He Yin held a small, dark sandalwood box.
The box was already open, revealing yellow brocade within, upon which lay a jade tablet. It was the color of verdigris, its surface shimmering with a flowing aura.
The jade tablet had a hole in the center and a chip on its side.
Because "jue" (决) sounded the same as "jue" (玦), it was called a jade jue.
Ancient Li Dragon patterns were clearly carved on it, which was not particularly noteworthy.
What truly caught Li Chonglou's attention were the characters carved on the chip: "Ju Jun."
"You are too kind," Li Chonglou said, taking the jade tablet and examining it closely.
Indeed, the characters "Ju Jun" were genuine. Judging by its form, texture, patina, and hues, it could be unequivocally dated to the Han Dynasty.
Suppressing his excitement, he calmly inquired, "How did you come by this jade jue?"
Seeing that Li Chonglou was captivated by her gift, He Yin felt a glimmer of relief in her beautiful eyes.
Finally, she thought, she could settle the score for offending him before. It was worth rummaging through every box and cupboard to find this jade.
"I've had this jade since I was little. My grandfather got it from a farmer for a steamed bun when he was passing through Shangluo during the war. He originally intended to bring it back for my grandmother, but…" He Yin's expression turned somber as she spoke.
Li Chonglou showed a hint of apology. "I'm sorry, if this jade is so important to you, I can't accept it."
"You've misunderstood, Brother Li," He Yin said. She was first taken aback, then chuckled. "My grandfather said that my grandmother remarried after he returned."
"In a fit of anger, he found her and took my father away. This jade was later discarded there."
"It's not an heirloom."
She knew Li Chonglou must have jumped to the wrong conclusion. It was understandable, as the first thought in such a situation would be a grandfather returning triumphantly from war, only to find his wife dead at the hands of the enemy.
But there were always exceptions.
"Do you know what kind of jade it is?" Li Chonglou finally asked, feeling reassured.
"Lan Tian jade. I had an expert appraise it. It's from Lan Tian County. He said it's probably over a thousand years old, but he told me that old jade isn't as good as new. But I thought you might like it." He Yin smiled, revealing a few white teeth, her demeanor bright and sunny.
Li Chonglou nodded. "That person had some insight, but he was wrong. This jade is actually two thousand years old."
"Its value is immeasurable. Do you see these two characters on it?"
"'Ju Jun.' These were Wang Mang's personal characters. If I'm not mistaken, this should be Wang Mang's personal jade!"
"It's just that there are no historical records of it, which is why most people wouldn't recognize it."
Upon hearing this, He Yin showed shock and admiration. "It's related to Wang Mang? Then how did it end up in Shangluo?"
This question struck a chord with Li Chonglou.
His expression grew serious, and he didn't answer.
But in his heart, a thousand doubts and possibilities surged, leading him to an answer.
When he returned from the site of the old West Sea Commandery, he had discussed the whereabouts of Shi Boqiong with his master, and their investigation had eventually pointed to one person.
It was Du Wu, a man from Shangluo County who, as part of a rebel force, had killed Wang Mang amidst the chaos!
He had killed Wang Mang in his chamber and likely robbed his corpse for personal gain, taking Shi Boqiong with him.
This was merely a hypothesis at the time. Moreover, Du Wu had vanished without a trace, with even unofficial histories failing to record his existence afterward, which was unusual.
As the hero who had personally slain Wang Mang, how could he have disappeared so blandly?
Now, it seemed, their master and disciple's guess was correct. Whether Du Wu had taken Shi Boqiong remained uncertain, but it was highly probable that he had taken Wang Mang's jade jue and brought it back to Shangluo.
It might have been buried with him, and later, when his tomb was plundered, the jade jue emerged and was picked up by someone.
After changing hands several times, it had ended up with He Yin and now appeared before him.
The ways of the world were indeed mysterious, with fate orchestrating every encounter.
This explanation suddenly made everything clear.
However, all of this was still speculation, lacking concrete proof, so Li Chonglou would not tell He Yin.
Furthermore, if this were true, it would be troublesome.
When Du Wu's tomb was robbed, and by whom, and when? And where had Shi Boqiong gone?
The original clue, which had been focused on one target, had now suddenly dispersed.
He had to inform his master about this as soon as possible. He assumed his master had also gathered considerable clues during this time.
"I will keep this jade jue for you for safekeeping. Once I've handled my current affairs, I will return it to you. Then, you can decide whether to keep it or donate it to a museum," Li Chonglou said solemnly as he placed the jade back into the box.
After all, this item was of immense value, practically a national treasure, though its lack of official historical record might prevent it from being formally recognized.
But with sufficient research, its origin and lineage could be traced, which would not be difficult for the National Museum.
If he accepted something so precious, it would be an immense favor.
"Brother Li, you say that. 'Treasures find their destined owner,' I know that." He Yin showed no concern and even smiled more happily. "I played with this jade since I was a child. I'm glad it wasn't lost."
"If you like it, I'm truly happy. If you don't, please help me donate it."
This woman, however, showed no inclination towards material wealth.
It was only then that Li Chonglou looked at her with newfound respect.
The grace and bearing that He Yin displayed were far beyond those of an ordinary girl.
