Chapter 164: Beginning

The morning wind, wrapped in withered leaves, slapped against the tiled walls, and frost coated the old-fashioned iron gate.

The sun emerged, the mist on the glass slowly dissolved, and diamond-shaped patches of light were cut across the water mill floor.

A police car stopped downstairs at the District Branch; Li Chunnan and Political Commissar had just stepped out when the Secretary, accompanied by the District Mayor, descended the steps.

Li Chunnan couldn't help but be startled.

These two, like him, held concurrent posts as city leaders, and their ranks were equally high. But since it was just the Municipal Bureau transferring personnel to the district to handle a case, there was truly no need for these two to rush over so early, let alone wait here specifically.

In a flash, Li Chunnan walked up quickly to greet them: "Secretary Feng, Mayor Chen!"

"Good morning, old Bureau Chief!" After a brief handshake, the Secretary frowned slightly. "Old Bureau Chief, can you give us the bottom line? How big is this case?"

Li Chunnan was stunned, caught between laughter and tears: Chen Peng, oh Chen Peng, I told you to keep it confidential, I didn't tell you to keep it from the Secretary and the District Mayor too?

Before dawn, sneaking over a hundred police officers into the District Branch, with people staying in the cars and guns never leaving their sides—anyone would feel a jolt in their heart: just how big of a case is this?

The branch certainly had to report to the district, and the district leaders naturally misunderstood...

"Secretary Feng, it's just a Cultural Relics case!"

The two leaders were stunned, their expressions strange: such a massive formation for a Cultural Relics case?

Li Chunnan smiled and explained further: "The influence of the tomb involved is secondary; the main thing is that this gang is too arrogant: we've been cracking down under high pressure for over a month, yet they still dig the tombs and transport the items out as usual..."

"Secondly, they are transporting illegal contraband: they have smuggled over a hundred kilograms of prohibited items and are preparing to meet with other gangs in the near future. In this situation, it's hard to say what might happen..."

"Thirdly, it involves homicide cases. Over the past ten-odd years, there have been no fewer than twenty suspected homicides related to this group..."

Isn't this a standard organized crime group? Just considering these twenty-plus homicides, how serious is the nature of this?

The Secretary paused: "Where are they?"

"Beiliwang!"

Isn't that still within their own jurisdiction?

Over a hundred kilograms of controlled contraband—not to mention how many people could die, just consider the nature of the danger and the social impact...

The Secretary shook his hand again: "Old Bureau Chief, you've worked hard, and the comrades have worked hard too... We can't help much, but we can certainly support the logistics... This is Comrade Xiao Yuan, Secretary-General of the District Government. If the police comrades have any needs, just give the order at any time..."

Li Chunnan felt a secret emotion: local colleagues are just different, unlike those external central-level units that don't show an ounce of human sentiment...

After expressing his thanks and saying goodbye, Li Chunnan and the Political Commissar entered the branch building.

The hallway was very quiet, with few people in sight; only the entrance to the Command Center had two guards posted.

Seeing Li Chunnan and the Political Commissar, they saluted subconsciously. The two waved their hands and entered the Command Center.

Chen Peng was making detailed deployments; hearing the door, he turned his head subconsciously.

Then, with a "clatter," everyone stood up and saluted in unison.

Li Chunnan scanned the room, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably: Criminal Investigation Division, SWAT Detachment, Public Security, Patrol Detachment, and Information Detachment... He could understand these squads being here.

But the Supervision Division and Discipline Inspection Commission... Chen Peng, what are you trying to do?

Just how much bottled-up rage do you have?

Returning the salute, he told Chen Peng to continue, and they stood by to listen.

The meeting was nearing its end, and within a few minutes, each squad was in its place. Li Chunnan gave a look, and Chen Peng stood up, following the Bureau Chief and Political Commissar outside.

"No... Chen Peng, you're making this a bit too big, aren't you?"

Chen Peng was articulate: "Master, a lion hunting a rabbit still uses its full strength!"

"And what about the Supervision Division and Discipline Inspection Commission?"

Chen Peng paused: "Just in case!"

The Bureau Chief sighed.

