On Qingluan Mountain.
“How much further?” Zhang Dongfang gasped heavily.
“It’s still quite a way, County Mayor Zhang,” village head Xiao Cheng replied.
Zhang Dongfang waved his hand. “Phew, I can’t go any further. I need a break.”
Someone quickly came to help, “I’ll support you, County Mayor Zhang. Please sit and rest.”
Zhang Dongfang, who weighed almost two hundred pounds, was shaky and couldn’t keep going after just a few minutes of climbing. The county government staff with him immediately took care of the County Mayor, helping him sit down and handing him a bottle of mineral water. The group climbing up the mountain had no choice but to stop.
“Sorry, Secretary Dong,” Zhang Dongfang wiped the sweat from his forehead, panting. “I’m getting old. I used to be quite lean when I was young. I could climb up and down a little mountain without breaking a sweat. Ah, time doesn’t spare anyone. Now, I can’t do it. I really can’t do it.”
Dong Xuebing expressed concern, “Are you okay?”
Dong Xuebing shook his head. “No way.”
Zhang Dongfang insisted, “Xiao Xiao, take Secretary Dong up first. I’ll join you later.”
Dong Xuebing said, “How about this? You all help County Mayor Zhang up the mountain first. I’ll go ahead alone and take a look first. Xiao Xiao, which direction?”
Xiao Cheng quickly replied, “It’s getting dark. You don’t know the way up. The paths are tough and dangerous. You… You can’t go alone.”
Xiao Cheng had worked here for five or six years and was somewhat of a local in Qingluan Mountain’s conditions. He dared bring people up because he was familiar with the area. If it were anyone else, who would dare climb up this bald mountain at dusk, especially when it was easy to get lost and disappear?
“Just point me in the direction,” Dong Xuebing said, not listening.
Xiao Cheng sighed, pointing up. “Go that way. There’s a small path ahead, so take a left and keep going for about ten minutes. You’ll see it.”
Dong Xuebing thought momentarily, “Is that the place with the long, high rock several meters tall?”
Xiao Cheng was taken aback. “Yes, just past that rock, there’s a path going up for another five minutes. How do you know about that rock?” He looked up, unable to understand how Dong Xuebing knew about the rock, as it was impossible to see it from here due to its distance and the trees blocking the view.
Dong Xuebing smiled, “I’ve been here before. Alright, I know the way now. You all take care of County Mayor Zhang. I’ll go ahead first.”
Zhang Dongfang called out loudly, “Be careful, Xuebing! Watch your step!”
“I got it.” Dong Xuebing waved his hand, heading up.
Why did Dong Xuebing know about this place? Because he had been here before, specifically for the matter of ancient tombs. That weekend, Dong Xuebing came early to the mountain to climb almost the entire mountain, following the paths and even digging around a bit. Though he found nothing, he got a general sense of Qingluan Mountain. He had a good sense of direction, so when Xiao Cheng mentioned it, Dong Xuebing immediately recalled that distinctive rock, which served as a landmark on this bald mountain.
The path Xiao Cheng mentioned, Dong Xuebing only took seven or eight minutes to reach.
As soon as he arrived, not far ahead, artificial searchlights entered his vision. They weren’t the glow of the setting sun but bright, glaring spotlights.
“Why did you come up yourself?”
The workers setting up the temporary command center and related facilities saw Dong Xuebing and quickly greeted him. People from the Cultural Bureau, the Public Security Bureau, and others were among them. Everyone had been busy. The security line was already drawn across a large area, enclosing several hundred meters, with several large tents already set up. Spotlights were mounted on trees, and everything was ready.
Dong Xuebing walked around and couldn’t help but say, “Everyone’s worked hard. You haven’t eaten yet, right?”
“It’s not hard work; it’s just what we should do,” said Director Liu of the Cultural Museum. “We haven’t eaten yet, but the villagers have already sat down. We’re preparing to eat up here on the mountain because some things still need finishing. After everything is done, we’ll go down the mountain later, leaving just a few people to stay here.”
