Chapter 002: The Ancestral Grave Emits Smoke

It is unclear how much time has passed. As Wenqu opened his eyes, he decided to take a walk and explore. After taking a few steps, he found himself at the door of a thatched cottage. Looking up, he saw the three characters "Daoxinju" inscribed on the plaque above the door. Gently pushing open the door, he discovered the interior was quite simple: a table, a writing desk, and against the left wall of the room stood a Luohan bed. To the left, there was an antique shelf holding several volumes bound in the style of ancient books. In addition, there was a conical hat leaning against the wall by the door, a few pieces of coarse clothing, an old-fashioned hoe, and a small bag of grain and other items.

As Wenqu was about to close the lid, he suddenly saw two dragons on the wall spitting out water. The black dragon expelled a stream of water as white as milk, striking the black fish eye of the Bagua, while the white dragon shot forth a black stream of water resembling ink, aimed directly at the white fish eye of the Bagua. When the two streams, one black and one white, landed on the Bagua diagram, they merged and became clear, beginning to flow towards the mouth of the cauldron, while the inside of the cauldron also started to fill with swirling smoke.

After walking around the room and touching everything, I flipped through a few items before leaving the house and entering the backyard vegetable garden. The garden is quite simple, consisting of only a few common vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, greens, peppers, and loofahs, far less abundant than those found in the outdoor market. In addition to the vegetables, there are also two types of melons: watermelons and winter melons, along with a trellis of grapes. This is all there is in the vegetable garden.

Oh! Oh!

Facing the entrance is a painting depicting an old Taoist with flowing white beard and an ethereal demeanor, holding a whisk. In the upper right corner of the painting, there are two lines of text: "In the past, I sought worldly splendor; today, I abandon the kingly path to cultivate my heart for the Dao"

The rooster perched on the fence crowed for the first time

"Wow, it's a treasure bowl!" Wen Xu immediately burst into laughter! After trying the cucumbers, he picked some tomatoes, testing everything from the vegetable garden. Wen Xu was certain that the ancestral grave of the Wen family was smoking with green flames, and he had obtained a treasure of heaven and earth!

"Alright, you all go back early and take a rest, as everyone has to work tomorrow," Zhao Defang noticed his wife's expression. Based on his understanding of her, he couldn't help but feel a pang of unease in his heart, sensing that this matter was not as simple as Wenxu had thought.

After getting into the car, he brought Yan Dong back to the entrance of his small community, happily driving his old Wuling towards home

As Wengwu gazed at the stone tablet, he gently continued to caress it with his hand, and the scenery on the tablet seemed to come to life even more vividly

The melon has not yet reached my mouth when I noticed a flower bud emerging from the vine not far from where I picked the melon. It grew, blossomed, and bore fruit at a visibly rapid pace, and in less than five seconds, another tender yellow cucumber appeared.

When the water in the cauldron was about to overflow, Wenqu instinctively loosened his grip on the lid, stepping back to watch the clear stream flowing from the three toad mouths perched on the lid, washing over the body of the cauldron and falling into the lotus pond below

With a slap, Weng Xu raised his hand and gave himself a resounding slap on the face

Back in the car, I turned on the interior light to check my wallet. I saw that there was not a single large bill left, only some gray-green small change remained. With a sigh, I closed the wallet and continued driving home

Wenxu here does not think too much about it. To put it nicely, this person is carefree; to put it less nicely, they often act without thinking and are unwilling to consider overly complex matters

How is it?" Upon seeing his daughter-in-law return home, Zhao Defang immediately asked.

Just as he was about to throw this item into the trash bin, Wen Xu felt that under the light of the IED lamp on his desk, there seemed to be a pattern on this object. He picked it up and held the stone tablet up to the light. After observing it for a while, he felt it was somewhat vague, so he dipped his finger in a bit of saliva to wipe the texture of the stone tablet. To his surprise, he found that the patterns on the stone tablet became increasingly bright with each wipe. After dipping his finger in saliva five or six times, Wen Xu revealed a complete rural scene on the stone tablet, and the entire stone tablet displayed a perfect jade color, translucent and warm like mutton fat.

