Chapter Six 2
Professor Dongfang asked happily: "Is there any news from Lin Feng?"
Li Jianping shook his head and said seriously, "Not only is there no news, we have also lost contact with Mu Linfeng."
"Oh, lost contact! How could this happen?" Professor Dongfang asked in surprise.
"Since I received a call from Mu Linfeng saying that he had found the ancestral tomb-reading skill, his phone has been turned off and I haven't been able to contact him for ten days. I learned from my comrades in Qingzhou that Mu Linfeng has quit his job at the hotel and left Qingzhou City to return to Mujiaying. It is not clear what he is doing..."
"He must have returned to Mujiaying to continue searching for the 'Emperor's Burial Mountain Map.'" Professor Dongfang said in an affirmative tone.
"I think so too, but he shouldn't turn off his phone for a long time. There's obviously something wrong. In addition, we have received accurate information that people from abroad have sneaked into Qingzhou, and their target is the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map" and Mu Linfeng, so I want to rush over as soon as possible."
Professor Dongfang nodded: "I see, well, you go to Qingzhou as soon as possible, not only to protect Lin Feng, but also to prevent the other party from finding the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map", otherwise it will be very detrimental to our work."
"Got it. I'll go to Qingzhou now. I'll report to you in time if there's anything."
After saying this, Li Jianping left the professor's office and drove to the ancient city of Qingzhou with his assistant Xiao Cao.
Although Li Jianping had the information that the other party had infiltrated Qingzhou, he did not know that this group of people had already started to act. The strange things in Zhu Fugui's family were actually done deliberately by someone in order to lure Mu Linfeng to take action. Only by forcing Mu Linfeng to come out as a "knot" could he have the opportunity to find the ancestral tomb-viewing skills and the "Emperor's Burial Mountain Map", but Mu Linfeng knew nothing about it.
The people hiding in the dark had gone to great lengths to achieve their goals, setting up traps one after another. Mu Linfeng was not only unaware of the impending danger, but was secretly glad that he had found his ancestral skills. To be honest, he now felt like "God has bestowed a great mission on this person", and he was full of confidence...
The world is inherently a unity of opposites. Where there is a spear, there is a shield. This is just like the yin and yang and the five elements that make up the universe, which always exist in a form of mutual promotion and mutual restraint. The coffin keeper and the tomb robber are two opposing types of people. When Mu Linfeng decided to inherit his ancestral business and become a coffin keeper, he inevitably established a strong opponent for himself.
Mu Linfeng learned from the "Grave Viewing Notes" left by his ancestors that almost every ancestor had experienced fighting with tomb robbers, but he did not realize that this would happen to him. The ancestor of the Mu family may not have expected that the tomb viewing skills would bring wealth and glory to his descendants, but also endless suffering and danger.
After Mu Linfeng carefully read the notes left by his great-grandfather, he found that there was no mention of his great-grandmother who came from a tomb-robbing family in the entire note. His great-grandfather seemed to be very secretive about this matter. However, his great-grandfather's notes recorded and described in detail a tomb-robbing gang hiding in the ancient city of Nanjing. Although his great-grandfather did not mention the relationship between his great-grandmother and this secret tomb-robbing gang, he instinctively felt that his great-grandmother was very likely from this tomb-robbing gang.
The leaders of this tomb-robbing gang were all surnamed Ma, and the family was passed down from generation to generation. The Ma family lived in seclusion in a mansion by the Qinhuai River in Nanjing. The Ma family kept a low profile and opened several rice and silk shops in Nanjing as a cover, so no one in the local area knew that their main business was tomb robbing.
The tombs that the Ma family robbed were all large tombs of kings and princes, and they never paid attention to ordinary tombs. In order to rob a large tomb, they would even spend several years preparing and conducting a detailed survey before taking action. Therefore, as long as the tombs targeted by the Ma family were rarely not looted, the only exception was the tomb on the "Imperial Burial Mountain Map" in the hands of the Mu family.
No one knows who painted the "Emperor's Burial Mountain Map" and for what purpose, and chose the Mu family to be the guardians of these tombs. Mu Linfeng's ancestors dutifully fulfilled the family's promise and protected these tombs hidden in the mountains from being destroyed by tomb robbers.
When Li Jianping and his assistant found Mu Linfeng, he was hiding in the house, concentrating on copying the "Tomb-Looking Notes".
When he heard the door open, Mu Linfeng didn't expect that the people who came in would be Li Jianping and Xiao Cao. He quickly put down the pen in his hand and gave them his seat.
