Departure

"Grandpa, in a few days, I'll be going on a trip with my professor. You stay at home and rest well. If you need anything to eat or drink, just let Mom know. I'll bring you a gift when I get back," Gu Ming said as she sat by her grandfather's bed, holding his hand gently.

"Be safe," Gu Ning said hoarsely, offering his advice.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll be careful," Gu Ming nodded obediently.

Thanks to the money from selling the porcelain pillow, financial concerns were no longer an issue. Gu Ning was receiving the best medication and care. Moreover, he had been recovering relatively quickly compared to others his age. He had fully regained consciousness. Though he could only utter simple sounds at first, he was now able to form short sentences to express himself.

Two days ago, after receiving the doctor's approval, Gu Ning was discharged from the hospital and was allowed to go home for continued recovery. If it hadn't been for his recovery, Gu Ming wouldn't have dared to go to Taiyuan with Professor Wang.

"You, always assigning tasks to Mom," Ji Ying said as she entered with a plate of cut fruit.

Gu Ming shrugged, a bit helpless. "What can I do? Mom is so capable, it's only natural that she takes on more work."

"Alright, have you packed everything? Don't forget anything," Ji Ying said as she poked a piece of apple into Gu Ming's mouth.

"Already packed," Gu Ming said, puffing her cheeks and giving a thumbs-up. "This apple is so sweet."

"Eat more if it's sweet," Ji Ying gave her another piece.

After finishing the fruit, Gu Ming returned to her room. She did one last check of everything she needed to bring before lying down on the bed, reflecting on what happened earlier in school.

That afternoon, after the list of students chosen to go with Professor Wang to Taiyuan was announced, many students looked at her with a mix of envy and jealousy. When she went to finalize the paperwork, she received even more surprised glances.

The reason was simple: the competition for this opportunity was fierce. Each professor could only bring three students, and aside from Gu Ming, most of the others were seniors, with some even being graduate students.

Gu Ming wasn't particularly outstanding in the eyes of others, aside from having decent grades. This made it clear that Professor Wang had a soft spot for her, which led to some people viewing her with suspicion, trying to gauge what her relationship with Professor Wang really was.

Gu Ming knew she had done nothing wrong and wasn't bothered by these speculative looks. She was confident that once she proved her worth, those who doubted her would have to accept her abilities.

With this mindset, Gu Ming went about her days just like usual, neither flaunting her position nor avoiding questions. This, in turn, made many people less suspicious.

White Fangfang was not selected to join the trip. While she was a little envious of Gu Ming, she was mostly happy for her best friend. She kept chattering in Gu Ming's ear, asking her to take plenty of photos.

Gu Ming rolled her eyes helplessly. "This isn't a vacation, stop asking for photos."

On the day of departure, Gu Ming arrived early at the meeting point. After everyone gathered, they headed to the airport together.

Including the professors and accompanying students, there were only around ten people in total. Aside from Gu Ming, Professor Wang also brought two senior students—Fu Wen and Guan Tong, both of whom were well-known in their class. Gu Ming had met them before but wasn't particularly familiar with them.

After landing, there was no time for rest. The group was immediately escorted to their destination by the person responsible for receiving them.

On the way, they learned from the local guide that the ancient tomb they were heading to had been discovered in a village that was about to be converted into a large resort. The land had already been sold to a developer, and most of the villagers had moved out, with only a few holdouts left. If the developers hadn't begun excavation work, no one would have known that an ancient tomb still existed there.

According to national regulations, cultural relics discovered within the country were considered state property, unless specified otherwise, and could not be privately bought or sold, let alone illegally exported. Violations could lead to severe penalties or even imprisonment.

However, these regulations couldn't stop those seeking to profit from illegal antiquities trade. By the time the authorities had received the report, some items from the tomb had already been stolen.

Experts in Taiyuan had visited the site and initially estimated the tomb to be from the Ming Dynasty. Concerned about damaging the artifacts during improper handling, the tomb had been sealed for now, awaiting the arrival of professional specialists to carry out further work.

Despite the bumpy ride, no one complained. Both the professors and students were eager to reach the tomb. A few of the leading professors had already begun reviewing the tomb's floor plans brought by the guide.

Halfway through the journey, the guide mentioned something that caught everyone's attention.

"You're saying there's a tomb group not far from the ancient tomb?" Professor Wang asked, his brows furrowed.

"Yes, it's across a hill. The tomb group was discovered before the liberation, but due to a lack of awareness about cultural heritage protection at the time, much of the material was taken by the locals and tomb robbers. Although some research is still being done, most of the artifacts were stolen, leaving little for study," the guide explained, pointing outside. "You can see it over there!"

Everyone quickly looked in the direction the guide pointed. They could vaguely make out some mountain peaks but couldn't identify which one he meant.

"The terrain of the tomb group is very unique," the guide continued. "On clear days, you can see the blue sky and fluffy clouds. The cool breeze blows gently, surrounded by mountains, with a river flowing at the foot of the hills. This creates a 'feng shui' site, which is why tomb robbers were attracted to it. However, the location of the tomb we discovered isn't as auspicious—it doesn't have any feng shui characteristics, so it wasn't noticed by people."

Professor Wang smiled and said, "If it weren't for that, this tomb would have been raided long ago." The other professors nodded in agreement.

The professors continued their discussion, while the students sitting in the back started chatting amongst themselves.

Gu Ming wasn't familiar with feng shui since her major focused on different aspects, so she stayed quiet, carefully listening to others explain and analyze the topic.

After hours of bumping along, around 4 pm, the group finally reached their destination.