轉碼失敗！請您使用右上換源切換源站閱讀或者直接前往源網站進行閱讀！The entrance to the secret room was located on the east side of the tower. An open staircase descended into darkness, empty and silent. Jiang Yan searched carefully, touching each brick, trying to find a mechanism, but came up empty-handed. He had no choice but to follow Song Weihong's clue and search around the Buddha statue in the Sumeru seat.
The White Pagoda has eight corners and thirteen stories. Each corner of the Mount Sumeru platform is carved with exquisite Buddha niches. Buddhas and guardians stand side by side. Jiang Yan first inspected the statue that had been accidentally knocked over. The statue was severely damaged, its head almost broken, but it hadn't toppled completely, only deviated from its original position, pressed against the inner wall of the niche.
She carefully moved along the narrow brick path, trying to push the Buddha statue, but no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't budge. Jiang Yan did not give up, deciding to try from a different angle.
The Buddha statue, turning from front to side, and Jiang Yan leaning against its back, held his breath and listened intently, his eyes alertly scanning the surroundings, ready to withdraw at any moment.
However, from moving to still, there was a silence all around. Jiang Yan hesitated for a moment, then ventured deeper into the chamber.
The first room was empty. The second one made her heart race, her eyes widened in shock as she discovered the treasure that had suddenly appeared on the stone platform. She trembled with excitement.
The stone platform is about two meters long and one meter wide, piled high with precious Buddhist artifacts. There are lotus flower vases, auspicious flower-shaped bottles, pagoda containers, and more. Each unique design and jewel inlay testifies to their noble status.
Especially the pair of treasure jars made with jade as the base, gold thread woven, and inlaid with red, green, blue and purple beryl stones, are enough to prove their extraordinary nature.
Jiang Yan was certain that anything here, if taken to an auction house, could become a world-renowned treasure.
Jiang Yan gently touched her collar, putting each precious item into her collection one by one. Every time she put something away, her heart beat faster until all the treasures were safely stored. Then, she sat heavily on the stone platform.
Though her dowry from her ancestors was extraordinary, compared to these mysterious Buddhist relics, it seemed like a lucky windfall, bringing her the surprise of winning the lottery.
She even suspected that if the legendary treasure were to be truly unearthed, she might be overcome with such joy that she would faint.
After a moment of stillness, she slowly rose to her feet, took two steps, then suddenly turned back to gaze at the stone platform. She leaned forward and examined it closely.
The half-meter-high stone platform seemed to seamlessly connect with the ground. The lines of the surrounding murals were still clear, and the scattered footprints on the ground were still visible. Only this corner of the stone platform seemed to abruptly appear.
This scene triggered Jiang Yan's memory, she recalled a tomb-robbing novel she had read before, which seemed to mention a mechanism similar to an "elevator" .
Jiang Yan was suddenly brimming with excitement, as if inspired by a stroke of genius.
Art indeed originates from life, and this statement feels especially pertinent at this moment.
Jiang Yan felt deeply grateful to the novelist and silently vowed that if there came a day when he could return, he would definitely give a generous reward.
However, such an opportunity is probably out of reach. By then, she might be very old.
She continued her work, moving the Buddha statues, and with each room she revealed held a unique feature: the second was filled with countless scriptures, both in traditional Chinese characters and Sanskrit, which she couldn't decipher; the third was crammed with ancient texts, leaving her overwhelmed; while the fourth was the most austere, containing only a copper box, its surface flawless, with nine coiled dragons circling it, four of which seemed familiar to her.
After a busy time, Jiang Yan felt tired but her excitement couldn't be quelled. She put the box into the space and restored the Buddha statue to its original state. She was just about to head to the next area to "uphold justice".
In the night, a few blurry figures moved under the dim light. Jiang Yan's heart tightened, and he immediately went behind the tower, hiding behind a towering ancient tree. He narrowly avoided those people's sight and couldn't help but feel fortunate for his timely action.
Jiang Yan was puzzled. Why had the secret of Bai Ta only been discovered now She firmly believed that there must be experts hidden among the people.
At this moment, she hid behind a tree, listening to the low and gravelly voice. It sounded like the eldest brother, speaking: "Don't underestimate him. He was once Chen Jing of Beidi's right-hand man. If it weren't for the busy affairs of the higher-ups lately, he would have left long ago. These few days of close surveillance, even the casual chatter during Xiaoliu's meal delivery, were all orchestrated by him."
Thinking about this, Jiang Yan's face flushed slightly. Could it be that his fantasies about He Jian Guo had already begun to heat up
The morning sunlight streamed into the alleyway. Jiang Yan leisurely sat in front of a street stall, holding a piping hot youtiao (Chinese fried dough stick) in his hand, savoring the smooth and silky tofu pudding.
Whispers from the diners at the next table reached her ears, discussing the sudden gunfire last night. Though the main culprit hadn't been caught, it undoubtedly drew widespread attention from the authorities. White Tower Park seemed destined for a period of closure, and nighttime patrols had become more frequent.
Jiang Yan chimed in, "I happened to discover that there's a police station hidden right next to the park. The moment gunshots rang out last night, the police practically sprung into action."
Although they wounded two people in the pursuit, the target still escaped. This couldn't help but make Jiang Yan's mouth twitch upwards, feeling quite pleased.
She leisurely admired the street scene, those low-rise old buildings and historical signs filled her with a sense of nostalgia. She wished she could capture these moments with a camera. It's just that the digital devices in the space didn't include a vintage camera, and even if there was one, she knew deep down that this step couldn't be taken lightly.
At the town's market, Jiangyu carefully selected a basket of sugar cakes and a bag of red bean paste cakes, along with various local specialties. Although modern times brought a dazzling array of goods, she always felt that the hand-crafted delicacies were superior. No wonder people from the 1970s and 80s yearned for the past food; they had witnessed that era of simple and authentic golden age.
Subsequently, changes in living conditions, a focus on finer ingredients, and shifts in values have made that "taste of the past" increasingly difficult to recapture.
Just as Jiang Yu was in high spirits, a jarring slogan cut short her thoughts.
"Liquidate this stubborn bourgeois."
As soon as those words were spoken, a group of young boys rushed towards an elderly man who was cleaning the street, beating and kicking him.
The old man huddled helplessly, enduring the attacks in silence.
Jiang Yugang just wanted to speak up and stop it, but an old woman beside him pulled him into a nearby alleyway with sharp eyes. She whispered, "Little girl, don't get involved in other people's business. That old man is a 'counter-revolutionary,' and the one who attacked him is his grandson."
Jiang Yu was stunned. She peered through the crack in the wall, looking at the group of young men. The one leading them was particularly brutal, seeming to harbor a deep hatred for the old man.
The old woman saw through Jiang Yu's confusion at a glance and answered directly: "They have already severed ties." Jiang Yu asked curiously, "Auntie, was that old man in business before"
She inquired cautiously, listening to the sounds from afar while trying to make conversation with the elderly woman sitting on the threshold mending her socks.
The old woman shook her head gently and explained, "He isn't. His wife was once a young lady from a landed gentry family. Later, her family fell into decline, and she married him."
Zhang Laotou was originally a tofu maker.
Seeing Jiang's words were not malicious, she spoke with confidence.mind. When he first obtained the space, it was on the edge of the apocalypse. He mainly used it to store supplies, including a large amount of seeds cultivated into plants and medicinal herbs. As for...