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Those were tomb raiders.
They have guns, and maybe even detonators for blasting mountains!
Among them is a wealthy overseas Chinese who returned to China, and two old generals—not just two, there was originally one more in Qijia Village, so that makes three. We absolutely cannot allow anything to happen to them.
If something goes wrong, it won't just be a demerit; it will ruin your promising future.
From that day on, security requirements were raised to the highest level, and everyone was on high alert.
Cui Heng first went to the Cultural Bureau to find his former colleague, Director Hou.
"Old Cui, what brings you here?" Director Hou recognized the young professor he had worked with for two years. He was highly skilled, much better than the others in their bureau.
Cui Heng took the water cup and smiled, "I arrived a while ago and am currently cultivating at the Shenlong Temple behind Qijia Village. Some time ago, when I was walking around on the mountain, I discovered some interesting places. After studying them carefully, I think there might be a large tomb underneath."
"Ahem!" Director Hou was drinking tea when he heard Cui Heng's words and coughed in surprise. "Professor Cui, you can't just say things like that!"
“You government employees should go out and see the world more often. What kind of cultural relics can you find sitting in your offices all day?” Professor Cui said. “Sometimes when ancient tombs are discovered, it’s by farmers. By the time you get there, they’ve already been raided countless times by tomb robbers.”
Hearing Cui Heng say this, Director Hou smiled wryly and said, "Alas, we don't want it to be like this either, but there's nothing we can do. Our unit only has seven or eight people in charge of archaeology, and they all have their own tasks. How can we have time to go down to the ground for investigation?"
"Alright," Cui Heng said with a smile. "I've delivered the message. Whether you're willing to send someone or not is your business. But in my experience, it's definitely a large tomb, at the level of a king or marquis."
"Really?" Director Hou was taken aback, because two large tombs had been unearthed in the back mountain of Qijia Village, making their unit very famous. Now, the museum is full of artifacts unearthed from there.
Therefore, the former leader was promoted; he was originally just a director, but now he is the bureau chief.
“It’s underground, believe it or not,” Cui Heng said. “I’m just making this up based on my own judgment, and I can’t guarantee it. It’s up to you to decide what to do.”
After listening, Director Hou pondered for a moment and nodded, saying, "I have faith in Professor Cui's professional abilities. It's just that we don't have enough staff, so I need to transfer people over, which will take time."
"Hehe, whatever you want. Anyway, I've already spotted some people who don't look like tourists walking around in the non-tourist areas of Qijia Village, like they're surveying something. They might be tomb raiders. Don't wait until they've dug holes everywhere before you go," Cui Heng said with a smile, not trying to scare Director Hou, but simply stating the truth.
Thinking of this, Director Hou quickly wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "This...this..."
“I’m telling you, you’re already the bureau chief. If you discover a large tomb, you’re not short of money,” Cui Heng said. “If you can offer me a decent salary, I can help you out for a while.”
"Is that really true?" Director Hou asked happily. If Cui Heng were here, he could indeed be of great help.
“Of course,” Cui Heng said. “I also have a niece who knows a little bit and can help. You should quickly transfer her over so we can excavate that large tomb. If we have the upper hand now but the tomb raiders beat us to it, then we’ve lived in vain.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll take some men there tomorrow,” Director Hou said. “Once we find a major tomb, I’ll request armed protection from above. That way, those tomb raiders won’t dare to act.”
“It’s not a matter of daring or not daring, but whether it’s worth it,” Cui Heng said. “We applied for armed protection before, but those tomb raiders still dug a tunnel right under our noses and took away so many good things.”
Hearing Cui Heng's words, Director Hou was somewhat embarrassed and said awkwardly, "We can't entirely blame ourselves for acting unintentionally."
"Alright, now that I've told you, I'm going back. You should hurry up," Cui Heng said. "Based on my experience, I've already determined the approximate location. I believe everyone will be able to determine the size soon. We can't let everyone's efforts go to waste."
"That's good." Director Hou smiled. "It's getting late. Professor Cui, let's have dinner together and have a good chat."
Thinking that he would need to greet Director Hou again in the future, Cui Heng nodded and went to dinner with Director Hou.
After a hearty meal, Cui Heng secretly went to Wenbaozhai when he returned home that evening.
"Brother, today I passed by that impressive house in Qijia Village. There were many soldiers inside, carrying real guns," one of the young men whispered. "Is some important person coming?"
"There are important figures here, but they're just visiting relatives and friends. They're not targeting us, so you don't need to worry," the shopkeeper said. "You all better behave yourselves, don't go out, and hurry up and dig the tunnel!"
The young man smiled and said, "In another five or six days, we'll be able to dig to our destination. Second Uncle, you're so amazing, it must be a huge tomb inside, right?"
Uncle Er always pulls off a big heist, and this time he's being even more cautious than before, so everyone's guessing that this time the cemetery is even bigger than before.
"It should be a royal tomb," the shopkeeper said. "After this job, you'll be set for life."
We must encourage these kids now, otherwise they won't want to work.
He handles the outside affairs, but things like digging tunnels must be done by these young people.
He's too old to do it anymore.
Time waits for no one, and there's no denying it.
Cui Heng overheard the conversation from the rooftop, and it confirmed his earlier guess: tomb raiders. Whether it was the same group from before, he couldn't be sure yet.
Just as Cui Heng was pondering, the conversation inside resumed.
"Second Uncle, my father died here before. Can you help me look for him?" one of the women's voices said. "Even if my father is dead, I want to know how he died. If possible, I want to avenge my father and bring his remains back to be buried in our Lu family ancestral grave. I can't let him be a wandering ghost for the rest of his life."
“Jiajia, don’t worry. Your second uncle has been investigating since he came here, and he will definitely find news of your eldest brother,” the shopkeeper said. “However, this is a tourist area, with many people and suspicious eyes. We must be careful and not make any mistakes. After all, we have mobilized more than a dozen people from the clan for this. If something happens, it will affect more than a dozen people and many families.”
The girl named Jiajia nodded and said, "Second Uncle, I know, thank you for your help."
Despite her mother's objections, Lu Jiajia insisted on coming here because she wanted to find out the cause of her father's death and his remains. If possible, she also wanted to avenge her father.
“That’s my elder brother too,” the shopkeeper said. “Last time I came here looking for him, I couldn’t find him and almost ended up stuck here. If it weren’t for those brothers covering for me, sigh…”
Upon hearing this, Cui Heng on the roof was certain that this was the previous group of tomb raiders.
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