The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

Emerging from the tunnel, the sunlight was blinding. Chen Siyao squinted, shielding her forehead with her hand. Having been underground for so long, the sudden sunlight was a bit disorienting for her eyes.

Yuehen ran in the lead, rolled over in the weeds at the temple gate, and lay on her back with her white belly exposed.

Then it stopped. Its ears perked up, it rolled over and stood up, staring at the temple gate.

A dozen or so people stood outside the temple gate. They were dressed in uniform and stood ramrod straight, like a row of trees planted on the ground.

Each person had walkie-talkies and other unfamiliar devices strapped to their waist, and their posture, spacing, and even the direction of their gaze were remarkably uniform. It was immediately obvious—they were not ordinary people.

The leader was a man around fifty years old, burly, with a square face, deep-set eyes, and calloused hands. He wasn't wearing a uniform, but a dark gray jacket, and stood at the front like an old pine tree.

He glanced at the phone in Chen Siyao's hand—it was still live-streaming. He nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Chen Siyao understood. She smiled at the camera: "Family members, that's all for today's live stream. See you next time!"

[I am Ying Zheng]: No! I haven't seen enough yet!

【Yaoyao's Little Red Riding Hood】: It's still early, Yaoyao, why are you ending the broadcast so soon?

【Qin Jia Xiaoyu】: Even without a dragon, you can still admire a god.

Chen Siyao didn't explain and simply ended the live stream.

The man only approached after the live stream ended. His steps were steady, each step covering roughly the same distance. He stopped in front of Chen Hao and extended his hand.

"Mr. Chen Hao, I am Qin Zheng from the Special Affairs Bureau, in charge of the East China Division." His tone was polite, yet neither servile nor arrogant, maintaining a perfect sense of propriety.

Chen Hao reached out and shook hands with him: "Director Qin, hello."

Qin Zheng glanced at the dark entrance to the tunnel inside the temple gate, then looked away, lowering his voice slightly: "Mr. Chen, I wonder if that dragon..." He paused, "...will come out? If it does, there could be casualties. We need to take precautions in advance."

Chen Hao looked at him calmly and said, "Don't worry, I warned it, it won't come out again."

Qin Zheng's shoulders relaxed slightly. He had seen too many grand scenes, but a dragon was, after all, a legendary creature.

If it were to actually burst out from underground and cause chaos in Suzhou, the consequences would be unimaginable.

If Chen Hao says he won't come out, then he won't. He now has an almost blind trust in this person.

"And what about down there..." Qin Zheng asked again, "Mr. Chen, I wonder what to do with what's down there. As you know, those organisms are extremely helpful for research."

Chen Hao thought for a moment: "Just don't go near the dragon's treasure lair. There should be some other creatures down there, so we need to bring weapons for protection."

Qin Zheng's eyes lit up, and he nodded quickly: "Okay! I'll arrange it right away." He turned around and gave a few instructions to the person behind him, who quickly walked to the side and started making a phone call.

Chen Hao didn't say anything more. He believed that even without his reminder, the Special Affairs Bureau would be fully prepared.

The creatures below, though far stronger than ordinary wild animals, shouldn't pose too much of a problem for modern weapons. Besides, he'd already dealt with the most dangerous ones.

"Yaoyao, let's go." He called out.

Chen Siyao ran over and took his arm. Yang Wanqing followed behind, carrying Yuehen, while Cai Jingwen and Li Li brought up the rear. The group walked down the mountain path, the sunlight casting long shadows of them.

Outside the temple gate, Qin Zheng watched Chen Hao and his group disappear into the depths of the bamboo forest before turning his gaze away.

"Director Qin." A young team member walked over, holding a tablet with preliminary exploration data of the tunnel.

"The tunnel is very deep; our equipment can't reach the bottom. Do you think we should apply for heavy equipment? That Jiaolong is hundreds of meters long; what if…"

Qin Zheng raised his hand to interrupt him: "No need."

The young team member paused for a moment, then said, "But..."

"I believe Chen Hao." Qin Zheng's voice wasn't loud, but it was firm. "If he says he won't come out, then he won't. Just set up roadblocks near the dragon's lair and prevent anyone from entering. Going down with heavy equipment is inconvenient and too noisy, which would only attract unnecessary attention."

The young team member opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing Qin Zheng's expression, he swallowed his words back.

"Go ahead and get busy," Qin Zheng waved his hand.

The young team members left. Qin Zheng stood in front of the temple gate, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

He recalled the first time he noticed Chen Hao. It was a few months ago when Xiaoyu—his niece Qin Xiaoyu—called him several times, urging him to watch a live stream called "Master Chen."

He didn't take it seriously at the time. He checked Chen Hao's file. Graduated from a prestigious university, with excellent grades, nothing special. The whole "celestial master" thing was probably just hype.

He had worked in intelligence for over twenty years and had seen too many so-called "experts," nine and a half out of ten of them were frauds.

Later, unable to resist Xiaoyu's insistence, he clicked in to take a look. It happened to be the episode about Chen Hao repairing the silk scroll.

He watched the entire live stream, then the replay, and then all the previous live streams—the Secret Realm of the Queen Mother of the West, the Silk Manuscript of Qin Shi Huang, the Curing of Cancer with the Art of Incantation, and the Ghost Realm of Baotian City that followed.

When he accessed Chen Hao's file again, it required higher access. He applied, but his request was rejected. This time, he received a message from above: Chen Hao's information had been classified as top secret and no further access was necessary.

Qin Zheng stubbed out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe and looked at the distant mountains. From that day on, he knew that this young man was no ordinary person.

He's not an internet celebrity, not a scammer, and not the kind of person who relies on hype to grab attention. He's a truly capable person, the kind of person whose abilities are so great that even his superiors have to keep them a secret.

Having met him in person today, he is even more certain. When that young man stood before him, he felt an unprecedented sense of pressure.

It wasn't an imposing force, but something deeper, like an ant standing before a giant dragon, having to hold its breath.

"Director Qin." A team member ran over, "The research institute called and asked when we can start moving in."

Qin Zheng snapped out of his reverie: "Tomorrow. Have them prepare the equipment and be careful. No one is allowed to enter the dragon's lair area without my permission."

"yes!"

Qin Zheng took one last look at the dark tunnel entrance inside the temple gate, then turned and walked down the mountain.

The sound of footsteps faded into the distance on the stone path. In the bamboo grove, the wind rustled the bamboo leaves.