Chapter 345: The Grave-robbing Bear

Lin Sicheng looked up, recalling the golden hair on the clothes.

There were also snake scales, snake blood, and those pet rats raised in the shop that were incredibly fat but didn't look like pets no matter how one looked at them.

Even setting those aside, a pet shop run by someone who flips Cultural Relics—this style was unusually strange.

But what if this shop was related to Grave-robbing and Cultural Relics?

The strong do not keep useless things; every move Wang Chun makes cannot be a wasted effort. This pet shop is roughly equivalent to a logistics point for a Grave-robbing team.

Then, does Qi Hao's jade shop also have some hidden story?

A look will tell.

Dusk approached, and the hazy sky finally revealed a sliver of light, the west melting into red gold.

Gold Foil-like leaves swirled in the autumn Wind, and the smooth tree trunks glowed with a crab-shell green.

Streetlights turned on, and the shops in the market closed one after another.

Two men stood at the market entrance, smoking around a trash can; they didn't look very conspicuous, just like shop assistants who had just finished their shift at a mall.

When they saw Lin Sicheng, one of them made an imperceptible gesture with his fingers.

Su Ye translated: "Teacher Lin, third floor, 312!"

Lin Sicheng nodded and walked in.

The mall was large, and the layout was simple: the first floor was the boutique area, and the second and third floors were the general goods area; besides selling finished products, they also sold jade materials and raw stones.

Besides that, there were two basement levels below, used as a Treasury.

Only after going there did one realize that a shop in a jade city isn't necessarily a jade shop; it could also be a workshop.

Take this one belonging to Qi Hao, for example.

The shop was very secluded, located in a corner on the third floor of the mall, but the space was large, nearly a hundred square meters.

The Special Duty Team had already inspected it, blocked the surveillance, and arranged security posts on the perimeter.

Lin Sicheng looked around: shaping tools, carving knives, all kinds of Gourd Original Embryos, and various accessory materials.

This included various materials and agents for making things look old and imitating shells: oils, beeswax, as well as liquid nitrogen, oxalic acid, and even Aspergillus flavus culture dishes specifically for imitating mold spots.

There was also a refrigerator inside, filled with various kinds of milk.

After looking closely, Lin Sicheng paused for a moment, very much wanting to give a thumbs up: in the field of imitating antique gourd vessels, Qi Hao could definitely be called a master.

Seeing his strange expression, the two Special Duty Team members stretched their necks to peek: "Teacher Lin, what is this?"

"Human Milk!"

What the hell?

"It's human breast milk: in the old society, come autumn, Cricket Gourds were always kept close to the body, otherwise the insects would freeze to death. Over time, sweat and body odor would seep into the gourd. Therefore, one of the modern methods for authenticating heirloom gourds is to take a sample and test for protein elements..."

"And what is in sweat is also in milk, such as various enzymes and proteins. Using human milk to imitate the skin and patina is not only fast, but also safer..."

Su Ye looked strange: "No... this is milk, surely you can't even tell the difference between a man and a woman?"

Liu Guojun gave a "snort": "What do you think the maids and nannies in wealthy ancient households were for?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: although he had been guessing, he had guessed extremely accurately.

Ancient crickets were indeed fed human milk.

In a flash of thought, Lin Sicheng rummaged through more, and they were basically all raw materials and tools for making gourd vessels.

The materials used were also extremely exquisite: authentic Benchang Gourd (Mazhadu from Xushui, Hebei), Red Sandalwood Official Mold, Natural Qiujiao (Walrus Ivory), as well as Blood Amber, and even rhinoceros horn.

It could be said like this: whatever materials the genuine items used, Qi Hao used the same. And it was basically all handmade; he used machines as little as possible, and even less so any modern chemical materials.

The craftsmanship was also truly good; although they were imitations, they were imitated even more exquisitely than the genuine articles.

After a rough look, these were basically all the things there; they all seemed quite normal, and he didn't feel there was anything unusual?

But he didn't know if it was an illusion, he just felt something wasn't quite right.

Lin Sicheng stepped back two paces. After looking back and forth several times, he narrowed his eyes: he found it, it was the Blood Amber used for the 'mengxin'.

The so-called 'mengxin' is the hollowed-out part on the lid of a Cricket Gourd.

In ancient times, poor people couldn't afford to play with this, so the materials used were as expensive as possible; there were usually five or six types: Amber, Agate, jade, and Ivory and Qiujiao.

Among them, Amber was the best, and among Amber, Blood Amber was the top grade.

The reason was simple: this thing has the lowest density, and the lower the density, the faster the sound travels, the higher the resonance frequency, and the louder the cricket's sound.

But China does not produce Blood Amber and can only import it; in the past, it was basically all imported from Myanmar, and several mining sites in Kachin State that produced Jadeite also produced this stuff.

