Chapter 851: Searching for Clues (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Qin Li misunderstood Shen Tang's meaning and specially explained: "Because of his family's tradition of learning, he often went to the tomb with his elders when he was young, but that's all in the past. After he was sentenced to exile, he turned over a new leaf and has been a good man for many years."
Although he has reformed, his experience remains.
Upon hearing this, Shen Tang knew that Qin Li had misunderstood: "That's not what I meant. I was just surprised that Gong Su had such a wide circle of friends that he would even know people in this kind of industry. Logically speaking, I thought Gong Su wouldn't like such people..."
Those who raid tombs love nothing more than lavishly buried tombs.
If you don't open for business for three years, you can live off it for three years once you do.
Ironically, in this era, those who could afford a lavish funeral were limited to aristocratic families, royalty, and high-ranking officials. Qin Li, with his rigid adherence to rules, shouldn't have been pleased. Even if he had kept retainers in the past, he probably wouldn't have maintained this kind of profession, would he?
Qin Li smiled faintly: "It's fate."
Normally, he wouldn't associate with someone who inherited the art of tomb raiding, let alone recommend such a person to his lord. But they met during a time of national annihilation. At that time, his retainer wasn't yet a retainer, but a prisoner who had been captured and sentenced to exile in shackles. If nothing unexpected happened, this man would die on the way to exile, or at least be severely wounded.
As a result, the country was destroyed.
The retainer managed to escape.
On his escape, disease and hunger drove him to the brink of death, and it was under these circumstances that Qin Li found this man. Despite his unethical profession of robbing ancestral graves, this man possessed a grateful and chivalrous heart. From that moment on, he recognized Qin Li as his master and served him faithfully.
Afterwards, he found a proper job among the troops at headquarters.
"If the lord needs it, this person might be able to help."
My ancestors had been tomb raiders for generations, and their accumulated experience and knowledge gave them a significant advantage over others.
Thinking that she had nothing better to do, Shen Tang immediately started walking with her cane, saying, "What are you waiting for? Lead the way."
Qin Li subconsciously took a step to follow.
"There's no need for you to come in person, just send someone to summon him."
How could we possibly ask our lord to condescend to come and see us?
Shen Tang's thought process was completely different from his: "My foot is just sprained, not broken. I can walk by myself!"
His expression was stubborn, unyielding, and obstinate.
It seemed that Qin Li's suggestion had hurt her pride.
Qin Li: "..."
Left with no other choice, he had to personally lead the men back to the camp.
Qin Li's main military officer: "..."
Wait, are they seeing things?
Didn't Gong Su go to ask the lord about the future arrangements for the soldiers? Why did he bring them back directly? The temporary camp doesn't look too chaotic, but they just came down from the battlefield, covered in blood and grime, looking like they were dug out of a pile of corpses.
It's not very presentable to meet people looking like this.
Before they could even process what was happening, Qin Li had already led Shen Tang to a small tent. Lifting the curtain, a thick stench of blood mixed with other odors assaulted their senses. Inside, a dark brown body lay sprawled on the bed.
As the curtain was lifted, fresh air and sunlight flooded into the tent. The man, tormented by his injuries and unable to sleep, was irritable. Mistaking the visitor for a lowly soldier coming to change his bandages, he turned to snap, ready to explode: "Didn't you even announce your arrival before coming in?"
The next instant, my gaze met that of a familiar figure.
The man's expression froze. Beside the familiar figure was a somewhat unfamiliar face, this person carrying a cane under his arm. The tent instantly became quieter than a mourning hall. Qin Li was the first to react, raising his hand to block Shen Tang's view with his wide sleeve.
He hissed in a low voice, "You scoundrel, what kind of behavior is this?"
The man was wearing only a short-sleeved undershirt, and he was lying face down on the bed, with strips of cloth between his buttocks. Judging from the dark, almost soy-sauce-colored undershirt, it probably hadn't been washed in a while. Even Qin Li, a fellow man, couldn't stand it.
My lord is a woman!
Shen Tang tilted her head: "No need to make a fuss."
Don't say that just because someone's back is exposed, even if they're lying on their back, it's fine. They still have a trouser to cover their private parts, right? Even if it weren't covered, it wouldn't have much of an impact. In her previous life, Shen Tang was a painter, a homebody who supported her family with her craft.
Although her memories of it are scarce, she recalls that her business scope was very broad, ranging from cheap freelance profile pictures to expensive commercial commissions, from emojis to fan art—whether it was educational or simply learning something new, she was involved in everything. In her previous life, opening any unfamiliar webpage could easily bring up a bunch of erotic GIFs, featuring both men and women; the male body was not unfamiliar to her.
I remember when she first transmigrated, she even drew erotic pictures!
