I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 189 Ancient Civilization, Red Fox is tricked again!

However, after Xie An left the top of the mountain carrying the big box, he went into the woods and hurried down the mountain on the thick snow.

"This box is a bit heavy."

Even with Xie An's current strength, he still felt the box was a little heavy.

The heavier it is, the more it means that something has weight!
"With the essence and blood of the treasure plant, the red fox might recover quickly. I have to go back to the city as soon as possible." Xie An would not get carried away just because he got a big treasure chest.

In troubled times, the key to long-term survival is to be constantly alert to danger.

Xie An did not go through the city gate, but climbed over the wall to enter the city, and then climbed over the wall into the courtyard.

A dim oil lamp was lit in the west wing, and Yuhe's figure could be vaguely seen sitting cross-legged inside.

Two days ago, Yuhe had been in seclusion trying to break through to the sixth level of internal strength.

Two days have passed.

Xie An opened his five senses and found that the atmosphere in the room was stable. It can be seen that Yu He's retreat was very stable. With enough internal energy pills, breaking through the sixth level of internal energy should not be a problem.

Yuhe was known for her steady personality and thorough approach. Since she had chosen to retreat, it must be almost certain.

"I hope everything goes well for Yuhe."

Xie An muttered to himself, then carried the big treasure chest back to the room and locked the door.

Gently putting down the big treasure chest, Xie An lit the oil lamp.

In order to make the light brighter, Xie An lit three oil lamps and placed them around the treasure chest.

As the wick burned steadily, light from three directions fell on the treasure chest. Not only was it much brighter, but even the wood grain on the treasure chest was very clear.

Xie An rubbed his hands and suppressed the excitement in his heart, "I'll open the big treasure chest and take a look."

Click.

As the box opened, light shone into it, and Xie An leaned over to look.

Roughly estimated, there are about twenty objects in it, of varying sizes.

To avoid damage, Xie An carefully took out the items inside and gently placed them on the ground:

Ten pieces of white pupa stone.

There is also a large bronze jar, six three-legged jue, a gai, and a yi.

If ordinary people saw this set of items, they would inevitably feel overwhelmed.

But Xie An, an old court official, recognized him.

The dalei is a vessel for holding wine. The three-legged jue is a vessel for drinking wine, the jia is a vessel for warming wine, and the yi is also a vessel for holding wine, but it is used for sacrificial offerings.

Simply put, this is a complete set of drinking utensils.

Xie An carefully examined the material, color, carvings, and structure...

The more I look at it, the more surprised I am.

Even with Xie An's more than 30 years of experience in court service, he had never seen such shapes and carvings.

It is neither from the Jingtai Dynasty nor from the Tianbao Dynasty.

At least it is not the carvings and shapes popular in the two dynasties. It is also possible that it is from a small country in the remote areas of the two dynasties?
"But this doesn't have any cultural elements from the two dynasties, and it doesn't make sense..."

Xie An knew very well that archaeological investigation and appraisal followed a logical path.

Even small countries in remote areas will be influenced by local culture when manufacturing daily utensils, but they will also inevitably be influenced by the mainstream culture of the court, which will be reflected in the structure and carvings of the utensils.

It's like the much-discussed Sanxing Cone civilization of the past. Although the standing figures, eyes, and lamps in it were all unique, they were different from the cultures of the previous dynasties in the Central Plains, which is why people said it was an alien civilization.

However, other Zun Lei unearthed from the Sanxingcui civilization bear clear traces of Central Plains culture, suggesting that the so-called Sanxingcui civilization was also influenced by Central Plains culture.

All major civilizations will influence each other and eventually react.

However, this set of wine utensils does not have any cultural traces of the Tianbao and Jingtai dynasties.

This is shocking.

"How strange... I have been an appraiser of antiques for most of my life, but I have never seen this kind of carving." Xie An supported his chin with one hand and played with the three-legged wine cup with the other. He could only see some petals vaguely on it.

The petals are carved randomly without any pattern, and it is impossible to tell what kind of flower it is.

But Xie An just felt that he looked a little familiar.

As he watched, Xie An was shocked.

Flower of the other shore?
Xie An immediately pulled out the mirror from his inner pocket and compared the petals. They were indeed... the same.

Xie An put away the wine glass and carefully examined the entire set of wine utensils. Each utensil was carved with scattered petals of the red spider lily.

He put down his tools and pondered for a long time.

It's clear that the items in this box all came from the same group. They were all famous for producing wine vessels and drinking glasses, and the workmanship was exquisite, so it can be judged that this was a civilization.

Then the problem is coming.

What kind of civilization would use the red spider lily as a symbol and totem?
This is so weird.