Before, like looking at flowers while riding a horse, Lin Sicheng also thought it was Burmese Material. But looking at it again now: it was indeed red, with golden threads faintly visible, and the texture was very oily, but the transparency was a bit worse.

Picking it up and looking at it against the light: this was clearly Russian material, produced from the West Sayan Ridge mining belt in Siberia.

This was very strange: why use Russian material instead of the better quality and more common Burmese Material in the country?

It wasn't that it couldn't be used, but it was expensive: first, it was buried too deep, and second, the conditions were harsh, with a thawing period of less than half a year, making the mining difficulty much higher than in Myanmar.

Then, transporting it over mountains and ridges to China, the cost was two to three times that of Burmese Material.

There was no reason to seek far and ignore the near, or to abandon the root to pursue the tip, unless this stuff was just brought along incidentally?

The minerals associated with Blood Amber are mostly Coal, followed by Jadeite, and then Tremolite Jade, which is the so-called Hetian Jade. It couldn't be Coal; those who can do energy import and export wouldn't look at this stuff.

Then only the latter few remained.

Lin Sicheng pondered for a moment: "Captain Xing, did you find any account books or purchase records here?"

The one leading the team was the Special Duty squadron leader; he shook his head: "No, half of this floor is this kind of processing workshop, not registered with the industrial and commercial bureau, and basically they don't keep accounts."

"Then check to see if there is anyone in the market who specializes in selling Russian jade, such as White Jade, such as Jadeite... Don't look for the property management or the administrators, they definitely won't understand. Ask the merchants and peers, just look for the ones with the best business..."

The Captain was stunned: "Teacher Lin, the investigation team checked before: Qi Hao used to run a jade shop in Ruyi City, and earlier, Qi Song also ran one, but they were all transferred out later."

"What did they sell?"

"White Jade, Green Jade, Jadeite, Agate, Amber... they sold all common jade stones, and this kind of red Amber was also available."

According to this, are these Blood Ambers old stock?

Or is it possible that Qi Hao bought them from the market on short notice?

It's not impossible.

Russian materials are relatively rare, but it's not as if no one does this business.

But if you swap in Wang Chun, it just feels like something is wrong everywhere.

This woman comes from a genuine family of grave-robbing, having robbed graves for decades; although Qi Song hasn't been at it that long, she has followed her for nearly ten years, and has also been grave-robbing for ten years.

A ringleader of the "pole-climbers" (experts at digging pits and opening shafts), opening a jade shop?

Linking this to that pet shop of Qi Hao's, the various pet rats in the shop, and the long fur and snake scales on his clothes, Lin Sicheng felt that he was separated from the truth by only a thin layer of paper.

If nothing goes wrong, whether it was Qi Song or Qi Hao, regardless of whether the shops they previously opened sold white jade, agate, amber, or jadeite, they were all Russian materials.

He pinched the bridge of his nose: "Still need to check, just check the shops that specialize in Russian jade. It's best to go and take a look on-site... If we could find the one that Qi Song and Qi Hao opened before and then transferred, that would be best..."

It feels like the more he investigates, the further away he gets, and it's all over the place?

Not knowing what Lin Sicheng wanted to check, but remembering the instructions from Branch Chief Yu and Branch Chief Han, the Captain didn't dare to interject: "Alright!"

Once they decided to check, they checked; the efficiency was not just fast, Yu Guang made a few calls from the command vehicle and found a lead:

In the entire market, there are only six shops selling Russian materials, three of which specialize in Hetian Jade, and two specialize in jadeite. Only the remaining one sells everything: white jade, jadeite, amber, and agate, and among them is this kind of blood amber from the workshop.

It's also a coincidence that it happens to be the very shop that Qi Song opened first, then transferred to Qi Hao, and then Qi Hao transferred to someone else.

The Captain sent people to secure the area first, and Lin Sicheng arrived shortly after.

The shop is on the second floor, more than twice the size of Qi Hao's workshop. It feels like it hasn't been open for business in a long time; the floor and shelves are covered in dust.

But there are two sets of footprints that are very clear, as if someone came today.

Standing at the entrance, Lin Sicheng looked at the footprints, then looked at a Maitreya Buddha made of Qi Lian Jade on the shelf.

There is dust on the shelf, and there is also dust on the Buddha statue, so the several fingerprint marks on it, as well as the traces of it having been moved, are particularly obvious.

Especially the fingerprint marks, thick and short, with very shallow fingerprints; one look and you know it's the "Ghost-Gnawing Hand" specialized in grave-robbing.

Coming here was just to take a look, and whether it has any connection to Qi Song and Qi Hao is still unknown, so Lin Sicheng didn't make a sound.

But he kept a sharp eye out, asked the Special Duty Team for shoe covers, and tried his best to avoid the footprints on the ground.

Several Police officers exchanged glances: So careful?

It couldn't be that this is also one of the hideouts, could it?

But they also didn't make a sound, trying their best to avoid the footprints, and accompanied Lin Sicheng to look at the jade.