The room where Mu Linfeng lived was very simple. Apart from a desk, a wooden stool and a bed, the room was furnished with everything, so the guests had to sit beside the bed.
Li Jianping smiled and said, "What a quiet place. You really know how to choose a place to practice. I think it won't take long for you to become an immortal."
"Director Li is such a joker. Our Mu family's old house has been destroyed, so we have no choice but to temporarily live with an uncle. Although it's a bit shabby, it's really quiet and is very helpful for learning what our ancestors left behind."
"Haha, how have you mastered the family-inherited skill of tomb-reading?" Li Jianping asked again.
Mu Linfeng said modestly: "I have only learned the basics, but I lack the skills."
Li Jianping joked, "You've learned it in such a short time. That's incredible. It must be the genetic genes of your Mu family that have played a role."
Mu Linfeng guessed that Li Jianping came to see him suddenly, definitely not to chat, maybe there was something important, so he asked: "Director Li, is there something important that you came to see me for?"
"Why was your phone turned off for so long? Everyone thought something had happened."
"Oh, since I left the city, many friends have called to ask about me. I have been concentrating on studying the 'Grave Mapping Notes' passed down by my ancestors and don't want anyone to disturb me, so I turned off my phone."
When saying these words, Mu Linfeng's eyes unconsciously looked to the side, and he was a little afraid to look Li Jianping in the face, because half of his words were lies, and only the words he devoted himself to studying the "Tomb-Looking Notes" were true.
Fortunately, Li Jianping did not notice Mu Linfeng's unnatural expression. He nodded and said, "So that's how it is. In the future, unless there is something special, we must ensure smooth communication. In case of any unexpected situation..."
Before Li Jianping finished speaking, Mu Linfeng smiled and said, "We are in a peaceful and prosperous era now, how could there be any unexpected situation?"
Li Jianping immediately said seriously: "No, Lin Feng, the situation may be very serious. The last time we met, I told you that the tomb robbers sent from abroad have sneaked into the country. According to the intelligence we have now, this group of people has arrived in Qingzhou, and their target is you and the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map". I came to Qingzhou to find you this time for this matter."
"Oh! Is this true!" Mu Linfeng asked in surprise.
Li Jianping turned his head to Xiao Cao and said, "Please give Lin Feng a detailed introduction of the visitor's situation."
"Yes." Xiao Cao agreed, then took out a document from the briefcase he carried with him and introduced the situation of the visitor to Mu Linfeng.
It seemed to be arranged by fate. The tomb robber who came from abroad this time was the descendant of the Nanjing Ma family who had disappeared for decades. The descendants of the Ma family went to Taiwan on the eve of liberation and later went to Europe.
The descendants of the Ma family are no longer the same as they were in the past. They have colluded with a powerful international cultural relic smuggling group, and their influence has spread across all continents of the world. They are not limited to robbing ancient tombs, but any valuable cultural relics will become their target of plunder.
The current head of the Ma family is Ma Ermu, who graduated with a master's degree in archaeology from Columbia University in the U.S. He is of medium height, thin, and gentle in appearance, making it difficult to associate him with the world's top tomb robber.
It turned out that Ma Ermu was currently employed by a foreign research institute, and his purpose of coming back was very clear, that is, to get the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map" and the Mu family's tomb-viewing skills. Ma Ermu learned the details of the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map" and the Mu family from the information left by his ancestors, so he took great pains to find Mu Linfeng, and set up a series of traps to lure Mu Linfeng out step by step.
Mu Linfeng was at a disadvantage from the beginning when he fought against Ma Ermu. It seemed that they were not opponents of the same level. Ma Ermu had a high academic degree and intelligence, and was a graduate student of a world-renowned university, while Mu Linfeng was just a cook.
Ma Ermu has a powerful international smuggling group and an organization supported by certain countries behind him. This seems to be an extremely asymmetric contest. The only thing Ma Ermu didn't expect at this time was that while he was dealing with Mu Linfeng, Professor Dongfang also found Mu Linfeng, otherwise Mu Linfeng would really be difficult to be his opponent.
After listening to Xiao Cao's introduction, Mu Linfeng said to himself: "What a narrow road for enemies, it turns out that they are descendants of the Nanjing Ma family."
"Oh, do you know about the situation of the Ma family in Nanjing?" Li Jianping asked curiously.
Mu Linfeng nodded slowly and said thoughtfully: "This tomb-robbing family was mentioned in the 'Tomb-Looking Notes' left by my great-grandfather. Our Mu family and the Ma family are not only mortal enemies, but we are also very likely relatives..."
