Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The helicopter landed at a temporary camp deep in the Qinling Mountains.

The fierce wind whipped up by the propellers bent the bushes around the camp. Soil and fallen leaves were hurled into the air, slapping against the tarpaulin at the edge of the tarmac. Lin Guoce was the first to jump out of the plane, his boots sinking into the soft, wet mud.

"Everyone, disembark!"

Xie Linyuan picked up the black and gold ancient sword bundle at his feet and stood up. He walked at the back of the group, landing on the balls of his feet first with his knees slightly bent to cushion the impact of the fall.

The camp was built on a gentle slope in the valley. Six military tents were arranged in a semi-circle, with a waterproof tarpaulin in the center and folding tables and chairs placed underneath. In the distance, generators hummed, and power lines stretched to each tent. Further up the ridge, the setting sun was sinking behind the jagged mountain peaks.

The air smelled of pine needles and decaying earth.

"Tent allocation!" Lin Guoce said, holding a tablet. "Two people per tent. Chen Man and Wang Yihan, tent number one. Kun Ge and I, tent number two. Professor Zhou and Mr. Jiang Shouyi, tent number three. Mr. Xu Jiashu and Zhou Hao, tent number four. Liu Desheng and Xie Linyuan, tent number five."

Liu Desheng immediately shouted, "Brother Lin, Haozi and I will stick together!"

"The list is finalized." Lin Guoce said without looking up.

"Then I'll talk to this guy..." Liu Desheng glanced at Xie Linyuan, "This cool guy is a real chatterbox!"

"You're here for archaeology, not for chatting." Lin Guoce put away his tablet. "Put your luggage away. Meet at the Sky Dome in twenty minutes for a briefing."

The crowd dispersed.

Xie Linyuan walked towards tent number five. It was a canvas tent, military green, containing two cots and a small folding table in the middle. He placed his pack on the innermost cot and untied the straps.

The black cloth was lifted.

The scabbard was a dark black, made of neither wood nor iron. Xie Linyuan gripped the hilt—it felt cool to the touch, its texture conforming to his palm. He drew half an inch of the blade; the matte black metal reflected the dim light inside the tent.

The blade has fine, dark patterns, resembling some kind of ancient forging marks.

He sheathed his sword and leaned it against the tent pole beside his bed.

The tent flap was lifted, and Liu Desheng came in carrying his luggage. He immediately spotted the Black Gold Ancient Sword.

"Hey, you actually brought a knife?" He leaned closer to examine it. "Is it a prop? Plastic?"

Xie Linyuan didn't answer. He sat on the bed and began checking his equipment: gloves, flashlight, compressed biscuits, water bottle, first-aid kit. His movements were methodical, and everything was placed in its designated spot.

Liu Desheng, feeling rebuffed, pouted and opened his designer suitcase. Inside, it was stuffed with snacks, a game console, and several bottles of perfume.

"There are a lot of mosquitoes in the mountains, so I need to spray some." He sprayed the air twice.

A pungent aroma filled the air.

Xie Linyuan got up and walked out of the tent.

---

Under the sky, several people were already seated around the folding table.

Professor Zhou Xu'an spread out a map and marked it with a waterproof pen. Lin Guoce checked the satellite communication equipment. Kun Ge was taking a selfie with distant mountains in the background. Wang Yihan and Chen Man were talking in hushed tones, Chen Man's eyes occasionally glancing towards Xie Linyuan's tent.

Xu Jiashu stood at the edge of the sky, holding a bronze compass in his hand.

He cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he raised his voice to attract attention, "I'll take this opportunity to explain the feng shui layout of this place."

The live broadcast ball automatically adjusts its angle to accurately target the tree.

His personal live stream chat saw a surge in comments:

[ID Feng Shui Apprentice: Master Xu is starting his class!]

[ID Passerby B: Here we go again?]

[ID Metaphysics Enthusiast: The location of the Qinling Mountains' dragon vein, it's worth listening to]

Xu Jiashu twirled a non-existent beard (his chin was very clean), and took a few steps while holding the compass.

"Looking at this campsite, it faces south, backed by a mountain ridge, with a stream in front. According to the *Burial Classic*, this is 'backed by a mountain and facing water,' which is an auspicious location." He paused, frowning, "But—"

He pointed to the west: "Look at that rocky slope, everyone. The rocks are like teeth, threatening the camp. And look at that cliff to the east, shaped like a knife cut, violating the taboo of 'White Tiger Carrying Corpse'."

Zhou Hao listened intently: "Then... what should we do?"

