Chapter 19: The Emperor's Tomb, Who Dares Touch It?

On screen, Zhou Cheng was moving toward Zhou Zeyi and the others.

"Third Master, why are you being so conflicted?"

"Who cares if it’s Western Zhou or the Warring States period? As long as it’s a treasure, isn’t that enough?"

"Besides, dating the period is a job for archaeologists. We are tomb raiders; making money is what really matters!"

The tall, thin man seemed unable to grasp the hesitation and, not daring to push Zhou Zeyi too hard, could only puff on his cigarette in agitation. He had come on this trip, and his partner had already been lost. If he didn’t manage to haul out a few more antiques, he would be at a massive loss! Yet, he hadn't expected Zhou Zeyi to remain so obsessed with the age of this bronze tripod. To him, it was a classic case of a busybody meddling in affairs that didn't concern him.

Seeing that Zhou Zeyi ignored him, he stopped talking and turned to Taili for help. "Brother, talk some sense into the Third Master."

Taili sighed and cleared his throat. "Ahem, Third Master..."

He was cut off before he could even finish his sentence.

"The map clearly records that this location must be a tomb from the Warring States period!" Zhou Zeyi stated. "Yet, here we are, finding Shang-Zhou dynasty bronzes in a Warring States tomb!" He glanced at the two men coolly. "What does that tell you?"

Taili shook his head. "How would I know?"

After a moment of thought, the tall, thin man exclaimed excitedly, "It means the owner of this Warring States tomb was a grave robber too!"

Zhou Zeyi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Third Master, isn't it obvious?" the man continued, fired up. "The owner of this tomb built it here, that’s certain! But in his lifetime, he was a collector, hiding away all sorts of goods he’d scavenged from who knows where. After he died, he still wanted to enjoy the riches he had in life, so he had people bury these antiques with him!"

Taili’s eyes lit up. "It’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s actually quite plausible!"

However, Zhou Zeyi shook his head. "I wouldn't normally care about the era of a single bronze tripod. But the problem lies here!"

As he spoke, he pulled a wooden box from his pocket. Inside was the octagonal bronze bell that Zhou Cheng had previously taken for Zhang Xuan to appraise!

Taili was stunned when he saw the bell. "Third Master, why did you bring that?"

"I had a feeling it might come in handy, so I brought it along," Zhou Zeyi replied flatly.

The tall, thin man, unfamiliar with the bronze bell, looked even more confused. "Third Master, what’s that bell for?"

Zhou Zeyi glanced at Zhou Cheng behind him before speaking to the two men. "I didn't fully trust that streamer named Zhang Xuan before, so I didn't pay much attention to the golden inscriptions he translated. But he has helped us find a way out of danger twice now, and we’ve found here a Taotie dragon-pattern tripod from the same period as the King Mu of Zhou that he mentioned. I don't think this can be a coincidence anymore!"

Taili narrowed his eyes. "Third Master... what are you implying? I don't quite follow. Are you saying this isn't a Warring States tomb, but one from the Zhou dynasty?"

Zhou Zeyi’s gaze turned sharp. "Exactly! We have golden inscriptions mentioning the title of a Western Zhou Son of Heaven, and we have a Taotie dragon-pattern tripod that is very likely from the Western Zhou period. I suspect... this is the tomb of King Mu of Zhou!"

Taili’s eyes widened, and he stared at Zhou Zeyi, too shocked to speak. The tall, thin man was equally stunned.

A moment later, the tall, thin man circled the Taotie dragon-pattern tripod, his expression dazed. "The tomb of King Mu of Zhou... If we’re caught looting his tomb, even if we fled abroad, we’d be assassinated, right?"

Zhou Zeyi replied, "That’s if we only got the death penalty. In the old days, this crime would warrant the extermination of one's entire clan!"

Taili nodded, his face pale. "Right! They’d pull up the grass by the roots and shake every egg until the yolk broke!"

The tall, thin man shot Taili a look of annoyance. "Now is not the time for humor!" He then turned to Zhou Cheng with urgency. "Little brother, your Third Uncle and I are old acquaintances. If I call you my nephew, that’s fine, right?" Seeing Zhou Cheng’s silent nod, he continued, "You just said this was a Taotie dragon-pattern tripod from the Shang-Zhou period. That means it could be Shang or Zhou. But because the bronze bell has inscriptions about the Zhou Son of Heaven, we can rule out Shang—it has to be Zhou! But the late Zhou dynasty and the Warring States period overlap. Is it possible that this tripod is actually a product of the transition period between the Zhou dynasty and the Warring States?"

