Chapter 259: An Emperor-Level Tomb During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period (3)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Upon looking over at the campsite, the elder archaeologists had already risen early and gathered around a fire. They must have been up for at least an hour, as they were showing great enthusiasm and were practically brimming with energy.
After having breakfast with everyone and resting for half an hour, Luo Feng led the group up the mountain peak again.
“An Peng, Zhang Shunyong, you two take the lead in digging while I head down and check out the tomb tunnels,” said Luo Feng. He figured that even with dozens of rich second-generation heirs and more than ten archaeologists, it would take months to excavate the entire site by digging alone. Since there was a tomb tunnel, it would be much simpler for him to go down and check it out himself.
“Are you going down there?” Li Shishi immediately asked with concern.
“If he doesn’t, we would likely dwell too long here. Be careful, Luo Feng.” Su Meiji thought for a moment before responding. In truth, she wanted to go down as well, but she was worried about becoming a burden to Luo Feng. Although she had decent physical strength and fitness, she had no experience with exploring ancient tombs.
Had Qin Rubing been present, she would have insisted on going down without worrying about whether she would be a burden to Luo Feng. During their last tomb adventure, sne was relatively unscatned, and It did not seem to be dangerous, but without Luo Feng’s protection, Qin Rubing would definitely have sustained some injuries.
Luo Feng found a tomb tunnel and immediately started digging in an attempt to widen it.
“Is the host digging someone else’s tomb tunnel?” a viewer asked.
“Is he going to take advantage of the tomb raiders’ work again?” another person chimed in.
“Haha, why not take advantage of the path that our predecessors have walked?” a third added.
“But, would they have left anything for our host to discover?” another person inquired.
“In my case, my appetite isn’t as big as the host’s, so I wouldn’t mind even if there are only minor relics to be found!”
This was indeed true. For ordinary people , just getting a whiff of such a large tomb would be enough to make a small fortune. Those who were not satisfied at whatever minor relics that could be discovered were likely those who had already made millions in net worth.
Of course, though there were not many significant relics produced from the pre-Qin period, but many of them were still in good quality. This was because, during the pre-Qin period, people were living in rough times, and as a result, not many gold and silver could be spared to create masterful relics. However, that did not mean that there were no treasures during this time period, as jade and bronze artifacts were still produced back then. Should such items be discovered, they would still hold considerable value. After all, the most valuable period for bronze artifacts was the pre-Qin period.
In today’s antique market, apart from some early tomb robbers who had discovered pre-Qin period tombs, there were hardly any sources for bronze artifacts. Due to this, the prices of pre-Qin period bronze artifacts remained high.
To give some perspective, a small bronze artifact would be worth millions, and a large one would be worth hundreds of millions.
[ Ding! You have discovered an ancient tomb worth 40 million! Dynasty:
Pre-Qin period! ]
With a clang, Luo Feng expanded the tomb tunnel all the way to the fertile soil. When he saw the value of 40 million, Luo Feng’s heart sank.
What the hell? The tomb robbers have taken everything already! A tomb of a few thousand square meters, but its only valued at only 40 million?
This could no longer be described as a tragedy; it was simply a catastrophe. Not thinking too much, he continued digging.
In less than an hour, Luo Feng stopped. The tomb tunnel had reached the connection point to the ancient tomb. The space below was already empty.
Luo Feng peered down but could not see clearly. He picked up a flashlight and shone it down, exclaiming, “Damn, how many times have my predecessors been through this place?”
He saw several piles of firewood ashes below. “With this situation, even if there were any traps or mechanisms, they would be ineffective. This place is about to become a tourist attraction for tomb raiders!”
As for any dangers, Luo Feng believed the risk was close to zero. However, he decided to be cautious and use a candle to scout the way ahead.
“Is this the main burial chamber?” Su Meiji asked.
“I’m not sure, but it’s definitely near the center of the tomb,” Luo Feng replied.
After using the candle to scout, he found no dangers. The walls of the tomb passage were made of earth rather than brick.
“Let the rope down faster; it’s about seven or eight meters deep!” Luo Feng called out after descending.
“Do you want me to come down too?” Gu Santong shouted from above.
“No need; I’m a professional. Nothing bad will happen!” Luo Feng assured him. Gu Santong was speechless. He wanted to go down himself, but he was more concerned about whether or not Luo Feng, the “tomb raiding” expert, would be all right. He might as well worry about whether or not his father could repay his mortgage.
“Wow! Did the host go down?” The audience in the livestream was excited. “I thought it would take a long time to dig into the burial chamber!”
Around 35 million people were watching online, all very interested in ancient tombs. As Luo Feng continued to descend, his surroundings grew darker. Fortunately, he switched on a strong flashlight, illuminating its interior clearly.
Upon landing, Luo Feng found himself in a somewhat confined space. The walls on both sides were dark and damp. The tomb passage was so narrow that only two people could pass through it side by side. It was, after all, from the pre-Qin period; even if the tomb was large, it was still an earthen structure.
“The tomb passage is too narrow! I’m afraid a snake will crawl out!” Luo Feng touched the seemingly damp, but dry tomb passage wall, puzzled. “Luo Feng, is everything okay down there?” Li Shishi asked with concern.
“It’s fine!” Luo Feng shouted back. “It’s very secluded down here, perfect for two people!” He joked with Shishi, then turned his attention to the tomb passage walls.
Upon knocking, they produced a solid, resonant sound. To his surprise, the walls were not made of stone or rammed earth, but wood. At first glance, Luo Feng had thought they were rammed earth walls.
He immediately shouted, “Master Gu, this is a great discovery! This is HuangchangticouO!”
“????? Huangchangticou?” The viewers in the livestream room were completely baffled. No one had ever heard of this term.
“Well, you can think of it as an ancient tomb structure made of debarked wood,” Luo Feng explained. “The barkless wood is bright yellow, and since the tomb resembles intestines, it’s called Huangchang. The ‘ticou’ refers to the tomb chamber structure, which is made of layers of debarked wood.”
“This is a standard for imperial tombs! Of course, during the Western Han Dynasty, some imperial relatives were also granted such specifications as special favors.”
“My friends, this tomb should be an imperial tomb!” Luo Feng declared. “Of course, during the pre-Qin period, there were no emperors; monarchs were the highest ranking officials in a nation. So, this is either a tomb of a monarch or a king! After all, some pre-Qin monarchs did not claim the title of king and could only be considered national rulers.”
Luo Feng then proceeded, navigating through the tomb as if through a maze. After about ten minutes, he finally reached the main burial chamber. Inside the chamber, there was a large coffin, but its lid had already been removed and placed to one side. Alongside the main burial chamber, there were only a few iron tools and pottery jars, with no other significant items.
These items must have been the leftovers from tomb raiders who did not find them valuable enough to take. However, there were still some treasures in the coffin.
Luo Feng looked inside and saw about a dozen bamboo tubes, but nothing else.
He thought to himself, “What on earth…”
Foll𝑜w current novels on fre(e)w𝒆bnovel