My Sexy CEO Wife-Chapter 159 - 158: Trip to Kunlun (Part 1)

Under Gao Fei's intense interrogation, Shi Dabao finally admitted that he was a tomb robber.

"How long have you been in this line of work?" Gao Fei asked.

"Over ten years…" Shi Dabao replied.

"Why did you choose this profession?"

"It's quick money. Just by getting my hands on one antique, I could sell it for a high price."

"You've robbed quite a few tombs over the years, haven't you?"

"Not too many… maybe dozens…"

"What kinds of tombs were they?"

"I'm quite selective when it comes to tomb robbing. I don't care for the ordinary small tombs. Only those of a certain scale catch my interest." As he spoke about tomb robbing, Shi Dabao became voluble—as they say, love what you do, and he truly was an expert in tomb robbing: "I've robbed three imperial family tombs, and the rest were the tombs of nobles and high officials."

"From which dynasties were these tombs?" Gao Fei continued to press.

"There were some from the Tang Dynasty, some from the Song Dynasty, but most were from the Ming and Qing Dynasties," Shi Dabao said.

"Any from the Qin Dynasty?" Gao Fei asked sharply.

"Uh?" Shi Dabao's face changed for a moment: "No, no Qin Dynasty tombs…"

"Bang!"

Gao Fei slammed his hand on the table, staring at Shi Dabao: "Still daring to lie!"

"I'm not lying!"

"I'm asking you, a few Qin Dynasty items appeared at the auction, including ancient jades, bronze wine cups, and pottery vessels. Where did these things come from? Don't tell me they were acquired through other channels."

A look of confusion appeared on Shi Dabao's face: "What auction? I don't understand what you're talking about?"

"Feigning ignorance, are you addicted to this act?" Gao Fei sneered: "Three days ago, there was an auction held in a swimming pool complex, and I was there. I saw several Qin Dynasty items with my own eyes. Later, I investigated and found out that you're the owner of that swimming pool complex!"

"I…"

"Still want to deny it? You'd better think carefully, there's no point in struggling vainly! Manager Wu has already been captured and is being held next door. Should we call him over to confront you?"

Manager Wu was Shi Dabao's trusted aide and knew many of Shi Dabao's secrets. Hearing that Manager Wu had also been caught, Shi Dabao's defense crumbled instantly.

"I'll talk… I'll tell you everything…" Shi Dabao said with a wry smile: "A few months ago, I got my hands on a yellowed piece of parchment with some crude patterns and ancient characters. It took me a great deal of effort to decipher the meaning of the text…" He paused for a moment: "The gist of it was… according to the map, one could find the mausoleum of the Qin Emperor…"

"What?" Gao Fei raised his eyebrows: "The Qin Emperor's mausoleum? Which Qin Emperor? Emperor Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng?"

Shi Dabao nodded: "Yes, Qin Shi Huang."

"Hasn't the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang already been discovered? It's in Li Mountain!"

"At first, I thought so too… but after some exploration, I realized… the place indicated by the map is definitely not Li Mountain…"

"Not Li Mountain? Then where is it?"

"Near the Kunlun Mountains."

"Kunlun Mountains?!" Gao Fei furrowed his brow. Every Huaxia person had heard of the Kunlun Mountains, revered as the ancestor of all mountains, with countless legends associated with it, such as the Western Queen Mother and the Peach Banquet.

"Yes, the Kunlun Mountains." Shi Dabao nodded vigorously: "Following the map, I searched all the way to the Kunlun Mountains, and at last, inside the mountains, I found an ancient tomb, a massive one. Whether it is Qin Shi Huang's tomb, I'm not sure." He couldn't help adding: "Anyway, that's what is marked on the map, following its guidance, one could find the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang…"

"Did you open the mausoleum?"

"No… not exactly. To be precise, I only opened the sacrificial tombs. The central tomb has not been opened, and the ancient jade, bronze wine cups, and pottery jars you mentioned were taken out from the sacrificial tombs."

"Why not open the central tomb?"

"It's not that I don't want to, but… it can't be opened…"

"Can't be opened?"

"Right, I searched for a long time, but couldn't find the entrance to the central tomb. We in this line of business all understand one thing—it's best to enter the tomb through the entrance, because this way is safer. If you forcibly chisel an opening elsewhere, there's a good chance of triggering traps or even causing the tomb to collapse.

Having finally found an emperor's mausoleum, I couldn't let any accidents happen."

"Where is the map now?"

"… I've always kept it on me…" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Hand it over."

Under Gao Fei's insistent gaze, Shi Dabao took a map out from his bosom and handed it to Gao Fei reluctantly: "Be gentle with it, don't ruin it."

Gao Fei glanced at the map, then furrowed his brow.

Xia Tao leaned over to look at the map… after a long time, he couldn't make sense of it either…

"It seems like this map is an ancient artifact," Gao Fei nodded to himself. He'd just activated his Clairvoyance to examine the map and discovered that it contained rich spiritual energy. Judging by the intensity of the spiritual energy, this map could very well be from the Qin Dynasty.