Hearing Sun An'an say this, Wen Xu believed that Guan Siya was still angry with him, so he smiled and said: "This time it has broken the historical record, being angry for more than five days. Alright, tomorrow is the weekend, I will go and coax her."

Just as Wenxu was about to tease the swindler, the right-hand car door was suddenly pulled open. A person quickly reached in, grabbed the bag that Wenxu had placed on the passenger seat, swiftly took out the wallet inside, emptied all the cash from the wallet, and finally threw the wallet and the bag back into the car before closing the door.

The sheep outside the fence also began to bleat.

This is the joyful sound made by a hen that has just laid an egg

Wrapped in a military overcoat was a middle-aged man, who straightened his body upon seeing Wen Xu lower the car window, holding a jade tablet in his hand to present it to Wen Xu

"Here, take the jade money you gave!" Upon seeing that his companion had succeeded, the soldier immediately slapped the stone tablet in his hand onto Wenxu's hand and dashed towards the back of the vehicle.

Do not be deceived by the length of the text; in reality, these events occur in the blink of an eye. The person reaching out to grab the bag and take the money does so with a speed that is almost imperceptible.

With a sudden brake, Wenqu pressed down the car window and asked the person, "What is it?"

Here, this object is not wrapped in crystal. Wenwu naturally reached out to touch and observe it. After a short while, he discovered that the lid of the cauldron was alive. With a bit of effort, he lifted the lid and peered inside, only to find that the interior of the cauldron was empty. Apart from the relief carvings of a black and a white dragon on the inner walls, there was also a black and white Bagua diagram at the bottom, with not a drop of water in sight

Meh! Meh! Meh!

Sun An'an saw Wen Xu was also there and smiled awkwardly: "It's nothing, Guan Siya is still upset, let them resolve their issues themselves, let's pack up and go home"

Moreover, it is quite rough, with a material that is a dull gray color, and in the middle, there is a significant portion that is a nauseating shade of yellow. As for the carving, it is even more questionable (if this object can be said to have any carving at all). At the very top of the jade tablet, there is a cloud pattern, and at the center of the cloud pattern, there is a hole for tying a cord. The exact center of the jade tablet features a three-legged cauldron, which also somewhat resembles an alchemical furnace; in any case, it is roughly this kind of object.

As soon as he pondered for a moment and reacted, he immediately opened the car door and jumped out, chasing after the two individuals. It is important to note that he had over 3,000 yuan in his wallet; spending over 3,000 yuan on a stone would indeed be a strange matter if Wenxu did not pursue them.

Wen Xu took a look at the so-called jade pendant in the man's hand and thought that if it were said to be a stone, more people would probably believe it. Moreover, the trick being used was such an old and poor one; he remembered that when he graduated from university, there were already people playing this on the street: "I say, brother, coming out to look for work at this hour, you are really too diligent!"

Upon returning to his residence, Wenxu took the jade pendant, which he had purchased for over 3,000 yuan, in his hand and played with it for a moment

From the following comments, it seems that the owner of this house is known as the Master of Daoxin Residence. However, it is currently unknown where this individual has gone. Wenxu thought for a moment and felt that this person had made a wise decision to leave; if he hadn't, how could Wenxu have such a fortunate encounter? Moreover, one could say that he has taken advantage of another's nest. If the owner had not left, he would not have been able to seize such a good opportunity.

The sounds of cicadas and insects from the trees blended together, reminding Wenqu of his hometown from childhood, causing his heart to become intoxicated. He closed his eyes and opened his arms, listening to the sounds around him, feeling his entire body and mind become light and buoyant.

Yan Dong and Wen Xu were helping at Zhao Defang's stall. By 1:00 AM, Sun An'an finally returned, and by the time she came back, everyone had already started to pack up the stall.

Gaga! Gaga!

