Chapter 2: Dragon Cauldron

The middle-aged man took out a jade ring, which he referred to as a ring, primarily due to its shape; however, in terms of size, it resembled a jade bracelet more, as whose fingers could be as thick as their wrists

Chen Hai closely examined the engraved Azure Dragon with its green scales and red head, noting that the colors were exceptionally vivid. However, they were not painted with lacquer; rather, they appeared to be directly cast from certain radioactive colored metals.

Even in modern times, the Earth does not have the capability to forge such large metal components as a whole

Chen Hai stood beside Su Qian and saw her casually exit the photo viewer after receiving her phone, seemingly confirming the time and location of the on-site photos from other images. However, Chen Hai was quickly drawn in by the photos on the phone.

Chen Hai believed that others had various questions. The middle-aged man then asked everyone to hand over their mobile phones, and no one refused. They all followed the middle-aged man through the back door of the courtyard, passing through a narrower alley, where a bus was waiting at the entrance of the alley for everyone.

The bus left the city, and the road became somewhat bumpy. Suddenly, there was a sharp brake, and Chen Hai, who was lost in thought staring at the black cauldron, was unexpectedly thrown out of his seat and collided with the black cauldron.

The usually cautious and slippery Gu Fatty did not suspect that this tripod was counterfeit

If the other party truly intends to set a trap, they would certainly put in considerable effort and would not reveal such laughable flaws.

We have tested the equipment for metal flaw detection at our construction site, and there is no radioactivity

The middle-aged man spoke very little, turned around, and walked towards the main hall, with the others following behind.

This has ... ...

The crumbling wall appears unremarkable, and even a small corner of the relief offers little insight into its appearance. However, the cut surface is exceptionally smooth, featuring an extremely peculiar yet evidently orderly pattern of regular lines, resembling countless ancient seal characters interconnected with one another

The thousands of ancient inscriptions and seal characters surrounding the cauldron were completely unrecognizable to him, yet each tiny inscription, no larger than a fly's head, was so vibrant and lively, as if imbued with extraordinary power

At this moment, others finally noticed that Chen Hai had broken his nose, and seeing him in such a disheveled state, they all began to laugh.

Chen Hai sat in the middle seat of the back row, directly facing the black cauldron in the aisle. The fierce dragon-head ears of the cauldron were also aligned with him, and he could not shake off the strange feeling of being watched by the carved azure dragon, as if the azure dragon sculpted on the black cauldron possessed a soul

The attention of others was drawn to the near accident, while Chen Hai took a tissue to cover his nose, leaned in to look inside the black cauldron, and intended to use another tissue to wipe away the nosebleed.

At this moment, Su Qian wanted to see more on-site photos, and others shared the same sentiment, all staring at the middle-aged man

From the remnants of the giant reliefs attached to the crumbling walls, it can be inferred that these two walls are merely a small part of the entire grand hall. It is difficult to imagine how magnificent the complete grand hall would have been

Chen Hai completed his undergraduate studies in History and was admitted to Northeast University for his graduate studies in Archaeology, focusing primarily on bronze artifacts from the pre-Qin period, and is particularly well-versed in the inscriptions from the Shang and Zhou dynasties

Seeing that the middle-aged man had no intention of stopping, Chen Hai also reached out to touch the body of the cauldron. The body of the cauldron felt as cold as ice, while the fierce azure dragon intricately carved around it seemed to be burning like charcoal, so hot that Chen Hai almost cried out in pain. However, he quickly withdrew his hand and felt no sensation of being burned at all

Otherwise, upon seeing the newly unearthed and shining like new, rust-free small ding, everyone would have long since walked away with their arms crossed.

It is truly unbelievable; this black cauldron can actually absorb blood, causing Chen Hai's hair to stand on end

Although Chen Hai was unaware if others shared his peculiar feeling of being scrutinized by the Canglong, he could be certain of one thing by observing the focused expressions of those around him: they had already dismissed their doubts and no longer believed that this tripod was a counterfeit created by the other party as a ruse.

The middle-aged person arranged for everyone to sit in the rear half of the bus, where all the windows were covered with a layer of blackout film, obstructing everyone's view and preventing them from seeing where the bus was headed

The tripod body shows no signs of rust, with the azure dragon's green scales and red head still vibrant in color, certainly not resembling an object just excavated from an ancient tomb, yet it exudes an air of rustic simplicity.

Su Qian leaned over in confusion, but saw nothing in the black cauldron. She looked at Chen Hai with puzzlement, not understanding why he had a ghostly expression.

Chen Hai turned to face the front of the black cauldron, and once again felt an uncomfortable sensation as if being intensely stared at by the eyes of a fierce dragon, as if this menacing dragon were a living creature, truly eerie

Chen Hai can be considered an expert in this regard; otherwise, given that his wealth is only one level below that of Gu Pangzi, it would not be possible for Gu Pangzi to bring him in to participate in this secret transaction

How could the cut surface of an overall cast metal block possibly have patterns that are regular and reminiscent of ancient seal script

This size of square ding can be considered a miniature type among the bronze vessels unearthed in the country. The body of the ding is surrounded by a slender, vividly depicted azure dragon, with its four claws serving as the four legs of the ding. The dragon's head and tail are raised high, functioning as the two handles of the square ding, which can be grasped.

These two crumbling walls appear to have been cut down by some sharp instrument, reflecting a metallic sheen under the exposure light of the mobile phone. The entire wall is surprisingly made of some kind of black metal, and judging by the excavator in the photograph, each wall is at least seventeen or eighteen meters high

It was not very painful. Chen Hai, brushing himself off, got up awkwardly and saw through the front window of the car that a young boy was standing there in shock, nearly getting hit by the bus, while the driver was cursing loudly.