Of course, some situations definitely existed, otherwise Yu Dahai and the main members of the gang wouldn't have run so fast back then.

But to say there was a tip-off on the spot, how thick must that person's skin be?

Forget it, "just in case" it is; they're already brought here, aren't they?

Li Chunnan handed him a cigarette: "What if Lin Sicheng guessed wrong, and we don't find the tomb or catch anyone?"

"I will write a self-criticism and accept the punishment!" Chen Peng replied without hesitation. "After the punishment, I'll continue according to my own plan!"

Li Chunnan and the Political Commissar exchanged a look.

At critical moments, this is the kind of boldness needed: right or wrong is secondary; having the resolve to make a decision is the point. The most taboo thing is to be double-minded and indecisive.

That is why the Political Commissar said: Chen Peng has quite a few shortcomings, but he dares to fight, can struggle, and can hold his ground—that is enough.

Li Chunnan nodded: "How is the scene arranged?"

"Checkpoints have been set up at every main road, and police forces have been arranged in all four directions... As long as Lin Sicheng gets any news, within five minutes, we can turn Nanliwang into an impregnable fortress! Xu Nianqin's group has also been completely locked on; we can arrest them at any time..."

"Where is Little Lin?"

"At the Fenghuangzui District Government. At the same time, Bureau Chief Liu Xin of the Cultural Relics Bureau, Deputy Bureau Chief He Zhigang, and the main Person in Charge are all there. They are preparing to negotiate with China Construction at any time..."

Li Chunnan was startled: "All of them?"

Chen Peng nodded: "All of them."

No wonder the district leaders attached such importance to it.

Looking at it this way, the Cultural Relics Bureau also had a belly full of rage, probably even more than Chen Peng's.

Thinking back to yesterday, he had only accompanied them to watch from the sidelines, so he didn't feel it deeply. But Bureau Chief Liu Xin and He Zhigang had been berated by the leaders of China Construction?

If it were him, he would be furious too...

He nodded: "You make the arrangements!"

……

The wooden utility pole pointed obliquely at the sky, and cabbage leaves lay wilted in a puddle, scattered sporadically across the barren fields.

The greenhouse was half-demolished, with only a lonely section of rammed-earth wall remaining. Suddenly, a whirlwind kicked up, and the broken plastic film flew and fluttered about.

Three cars stopped by the roadside, and seven or eight people got out, carrying various tools.

A small excavator followed behind, swaying and wobbling as it moved.

Lin Sicheng stood below Huangzipo and looked out: to the north, the waters of Furong Lake shimmered, and the Dayan Pagoda was bathed in the morning light.

To the south, Zhongnanshan and Wanhua Mountain stood on the left and right, with Taiping Valley (a large mountain valley) winding southward between them, shaped like a coiled dragon.

If there truly were a dragon vein in Qinling, then this path descending from Taiping Valley straight to Chang'an City would be one of them. Chang'an City was the dragon's head, and the part south of Sanyao Slope was the dragon's spine.

During the Tang Dynasty, many Princes, Princesses, and dukes were buried in this area. But because it was too famous, there were too many large tombs. Chang'an of the Great Tang was looted seven times, and this dragon vein was dug up seven times.

This included the forces of An Lushan, Huang Chao, Li Keyong, Li Maozhen, and Zhu Wen. So, let alone tombs, not even a piece of coffin board remained.

As for the path starting from Nanwutai Mountain and following the Hao and Jue rivers down to the Dayan Pagoda, it was a branch of the dragon vein that had been dug up seven times over the years.

Because it was protected by the main dragon vein, more tombs remained on this branch. At least those known to Lin Sicheng included: the lineage of Wang Shao, the Duke of Wei, who was a pillar of the state during the Northern Zhou and Sui dynasties.

Also the lineage of the Tomb of Dou Jiao (cousin of Li Shimin) from the Tang Dynasty, the lineage of Crown Prince Li Yong (later deposed) during the reign of Emperor Wenzong of Tang, and the Jingzhao Wei Clan.

Among them, the Wei Clan tombs alone, from the Sixteen Kingdoms period to the Tang Dynasty, numbered at least fifteen or sixteen hundred.

