Xia Zhi had been a "comrade-in-arms" who had braved the Pingan Building with Yan Shouyi, and she understood him quite well. When Yan Shouyi was still in Rongcheng, Xia Zhi would often ask him to take on difficult or absurd cases.
However, all those seemingly bizarre or even supernatural cases turned out to have nothing to do with ghosts or deities after Yan Shouyi got involved. They were merely coincidences that people's imaginations had spun into something eerie.
Spirits and deities rarely intersected with the ordinary world. Ghosts weren't everywhere; it was simply that Yan Shouyi, being an "insider," had a higher probability of encountering them.
Although Xia Zhi knew many of Yan Shouyi's secrets, she didn't tell her younger sister, Xia Qi, the truth. She knew that her academically gifted sister would never believe such abstruse matters.
It was like how Xia Zhi herself hadn't believed Yan Shouyi initially and had even taken him to the detention center.
Therefore, Xia Qi only knew that Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong were a "match made in heaven" and was unaware of the deeper implications.
She covered her mouth in surprise and said, "And Miss Lin, last year several companies on the brink of bankruptcy were revived under your leadership. You're a force to be reckoned with in the financial world; there were reports about you everywhere. I saw quite a bit of news about you in Yanjing."
Lin Zitong smiled modestly. She had many identities, such as "Golden Flower of the Financial Circle" and "Outstanding Young Entrepreneur," but these were titles she cared about the least.
In her eyes, as the young lady of the Lin family, these were merely basic operations, not worth mentioning.
It was her roles as the next sect leader of the Lushan Sect and Yan Shouyi's wife that Lin Zitong valued most.
Xia Qi was cheerful and guileless, her admiration evident on her face during their first meeting. This inadvertently brought them closer.
Old Han and Li Zhongxi seemed to be discussing something with the team of experts, which gave Xia Qi time to interact.
Xia Qi observed their attire and asked in surprise, "Brother Yan, Sister-in-law Lin, why are you two here today?"
Yan Shouyi coughed twice and replied, "Our current identities... are consultants specially appointed by the imperial tomb management."
"Consultants?"
Xia Qi was taken aback. If Yan Shouyi and the others were consultants, then what were she and the team of experts?
Seeing Yan Shouyi and the others in khaki-colored exploration suits, with ropes and pickaxes strapped to their waists, Xia Qi's eyes suddenly widened. She whispered,
"You two aren't... tomb robbers, are you?"
"Pfft!"
Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong exchanged a glance, both struggling to suppress their amusement.
Lin Zitong also wanted to tease Xia Qi and said with feigned mystery, "Yes, we're tomb robbers with extensive experience, which is why we were invited to be consultants."
"This..."
Xia Qi's expression was complicated, while Yan Shouyi deliberately waited to see her reaction.
Archaeologists detested tomb robbers. Tomb robbers often caused significant damage when entering ancient tombs, not only taking valuable cultural relics but also potentially destroying the tomb's structure, causing later archaeologists to lose countless research opportunities.
For example, before the Terracotta Army was first discovered, it had actually been looted once. Fortunately, the tomb robbers at the time lacked culture, and the Terracotta Army consisted of pottery shards, which they found worthless and didn't take.
It was actually a good thing that tomb robbers were uncultured, as they only stole items with economic value. They disdained bamboo slips used for record-keeping, yet bamboo slips were far more precious to archaeologists than gold and jewels.
Just as Yan Shouyi expected Xia Qi to dislike them, Xia Qi unexpectedly revealed a serious expression:
"For a grand tomb like the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, the knowledge and skills possessed by us archaeologists might not be enough. Your help is indeed necessary..."
"Why do you think that?" Lin Zitong asked in surprise.
"Like Li Yang, we're no different from bookworms. It's fine if you ask us to appraise cultural relics or interpret history, but when it comes to studying ancient tomb mechanisms and those abstruse matters, reading alone is not enough. We lack the experience to support it, so we can only seek your help," Xia Qi explained earnestly.
If the ancestors of the Mojin Xiaowei (Tomb Raiders) heard Xia Qi's explanation, they would likely thank her for eight generations.
Truly grateful!
Yan Shouyi smiled slightly. Xia Qi was different from those rigid bookworms; her thinking was very flexible.
At this moment, Old Han and Li Zhongxi seemed to have finished their communication. They waved to Yan Shouyi from a distance, and Yan Shouyi led his group over.
Everyone gathered outside the tent for the rescued experts. As Yan Shouyi walked in, Li Zhongxi pushed him forward and introduced him, "This kid is the folklore expert I mentioned, my specially appointed consultant. If you all had entered a bit later this morning, waiting for him, nothing would have happened!"
Standing in front of Yan Shouyi was a female professor with graying temples. She was also wearing an exploration suit and appeared energetic. However, her gaze towards Yan Shouyi held a degree of hostility.
Old Han introduced softly, "This is Professor Liang Yinqiu, the captain of the expert team sent from Yanjing. She is very famous in the archaeological community. She led the excavation of many large tombs in Chang'an before."
It was precisely because Liang Yinqiu was the team leader, and also due to her advanced age, that she had not entered the imperial tomb with the group immediately.
Yan Shouyi nodded and, adopting an attitude befitting an intellectual, respectfully addressed her as "Professor Liang."
However, Liang Yinqiu let out a cold snort and said unreservedly,
"Old Han, you've studied at university, so how can you still believe in these superstitious and decadent folk practices?"
Old Han sighed, not daring to retort against the senior professor. Li Zhongxi, standing nearby, couldn't help but defend the folk sects, saying,
"Professor Liang, some things transcend scientific understanding. Your inability to comprehend them doesn't mean they don't exist. How can thousands of years of ancestral heritage be fully understood in just a few decades of our research?"
Li Zhongxi's words not only failed to persuade Liang Yinqiu but also earned him her disdainful retort: "Anti-intellectual."
To many, science and metaphysics were opposing forces. But in Li Zhongxi's view, science was the induction and summary of metaphysics, and metaphysics was the unknown and exploration of science. The problem wasn't with science or metaphysics, but with humanity's own perception.
Therefore, facing Liang Yinqiu's mockery, Li Zhongxi straightened his back and questioned,
"Then do you have a way to cure the three experts who have gone mad? And the thirteen experts who got lost, can you bring them back safe and sound? With so many strange things happening, dare anyone enter the imperial tomb? If you have no solution, why not try the person I recommended? If they also can't find a solution, I'll immediately have them pack up and leave!"