151: Chapter 151 Appearance

Over a hundred men, women, and children from the village were staring at Han Jingyang.

Some had seen Han Jingyang before, while others had no idea what the background of this young man was.

Therefore, the gazes directed at Han Jingyang were quite complex—filled with doubt, curiosity, suspicion, and even anger.

Under the gaze of so many people, Han Jingyang felt immense pressure.

Damn it.

He absolutely could not mess this up.

Inciting public anger would be hard to handle.

Han Jingyang thought of a time at an archaeological site when he was surrounded by villagers wielding tools, and he couldn't help but shiver.

Back then, I wasn't the main character, so it wasn't my place to step up.

But now, that won't do.

I need to show some real skills.

Han Jingyang took a deep breath and said loudly, "Let me say a few things."

"First, I am a Feng Shui Master, and I have a small reputation in Quancheng; the kind with real skills."

"Second, demolishing the tower was my idea, and building the new structure is also my idea. I can guarantee that the new structure will only benefit Dongpo Village and all the villagers, with no downsides."

"Third, I am not one of He Dingkun's people. On the contrary, He Dingkun and I are enemies. I had a hand in He Dingkun's downfall. I'm not afraid for you to know that if He Dingkun were to wake up, the first person he would want to kill is me."

"Fourth, there is something suspicious about the fire tonight. I don't know who the perpetrator is, but they definitely have ill intentions. Fortunately, the fire wasn't large, so it won't affect the upcoming work, nor will it have any impact on the village or the villagers. Once the new building is up, the Feng Shui of the village will only be better than it is now."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire scene fell silent.

It was too comprehensive.

In one breath, he dispelled everyone's doubts and repeatedly emphasized that he would guarantee the interests that the village and the villagers cared about most.

He also made his own identity clear to avoid being mistakenly targeted.

What is this called?

This is called the art of speaking.

People who work in the antique trade are all more eloquent than the next.

Even Zhou Jianjun, who had worked in grassroots roles for many years, gave Han Jingyang a mental thumbs-up.

Wang Jinliang also stepped out, pointing at Shi Xiaoya, and said, "You're lying! The woman beside you is He Dingkun's most trusted subordinate. You say you are He Dingkun's enemy? Who would believe that?"

Han Jingyang smiled. "It seems there is a bit of a misunderstanding, but it's more that Uncle Wang is not well-informed. Everyone in Quancheng knows what the deal is between He Dingkun and me. It's only because Uncle Wang hasn't been out much that such a joke has occurred. But it doesn't matter. Uncle Wang can ask any colleague living in Quancheng; one question and you'll know what happened."

At this moment, Zhou Jianjun also hurriedly stepped out. "Old Wang, what Master Han said is all true. It was he who brought down He Dingkun, including He Dingkun's family and the Dingshen Group. Everyone in Quancheng knows about this; there is even related information on the internet."

Wang Jinliang was instantly bewildered.

At this time, Shi Xiaoya walked to Wang Jinliang's side and whispered a few words in his ear.

Wang Jinliang's expression changed drastically, and he stumbled back two steps. "What you said... is it true?"

Shi Xiaoya nodded.

Wang Jinliang's expression grew even uglier. He looked around, then looked at the Octagonal Building reduced to ashes, and turned to leave quickly.

After Wang Jinliang left, the crowd at the scene quickly reached a consensus. Under the leadership of Zhou Jianjun, they quickly threw themselves into clearing the ruins and excavating the foundation.

Han Jingyang and his two companions weren't idle either; they went over to direct everyone in their work.

Of course, the target was always that bronze tripod from Shi Xiaoya's photo.

Hopefully, the tripod was here.

Otherwise, it would be a waste of time.

Although this trip to Dongpo Village had already been quite rewarding, the main goal hadn't been obtained yet, and it felt like something was missing.

"There's an underground chamber!"

Following this shout, the gazes of hundreds of people and the dense beams of flashlights shot toward the base of the tower, illuminating an underground chamber about one meter square.