Human civilizations often use totems such as dragons and phoenixes, lions and tigers, birds, and other mythical beasts. Some scholars and poets also use peonies and roses to praise women's temperament and beauty in their poems.

But the red spider lily mostly grows in dark and damp places. It is also called the flower of the dead or the flower of guidance. It is an ominous flower.

Although scholars have described the red spider lily with various meanings, such as symbolizing the eternity of love, its root remains unchanged: the red spider lily grows where the two realms of life and death meet, symbolizing the separation of life and death. However, the red spider lily still grows tenaciously, implying the eternity of love.

In general, the word "other shore" in "Higanbana" makes this statement ominous.

There are also rumors that the red spider lily blooms on the road to the underworld to guide souls and demons.

"What kind of civilization would regard the red spider lily as a spiritual totem?"

Xie An felt that the civilization behind this pile of utensils was very strange.

Because there was too little information, Xie An had no reference and finally had to give up.

"No wonder Red Fox said that selling these things would bring about fatal disasters. It seems that what he said is true."

Putting his thoughts aside, Xie An continued to take out things from the box.

They are three yellowed ancient books.

It seems that they are very old. Although they are well preserved, the paper of two books is still rotten and the handwriting is unclear.

There is only one book to read.

The cover is made of leather and the pages inside are made of cloth, so it is well preserved.

There are only two words on the cover.

But Xie An didn't recognize these two words.

It is not the current writing of Daqian, but is similar to small seal script, with crooked strokes.

I opened the first page and saw calligraphy similar to small seal script. I didn’t recognize a single word.

As an old court official, Xie An was naturally familiar with the writings of the Tianbao and Jingtai dynasties, and even the earlier small seal script. However, the writing on this script clearly imitated some of the small seal script, but it was not the small seal script.

In terms of shape, it is somewhat similar to the handwriting used to carve the red spider lily.

After looking at it for a long time, Xie An was unable to recognize it.

When I went to search the box again, I found that it was empty.

The main reason is that the wine cellar is large and takes up most of the space.

Xie An carefully counted the items:
A set of wine utensils, three ancient books, and ten pieces of white pupa stone.

It’s not a loss to get ten pieces of white pupa stone.

As for the wine utensils and ancient books, although they were of no use now, Xie An felt that they contained a huge secret and could be kept for research.

Xie An now has a life expectancy of about 105 years.

One advantage of a long life is that you have plenty of time to study various things.

For Xie An, who had devoted half his life to the study of object appraisal, these wine utensils and ancient books undoubtedly had great appeal to him.

Apart from other things, discovering an ancient civilization could earn him great merit by presenting it to the imperial court. Moreover, Xie An felt that there was something more to this civilization than meets the eye.

"Absorb these ten pieces of white pupa stone first."

Xie An sat down cross-legged, arranged the ten white pupa stones neatly, then adjusted his breathing and luck, activating the white Taoist talisman in his mind.

hum!
The white Taoist scroll vibrated slowly, emitting bursts of white light.

[Three thousand strands of demonic energy detected. Do you want to absorb it?]

Xie An was still a little hesitant to absorb three thousand strands at once. He didn't want to be dragged into that place by the white Taoist scroll again, and spend several months in a flash...

However, when he reached the second level of life growth, Xie An could actively choose the amount of demon energy he wanted to absorb at one time.

To be on the safe side, Xie An absorbed it in three batches.

After three times, all three thousand strands of immortal energy were absorbed.

Xie An opened the panel:

[Current Longevity Level: Level 2, Fusion Degree: 0/10000]

[Effects: Can be used to advance health-preserving exercises, can sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, can sense strange beasts and spiritual objects.]

[Currently sensed spiritual object: Seven Treasures Exquisite Box.]

[Ming Yu Gong: Beginning of Winter 32/200]

Tiger Qigong: 6/100

[Currently available Immortal Qi: 3200 strands.]

Looking at the last number, 3200, Xie An breathed a sigh of relief. "Advancing Fetal Breathing to the Black Tortoise Breathing Method requires ten thousand strands of Immortal Qi. I've finally completed nearly a third of that..."

Although the progress was fast, it was extremely difficult to collect the additional 7,800.

The red fox has used up all its treasures, and it will not be easy to find such good things next time.

"I don't know where this red fox came from..."

Putting his thoughts aside, Xie An found a bag and put ten pieces of white pupa stone into it.

In Xie An's eyes, this was not a useless stone, but 70,000 taels of silver.

Selling other items would indeed cause problems, but this White Pupa Stone could be sold. After all, Ye Luo had said that the Wanbao Tower in Nanyang Prefecture had it, so it wasn't something too shameful.

