I collect cultural relics in the human world

Chapter 256: A Gentleman is Like Jade (IV)

"I remembered it all."

"Yeah." Fan Yu nodded. He died, and before he died he saved the world. It was a perfect death.

"I thought you would be hard to find, but I didn't expect that after all these years, you're still here," Deng Yizhi said, extending a hand towards Fan Yu, "Let's go."

"No, you go back."

"why?"

"Why?" Fan Yu tilted his head and raised his right eyebrow with a nonchalant look. However, Deng Yizhi couldn't move forward even a bit because of this expression - they were too similar, exactly the same as the man back then.

Fan Yu turned his head and pointed at the figure in the jade disk that really moved Deng Yizhi and said, "You don't owe us anything. Saving you was my brother's own choice."

After a long while, Deng Yizhi asked, "Have you never been curious about what happened that day?"

"Curious?" Fan Yu thought of the man hanging from the tree in front of the ancestral hall. "Because of greed, he revealed the secret of the ancient jade mine to the smugglers, which killed half of the people in the town. In the end, he committed suicide, leaving no one for revenge. The people were scattered and everything in Mayao Town ended here. This is the end of the story. What else is there to be curious about?"

"What about your brother?"

"What does it matter if I know?" Fan Yu was silent for a while before saying, "He has been traveling outside since I can remember, but every time he comes back, he brings me the most precious things. He is the jade guide, the only bridge connecting the jade mine, the villagers and the outside world, and the person I admire the most. It is enough for me to remember these."

"What about those things he did outside?"

Fan Yu shrugged, seeming to feel a little more relaxed, and asked, "What happened after I met you?"

"I wanted to show you the records about your brother after this time, but it's not too late now."

Deng Yizhi said this as he sat cross-legged beside Fan Yu, closed his eyes, and let the whirlpool of memories drown him.

Meeting Fan Hong, Fan Yu's brother, was a coincidence. He was on a train to Dunhuang on a business trip, and Fan Hong was sitting opposite him, squinting his eyes and sleeping all the way until a half-grown child reached out to his luggage.

Deng Yizhi was about to take action, but a faint green light flashed under the man's inconspicuous clothes. He thought he was dazzled, and just as he was about to look again, a pair of hands as fast as lightning had grabbed the thief's wrist and winked at him with a slightly cunning look.

Deng Yizhi knew that he was not mistaken. At that time, he was already a main force in the Special Protection Department and had witnessed the miraculous power of various antiquities. So he decisively gave up the Dunhuang seminar and followed Fan Hong.

At first, Fan Hong kept his mouth shut, but he couldn't get rid of Deng Yizhi, who was a dog-skin plaster. In addition, Deng Yizhi was extraordinary and knowledgeable, and he could always resolve Fan Hong's inadvertent difficulties. Under the deliberate flattery, Fan Hong couldn't hit the smiling man, so he could only let him follow him, and soon he got used to having someone around him.

Deng Yizhi discovered that Fan Hong traveled between various tourist attractions along the northwest route, selling jade ore for a living. He rarely stayed at each location for more than three days. Although he was doing business at the night market, he never deceived his customers. He was rough, but a gentleman. He carefully looked at the ore sold by Fan Hong. It was fine in texture and lustrous, similar to the common jade materials in the northwest region from the Warring States Period to the Western Han Dynasty. In particular, the jade pendant he carried with him was obviously a treasure from the ancient mine. The green light that day was probably effective in protecting the owner. Deng Yizhi tried several times, but Fan Hong always pretended to be crazy and refused to reveal the location of the mine. He knew that it was a serious matter, so he did not ask any questions. He just accompanied Fan Hong all the way and accompanied him on the northwest loop for more than half a year. Looking back, the two had become close friends. Fan Hong still did not speak about the jade mine, and Deng Yizhi did not mention it again.

