The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 643 What kind of ancient porcelain kiln specialized search dog is this?!

That's so exciting!

They wiped out the entire clan and destroyed the kiln right away!

Shen Le felt his whole body trembling slightly. If he could jump up, if he could rush forward, he would already be there—

However, it seemed that the Porcelain Tower's memory wasn't planning to activate this function for the time being. He struggled several times, but couldn't even open his eyes, let alone move his arms and legs.

It felt as if my entire body had betrayed me and wouldn't obey my commands at all.

It was as if I wasn't human, but merely a piece of porcelain in a kiln, which was why I couldn't break free and could only listen from the sidelines...

Bang!
boom!
Wow!

Crackling...

The violent noises continued. Shen Le strained her ears, her heart nearly breaking from the strain.
The sound was the frame being knocked down; the sound was the heavy thing falling to the ground. Could it be that the kiln door of the porcelain kiln has been dismantled?
With that loud crash, a section collapsed, and the collapsed area was quite large. Could it be that the porcelain kiln was smashed open and a hole was punched in it...?

That sound... the saggar, the saggar, the porcelain inside, the porcelain inside...

do not!

These things would be precious cultural relics today, and even the porcelain kiln itself is a cultural relic!
You've destroyed the porcelain kiln! What will happen to my porcelain tower? It can't go home!

"Don't smash it! Don't smash it!" He was heartbroken, but others—perhaps the kiln owner—were even more heartbroken than he was.

Shen Le heard someone screaming at the top of their lungs, amidst the sounds of punches and kicks, and cries of pain; her voice was hoarse from screaming.
"We are innocent! The Lu family is innocent! We did not curse the fate of the nation! How could we, ordinary citizens, have the audacity to... commit such a treasonous act!!!"

"How dare you quibble!"

A sharp crack of a whip ripping flesh sent a shiver down Shen Le's spine. Immediately afterward, the gruff voice burst into laughter:
"Brothers, these traitors are still not convinced and are still crying foul! Let's work harder, find the evidence, and let them die with their eyes closed!"

More sounds of smashing and looting echoed from all directions. Soon, someone shouted in the distance:
"General! We've found it!!!"

The sounds of kicking, shouting, and cursing, mixed with the cry of injustice, faded into the distance. After a while, Shen Le heard, very far away, the sound of shattering porcelain, mingled with a rough, harsh voice cursing:
"Forty-nine porcelain figurines!"

"Each porcelain figurine has patterns on it! When the light shines through it, the Big Dipper appears!"

"There are words on the back of the porcelain figurines! Names! Yuan Tan, Yuan Bin, Yuan Xiaoyou, Yuan Huiye, Yuan Bi, Yuan Shao—and you still say you didn't rebel! This clearly shows your loyalty to the former dynasty!"

"Look at the inscriptions at the feet of the porcelain figurine! Look what this says! Locking away the ghost soldiers, suppressing the Yellow Springs—"

"You old fool! You still say you're not cursing the fate of the nation?!"

Shen Le almost jumped up to look outside. A translucent porcelain figurine! A porcelain figurine revealing the Big Dipper!
Is the hem of this porcelain figurine semi-transparent? Is it translucent porcelain? Translucent white porcelain?! Previous artifact discoveries have never revealed porcelain figurines made of translucent white porcelain!

The inscriptions on the feet of the porcelain figurines... At least before the Sui and Tang dynasties, no porcelain figurines with such inscriptions have been found!
There is so much information that can be extracted from this porcelain figurine!
He struggled a few times, then struggled again, but still couldn't get up—or rather, he still couldn't feel his own body.

The only thing that could be smelled was the increasingly strong stench of blood. The man who had cried out for justice roared in a hoarse voice:
"This is not a curse! It's not a curse! These soul-suppressing terracotta warriors were commissioned by the Imperial Advisor to be made to suppress the corpses beneath the Zhang River!!!"

Shen Le's expression hardened. No river is immune to death; even the small river in front of Shen Le's house had its share of drowning children.

However, when it comes to "corpses under the Zhang River," the first thing that comes to Shen Le's mind is the infamous Zhang River fishing incident:

After forcing Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei to abdicate, Gao Yang, the first emperor of Northern Qi, ascended the throne. Ten years later, he suddenly had a change of heart and, in order to eliminate future troubles, killed all 721 members of the Yuan clan of Eastern Wei.

The Book of Northern Qi, Biographies, Volume 28 records:
"Whether their father or grandfather was a king, or they were always noble and prominent, or their brothers were strong and powerful, they were all beheaded in the Eastern Market. Their infants were thrown into the air and caught by spears."

A total of 721 people died, and all their bodies were thrown into the Zhang River. When fish were gutted, many claws and toenails were found. The people of the capital, in response, did not eat fish for a long time.

Such large-scale killing, such inhuman slaughter, one can imagine that if the proportion of supernatural elements was relatively large, the resentment would probably be overwhelming.