He already had 50,000 taels in his hand, plus 70,000 taels... a total of 120,000 taels, making him a wealthy man.

After being excited for a while, Xie An put the wine utensils into the box and sealed it. As for the three ancient books, because they were a little damp, Xie An took them to the oil lamp to dry them, and then put them away for future research.

Daqian was unlike the previous world, where every city had a library where one could search for ancient books. Only Nanyang Prefecture had a department dedicated to the collection of books, but it was not comprehensive.

If you want to have everything, you have to go to the capital.

……

The next day.

Xie An was awakened early by a loud noise. He put on his clothes and went out, only to find He Chunli and Han Li gathered at the door of the west wing, talking about something in a loud voice.

When I went over to ask, I found out that Yuhe had successfully completed her retreat and reached the sixth level of martial arts.

"Master, thank you for the internal strength pill." When Yuhe saw Xie An coming, she immediately stepped forward and bowed to express her gratitude.

Xie An was sincerely happy for Yu He, and hurriedly helped Yu He up, saying with a smile: "It's a small matter. Being able to break through the sixth level of internal energy is a good thing. If you can reach the next level, you can even become a sixth-rank official in the Demon Suppression Division."

Yuhe said with a smile: "I don't want to do any errands, I just want to serve the master."

Although it was just a simple sentence, Xie An felt very relieved. "Then let's make breakfast more substantial and ask Chunlan to add two chicken legs. After we finish eating, we will go to the Demon Suppression Division together."

He Chunli said, "I asked Chunlan to kill the chicken early in the morning. She is cooking in the kitchen right now. The chicken leg must belong to Miss Yuhe."

This remark caused everyone to burst into laughter.

Soon Chunlan came to call everyone for breakfast, and as expected, she added a chicken leg for Yuhe.

During the meal, Xie An said, "Chunlan, go find a mirror grinder nearby during the day. I'll be back in the evening and I have a mirror that needs polishing."

Chunlan readily agreed, "Then I'll find the man with sunglasses and have him wait for the master to come back home."

……

"Li Hao wants to dig a canal next to Dayin Mountain?"

On the seventh floor of the Demon Suppression Division, Xie An was shocked after hearing what Chen Tie said.

Chen Tie took out a map, spread it out on the long table, and showed it to Xie An. "Brother Xie, please take a look. The Huai River generally runs from north to south. From the 800-li Dayin Mountain to the north, there are two other rivers running from north to south. We only need to open up 400 miles of them to connect the Huai River to the Nanjiang River in Nanzhou."

Open up four hundred miles!

That is to say, digging a 400-li canal.

This is a huge project that requires the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers to work simultaneously at multiple locations, and it may take several years to complete.

Could it be that Li Hao went out to survey the terrain as soon as he arrived here in preparation for digging a canal?

Moreover, such a large project requires an order from the imperial court. Even though Li Hao is the prince of Huainan, he does not have such power.

"Is this what Li Hao meant?"

Chen Tie shook his head. "According to Li Hao, there's a monster lair within Dayin Mountain. It's also on the border of Daqian, backed by the East China Sea and the South China Sea, so pirates often invade. If we build a canal, the navy of Nanzhou can sail down the river and back and forth between the two places. This will completely eliminate these pirate monster problems. It will also pave the way for future trade ports connecting Dayin Mountain with the South China Sea. This is a great thing that will bring suffering to the present but benefit future generations. Li Hao has already reported this to the six ministries of the imperial court, and it's said... the court has agreed, and the imperial edict will be issued soon."

Xie An was silent.

Although Li Hao's statement was completely consistent and there was nothing wrong with it.

But Xie An felt that this matter might not be that simple.

However, Xie An was only a fifth-rank general of the Demon Suppression Division and could not interfere in the affairs of the court, nor could he have a say.

Finally, Xie An asked, "What does the Demon Suppression Division need our cooperation for?"

Chen Tiedao said, "According to Li Hao, the Demon Suppression Division is needed to patrol and guard the area to prevent the demons in Dayin Mountain and the Huai River from causing trouble and affecting the workers digging the canal. We'll have to wait for the imperial edict to know the specific details."

Xie An nodded and said, "Then wait until the imperial edict comes down."

Huang Silang still didn't wake up.

Nothing happened for a day.

Xie An returned to Xie Mansion at dusk.

As soon as I entered the door, Chunlan came to greet me, "Master, you are finally back. The mirror grinder is waiting inside."

Xie An put aside his thoughts on work.

Just dig the canal.

Just do your own thing.

"Where is that man?"

"It's in the tea room in the back house."