Afterward, there were successive burials of the Fan Clan of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Huang and Liu clans of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Wu Clan of the Yuan Dynasty, and the Prince lineage of the Ming Dynasty.

And there were even more tombs of low-to-mid-ranking officials after the Tang Dynasty, as well as unknown local powerful clans. It is no exaggeration to say that if you just followed this line and dug with your eyes closed toward the Dayan Pagoda, you could dig up ten or so every hundred meters.

Therefore, while it was indeed difficult for him to find the tomb of Zhang Anshi, if Lin Sicheng were asked to find official tombs, he could identify dozens or hundreds along this branch.

Even if limited to the kilometer or so between the Institute and Huangzipo, he could find five, six, seven, or eight of them...

Thinking to himself, Lin Sicheng let Zhao Da and Zhao Er take the probe rod, then looked north again.

A pickup truck sped over, kicking up a dragon of dust behind it. In the blink of an eye, it arrived before them.

Several people jumped out of the car, wearing hard hats and hanging badges from the headquarters of a certain construction company on their chests. As soon as they got out, they glared with cold faces and pointed at the excavator: "What are you people doing?"

Captain Gao, under Tian Jie of the Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology, flashed his credentials: "Someone reported a case; an ancient tomb has been discovered here, and we are here to investigate!"

Subsequently, the captain of the technical brigade of the Criminal Investigation Detachment also flashed his credentials: "We ask for your cooperation!"

The people from the headquarters were all stunned.

The Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau and the Municipal Public Security Bureau, conducting a joint investigation?

But that was only secondary.

The key was that their company's headquarters was right in this area, and the demolition team below pushed and tore things down every day, yet they had never discovered any ancient tombs. What kind of ancient tomb were these people here to probe?

Including looking at it now: a piece of wasteland, except for a few broken ditches, a greenhouse wall, and a few sections of utility poles, where was there any ancient tomb?

The leader stared with wide eyes for a long time: "Comrades, have you made a mistake?"

"Whether we made a mistake or not, we'll know after we probe!" The technical captain put away his credentials. "Comrade, we hope you will not obstruct our investigation!"

The phrase "obstructing the investigation" left the leader stunned.

Just as he was about to say something, his eyes bulged again.

A handsome young man, looking like a college student, took a compass out of his bag.

With a light flick of his fingertips, the compass spun like a windmill. After nearly a minute, when the compass and the needle stabilized, he walked a few steps to the left, then a few steps to the right.

After walking a full circle, Lin Sicheng stopped, looked at the spire of the Dayan Pagoda, then turned back to look at Huangzipo and the Taiping Valley under Zhongnanshan.

"Map!"

As the words fell, Zhao Xiuneng handed over a few drawings, and Lin Sicheng picked out the one from the Ming Dynasty.

At first glance, it looked like an incense table with an incense burner placed on top.

"Sitting on emptiness, facing fullness, distant in front and high, the water of the granary flows toward the dragon riding backward. The knot forms in front where the waters gather, the horizontal knot lies before the acupoint like a sleeping bow..."

"The terrain is like a phoenix, the Xun peak stands alone!" Lin Sicheng pointed at Huangzipo, then turned around and pointed forward. "The bright hall is like the palm of a hand, wealth and honor can be measured by the bushel... wealth gathers and luck is noble, holding the rank of the sixth grade... it should be a Yuan tomb, thirty meters ahead, right here!"

The eyes of the several hard-hatted men widened: Are you guys actually police officers, or are you Daoists conducting a funeral?

You even took out a compass? And you're chanting scriptures...

How does it feel a bit like you're here to pick a fight?

It was indeed to pick a fight, though, of course, there must be complete case reporting and police dispatch records.

As for where the tomb was, he didn't know yet; he had to find it on the spot...

It wasn't just the hard-hatted men; even Gao Zhangyi (captain of the Archaeology Team), the Criminal Investigation captain, and even the experts from the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau who accompanied the team felt it was somewhat ridiculous.

First, the order of reporting the case before finding the tomb felt somewhat inappropriate: what if they couldn't find it?

Second, Lin Sicheng's method of finding the tomb: holding a feng shui compass, walking the Seven Star Steps, and chanting words.