"It's alright," Xu Jiashu said, puffing out his chest. "I was prepared."

He took out a small cloth bag from his pocket and poured out a few copper coins and a jade pendant.

"These are five-emperor coins that have been blessed, and this is a jade tablet of Taishan Stone Guardian. I will set up this 'Seven Star Suppressing Evil Formation' to ensure the safety of the camp and prevent evil spirits from entering."

Lin Guoce looked up: "Mr. Xu, this is scientific archaeology."

"Captain Lin, there's a reason behind what our ancestors taught us," Xu Jiashu smiled. "Feng shui isn't superstition; it's environmental geography."

Zhou Xu'an adjusted his glasses: "The rocky slope that Mr. Xu mentioned, according to geological records, is an accumulation area formed by ancient debris flows. The cliff is a fault zone in the rock strata, which is a natural landform. There is no evil influence involved."

"Professor, you are a history expert. When it comes to feng shui, you still have to listen to me," Xu Jiashu said firmly.

He began walking along the edge of the camp, placing a copper coin every seven steps while muttering incantations.

Kun Ge's live stream followed him.

[ID Kunjiajun: A master is a master!]

[ID Science Party: I'm so embarrassed!]

[ID: Leziren: I love watching this kind of thing, fight, fight!]

Xie Linyuan stepped out of the tent and came to the edge of the sky.

He glanced at the location where Xu Jiashu had set up the "array," his gaze sweeping over the rocky slope to the west and the cliff to the east, before lowering his eyes.

Jiang Shouyi stood three meters away from Xie Linyuan and said in a low voice, "The rocky slope is to the west, which belongs to the metal element. The cliff is to the east, which belongs to the wood element. It is true that metal and wood are mutually destructive, but the camp is located in the center, which belongs to the earth element. Earth generates metal and earth consumes wood, so there should be a balance. His formation position... is wrong."

Xie Linyuan turned his head and glanced at Jiang Shouyi.

This was the first time Jiang Shouyi had seen Xie Linyuan's eyes up close. His pupils were extremely dark, and his gaze was calm, like the water of a deep pool.

Jiang Shouyi felt a chill run down his spine, and swallowed the rest of his words.

After setting up the formation, Xu Jiashu walked back to the sky, deliberately wiping some sweat from his forehead (it was actually quite cool).

"Alright, the formation is complete. Everyone can get a good night's sleep tonight."

Lin Guoce glanced at his watch: "Time's up, assemble."

Everyone sat down at the folding table. Ten live-streaming spheres hovered above the heads of their respective participants, transmitting live feeds simultaneously to ten different live-streaming rooms.

Lin Guoce turned on the projector, and a satellite map appeared on the screen.

"Our location is here, in the central Qinling Mountains, at an altitude of 1,700 meters." He pointed his laser pointer to a red dot. "Based on fragments of ancient texts and preliminary exploration, the target area is in the northwest, about eight kilometers away as the crow flies. But the mountain roads are difficult to traverse; it will actually take two to three days to hike there."

Zoom in on the map to reveal contour lines.

"This area has never been systematically explored. In the 1980s, a geological team passed through and reported discovering unusual magnetic reactions, but due to limited equipment at the time, they did not go deep. Last year, our drone aerial photography revealed that the surface vegetation here has a regular and unusual distribution—"

The screen switches to an infrared thermal image.

Amidst a deep green expanse, a regular, slightly lighter oval area emerges.

"The temperature difference is abnormal," Zhou Xu'an continued. "At the same altitude and with the same vegetation type, the surface temperature in this area is on average 0.5 to 1 degree lower than the surrounding area. Moreover, the shape is too regular, unlike what one would expect from a natural formation."

Kun raised his hand: "Professor, could there be a cavity underground?"

"It's very likely," Zhou Xu'an nodded, "but the regularity of the hollows... looks like they were carved out by hand."

The tent area quieted down.

The wind howled through the valley.

Chen Man crossed her arms: "So... there really is a tomb down there?"

"It's not certain yet," Lin Guoce said. "It could be a tomb, an ancient sacrificial site, or the remains of an underground building. Our task is to conduct on-site exploration, collect data, and assess its value."

Liu Desheng exclaimed excitedly, "If there really is a huge tomb, wouldn't we become famous?"

"We are archaeologists, not tomb raiders," Lin Guoce said coldly. "All our actions are based on the premise of protecting cultural relics."

"I know, I know," Liu Desheng waved his hand.

