Shuyu County.
Located at the southern foot of the Dabie Mountains.
Its history dates back to the Xia and Shang dynasties.
After King Wu of the Western Zhou conquered Zhou, he enfeoffed a viscount of the Yan surname here, establishing the state of Shu.
Later, Shu Yong, Shu Jiu, Shu Liao, Shu Long, Shu Bao, and Shu Gong were established, historically known as the Qunshu States.
During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, it was conquered by Chu.
In the Han Dynasty, it was established as Longshu County.
It is one of the birthplaces of Chinese dragon culture and one of the birthplaces of Liang Zhu culture. Despite its small size, it has produced countless historical figures.
Its cultural heritage is as rich as that of Qinzhou.
"A mere county is this terrifying?" As they drove along a smooth path to the Shuyu Expressway toll station, Zhou Yacheng listened to Li Chonglou's introduction with a look of shock.
"It's a shame that our Great Shuyu hasn't been rated as a city yet, but the county town's economy has also developed very rapidly in the past two years," Tian Lingli said with unconcealed pride.
Anyone would feel this way when others praise their hometown.
"Where does your uncle live?" Li Chonglou asked, looking out at the vast, unbroken fields.
"In the mountains. Half of Shuyu County is plains, and the other half is mountainous. Should we stay in the county town tonight? The conditions in the mountains are too simple," Tian Lingli asked. "Besides, it's getting late, and it's winter now. The mountains are bound to freeze, which is unsafe."
"Alright, we'll stay in the county town for one night, and then head to the mountains tomorrow!" Li Chonglou replied without looking back.
On the way, he had already thoroughly researched Shuyu County. Although he knew it had a rich history and culture, he was still greatly surprised.
With over three thousand years of history, how much cultural heritage must have been passed down?
It was likely countless.
However, with the current level of information accessibility, it was as difficult as reaching the heavens to find hidden treasures in the county town of Shuyu, despite its small size.
After all, there were many people with discerning eyes.
It was better to go directly to the source than to search for a needle in a haystack.
At least, Tian Lingli's uncle had unearthed bronze mirrors and coins not long ago.
That place probably had a large tomb before, which was later excavated by tomb robbers, and the cultural relics were scattered everywhere.
If he could find something of great historical value, it would undoubtedly greatly increase his chances of winning against Lu Weishen. As for the difficult conditions, Li Chonglou never cared about them.
Having lived two lives, what kind of hardship hadn't he endured?
However, the safety issue could not be underestimated. His mother's and Jiang Yuxin's admonitions were still echoing in his ears. There was no rush.
Haste makes waste.
"Okay, everything will be according to Little Uncle-Master's arrangements," Zhou Yacheng said with some regret.
There were no mountains near Qinzhou, only near the provincial capital, Yong'an, were there mountains and forests. However, those mountains were different from the Dabie Mountains; they belonged to the third-tier and were not high.
Zhou Yacheng, a rich second-generation who grew up in the city, was actually very yearning for the deep mountains and old forests.
He felt a bit regretful hearing that they would stay in the county town.
"Don't call me Little Uncle-Master from now on. We'll each call each other according to our own status. Call me Brother Li," Li Chonglou instructed.
It was fine ordinarily, but coming here to find treasures and conduct business so ostentatiously could easily lead to problems.
"Okay." Zhou Yacheng was more than happy to oblige and instructed, "Lili, book the hotel."
"The hotel and dinner have already been arranged. My high school classmates heard I was back and insisted on arranging things for us. I couldn't refuse," Tian Lingli said with a smile. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but could you accompany me to dinner tonight?"
Achieving success in one's career, returning to one's hometown in glory, and becoming the darling of everyone's eyes was the dream of every ordinary person.
She was a commoner, and naturally, she wanted to show off.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have always attended university class reunions before.
On the way back, she had already revealed her itinerary and announced that she would be live-streaming the treasure hunt tomorrow.
All her classmates in her hometown knew.
Those who had fared well immediately organized a gathering, waiting for her arrival.
"I don't mind." Zhou Yacheng was accustomed to such scenes and was even a little excited.
Li Chonglou frowned. He disliked such gatherings because they were too fake.
Either people showed off their achievements and status, or they harbored envy and hatred. The ugliness of human nature was laid bare.
However, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. After all, they had to rely on Tian Lingli to lead the way. Offending her might make her unhappy.
It is better to offend a gentleman than a villain.
Tian Lingli was a woman who valued her reputation highly, and there was no need to displease her.
It was just dinner anyway. At most, he could remain silent and act like a nobody. Enduring it for a few hours would be over.
After careful consideration, Li Chonglou's frown relaxed, and he nodded in agreement.
Half an hour later, the car drove to the entrance of the five-star Jinwang Grand Hotel in the county town. By the fountain, many men and women were already standing, looking around expectantly.
Upon seeing Tian Lingli get out of the car, they immediately swarmed forward.
"Beautiful Tian's triumphant return to her hometown! Welcome, welcome..."
"It's been years, Lili, and you've become even more beautiful. As expected of our school beauty, the goddess of our dreams."
"Beautiful Tian is a big celebrity now, with over four million fans and an annual income of several million. She's a proper little rich woman!"
...
The speakers were all classmates who were doing well in the county town, either in business or government.
With a flurry of compliments, Tian Lingli was as happy as if she had eaten honey.
She quickly turned back and introduced the two people who got out of the car: "These are my friends, Li Chonglou and Zhou Yacheng. They are both my high school classmates."
"Welcome, welcome. The private room is ready. Please come in." The leader was a well-dressed, robust man in a suit.
With a face full of feigned smiles, he extended his hand to Zhou Yacheng.
As soon as Zhou Yacheng grasped his hand, his eye twitched, and he almost cried out in pain.
It was obvious that this fellow was trying to intimidate Zhou Yacheng while greeting him.
Although the hostility in his eyes was well-concealed, it couldn't escape Li Chonglou's notice.
Seeing that Zhou Yacheng had suffered a slight loss, the man then turned his hand towards Li Chonglou, preparing to repeat his tactic.
Li Chonglou calmly met his handshake and immediately felt a heavy force pressing down on his hand. The man's grip was strong, indicating that he had been practicing grip strength for a long time.
However, it was unfortunate that his bones and muscles had long been as hard as steel. While he might be at a disadvantage in a duel with experts, he was invincible against ordinary people.
No matter how hard the man tried, he remained still, his expression unchanged throughout.
A flicker of shock flashed in the man's eyes. He exerted more force, causing his ear roots to turn red.
"Zhao Hui, can you two hold hands for a while? It's cold outside, let's go inside," Tian Lingli said at the right moment, allowing the man to release his hand.
With a restored feigned smile, he tried to put his arm around Li Chonglou's shoulder, but Li Chonglou easily dodged him.
A hint of displeasure flashed across his face, and he said in a low voice, "Brother, have you practiced martial arts?"
"A little bit," Li Chonglou replied calmly.
Zhou Yacheng secretly rubbed his hand, furious but unable to speak out.
He had just gotten out of the car and was already put in his place by Tian Lingli's classmate. As a playboy who usually acted with impunity in Qinzhou, where was his dignity?
Seeing Li Chonglou's calm demeanor, he felt somewhat relieved.
Little Uncle-Master knew martial arts, so that guy must have suffered at his hands.
However, he would settle this score later. He wasn't someone who would tolerate being wronged.
Otherwise, how could he hold his head up in front of Tian Lingli in the future?
Zhou Yacheng's eyes rolled, and a plan formed in his mind.
He intended to show off his prowess later.