At this, even Zhou Zeyi looked at Zhou Cheng with anticipation. A Warring States tomb and the tomb of a Zhou Son of Heaven were clearly on different levels. He would grit his teeth and risk a Warring States tomb, but he was truly unwilling to cross paths with a Zhou Son of Heaven!

Zhou Cheng was bewildered by the question. He hadn't thought about such details!

Seeing Zhou Cheng’s strange reaction, the tall, thin man pressed him. "What’s wrong?"

Just as Zhou Cheng hesitated, Zhang Xuan’s voice suddenly echoed in his ear: "Tell him to cut the crap!"

Zhou Cheng’s throat bobbed, and he instinctively waved his hand. "Cut the crap!"

The tall, thin man froze, his face turning ugly. He clearly hadn't expected Zhou Cheng to be so blunt and even use profanity. Taili was also taken aback.

Zhou Zeyi cleared his throat and glared at Zhou Cheng. "Ahem!"

Zhou Cheng realized his tone was off and quickly laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, that just slipped out."

The tall, thin man’s expression softened, and he replied generously, "It’s fine. I used to use that kind of slang when I was young, too."

But Zhang Xuan’s voice came through the earpiece again: "Brother, let me tell you, this is just the beginning. The road ahead is long, and you might run into even deadlier situations! If you rely on these three bumbling fools, you’ll all die in here! Listen to me, you can't be too polite with them. You need to show them your presence and your strength! That’s the only way to save yourself, understand?"

Zhou Cheng felt a bit nervous and muttered under his breath, "Will that work?"

Zhang Xuan sneered, "Are you kidding? They have to rely on you if they want to get out alive! Why be so polite? If it were me, I wouldn't even give your Third Uncle any face, let alone an outsider! Listen to me, tell them what I just told you about the Taotie dragon-pattern tripod! Be authoritative, be confident, don't let them look down on you and make me look bad! I'm sick of this—if you keep acting so timid, I’m done helping you!"

Zhou Cheng felt his scalp tingle, but at the same time, a strange sense of confidence welled up inside him. He looked at the tall, thin man with disdain. "You certainly know how to give yourself an out!"

The tall, thin man was taken aback: "?"

Zhou Zeyi couldn't hold back anymore. "Mind your manners!"

Zhou Cheng replied, "Third Uncle, you should be quiet too. Overthinking every little thing—did you come here to rob a tomb or to conduct scientific research?"

Zhou Zeyi’s eyes widened, his hand moving toward his belt. Taili was also baffled. "Nephew, did you take your medicine? That’s your Third Uncle!"

Zhou Cheng ignored him and scoffed, "I wouldn't even bother saying anything to anyone else." He walked up to the Taotie dragon-pattern tripod and gave it a slap. A heavy, resonant chime echoed through the tomb! "Hear that? Is this the kind of craftsmanship the Warring States feudal lords could produce?"

The three men were dumbstruck.

The viewers in the livestream were laughing hysterically. "Awesome! This guy’s ‘borrowing the tiger’s prestige’ is top-tier!" "That’s the confidence Brother Xuan gave him! With a master like Brother Xuan, even a novice dares to lecture the experts!" "I'm dying of laughter, the expressions on those three guys' faces are hilarious!"

Zhou Cheng, appearing indifferent, pointed to the Taotie dragon patterns on the bronze tripod. "Although some vessels in the Warring States period still featured Taotie patterns, their characteristics differ significantly from those of the Shang and Zhou. A clear distinction is that the Taotie patterns of the Warring States period are filled with many decorative embellishments! Look at these—they are eerie, domineering, and ferocious! Only the imperial power of the Zhou dynasty could evoke such a feeling! So don't doubt it—this is definitely a Taotie dragon-pattern tripod from the Zhou dynasty!"

Hearing this, the expressions of the three men shifted once more. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the tall, thin man no longer had the heart to argue with Zhou Cheng. The frustration of leaving empty-handed was becoming unbearable—a thief never leaves empty-handed; that had always been his industry standard!

Seeing Zhou Zeyi also standing there with a dark, silent face, the man gritted his teeth and looked at Zhou Cheng, his tone becoming more respectful. "A youth to be feared indeed! Little brother, since you know so much about this Taotie dragon-pattern tripod, can you recognize the characters on it? If you can decipher even a little, perhaps we can figure out why a Warring States tomb turned into a Zhou dynasty one! At least my brother could die knowing the truth!"

Zhou Zeyi also looked at Zhou Cheng. Honestly, he wasn't willing to give up either!

