Reborn Treasure Appraiser: I Really Didn’t Want to Be an Expert

Chapter 321 Not a group of people
Five corpses, five body bags.

The provincial department arrived, the municipal bureau arrived, and the area outside the small mountain village was filled with police cars.

Many people came from Beijing, including forensic doctors, trace evidence examiners, technical examiners, and on-site investigators. Each department proceeded in an orderly and step-by-step manner.

Bored, Wang Qizhi looked around. When he saw a familiar figure, his eyelids twitched involuntarily: "Isn't that the Tang family's daughter? What's she doing here?"

Lin Sicheng glanced at it: "Teacher, isn't it normal for the police to handle cases?"

"Nonsense, this is a murder case. The forensic doctor would be here. She's in the technical examination department, what's she doing getting involved?"

Lin Sicheng remained silent: If you don't know, how would I know?

"Lin Sicheng, stop pretending to be dead!" Wang Qizhi nudged him. "Ye Anning is incredibly confident and won't say anything. But your teacher's wife is paranoid and worried sick. If she finds out, she'll drive me crazy."

"Teacher, I have a clear conscience!"

"Nonsense, I asked you if you feel guilty?" Wang Qizhi glared at him. "If you feel guilty, then I'm not worried at all."

What is the logic?

Just then, the head of the forensic department came to report: "All five victims were male, three with sharp force injuries and two with gunshot wounds. The bullets were 7.62×25mm pistol rounds, and the murder weapon was a Type 51 pistol..."

Organophosphate poisoning residues were found in the stomach contents of all five individuals. Preliminary assessment suggests death from excessive blood loss following poisoning. Estimated time of death: four to six months…

Those from Beijing were alright, as they were mentally prepared. A group of local cultural relics bureau and public security bureau leaders were sweating profusely with shock.

Forensic examinations only provide objective descriptions; it's not appropriate to speculate too much, but the leaders will fill in the blanks themselves. Furthermore, it doesn't require sophisticated logic or highly specialized reasoning skills.

First poison, then fight: isn't this exactly what Lin Sicheng was talking about, where internal strife caused by unequal distribution of spoils led to murder to silence witnesses?
Li Zhijie's eyelids twitched: "Is Zhang Xiao among them?"

"Yes, the family identified the body; the clothing and height match. The burial site was at the bottom of a tomb raider's tunnel; the victim was shot in the head, and the estimated time of death is the earliest..."

"Okay, trouble!"

After exchanging a polite remark, He Cong'an and Li Zhijie looked at each other and then at the cordoned-off scene.

The enclosure had long been completely demolished, leaving a large pit ten meters wide and seven or eight meters deep on the ground.

The tomb was half-filled with water, so it was unclear how big it was. But judging from the phoenixes on the silk fabrics that had been pulled out, the tomb owner must have been of a very high rank, at least a concubine, and there must have been many burial goods.

Let's reconsider Lin Sicheng's previous deductions: Red Phoenix and Heavenly Joy, Jade Mirror Dressing Up, Mao and Xu appearing together, Zi and Wu clashing... Concubine!

They no longer had time to ponder why the concubine wasn't buried in the mausoleum, but here instead. And how could such a large tomb, with such a high water table, so difficult to excavate, be robbed right under the noses of the mausoleum management committee, and cause so many deaths?
In fact, in such a large village, very few people knew about it.
How does the Mausoleum Management Committee conduct its usual management, patrols, investigations, and visits?

If it were discovered by local authorities, that would be one thing. The problem is that the clues were found by the Beijing police, who are located in a province far away.

The key point is that when they first arrived, the Beijing police were completely clueless. They only knew that the tomb that had been robbed was an auxiliary tomb of the Mu Mausoleum, but they didn't know which one it was. In fact, they could only guess, not be certain.

Think back to before: What, a tomb raiding case? Impossible.

The mausoleum area is under 24-hour surveillance, with irregular patrols outside the mausoleum, regular visits to the surrounding area, and outreach to the public. If a tomb robbery were to occur, the mausoleum management committee would certainly be aware of it.

Thinking back to that time: the young man took a compass, turned it, and pinched it, just like a Taoist priest performing a ritual, which seemed both ridiculous and laughable.

Then take another look, look at this pit, look at the enamel porcelain shards that were pulled up, the phoenix and dragon robes, and then look at the five body bags that were taken away.

