Chapter Eight: Listening to the Spring, Seeking Conversation Online

“Mr... Mr. Cheng.”
The young archaeologist stammered as he spoke.
“This... this can’t be possible, right? The shape of the tomb and the inscriptions on the bricks—they all look very much like…”
“Like something from the Western Zhou period, right?”
Cheng Ziqiu cut him off before he could finish, his tone laced with a hint of mockery.
“Kid, times are advancing, and so is forgery technology. With today’s high-quality replicas, not just tomb inscriptions, you could fake your ancestors back eighteen generations. Believe it or not?”
The young archaeologist was about to argue against Cheng Ziqiu’s nearly absurd speculation when a sudden clamor approached from afar, mixed with a few angry shouts:
“What are you doing?!”
This was followed by the sound of things smashing and several cries of pain.
“What’s going on?”
The young archaeologist murmured to himself, instinctively clutching his Luoyang spade tighter.
But Cheng Ziqiu seemed as if he had anticipated this, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Looks like my jinx never fails.”
Viewers in the livestream also heard the unexpected commotion, and the chat exploded instantly.
“Holy crap! What’s happening? Did someone actually show up?”
“Master Cheng nailed it! He really called this!”
“Are they here to steal something? Or to silence us?”
About a dozen people arrived, wielding shovels, pickaxes, and even hoes.
If you didn’t know better, you’d think they were villagers raiding the archaeology team’s potato harvest.
They charged in fiercely, launching an attack as soon as they saw the archaeologists, giving them no time to react.
“Who the hell are you? How dare you ruin my business!”
One burly man, his face pockmarked and a gold chain hanging around his neck, shouted as he swung a shovel at the team leader.
The leader dodged swiftly and yelled back angrily,
“What are you doing? Attacking an archaeology team is illegal!”
“Illegal? I don’t give a damn about the law! The stuff in this tomb belongs to me!”
The burly man spat contemptuously, signaling his men to continue their assault.
Sensing the danger, the young archaeologist set aside his phone, which had been connected to Cheng Ziqiu, grabbed his Luoyang spade, and charged forward.
“Stop! How dare you attack the national archaeology team in broad daylight? Do you even respect the law?!”
His fierce shout actually intimidated a few of the henchmen.
After all, the word “national” carries a lot of weight.
But the gold-chain man clearly wasn’t intimidated; he sneered,
“The law? I am the law!”
With that, he swung his shovel, aiming to strike the young archaeologist’s head.
Though slender, the young man was surprisingly agile.
He ducked under the attack and countered with his Luoyang spade, striking upward and landing a precise blow to the man’s groin.

“Ow!”
The burly man screamed in agony, clutching himself and collapsing to the ground, his face turning pale instantly.
The young archaeologist didn’t hesitate and began pounding the man with the spade,
“You overbearingI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.