Chapter 13: The Grand Archaeological Project

I am someone who is rarely curious about anything, and following this team to this point without knowing much is already my limit. Tian Yuqing was very adamant; if I were to learn everything from him, I would have to stick with the team to the end. On this point, his stance was firm.

But abandoning Fourth Brother and running off on my own was something I could never do.

My mother was a very career-driven woman. As soon as she finished breastfeeding, she left me at my grandfather’s house and went off to pursue her career. Although that’s what she said, I always felt she didn’t like me, which is why she hadn’t returned to Henan for years.

So, for a long time during my childhood, Fourth Brother was the one who accompanied me. You could say the emotional bond between us was stronger than the one I had with my mother.

After much internal struggle, I said, “I’ve made up my mind, but you must tell me everything. Otherwise, I won’t keep my promise.”

At that time, I was overly confident and had a somewhat unclear understanding of myself. I thought my reasoning was flawless, but I didn’t realize there was a big flaw in my thinking: I had no way to verify Tian Yuqing’s words. So even if he were lying, with my level of experience back then, I wouldn’t have been able to tell.

Tian Yuqing looked at me and smiled. He stubbed out his cigarette and said, “You can rest assured. I’ve been business partners with your Fourth Brother for ten years. You’re not in this line of work, so while I can’t tell you everything, I won’t harm you.”

“I’ll tell you what you can know, but first, I need to verify something,” he said, pulling a piece of wire from his pocket and handing it to me. “Use this wire to open the wooden box you’re holding.”

Tian Yuqing spoke decisively. The lock on the wooden box I was holding was quite old, probably from the last century, and its mechanism was more complex than modern locks. But for me, a piece of wire was enough.

Tian Yuqing seemed already convinced that I had a deep understanding of traditional lock mechanisms. But if he was so sure, there was no need for me to demonstrate. I didn’t take the wire, remaining cautious.

Tian Yuqing casually reached into the back seat and tossed a file folder in front of me. “I know you know lock mechanisms. There’s no need to hide it. All your identity records from childhood to now are in here. I just want to confirm your real skills.”

My inner shock far exceeded what showed on my face. As I began to nonchalantly flip through the stack of documents, I realized how naive my previous actions had been. Tian Yuqing was truly a master strategist.

I had no reason to refuse anymore, so I took the wire, quickly bending it into a precise arc. The arc for opening this type of lock had to be within a specific range. Then I slowly inserted the end into the small lock cylinder, listening intently for the mechanism’s movements.

A minute later, I pulled out the wire. “It’s open. Do you want to check?”

Tian Yuqing took the wooden box from my hands. The big lock was completely undone, with no signs of external tampering. After inspecting it thoroughly, he gave me an approving look. “As expected, Grandpa Gan taught you well.”

I clutched the wire. “Now can you tell me? What exactly are you involved in?”

Tian Yuqing nodded and took out the Jade Casket from the wooden box, letting me examine the patterns closely. As I leaned in, I immediately noticed something was off. The patterns on this Jade Casket were completely different from what I had seen before, depicting not an army but winding, irregular lines.

“This Jade Casket was unearthed in the last century. Due to war, it was lost overseas and stored in a private Japanese museum called Akitsu. But around 1950, it vanished from the museum without a trace. This is its second appearance in nearly fifty years.”

What do you mean, vanished without a trace? The casket couldn’t have grown legs and walked away. I suspected it was stolen.

“The first appearance was in Shandong, dug up by a farmer. But not long after, the farmer hanged himself under a bridge in a very peculiar spot. A local Record Keeper of the Heard documented the incident in detail. Since then, our peers haven’t seen this Jade Casket again.”

According to Tian Yuqing, he and Fourth Brother initially discussed the possibility that this was a vanity case. Judging by the hibiscus carvings on the base and the overall design, it seemed more like something used by women. This conclusion surprised me.

Tian Yuqing and Fourth Brother approached the investigation in two completely different ways. Tian Yuqing traced the origins back to the Akitsu private museum, even using connections to call the museum and retrieve old records.

Fourth Brother, on the other hand, started with the Jade Casket itself. He shone a light on the entire casket, turning it on and off repeatedly. He discovered that the patterns visible in the dark were entirely different from those in daylight. The inside of the casket seemed coated with a material similar to that used in luminous pearls.

These chaotic black dots and lines resembled tree rings, leaving Chen Si at a loss. My Fourth Brother is someone who knows how to adapt. Once he had an idea, he didn’t keep it to himself. He traced the vertical patterns and showed them to Yu Jingzi.

“The patterns aren’t meant to be viewed vertically, nor are they tree rings. Yu Jingzi quickly recognized them as a complete river map, stretching from Chifeng in Inner Mongolia down to the Hengduan Mountains. It’s unclear which dynasty it’s from since some rivers have completely disappeared now,” Tian Yuqing explained.

According to Tian Yuqing, they initially speculated that the various black dots might represent different imperial tombs. Upon learning this, Tan Qiu immediately notified a team of professional archaeologists to conduct a preliminary field investigation at a black dot along the Datong River in Gansu.

Meanwhile, my Fourth Brother led a team near the Hengduan Mountains. The black dot’s location was unclear, and the senior archaeological team hoped to find a knowledgeable feng shui master for on-site positioning. This archaeological project was massive, referred to as the “Nine-Ring Project.”

When Tian Yuqing finished his story, it took me a while to process everything. Surprisingly, I felt no fear, only excitement. I had inadvertently stumbled into a national-level archaeological project.

I wondered if they could give me some official recognition in the end. Surely, I’d earn a lot of credits.

“So, what can I do to help?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly, feeling inadequate. My knowledge of lock mechanisms was entirely self-taught, and compared to professional experts, I might just be a novice.

Tian Yuqing started the vehicle to head back. He said casually, “Just stick with the team. I didn’t expect you to help us much, but based on your performance just now, it seems Grandpa Gan put a lot of effort into training you. As long as you listen, I’ll consider taking you down with us.”