Even without the intervention of supernatural elements, people's hearts will be filled with anxiety. Any slight disturbance, such as a plague, drought, flood, locust plague, or tigers coming down from the mountain to eat people, will lead them to speculate about this.

Of course, Gao Yang himself probably didn't care. This emperor, who "terrified the Westerners by throwing down his cup and terrified the Northern barbarians by donning his armor," and who was called a "heroic emperor" by the Turkic Khan, could play the hip-bone pipa in court.
The Gao family of Northern Qi were all known for their mental illnesses, much like the exceptional good looks of the men in their family.

However, he didn't care, but others did, and ordinary people did care.

Seeing that the people of Duxia (Yecheng, the capital at the time) hadn't dared to eat fish for a long time, one could tell that the common people, including civil and military officials, were trembling with fear...

Under such circumstances, it would be understandable if a court official, the imperial advisor, or someone else, issued a task to this kiln to fire a batch of soul-suppressing figurines.

Although Shen Le had never heard of any of the names on the porcelain figurines, just by hearing the character "Yuan" in each one, he could roughly imagine that these were all members of the Yuan clan who had been thrown into the Zhang River.

Even if not, they were probably still important members of the imperial clan, all killed by Gao Yang. Those who placed the orders were uneasy; it's understandable that they were given orders in batches…

Shen Le pondered silently. Wait a minute, the proportion of extraordinary elements in this world might actually be quite high:

Even though the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was constantly declining, and immortals, demons, monsters and ghosts were all leaving this world, during the mid-Tang Dynasty, there were still sword immortals cultivating and demonic beasts breaking through military formations.

So, who was that person from an era earlier than the mid-Tang Dynasty, before the Sui Dynasty...?

Northern Zhou?

Northern Qi Dynasty?

Who knows if there really are demons? Who knows if there really are standardized soul-suppressing figurines that can suppress resentment? ...Wait, which sect or school of thought is the "Imperial Advisor" they're talking about?

Was the design of the Soul-Suppressing Figurine personally passed down by the Imperial Preceptor?

Why is it that this style of Soul-Suppressing Figurine can suppress resentment? Or is there no such thing? A small part of the cost of the standard Soul-Suppressing Figurine comes from the Lu family, while a large part comes from Commissioner Smith's luxury car.

Just then, the sound of galloping hooves grew louder as it approached. The sound of someone tumbling from their horse, likely a cry of pain from a fall, mingled with shouts.
"Don't kill! Don't kill! Only the Soul-Suppressing Figurine from the Lu Family Porcelain Kiln can suppress the demon!"
"Kill them, and Ye City will surely suffer a great plague next year!!!" Shen Le hissed and began to try hard to recall whether the Zhang River was actually next to Ye City.

As soon as the fighting subsided, it was clear that the soldiers who had come to smash the kiln and kill people were also a little afraid when they heard about the plague. They probably instinctively stopped and looked at their leader's expression.

Shen Le also pricked up his ears, listening and praying at the same time:
Stop killing!
Don't kill him!

Kilns capable of firing translucent white porcelain are becoming increasingly rare, and artisans capable of firing translucent white porcelain are becoming increasingly rare, potentially leading to the extinction of the craft!

Just like the secret-color porcelain, after its tradition was lost, how much effort and hardship was required to restore it!
However, things didn't go as planned. The leader let out a cold laugh in his gruff voice and brandished his knife:

"Only their family's soul-suppressing terracotta warrior can subdue demons? That means their bloodline has some spiritual energy—"

Take them away, and on the way back, take them to the Zhang River and offer a blood sacrifice to the river with the blood of the Lu family!

what? !

Can you do this?

If Shen Le hadn't had his vision unlocked, his eyes would have popped out. Amidst the wails, curses, and the cracking sounds of the Soul-Suppressing Puppet being smashed, he suddenly felt himself shake violently:
He soon realized that it wasn't him shaking, but something else was shaking, and someone was desperately holding it down.

While struggling, wrestling, and being pressed down, she also lowered her voice to persuade him:
"Young Master! Don't go out, Young Master! The Master and the others have all been arrested. You're the only one left to carry on the Lu Family Porcelain Kiln! Don't go out! Please don't go out—"

The world around me swayed for what seemed like an eternity before finally quieting down. The soldiers outside had long since departed, and only the crackling of the unburnt firewood occasionally broke the silence in the cold wind.

Shen Le listened intently for a long time, finally feeling her body. She pushed herself up with her hands and rolled over. As she did so, there was a "thump" above her head.
"oops!"

He lay flat on his back, clutching his forehead, in so much pain he'd forgotten how to activate a healing spell. Opposite him, a snow-white figure stumbled back two steps, nearly falling to the ground.
"Why are you up so quickly!"

