Chapter 199: 124, netting several hundred million? The dark history of Chen Shanhe!_1
“Wrong?”
“How could it be wrong, such a famous thing.”
“You wait a moment.” About two minutes later, Hai Dong sent several messages, along with a link.
“Brother, don’t be so shocked, it’s scaring me a bit. You didn’t really go tomb-raiding, did you?”
“Just one of those celestial Xingxing Swords could sell for at least 30 million, and if you could gather a whole set, I reckon it could fetch you 200 million, no less!”
“This was the auction record, if you’re interested, you can have a look.”
“Of course, if you are tomb raiding, that’s another story.”
“I’ll end my stream soon, bro, and we can chat in detail.”
[Auction Preview | Divine blades dominate the world, Qianlong imperial commission, Christie’s 1983 Xiangjiang auction live record.]
If someone else had sent the messages, Hai Dong might not have taken it too seriously, thinking it was just out of curiosity.
But who is Lin Mo?
That’s the guy who recently found a hidden gem within a painting at the Yuhang Antique Market, and then cracked open a piece of top-grade jade that evening, netting over twenty million, a celestial being-like existence.
How many major collectors, antique dealers, and artifact buyers have studied their whole lives and can’t find such a jackpot, let alone two super jackpots in one day.
What Lin Mo probably doesn’t know himself is,
his name is now legendary in the southern antique circles, buzzing like thunder, causing foot traffic in Yuhang Antique Market to quadruple on some days.
After all, who doesn’t want to strike it rich overnight?
“No worries, let me check the information first. You keep streaming; I’ll be busy with some stuff soon too.”
After expressing his thanks and sending a red packet, Lin Mo couldn’t wait to click on the information Hai Dong sent.
The first part was an introduction to the swords,
It turns out these treasures were part of a ceremonial sword set made in the twenty-second year of Qianlong, commissioned by The Office of Internal Affairs Fabrication, divided into three sets: Heaven, Earth, and Man.
Each set contained ten swords, further divided into six categories: Celestial, Terrestrial, Subterranean, and three levels for mankind. The Earth and Man sets are in the Imperial Capital Museum; the set auctioned in 1983 was the ‘Terrestrial’ set.
Five pieces in total, which sold for the sky-high price of 18.27 million.
It may not seem high now, but don’t forget, back then the wealthy were known as ‘ten thousand yuan households’, while today earning over ten thousand yuan a month is not news, let alone something only the rich can do.
And more so, the set auctioned off by Christie’s was the ‘Terrestrial’; the set Lin Mo has could potentially be the most valuable ‘Celestial’.
Just comparing it with the photos, anyone could see that Lin Mo’s set, in terms of condition and decoration, is even more exquisite than the ‘Terrestrial’ set previously auctioned.
If genuine, a set could fetch two billion, so Hai Dong’s estimate might not just be boasting.
So…
A serious question emerged.
Whose tomb was it below?
Why did it have a complete set of Kangxi’s swords?
More importantly,
If the burial items outside are so valuable, what then might be hidden inside the coffin?
Lin Mo did have some money at hand, but his daily expenses were also vast, including forging a false identity and monthly software rental fees, otherwise, he wouldn’t visit the antique markets whenever he had the chance.
Now, with outrageous wealth laid before him, it would be a lie to say his heart wasn’t moved!
Liquor reddens faces, money moves hearts.
Just thinking about earning so much money in one go made Lin Mo’s fear of the coffin drop significantly!
At least for the foreseeable future, he could be financially carefree!
If there were any special situations, he could splash cash in the deep web, buying some formidable items!
“Hu Bayi was right, those tomb accessories are undeniable proof of the capitalist oppression of the proletariat; their luxurious lives were one thing, but to carry that luxury into their graves for enjoyment?”
“Now, it’s time for those treasures monopolized by them to bask in the proletarian glory again!”
“Huff…”
Sitting by the well, Lin Mo comforted himself for a while, then gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, and once again climbed down the well walls, tools in hand.
Having been up and down several times already, he was familiar with the path and moved more quickly.
Mainly knowing there was no danger, he felt a lot less psychological pressure.
Traversing the narrow tomb passage, Lin Mo arrived once more at the medium-sized main chamber.
Under the light of his headlamp, the large red sarcophagus emitted an air of mystery and the unknown.
Even with extensive mental preparation beforehand, Lin Mo still felt uneasy facing the sarcophagus again, with scenes from horror movies flooding his mind.
Unless one was a professional tomb thief, any normal person would not remain unfazed by a giant red sarcophagus.
“The people’s faith will surely topple all evil spirits and gods!”
“Hu Bayi, Zhang Qiling, Zhang Qishan, The Partridge Whistle… you all better protect me!”
With lines from tomb-raiding novels running through his head, Lin Mo spent a long time psyching himself up before mustering the courage to approach the red sarcophagus, prying it open bit by bit with a crowbar.
There was an inner coffin inside with the outer casing being the mortuary couch.
Even with modern tools, it still took Lin Mo a long time to finally pry open the inner coffin.
Fear mostly comes from the unknown.
As soon as Lin Mo managed to open the coffin and reveal completely decayed bones within, he somehow felt less afraid.