Warner stretched out his hand to interrupt and asked the Taoist priest in black to step back.
"Actually, this kind of behavior doesn't just happen in China, it is happening in every corner of the world..." Warner said.
"In ancient Maya, ancient Egypt, ancient India, and ancient Babylon, some locals were only obsessed with money, and some locals just wanted to grab more territory through war. They have forgotten that their ancestors were the most powerful people in the world. One of the best civilizations, they stood on a long ancient country."
"They don't care at all in whose hands those priceless cultural relics fall. There are only two endings for cultural relics in war-torn places, either sell them or destroy them."
"I once saw an entire palace of Quetzalcoatl being blown up by cannons, and I also saw the Pharaoh's mask being sold to vendors by ignorant people. Do you know how much it was worth? It was just a bag of flour." Warner smiled bitterly.
"Dear Professor Xiang Wanli, please ask yourself, if during the Qing Dynasty, the first batch of foreign explorers had not taken away the Dunhuang murals, today, these thousands of murals would have been left unattended and exposed to wind and rain. How much of the murals are left? Are all the scriptures rotten?"
"But it is precisely because of the first explorer Stein and the later Tulip family that you know that there is a Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang! Only then do you know that there are treasures abandoned by you in the museums of the United States, the Sun Never Sets, and Great Britain. "
"Many things can only be cherished after they are lost..."
Lao Jiang then said: "Robber logic!"
Warner sighed: "I know you won't understand me, but this is the mission of the Tulip family."
"Ever since my grandfather's generation, we no longer expect to be understood."
"Our mission is to save and protect cultural relics that are about to be destroyed in every corner of the world, even if they are broken into pieces."
"Centuries later, when you see them lying in the museum safe and sound, you will know who is right."
"Please remember that archeology has no borders, and human civilization can be protected by anyone who wants to protect it!"
I finally couldn't help it and said sarcastically in a sharp voice: "Stop pretending to be a savior. Archeology has no borders, but archaeologists do have borders!"
"The treasures of our country should be placed in the museum of the Chinese people, not your America, where the sun never sets, or Great Britain."
"You have built yourself up to be so great, so let me ask you. If our country is able to protect these cultural relics in a few years, will you return our national treasures?"
I actually wanted to completely tear apart Warner's hypocrisy with these words, but I never expected that his answer would really surprise me!
Warner looked fascinated: "One day, your people will be proud of the five thousand years of history, your country will be able to defend its treasures, and your nation will rise again in the east. How do you know that I will not Will you come back?"
I was stunned, thinking that Warner was playing a trick.
But I never thought that this day would really come in the future!
At this time, Lao Jiang suddenly stood up and swept the red wine off the table with one hand.
The black knife on his waist reflected the strong murderous intention in the sun. He asked Warner: "That's enough! Why do you insist on this treasure map? You promised at the beginning that you would never set foot in the Central Plains again." step."
Warner spread his hands and said, "I'm sorry for breaking my promise! This visit to Dunhuang involves family secrets, so it's inconvenient to reveal them to you."
"What I can tell you is that fifteen years ago, my father led the strongest Sino-US joint expedition team in history and entered this place, looking for something that could affect the rise and fall of the family. But he failed. , left me and my mother behind, and didn’t even have time to leave a will..."
"After that, the Desert of the Dead became a sad place for the Tulip family! I didn't want to think about it, but then I accidentally got a clay statue, discovered the secret behind it about the eight heavenly dragons of Buddhism, and found the first guardian Mausoleum: Tomb of the Great King of the Western Qin Dynasty."
Warner seemed to be trying to be as sincere as possible.
He told us that it was in that Western Qin tomb that he discovered thirteen golden coffins.
Lao Jiang smiled disdainfully: "Qilin has known about this for a long time. I also know that an accident occurred when the coffins were opened that day. The first twelve coffins contained the corpses of cursed workers."
Warner nodded and said in fluent Chinese: "I am very aware of your Qilin's powerful intelligence capabilities, but do you know what is in the thirteenth golden coffin?"
Lao Jiang and I looked at each other. According to the original news, Warner had indeed opened the thirteenth golden coffin, but no one knew what he saw. All they knew was that what was inside made Warner feel like he was dying, and he died that day. Escaped from the desert.
I thought about it and looked at Warner: "Could it be that the body in the golden coffin is your father's body?"
Warner glanced at me in surprise, as if he felt that he had underestimated this young man of mine, and then said with an appreciative look: "Yes, it is my father. What is surprising is that when the coffin was opened, his whole body The person seemed to be sleeping peacefully, as lifelike as when he left home. But after a while, it turned into ashes, leaving only the statue of the gods tightly held in his hand. "
He spent a lot of money to recruit countless Chinese and foreign experts. After cracking the Tianzhong statue, he finally understood his father's long-cherished wish.
From that moment on, Warner began all his planning.
He wants to find the treasure map on behalf of his father and find out what the thing in the depths of Dunhuang is.
"I am also very grateful to all my friends for their help, which has made my plan many, many years ahead of schedule." Warner smiled slightly and said: "We hurt each other in a battle yesterday. I think both sides don't want anyone to die anymore..."
"So, please give us the treasure map! I will return the hostages to you unharmed and promise to send you out of the desert safe and sound."
Before Lao Jiang and I could speak, Xiang Wanli took a sip of water on the ground, gritted his teeth and said, "Don't even think about it! Stealing the Chinese treasures in front of the Chinese people, unless you step on our corpses."
Warner glanced sideways and said to Wan Li: "I know what kind of commune you have established, and I really want to make some achievements. Don't worry, after I find the treasure, I will leave a part of it for you, so that you will be happy. Bring it back to Yanjing.”
"Of course, you can serialize it in the newspaper, the great story of how a group of patriots defeated thieves. After this is done, I will return to the United States and never set foot in China again."
Warner's words were full of sincerity. After all, they had the upper hand now, and they still had two crucial hostages in their hands.
But Lao Jiang and I can't nod our heads no matter what, because Qilin's mission is to defend the country's treasures.
"What if I say that I won't let you take away even a brick from Dunhuang?" Lao Jiang stared at Warner coldly, the black knife ready to be unsheathed at any time.
