Chapter 149: Chapter 127: Qingnang Book on the Silk Road (Part 2)
The next day, Qi Yun was brushing his teeth in the bathroom when he saw the intelligence content in front of him, and his hand holding the toothbrush stopped abruptly.
"Camel caravan?"
"Toxara Kingdom?"
"Qingnang Book! Such a familiar name!"
He could no longer worry about brushing his teeth and immediately pulled out his phone from his pocket to start searching for information.
The Qingnang Book was written by Hua Tuo, a famous doctor in China’s history. It is said that some pharmacological and clinical knowledge recorded in the book still hasn’t reached that level, even in today’s technologically advanced age.
According to online rumors, Cao Cao suffered from a strange illness, often had splitting headaches, and thus asked Hua Tuo to treat him.
At that time, Hua Tuo diagnosed that Cao Cao’s headaches were caused by winds and phlegm growing in his head. To cure this illness, a craniotomy was needed to remove the winds and phlegm.
However, Cao Cao mistakenly believed Hua Tuo intended to harm him, so he imprisoned Hua Tuo.
Later, knowing he couldn’t escape his fate, Hua Tuo passed down the Qingnang Book, which accumulated his life’s efforts, to a jailer, and then the trail was lost.
"So it eventually ended up in the hands of the king from Toxara Kingdom? He intended to offer it to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, but unfortunately, the camel caravan met with an accident on the Silk Road?"
After understanding the origins of the matter, Qi Yun immediately opened the map and entered the coordinate location.
The map showed that the area was located in the desert wasteland, with the nearest city being Shanshan County.
He frowned slightly, pondering to himself that reaching this place would not be easy; it was in the depths of the vast desert, quite different from finding a meteorite at the desert’s edge.
In the past two years, he had seen news about accidents and disappearances in the desert numerous times.
Therefore, wanting to head to this area to search for the camel caravan could be extremely dangerous.
This matter needs careful planning...
As he was thinking, the phone in his hand suddenly rang, displaying Zhang Dayong’s name on the screen.
Qi Yun was slightly startled and pressed the answer button.
"Qi Yun, do you have time now?" On the other end, Zhang Dayong’s voice remained just as loud.
"Yes, Director Zhang, is there something you need?" Qi Yun said as he walked out of the bathroom and sat on the sofa in the living room.
"Let’s meet up somewhere." Zhang Dayong paused and continued, "I have a favor to ask you."
A slight confusion arose in Qi Yun’s mind, wondering what simple matter could make someone of his status seek help.
"Alright, Director Zhang, just tell me where, and I’ll come right away."
"There’s a tea house near the G Bureau; let’s go there." Zhang Dayong said.
After hanging up the phone, Qi Yun quickly washed his face, put on his jacket, and hurriedly left.
Upon arriving at the tea house, Zhang Dayong was already waiting in the private room.
"Director Zhang, you called me so urgently, is there something troublesome?" Qi Yun asked directly as he sat down.
Zhang Dayong picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of tea, then sighed and said, "This time it’s indeed a tricky matter. I’ve got friends in the system, but they can’t help, so I brought you here to see if there’s any way."
"Director Zhang, you’re too courteous; if there’s a place I can help, I’ll definitely do my best. Tell me, what exactly is going on?" Qi Yun took the teacup, lightly sipped a bit, and looked at Zhang Dayong.
Zhang Dayong took out a cigarette to hand to Qi Yun, then lit his own, taking a deep drag before gradually speaking, "The favor I need is personal. This matter is very important to me, and no third person can know."
Qi Yun nodded seriously, took the cigarette without lighting it, and quietly waited for the rest.
"How is your relationship with that antique store owner?"
"Are you talking about Shi Feng?" Qi Yun was a bit surprised and replied, "It’s quite good, trustworthy."
Zhang Dayong nodded, furrowed his brows, and took two more deep breaths, seemingly making a great effort to reach a decision.
"Does he know anyone who specializes in replicas? I need to have something replicated."
Qi Yun was slightly stunned, a hint of confusion rising in his heart. Why would someone like him in position want a replica?
But considering Zhang Dayong’s serious expression, Qi Yun knew there was more to the situation and refrained from asking directly, instead pondering carefully.
