Chapter 967: Searching for the Hidden Cellar
Chen Chuan knew very well that Xu Mutang said this to him out of genuine gratitude but also as a compromise to reality.
Who will own this secret treasure ultimately depends on the power of force.
This person might also be thinking that if he claims that the things here belong to him, then no one will be able to stop him, so it is better to just be calm.
He said, "I'd like to ask, Inspector Xu, which party are you representing when you come here to pick it up this time? Yourself, the Municipal Council, or the Government Affairs Office?"
Xu Mutang pondered for a moment after hearing him ask this question, then tried to ask, "I just saw Director Chen's moves, and they seemed to be from the Pure School."
Chen Chuan had nothing to hide about this, and it was no secret. He said, "Yes, I am a member of the Purist faction."
Xu Mutang nodded and said, "To be honest with you, Director Chen, I am a member of the implantation faction."
Chen Chuan's heart moved slightly, and he looked at Xu Mutang. The implant school was also one of the five major schools, and many of its members were those who advocated implant technology.
A considerable number of them are bioengineers and technical experts, and of course there are more advanced implant fighters. However, when he looked at Xu Mutang, it seemed that he did not use many implants.
Xu Mutang said: "Although I didn't use any additional implants, I actually did make some adjustments to my alienated tissues when I was in the third realm.
This technology involves removing my defective, alienated tissue, cultivating and adjusting it separately, and then reimplanting it, artificially compensating for some of my innate deficiencies. However, the technology required is extremely demanding, requiring considerable resources, and subsequent long-term technical tracking and adjustments, requiring the investment of national power.
Until now, I am still involved in this research project, but now in China only state-owned enterprises and governments are allowed to do this.
Personally, I think that with the advancement of technology, implants are our future, and they can help many people without talent and ability to embark on this path."
At this point, he sighed, "People outside usually think we're a bunch of implant and modification enthusiasts. In fact, many of the members who join the implant group don't do any exaggerated implant modifications. The emphasis on the concept is often more important than the physical modification."
He looked at Chen Chuan again and said sincerely, "I've heard that Jibei Province is currently promoting the Skyline Project. Both I and the Longyou Province Government Office believe that the Skyline Project is the general trend. Only by integrating all the central cities of Dashun can technology and resources be fully and centrally utilized, and only then can we cope with a major impact. So we are also waiting for such an opportunity."
Chen Chuan nodded. He could tell that this person was making his position clear to him.
People like Xu Mutang are actually more likely to gain the trust of the country because many of their things are actually tied to the country.
From a global perspective, the implant faction is the largest, but it is also the most scattered, with too many different ideas. There are actually some implant factions in the company, but they are completely contrary to Xu Mutang. However, in China, many people have a relatively clear position.
He said, "Inspector Xu, we don't know what this secret treasure is, or what's hidden inside. So let's not discuss ownership for now. You and I should go in and take a look first. We can discuss other things after we have the results. What do you think?"
Xu Mutang listened to him and looked at him again, confirming that he was not being polite. He said, "Okay, since Director Chen said so, I will be bold."
After the two of them had reached an agreement, they walked towards the main hall together.
Chen Chuan asked, "Inspector Xu, how much did you know about this secret treasure before? Can you tell us?"
Xu Mutang said: "These things are not important. Director Chen asked about this, and I can tell you the truth. Because this place is right next to our Longyou Road, we have been studying this secret treasure for a long time and have collected a lot of information about this place in the old times.
In the past, many people focused their main attention on the imperial records, but with little success and almost no progress, so they turned their attention to the Wuwei Sect.
After the old times passed, many religious texts that had been hidden away were dug out from the corners, and later there were indeed some breakthroughs.
After analyzing it, I came up with many arguments and inferences, too many to list in a short while, but most people believe that Wuwei Xuanshi was the one who arranged this secret treasure, which I personally agree with."
Chen Chuan thought of the Taoist priest and asked, "Does Emperor Ying really trust this Wuwei Xuanshi so much?"
Xu Mutang said, "It is said that Emperor Ying was able to ascend to the throne because of the support of this Wuwei Xuanshi. It is also said that many of Emperor Ying's later actions that angered heaven and man were influenced by this Wuwei Xuanshi."
At this point, he was somewhat disapproving, "I personally think that with Emperor Ying's vainglory-loving attitude, he doesn't need anyone to instigate him. Throwing all the dirty water on Wuwei Xuanshi is just an excuse for him.
We can almost conclude that Emperor Ying had long sought a path to immortality, but perhaps lacking talent and ability, he was unable to follow his original path, ultimately forcing him to inhabit his brother's body. This was likely intentionally guided by Wuwei Xuanshi, who likely orchestrated Emperor Ying's final ascension, leading to his demise. Exactly what he intended remains unknown.
