All the time. The graph is mysterious. There is no clue how to find it. Hear this now. Jude Coe was excited. He immediately asked someone to make a good pot of tea. Respectfully handed it over. Tell me more about the old scholar.

The old scholar himself was nothing. I was very interested in him. Also came to the interest. He told Jude about what happened at that time.

That was thirty years ago. At that time, the old man was a professor of Chinese studies at Běijīng University. He was a member of the Kuomintang. The son-in-law was a brigade commander under Zhang Lingfu. After the rout of the reorganization of the 74th Division. The remnants of the Kuomintang army were reduced to pieces. His son-in-law fled into Qimeng Mountain with the remnants. Became a bandit. Three years in the mountains cat. Later, the People's Liberation Army cracked down on bandits. His son-in-law was cornered. and the Kuomintang spies connected to the head. Prepare to flee to the United States. After buying the way. The old man and his family were taken into the mountains by his son-in-law. Wait for news from the ship. Because the wind is tight. It's inconvenient to bring your family. This time. His son-in-law settled them in a Taoist temple. Disguised as a Taoist priest. and other spies.

It is said to be a Taoist temple. In fact, it is the kind of folk earthen temple. But. It's different from other temples in the mountains. This Taoist temple is built between two cliffs less than fifty meters apart. Vacate below. It's very peculiar. The entire Taoist temple resembles a huge staircase. Layer by layer. There are seven floors in total. The walls are all mud walls painted with yellow paint. It's very simple. The top four floors. It's a plank between two cliffs. Not even a railing. Several shrines are covered with clay statues of Sanqing. There are also Kannon and earth. It's very Chinese.

The entire Taoist temple is taken care of by two old Taoist priests. The old one is still the father of the younger Taoist priest. It was a chaotic time. The incense is thin. His son-in-law gave them some money. As a cover.

The old professor lived in the Taoist temple for two months. The Taoist temple is deep in the mountains. It's inconvenient to climb up and down. He also had nothing to do. I began to study the antiques in this temple. It was during that time. He found something strange. There's a lot of stuff in this meditation. They are all shoddy folk goods. There is little value. There are a few antiques occasionally. It is also something from the Ming Dynasty. However. The top layer of the Taoist temple. But there is a bronze alchemy furnace. The shape is very peculiar. It's like an upside-down lotus. Look at the patina above. It's even older. It's very different from the rest of the stuff here.

The old professor didn't study history. But the old master at that time. I have a bit of experience with all of this. He was interested. I asked the old Taoist priest. Where did this furnace come from?

The old man praised him for his great vision. This Dan furnace is indeed not ordinary. It was an earthquake before liberation. Collapsed out of the mountain. At that time, there were many dead human skeletons that collapsed together. The villagers were scared. He brought it here to the gods. It's been more than sixty years. He was young. It is not clear what the specific situation is.

The old professor became more and more interesting when he heard it. However, there was a shortage of war at the time. My identity is special. No more investigation was possible. He pondered in the Taoist temple for a while. After that, there was no follow-up. But. The circumstances and circumstances at that time made him remember this incident very deeply. For the shape and pattern of the Dan furnace. I remember it very clearly. So as soon as he saw the graphics that Jude Kao showed him. And he recognized it.

He told Jude Kaw. This pattern is on the lid of the Dan furnace. The shape is exactly the same as this shape. He would never be mistaken. If only he wanted to know more. You can find a way to go to that Taoist temple to find out the situation. But. The winds of change. Now the party is still there. It depends on your creation.

Jude Kao listened. Excitement and disappointment. Excited. Obviously what's behind this graphic. More abundant than you think; Disappointment. Listen to these narratives. He still didn't know anything about the figure.

He really wanted to see the bronze Dan furnace in the old professor's mouth with his own eyes. However. This was almost impossible to achieve at the time. At that time, an American was going to China. Quite difficult. Especially a notorious antiquities dealer like him.

But Jude is very conceited. What he wanted to do. No one can stop it. He still thought of a way: he couldn't go to China. But so many years of cultural relics activity down. He has a tight network of contacts in China. He began to try to get in touch with old relations in China. Find a way to find someone to enter Qimeng Mountain. Go to that deep mountain Taoist temple and have a look. Find out what's going on. Best. Able to steal that Dan furnace out. Shipped to the United States.

At that time, China had just suffered a decade of catastrophe. A lot to do. His old ties are gone. The older generation of Tufuzi. They all died in the post-liberation purge. Runaway, run. Smuggling of cultural relics. It has been completely reshuffled. He relied on his connections in the Kuomintang. Almost all channels have been exhausted. I couldn't find anyone I knew.

