Zhao Zheng and his wife opened the tools and began to trace the painting.
This ancient tomb had not been discovered for long. While the association was exploring, they had contacted Lin Ying and others, who had not yet had time to do these things.
Li Chonglou and Lin Ying went ahead to the bamboo building at the foot of the mountain.
Zhang Chen trailed behind.
After more than a day of getting along, he could now call Li Chonglou master without stuttering.
The bamboo building at the foot of the mountain.
"I dug this out of the ground when I was building my house. It's exactly as it was when I dug it up, I didn't see that corner." The old man, having received Li Chonglou's money, was exceptionally polite to him.
"It seems we'll have to let Zhao Zheng issue a bounty," Lin Ying nodded.
"Can't it be opened at all without that ghostly thing?" Zhang Chen clearly didn't believe it.
With such advanced modern tools, how could they not break into the tomb of a dead person from a thousand years ago?
The ancient tombs they had explored before could even be excavated in the open air.
Why was this one so mysterious?
"It's not that it can't be opened, but opening it cannot guarantee that the contents inside won't be damaged," Li Chonglou replied for Lin Ying. "Archaeology is not tomb raiding; the primary task is to ensure the complete preservation of cultural relics."
"You've been with the team for a long time; you shouldn't be unfamiliar with this."
"Why would you ask such an amateurish question?"
Zhang Chen's face turned red from the reprimand.
He had wanted to show off, but he hadn't expected Li Chonglou to be so unsympathetic.
The three sat under a sun umbrella and drank half a cup of tea. Professor Song and the others also came down from the mountain.
After explaining the situation, Zhao Zheng took a photo of the dragon head totem and posted a bounty on his phone.
Since the dragon head totem was excavated from the ground, it meant it had been taken out of the tomb long ago. However, the missing corner suggested it was likely taken by someone.
As long as it saw the light of day, it would be easier to handle.
Money could make the devil turn the millstone; perhaps there would be clues.
"While the bounty is one aspect, we can't just wait. We must find another way to open the stone wall," Professor Song was now full of interest in the main tomb chamber.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
They each suggested methods they were most familiar with.
But without exception, they were all rejected.
Li Chonglou remained in thought. Seeing this, Professor Song looked at him and asked, "Xiao Li, do you have any good ideas? Tell us."
"With so many of us unable to come up with an idea, what kind of idea could a brash youth with no experience have?" Cheng Gong's hostility had not subsided, and he seized the opportunity to mock.
"I do have an idea, the bean-swelling method!" Li Chonglou said calmly, his expression unchanged. "In the past, people used it to age zisha teapots. They'd sprout beans to crack the pot and then mend it with gold."
"Although the stone wall is solid and involves mechanisms, we can't force it."
"But if the bean-swelling method is used well, it can create an opening without damaging the overall structure."
As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Gong sneered, "What a joke! A stone wall weighing hundreds of tons, and you're using the bean-swelling method?"
"I think you're just being overly ambitious and have no common sense..."
"This method is feasible!" Before Cheng Gong could finish, he was interrupted simultaneously by Lin Ying and Professor Song.
Professor Song's eyes lit up, and he looked at Li Chonglou earnestly, asking him like a student seeking guidance from a teacher, "Continue, don't mind Cheng Gong."
This remark immediately made Cheng Gong's old face flush and his ears burn.
Being disregarded by his own teacher was truly shameful and unbearable.
Angrily, he got up from his seat and pretended to admire the scenery.
Zhang Chen chuckled mockingly twice.
"The bean-swelling method was previously applied to pottery and porcelain. It requires some space for the bean sprouts to grow, using the power of plants to burst hard objects," Li Chonglou explained patiently. "This method is inspired by small plants growing in rock crevices in nature. Although plants are weak, they can crack hard stones."
"It's a classic case of overcoming strength with gentleness."
"We'll find someone to act like a stone mason, use chisels to drive into the stone, then create a hole in the middle to place the bean sprouts and promote their growth."
"Seal the stone holes with high-strength cement, leaving air holes. When the bean sprouts grow to a certain point, they can crack the center of the stone wall."
"Although it's slow, it's safe."
"It's much more stable than blasting or using drills, and it won't damage the structure next to the stone wall."
Li Chonglou's words made everyone slap their thighs.
"Brilliant!"
"Young people indeed have wonderful ideas; their thinking isn't as rigid as ours. A good method."
"This way, we can break open the stone door without triggering the mechanisms and causing damage to the entire tomb. Amazing!"
Several people looked at him with admiration.
Lin Ying gave him a thumbs-up, looking very proud. Her junior disciple contributing to the team gave her more a sense of accomplishment than her own contributions.
"However, this method will take some time, three to seven days," Li Chonglou continued, unfazed. "We have nothing to do on the mountain these days, so why don't we return to Yucheng to study ancient Xixia history?"
Actually, it wasn't about studying history. He already knew that history by heart.
The real purpose was to visit some old places in Yucheng.
Ancient cities with a thousand years of history often hid many good things.
Last time he went to the black wood market, he first met Fan Meng and then was called back by Zhao Zheng, so he couldn't do anything.
This was a good opportunity to go treasure hunting.
"I agree!" Zhang Chen, who loved to enjoy himself, immediately seconded.
"What Xiao Li said is correct. Let Zhao Zheng handle opening the door. Whether it's receiving the missing corner or opening the stone wall with the bean-swelling method, both steps will proceed simultaneously," Professor Song declared, and everyone naturally had no objection.
Back in Yucheng.
The group returned to their respective rooms.
Li Chonglou called Lin Ying to go with him, got a car from Zhao Zheng, and headed directly to Shangli Ancient Town, more than twenty kilometers away from the city.
"Chonglou, you seem very familiar with this place," Lin Ying said from the passenger seat, admiring the scenery.
Li Chonglou naturally couldn't say that he had stayed there for a while in his previous life, so he casually replied, "I've been here before."
Shangli Ancient Town had already been turned into a tourist attraction.
There were quite a few antique dealers inside, but 99% of them were fake.
However, in his previous life, Li Chonglou had encountered something extraordinary here.
This time, he wanted to see if that thing had appeared in this period.
After a tour, there was no harvest.
The two found a place to have tea and chat.
"Are you taking your senior sister on a trip?" Lin Ying joked. "Men like to take other people's wives out to play. Are you thinking the same way?"
"My senior sister, if someone else spoke to you like this, you'd blush," Li Chonglou said with a hearty laugh. "I never realized you liked to joke so much before. You've changed like a different person recently."
The "before" and "recently" he spoke of referred to his previous life and this one.
However, Lin Ying thought he meant from the time they met. She glanced at him and feigned annoyance, "How long have you known me?"
"And you dare say I've changed..."
Lin Ying stopped abruptly as she said this, her eyes fixed on the person next to her, her beautiful eyes sparkling with brilliance.
Li Chonglou looked surprised and turned to look back.
His eyes lit up.