Is this a major tomb raiding case? Are you still laughing or not?

A group of people stared at Lin Sicheng, who was not far away, with a mixture of shock and bewilderment.

Divination with a compass, a geomancer?
That's obviously nonsense.

But thinking about it again from the beginning, it seems so incredible that it can't even be explained by common sense.

Finding a tomb using a compass can be explained by feng shui. But how can his accurate deductions—that the tomb-robbing gang was infighting, that there were dead bodies buried in the tomb passage, and even that close relatives had turned against each other and that brothers were fighting—be explained?

Putting everything else aside: neither brother was home, only their elderly parents and two daughters-in-law were there. Why couldn't it be the younger brother who killed the older brother, but rather the older brother who killed the younger brother?
Li Zhijie thought for a long time: "It should be about observing facial expressions and body language to deduce things. For example, two elderly people, just to move a pile of corn, the elderly person was willing to threaten the lives of their entire family. Or two women, the elder sister-in-law was putting on an act, while the younger sister-in-law was heartbroken..."

"It's possible he had prior knowledge, such as knowing that a fight broke out among tomb raiding gangs and someone died, or more likely, that the murderer buried the body in the tomb raider's tunnel. He then made a bold hypothesis and carefully verified it... But the key is that he truly understands feng shui, and even more so, psychology..."

Li Zhijie sighed: "The two old people arrived late and didn't see him, but the two daughters-in-law arrived early and saw him carrying a compass, walking around the cattle pen. The key point is that all of us treated him with utmost respect and courtesy..."

Nonsense! He used a compass, made calculations, and marked twelve points on the map like a fortune teller, yet he found eleven tombs. Who wouldn't be shocked?
Putting aside the method he used, his professionalism alone is admirable.

He didn't know anyone else, but the two women definitely knew the leaders of the mausoleum management office and the town. Seeing how polite he was to him, and how young he was, yet how imposing he was, they naturally formed a preconceived notion.

After that, when he pretended to be a geomancer, women would believe him to some extent, even if they didn't completely trust him. More importantly, his predictions were incredibly accurate, down to the last detail.

Adding to the fact that her husband had just died and it seemed that even the money meant to compensate for his death would be lost, the sister-in-law became overly agitated, her emotions outweighing her reason.

Simply break the jar and throw it away.

A group of people suddenly realized, "Isn't this a trick? Isn't this just bluffing?"
While they were still in a daze, someone murmured to themselves, "It doesn't seem that difficult?"

Not difficult?

Here, take a compass and try it out?

He Cong'an frowned, looked back, and then relaxed.

He's a young man, around thirty years old. I imagine he hasn't been working for many years and doesn't have much experience, which is understandable.

He Cong'an's mind raced, his gaze sweeping over Lin Sicheng's face several times: "Director Wu, is this really an expert from the Academy of Literature? He looks more like a policeman to me..."

Don’t tell me?

"He has indeed been helping the police during this period. But don't doubt it, he's a genuine expert in archaeology and cultural heritage research, and a renowned appraisal expert..."

Wu Hui pointed to his eyes: "Sharp eyes, discerning even the smallest details!"

He Cong'an paused for a moment, recalling Li Zhijie's earlier words about "reading people's expressions": No wonder?
Without keen eyesight, it's impossible to discern crucial information from subtle facial expressions.

"So young, how come I've never heard of him before?"

"He was temporarily seconded from local authorities!"

Wu Hui gave an ambiguous reply, without mentioning where he borrowed it from or what it was called.

He Cong'an was sensible and didn't press the matter; he didn't care anyway.

After a moment's thought, he looked around and lowered his voice: "Director Wu, I need your help with this case again?"

Wu Hui sighed: How can I help?
"Director He, to be honest: we're just there to watch the show. The key isn't the Cultural Relics Bureau, it's the Public Security Bureau!"

As he spoke, he looked at Li Zhijie and said, "If you don't believe me, ask Director Li!"

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything, because once he did, Li Zhijie's heart sank.

I had felt before that my colleagues in Beijing were overstepping their bounds and that the ministry was meddling too much: it's just a case involving cultural relics, why make such a big fuss?
Looking back now: five lives lost, drug and gun involvement, the ministry really had foresight, like they could tell fortunes.
The mention of fortune-telling seemed to make his eyes dart around uncontrollably, landing on Lin Sicheng's face again. Li Zhijie sighed, "Director He, don't worry, even if the sky falls, the police will hold it up!"