At that moment, a bizarre scene unfolded; the pool of nasal blood that dripped into the black cauldron was slowly seeping into the walls of the cauldron, which emitted a faint glow, weaving a three-dimensional image the size of a square inch in the center of the black cauldron. It resembled a landscape painting, with mountains, rivers, and seas of clouds. The carved azure dragon seemed to come to life, condensing into a phantom that soared menacingly through the sea of clouds

Moreover, what is even more peculiar is that the azure dragon sculpted on the body of the cauldron appears to be a living creature, and Chen Hai inexplicably feels a sense of mental oppression as if being watched

What kind of bronze ware, buried underground for thousands of years, can remain completely free of corrosion

Upon realizing this, Chen Hai was startled and instinctively recoiled, exclaiming: Radioactive metals are not something to be trifled with

Seeing the confusion on others' faces, Chen Hai smiled awkwardly, realizing that no one had thought of this aspect. He then began to examine the black cauldron seriously. He could not discern what metal was used to cast the entwined azure dragon on the body of the cauldron, yet it seemed to be seamlessly integrated with the cauldron itself, showing not a trace of joint marks. Not to mention anything else, just the level of craftsmanship alone was truly astonishing

Chen Hai shook his head, unable to say anything

Chen Hai spread out the tissue covering his nose, which had already been stained red with a large patch of blood. He confirmed that it was not just an illusion moments ago, but what on earth was that painting woven with faint glimmers and condensed in the black cauldron

What kind of lacquer, buried for a thousand years underground, can emerge unweathered and remain as bright as new?

It is evident that the other party has considered this transaction quite thoroughly, resembling a professional tomb raiding group rather than the construction team they claim to be that accidentally discovered the Shang and Zhou dynasty tombs at the construction site

Pushing open the large door, in the center of the main hall against the wall, there is a black square cauldron with four legs placed on the Eight Immortals table, approximately one foot in height

Among the more than ten people present, although no one had studied archaeology as rigorously as Chen Hai, they were all considered semi-experts in this field. Even if the other party intended to set a trap, they should have put considerable effort into creating an antiqued appearance. Chen Hai was more inclined to believe that this small ding had just been unearthed in this condition

"Can you tell what period this tripod is from?" Gu Pangzi asked Chen Hai in a hushed voice.

The black residual tripod was also moved onto the bus. The black tripod appeared to be only one foot tall, and its walls were not thick, yet it was surprisingly heavy. The middle-aged man, along with three muscular young companions, was already drenched in sweat after placing the black tripod down.

Not only are the azure scales of the dragon cast on the body of the tripod clearly visible, but even the thousands of tiny inscriptions resembling fly heads on the body of the tripod are distinctly discernible to Chen Hai

Chen Hai's instinctive actions caught the attention of the middle-aged man, who evidently also recognized Chen Hai's carefulness and prudence. Perhaps it was a mutual appreciation among like-minded individuals; the usually taciturn man approached Chen Hai at this moment to offer a brief explanation.

Once this place is made public, it is destined to be a shocking archaeological discovery that will astonish the world, but Chen Hai, as an antique dealer, will not concern himself with such matters

The grave is buried and cannot be visited, but you must have taken more on-site photos, right? Su Qian asked

In fact, there are significant differences in the inscriptions and stylistic forms of bronze vessels between the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Later generations primarily deduce the dating of bronze vessels through these stylistic differences.

A middle-aged person took out a domestically produced mobile phone and flipped through a dozen现场 photos, which nearly pieced together the entire scene, allowing everyone to take turns viewing them

It is by no means an ordinary noble tomb from the Shang and Zhou dynasties; the scene in the photograph resembles a grand hall, or rather, a corner of a grand hall, with only two black remnants of walls at right angles deeply buried in the ground of a certain mountain range

Chen Hai was taken aback, thinking he had misseen. Rubbing his eyes and looking again, he found that there was nothing in the black cauldron, not even the blood from his nose that had dripped in.

Su Qian handed over a tissue, and Chen Haicai realized that a wave of heat was surging out of his nasal cavity, with a pool of nasal blood already dripping into the black cauldron

This black square ding, whether in its design featuring dragon heads and tails as the handles, and dragon claws as the four legs, or in the ancient seal script of the inscriptions, is entirely unfamiliar to Chen Hai. In his impression, among the Shang and Zhou bronze wares unearthed in the country to date, there is not a single piece that resembles it.

This is truly unbelievable

In comparison to the black tripod, the grayish and somewhat imperfect jade ring appears ordinary, resembling an ancient item that has been buried in the earth for thousands of years

Everyone has seen some photos before, but only one is a现场 photo. The angle of the shot is not good, and nothing can be discerned from the collapsed mud pit in the现场 photo.

If it is said that these two remnants of walls have been buried underground for thousands of years, what could have existed during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, or even in an era older than that, that could cut a metal wall several meters long so neatly

Of course, everyone is only concerned about whether the other party has genuine goods in hand, and they are not concerned about whether the other party is a tomb raiding gang or a construction team

"It doesn't look like paint..." Someone walked up to the Eight Immortals table, staring at the small square tripod with a puzzled expression, yet did not suspect it was fake. Cautiously, they reached out to touch the dragon-headed ear of the tripod, took a deep breath, and exclaimed in surprise, "It's so hot..."

The light in the room was unusually dim, and there was no light source illuminating the Eight Immortals table. However, Chen Hai stood at the door and could surprisingly see the intricate details on the black square ding clearly.