Professor Li looked around in a bit of bewilderment.
"Professor Li, look on the bright side. At least we're safe. If we had been a moment later, we might have died in there. The artifacts we brought out would have been buried too," the female comrade said, gently patting Professor Li's back.
"It's good that we managed to retrieve the important artifacts from inside. It doesn't feel too bad then," Xiao Guang also chimed in, helping Professor Li snap out of his daze.
"Yes, at least we got out so many artifacts. It's just a pity about that black gold ancient coffin. If we could have brought the coffin out, it would have been a major event," Professor Li said, his gaze inadvertently turning to Professor Chen.
He even suspected if this guy's bad luck had spread over. Just after he mentioned blowing up the tomb, his own tomb had now collapsed. Professor Chen was also a little frustrated at this point. It shouldn't be like this. Could it be that one couldn't say the words 'blow up' or 'collapse' inside the tomb?
"Since everyone is out safely, it's a good thing. Let's go now and wait for the main team to pick us up outside," Shirley Yang suggested. She was worried that the collapse below might affect the area above, especially since beneath their feet was a vast canyon. The consequences of a collapse would be unimaginable.
Professor Li nodded. Clutching the artifacts he had brought out, he walked towards the exit.
In the courtroom.
"Good heavens, has Professor Chen's bad luck spread over here?"
"No wonder that ancient tomb excavation back then only revealed artifacts, and the tomb itself was rarely exposed to the public. So it collapsed."
"Why do I feel like it was that weasel's doing? He made his own tomb collapse."
"How could that weasel, being so small, manage that? This tomb is so large and stable. Unless there was some self-destruct mechanism."
"Actually, many large tombs have self-destruct features. After all, who wants a bunch of people gawking at them after they die?"
"If the ancient tomb hadn't been destroyed, it might have become a tourist attraction."
As the crowd buzzed with discussion, the judge was at a loss for words. Zhang Tian and the others, from the recollection, didn't look like tomb robbers. Instead, Professor Chen and his group seemed like artifact destroyers. Chen Xi felt a chill down her spine as she saw the judge's gaze fixed on her. Chen Xi was confused. She was supposed to be a positive character, so why was she being suspected?
"Grandpa is too unlucky. Why does every tomb he visits collapse? The Jingjue Ancient City shouldn't have collapsed, right?" Chen Xi thought, placing her hopes on the Jingjue Ancient City.
The scene continued.
On Zhang Tian's side, after days of construction, the trees on the mountain and some of the buildings were completed. However, the group building below proved to be a bit difficult. After all, buildings like skyscrapers were rarely seen even in a big city like Beili. In this era, most buildings were Siheyuan (courtyard houses) or courtyard-style structures. Western-style buildings like skyscrapers were seldom seen. Zhang Tian's building was considered quite advanced for Beili.
At this moment, Zhang Tian looked at the houses being built on his mountain, stretching his arms. "Fatty, have you prepared what I asked for?" Zhang Tian's gaze fell on Fatty, who was directing the workers.
"Heh heh, boss, when Fatty handles something, you can rest assured," "I've got the anti-sand suits you asked for, as well as the goggles, and the ant killer. This ant killer Fatty bought from a professional. It's absolutely effective. It can even kill ants bigger than a person." Fatty said very seriously. Zhang Tian was somewhat skeptical of the effectiveness of this thing. Desert army ants were numerous, and some could even be larger than a head. Zhang Tian worried that if there were too many ants when they went to the ancient city, their resources would be depleted, so he wanted to get some physical equipment to deal with the ants.
"Alright, I'll go check on Qilin's situation. He's been in seclusion for almost weeks now. I wonder if he's eaten anything," Zhang Tian said, waving his hand and heading down the mountain. Zhang Qilin hadn't emerged from seclusion in a long time. Or rather, he hadn't left his room at all. Zhang Tian was a bit worried about him and wondered if he had succeeded in his endeavor inside. Would he eat mushrooms if he was hungry?
"I've heard that alchemy is a skilled job. Even masters and geniuses find it hard to take the first step, from zero to one. If he really fails, I'll have to think of a way to motivate him." Zhang Tian mused, his eyes darting around. Besides the mountains, Zhang Qilin's favorite things were a Tibetan girl from his earlier years. Unfortunately, that girl had died. There were no romantic elements in the original work, but from Zhang Qilin's preference for sitting in the mountains, it could be seen that he loved nature.
"Hmm, I'll give him the best house in the newly built Longteng Shangwu." Zhang Tian thought, quickening his pace.
Soon, inside the Siheyuan. Zhang Tian looked at Zhang Qilin's tightly shut door, hesitating before knocking. He was mainly worried about interrupting his train of thought.
"Enter." A clear, cold voice came from inside. Zhang Tian then opened the door. As soon as it opened, a fragrance of medicinal herbs wafted towards him. The scent was sweet, like blooming jasmine flowers.
"Qilin, you don't have to push yourself so hard. You can go out and wander around. We've built houses on Longteng Mountain, completely secluded. I've chosen the best location for you." Zhang Tian said. Then, he heard Zhang Qilin speak slowly.
"Success." He uttered three words. Zhang Tian's expression changed dramatically. His voice stopped, and he looked at Zhang Qilin excitedly. If this was true, it would be a huge event. At least he wouldn't lack pills in the future.
Zhang Qilin then tossed over a jade bottle. Inside it were several pills. "This is a Snow Lotus Pill, for healing injuries."
"Snow Lotus Pill: Mid-grade pill!"
"Effect: Heals injuries, dozens of times more potent than low-grade medicine."
A description appeared in his mind. Zhang Tian was stunned. He looked at Zhang Qilin as if he were a monster. This talent had completely surpassed his own. No, it should be said that his talent was no longer something he could compare to. Zhang Tian took a deep breath. In just a few weeks, Zhang Qilin had gone from not knowing how to refine pills to refining mid-grade pills. The effort involved must have been many times more than that of an ordinary person. Thinking of what he had just thought, Zhang Tian felt a bit dejected. It seemed he had underestimated his talent. He had even thought of comforting him, but it turned out he was overthinking.
"For you." Zhang Qilin suddenly spoke, and then fell silent. Zhang Tian suddenly remembered what he had said at the auction. He had said he would give Zhang Tian pills, and he was indeed fulfilling his promise step by step. Zhang Tian held the medicine bottle tightly and nodded, saying nothing more. The atmosphere became quiet. After a long while.
"It's a pity. I've used up the other shore flower, and haven't succeeded in refining the Ghostly Soul Pill," "Now all the medicinal materials are used up." He said. Zhang Tian looked at the many low-grade pills and various bottles on the ground, which should amount to hundreds of pills.
"It's alright, we'll bring more herbs next time." Zhang Tian nodded and began to help him tidy up the room. In his heart, he was already thinking about where to get more medicinal materials, and at the same time, helping Zhang Qilin find some memories. If they went to the ancient city, it would be difficult to find Zhang Qilin's memories unless there was a specific person, which might lead to a breakthrough. Thinking this, the two tidied up the room.
A moment later, Zhang Tian looked into the distance. It seemed someone was knocking on the door outside.