionally valuable old item.

"Uncle Ming, it's your turn. Stop looking. You've been looking at it for days. It's a good thing, but you can't see anything special about it no matter how much you look at it."

Wu Xie threw down two twos, pursed his lips, and shouted.

His main job is dealing in antiques, although his expertise lies in ancient architecture, documents, and porcelain, he is not proficient in jade.

However, Wu Xie does have some knowledge of jade artifacts.

The item in Hu Ming's hand was clearly a priceless treasure; otherwise, it wouldn't have been placed in the deepest part of the cave.

"You know nothing! This thing can't just be described as 'good stuff'! It's priceless, a true national treasure!"

"Royal flush, I won! Pay up!"

Hu Ming rolled his eyes, carefully put the jade pendant into his personal space, and threw out the last two cards.

"Damn, you won again! You held those two kings for so long?"

Wu Xie and Xiao Hua rolled their eyes in unison, threw down their cards, and looked rather bored. Anyone would lose interest in any game after losing for several days in a row.

"This jade artifact... I feel like I've seen something similar in a national museum in Beijing?"

Xiaohua casually swept the cards aside and frowned thoughtfully.

"Wow, Xiaohua, you're really knowledgeable!"

"This object, known as the 'Jade Pig-Dragon,' is considered by scholars to be the oldest origin and prototype of the Chinese dragon totem in human understanding! All the dragon images passed down through history evolved from it."

"As you know, in ancient history, in the origins of human civilization, pigs were of vital importance to humans. The character for 'home' (家) contains the radical for 'pig' (豕) under the roof radical, which refers to the pig."

Hu Ming nodded and took out the jade pig-dragon pendant again to examine it closely.

Hu Ming truly hadn't expected that the Zhang family would keep such a valuable treasure in this place. It just goes to show that the Zhang family, which has existed since the beginning of human civilization, is truly wealthy and powerful.

"Jade Pig Dragon? Is this thing related to the origin of human civilization?"

"According to current scholars, Chinese civilization has a history of five thousand years. This thing has a history of five thousand years?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Xie was startled and then took a closer look at the small, antique-looking object.

Five thousand years!!!
To put it bluntly, even a pile of pig manure, if it were to be fossilized under various circumstances, would be priceless after five thousand years!
No, Hu Ming is right. To say something is priceless is an insult to it; it is a treasure beyond compare!
What makes an item valuable is not the material itself, but the historical and archaeological value it carries over thousands of years. It is no exaggeration to call such an item a national treasure!
"...That's right, I actually know a little about this..."

"This item involves an ancient civilization from five thousand years ago. Pigs held great significance for ancient humans. Combining two exceptionally precious elements, pigs and jade, this item was not meant to be worn."

"This thing is an ancient sacrificial artifact used by priests to communicate with the heavens!"

Hu Ming grinned and explained casually.

"A sacrificial artifact from five thousand years ago! The significance it carries is even more precious now!"

“However, Uncle Ming, this thing can’t be sold, right? Apart from the government, no one dares to buy it. It’s like the bronze artifacts from the Western Zhou Dynasty – a hot potato that’s deadly.”

Xiao Hua gasped in surprise.

"Who said I was going to make a move? I'm keeping these treasures for myself. I have many similar, shady things in my possession. If I were to bring them out, I would definitely come to a bad end."

Hu Ming nodded. That makes sense. Some things are not for individuals to collect.

National treasures can only be collected by the state, serving as a means for the country to study history and as a testament to ancient human civilization.

Click click click…

Just then, the workers below used a pulley system to bring up a huge envelope.

Hu Ming and the other two exchanged glances, knowing that their boring life as savages here was coming to an end.