He Cong'an was stunned for a moment, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

The words may be crude, but the principle is sound. These five lives alone are enough to give the provincial and municipal authorities a run for their money.

Compared to that, robbing a concubine's tomb is nothing.

No, we have to think of a way. Not to shirk responsibility, we at least need to take control of the investigation. At the very least, we should collaborate with the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Otherwise, not only will you be criticized and blamed, but you'll also lose face.

The problem is that just getting approval from colleagues in Beijing isn't enough; you have to go through the ministry and find connections to smooth things over.

Hesitating silently, Li Zhijie glanced around, looking at Director Chen of the Municipal Bureau and then at Deputy Chief Sun.

Just as he was thinking about who to ask for information, he paused for a moment and subconsciously narrowed his eyes.

After looking at her for a long time, Li Zhijie asked with a suspicious look, "Director Wu, what's that woman's name? She's the one standing next to Director Chen and Deputy Chief Sun?"

That's really interesting. I'm not a police officer, so why are you asking me what a policewoman's name is?
Secretly suspicious, Wu Hui glanced at it and was stunned again: to his surprise, he actually knew.

The last time I visited Lin Sicheng in the hospital, this girl was standing outside the ward, crying her eyes out, tears streaming down her face.

Later, I learned that half of the stab wounds Lin Sicheng received were for her. I also learned that the girl's family was not ordinary: her uncle worked in the security force, and her father worked in a ministry.

But that's secondary.

They've all been through it all; they've lived half their lives, so they have a good eye for things.

Whether it was Wu Hui, Sheng Guoan, Tian Rulong, the old dean, or even Vice Dean Fang, whose mind was only focused on research and whose IQ and EQ were inversely proportional, they could all see that the way this girl looked at Lin Sicheng was not quite right.

Like now.

After a moment's thought, Wu Hui shook his head: "I don't know him!"

Assuming he genuinely didn't recognize her, Li Zhijie didn't press the matter further, muttering almost to himself, "I feel like I've seen this girl before, her surname seems to be Tang?"

Tang Dingping works in a ministry, and Li Zhijie works in a provincial department, both in charge of the office. They might have visited Tang Nanyan's home.

But Wu Hui remained silent.

Compared to that, he was more worried about Lin Sicheng now...

Tang Nanyan was poised and respectful, first greeting everyone respectfully: Director Chen, Deputy Chief Sun, Captain Yu, and even Yan Wenjing.

Then, she handed over a thermos: "When I came, Captain Yan specifically told me that you'd been on-site the whole time, so you only ate a couple of biscuits. I was thinking that the team's food was too salty, oily, and heavily seasoned, and there wouldn't be enough time to buy more on the street, so I asked the housekeeper to make some. Don't worry, it definitely won't delay the mission, I just grabbed it on the way..."

What could I possibly be worried about?
Thinking it over, Lin Sicheng reached out to take it: "Thank you, Officer Tang!" "Don't move, let Assistant Fang hold it. It's not busy right now, go eat in the car..."

Yan Wenjing tried hard to recall: When did he ever give such an explanation?

I remember Tang Nanyan called and asked them what they were eating at the scene. He said the case was so big that there was no time to eat, so he just ate a few bites of biscuits.

Lin Sicheng was never mentioned at all.

But they still needed Director Tang to save their lives, so Yan Wenjing nodded without hesitation: "Yes, I told him!"

The squad leader sighed inwardly: What the hell are you going to tell me? If you, Yan Fangjing, were this meticulous, would I be constantly cleaning up your messes?

But then again, they really forgot that Lin Sicheng had just been injured and had only recently been discharged from the hospital.

Moreover, the injury was caused by their inadequate work. More importantly, Lin Sicheng refused any payment and continued to work on-site despite his injury.

As a result, he also chewed a couple of bites of the biscuit.

The three leaders exchanged glances and silently gave Tang Nanyan a thumbs up.

The squad leader smiled and said, "Not bad, Xiao Tang!"

"Thank you, Captain. It's my pleasure!"

As she spoke, she looked at Wang Qizhi again, "Uncle Wang, look, I'm doing this for work!"

Wang Qizhi's face was contorted, his teeth chattering, unsure whether to be angry or laugh.

