Tang Ren squatted under the gilded plaque of the Yin'an Hall, chewing on a donkey roast, and the oil splashed onto the white and black steps. Qin Feng used a magnifying glass to observe the bat pattern on the corridor column: "He Shen used 9999 bat patterns when he built the palace. One more would be..."
"You're going to become a vampire, right?" Tang Ren suddenly jumped up and bumped into the painting, and the gold dust that fell was mixed with fresh sawdust. Su Chen scraped off the debris and sniffed it: "This is red sandalwood, someone recently pried open the secret door."
The three found something strange in the back building - the brick wall that should have been engraved with the word "Fu" had bat wings protruding from one of the bricks. Tang Ren used a copper coin to scrape open the cracks in the bricks, and half a jade ring rolled out from the secret compartment, with the Chinese character "She" engraved on the inside.
"This is the token that Emperor Qianlong took away when he executed Heshen!" Lin Wanru's voice came from the intercom, "Legend has it that the ring can unlock treasures..."
A sudden draught blew the ring away. Tang Ren chased it into a pile of Taihu rocks and found a bloody yellow silk cloth stuck in a hole in the rockery.
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The "Fu" stele in front of the Miyun Cave was oozing with strange water marks. Qin Feng dipped a handkerchief in the water and smelled it: "It's saltpeter water. Someone wanted to forge the inscription on the stele." Tang Ren held a fire pin and drilled into the cave. The dense scratches on the stone wall made his back feel cold - all of them were inscriptions left by treasure hunters of all generations before their death.
"Look up!" Su Chen's flashlight illuminated the iron chain on the stalactite wall, at the end of which was a rotten wooden box. Inside the box was a half-page copy of the Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature, with a redemption ticket from the Gengzi year in between: the pawn was written with "Dragon Butterfly Blue", and the current period was the year when the Japanese allied forces entered Beijing.
Tang Ren suddenly stepped on a hidden pit and the three of them fell into the underground river. On the drifting raft was engraved Heshen's handwriting: "Those who seek treasures must offer three animals as sacrifices." Qin Feng found fresh wax stuck to the bottom of the raft - someone had come in last night.
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At midnight, the sound of chimes could be heard from Xijinzhai. Tang Ren peeked through the crack of the window. Under the moonlight, a man in black was measuring the distance between the golden-threaded nanmu pillars, the compass in his hand glowing with phosphorescence.
"He's looking for Heshen's treasure room!" Lin Wanru lowered her voice, "It is said that the nanmu pillars are filled with gold sand..."
Suddenly, a chime sounded, and the jade ring in Tang Ren's arms resonated. The man in black turned around suddenly, and the Emei spear flew out of his sleeve. Qin Feng grabbed the enamel bottle on the antique shelf to block it, and a night-shining pearl rolled out from the fragments, illuminating the abacus pattern hidden on the wall - the number of beads was exactly the number of silver that Jiaqing had confiscated from Heshen.
"Qian Kan Gen Zhen!" Tang Ren shouted as he stuffed the night-shining pearl into the groove of the abacus. The ground suddenly collapsed, revealing a dark passageway, and a foul smell filled the air.
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The fire folding screen reflects the tragic scene in the underground palace murals: Heshen's servants are chained to the bronze tripod. Tang Ren kicks a pottery jar, and what rolls out is the crumbs of fresh steamed bread. Qin Feng touches the residual warmth of the stone wall: "There is a secret passage here!"
Su Chen found three faceless statues on the altar, holding trays of apples with tooth marks on them. Tang Ren suddenly pointed at the base of the statues and said, "This is not Manchu, it's Minnan slang!"
Lin Wanru's video phone suddenly connected: "Found out! Heshen had an accountant from Fujian, who back then..."
Before he finished speaking, a hidden arrow shot out the fire. In the chaos, Qin Feng knocked over the statue, revealing the words on the back: "The dragon returns to the sea, and Xi appears in the world."
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Tang Ren squatted under the eaves of the barbecue season and ate lamb kidneys. A familiar figure appeared in the telescope - Old Zhang was fishing by the Yindan Bridge. The fishing line suddenly straightened, and what was caught was not a fish, but a waterproof cowhide roll.
"Follow me!" Qin Feng lowered his hat. The three of them followed to the pawnshop on Yandai Xie Street. The bat wooden sculpture on the door lintel was missing the right wing. Tang Ren used a donkey roller to stick to the crack of the door and heard a quarrel coming from inside: "I want the whole thing! This fragment..."
Su Chen was suddenly dragged into a dark alley by Paihuazi, who showed half a dragon-patterned jade in his palm: "If you want to live, stop investigating!"
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The drumbeat at the hour of Mao startled the flock of pigeons, and Qin Feng discovered that the bricks on the southwest wall of the bell tower were slightly darker in color. Tang Ren used a bamboo stick to pry open the cracks in the bricks, and inside was an account book wrapped in oil paper - recording the route of Heshen's transfer of Xi.
"This route passes through thirteen contemporary cultural relics warehouses!" Lin Wanru's voice trembled, "They want to use the quartz fragments to adjust the..."
The sudden roar of a bell covered the sound of footsteps, and six men in black jumped out of the funeral procession. Tang Ren snatched the white banner of the filial son and virtuous grandson as a weapon, and Qin Feng took the opportunity to climb up the bell tower. The morning light passed through the cracks in the bronze bell, casting a sapphire-shaped spot of light on the ground.
"The real thing is in the underground palace of the Drum Tower!" Su Chen deciphered the code in the light spot. When everyone rushed to the Drum Tower, Old Zhang was using an iron pick to pry the floor tiles.
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The water in the underground palace of Gulou was over his ankles. Qin Feng counted the fourteen solar terms reliefs on the wall. Tang Ren suddenly sank into the mud and fished out a bronze box: "This pattern is exactly the same as the Chiwen in the Forbidden City!"
Su Chen compared it with the rubbing sent by Lin Wanru and found that the keyhole was shaped like the Big Dipper. Tang Ren took out the jade ring he picked up in Prince Gong's Mansion and it fit into the Tianxuan position. As the mechanism turned, the secret compartment popped out a yellow silk package - it was the missing corner of the heirloom jade.
"Don't worry!" Lin Wanru screamed from the intercom. Old Zhang approached with a rifle: "Put the seal in the stone box, otherwise..."
Tang Ren suddenly overturned the stone coffin, revealing the explosive device at the bottom. Qin Feng took the opportunity to throw the 烫璽 towards Su Chen. The man in black knocked over the bronze lampstand while trying to grab it, and the underground palace instantly caught fire.
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The fire at Wanchun Pavilion in Jingshan shocked the whole city. Tang Ren held the fragments of cypress and got into the water truck. Su Chen found a clue in the fire-fighting water hose: "This is a trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain! The real goal of the Q organization is..."
Qin Feng opened the lapel of Old Zhang and the torn page of the train ticket fell out of his inner pocket: the final destination was written as "Shenyang Forbidden City". Lin Wanru sent an urgent telegram: "The cultural relics files of Dongling were stolen!"
In the morning light, Tang Ren wailed at the smoking 烫璽 fragments: "I'll risk my life just to get back a scrap!" However, a micro-carved map appeared on the back of the fragments, with winding lines pointing to the Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain.
Sinuo's origami crane suddenly landed on the corner of the pavilion, with blood writing on its wings: "Game Upgraded."