Li Jianping immediately asked with great interest: "What kind of relationship are you two related to?"
"It's just a guess, my great-grandmother might be from the Ma family."
Li Jianping laughed: "I didn't expect you and the Ma family have such a complicated relationship."
"I'm just guessing, there is no evidence." Mu Linfeng said truthfully.
Li Jianping pondered for a moment and then said, "From now on, you must be vigilant no matter what. Ma Ermu is here for the Emperor's Burial Mountain Map, so he will definitely find a way to get close to you."
"Since your National Security Bureau knows about Ma Ermu's situation, why don't you take him under control?" Mu Linfeng asked in confusion.
"We have no reason to arrest him before he commits a crime, otherwise he will turn the tables on us. So what we can do now is to closely monitor his whereabouts and take preventive measures."
To be honest, Mu Linfeng didn't care much about Ma Ermu's arrival, because he didn't know where the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map" was, so how could an outsider find it? And the tomb-viewing skills were in his hands, so Ma Ermu would never be able to take it away.
Another point is that Mu Linfeng is now in Mujiaying. He feels safe when he stays alone in the environment he is most familiar with. He doesn't believe that Ma Ermu can do anything to him, so Li Jianping's words did not attract Mu Linfeng's attention. On the contrary, Mu Linfeng felt that Li Jianping's words to him seemed to be intended to intimidate him...
At this moment, an idea flashed through Mu Linfeng's mind. He wanted to take this opportunity to explain to Li Jianping his decision to withdraw from Professor Dongfang's research group, so as to avoid difficulty in making a decision in the future. So he said to Li Jianping: "Director Li, please tell Team Leader Wang Zhao that I want to withdraw from the research group..."
Mu Linfeng's words shocked Li Jianping. He couldn't imagine why Mu Linfeng suddenly made such a decision. He said everything was fine when he came back from Qingdao half a month ago. Why did he change? According to the previous investigation of Mu Linfeng, he was not such a person. There must be a reason.
Li Jianping tried his best to remain calm. He looked at Mu Linfeng and asked, "Linfeng, can you tell me the real reason? Why do you want to quit the research group?"
"There's no special reason. I just feel that I can't do this job, so I might as well quit as soon as possible." Mu Linfeng answered nonchalantly, and then added, "I'm just a cook. What role can I play in the research group?"
Li Jianping noticed that Mu Linfeng didn't dare to look at him when he was talking, and his eyes were unconsciously glancing around. People often say that eyes are windows to the soul, and it is true. The direction of eye movement reflects a person's inner thoughts very realistically.
For a right-handed person, if his eyes look to the upper left, it means he is remembering or imagining something. If his eyes look straight to the left, it means he is listening. If his eyes look to the lower right, it means he is thinking about something. If his eyes look downward and wander, it means he is making up a reason to lie. For a left-handed person, the order is just the opposite.
Li Jianping was an expert at this, so he could clearly tell what was happening in Mu Linfeng's heart from the direction of his eyes. So he asked calmly, "Lin Feng, did something happen to you?"
Mu Linfeng shook his head and said with a forced smile: "I...what could possibly happen to me? Nothing at all."
At this time, Li Jianping thought of the fact that Mu Linfeng turned off his cell phone after returning to Mujiaying. It seemed that he was avoiding contact with the research team. In other words, something happened after Mu Linfeng returned from Qingdao. There must be a reason for this.
Li Jianping thought that if he asked Mu Linfeng about the inside story at this time, he would definitely not tell him, so he could only investigate from other aspects to see what happened to Mu Linfeng.
Thinking of this, Li Jianping said calmly: "Lin Feng, you should know that you agreed to assist the research team in finding the ancient tomb. In fact, you are not working for a certain person, but serving the country. A loud drum does not need a heavy hammer, and the truth does not need much explanation. I hope you will think carefully before making a decision..."
Mu Linfeng said firmly: "I have been thinking about this for a long time. I really can't work for the research group anymore. Director Li, please tell Professor Dongfang that I am very sorry."
Seeing that Mu Linfeng was determined, Li Jianping exchanged glances with his assistant Xiao Cao. They both knew that it was useless to say more at this moment, and they would make plans after finding out the truth of the matter.
Li Jianping stood up and said, "Well, I won't say much in that case. I will tell Professor Dongfang about your idea. However, I still want to remind you to be on guard against Ma Ermu. He is a tomb robber who is registered with Interpol and a highly intelligent criminal. You must not take it lightly. This matter has nothing to do with whether you join the research group or not."
"Thank you for your reminder, Director Li. I will definitely pay more attention to it."
