Excavation

Gu Ming and the others exchanged surprised glances. Could they, a group of four teachers and students, really recover the items stolen from the tomb?

Professor Wang seemed to notice their doubts and continued, "Of course, it's impossible for just the four of us to do it, and we don't have the capability for that either."

"Then…" Guan Tong hesitated, looking at Professor Wang.

Since the beginning of the trip, unless necessary, Gu Ming had deliberately refrained from speaking up in case she came across as trying to compete with the others for attention. So, she patiently waited for one of them to ask the questions.

"Don't forget, what is our field of expertise?" Professor Wang smiled slightly and turned to them. "I've already spoken to Professor Tong earlier. There are specialized personnel who've gathered items that might belong to the tomb. However, due to insufficient expertise, they're unable to make a proper judgment. Our task is to assist the other specialists and help identify the authentic items among the recovered ones."

The three students nodded in understanding, feeling a sense of relief. They had feared they would be required to confront tomb raiders and artifacts dealers, but now it seemed that their role was more focused on authentication.

They couldn't hide their excitement. For them, the real thrill wasn't just observing or researching the tomb, but the chance to authenticate the excavated items. There was no better way to learn quickly than by getting hands-on experience.

"Everyone's had a long day, so let's rest early tonight. Tomorrow we'll begin the excavation, and we'll be there with you. Take the opportunity to learn, and once the other details come in, we'll assist with the authentication," Professor Wang said in a more serious tone.

"Understood," they all nodded in unison.

After a few more instructions, Professor Wang sent them off to rest while he went back into the tent to meet with the other professors.

Gu Ming lay in the tent, listening to Guan Tong's soft breathing as she fell asleep beside her. Gu Ming thought back to what Professor Wang had said earlier and absentmindedly touched the jade bracelet on her left wrist. As far as identifying the authenticity of items was concerned, she believed no one was more qualified than her at the moment. Maybe, just maybe, she was truly in the right place.

The next morning, the group woke up to find that the tomb excavation had already begun. Previously, the construction crew had only excavated a small section, but the rest had been left untouched until the relevant authorities could take over.

During the process of clearing the tomb path, a significant amount of water suddenly emerged from somewhere, causing difficulties with the excavation. Eventually, they had to use a pump to drain the water before they could proceed.

As they pumped the water, a bottle of mineral water floated up, and everyone's expressions darkened. It was obvious that this wasn't something that belonged in a tomb, and it had been left by the tomb robbers.

At this point, students like Gu Ming weren't allowed to go down to the tomb and could only watch from the sidelines. If they accidentally disturbed the tomb's contents, it would be a major problem.

Professor Hong, an expert in archaeology, showed great expertise in directing the workers, carefully explaining where they should dig and how to proceed. His two graduate students, who were also experienced, joined him in overseeing the work. The students, who could only wait, looked on with envy.

Gu Ming didn't know exactly what was going on inside the tomb. At first, people were carrying sand and dirt out, and then there was no more noise. It was likely that they had successfully entered the tomb.

"Something's coming out! Be careful!" Suddenly, voices from inside the tomb called out. Everyone outside rushed over.

Professor Wang, ever the leader, was the first to jump into the excavation pit. He quickly took a bamboo basket filled with artifacts from a worker covered in mud and handed it up. The basket, which was initially used to carry the excess sand, now contained several pristine porcelain plates.

Gu Ming couldn't believe her eyes. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed that these clean and beautiful items had been buried underground for centuries.

"Smooth as if coated with fat, transparent like wings, and as white as snow!" Gu Ming couldn't help but exclaim as she admired the porcelain plates.

By her side, Guan Tong and Fu Wen were stunned, standing like statues.

"Why are you still standing there? Hurry over here!" Professor Wang called, having retrieved several other items. He noticed the stunned expressions of the students and urged them to move faster.

"Yes!" Gu Ming quickly came to her senses, and without worrying about how Guan Tong and Fu Wen might feel, she rushed over to Professor Wang's side. Her heart had already leapt at the sight of the items being unearthed.

Professor Wang, equally excited, carefully picked up a blue-and-white plate and gently ran his fingers over it, praising, "Look at the color! The glaze is perfect! This is truly a masterpiece. Luckily, it wasn't taken by the tomb robbers; otherwise, who knows if we'd be able to recover it."

After receiving permission from Professor Wang, Gu Ming carefully took a porcelain plate with a design of peaches and grapes. The plate glowed faintly, as if it radiated a subtle light.

Her right hand gently touched the plate, which felt cool and smooth, like jade. The moment her left hand touched the plate, a wave of intense warmth surged through her, bringing an overwhelming sense of joy. The crisp sound of porcelain clinking echoed in her mind, signifying the item's value.

With a heart full of joy, Gu Ming turned the plate over and saw the clear markings on the bottom: "Yongle Year, Yutang Jiaqi" in seal script, which indicated the era it was made.

"Truly beautiful…" Gu Ming whispered, lost in admiration as she caressed the plate.

At that moment, Fu Wen, Guan Tong, and some of the other students finally snapped out of their daze and rushed to Professor Wang's side to get a closer look at the freshly unearthed porcelain.

Although everyone was eager and excited, they knew the value of these artifacts, so every movement was cautious, trying their best not to damage them.

Professor Wang, worried about any potential mishaps during the chaos, only allowed Gu Ming to touch the artifacts. The other students were asked to keep a three-step distance.

As Wang's students, Fu Wen and Guan Tong naturally weren't restricted by the three-step rule. They quickly moved in to stand beside him.

"Guan Tong, Fu Wen, you two are in charge of numbering. Gu Ming, you handle packing. Work quickly, there may be more items coming out," Professor Wang instructed.

"Yes!" The three students replied in unison.

Suddenly, a dull sound echoed, and Gu Ming felt the ground tremble slightly. A basket filled with several porcelain plates slid towards the edge of the pit.

"Be careful!"