HCB Chapter 24 Jade Eyeball
Chapter 24 Jade Eyeball
After having some ideas about the task ahead, Cheng Feng turned his attention to his surroundings.
The temple was filled with sand, and was spacious, supported by carved pillars on all sides.
Steps covered in sand and dust ascend upwards, flanked by tall human-shaped statues.
Hao Aiguo circled the statue like a pilgrim, trying to memorize every detail.
"These statues are all made of lodestone mined from Cishan. The craftsmanship of the artisans at that time was truly exquisite and admirable!"
Hao Aiguo, who had been studying it intently for a long time, couldn't help but sigh.
Cheng Feng sat on the top step, patiently waiting for them to study the statue.
Professor Chen and his team came here despite the danger for these things.
It's normal to be unable to move when you see a statue that has special significance these days.
Hu Bayi and Fatty followed Professor Chen, listening to his analysis of the statue.
He behaved more like a student than Cheng Feng.
Taking this opportunity, Yang Xueli walked up the steps and sat down next to Cheng Feng, ignoring the dust on the ground.
Cheng Feng turned to look at the young American heiress and said:
Is there something you want to tell me?
Yang Xueli stared at Cheng Feng with her almond-shaped eyes.
What brings you to the ancient city of Jingjue?
"Why do you ask that? Didn't I come with a tour group?"
Cheng Feng feigned a puzzled expression.
"I came here to find a way to break the curse,"
Professor Chen and his colleagues were there for the sake of Western Region culture.
At this point, Yang Xueli raised her chin, gesturing for Cheng Feng to look at Chu Jian and the other two who were taking notes in a notebook.
This contrasts sharply with Cheng Feng, who is sitting here resting.
Then Yang Xueli continued:
"Old Hu and Fatty started out for money, but later they also took on responsibilities."
"Only you, I can't understand why you would take such a great risk to come to this ancient city of Jingjue."
Cheng Feng understood what Yang Xueli meant, but he still felt like he was being silently mocked.
"Now that things have come to this, I won't lie to you anymore. I came here to hook up with a rich woman."
Cheng Feng looked serious, as if he were about to join the Party at any moment.
Yang Xueli was helpless and lightly punched Cheng Feng's arm.
"I'm being serious. If you have any ulterior motives, you can tell me, and everyone will help you!"
Cheng Feng shook his head.
"Your willingness to trust me, follow my instructions, and not cause trouble is the greatest help you can give me."
After saying that, Cheng Feng stood up and patted the dust off his pants.
This left Yang Xueli, who was sitting next to her, looking disheveled.
After spitting a few times haphazardly, Yang Xueli gritted her teeth and stood up, glaring at Cheng Feng with her bright eyes.
"Why are you looking at me like that? We're all江湖儿女 (jianghu children, meaning people from the martial arts world) don't care about such things. It's just a little dust!"
After saying that, Cheng Feng took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and sat back down.
Yang Xueli has a cool and aloof personality. If it were a girl from Northeast China, she would probably be getting slapped across the face right now.
She would only comfort herself and not hold it against him.
After a while, Professor Chen and his group finally finished their research and went up the steps to the top.
Cheng Feng stubbed out his cigarette, casually put the butt in his pocket, and said:
"Professor Chen, have you made any discoveries?"
In the past, Hao Aiguo would have definitely scolded Cheng Feng for not listening in earlier and for only remembering to ask questions now that he had discovered it.
But now, he stood in front of Cheng Feng and handed him the notebook that he had never parted with.
"Here are my and Professor Chen's conjectures about the statue. You can take a look; you'll need them when you write your paper later."
Cheng Feng solemnly accepted the notebook and thanked Hao Aiguo.
The conflict between the two was not actually that big. The most serious one happened in the Kunlun Mountains, when they were evenly matched.
All the bumps and bruises along the way vanished the moment Cheng Feng accepted the notebook.
After a quick glance, Cheng Feng gave a thumbs up.
"Your analysis is correct; these statues do indeed represent the various social classes during the reign of the Jingjue Kingdom."
Additionally, I happen to know some things that can be used as a reference.
Professor Chen's eyes lit up, and he quickly said:
"Xiao Feng, you say it."
Cheng Feng pointed to the statue beside him.
"It is the snake mother, which can be understood as the leader in the Pure Vision Agama. The Queen of Jingjue used it to command the snakes."
Professor Chen: "This is the last statue. Does that mean the Snake Mother is second only to the Queen of Jingjue?"
The crowd subconsciously accepted that the Snake Mother really existed.
Cheng Feng shook his head.
"No, in the culture of the Ghost Cave tribe, the second layer is that open space, which represents a part of the god, below the queen."
After saying that, Cheng Feng returned the notebook to Hao Aiguo.
"Let's go. Open the secret passage above, and we'll reach the core area of Jingjue Kingdom. All the answers will be there."
The group followed Cheng Feng as they walked across the open space that represented the imaginary space.
A stone platform came into view.
It reaches the chest height of a normal person and is decorated with the totem of the Ghost Cave Clan, which is an eye.
A rare treasure was placed on the stone platform.
Fatty Wang couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when he saw it:
"What a big eye!"
This is a jade stone shaped like an eyeball, about the size of a volleyball, with a lifelike pupil.
The whites of his eyes were still bloodshot, as if they had just been removed from the eye sockets of some enormous creature.
"Don't go over there yet, this thing looks too eerie."
Hu Bayi stopped Fatty Wang, who wanted to go over and take a closer look, and said warily.
In the group, Fatty Wang always obeyed Hu Bayi's every word, and even if he was itching to go, he stopped in his tracks.
"Fatty, give me your jade pendant, we'll need it later."
Cheng Feng approached the fat man and directly asked for it.
They were already friends who had risked their lives for each other, so Cheng Feng didn't beat around the bush.
The fat man was a straightforward person. Without asking what it was for, he took off his family heirloom jade pendant and placed it in Cheng Feng's hand.
"Thanks, Fatty!"
Cheng Feng looked at the jade token in his hand and thanked the fat man.
Fatty Wang waved his hand.
"It's just a sign. If you need it, take it. Why thank me? It's me and Lao Hu who should be thanking you."
Without much small talk, Cheng Feng nodded, then walked to the stone platform and removed the eyeball from it.
The crowd gathered around, the beams of flashlights shining on their eyes, reflecting a fluorescent glow.
"My God, this huge eyeball is actually made from a single piece of jade."
Fatty Wang's pupils dilated, his gaze practically glued to it.
Professor Chen and the others were extremely excited and wanted to reach out and touch it, but they were worried that their hands would shake and knock the jade away.
"This item can be described as the most dazzling pearl of the Western Regions civilization; it is simply a masterpiece of nature."
Without letting everyone admire it for too long, Cheng Feng put the jade eyeball and Wang Pangzi's jade pendant into his backpack.
"Xiao Feng, this..."
Professor Chen hesitated, staring longingly at Cheng Feng's backpack.
Cheng Feng slung his backpack over his shoulder and said:
"Keep these things with me for now; you might need them."