Chapter 31: Another Purpose Besides Exorcising Evil Spirits, Qing Dou

  "Rumble!"

  "Rumble!"

  The spring thunder boomed, and the rain that had been suppressed for a long time finally found an outlet to pour down heavily. Qin Feng, Zhou Qin, and Fang Yu were pondering over this tomb, wondering who was buried here and had even set up a six-ding array, probably a person of great importance. But even so, why didn't he erect a monument to make his existence known to the world? And what about that big snake, and the corpse that they said would move, all these were still unclear until now.

  It seems that only by cracking the six Ding array and digging up the tomb can we know the answer.

  The rain outside was falling lightly, enjoying a long-awaited freedom, hitting the branches and leaves, adding color to the scene. The damp air filled the dormitory, making people feel a bit depressed, lighting up a cigarette, Zhou Qin inhaled heavily, the smoke curled around, entwining everyone's thoughts.

  "What's the connection between all these things? First, there was a huge snake, then a moving corpse, and now we've encountered this tomb with spells cast on it. It seems like they're all linked together somehow. I wonder who's buried in this tomb?" Fang Yu supported his chin with one hand, deep in thought as he tried to figure out the connection between these events.

  After finishing the cigarette, he casually threw the cigarette butt out of the window and then took a deep breath. Zhou Qin said, "Actually, this matter can be investigated."

  "Hmm?" Qin Feng couldn't help but hum a sound of acknowledgement.

  "Actually, I didn't come this time specifically to help you investigate this matter as Old Xie said, because I came here for another thing. Big literary work."

  "What's wrong?" Qin Feng asked.

  "Do you know that after Yuan Shikai usurped the power of the Republic of China, he trained and stationed troops in various provinces. But who would have thought that as soon as he died, the warlords in various places immediately rebelled, became independent, and formed factions such as the Fengtian clique, Zhili clique, Shanxi clique, and Guangxi clique. Among them, the Fengtian warlord Zhang Zuolin was the most powerful. What I mean by "powerful" here is not just referring to military strength, but more importantly, financial power. Do you know why?"

  Qin Feng, who studied history, knew some knowledge in this area, and replied: "It seems that during the invasion of the Eight-Power Allied Forces, he plundered many palace treasures and folk treasures, and indulged in wealth."

  "That's right, it's because of this."

  "What does this have to do with anything?" Qin Feng asked again in confusion.

  "Zhang Zuolin and his subordinates recklessly extorted wealth, exploited the people's fat and oil, and seized a large batch of treasures. There were countless national treasures among them. One thing in particular has sparked controversy in the archaeological community from his death to this day."

  Qin Feng was taken aback, habitually furrowing his brow, and then asked: "What is it that has caused such a huge commotion?"

  At this time, Zhou Qin had a bit of smoke on him, swirling around his nearly bald head, lingering for a long time. "Big literature" is a calligraphic painting.

  "Calligraphy and painting? That's strange, there are countless famous calligraphy and paintings in ancient China, which one is it?" Fang Yu said with a somewhat arrogant and impatient tone.

  With a puff of smoke, Zhou Qin continued: "It's Gu Kaizhi's 'Admonitions of the Court Instructress', now it's already a priceless treasure."

  "Wow, it's indeed a great thing." These things, Fang Yu knew that Gu Kai Zhi's paintings were renowned throughout the world. Indeed, without waiting for Zhou Qin to catch his breath, he hastily asked: "Then do you know where this painting ended up? This painting is now seemingly lost, with only two copies left, one stored in the Palace Museum in Beijing and the other in the British Museum."

  "This is also what I want to say, I have visited many old folks in the countryside, from their mouths I learned an important piece of news, that Zhang Zuolin's subordinate had once betrayed him, this person was named Guo Songling."

  "I know this man, he is our Northeast's famous 'Guo Ghost Son', a descendant of Tang Dynasty General Guo Ziyi. Originally, he was generous and dedicated to the country, but in the end, he was killed by Zhang Zuolin and left dead on the street, it's really lamentable." Qin Feng replied, after a while, as if he had detected something, said: "Could Guo Songling be related to this 'Picture of Female Historian'?

  The rain gradually subsided, and the cool breeze blew for a while, making me feel very comfortable. Qin Feng furrowed his brow, carefully thinking about these things, and couldn't help but wonder what Zhou Qin was thinking. Zhou Qin said: "Yes, it's indeed related. According to my knowledge, before Guo Songling betrayed, he had already handed over this treasured heirloom to his subordinate Liu Qifang for safekeeping. Liu Qifang is Guo Songling's fellow townsman and also his beloved general, with whom he had a lifelong bond. After hearing that he was killed by Zhang Zuolin, he buried the true work together with Guo Songling in his tomb. And I checked, the place where Liu Qifang buried Guo Songling is indeed Jingchuan, so I suspect that the grave is his."

  It wasn't until Zhou Qin finished speaking that Qin Feng understood what he meant. In other words, the original of "Nüshi Zhen Tu" is likely hidden in Guo Songling's tomb, and Zhou Qin also said that Guo Songling's tomb was in Jingchuan. If you're puzzled, there's a grave with six Ding arrays, which might be Guo Songling's. If the guess is correct and "Nüshi Zhen Tu" is found, it will be a major discovery in the history of world cultural relics.

  The existing "Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies" has two versions, one is stored in the Palace Museum, which experts believe is a Southern Song Dynasty copy with relatively poor artistic quality. The other version has stronger artistic qualities and better reflects Gu Kaizhi's style and the original appearance of "Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies", experts believe it may be a Tang Dynasty copy, collected by the British Museum.

  It is said that during World War II, the British government intended to return Gu Kaizhi's "Admonitions of the Instructress" to China as a token of gratitude for the Chinese Expeditionary Force's lifting of the Japanese siege in Burma, and offered to choose between returning the painting or gifting a submarine. The Chinese government chose the submarine.

  The rain stopped, and Zhou Qin's words made each of them have the same guess in their hearts, but whether it was Guo Songling's or not, only when the time came to open it could be seen. For now, rescuing people is still the priority, those two policemen are still crazy, counting down the days with sleeping pills. Having made up his mind, Qin Feng came to the funeral home to find Grandpa, preparing to take the thing from him to break that six Ding array.

  "What? You want to break the Six Ding Formation?" Qin Ye, who was sitting on a wooden bench drinking tea, was suddenly startled by Qin Feng's words, holding the teapot, with obvious wrinkles that couldn't hide the surprise on his face.

  "Right, break it up and save those two policemen!"

  "Xiao Feng, it's not that I'm advising you, but do you know that the Liu Ding formation in the Yin house is very formidable? Every move has a hidden mystery, and with the addition of San Sha, if things go wrong, you might even risk your own life." Qin Ye looked like he was still worried and concerned.

  "I know, but if I don't break it, how can I cure those two policemen who were afflicted by the Seeking Relatives Curse?"

  "This is also...". Qin Ye hesitated.

  "Alright, Grandpa, I'll be fine. This is also a good opportunity for me to exercise and see if my skills have improved."

  Qin Ye put down his teapot and stood up, saying: "Since that's the case, you should be careful. Come, I'll teach you something, hoping it will help you."

  As soon as they finished speaking, the two of them turned around and went into the inner room.