In desperation. He could only take risks. Turned to a few antiquities smugglers who were unfamiliar to him at the time. Let them introduce some newcomers in the industry in Changsha.

This is another twist and turn. But the effort paid off. At last. Finally connected him with a Chinese who was willing to cooperate with him.

This person. It's about unraveling the chain.

How did you get into this line of work? The third uncle was puzzled at the time. Because of the general environment at that time. Even the old man of the Xie family didn't dare to set foot in his old business. You can only eat the old book. This smuggling of antiquities is a great crime. It's the same as drug trafficking now. It's the job of pinning your head to the waistband of your trousers. Generally, it is not in a hurry to ask for money to save lives. No one dares to do this.

And Xie Lian was a gentleman at the time. Complete Second Ancestor. The old man of the Xie family intends to wash the bottom. From an early age, he was not allowed to touch the family business. And he won't let him learn anything. So no matter the guts, vision, experience or other objective conditions. There's no way he's going to get into this business. There is no reason to be able to contact foreign smugglers.

Put it in layman's terms. The smuggling of cultural relics is a matter of craftsmanship. Acquisition, appraisal, and valuation of these techniques. There is no accumulation of twenty or thirty years of exercise. It's not going to be a climate. And you don't have those skills. Even if you subjectively want to enter the industry again. I can't find the doorway. Your buyer will ignore you. So. If Jude Coe was able to contact the unraveling through an intermediary. It means that Xie Lianlian must have had business dealings with these people. And it took the trust of the other party. This is to solve the ability of the chain. It's unlikely.

This question has been bothering the third uncle. Until he returned from his first trip to Xisha. Begin to investigate the matter. Ask the boss of the family. I learned some of the ins and outs. But. This has nothing to do with Jude Cow's affairs. There is no need to mention it here.

After unchaining and Jude Kao connected to the head. Jude Cow sent his plan to understand the chain. That's a detailed document. Attached is a sketch of the bronze furnace drawn by the old man and an advanced camera. He told him that the first thing he had to do was to make sure that the temple was still there - at that time. Monuments and temples belong to the four olds. It could have been ruined - and then. Gather information about this Dan furnace. Take a photo. Sent back to the U.S. for confirmation. If everything is correct. So. Then look for an opportunity to smuggle this thing out of the country.

Unraveling the chain although I don't understand the next thing. But go to the party of one. See if something is there. Inquire about things. It can still be done. After he got the information, he went to Shandong. According to the memories of the old man on the information. I found the mountain where the ancient Taoist temple was built.

Lucky. Because the Taoist temple is very remote. And didn't get too much of a nuisance. Miraculously preserved during the tumultuous decade. But. The old Taoist priest is dead. Only the son of the old way remains. It is also the last year of the wind and candles. Xie Lian photographed the Taoist temple and the bronze Dan furnace. Sent back to the United States. Jude Kao took out the translated pattern and compared. Sure enough, the old man was right. The graphics on the lid of the bronze Dan furnace are exactly the same as those on the silk book. But. For the origin of this Dan furnace. Because it's too old. The old son can only give a rough idea. It's pretty much the same as what the old professor said. No more clues.

Nevertheless. Jude Kao was overjoyed, too. I sent an order to untie the chain and start preparing. Find a way to smuggle the Dan furnace out secretly.

However. Unraveling the chain one preparation. It turned out that this was actually an impossible task.

What Jude Cow didn't take into account was. This Dan furnace was much bigger than he had expected. Times are no longer the same. Something like that. At that time, it was impossible for China to ship it out through customs. And if it's through smuggling boats. It is necessary to arrive in Zhejiang or Guangdong first. The stakes are also significant. The southeast coast rebellion at that time. It is unimaginable to ordinary people.

They tried a lot of things. Nothing came of it. Instead, it caught the attention of Leizi. In desperation. Jude Cow had a frenzied thought. He asked Xie Lian to smash the entire Dan furnace. Sawn into more than forty pieces. It is then marked. It was mixed in batches of silk that was exported at the time.

This is for the archaeological community. It's nothing short of outrageous. But Jude Cow didn't care at all. Because the value of this thing no longer means anything to him. He asked for the information above.

This can also be said to be a coincidence. Unchained at the time of the saw dan furnace. I found the bottom of this bronze Dan furnace. There is a very ingenious mechanism. It's by virtue of this mechanism. The secret of the mysterious figure on the Warring States Silk Book. before it was finally unraveled.