Inside the underground chamber, there was nothing else, only a small square table and a bronze tripod.

Inside the tripod sat a lifelike doll.

On the doll, seven folded paper talismans were tied with red silk thread.

Under the bright light, one could even see the cinnabar patterns showing through on the back of the paper talismans, bright red.

This scene froze everyone in place.

The image wasn't exactly eerie.

But after the previous atmosphere had been built up, it felt exceptionally chilling, to the point that no one dared to move first.

Zhou Jianjun turned his head to look at Han Jingyang. "Master Han, how should we handle this?"

Han Jingyang smiled calmly. "Just take it out; it's no big deal."

"No harm?"

"No, just tear off those paper talismans and burn them, and everything will be fine."

"Really?"

"Should I do it?"

"No, no, no need to trouble you," Zhou Jianjun shouted to the middle-aged man who discovered the underground chamber. "Binzi, move the things out and burn the paper talismans."

With Zhou Jianjun giving the order, the crowd found their backbone, and their courage returned.

After taking out the small tripod, they untied the silk thread from the doll and used a lighter to ignite the seven paper talismans.

The paper talismans burned slowly, emitting wisps of blue smoke. As the night wind blew, they instantly turned to ash, leaving not even a scrap behind.

There remained only the unique scent of burning talisman paper—a bit burnt, a bit fragrant, and with some other, very peculiar scent.

Without the paper talismans, the remaining bronze tripod and the doll looked much more normal.

The villagers gathered around to watch.

Someone suddenly asked, "How should we handle these things?"

This question about handling them was clearly asking about ownership.

Theoretically, these were He Dingkun's things and should be returned to the original owner.

But who would say such a buzzkill thing at this time?

Therefore, everyone's eyes focused on Zhou Jianjun again.

Zhou Jianjun was also troubled.

This thing was a hot potato; there were problems no matter how it was handled. If no one had seen it, it would be easy to handle, but hundreds of eyes were watching.

After thinking it over, he looked at Han Jingyang again.

The target was within reach.

Han Jingyang was also a bit excited.

But he was very clear that the more critical the moment, the less he could afford to be careless.

At this moment, if he showed even the slightest interest in these things, it would arouse suspicion.

Once suspicion arose, the matter could easily spiral out of control.

Therefore, Han Jingyang said lightly, "It's not convenient for me to speak alone, but everyone is watching, so any way of handling it might not be appropriate. The best method is to keep it in the village first, then find someone to appraise it to see if it's valuable. If it's not valuable, it doesn't matter. If it is valuable, sell it for cash. Whether you split it equally or put it into the village committee's public account, isn't that up to you to decide?"

Everyone agreed that this was indeed the best method.

Otherwise, this single tripod couldn't be distributed; there were too many wolves and too little meat. They couldn't just melt it down and split it, right?

Zhou Jianjun breathed a sigh of relief.

This kind of thing could only be said by an outsider; if he said it himself, it would inevitably invite suspicion.

However, Zhou Jianjun was still a bit worried. "Master Han, are there really no problems with these two things?"

"Let me take a look." Under the gaze of the crowd, Han Jingyang picked up the bronze tripod and examined it.

"Ding: Identifiable item discovered. Proceed with identification?"

"Yes/No."

Great! It's good that it can be identified.

It is a dharma instrument itself, and it can be identified; the grade and attributes definitely won't be bad.

It's just that the price is a bit high.

It looks like a late Zhou dynasty item.

Look at these red spots and green rust; it's so beautiful.

Moreover, the trading of such items is prohibited.

But as long as no one reports it, the authorities won't pursue it; there are plenty of ways to avoid risks.

It's okay.

It can be bought, and it is affordable.

But I cannot come forward; I must use someone else's hand.

After looking at the bronze tripod, Han Jingyang reached out and picked up the dusty doll.

"Ding: Identifiable item discovered. Proceed with identification?"

"Yes/No."