In the late Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang, fond of grandiose gestures and grand achievements, in order to create an image of peace across the land, dispatched Central Lang General Ping Xian and others to lure the frontier Qiang tribes with gold coins, offering land and willingness to submit.
Li Chonglou casually recited a piece of history.
"The frontier here refers to the Qinghai Lake region, which should be the place depicted in this painting."
"In the fourth year of Emperor Ping's Yuanshi era, Wang Mang built Xihai Commandery in Sanjiao City, Haiyan County. It was renowned, alongside the Eastern Sea, Southern Sea, and Northern Sea established during the Western Han period, symbolizing the unification of the Four Seas!"
"He is indeed likely connected to water."
"Most importantly, Wang Mang is widely rumored online to be a transmigrator. I didn't believe it before."
"But now..."
Li Chonglou implied something.
After all, he himself was a transmigrator, so how could he completely dismiss historical figures?
Throughout history, Wang Mang's actions were far ahead of his time.
He might indeed have a connection with Shi Boqiong, but all of this was speculation without concrete proof.
"Mmm, I thought the same. This painting made me think of many things, exactly like you," Lin Ying agreed, nodding. "I don't know how long your matters will take. You have Xu Lie by your side now."
"He's no less capable than me. I want to take my father to see the former site of Xihai Commandery first."
"Perhaps we'll find something."
Hearing this, Li Chonglou nodded gently, but then immediately recalled the incident in his past life where his senior sister died tragically in a tomb while doing archaeology.
He immediately shook his head, "I don't agree. Your master currently has no self-defense capabilities. What if something happens relying only on you?"
"It's best if you wait in Zhonghai for me to finish my mission, and then we can go together."
Lin Ying smiled, "I know what you're worried about. Your senior sister here has a strong life force and great fortune; I won't die so easily."
"Besides, this trip isn't to enter a tomb, just to visit the former site of Xihai."
"With my and my father's experience, we'll be fine if we're careful."
"Rest assured!"
Li Chonglou had told her about her fate in his past life, but this life's destiny had changed, so she didn't mind too much.
Moreover, staying in Zhonghai was doing nothing and wouldn't help much.
The role of bodyguard was now filled by Xu Lie.
Seeing Lin Ying's determined expression, Li Chonglou pondered for a few seconds before finally relenting, "No matter what, prioritize safety. Absolutely do not take risks."
"I don't want to have any regrets."
*Slap.*
Lin Ying gently patted Li Chonglou's shoulder, "Don't worry, junior brother. We'll meet again."
"Remember to eat more meat. You're too thin. Look how robust Xu Lie is."
With that, she rolled up the painting scroll and walked out of the office with a flourish.
Li Chonglou's eyes held a trace of reluctance.
There weren't many people in this world he cared about, and Lin Ying and her father were of paramount importance.
Yet, he understood the yearning and pain in his senior sister's and master's hearts.
They simply wanted to find Shi Boqiong as soon as possible to revive their master's wife.
Nothing could stop their progress.
Returning to the appraiser, Lin Ying asked Qi Yu to quickly copy the painting for her to take.
Li Chonglou and Xu Lie prepared to receive goods that afternoon.
This batch of goods was unearthed from an ancient tomb in the Qinling Mountains and was said to date back to the Southern Song Dynasty.
Since ancient times, the Qinling Mountains had been a strategically important area. By the Southern Song Dynasty, Guanzhong and northern Shaanxi to the north of the Qinling Mountains were lost, and three passes and five prefectures were established along the border.
It was known as the Gateway to Shu.
Generals were dispatched to Xingzhou, Xingyuan Prefecture, and Jizhou to command the Imperial Army's garrison.
In the middle and late periods, a situation formed with Wu Lin stationed in Xingzhou, Guo Hao in Jizhou, and Yang Zheng in Xingyuan Prefecture as the three great generals in charge.
According to the records, the funerary objects this time were obtained from the tomb of Yang Zheng, a famous general of the Southern Song Dynasty.
"Chonglou, the person surnamed Kong has always disliked you. Why are you going to receive such important goods this time? Is there a trap?" Xu Lie asked, closing the door.
He was fierce as a tiger, but also astute.
"There must be a problem," Li Chonglou smiled. "However, even if there's a problem, I have to go. After all, these are things from Yang Zheng's tomb."
"They must not be allowed to fall into foreign hands."
"I was a bit worried before, especially since I don't have martial arts now. But with you here, I'm much more at ease."
He didn't know, nor did he want to know, Kong Mo's intentions.
If he successfully received this batch of goods, it would greatly benefit him in penetrating the true inner circle.
It might be a test from the person behind the scenes.
Of course, given Kong Mo's personality, it would be strange if he didn't meddle.
However, he always believed in meeting force with force.
Having faced near-death experiences twice in the past two days and survived, what was there to fear from a mere Kong Mo?
Xu Lie knew Li Chonglou never did anything without a plan, so he said no more.
Around two o'clock in the afternoon.
The two of them, carrying the receipt, drove straight to the warehouse on the west side of the city.
Such a large quantity of cultural relics was transported with great care. Three small cars led the way, spaced a kilometer apart.
If any checks were spotted, they would be avoided in advance.
It took a full four days to transport them from the Qinling Mountains to Zhonghai.
As soon as Li Chonglou and Xu Lie arrived, the people sleeping in the cars woke up and swarmed them from all directions.
They all had unfriendly expressions.
"Where is your person in charge? I am the Vice President of Xingzhi Group, here to receive the goods," Li Chonglou called out, raising his voice.