The expert group has been looking for this person's identity in the surviving religious scriptures, but neither the scriptures of Wuwei Xuanjiao itself nor those of other Xuanjiao sects have any description of this person, as if the whole person appeared out of thin air.
This is actually quite incredible, especially for a figure who almost influenced the succession of dynasties and the rise and fall of the world, yet there are no decent records of him. I think these records may have been erased artificially, or perhaps later dynasties destroyed all the records related to this person in order to avoid such a thing from happening again."
Chen Chuan thought about it. If Wuwei Xuanshi was the person who appeared just now, then judging from the words he left behind, he was not only trying to kill Emperor Ying, but also wanted to get something more important.
As they were talking, the two of them had already walked into the hall and came to the seat where Yuwen Yuanqi had just sat.
Chen Chuanshuo said, "I just found it. The only place in the hall with space is below this seat. If there is a secret treasure, it should be underneath."
Xu Mutang agreed and said, "That should be correct. The records say that Emperor Ying built a elixir cellar under the main hall to facilitate his cultivation and elixir production, so the secret treasure is likely hidden here."
He thought for a moment and said, "Director Chen, let me do it."
Chen Chuan nodded.
Xu Mutang felt it and looked down. Under the influence of his body's biofield, the cushions and decorations were moved aside, and a large stone slab appeared below, which was obviously different from the surrounding ones. It was about ten feet long and wide, and there was a picture of boys and girls offering elixirs carved on its surface.
He glanced at the pairs of innocent and lively boys and girls on the carvings and shook his head.
Then a light appeared in his eyes, and the stone slab slowly floated up and was also moved to the side. A downward staircase was revealed underneath, and a faint light was shining from it.
The two nodded and walked in one after the other. When they reached the bottom, they found a row of steps leading down, which extended to a deeper level. They could faintly hear the hollow sound of water. There was a perpetual lamp hanging at every distance on both sides.
Because they were not sure if there were any other decorations here and were afraid of accidentally damaging the things inside, the two of them did not look for any shortcuts and just went down the stairs.
Chen Chuan looked around and saw that the walls were engraved with pictures of seeking immortality and mysteries from ancient and medieval times, as well as various legends and anecdotes. However, the appearance of the protagonists was the same throughout, and was somewhat similar to the face of Emperor Ying he had seen before, so he could roughly conclude that they were depicted based on his own appearance.
Just by looking at this, you can understand that Emperor Ying has become obsessed and fanatical about seeking immortality to a certain extent.
He thought for a moment and then asked, "Inspector Xu, the history books only say that Emperor Ying died from a lightning strike. Do you know the real cause of his death?"
Xu Mutang, who also saw the painting, said, "It's impossible to be certain. In fact, more rigorous experts can't even confirm whether Emperor Ying died, because based on the limited description, Emperor Ying was actually missing."
"Missing?"
Xu Mutang said, "Yes, at that time, the hall was covered in blood. Aside from Yuwen Yuanqi's body, nothing else remained. There was no living being in the entire hall. Therefore, Emperor Yingdi only had a cenotaph in the Emperor's Mausoleum at Dayeyuan. Later looters found it empty."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment and then asked, "What about Wuwei Xuanshi? Emperor Ying is missing, what happened to him?"
Xu Mutang said: "When Emperor Ying died, the ministers believed that it was Wuwei Xuanshi who deceived the emperor and caused the country to suffer this disaster. However, he was also missing at that time, so they believed that he was punished by heaven along with the late emperor.
After the young emperor ascended the throne, he firmly denied this suggestion, believing that Emperor Ying and Wuwei Xuanshi had successfully ascended to heaven together. As a sign of filial piety and in accordance with Emperor Ying's instructions, he sent Yuwen Yuanqi's body to this secret vault and sealed it according to the prescribed rituals. Less than three years later, the Xin Dynasty was established.
As they were talking, the two of them had probably gone down a few hundred meters and felt that they had reached the belly of the mountain. Now they had finally reached the bottom.
After turning to the front, they saw, under the light, tall human figures standing or pretending to be in the niches on the mountain wall. At a quick glance, there were more than a hundred of them. When they looked again, they found that they were all statues of immortal gods of the Xuanjiao.
The two of them came into this huge cave hall, turned their feet, and looked around at the spectacular scenery.
Xu Mutang walked to the next statue, went up and knocked on it, looked up with some surprise, and said, "This is made of gold and silver."
Chen Chuan stood below. He glanced around, his gaze lingering on a few statues before saying, "Not all of them."
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(End of this chapter)
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