“Huo Ban fears something in the imperial city?”
Luo Ning frowned. She couldn’t imagine what could possibly frighten a successor of Lu Ban, one who dared to occupy the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang.
Zhao Yiyao, the straightforward girl from the Northeast, didn't think much about it. She was about to summon Huang Sipi to help them search together.
He Xiping, the team's strategist, stroked his chin and said, "First, we need to figure out what Huo Ban fears. Is it an object, or a person?"
"If you ask me," Long Feicheng chimed in, his stance similar to Zhao Yiyao's, "we should all go out and search. If we find anything that looks like it, we bring it back! No matter what, casting a wide net is definitely the way to go!"
He mused that even if the items they brought back weren't what Huo Ban feared, they would likely be worth a lot of money…
Wang Jizai sided with He Xiping. "Time is of the essence. A broad search might not be effective."
As the group debated, Lin Zitong suddenly thought of something. She raised her hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down, and then asked, "Did you contact Professor Liang and the others? Where are they?"
"They're inside," Long Feicheng pointed towards the courtyard.
Lin Zitong hurried into the courtyard and found Liang Yinqiu and the others inside the house. Seeing Lin Zitong safe and sound, they breathed a sigh of relief, and then immediately inquired about Yan Shouyi's condition.
But Lin Zitong had no time to explain anything now. She walked directly to Li Yang, who was possessed by Hu Hai, removed the talisman from his head, and asked directly, "Do you know what Huo Ban fears?"
Hu Hai didn't understand the implication of Lin Zitong's question and hesitated whether to answer.
Lin Zitong then dropped a bombshell: "Huo Ban occupied your father's imperial tomb. The person lying in the bronze coffin now is not your father, but Huo Ban!"
"What?!"
Her words shocked not only Hu Hai but also the surrounding experts, who stared blankly. The tomb of the first emperor in history contained not himself, but a craftsman who built the imperial tomb? This news was nuclear-level for the historical and archaeological communities, enough to make the entire academic world tremble!
Hu Hai trembled, muttering to himself, "No way… how could that be… how is it possible…"
"Nothing is impossible. We have already opened the bronze coffin, and the person inside is Huo Ban!" Lin Zitong said coldly. "Furthermore, Huo Ban has now awakened. He is very dangerous, but I am certain that there must be something in the imperial city that can stop him. If you know what it is, tell me immediately!"
This was a matter of life and death, and Lin Zitong wouldn't give Hu Hai any quarter. If Hu Hai didn't cooperate, she wouldn't hesitate to slap him a few times. Fortunately, Hu Hai was also sensible, especially when it concerned his father.
Hu Hai appeared to be thinking, saying uncertainly, "Huo Ban is too mysterious. He had no weaknesses when he was alive. Even Zhao Gao and Li Si couldn't do anything to him, but Huo Ban never wanted to interfere in court affairs, so they didn't act against him… If Huo Ban feared anything, I truly don't know."
Lin Zitong's face showed unconcealed disappointment at this answer. If even Hu Hai didn't know, would they really have to dig up the imperial tomb three feet down? How long could Chu Wu hold out, or rather, how long could Lü Huai and Afang Nu hold out?
Xia Qi stepped forward to comfort Lin Zitong. "Sister-in-law, we can all go out and help you search."
"Yes, we can!" Wang Sihua declared, stepping forward. "One team member protecting one expert. Even if we have to dig three feet down, we will find what Huo Ban fears!"
Everyone agreed, wanting to work together to find it. Just then, Liang Yinqiu suddenly said in a deep voice, "Perhaps… I know what Huo Ban fears."
Everyone turned back in surprise. Even the biological son of Qin Shi Huang didn't know what Huo Ban feared, so how could Liang Yinqiu, a modern person born two thousand years later, know? She wasn't even from this field!
Luo Ning's eyes were filled with suspicion. Liang Yinqiu smiled wryly inwardly when she saw this. When she first saw Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong on the surface, her gaze was filled with the same suspicion, wasn't it? But Liang Yinqiu didn't mind. She voiced her bold conjecture: "According to what you've said, Huo Ban is so powerful and daring, even daring to occupy the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, which means this person is meticulous. Someone with such intellect would not leave a weakness for themselves in the imperial tomb, unless…"
With Liang Yinqiu's analysis and reminder, Lin Zitong suddenly realized: "Unless, this is something Huo Ban cannot get rid of!"
Cannot get rid of? What could that be? Everyone fell into thought. Was there something that couldn't leave the imperial tomb?
Hu Hai seemed to think of something, his eyes filled with shock. "Could it be… my father?"
Everyone's gazes snapped to Hu Hai. Liang Yinqiu nodded silently.
Hu Hai said urgently, "My father is a favored child of heaven, wrapped in dragon energy. Because of his presence, the mausoleum is truly an imperial mausoleum! If Huo Ban threw my father's body or soul out of the imperial tomb, then his meticulously designed mausoleum would be ruined! Therefore, my father must still be in the imperial tomb!"
Qin Shi Huang was not a frail emperor; otherwise, how could he have led his army to unify the six states? His combat power was undoubtedly no less than that of General Qing Jiang at his peak! Therefore, it was natural for Huo Ban to fear Qin Shi Huang! Only Qin Shi Huang could defeat Huo Ban!
Lin Zitong's thoughts became clearer and clearer. She increasingly felt she was on the right track. The answer to everything was Qin Shi Huang himself!
Lin Zitong stood up excitedly and said, "Let's go find Qin Shi Huang!"
"But… where do we find him?" He Xiping raised the question. "Since Huo Ban fears Qin Shi Huang, he would surely hide his body or soul somewhere we can't find, or simply seal it up."
Hu Hai retorted, "That's not necessarily true. Even in death, my father was never one to be ordered around!"
Lin Zitong followed Hu Hai's line of thought and immediately found a direction: "In the imperial tomb, there should be a place where Qin Shi Huang is sealed. Qin Shi Huang cannot get out, and Huo Ban cannot get in, so they don't interfere with each other!"
Everyone fell silent, pondering where this place could be. Now, even Hu Hai didn't know where his father was, as these matters were beyond his comprehension.
"Perhaps… I need to see for myself."
Lin Zitong said, walked out of the house, and directly jumped onto the rooftop! Places with seals must have anomalies. With her innate purple eyes, Lin Zitong might be able to spot some clues!