The briefing continued. Lin Guoce explained the route, precautions, and emergency contact plan. Each person was given a GPS wristband, walkie-talkie, and emergency signal flare.

Xie Linyuan took the bracelet and put it on his left wrist. It was a black bracelet, the same color as his clothes.

Xu Jiashu suddenly said, "Captain Lin, I suggest we hold a sacrificial ceremony before we set off tomorrow. After all, we're going into the mountains to start construction, so we need to pay our respects to the mountain gods and local deities."

Zhou Xu'an frowned: "Mr. Xu, we are materialists."

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do," Xu Jiashu laughed. "People in the mountains believe in this, so it won't hurt for us to show our respect."

Lin Guoce paused for two seconds: "Okay. But keep everything simple so as not to delay the departure time."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it!" Xu Jiashu patted his chest.

---

Dinner was military-grade self-heating rations. A group of people sat around the canopy, plastic spoons and lunchboxes clattering together.

Kun took a bite and said with a pained expression, "This tastes... worse than the instant noodles I endorse."

Chen Man whispered, "Just make do with this, Kun-ge."

Wang Yihan quietly finished her meal and went to get hot water.

Xie Linyuan sat on a folding stool in the corner, eating slowly. His movements were very light, almost silent. After he finished eating, he flattened the lunchbox, put it in a recycling bag, and then got up and walked to the edge of the camp.

The sun had completely set. Only a dark purple afterglow remained on the horizon. The silhouettes of the mountains became layered silhouettes, stretching to the edge of the field of vision.

Xie Linyuan stopped and looked in the northwest direction.

That's the target area.

The skin on his shoulder blades felt slightly warm. The Qilin tattoo was burning—a temperature change only he could feel. The role-playing system was indicating: Approaching a key location.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

Jiang Shouyi walked to within two meters of him and stopped.

The two gazed silently at the distant mountains.

After a long silence, Jiang Shouyi spoke: "Mr. Xie."

Xie Linyuan didn't move.

"Look at that mountain range," Jiang Shouyi pointed northwest. "The main peak is like the back of a chair, the ridges on both sides are like armrests, and the gentle slope in front is like a footrest. In feng shui, this kind of terrain is called 'Grand Master's Chair,' which is an auspicious burial site."

Xie Linyuan's gaze fell in the direction Jiang Shouyi pointed.

"But..." Jiang Shouyi hesitated, "The mountain behind the chair has a gap at the top. It looks like someone has slashed it. This is called 'broken backing mountain,' which is very unlucky."

Xie Linyuan finally spoke: "Water."

One word.

Jiang Shouyi was stunned: "Water?"

Xie Linyuan raised his hand and pointed to a lower part of the mountain range, which was hidden by trees and could not be seen.

"At the foot of the mountain, there is an underground river," Xie Linyuan said. "The water will fill the gap in the mountain, turning misfortune into good fortune."

Jiang Shouyi's eyes widened. He quickly pulled out his old compass from his bag, measured the direction, and then opened a handwritten notebook to compare.

"An underground river... Ancient texts do mention that this area has abundant underground water systems..." he murmured, "But how do you know?"

Xie Linyuan did not answer.

He turned and walked back to the tent area.

Jiang Shouyi stood there, watching Xie Linyuan's back, then looking at the compass in his hand, his brows furrowed.

---

Night falls.

The generator was shut off at nine o'clock, plunging the camp into darkness, with only a few solar-powered camp lights casting a faint glow. Snoring gradually filled the tents—Liu Desheng was fast asleep.

Xie Linyuan lay on his cot with his eyes open.

A sliver of starlight shone through the canvas of the tent roof.

He heard the distant call of a night bird, long and lonely. The wind whistled across the mountain ridge, like some kind of whisper.

His right hand unconsciously rested on the scabbard of the black gold ancient sword.

The cold touch brought him back to his senses.

People in this world think that ancient tombs are just ancient buildings with some kind of mechanism.

They didn't know about the Bronze Gate, the Heavenly Palace on the Clouds, or the Ghost City of the Serpent Swamp.

They don't realize that some things shouldn't be disturbed.

Xie Linyuan closed his eyes.

The acting skills... still need improvement.

He must become stronger before facing real danger.

Outside the tent, inside Xu Jiashu's "Seven Star Suppressing Evil Formation," a copper coin was blown by the night wind, rolled twice, and fell into the grass.

The rocky slope on the west side of the camp cast long shadows in the moonlight.

Something moved at the edge of the shadow.

But it was too dark, and no one saw it.

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