Taili pointed to the human-beast figure on the back of the tripod. "And what about this thing? It’s not a Taotie, is it? It looks like a human-beast hybrid face! What on earth is that?"

Zhou Cheng’s expression turned grim. Zhang Xuan hadn't told him about this part. Let alone him, even if the country’s leading archaeologists were here in person, they probably couldn't translate a single character!

Seeming to sense Zhou Cheng’s anxiety, Zhang Xuan’s voice came through the earpiece again: "Brother, don't panic! Go to the back of the bronze tripod!"

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s voice gave Zhou Cheng a surge of confidence, and he hurried to the back. The three men curiously followed him.

"See that human-beast figure?" Zhang Xuan said. "Tell them! This is the Queen Mother of the West!"

Zhou Cheng inhaled sharply. "The Queen Mother of the West?"

The three men heard him clearly, and their expressions turned even more bizarre. Their dark pupils were filled with an unbelievable sense of shock!

"Nephew, you said this is the Queen Mother of the West?" Taili walked up and stared in shock at the human-beast pattern! A moment ago, he had only felt it was strange, but after hearing Zhou Cheng’s words, he felt a bone-chilling sense of terror wash over him. "We haven't figured out King Mu of Zhou yet, and now the Queen Mother of the West appears? Isn't she just a legendary deity?" The tall, thin man’s brain seemed to be shutting down.

Zhou Zeyi studied Zhou Cheng and said in a low voice, "Boy, are you sure about this?"

Zhou Cheng nodded. "I’m certain!"

The expressions of the three men sank further.

Zhang Xuan’s voice rang out: "Now, I’ll translate the golden inscriptions on the tripod for you! Listen carefully!"

Zhou Cheng nodded.

Zhang Xuan continued, "What’s recorded here is the anecdote of King Mu of Zhou’s western expedition to meet the Queen Mother of the West! If you search the ancient texts in depth, you should be able to find this story! Specifically, King Mu of Zhou traveled west to the Kunlun Mountains and met the Queen Mother of the West, who resided there. She told him she could pass on the secret of immortality. Seeing the Queen Mother holding a jade staff, radiant with brilliant light and surrounded by celestial energy, King Mu followed her to her palace. They spent a wonderful time together. The Queen Mother recognized King Mu’s character and ability, so she bestowed the secret of immortality upon him, and they made a pact to meet again in a thousand years!"

Zhou Cheng was dumbfounded, but he recited the story of the meeting between King Mu of Zhou and the Queen Mother of the West to the three men just as Zhang Xuan had told him!

The three men were also left in total shock!

Zhou Zeyi recovered his senses and exclaimed in surprise, "I remember now! There is indeed a record of this anecdote in the history books! I read it a long time ago, but it had slipped my mind. I believe it’s called the *Biography of King Mu, Son of Heaven*!" He stared fixedly at the figure of the Queen Mother. "I never thought I’d see the original in my lifetime!"

Taili, still in a daze, blinked at Zhou Cheng, then at Zhou Zeyi. "So... is this a legend or a real event?"

Zhou Zeyi rolled his eyes at him. "Don't be a fool, it’s a legend, obviously! If it were real, wouldn't King Mu of Zhou still be alive today?"

Taili scratched his head. "Right, true."

The tall, thin man nearby looked as if he had been drained of all his energy. "Even the golden inscriptions are about Western Zhou legends. There isn't a shred of the Warring States period in this tomb! We’re screwed—this is a massive disaster!"

Taili understood what he meant. He gritted his teeth and asked, "Are you planning to pull out?"

The tall, thin man looked conflicted. "If we don't, what else can we do? If it were a Warring States tomb, looting it would be one thing—if discovered, there might be a chance to run. But a Western Zhou tomb? It’s just not worth the risk."

Taili sighed and turned to Zhou Zeyi, handing him a cigarette. "Third Master, what do you think?"

Zhou Zeyi exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Everyone knows the consequences. But since we’re already here, there’s no reason to go back empty-handed. At worst, we just leave the items here behind!"

Taili looked surprised. "You mean... we’re going down to take a look?"

"Yes!" Zhou Zeyi replied. "To get here, Old Hei lost an arm, the Dilaizi brothers lost one of their own, and we were nearly trapped to death! To leave now would be a betrayal to them and to ourselves!"

Hearing this, Taili’s gaze hardened. "Since the Third Master has said so! Alright, I’ll join you!" He turned to the tall, thin man. "If you want to leave, I won't stop you! The Third Master will still pay you."

The tall, thin man hesitated for a moment, then a look of ruthlessness crossed his face. "Who are you looking down on? Let's do it!"