"Vice President? Where is Tong Zhaolin? Wasn't it always him who received them?" A lean, gaunt middle-aged man jumped off a truck, sizing up Li Chonglou and Xu Lie with a look of suspicion in his eyes.
"He's on a business trip. You can call him to ask," Li Chonglou replied unhurriedly, walking around the van.
By the time he finished his circuit, the middle-aged man's call was also finished.
He then put on a smile, "So you are Vice President Li. I truly failed to recognize your eminence. I didn't expect Vice President Li to be so young and promising."
"My name is Lin Yongyuan."
"Come, come... Let's see the goods."
"Open it!"
With a command, several burly men escorting the trucks opened the car doors, revealing a truck full of ceramic bowls.
They were tied with hemp ropes and stacked in piles.
"These bowls are for inspections in case of emergencies. Please wait a moment," Lin Yongyuan instructed his subordinates to move the bowls one by one, revealing a large, welded sheet metal box inside.
After much effort, the sheet metal box was finally opened.
It revealed many knives, spears, swords, and halberds, though most were rusty.
"Is that all?" Li Chonglou frowned.
Yang Zheng was a famous general of the Southern Song Dynasty, so it was normal for such weapons to be buried with him. However, if it were all just these items, then something was wrong.
Xingzhi Group would have understood the types of goods before receiving them.
These weapons, which were almost rusted through, would not be desired by anyone, unless they were displayed in a museum.
This shouldn't be the case.
"No, no, there are a few pieces of jade. Please wait!" Lin Yongyuan crawled inside, pulled out a small box, and opened it in front of Li Chonglou as if presenting a treasure.
Inside the box lay three white jade pendants with stained colors.
Judging by the style, patterns, craftsmanship, patina, and staining, they were indeed from the Southern Song Dynasty.
Both civil and military officials in the Song Dynasty favored wearing jade, symbolizing gentlemanly conduct.
It was not unusual to find jade pendants in the tomb of a military general.
"Is there anything else?" Li Chonglou took the jade pendants, feeling a vague sense of unease.
"No more..." Lin Yongyuan spread his hands.
"Except for these three pieces of jade, which have some value, the company probably won't buy the other items," Li Chonglou stated honestly.
Ancient ironware had very ordinary forging and smelting techniques. The fact that they had survived to this day without rusting completely was likely due to the sealed, oxygen-deprived environment of the tomb.
But even with good integrity, no one would collect these items.
After all, if you brushed off the rust, it would look new. If you didn't brush it, it would look like an antique!
If it were bronze, it would be somewhat better.
Apart from donating them to a museum, they had no other value. How could Xingzhi Group engage in such a losing business?
"This is not right!" Upon hearing this, the smile on Lin Yongyuan's face froze, replaced by a look of displeasure. "When I contacted your company beforehand, I described every item in detail."
"They said it was fine and asked me to send it over, stating that each item was valuable."
"That's why I went to great lengths to escort it myself."
"What do you mean by Vice President Li wanting to go back on his word now?"
As he asked this, several burly men had already surrounded Li Chonglou and Xu Lie.
They all had unfriendly expressions.
Xu Lie glanced at them and remained unmoved.
These people were not worth his attention; he could handle them all with one hand.
"When you mentioned the company's people, was it Tong Zhaolin?" Li Chonglou felt increasingly that something was amiss and asked, "He told you these goods were fine?"
"It wasn't him, it was you, Li Chonglou!" Lin Yongyuan asked impatiently, "What do you mean? You made me travel all this way, and if you don't buy them, I won't let you off!"
They had been professional tomb raiders for many years, relying on this for a living, and they had a family to support.
If Xingzhi Group hadn't offered a high price for this trip to Zhonghai, they would never have personally escorted the goods.
They had to bear immense risks, and without returns, he would not let Li Chonglou leave.
His words were filled with threats.
"Try it," Xu Lie snorted.
As soon as he spoke, a piercing police siren suddenly sounded from not far away.
*Wuuu~~~ Wuuu...*
Lin Yongyuan's face turned ashen, "Damn it, you called the police? Are you trying to pull a fast one?"
His subordinates also looked flustered, drawing daggers from their waists.
"I didn't call them," Li Chonglou's pupils contracted as he suddenly realized.
This was likely Kong Mo's doing.
First, he promised great benefits, then used his name to have Lin Yongyuan personally travel from the Qinling Mountains to Zhonghai. Afterward, he arranged for him to receive the goods, and then reported them for smuggling cultural relics.
When the police arrived, if he were caught, he would be sentenced to at least ten years.
And the company could disavow responsibility, as the informant was Kong Mo, who truly represented Xingzhi Group.
It was a brilliant double-edged plan: it would clear Xingzhi Group of smuggling suspicions and pin all the blame on Li Chonglou.
Kong Mo, what a skillful move!
In just a moment, Li Chonglou had figured out the entire sequence of events.
"Chonglou, should we run?" Xu Lie asked.
"We can't run," Li Chonglou replied, shaking his head.
Since Kong Mo intended to deal with him, he wouldn't leave any room for escape.
As expected, as soon as the words fell, countless armed police officers surrounded them from all directions, their muzzles pointed at everyone.
Lin Yongyuan was so terrified that he quickly raised his hands and lay down on the ground.
The others also threw down their daggers, their faces pale, their eyes filled with horror.
Only Li Chonglou and Xu Lie remained standing.
But soon, they were also handcuffed by the police and taken to the Municipal Public Security Bureau, along with the three jade pieces and the truckload of weapons.