The turning point of the matter occurred during the trip to Yumen Pass. The two were involved in an incident involving an ancient artifact. It was a camel bell that could summon a foreign girl, which confused the minds of countless passers-by and made them willing to offer their most precious things. But the girl could not disturb the determined Deng Yizhi and Fan Hong, who had the ancient jade to protect him. The two worked together and successfully took the camel bell back to the safe of the Special Security Office. After that, Deng Yizhi invited Fan Hong to join the Special Security Office, and Fan Hong also relaxed and took out the jade that had been hanging close to his chest and placed it in front of Deng Yizhi.

Deng Yizhi thus learned everything about Mayao Town. This is an ancient village that is almost isolated from the outside world. The simple villagers live a poor life, adhering to the ancient teachings passed down thousands of years ago, and persistently guarding the jade veins passed down by their ancestors. The reason for this protection from generation to generation is that they have all seen the wonders in the jade mines.

When the children here turn twelve, they will be asked to go into the mine alone. That night, they will feel the memory of the jade mine. Most people can only see this wonder once in their lifetime, but there is always one special person in each generation. This person has an everlasting connection with the jade mine and can always feel the power of the jade mine. He is called a jade guide. He is the person chosen by the jade mine and the protector of the village. The jade guide of this generation is Fan Hong.

But why did this ancient jade protect him? Deng Yizhi was very curious. He knew that the power of ancient objects actually came from people, so he wanted to know more stories.

Fan Hong did not answer immediately, but invited him to visit his hometown in a slightly mysterious way.

Are you still on guard against me?
How could that be? But some things can only be understood but not expressed in words.

In order to make his attitude clear, Fan Hong spread out a blueprint and showed Deng Yizhi where he came from.

Deng Yizhi often thought that if he had not been so anxious to ask Fan Hong for a proof, perhaps the tragedy would not have happened. But the two of them did not know at that time that they had been targeted and the camel bell was a trap.

That group of people were extremely professional and ruthless antiquities dealers. They knew how powerful Deng Yizhi was, so they went to Fan Hong's hometown first, disguised as scientific expedition personnel, hoping to find out the location of the jade vein from the villagers. However, they didn't know that although the villagers were simple, they were also cautious, and no one was willing to reveal anything. At this time, the man of the same generation as Fan Hong appeared. He took the initiative to propose to act as a matchmaker between the two sides, of course with a condition in exchange - it was obviously he who had been guarding this place, but the villagers always worshipped Fan Hong, who was always free and easy, as a god. He didn't want to continue to be under Fan Hong, and wanted to find a position for himself in this national scientific expedition team.

Originally, this was just a scam, but Fan Hong's father became suspicious.

In the pretext of entertaining distinguished guests, the villagers set up a Hongmen Banquet and served the best wine in the village, hoping that this group of people would tell the truth after drinking. However, how could these simple villagers be a match for the desperadoes? The traffickers took advantage of the situation and poisoned the wine.

The first thing Fan Hong saw when he returned to his hometown was a raging fire. That group of people were unilaterally slaughtering his relatives and carrying out the final harvest.

"Run, take them to the mine!" He pulled his younger brother away from the butcher's knife, took off the jade hanging around his neck, and stuffed it into Deng Yizhi's hand, "Take them away!"

"But I..."

“He will lead you!”

After Fan Hong finished speaking, he rushed into the fire. Deng Yizhi didn't know whether the "he" Fan Hong was referring to was the little boy in front of him or the jade pendant, but he could only turn around and run. No matter how much persuasion and pulling, it would only be a waste of time. If Fan Hong wanted to stop the group of cultural relic dealers and protect the ancient jade mine that had been guarded for generations, then all he could do was to help him protect his brother and the villagers who were still alive.

It was like this back then, and it is still like this today.

Deng Yizhi thought about it, touched the green cave wall and the looming human figure in the cave wall, then looked down at the emerald green leaf in his hand. The colors of the two were surprisingly similar.

"Let him go, I'll stay."

After Deng Yizhi finished speaking, he turned back to look at Fan Yu. The hundreds of yarrow stalks turned into a cloud of dust. He said goodbye silently, waved his hand, and walked into the jade disk.

It turns out that it was destined that he and he would meet again in a jade-colored place.

(End of this chapter)