Shen Zhuo, a jade collector in Tianshui, Gansu, runs a small antiques shop. His grandfather's notes hold the key to his deepest regret: a Qijia jade disc engraved with an inscription, which his ancestors searched for all their lives but never found.
A matching excavated jade disc suddenly appears on the local market. Shen Zhuo wants to buy it, but he is no match for an underground gang of tomb raiders. Just then, the police invite him to act as an informant in their investigation of a major case involving the theft and smuggling of a Northern Zhou stone coffin. His familiarity with the antiques black market makes him the ideal choice.
The gang's leader, Boss Qin, commands five tomb-raiding crews that run rampant across Longyuan. They have grown rich by looting cultural relics, and their brazen ways have earned them enemies in the local underworld. After being badly injured in a brawl at a KTV, Boss Qin becomes vulnerable. Shen Zhuo disguises himself as a southern businessman who specializes in appraising antiques, steps in to mediate the dispute, and uses the opportunity to get close to Boss Qin and win his trust.
Moving between the worlds of law and crime, Shen Zhuo uses jade appraisal as a cover while navigating a web of tomb raiders, gangsters, and overseas antiquities dealers. As he investigates the hidden history of the Qijia jade disc and secretly gathers evidence of smuggling, he must contend with the tug-of-war between desire and morality, gradually unraveling the layers of mystery woven around the ancient jade buried deep beneath the loess.
The author's writing style is unique, the characters are well-developed, and the descriptions of social phenomena are insightful. I hope it will be completed soon. ❤️❤️❤️
Meticulous, thrilling, exciting, and realistic.