White, green, red, yellow, square, round, long, flat... Jade materials that had been skinned and only roughly processed were everywhere.

After taking a few looks, Lin Sicheng was at least ninety percent sure: these are all Russian materials.

It's not strange for people to sell Russian materials; white jade can imitate Hetian Jade, and Russian jadeite can imitate Burmese Jadeite, and the quality is several times higher than Wei Material.

But even the amber and agate are Russian materials, which is quite puzzling: the former has the best quality from Myanmar and the price is low. The latter is produced domestically, with the best quality from Xinjiang; not only is it easy to mine, but the reserves are also huge, and the price is only one-third or one-fourth of the Russian material.

The strangest thing is the boxes upon boxes of serpentine on the ground; this thing has a nickname in the country: Qi Lian Jade. It's all over the Gobi in Qinghai and Gansu; you can just pick it up if you go there.

Unless one's brain was kicked by a donkey, one wouldn't traffic this from Russia.

But there are more than ten boxes here, and likewise, they are produced in Russia.

Afraid of making a mistake, Lin Sicheng looked carefully: the color is yellowish, rather than the ink-green texture unique to Qi Lian Jade.

The patterns are relatively coarse, in strands, and chaotic, not the snowflake-like spots and streaks of Qi Lian Jade.

No doubt about it, it's Russian Pyrite-associated serpentine containing asbestos fibers. Poor quality is only one aspect; this thing has extremely high radiation and is carcinogenic...

Picking up two relatively large pieces, Lin Sicheng flipped them over and was stunned for a moment: Haha, the jade heart is concave?

No need to touch it; you can see with your eyes that this was hollowed out manually.

Pondering for a moment, Lin Sicheng continued to pick them out, and as he picked, he suddenly paused: in the groove of one of the pieces, a few animal hairs were stuck.

The color is yellow with a golden tint, about ten centimeters long, exactly the same as the one seen in the pet shop.

Several Police officers also saw that something was wrong, but they weren't looking at the animal hair, but at the groove in the middle of the jade.

It was clearly chiseled open by someone, very wide, with a large arc. If you put them together, you could even piece together a cylindrical stone barrel.

Even, it could be pieced together to be a person's height.

A group of Police officers looked at each other: Why dig a hole in the middle of perfectly good jade?

Unless, something else was meant to be put inside?

In an instant, a flash of inspiration struck someone's mind, recalling those drug cases solved along the Yunnan border over the years: jadeite, agate, Spinel, Water Mill Stone, Silicified Wood.

As long as it was jade produced in Myanmar, which one hadn't been used to smuggle drugs?

They finally understood why, when investigating a Cultural Relics case and investigating Wang Chun, Lin Sicheng was fixated on this Qi Hao?

And then suddenly had a whim to check some Russian Jade?

Look, just these on the ground: such large pieces of jade, what couldn't be put inside?

Calligraphy and Painting, porcelain, gold and silver wares, and even Bronze... Compared to this, how much money could drugs make?

Lin Sicheng clapped his hands and stood up: "Captain Xing, may I trouble you to ask Branch Chief Yu, of the two bosses of Wang Chun, is one of them involved in Russian export and foreign trade?"

The Captain's eyelids couldn't stop twitching: He didn't need to ask Branch Chief Yu; he knew.

When they held a meeting to analyze the case before, everyone thought that the main channel for this gang to dispose of stolen goods was mainly through international auctions, and they only sold to Europe and America.

There was indeed import and export business related to Russia, but the transaction volume was not large; at most, it was a small-time trader. And it was a hodgepodge of everything, so the investigation team thought these were just covers to hide their identities.

Including now, the several groups responsible for this area are still keeping an eye on auction houses, and they are only checking auction houses.

But that's not right...

The Captain suddenly realized: "Teacher Lin, these jades were imported and transported from Russia..."

"Yes, but after they are carved, or even better, after they are pieced together, they can be exported to Russia. This is called deep-processing export. Of course, it doesn't necessarily have to be jade carved from Russian jade exported to Russia; it could also be Chinese jade... As for these..."

Lin Sicheng paused slightly, "They should have been used to smuggle other things from Russia into the country!"

The Captain was stunned: "What is it?"

Lin Sicheng bent down and picked up the golden hair from the jade groove: "Captain Xing, if I say it's a bear, would you believe me?"

"Bear paws, bear meat?"

How much money could smuggling that make?

"No, a live one, but a cub!" Lin Sicheng shook his head, "A bear brought back to be raised and trained to dig holes for Grave-robbing..."

The group of Police were all stunned: using bears for Grave-robbing, they had never even heard of it?

Lin Sicheng sighed inwardly: See, he knew it; it was impossible for anyone to believe him if he said it.

But he now had at least ninety percent certainty: Qi Hao was the one specifically raising bears for Wang Chun.

Wherever the bear is, the stolen Cultural Relics are there too.

(End of this chapter)