Even though Yuan Liang took that job, Shen Tang was confident that she could complete the task and satisfy the customer even without Yuan Liang!
Qin Lihan coldly ordered someone to put on their clothes. After a rustling sound, an embarrassed male voice reached Shen Tang's ears.
"Okay, all done."
Qin Li then lowered his raised sleeve.
The man simply put on two pieces of clothing and knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
Shen Tang used his cane to hook a small stool over, frowning as he asked, "What offense are you apologizing for? Aren't you injured?"
He pointed to the bed with his cane: "Sit back down."
The man stiffly moved his hands and feet back, no longer caring about the itching and burning of his wound. He looked at Qin Li with a tearful expression, asking why the new lord had suddenly arrived.
They didn't even give us any advance notice!
Shen Tang tensed all her muscles, appearing calm and elegant, but in reality, she carefully placed her bottom on the stool, making sure it was sturdy enough not to fall and embarrass her in public, before finally pressing down her weight. Sigh, don't ask her why she was so cautious; it's simply because she's had too much experience! She's sat on every single unsuitable stool in the entire camp; once, a splinter even pricked her buttocks!
"Just now, Gong Su recommended you to me, saying that your ancestors for generations were tomb raiders?" Shen Tang skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point, wanting to get to the point quickly. He didn't want to make the man nervous, as excessive muscle tension was bad for wound healing. "That's why I came."
The man hadn't expected Shen Tang to come to him about this.
So frightened that he was stammering and his words were incoherent.
"Yes, yes, that's true. It's just that I've been retired from tomb raiding for many years, and haven't done this for a long time..." He was so flustered that he didn't know where to put his hands. People who raid tombs are all quite daring, let alone someone who has been on the battlefield killing people all these years.
But he couldn't resist Qin Li's sinister gaze.
The two have known each other for many years; when did I ever receive such treatment?
The pressure from Qin Li was far greater than that from Shen Tang, the new lord, after all, Qin Li was his superior who controlled everything.
Shen Tang softened her voice to soothe him: "It's not about pursuing the matter. I need your help with something. I need to use your family's teachings."
Upon hearing this, the man replied with trepidation, "My lord, please speak. I will gladly go through fire and water for you!"
He spoke with righteous indignation, but inwardly he was conflicted. His lord had condescended to see him, and the task she had asked him to do was likely difficult, perhaps even life-threatening. However, as her subordinate, he was obligated to risk his life for her and could not refuse.
Seeing his evasive expression, Shen Tang knew that he was not telling the truth, but she did not expose him: "It's like this, your ancestors have been engaged in this business for many years, have you ever dug up any strange things?"
The man was taken aback: "Something strange?"
Shen Tang took out a stack of papers from his pocket.
Hand it over and let him identify it.
Do you see if you have any similar items?
The man respectfully accepted the picture with both hands, opened it with confidence, and his expression instantly froze; when he opened the next picture, his relaxed brows furrowed slightly; when he opened the next one, not only his brows furrowed, but his eyes also squinted together, his gaze unfocused.
He carefully examined the objects and tried hard to recall them. Shen Tang also held her breath nervously, afraid that breathing too heavily would disturb the other person...
a long time--
After the man put down the drawing paper, Shen Tang waited expectantly for him to speak.
"How is it? Have you seen them up there?"
The man gripped the drawing paper, arguing, "Who drew this? What's on it really doesn't look like anything."
No, who could recognize this drawing?
Even with his extensive knowledge, he couldn't recognize what those exaggerated clumps of black thread and grotesque scribbles were.
Shen Tang asked in surprise, "How could that be? Is it hard to recognize?"
She drew it very clearly.
Look at this diamond ring, this huge TV, this monitor, this smartphone—it even has a waterfall screen!
The man assumed Shen Tang had hired a fraudulent painter and stammered, unsure how to begin: "Is this the one the lord was looking for?"
Shen Tang nodded: "Mm!"
The man stroked his thick beard, which he hadn't shaved for seven or eight days, narrowed his long, triangular eyes, and said tactfully, "Forgive my ignorance and stupidity, but I can never recognize the works of other painters. My lord, why don't you let Gongsu paint one? I can understand his paintings!"
Shen Tang was bewildered: "..."
Does this even come with straps?
Left with no other choice, she could only look at Qin Li with her eyes.
"I'm afraid this matter will require your assistance, Gong Su."
Qin Li glanced at the man secretly. The latter gave him a fawning smile, clasped his hands in a slight gesture, and looked pleadingly at him. He could only agree and sent someone to fetch paper and brushes, saying humbly, "I am not skilled in painting, please do not make fun of me, my lord."
As the next head of the royal family, Qin Li's main studies will focus on rituals and ceremonies. He only needs to learn the basics of arts like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting to cultivate his character. As for his painting skills, Qi Yuanliang even criticized him as being full of craftsmanship and lacking any real spirit.
