Chapter 436: Unearthing the Xia Dynasty: A Discovery That Shook the World!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Luo Feng, scratching his head, said, “Those of you from bygone times, couldn’t your narratives show more diversity, even if they’re mere fabrications?”
He noted the persistent recurrence of the same pattern. Then again, rituals and rites were not matters to be taken lightly. Facts had to be grounded in some degree of truth, and fabrication of nonexistent occurrences was unseemly. “My view of King Zhou has suddenly shifted,” someone declared. “Has anyone else experienced the same?”
“In agreement,” another voiced, “Emperor Xin wasn’t as malicious as later generations portrayed him. The Zhou Dynasty smeared his reputation over eight centuries! He was vilified based on mere hearsay.”
“It seems that the final emperor of any dynasty is invariably deemed despicable. However, in reality, most of these rulers were far more admirable than their reputations suggest!”
“Why wasn’t Emperor Xin’s practice of human sacrifice and live offerings mentioned?”
“Indeed, didn’t he offer Bo Yikao as a living sacrifice? Why gloss over these ghastly acts? Overindulgence and disrespect for the heavens, aren’t these sins
“Fool, how could they document that? The Shang Dynasty engaged in live offerings. Even if they sacrificed Bo Yikao, it was an offering to the heavens. King Zhou performing a heavenly sacrifice could hardly be deemed sinful.”
“Hahaha, executing people for a heavenly sacrifice isn’t a sin, but minor transgressions are deemed heinous crimes!”
“Alas, I struggle to grasp the mindset of those from the past!”
After perusing the last tortoiseshell’s content, Luo Feng chuckled, “That’s the extent of it. The translated content matches exactly what I’ve relayed.”
“Is that it?” Qin Rubing’s dissatisfaction was evident. ‘You claimed there was an abundance of information.”
They had inspected dozens of tortoiseshells, but the gathered information was surprisingly sparse.
“What were you expecting? Do you believe the efficiency of documenting events on these tortoise shells was high? Gleaning this amount of information from a mere handful of tortoise shells is an achievement in itself. During prior archaeological studies, hundreds of tortoise shells yielded barely any useful information,” Master Li explained, a chuckle in his voice.
Their prior inability to translate significantly contributed to the lack of information. However, they now had Luo Feng, an uncanny decoder. With his help, the pace of translating oracle bone inscriptions would drastically quicken.
Furthermore, this site was primarily used for Emperor Xin’s burial. Thus, the divinations were centered around Emperor Xin, and unrelated information would unlikely be present.
Luo Feng then stood, directing the others to organize the tortoise shells before moving towards the Nine Zhou Ding. They had cleared roughly a third of the Nine Zhou Ding’s surface. Luo Feng watched them work, questioning whether they were simply play-acting at archaeology. But he understood that this was the true nature of the field.
“Is everything he said accurate? Am I hallucinating? How was the translation so swift?” Chen Gang pondered, clutching a few oracle bones. He was baffled at how Luo Feng outperformed him, the top oracle bone inscription researcher, in both expertise and speed.
“Master Li, I bring news,” Luo Feng called, pulling him aside. “Did you not catch my earlier comment? There’s mention of the Xia Dynasty within those tortoiseshells!”
“Oh? Xia Dynasty? Where?” Master Li questioned, puzzled.
“When I was translating earlier, it slipped my mind, but it just dawned on me,” Luo Feng elaborated. “Remember Dong Lou Gong, whom I mentioned? He was a descendant of Yu the Great from the Xia Dynasty. During his divination, he inquired whether this locale was apt for the entombment of Emperor Xin’s body!”
Upon hearing this, Master Li was struck with realization. “Indeed, Little Luo! I had overlooked that as well, engrossed as I was in the translation.”
“I also overlooked it initially. Only upon reflection did I realize the wealth of information we uncovered!” Luo Feng replied, laughing.
“Chen Gang, if you’re unoccupied, transcribe the tortoise shells’ content. No need to decode, just write up the proof,” Master Li directed nonchalantly.
“You believe drafting a proof is a simple task?” Chen Gang protested.
“Enough stalling, we’re here to work. If you’re preoccupied with observing the Nine Zhou Ding, focus on preparing the proof instead!” Teacher Li retorted firmly.
Despite his grumbling, Chen Gang obediently proceeded to write the proof, clutching the tortoise shells. He was unwilling to leave the site, as the numerous oracle bones contained a trove of information.
Once the Nine Zhou Ding was excavated, the buzz was phenomenal.
The world watched Luo Feng’s video, and his popularity soared globally. Foreign museums coveted Luo Feng’s colossal bronze tripod.
But Luo Feng knew that once the proof was ready, the Xia Dynasty’s existence would be confirmed.
And that revelation would leave the world truly astounded!
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