There were several lines of text on the map, written in very ancient script, none of which Gao Fei recognized.

"He's not wrong... it does say here... following the guidance of the map, one can find the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum," Xia Tao suddenly spoke up.

"Huh?" Gao Fei was startled, "You can read these characters?"

Xia Tao nodded, "These are characters from the Qin and Han Dynasties; I can barely make out some of them."

"Impressive," Gao Fei complimented, "So this really is an ancient tomb map?"

"The key question is... isn't Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum at Li Mountain?" Xia Tao frowned, "How did it end up in the Kunlun Mountains? What secrets are actually hidden here?"

"Two possibilities," Gao Fei analyzed, "First, the text on the map is meant to mislead people, to cover up the true identity of the tomb's owner. Second, perhaps Qin Shi Huang secretly constructed two mausoleums: one at Li Mountain, another in the Kunlun Mountains, and was buried in Kunlun Mountains after his death. The one at Li Mountain was to confuse the public, a kind of anti-theft measure.

For example, Cao Cao constructed seventy-two mausoleums, and to this day it's unknown which one is real."

"It's been too long since those events, and investigating now would be very difficult," Xia Tao said.

"I've told you everything I know; can you let me go now?" Shi Dabao asked tentatively.

"Go?" Xia Tao snorted coldly, "You've tomb raided and trafficked in relics, you've already broken the law, how could I let you go!"

"I... I can change..." Shi Dabao panicked upon hearing this, "Please, give me a chance..."

"Let's go, we should head out," Gao Fei patted Xia Tao on the shoulder and then turned towards the door.

Xia Tao gave Shi Dabao a glare and followed Gao Fei out of the interrogation room.

"Clang!"

The iron door was closed.

"Mr. Gao, this matter... how do you plan to deal with it?" Xia Tao asked for Gao Fei's opinion.

"What do you think?" Gao Fei responded with a question.

"According to usual protocols... I should report this to my superiors..."

"Don't rush to report it," Gao Fei gestured, "Let's wait until we clear things up before reporting. It's not too late." Gao Fei clearly had his own agenda; he didn't want too many people to know about the ancient tomb.

"Alright," Xia Tao nodded in agreement, "I'll listen to you. You call the shots."

"Arrange for a few people, preferably those with some knowledge of ancient tombs," Gao Fei pondered for a moment before speaking, "To accompany me on an exploration to see if this ancient tomb really is Qin Shi Huang's."

"Sure, no problem," Xia Tao agreed readily, "What about Shi Dabao? How should he be handled?"

"You decide, I have no objections," Gao Fei said.

Capturing Shi Dabao was orchestrated by Gao Fei, with the sole purpose of coercing the location of the ancient tomb. As it turned out, Gao Fei was right; Shi Dabao was indeed a Tomb Robber, and a very skilled one at that.

...

After returning to the hotel, Gao Fei called Yang Wei over.

"You've been working hard these days," Gao Fei said, handing over a check to Yang Wei, "This is your compensation! Leave the capital tomorrow, and I'll contact you if there's anything."

"Alright," Yang Wei didn't ask any further, taking the check and leaving.

Gao Fei poured himself a glass of red wine, sitting on the sofa to slowly savor it, "The Qin Emperor's Mausoleum... real or fake? How many burial objects could there be?" What really interested Gao Fei were the burial objects in the ancient tomb; he needed them for his practice.

He was not a noble person, nor was he selfless. When faced with situations, he first considered himself, and only if his own interests were not compromised, would he then consider others.

This is human nature!

It's every man for himself, heaven for us all!

Gao Fei had Xia Tao handle the arrest of Shi Dabao mainly for convenience, easier interrogation, and to not worry about the aftermath. It saved him a lot of headaches, but most importantly, Gao Fei wanted to use this opportunity to gauge Xia Tao, to see if Xia Tao was trustworthy and worth the new friendship. The test turned out satisfactory.

"Xia Tao is not bad, easy to talk to, and he respects me as well. He's definitely worth befriending," Gao Fei thought to himself.

...

The Kunlun Mountains are world-renowned, with tourists visiting daily for sightseeing.

In the afternoon.

An inconspicuous Santana sedan slowly stopped at the foot of the Kunlun Mountains.

"Bang bang clatter..."

The car doors opened, and four men stepped out; leading the way were Gao Fei and Xia Tao, followed by two of Xia Tao's men: a heavier-set named Gu Qi and a leaner one named Zhou Yong.

"Is this Kunlun Mountain? It really does look majestic and imposing!" Gao Fei exclaimed in admiration.

Xia Tao nodded, "Kunlun Mountain is known as the ancestor of all mountains. In legend, it's the birthplace of Immortals, and many famous mythological figures originated from here. In the hearts of Huaxia's people, Kunlun Mountain holds an irreplaceable status."

Gu Qi and Zhou Yong too were full of astonishment, as it was their first time seeing the Kunlun Mountains.