The Unorthodox Tomb Raider

The group ate something and drank some water, then rested for about an hour.

"Master Liang, you don't look too well right now. Why don't you rest here and we'll distribute the stuff to you after we get it out of there? Anyway, it's safe here and there's no great danger."

Old Yang said.

"It's alright, it's alright. I'm still in good shape. I'll definitely be fine going down with you guys. Just take me with you. I won't hold you back."

Since Master Liang refused to stay, the others had no choice but to take him with them.

Outside the secret passage.

"Old Yang, there's probably some kind of trap in this place. Besides, we don't have any torches or flashlights right now. It would be much more dangerous to walk around in the dark like this."

Wu Xie quickly replied.

"Don't worry, Lao Wu. I've been to this place many times. Just follow the edge and you'll find there are absolutely no traps or mechanisms. The path isn't difficult either. It's just that the temperature down here is a bit high, but there's nothing else special about it."

Old Yang explained.

Hearing Lao Yang's explanation, everyone had no choice but to believe him and followed him into the secret passage.

After walking for about three minutes, I could feel a warm breeze blowing up from below, which dispersed much of the strong musty smell.

However, the stairs were much longer than expected, and Old Yang was right; the temperature rose higher and higher as you went down.

By this time, everyone was covered in sweat, but fortunately, after walking for a few more minutes, they arrived at an open space.

Old Yang took out the tinderbox that Fang Yun had given him earlier, lit it, and then lit the torches on both sides as well.

Only then could Wu Xie see his surroundings clearly.

The group had already exited the secret passage. Wu Xie looked ahead and saw an endless expanse of open space.

It has a huge, round, straight base, with a diameter of about 100 meters.

The bottom was concave, forming a deep pit. However, the light was still too dim, and it was impossible to see what was inside. But there were many dark things visible, so it was probably not empty.

You can vaguely see something standing in the center of the pit; it looks very large, but unfortunately, you can't see it clearly.

The only unusual thing here is that the temperature is extremely high. Heat waves blow down from above repeatedly, making people feel dizzy. Fortunately, there is no musty smell here, so it feels better than in that tomb chamber.

"Let's go, Lao Wu, the place I told you about is just ahead."

Old Yang said excitedly.

Old Yang led the way, and Fang Yun and Wu Xie followed him into the pit. Soon, the dark shadow they had seen earlier was clearly displayed in front of Fang Yun and Wu Xie.

Wu Xie was completely stunned by what he saw. In the middle of the pit stood a large bronze pillar with a diameter of about ten meters. At first glance, it looked like an insurmountable, curved bronze wall.

The base of the copper pillar was inserted straight into the stone at the bottom of the pit, making it exceptionally sturdy.

Such a massive metal device far exceeded the smelting level of that era. Humans could not have created such a thing by their own strength and wisdom alone, and the appearance of such a thing here can only be described as a miracle!

Upon closer inspection, one can see that the bronze pillar has many small bronze rods of varying diameters.

This reminded Wu Xie of the one that Lao Yang had brought before.

Judging from their similar appearances, Wu Xie roughly estimated that there were at least several thousand of them. And that was only what he could see in front of him. Looking up, he didn't know how many more (Wang Zhao) there were.

"The expression on your face is exactly the same as when I first saw this behemoth. When I first came to this place, I thought it was the magic pillar from the myth. But after taking a closer look and touching it, I realized that it was actually a bronze tree. This bronze tree is huge and reaches straight into the sky. But as you know, I'm not very educated, so I really can't figure out what its purpose is here."

Old Yang said excitedly.

"You should ask the people who put him here. The mine we saw up there wasn't dug for mining at all, but for this thing. The depth of that mine is incredible. They dug all the way to the bottom of the mountain and still couldn't find it. How deep must this thing be if it's stuck underground?"

Wu Xie exclaimed from the bottom of his heart!

Chapter 328: Many Opinions!

“What you said makes sense. Last time I came here, I dug for a long time. I figured this thing must have been stuck in the deepest part of hell, otherwise we wouldn’t have dug seven or eight meters and still not seen the bottom.”

Old Yang said helplessly.

The bronze tree standing here makes people forget all their problems, leaving only endless感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep feelings).

The bronze tree is an extremely rare artifact in the world. Apart from being unearthed at Sanxingdui, there are currently no other records of this bronze tree.

The bronze tree only exists in documentaries, and Wu Xie only learned a little about what the bronze tree looked like from documentaries.

Moreover, the archaeological community has not reached a definitive conclusion regarding the existence of this bronze tree; in other words, there are many different opinions about the bronze tree, and its significance remains unknown.

Of course, from a casting technique standpoint, these bronze trees, aside from being enormous, don't offer much to admire. That said, the fact that such a massive project was even completed is truly remarkable; appearance is secondary.

If you look closely at the bronze tree, you can see that its surface is not smooth; it is covered with inscriptions. In ancient times, inscriptions on such objects symbolized their divinity.

670 “Old Wu, I, Old Yang, am a rough man and don’t know much about these things. Can you tell what these engraved things are specifically meant to express or explain?”

Old Yang quickly asked.

"In fact, the patterns engraved on these bronzes changed constantly according to the changing times and the idea of ​​ritual vessels serving the people. To put it bluntly, they were used to intimidate the common people. These common people had not read many books and had no idea what these things meant. They were engraved on these bronzes to show their nobility and mystery, but in reality, they were not very useful."

Wu Xie explained.

"By the way, Fang Yun, you have more experience, do you know where this thing is used? I only know that ordinary bronzes are food vessels, wine vessels and water vessels, as well as musical instruments used by high-ranking officials and nobles, and weapons cast by them. But this bronze tree doesn't seem to have much to do with these categories."