How could a grown man like him stoop to the level of a little girl?
Moreover, he even forgot: the case was too big and too bizarre; he was so shocked that he forgot Lin Sicheng was a patient. As a result, he only ate a couple of bites of cold water with a biscuit?

He quickly thought to himself, then looked at Lin Sicheng: "It'll get cold soon, hurry up and eat!"

He was indeed starving and felt a growing sense of unease. Lin Sicheng nodded: "Teacher, you should eat some too."

Wang Qizhi was startled and his face was filled with horror: Lin Sicheng, you are really damn filial.

If I were to take even a sip of this soup today, your master's wife would be arguing with me for three months.

He glared at him: "No oil, no salt, just bland food, I won't eat it!"

Lin Sicheng realized what was happening and gave an embarrassed smile.

Yan Wenjing arranged a car for them, and Tang Nanyan went along because she was worried that Fang Jin would be clumsy.

After getting into the car, Tang Nanyan set up a small table for Lin Sicheng and then sat quietly beside him.

Fang Jin clumsily opened the lunchbox and clumsily ladled out the soup.

Tang Nanyan didn't move, but sighed, "Assistant Fang, I've been simmering this soup all morning, please don't spill it..."

"Oh, wasn't it made by the nanny?" Fang Jin was taken aback. "Oh, are you afraid of getting criticized by your boss?"

what?

Tang Nanyan was afraid that Wang Qizhi would go back and complain, putting Lin Sicheng in a difficult position.

With a tsk, she narrowed her eyes again. "Assistant Fang, you won't tell Ye Anning, will you?"

Fang Jin realized what was happening too late, and Lin Sicheng sighed, "Officer Tang, don't scare him!"

Tang Nanyan smiled and said, "Okay!"

……

Watching Lin Sicheng's retreating figure until he got into the car, Director Chen sighed, "Professor Wang, we owe a great debt to Xiao Lin today!"

Wang Qizhi was neither polite nor modest: From the perspective of the public security bureau, we really have to thank Lin Sicheng.

It's not that the police are unprofessional, nor that they lack ability, but rather that Lin Sicheng is well-rounded.

Perhaps because he had seen too much of this, Wang Qizhi, at least, did not think of Lin Sicheng as something mystical and mysterious, like Wu Hui, Sun Jiamu, and the leaders of the local cultural relics bureau.

Using feng shui knowledge to find tombs was just one of Lin Sicheng's specialties. Take Zhang Anshi's tomb, or the five kilns in Hejin—the area was so vast, and the clues so few—yet they were still found, weren't they?

Here, at least Muling serves as a coordinate for Lin Sicheng, much like having a ready-made formula and data that can be plugged in to find the most accurate answer.

Observing facial expressions and deducing the other person's psychological state from body language and subtle facial expressions was a fundamental skill for Lin Sicheng. Without this insight, he wouldn't have been able to spot so many loopholes or see through so many schemes.

He also outwitted and outfought tomb raiders. Furthermore, he received invaluable instruction from experts like Old Madam Zhao and the Zhao brothers, and Lin Sicheng truly put in a lot of effort.

He wouldn't claim to have done an extremely thorough research, but he knows just as much about these people's organizational structure, modus operandi, and common tactics as the police.

He might even know more: for example, the gate marks and incisions of tomb raiding sects, or the feng shui knowledge of finding burial sites and tombs. The police certainly don't know as much about these as he does.

That's why he was able to deduce most of the details of the case, and that's why he was able to successfully scam the elderly couple and their daughters-in-law at the police station.

Therefore, Wang Qizhi should be made to tell the truth: what Lin Sicheng did was basically within the scope of cultural relics and tomb raiding, and was basically within his capabilities.

It's just that it's so comprehensive; what was originally 1+1+1, when combined, creates a chemical reaction, achieving an effect where one plus one is greater than ten. That's why ordinary people find it incredible.

Just like the police station, they have professional forensic experts, trace evidence experts, interrogation experts specializing in psychology and micro-expressions, and deductive reasoning experts who can perfectly reconstruct the crime scene with just a glance at a corpse. These people are definitely more professional and capable than Lin Sicheng.

The problem is that these experts are only specialized in one area, and the case was discovered so suddenly that it was impossible to bring these experts together in the shortest amount of time.