In today's world, many people, influenced by the material scarcity of previous generations, had developed a covetous nature from childhood.
No amount of money was ever enough, and some even resorted to illegal and criminal activities to earn it.
This was the case with grave robbers and smugglers of cultural relics.
Yet, this young woman before him remained unmoved by a priceless treasure, a feat that even he himself might find difficult to achieve.
"Then I owe you a favor," Li Chonglou said after a moment's thought, accepting it with a casual remark.
But with this one sentence, he had already considered He Yin his close friend.
His mother had taught him from a young age not to accept gifts from outsiders, thus cultivating a habit of not owing favors.
Once a favor was accepted, he would repay it with unwavering loyalty.
"Hehehe... Brother Li, why have you become so formal?" He Yin giggled, her face blooming like a flower, her body swaying. "Actually, I came to see you today because I wanted to ask you to introduce me to someone."
"My family has a military background. My grandfather was a soldier, and my father and I followed suit."
"In the military, I heard about the 'Soaring Eagle' Special Forces unit, and I've always longed to join."
"But I didn't meet the strict requirements and was eventually turned down."
"You're part of Soaring Eagle, so I thought..."
At this point, Li Chonglou sighed deeply and shook his head. "I'm sorry, He Yin. Although I am a member of Soaring Eagle, I have neither the authority nor the ability to help you with a backdoor entry."
Soaring Eagle was no ordinary organization; one couldn't simply join or leave as one pleased. He himself felt that his entry into Soaring Eagle was a matter of fate, an unexpected turn of events.
On the other hand, Liu Ping'er's recruitment due to her exceptional hacking skills was not surprising.
But if He Yin was rejected before, she would still have no chance now, and he couldn't help her.
"You've misunderstood again." A hint of disappointment surfaced in He Yin's beautiful eyes, but she didn't become disheartened. "I wanted you to tell me what the recruitment criteria for Soaring Eagle are, so I can train accordingly."
"Even if I wanted you to help me get in through the back door, my father would never agree."
So that was it. Li Chonglou breathed a sigh of relief.
If it was just about the recruitment standards, he might be able to help.
Although he didn't know, Zhou Jiao certainly would.
"Wait a moment, I'll make a call." Li Chonglou dialed Zhou Jiao's number.
"Hey, you finally decided to contact me. Are all your personal matters finished? Hurry back to the team, we miss you." Zhou Jiao's relationship with Li Chonglou had become much more relaxed now.
"Not yet, don't rush me. I need to ask you something. A friend of mine wants to join Soaring Eagle, and I don't know our team's recruitment standards. Can you send me a copy?" Li Chonglou got straight to the point.
What followed was a natural progression of events.
This wasn't a secret, and soon he received the recruitment criteria.
Before he could even show it to He Yin, Li Chonglou felt a headache coming on.
These requirements were too harsh.
The physical fitness aspect, being able to fight ten opponents at once, was manageable for him.
The technology and communications aspect, being able to hack into the UN security network, showed how incredibly skilled Liu Ping'er was!
No wonder she could obtain evidence of that person's treason and enrichment. He had underestimated her before.
Then there were the other individual combat performance data points: hitting a hundred-meter moving target ten times out of ten shots was terrifyingly extreme.
Only top snipers could achieve that, right?
Seeing this data, he finally understood why Soaring Eagle always had such a limited number of members. These requirements alone eliminated ninety-nine percent of potential candidates.
After reading the standards, He Yin's expression also turned serious, but she didn't appear discouraged.
Instead, a resolute look appeared in her eyes. "Now that I know the conditions, I can train specifically for them. Thank you, Brother Li. I believe we will meet in Soaring Eagle one day!"
"So, you're not planning to be a police officer anymore?" Li Chonglou secretly admired the girl's resilience.
"Yes, compared to Soaring Eagle, the things a police officer can do are too few. I want to fight for the safety of the country and its people like you, Brother Li." He Yin's emotions were quite infectious.
Unfortunately, Li Chonglou's ears felt a bit flushed upon hearing this.
Fortunately, his mental fortitude was strong, allowing him to conceal his reaction.
When had he ever harbored such thoughts of serving the country and its people? He was actually just a selfish, small-minded individual, focused on living his own life and protecting his family from threats.
Compared to He Yin's grand and noble aspirations, his were utterly pathetic.
Moreover, he could see that He Yin was not just spouting slogans; the energy hidden in her eyes even startled him.
For the sake of this unwavering belief, he had to encourage her. "Good, I look forward to seeing you. Keep going!"
They chatted for nearly two hours. Li Chonglou didn't hide anything, telling He Yin about his immediate assignment in Zhonghai after joining Soaring Eagle, which made He Yin's beautiful eyes sparkle with admiration.
It was only when He Yin received a call from her unit about a murder case that she had to leave.
After she left, Li Chonglou immediately returned to his room and called Lin Zhendong. "Master, I have new leads."
"I just obtained Wang Mang's jade jue, unearthed in Shangluo."
Lin Zhendong, being extremely astute, immediately guessed the general situation. "Wait for me in Yong'an. I'll bring Xiao Ying over now. We might need to go to Shangluo."