A small courtyard enclosed by a fence nearly half the height of a person features a large rooster standing atop the fence, while a group of hens with their chicks peck at the ground in the yard. On one side of the courtyard, several fruit trees are planted, and to the right lies a pond where a large carp is leaping out of the water. A corner of the vegetable garden behind the house is faintly visible, and the entire rural scene is surrounded by tall trees, encapsulating the small landscape as if it were a paradise beyond the world.

What a refreshing and delightful rural landscape!

Wen Xu gazed at the increasingly lifelike image of the stone tablet and couldn't help but yearnfully murmur to himself: "If only I could stay in a place like this and take a look!"

Although the method may seem a bit ordinary, Wenxu knows that this is not a dream. What he sees with his own eyes is the scene on the stone tablet: the thatched cottage, the fence, the pond, and the large tree, all present without exception, boldly displayed before him. The only difference is that these things appear to be wrapped in a layer of crystal. If he were to describe the scene he is witnessing as bone-chillingly cold, he would liken it to seeing ice blocks.

Oh! Oh! Oh!

Throughout the entire process, Weng Xu's mind was in a state of shutdown. He had never seen such a swift act of robbery. In the blink of an eye, he took out his wallet from his bag and pulled out cash from the wallet, all executed in one seamless motion. Such skill has truly reached a state of perfection

Damn it, Wenxu shook his head while walking back to his Wuling.

Upon first seeing this object, Wenqu felt it was rough

This is far too little, not even a cauliflower is present. Wenxu's favorite is cauliflower, especially dry pot cauliflower, which is a must-order item every time he dines out. While feeling frustrated, he casually picked a cucumber, brushed off the spines on it, pinched off the withered flower at the tip, and brought it to his mouth

It is not that his mind is insufficient; if it were truly inadequate, he would not have been able to obtain so many certificates. Wenwu simply does not want to overthink the trivialities of life; he wishes to live his life a bit more simply, or one might say, with a sense of ease and tranquility.

It was the pig that made the grunting sound

Dazed, he gazed at the lotus pond, which was filled to the brim. Suddenly, a radiant spectrum of colors surged forth from the center of the pond, spreading outwards in all directions like ripples. As the light dispersed, the crystal that had been shrouded in something began to vanish as if it had encountered the morning dew of the sun. In an instant, the warm surroundings started to come to life.

Brother, brother

Forty minutes later, Wuling turned off the main road and entered the alley of the community, and Wenxu reduced the speed of the car

Ouch! It hurts!

Brother, do you want the jade pendant? It was just excavated from the construction site over there, you can still see the dirt hanging on it

What is wrong with this streetlight today! Wenqu complained while driving, noting that the streetlight by the roadside was broken. Usually, the streetlights here are not very bright, but at least they are on. Today, however, it is completely out, and one has to rely on the moonlight in the sky to navigate. Fortunately, there is no smog today, so the moonlight is still visible.

Just as Weng Xu was complaining about the streetlights, he suddenly heard someone knocking on his car window. Turning his head, he saw a man wrapped in an old military coat tapping on the glass of his window.

This worthless thing costs 3,000 yuan!" Wenxu said self-deprecatingly

Unfortunately, as Wenshu chased after them, the two fraudsters had already dashed nearly several dozen meters away and slipped into an alley. By the time Wenshu reached the mouth of the alley, he found that the two individuals had already vanished from sight

Upon arriving outside the fence, I initially intended to push the door open, but seeing the situation, I simply climbed over the fence. Upon entering the courtyard, I saw a small tripod cauldron about one meter high placed in the center of the yard, with a base shaped like a shallow lotus pond in full bloom. The entire cauldron was crystal clear, appearing as if it had been carved from a single piece of jade as white as clouds.

The originally calm and gentle temperament, upon witnessing such a scene, suddenly felt as if grass had grown in the heart, staring blankly at the stone tablet without even blinking.

With this thought, Wen Xu suddenly felt a flash of darkness and light before his eyes. When he was able to see clearly again, he was instantly frozen as if under a spell, his eyes wide open like copper bells, and his mouth could fit an entire large egg.