Even if they are gathered together, they still need to observe, analyze, and discuss. Opportunities are fleeting; neither the elderly couple nor the daughter-in-law can wait for you to discuss things clearly before they let you scam them.

It's not as mysterious as it sounds, but to say it's that simple is nonsense.

If it weren't for Lin Sicheng's quick thinking, the police would have had to conduct a slow interrogation and investigation. Putting everything else aside, at the very least, they would have needed to exhume Zhang Xiao's body before they could get the elderly couple and their daughter-in-law to talk.

Moreover, it's not guaranteed that the case will be approved immediately.

A cat is a good cat as long as it catches mice, whether it's white or black.

Don't be fooled by the old prescription and the cheap medicine; look at the results.

Wang Qizhi was in a daze. Director Chen took out a cigarette case, circulated it around, and then took out a lighter to light Wang Qizhi's cigarette.

After taking a couple of sips, he said casually, "Such talent is a complete waste if left in the countryside. Professor Wang, why don't you consider bringing Xiao Lin to Beijing?"

Wang Qizhi paused slightly, the fingers holding the cigarette between his fingers, and sighed: Here we go again?

You're supposed to be in charge of the office, but you're now in charge of personnel?

Wang Qizhi flicked his cigarette ash: "It's too early now. Let's wait until he finishes his master's degree!"

Director Chen smiled and said, "It's not like you can't study in Beijing. There are plenty of good schools there, like Peking University!"

"That's great!" Wang Qizhi laughed. "Then I'll trouble Director Chen to ask Peking University if they want me. And also ask Xida University if they're willing to release me!"

Director Chen was stunned for a moment before he realized: the problem was not Lin Sicheng, but the teacher Wang Qizhi and the school behind him.

He gave an awkward laugh: "We'll see!"

The two started a conversation and chatted for a while. After smoking two cigarettes, Lin Sicheng got out of the Iveco.

He glanced at his watch, then at the chaotic scene: "Captain Yan, could you send a car to take us back? I'd like to see Ma Shan..."

Yan Wenjing exclaimed "Ah!" and paused for a moment, glancing at the branch captain and the deputy chief captain.

The two leaders exchanged a glance. The deputy chief thought for a moment and said, "Director Chen and I will keep an eye on things here. Captain Yu, you, Teacher Lin, and Xiao Yan go back together and strike while the iron is hot, trying to take it down in one fell swoop..."

Captain Yu nodded, but in his heart he was thinking: It probably won't be easy to interrogate him.

Why did they come here today? It's because Ma Shan gave himself away.

Recalling that day, Ma Shan's deathly pale face and bulging eyes made anyone in the criminal investigation field guess that this case was directly related to him.

But who could have imagined that five lives would be lost?

If all of them were killed by Ma Shan, how many times would he have to be executed?

Lin Sicheng also sighed: I had thought too simply before.

He could imagine that something that could terrify a seasoned veteran like Ma Shan, causing him such profound grief, couldn't have been just a tomb raiding case; nine times out of ten, it involved murder. But he never imagined that it wasn't just one person killed, but five?

Lin Sicheng never expected these people to be so audacious: they had already killed five people after stealing this one. Not only had Ma Shan not stopped or disappeared, but he was even eyeing the one next door?
They value money over life; they are utterly depraved.

Ma Shan will definitely hold out, and at least won't confess so quickly. But the wind leaves its sound, and the wild geese leave their traces; such a large tomb must have yielded a considerable amount of stolen goods, far more than just that box of copper coins.

What about the others?
They're all unearthed goods, so they won't be easy to sell. Maybe you can find one or two pieces. Then, if you follow the trail, you might even find the owner behind Ma Shan.

That's one thing. Secondly, Lin Sicheng always felt something was off: these people were so ruthless, yet that woman still dared to steal their things. How bold must she be?
They must be quite powerful; they can't be nobody. We need to find a way to locate them.

Who knows, there might be an unexpected surprise...

After a moment's thought, the group walked towards the car. Lin Sicheng suddenly remembered, "Captain Yan, did you find the phone number that was used to talk to Ma Shan?"

"I found it a while ago, but it's useless, it's a Singapore number!"

Huh, Singapore?
Lin Sicheng recalled: Yu Dahai, who once dominated Shaanxi, seems to be in Singapore?

I don't know if they've been in contact, but they're definitely not the same group of people.

(End of this chapter)