"Director Zhang, Shi Feng knows many people, he can likely connect with someone who specializes in replicas, but I need to ask him first, and you need to tell me what exactly needs replicating so I can pass the details to him properly." Qi Yun said.
Zhang Dayong didn’t answer immediately but dipped his finger into the teacup, writing three characters on the table.
After reading them, Qi Yun was shocked, a storm raging in his heart as he realized why the man wanted the replica.
However, he kept his composure, held the cigarette between his lips, and took a deep drag.
Despite wanting to maintain a good relationship with Zhang Dayong, the matter was too significant; Qi Yun didn’t want to get involved, nor involve Shi Feng.
He was contemplating how to tactfully refuse, not leaving a negative impression, when suddenly he recalled some intelligence content from two days prior.
Isn’t that recently released old Deng good at forging bronze artifacts?
Thinking of this, he had an idea and lifted his head to say, "I heard recently that a batch of replicas has flowed into the antique market, even experts find it hard to distinguish the real from the fake."
"The person who made them reportedly lives in Xialing Village xxxx, though I’m not sure if it’s true, so I haven’t had time to report it."
With this, Qi Yun stopped his words.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dayong’s eyes lit up.
He picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and finally, the tension in his brows relaxed.
"Alright, I’ll arrange for someone to investigate this; thanks a lot."
Qi Yun smiled and waved his hand, "No need to thank me, it’s my duty."
Zhang Dayong nodded and said no more, "I have another task in a bit, so I’ll take my leave. Let’s gather again once things settle down."
Qi Yun didn’t hold him back, watching his departing figure and exhaling a long breath.
The phone on the table finally restored its signal at this moment.
...
After leaving the tea house, Qi Yun drove to the pharmaceutical factory.
Cao Yufei was in the warehouse leading others to check his remaining batch of medicinal materials, so Qi Yun didn’t disturb him, heading straight to Liu Meng’s room.
He’s been holding up here almost 24/7, while the adjacent rooms are storing the batch of Tufuling valued at 3.5 million.
"Nothing unusual, right?" Qi Yun asked.
Liu Meng replied with a smile, "Everything’s normal, rest assured with me watching."
Qi Yun nodded, indeed he might have overthought things.
"Once things here are done, come accompany me to the desert."
"Alright." Liu Meng agreed without asking why, straightforwardly accepting.
The camel caravan is buried under the dunes; they might need to dig it out, so relying on just Qi Yun alone is certainly not enough.
"Add myself, Liu Meng, and bring along Zhong Rui; three people should be enough."
Then there’s the need for a professional guide and preparation of various supplies.
Thinking of this, Qi Yun took out his phone and dialed Mamati’s number. Mamati had led him and Zhong Rui into the desert to find a meteorite last time, clearly experienced and generally reliable.
On the other end, Mamati’s cheerful voice came through, "Hello, Mr. Qi."
Qi Yun responded with a smile, "Mamati, are you free recently?"
"I just led a self-driving team out of the desert yesterday; planning to rest these two days. Is there something you need, Mr. Qi?" Mamati asked.
"Yes." Qi Yun organized his words and said, "I’m planning to go deep into the desert; about 300 kilometers north from where we looked for the meteorite last time, and I’d like to invite you as a guide."
Mamati was silent for a moment, then said, "Mr. Qi, that area is tricky; it’s much more dangerous than where we found the meteorite last time. Are you sure you want to go?"
"Yes, I’m sure." Qi Yun replied firmly, without hesitation.
Mamati sighed and said, "Mr. Qi, since you’ve already decided, I won’t persuade you otherwise."
"I have no issues myself, but going there is very risky; thorough preparations must be made. Besides me, you’ll need to find others familiar with the desert’s depths; they have a better understanding of the climate and terrain there and can be very helpful in critical moments."
"You also need to inform me of how many people are going from your side for us to report in advance to the relevant departments."
"Regarding other necessities like vehicles and supplies, I’ll have to discuss further with my companions."
Qi Yun responded quickly, "No problem, I’ll follow your arrangements; I’ll send you the information on personnel later."
ps: two Chapters remain unfinished, will be posted later