It's barely acceptable, not particularly good.
Shen Tang used gestures to describe the shape, size, and color of the object, while Qin Li listened attentively, occasionally making corrections and scribbles on the drawing paper. The two worked together, "You describe, I draw," and after a few rounds, they finalized the drawing. Shen Tang pointed to the content on the drawing paper and nodded in satisfaction.
She said to the man, "Yes, yes, that's how it is."
man:"……"
He cursed inwardly, wishing the unreliable painter who had cheated Shen Tang out of his life. He asked, "What is the connection between these few scribbles in my hand and those drawn by Gong Su?"
Why didn't the lord execute the previous painter?
The man wanted to crumple the drawing paper in his hand into a ball and get rid of it, but Shen Tang couldn't bear to part with it: "We can't throw it away. Paper is so expensive. We can make pulp and paper from it later."
This is how the government disposed of the paper it discarded every day.
man:"……"
Shen Tang interrupted the man's thoughts: "Do you remember?"
Following Shen Tang's description, Gong Su drew more than twenty modern objects. The man carefully examined the patterns and descriptions of each one and shook his head: "I've never seen any of them before."
Before Shen Tang could feel disappointed, the man said, "However, there are similar items made of the same material among the ancestral notes, but they are rarely complete. I don't know what they are, but they emit a strange and pungent smell when burned."
Shen Tang's spirits lifted: "Do you have any?"
The man shook his head: "It's worthless, nobody wants it."
Shen Tang pressed further, "Where can I receive it?"
"If it were three to five hundred years ago, there might have been more, and you could have asked around and collected some. But now, it's very difficult to find them."
Shen Tang naturally wanted to know the answer: "Why?"
"Because those things fear both literary and martial energy. The countries on the continent have been at war for years, and any piece of land has been plowed up a hundred or eighty times. Even if there are these underground, they will be gone after a long time. But if my lord really wants to find them, there are places to go."
"where?"
The man replied, "Places like the western border of Shiwu and the northern border of Beimo are shrouded in miasma and sparsely populated, making them more likely to be found. My lord can ask some merchants who travel to these places to inquire and have them bring back information."
"These places have them?"
The man nodded and said, "There should be. One of our ancestors went to the western border of Shiwu to try his luck. It is said that there is a place called 'Sea and Sky Meets the Line' further west in the western border. In addition to the dense miasma, there are many strange objects in that place. Every day at high tide, strange tides would wash things ashore... According to my ancestor, these things should belong to the sea monsters..."
Shen Tang asked in surprise: "A siren?"
The man's gaze held a mixture of longing and curiosity.
“Not only did our ancestors say so, but the people who lived there also said so. They also said that the sea monsters would use the tides to bring garbage ashore. Perhaps it was because of these things that the strange miasma in the western region was always very heavy. It was also because of this miasma that most of the people there… looked different from ordinary people…” As for how strange they were, the man had never seen it. He only knew that his ancestors had fallen ill with a strange disease not long after they returned and passed away.
It must be due to the influence of miasma.
Shen Tang silently memorized these details.
She has effectively taken control of the Ten Crows territory. She can visit the western part of the Ten Crows in the future if she has the chance: "What about the northern part of the Northern Desert? Is it in the same situation as the western part of the Ten Crows?"
The man shook his head: "No."
The western border of Shiwu is barely habitable, but the northern border of Beimo is a different story. The temperature there is extremely low, and the further north you go, the more icy and snowy it becomes. It is said that even martial artists of average courage cannot withstand the cold in the coldest places, and ordinary people will freeze to death if they go there.
Because of the extremely harsh environment, very few people venture there.
There should be something drawn by our lord under the ice here.
Whether you can find it or not depends on luck.
Surely, a generous reward will attract brave men! As long as there is enough money, the merchants traveling to trade will surely bring back what our lord desires.
The more Shen Tang listened, the more lost in thought she became.
Although she hasn't seen conclusive evidence yet, she's almost certain this place is the "future." What happened in the past might be revealed later. Is the miasma in those places related to the "ghostly aura" in the myth that Gong Xi Chou mentioned that day?
By the time she left the tent, Shen Tang had composed herself.
Let's put these trivial matters aside for now.
After all, archaeology wasn't her main profession.
"Gong Su, can you do me a favor?"
Qin Li said, "Please speak, my lord."
"How far can your scholarly way be applied?"
|ω`)
In the days before satellites, Gong Su's scholarly way was brilliant for urban planning.
P.S.: The electrical circuit at home is fixed, and the air conditioner can be used again. Yesterday was truly...a nightmare. Someone who sweats buckets just standing there can't live without the air conditioner.
(End of this chapter)
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