Chapter 2421: Chapter 2324: Vigilance

Of course, in ancient times, a coffin usually contained more than just one jade artifact. The so-called ’Jade Seals the Nine Orifices’, as the name implies, means using jade to seal nine parts of the body.

The nine orifices refer to a person’s two eyes, two nostrils, mouth, two ears, as well as the genitals and anus.

The ancients had an almost superstitious reverence towards jade, firmly believing that jade could ensure the peace of the living and the immortality of the dead. So during burial, they would use jade artifacts to seal the nine orifices of the corpse, believing that doing so would ensure the body never decays.

This theory is obviously without logic or scientific basis, but starting from the Han Dynasty, this practice became extremely popular. Besides jade clothing, nine orifices jade also became an essential set of items for the wealthy to use in burials.

In this stone coffin, there was only this jade cicada, which clearly wasn’t right, and this was also the reason why Zhou Shitao and his team were convinced that the stone coffin originally held Ge Hong’s remains.

This jade cicada must have been accidentally dropped by someone who had previously moved the remains inside the stone coffin!

The cicada’s head and eyes are not small, its wings are narrow and delicate, and the whole body of the cicada forms an inverted trapezoid. It’s evident that the craftsmanship is very exquisite, though the carvings are simple, it’s a very typical example of the Han Eight Knife technique.

The so-called Han Eight Knife is a very distinctive carving technique in Chinese jade carving, stemming from the burial jade culture of the Han Dynasty as a special carving technique.

Its main representative works are the Eight Knife Cicadas, which can be further divided into pendant cicadas, crown cicadas, and holding cicadas, usually characterized by strong, straightforward lines, infusing the jade cicada with vibrant life with just a few strokes, thus it’s commonly known as the Han Eight Knife.

This jade cicada in front of us has no hole on its head, indicating it was purely used as burial jade, and the material used is top-quality white jade.

But because it was held in the mouth of the tomb owner, this jade cicada is covered with purplish-red blood-soaked threads, and the color has seeped into the jade interior, making the entire jade cicada exhibit a shimmering red halo in the palm, with a faint sign of flowing blood light when shaken, anyone with a little knowledge of jade would know this is no ordinary piece.

Blood-soaked jade cicadas are uncommon, let alone jade cicadas with impeccable craftsmanship and jade quality. Not just Huo Sining, even Zhou Shitao, who has been involved in archaeology and explored so many ancient tombs, has never seen such an exquisite blood jade before.

Because Zhou Shitao attached great importance to this jade cicada, some less knowledgeable staff couldn’t help but mutter secretly:

"Isn’t it just a piece of jade, and one that was dug out from the mouth of a corpse, anyway? Surely any other item here is worth more than this thing?"

This is the difference between professionals and laymen. These archaeology team members usually focus all their energy on academic research, understanding only some archaeological theories, but they are actually not too familiar with identifying the authenticity of cultural relics or the market prices of antiques.

This piece of jade lay dormant in the ancient tomb for over 1,700 years, naturally appearing grayish-white and quite inconspicuous, so these archaeology team members all thought there was nothing particularly remarkable about the jade.

Zhou Shitao seemed to hear that staff member’s muttering, and couldn’t help but laugh as he carefully stroked the jade cicada with his fingers, then turned to look at the archaeology team members:

"This shows your lack of understanding, but since you work at the Cultural Relics Bureau and this is Huicheng, you don’t get many opportunities to be present at archaeological sites firsthand, and rarely come into contact with real cultural relics, so it’s understandable that you don’t know."

"This jade cicada’s blood-soaked color is natural and not artificially cultivated, such jade is extremely rare, not to mention this is one of the last remaining Han Eight Knife pieces, something that’s invaluable on the market."

"To put it this way, if this jade cicada in my hand were put up for auction, it could easily fetch three or four million, and with a true enthusiast, five or six million wouldn’t be surprising!"

"Of course, this is ultimately a 1,700-year-old relic and it’s an artifact excavated by the Cultural Relics Bureau, classified as an A-grade relic, so it’s banned from being sold."

Zhou Shitao didn’t forget to jokingly remind, but at this time, the group of archaeology team members had already missed his last sentence, struck dumb by the mention of five or six million, in disbelief.

"Oh my, we really are ignorant and inexperienced. Now I finally understand why so many tomb robbers dare to take risks against the wind, if you dig up an ancient tomb, it’s simply immense profit, just selling a random piece of jade this small is enough for us to live comfortably for a lifetime."

The staff member who had previously muttered was now dumbfounded, looking at the jade cicada in Zhou Shitao’s hand with a particularly complex expression.

Come to think of it, these so-called archeologists are really just holding an archaeology job title, with most being rich in theoretical knowledge, entering the Cultural Relics Bureau through public recruitment right after graduating from college, a nominal position containing little practical work.

Huicheng doesn’t have many opportunities to be involved in archaeological excavations, so most of these workers have already mapped out their career plans, hoping for the civil servant positions provided by the state, just getting by in the Cultural Relics Bureau for a lifetime.

Generally, such people earn seventy or eighty thousand a year, with daily work consisting of reading newspapers, drinking tea, and chatting, having very shallow professional skills, so to them, going to Antique Street to find a bargain is pure fantasy.

Whereas to Huo Sining and Su Qingqing, the five or six million Zhou Shitao mentioned might be merely a small sum, but to these staff members, it was enough to ensure a lifetime of food and clothing without worry.

So not only that staff member, even his companions were looking at the jade cicada with startled expressions, reluctant to take their eyes off it for a long time.

Zhou Shitao naturally didn’t miss their reactions, a glimmer appeared in his eyes, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily tugged into a smile as he seemingly absentmindedly handed the jade cicada to Huo Sining, advising earnestly:

"Money and riches tempt humans, but what we should move and what we shouldn’t touch, those of us engaged in cultural relic and archaeological work must keep this in mind."

"Huo girl, remember, these things excavated from the ground carry Huaxia’s ancient legacy, they are witnesses of history, treasures and wealth meant for the current and future generations of the Huaxia people."

"Therefore, we must have a scale in our hearts and always remember not to harbor even the slightest greed for these things!"

As soon as Zhou Shitao spoke, his words were like a warning bell, instantly jolting into consciousness those staff members who were daydreaming.

These relics are indeed valuable, but just as Zhou Shitao said, this kind of wealth is untouchable, and reaching for it would inevitably lead to getting caught. They knew this well when they entered the industry.

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