As he spoke, he gestured towards the nearby highway bridge and exined to Zhang Ermao (Cade): “You know, the quickest way to reach this spot isn’t by exiting the highway and taking the country road. Instead, you can select a point of rtive height on the highway bridge. Just pull over in a lower area, climb over the fence, and you’ll be there. If it’s your first visit, you might struggle to find the location, but most of our regr clientse down from the highway.”
Immediately, the other person continued, “There’s only one road that cars can use to enter the vige, which has two entrances—one from the south and another from the north. Most folks looking at the map might think they can easily trap us by blocking both ends, but the truth is, theye right to our doorstep. We don’t even have to leave the vige. The guys on the road take advantage of the time to meet the car, and during that moment, we simply climb up onto the highway bridge and make our exit.”<fn5d5c> This content belongs to find·novel</fn5d5c>
Zhang Ermao (Cade) looked surprised and asked, “So, you’re saying you’re going to climb onto the highway and walk?”
“Not quite,” the other replied with a smile. “When you exit the highway, just drive four kilometers further to reach a service area. We always have a car parked there, and there are guys keeping watch. If anything unexpected happens, just hit the elerator and go 120—you’ll be at the roadside in under two minutes.”
Hearing this, Zhang Ermao (Cade) was stunned and couldn’t help but express his admiration: “I’ve heard for ages that you have the most professional team in the south. I never had the chance to dig deeper before, but now, seeing it firsthand, I’m truly impressed.”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">
Teacher Cheng quickly interjected humbly, “Oh, I don’t deserve such praise! We’re just doing what we have to do to make a living.”
He then asked, “By the way, Brother Ermao, you came to see me today for something specific?”
Zhang Ermao (Cade) pointed to Jacob standing beside him and introduced, “This is my good friend, Mr. Murong, who specializes in the antique business in Suzhou and Hangzhou. I brought him along today to see if there’s anything here he might find interesting.”
Teacher Cheng couldn’t quite grasp Jacob’s background. Observing Zhang Ermao (Cade) being so respectful andplimentary towards him, he assumed Jacob must be quite important. He said respectfully, “Hello, Mr. Murong! I’ve often heard about the legendary Gusu Murong. I didn’t expect your surname to also be Murong and that you’re from Suzhou and Hangzhou. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
Jacob nodded, smiled, and replied, “I’m in a bit of a hurry this time, so let’s get straight to looking at the items.”
“Sure thing!” responded Teacher Cheng, pointing to a nearby farmyard and smiling. “That’s our studio. All the good pieces are there. Let me take you there!”
When they arrived at the farmyard, it appeared unremarkable at first nce. Teacher Cheng led them to an old, abandoned cowshed. He lifted some hay from the ground, revealing a wooden boardid t. Upon lifting the board, they uncovered a descending passageway.
It turned out they had converted the old cowshed into an entrance and had excavated the entire yard beneath it.
Jacob followed down the passage and couldn’t help but remark, “You’ve certainly done a lot of work digging out such arge area!”
Teacher Cheng replied modestly, “Most in our line of work have some experience with digging and crafting. To put it simply, wee from a local background. Besides being skilled at tomb raiding, we’re also good at excavation. This amount of work isn’t a big deal for us.”
As they conversed, the trio descended the dug stairs into the hall below. While it wasbeled a hall due to its considerable size—nearly a hundred square meters—the environment felt rather basic. The ceiling was low, about 1.8 to 1.9 meters high, with exposed loess and wooden support structures. It resembled stepping into a dark coal kiln.
Noticing Jacob’s slight unease, the man smiled and assured him, “Don’t worry, Mr. Murong. While it may look simple at first nce, it’s actually very safe here. The digging is quite shallow, with only about a meter of soil overhead. Think about it—how much weight can a meter of soil really hold? This wooden support is more than sufficient. Back when we dug ten meters deep for pots, we used simr supports, and nothing went wrong.”
Feeling a bit more at ease, Jacob began to carefully observe his surroundings.
The space featured several workbenches filling the nearly hundred-square-meter area. A musty odor mixed with earthy scents hung in the air, which was somewhat overwhelming.
In front of the workbenches, several technicians were focused on their tasks, appearing to be handling antiques.
Zhang Ermao (Cade) was also impressed by the scale of the operation and turned to Teacher Cheng, saying, “Please introduce this ce to Mr. Murong.”
“Of course!” Teacher Cheng responded promptly. “Mr. Murong, unlike other ces where counterfeit goods are produced, all the items created here are genuine—there’s not a single fake among them.”