Chapter 2371 - 2274: Glowing Characters
Chapter 2371: Chapter 2274: Glowing Characters
This series of speculations brought immense shock to Huo Si Ning, affecting her cognition to some extent. She subconsciously stopped walking, her mind in turmoil with various thoughts racing.
Up ahead, Xie Daoyuan noticed Huo Sining standing in place in a daze. Unable to contain his curiosity, he turned his head to look at Huo Sining:
"Huo girl, what’s wrong, keep walking?"
"Ah? Oh, I’m walking now."
It was only after Xie Daoyuan called out to her that Huo Sining came back to her senses, hurriedly taking a few steps to catch up with the group ahead.
As for the characters on the stone pillars, Huo Sining didn’t mention them. After all, once they went up, the archaeological team arranged by Zhou Shitao would come down, so it would be the same whether she said anything or not. Once exposed to light, those characters couldn’t be hidden.
The principle behind these glowing characters is actually quite simple. The writer must have mixed fluorescent substances into colorless paint. When these substances absorb ultraviolet light, they can glow in the dark, similar to the fluorescent paper some children use to fold paper cranes. The principle is the same, mainly using peroxides, ester compounds, and fluorescent dyes to create them.
As soon as the archaeological team enters the tomb chamber and the characters are exposed to light, they will become visible. By then, the archaeological team will naturally notice the anomaly of these stone pillars, saving Huo Sining from having to elaborate further.
As for the meaning of these characters, Huo Sining also left this problem to the archaeological team. At least for now, she hasn’t deciphered the few volumes of the Classic of Mountains and Seas she holds in her hands. She is hoping for some expert to unravel the mystery of these strange characters, which has puzzled her for over two years.
The group of four retraced their steps to the outside, where some staff members were already waiting. Seeing Xie Daoyuan emerging first, they couldn’t help but shout excitedly, "They’re out, they’re out!"
While shouting, those staff members hurriedly gathered and helped Xie Daoyuan out of the cave. Seeing Huo Sining and Ding Liang also coming out, Su Qingqing and Zhou Shitao both unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
Following behind, the Oil Rat was the last to emerge, also helped by the staff, when Huang Zhenlong couldn’t help but ask, "How is it?"
Xie Daoyuan nodded, then said gravely, "The situation inside is certainly not optimistic. The results of the air composition test are here; you can see for yourselves. However, one good thing is that, due to the depth at which the tomb is buried, aside from the Oil Rat, no one else has entered."
"But we’ve only entered one outer chamber, not gaining much insight. Yet from the outer chamber leading to the main tomb’s auricle chamber and burial pit, all remain intact. None of the stone doors show signs of being pried open, indicating the tomb’s current condition isn’t too bad."
As Xie Daoyuan spoke, he gestured for Ding Liang to open the camera, while Zhou Shitao and Shi Qingyun hastily gathered to watch the footage Ding Liang had brought back.
They couldn’t find evidence proving this burial pit belongs to Ge Hong’s tomb, leaving Zhou Shitao feeling a bit regretful. Considering the data from the air detector provided by Xie Daoyuan, he pondered for a moment before addressing Tian Jifu from the scenic area and the middle-aged man waiting beside him:
"Arrange a thorough inspection. Starting tomorrow, the museum must close, and you need to find ways to issue notifications, follow up with news releases, and ensure the public is aware of the situation here, explaining clearly to avoid conflicts."
"Besides, your Cultural Relics Bureau needs to send the necessary equipment and camping supplies up the mountain. We’re not going back tonight; Director He, you must personally oversee this."
Tian Jifu and the middle-aged man nodded earnestly and respectfully, discussed a few words with Zhou Shitao in a low voice, then turned to head down the mountain.
On this side, Huo Sining instinctively glanced at Su Qingqing, pursing her lips towards the unfamiliar middle-aged man, curiously asking, "Who is he?"
When Huo Sining and the others entered the cave, the middle-aged man wasn’t there, so she’s somewhat curious.
"He’s the director of the Guang Province Cultural Relics Bureau, named He Youchen. Originally on a business trip out of town, he rushed over overnight upon hearing a thousand-year ancient tomb was discovered here, and a few professors led the team. Apparently, his father is acquainted with Mr. Zhou."
Huo Sining didn’t mind, nodded, and then chatted casually with Su Qingqing about the burial pit below.
Earlier, when they entered the burial pit, it was already past ten, nearing eleven o’clock. By the time they emerged from the pit, it was already past one AM. Over there, Tian Jifu and He Youchen went to make urgent arrangements for closing the park and preparing the archaeological team. Meanwhile, Zhou Shitao and the others didn’t plan to sleep but instead sat down to start discussing the upcoming excavation work.
Although the Oil Rat dug a tunnel, a proper archaeological team doesn’t operate like tomb robbers and certainly won’t excavate along the Oil Rat’s tunnel.
Moreover, to dig along a tunnel over a hundred meters deep, it might lead to creating a massive opening in the mountain. Such a project is no small feat, wasting manpower and resources while consuming a lot of time, which would be detrimental to the upcoming archaeological work. This is not something Zhou Shitao and his team would consider doing.
Xie Daoyuan, possessing some experience, roughly measured the depth and angle of the ramp when entering the tunnel, making it possible to estimate the most direct and efficient excavation point on this mountain.
The reason Zhou Shitao had Huo Sining replace him on the entry this time wasn’t without purpose. Previously, at the Yunling Ancient Tomb in Xianning, Huo Sining had already demonstrated her unique skills in Kanyu (geomancy), which is why Zhou Shitao had high expectations and demands for her this time.
"Huo girl, since you went in, you must have noticed some clues. While the Guang Province Cultural Relics Bureau hasn’t sent people yet, you should start drawing the tomb’s structural map."
This was the aftermath of Huo Sining previously sketching the Yunling Ancient Tomb’s structural map manually. Several professors, including Zhou Shitao, looked at her with hopeful eyes. No one doubted her ability to draw the structural map.
Huo Sining couldn’t help but smile wryly. It seemed she showed off too much in Yunling before; otherwise, why would these old gentlemen be so confident, asking her to draw without even questioning.
Despite feeling helpless, Huo Sining didn’t dawdle or brush it off. In fact, she understood Zhou Shitao’s intention for her to enter the tomb, so after going in, she used Azure Pearl’s detection function, focusing on examining the structure inside those few doors within the tomb.