"Bring him to the courtyard." Xie An left a word and walked past the screen wall, pushed open the hanging flower door and entered the courtyard.

The central courtyard was where Xie An and Yu He lived, the backyard belonged to Su Yuqing, and Han Li and the others lived in the back house in the front row. The back house had eight rooms and was used as a teahouse for entertaining guests.

When outsiders come, Chunlan naturally won't bring them to the courtyard.

Xie An brewed some tea under the eaves of the courtyard, then lay down on the drunkard's chair next to him, feeling the fatigue of the day dissipate. He had only taken two sips of tea when Chunlan came in with a mirror grinder.

The mirror grinder was a fifty-year-old man wearing a tattered jacket that revealed a yellowed face. He was carrying a toolbox in his hand and walked unsteadily. It was not known whether he had not yet learned to walk or was under a lot of pressure from meeting Xie An, a fifth-rank general manager for the first time.

Chunlan explained, "Master, this is Master Huang, the mirror grinder I've been looking for. He's said to be incredibly skilled. Master Huang, this is our master."

"I am honored to meet the General." The old man bowed deeply when he saw Xie An.

Ok.

Xie An waved his hand, signaling Chunlan to get busy, and then said to the old man: "Master Huang, don't be nervous. I just have a mirror that needs polishing."

Master Huang said, "I have been a mirror polisher for half my life. I will polish your mirror until it is smooth and shiny, and even the hair can be reflected clearly."

Xie An looked at the old man and found nothing unusual, so he took out the jade from his inner pocket and handed it to the old man, "Master Huang, take a look. If you think it's polished well, I'll give you a reward."

"Thank you, sir."

Master Huang stretched out his trembling hand and slowly took the mirror.

Xie An observed all his subtle movements and thought to himself: This old man has been a mirror polisher for most of his life, so why would he tremble at the thought of a mirror? Or is it that his position as a fifth-rank general manager is so intimidating?
Something doesn't seem right.

But this is his own home, and there is a great god guarding the backyard, so Xie An has nothing to worry about.

Master Huang took the mirror and examined it carefully. Without saying anything, he opened the toolbox and took out a grinding wheel, tin powder, alum, mercury and other magic mirror ingredients.

He applied the magic mirror potion on the mirror surface, then took out sandpaper and polished it carefully.

The technique is very professional.

Most of Xie An's worries were gone.

But there was one point that puzzled Xie An: Why was the mirror grinder not affected by the red spider lily on the back?
This doesn't make sense.

As the mirror was polished, the rust and dirt on it fell off, and the mirror surface began to become smooth. Xie An's mood also improved. Professional things should be done by professionals.

I'm far from having this skill.

After about half an hour, the mirror had been polished to a shine, and the bronze color was shining.

Seeing that the polishing was almost finished, Xie An was very happy and got up to go to the room to get the silver.

Just as Xie An turned around, Master Huang glanced at Xie An, gave him a sly smile, and gently put the mirror into his pocket.

That's right.

Xie An didn't realize that this person was the red fox after transforming into a human.

He went to great lengths to retrieve the magic mirror. He spent a day lurking around Xie's mansion. In the morning, he learned that Chunlan had gone out to look for a mirror polisher, and he guessed Xie An's intentions. Disguised as a mirror polisher, he set up a stall on Chunlan's path, advertising his services. This caught Chunlan's attention, and she invited him over.

Later, he also got information from Chunlan and learned that Xie An, the chief of the Demon Suppression Division, had become much more cautious in his actions.

He knew that although the Qingwu Demon Suppression Division was a small government office, the Daqian Demon Suppression Division was a complete organization. If a fifth-rank general was killed, it would cause trouble for the operation of this huge organization.

Fortunately, after some hard work, I finally got the sunglasses.

Watching Xie An's retreating figure, Master Huang felt that although this man was cautious, he was still a little behind himself. Aside from the white fox, no one and no demon knew he had transformed into a human.

Humans are still too young compared to us foxes.

Just a little brat.

How can a little boy like you take the most precious treasure of my fox demon clan?
uh-huh?

You have to take it back obediently.

Master Huang was thinking this and was about to put the mirror into his pocket and run away.

suddenly--

A slender jade hand reached out and grasped one end of the mirror. A sweet voice like a wind chime was heard, "Master Huang, thank you for polishing this mirror. Come in and have a cup of tea."

When Master Huang looked up, he immediately saw a face more beautiful than a fox. Then, when he felt the breath of this woman, he immediately thought, "Fuck."

Martial arts master!

He is not just an ordinary martial arts master!

Then Master Huang looked at Xie An’s back again and suddenly felt insignificant... Damn, he was tricked by this kid again!
(End of this chapter)