It really was just like a rural burial, hiring a feng shui master to point out the acupoint...

Of course, no one dared to speak up. Because whether it was Chen Peng or He Zhigang, they had emphasized more than once from yesterday to this morning: today, follow Lin Sicheng's lead in everything. Even if they ran into a pile of shit, if Lin Sicheng said to measure it, they would measure it first before saying anything...

While thinking to himself, Lin Sicheng found the acupoint and had Zhao Da and Zhao Er drive the probe rod.

It was like a steel pipe, the thickness of a thumb, with a drill bit at the bottom and hollow above.

Pushing it down, the tip of the rod sank into the soil layer. Then they pulled the rope, and it "wooo-wooo" drilled.

This place was previously farmland, so the soil was relatively loose. After drilling ten or so times, the probe rod sank to the handle.

Then they attached the second rod, but it was much slower, and it got slower and slower. After drilling roughly halfway, it wouldn't turn any further no matter what.

"Pull!"

Lin Sicheng spat out one word, and the two brothers pulled up the drill rod.

Without needing to be told, the three experts accompanying the team gathered around.

But after just one look, their six pupils shrank "shoo": What is this?

What the hell is this, have we seen a ghost?

The first section was fine: the soil color was brownish, mixed with plastic film and corn roots, clearly the plow layer.

Below that was yellow soil, which was the normal stratum below the plow layer.

But by the third section, the part near the tip of the rod, the soil color suddenly turned white. And the part at the very tip of the rod had become gray soil?

Sticking it to their hands and looking again, the whitish part was Sanhe Soil mixed with lime paste, glutinous rice soup, Fine Sandpaper, and yellow soil, while the gray part was blue brick powder.

As if unable to believe it, the three Experts even pinched a bit to taste it, then turned their heads in unison and stared straight at Lin Sicheng.

Could it be that a house was built underground?

After a good while, the three turned back: That's right, a barren field.

Looking down again: That's right too, a broken irrigation ditch, beside it a raised ridge, and on the ground, there were even corn stubble.

Never mind bricks or wood fragments suspected to be tomb specimens, not even a single stone could be seen.

Yet Lin Sicheng just took a Compass, walked around in a circle, chanted a few scriptures, then gestured with his fingers, and found a tomb?

Oh right, Director Zhao Xiu also mentioned that yesterday Lin Sicheng had observed the stars and drawn a Feng Shui map...

But if tombs were all this easy to find, what would the Archaeological Institute and the Archaeology Team be for?

Just as they were feeling it was unbelievable, Lin Sicheng waved his hand: "Dig!"

Following that, "rumble, rumble, rumble," the Excavator drove over.

Zhao Xiuneng opened his bag and took out an Incense Burner, Yellow Paper, Red Silk, Firecrackers, and a bottle of wine.

Several men in hard hats finally reacted and blocked the front of the Excavator.

"Wait a minute, what are you digging for?"

"Naturally, it is to survey and excavate an ancient tomb, to excavate it in advance..." Captain Zhao Xiu said with a smile, "It is also for your own good; finishing the survey early will save you from delaying the construction schedule."

Are you talking nonsense?

Once you start surveying, don't we have to stop work immediately, and won't that delay things even longer?

Besides, not a single stone or brick is to be seen, and you say there's a tomb just because you say so?

The leader of the hard hats jumped onto the tracks of the Excavator: "No way, you cannot dig..."

The Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division's face turned cold: "Comrade, do not obstruct us from handling the case!"

"Who is obstructing whom? Get this straight, we are from China State Construction..."

The hard hat pointed at the Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division and sneered, "If you want to dig, fine, have the province issue us a document!"

I'll issue you some nonsense...

The Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division squeezed his walkie-talkie: "Get down!"

As soon as the words fell, with a "clatter," eight or nine young men jumped out of the Jinbei Van behind the two off-road vehicles.

They had buzz cuts, sturdy builds, and sharp eyes.

"Move in and take control!"

At the order, before the few hard hats could react, they were pinned to the ground.

A chorus of wailing and howling: "I'm going to sue you..."

The Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division snorted, then turned around and looked at Lin Sicheng with a beaming smile: "Teacher Lin!"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Begin!"