Chapter Two: Excessive Force

Page (1/3)

Cheng Ziqiu hadn’t expected that the viewer who connected would come on mic so quickly. But on second thought, it wasn’t surprising. After all, the account he was using had been managed by his company for several years, boasting millions of followers. Even if half were inactive bots, there were still over a million real fans.

The company had done some promotion beforehand, so a few thousand people had flooded in right as the stream started.

“Hello, viewer!” Cheng Ziqiu greeted cheerfully. The guy on the line went by the name “EX Curry Stick,” and his avatar was a knight king with a single cowlick sticking out from his head.

These days, were treasure appraisal fans all into anime culture?

“Hello, Teacher Cheng. Let me introduce myself—I’m a seasoned fan of the anime scene, and lately, I’ve been really into ‘Ghost Blowing Lantern.’ A while back, I went back to my hometown and, coincidentally, the family was moving graves. So last time, I got pretty close with Teacher Han,” he said.

“But I was busy the last couple of days, and now Teacher Han’s not around, so Teacher Cheng, can you help me take a look?”

The viewer was obviously using a voice changer, which gave off a bit of a suspicious vibe.

To be honest, encountering viewers like this in treasure appraisal livestreams was not uncommon.

They’d gift a couple of items and then start making demands, responding half-heartedly to replies, and often stirring up trouble in the chat.

Director Li, speaking through Cheng Ziqiu’s headset, advised him not to pay too much attention—just brush them off politely and move on to the next person.

Cheng Ziqiu didn’t mind at all.

After all, what was there to be afraid of? Especially since grave relocation was his specialty.

“Alright, since I’m filling in, then any leftover issues from Teacher Han are now my responsibility.”

“Tell me what you want to ask directly. If it’s about the grave relocation, you’ll need to turn on your camera—that way, I can give better advice.”

“Don’t hesitate to show me everything; I can see it all.”

As soon as Cheng Ziqiu said this, the chat exploded.

His confident introduction had already caught attention, but this bold statement sent the viewers into a frenzy.

Where had this young guy come from? His attitude was impressively bold.

EX Curry Stick hadn’t expected the substitute streamer to be so straightforward. He’d asked several streamers for help before, but either they lacked the skill or they demanded exorbitant fees.

Without hesitation, he switched on his front camera. The next moment, a large face wearing a cat mask appeared on the stream.

Cheng Ziqiu was about to speak when the viewer seemed to realize something and quickly flipped the camera.

An old grave came into view, brightly illuminated by the high-powered flashlight held by the viewer.

Page (2/3)

“A high-powered flashlight, standing by a grave in the middle of the night, a voice changer, and a big cat mask… Brother, are you scared of ghosts? You’ve come fully prepared.”

“Nice setup. Brother, I don’t even need to ask what your background is. Didn’t expect to stumble upon a living ‘Old Nine Gates’ member during a livestream at night. What luck… tsk tsk.”

“Exactly! This guy’s really something.”

“What does it mean? Starting off with a grave, and the rest depends on digging?”

The chat messages flew by rapidly. Curry Stick cleared his throat and hastily said, “Everyone, don’t misunderstand—this really is my family’s grave, the ancestral tomb, you know? And the reason I’m wearing a mask is for warding off evil spirits.”

Alright, you say so—I’ll believe you.

The chat went wild with laughter. Who the hell would wear a big cat mask for protection? That probably worked worse than the Queen Mother firing a machine gun.

Cheng Ziqiu shook his head but didn’t think much of it. What if it really was his ancestor’s grave?

These days, people embraced freedom in how they dressed; was wearing a mask really suspicious among peers?

“Alright, viewer, let’s not just chit-chat. Walk around the grave for a lap so I can take a look. At first glance, it does look like an old grave, but specifics are hard to tell. Let’s see what’s going on first.”

With that, the viewer didn’t delay and circled the grave several times.

Cheng Ziqiu immediately felt confident.

Fame was not unwarranted; as the top tomb raider in the Guanzhong region, he was far from undeserving of his reputation.

“Viewers, take a look. This is a classic Qing Dynasty tomb: pig’s snout face, slanting door seam, glazed tiles. Notice the carvings on top? This is true craftsmanship, called ‘Tiger Roaring in All Directions.’ Although the carvings have eroded somewhat, you can still tell it’s from the Qing Dynasty—early Qing period.”

“If I’m not mistaken, this should be handiwork from the Yongzheng era. Viewer, are you from the Eight Banners family?”

After speaking, Cheng Ziqiu bowed slightly, playing the part.

Hearing this, the cat-faced viewer grinned, showing his teeth, and politely responded, “Teacher Cheng, your eye for detail is amazing, truly remarkable. It’s all tears when I think about it—our ancestors were mighty, but by our generation, we’re just scraping by.”

“So…”

“So, you want to go down and check on your ancestor—see if he’ll bless you with wealth?”

Cheng Ziqiu naturally continued.

The cat-faced viewer blinked in surprise and quickly asked, “What? Teacher Cheng, what do you mean?”

“No meaning at all. I just mean, do you want to take a look down there? Otherwise, why dig a hole? Walk over to the side, yes, right there, keep the camera steady.”

Cheng Ziqiu explained politely to the livestream chat as he spoke.

“Viewers, see that? The soil under the weeds—that soil is something special. It’s green paste clay. I don’t usually tell just anyone.”

Page (3/3)

“Look at its texture and moisture. It’s probably less than a day old.”

“But viewer, the craftsman who dug this tunnel isn’t skilled. Didn’t they check the era? Nowadays, no one uses a Luoyang shovel to dig tunnels; everyone uses high explosives.”

“That’s high-tech stuff. If done right, not even a speck of dirt around the adjacent area gets disturbed. It’s all about convenience.”

Cheng Ziqiu spoke with utmost seriousness.

The viewers in the chat were stunned. What kind of luck was this, stumbling onto an excavation site?

“Teacher Cheng is really something. Finding such a hidden spot is incredible.”

“A tomb raiding live scene! Damn, what have I done to deserve this?”

“This substitute Teacher Cheng is indeed impressive. The original Teacher Han was good too, but his eyes don’t compare. But Teacher Cheng, can we humbly ask—how do you know so much?”

“Hey, guy on the line, say something!”

The chat buzzed with speculation, while EX Curry Stick was completely baffled.

He hadn’t expected that despite hiding so well, the substitute streamer would still find him. Were streamers really this competitive these days?

Even insiders might not be able to tell apart a well-hidden tomb tunnel.

And his Luoyang shovel skills were considered top-notch in the region—was that already outdated?

The more Curry Stick thought about it, the angrier he became, and suddenly cursed loudly, “What the hell?!”

“Hey, viewer, I’m patiently guiding you. How can you curse? We’re all civilized here. Though I know you’re nervous, don’t panic.”

“Here’s the deal: if you can send a few gifts during the carnival, I might be in a good mood to give you some tips. After all, your tunnel-digging method probably won’t get you past the glazed tile ceiling next year.”

“Really?”

Curry Stick’s eyes lit up with delight.

If he wasn’t truly lost, why would he seek help from a random streamer? Was he not afraid of the ‘hat uncle’ coming to haul him away?

Unexpectedly, after Cheng Ziqiu said this, the chat exploded with excitement. Even Chen Churan, watching outside the glass window, was stunned.

Not only did he spot the tomb tunnel, but he was also giving step-by-step guidance?

Page (3/3)