Wu Xie turned to look at Fang Yun.

"The bronze artifacts you mentioned are usually used by high-ranking officials and nobles to display their status. Something like this is very likely of the same nature as a ding (a type of ancient Chinese cooking vessel). Ding were used for sacrifices, and I think this bronze tree was probably also used for some kind of sacrifice. However, it is too ancient, and I need to go back and do some research before I can give you a specific conclusion."

Fang Yun said softly, as if something was on her mind.

"Based on my judgment, I am about 30 to 40 percent certain that this thing may be from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, but I really have no way of knowing any more specific details."

"Master Liang said quickly."

"Master Liang, what you're saying is as good as not saying anything at all. The Shang Dynasty lasted for over 600 years, and the Zhou Dynasty lasted for over 500 years, which adds up to over 1000 years. The entire history of China is only about 3000 years, so this accounts for nearly one-third of the entire history of China."

Wu Xie said helplessly.

That said, there is a very clear dividing line in the antique trade based on dynasties. Most of the antiques on the market today are from the Song Dynasty and later. Items from before the Tang Dynasty are extremely rare, not to mention the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, which are priceless and have no market. Being able to determine the age of an item is already quite an achievement.

"If this thing comes from the Western Zhou Dynasty, given the level of bronze craftsmanship at that time, could it theoretically have been cast into such a huge object?"

Wu Xie continued to ask.

“Mr. Wu, I really can’t answer your question. I only know that bronze ware first requires a mold. Theoretically speaking, as long as the mold can be made, the finished product can be made. However, this bronze tree is really too big. According to our understanding of the technology at that time, it was impossible to make it.”

"I can't help it," said Master Liang helplessly.

“Master Liang, do you think this bronze tree might be a relic of some prehistoric civilization? I’ve read in the newspaper before that iron nails were found in coal mines hundreds of millions of years ago, but people back then probably couldn’t have made a bronze tree this big.”

Old Yang quickly asked.

"Young masters, in my opinion, that's not necessarily true. The period from around 1000 BC to 1 AD can be called the Age of Miracles. So many impossible things were built during that time, such as the Great Wall, the pyramids, and the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. It's hard to say that this bronze tree couldn't have been cast."

"Our ancestors already knew how to cast bronze artifacts back then. Think about it, the emperor's power was supreme. If the emperor gave an order, it was not impossible for the people below to complete it even if it took two or three generations, or even ten or several decades."

Master Liang shared his speculations.

"Master Liang is indeed quite capable, and he can still offer some insight. However, this thing is presumably used for sacrificial purposes, so how did it end up in this deep mountain? Shouldn't sacrificial objects be placed on the altar? The appearance of this bronze tree here is indeed somewhat strange and bizarre."

Wu Xie muttered to himself.

"By the way, Lao Yang, I was so shocked by this bronze tree that I almost forgot something important. Where is this huge benefit you mentioned? We haven't seen anything good along the way, except for this bronze tree. Let alone this bronze tree, we can't possibly cut it down and sell it for money. It would be faster for me to go somewhere else and find an ancient tomb to rob and make money."

Wu Xie asked.

"I knew you hadn't forgotten the important matter. Would I, Old Yang, lie to you? Did you think this was the end of the road I was taking you here to? We still have a long way to go."

Old Yang mysteriously pulled a few gloves out of his pocket.

"What are you doing with gloves? We're here to raid tombs, not to do archaeology. Are you worried about leaving fingerprints?"

Wu Xie was puzzled.

"Why leave fingerprints? Didn't I tell you that this bronze tree is strange and you can't touch it casually? As long as you don't let your skin touch the bronze tree, there shouldn't be any major problems. Put on your gloves and be careful when you climb."

Old Yang rolled his eyes.

"What? You're kidding me, right? You want to climb this tree?"

Wu Xie became anxious when he heard Lao Yang say that.

"Otherwise, we're already here, just a few more steps to the top. All these forks in the road are really no different from climbing stairs, it won't be too difficult for you. If you want to know the huge benefits I'm talking about, you have to come up with me. I, Old Yang, guarantee you with my integrity, you'll be absolutely satisfied."

Old Yang patted his chest and assured him.

Chapter 329 Climbing the Bronze Tree!

Wu Xie turned to Fang Yun, wanting to ask for Fang Yun's opinion.

"Ahem, it's not so easy to go back the way we came now. Why don't we go and see the great benefits your friend mentioned? But we must be careful when climbing this bronze tree. This bronze tree gives me a very strange feeling, as if it has the ability to capture souls. We must not touch this bronze tree with our skin."

Fang Yun said calmly.

Wu Xie breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Fang Yun say that. Deep down, Wu Xie didn't care whether he climbed up or not.

Even if they climbed up, it wouldn't be a big deal. Wu Xie was just concerned that Liang Shiye had already been roasted by the fire and was exhausted, possibly with a high fever. If he were to take Liang Shiye up the tree now, Liang Shiye's life would probably be over.

Before Wu Xie could even speak, Master Liang had already taken the gloves, put them on, and pinched his cheek hard.

"I'm fine. This is the last hurdle. I have to see what that huge benefit is no matter what."

Seeing Liang Shiye's determined gaze, Wu Xie knew this was not the time to let morale drop, so he stopped making futile attempts, tightened his backpack, and took the torch from Fang Yun.

"Old Yang, this is the last time I'll trust you. You still have a way out. If you dare to lie to me, there's nothing to be gained up there. Let me tell you, I'll turn my back on you and bury you in this grave."

Wu Xie said fiercely.