"Excuse me, excuse me." Shen Le blinked several times before she could see clearly that the swaying figure opposite her was Mr. Zhao.
I was probably bending down or squatting down to check on him when he suddenly jolted me together, and our heads bumped.

The porcelain head hit flesh, and Shen Le's forehead was in pain. Whether Mr. Zhao was in pain or not, he didn't know, but at least he was knocked backward and almost fell to the ground!

Such a large porcelain figure, if it were to fall and cause serious injury, wouldn't that be a terrible tragedy?

Shen Le jumped up and apologized repeatedly. Mr. Zhao also tried to apologize, saying that he shouldn't have gotten so close and should have kept some distance.

The two exchanged pleasantries, taking up half a day, before Mr. Zhao finally asked Shen Le:
"What happened to you again? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Shen Le couldn't have been happier to hear this. He spoke at length about what he had overheard, what appeared to be the Porcelain Tower's memories, and finally earnestly asked for clarification:

"I'm thinking that more clues might actually be at the porcelain kiln—we need to find that abandoned kiln, or perhaps the Soul-Suppressing Figurine. Do you have any leads?"

Mr. Zhao's expression grew increasingly serious as he listened. After hearing the whole thing, he knelt down, stroked the fragments of the porcelain pagoda, and sighed deeply.
"Abandoned kilns... are hard to find..."

"It's not hard to find, and I won't come looking for you." Shen Le stared at him intently, waiting for an answer, or at least a clue.

After a long while, Mr. Zhao beckoned to Shen Le and led him quickly outside:

"Xing kiln is not a single kiln, but a general term for kilns that produce a certain type of porcelain."

This kiln area, located in the hilly region on the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains, spans multiple prefectures and counties, covering a vast area, roughly a long and narrow strip of land about 90 kilometers long from north to south and about 30 kilometers wide from east to west…

He unfolded a national map, and without even needing to search carefully, his fingertip precisely pointed to the central part of Hebei:
"Kiln sites are distributed in Lincheng County, Neiqiu County, and Xindu and Xiangdu districts of XT City. To date, more than a dozen kiln sites have been excavated in Lincheng County and Neiqiu County respectively."

So, are these the kiln sites I'm looking for?
Shen Le continued to watch Mr. Zhao, mentally preparing for both scenarios. If Mr. Zhao could provide clues, she would follow him; if not, she would return to school.

Find the professor who taught him and ask him to find firsthand information from the archaeological team. Visit all the discovered porcelain kilns to see if they match what he's looking for.

If not, then go back and forth in that area, walking step by step in person, searching square meters by square meter.

I refuse to believe I can't find it!
It's only 90 kilometers from north to south and 30 kilometers from east to west—that's about the size of the area! Didn't he still manage to find it when he was looking for things in the Taklamakan Desert before?

As he was thinking, Mr. Zhao stood up, clasped his hands together, and slapped them twice forcefully. Soon, a small door behind him opened, and someone rushed in, stumbling and rolling along…

one……

A white porcelain bottle?
Although it was just a white porcelain bottle, it caught Shen Le's eye. The bottle was only about half a foot tall, but it had a folded rim, rounded lips, full shoulders, and a bulging belly, with beautiful curves and a smooth, dripping appearance.

The porcelain body was dense and solid, and the glaze was smooth and lustrous, like silver and snow. As it rolled over, with each turn, the light in the room enveloped it in a halo of glow.
Those are fine, dense crackles. The fact that such crackles could appear shows that the potter's skill in controlling the fineness of the glaze and the firing temperature had reached its pinnacle...

"This is Xing kiln white porcelain!"

Shen Le bent down and stretched out a hand toward the porcelain bottle. The bottle jumped forcefully and immediately landed in his palm.

It was cool and slippery, and he panicked so much that he immediately reached out and cupped it in his hands. Only after he had caught it did he turn to look at Mr. Zhao:
"This is……"

"This child was discovered after an ancient kiln was excavated in the area, and a museum was built nearby. I reconstructed an antique kiln and fired it using local materials. Out of 108 pieces of porcelain, only this one had a spirit, and it has been nurtured slowly until now."

Mr. Zhao said slowly:
“Since you want to find the porcelain kiln, let him go with you and help you find the way. People of the same mind respond to each other and seek each other out. As long as the ancient porcelain kiln is not buried dozens of meters below the surface, he should be able to help you find a general location.”

Specialized search dogs for ancient porcelain kilns...

No, this is much better than using a dog!
Dogs can only smell things a meter or two below the soil, but with this porcelain bottle, their search range can be at least 10 meters deep!
This porcelain vase, if sent to the right archaeological team, wouldn't be traded for a national treasure!

Shen Le picked up the porcelain vase, bowed deeply to Mr. Zhao, almost to the point of kneeling. Mr. Zhao waved vigorously:

"Go! Hurry! We found some ancient porcelain shards there. Remember to feed it some! — And don't hand it over to the archaeological team!"

(End of this chapter)