Dong Xuebing glanced to the side, where a fire was burning and a cooking pot was set up. Several locals from Qingbei Village who had accompanied them up the mountain were helping everyone prepare the meal. These locals likely shared and carried many tents and related equipment up the mountain, as just their group of twenty-something members from the archaeological team would not have been able to bring up so much on their own.
“Thank you, locals,” Dong Xuebing hurried over. “Sorry for making everyone work with us. We appreciate it.”
A middle-aged man with a friendly smile replied, “There’s nothing to thank. Secretary Xiao told us to come along and lend a hand. It’s no trouble. Just let us know if you ever need to eat or move something.”
Dong Xuebing said, “That wouldn’t be appropriate. Running back and forth is a hassle for you all.”
The middle-aged man said, “We’ve been picking herbs on the mountain for years. Climbing mountains doesn’t bother us. We’re used to it; it’s like second nature to us. We don’t feel comfortable if we don’t climb the mountain a couple of times a day.”
Another young villager said, “Uncle, the food’s ready.”
The middle-aged man called everyone to come and eat. He scooped a bowl of soup and sat down on the ground to drink.
The meal wasn’t much—just a hodgepodge soup with little oil, but it was better than nothing on the mountain.
Dong Xuebing called Director Liu, “Don’t forget to pay the locals. Make sure to settle their wages daily; if you can give more, then do so. We’ll handle it through the county’s accounts later.”
Director Liu nodded slightly, “Won’t forget for sure.”
Everyone was hungry, so they put down their tools and ate.
Dong Xuebing turned back, unbuckling the caution tape and bending over to enter. The workers had already marked the spot and planted a flag to indicate the location. This was where the copper mirror had been dug up. Dong Xuebing took a deep breath and slowly walked up, squatting down and digging into the excavated pit with his hands. He patted around for a while but didn’t dare dig any further, fearing damage.
Soon after, Zhang Dongfang and others arrived late.
The work team quickly put down their bowls to welcome them.
But Zhang Dongfang, panting heavily, waved them off, letting them continue eating. He then looked over at Dong Xuebing, unbuckling the caution tape and going in himself.
“Yeah, this is where the copper mirror was dug up.”
Zhang Dongfang also squatted beside Dong Xuebing, looking at the spot for a long time. Finally, he whispered, “Do you think a group of ancient tombs could be underground here? It doesn’t look like it.”
Dong Xuebing said, “It requires professional equipment and personnel to confirm. If there are ancient tombs, we’ll have to dig layer by layer, stripping away each layer. You can’t see anything now because it’s all hidden. Any excavation takes months, sometimes years—it’s very labor-intensive. If it were thieves, they wouldn’t care; they’d dig straight in, not worrying about the historical value of the tomb. They’re only interested in valuable artifacts inside, but we can’t afford that.”
Zhang Dongfang nodded, feeling the soil with his hand, “Let’s hope for some good news.”
“Their team is almost here. We’ll know soon enough.” Dong Xuebing glanced at his watch. Mu Zhengzhong and the others should have landed the plane by now. His phone had no signal here, so he couldn’t contact them. However, he had already left Su Yan’s number with Professor Mu and didn’t need to worry about it—Su Yan was at the airport waiting, and Dong Xuebing had instructed him to rush over to Qingluan Mountain as soon as they landed.
A few locals went down the mountain.
However, when they saw that Secretary Dong and County Mayor Zhang had no intention of going down the mountain and were still talking there, the work team members also didn’t leave. After finishing the equipment installation and setting up the facilities, they turned on an additional searchlight to illuminate the scene more.
Finally, around 7:40, a flashlight beam could be seen from below the mountain. Xiao Cheng, two local villagers, Su Yan, and a few middle-aged men came up.
“Professor Mu, you’ve worked hard all the way,” Dong Xuebing greeted with a smile when he saw them.
The Jiao Lin County work team members clearly recognized Professor Mu Zhengzhong, looking a bit surprised. They didn’t expect Secretary Dong to invite such a well-known figure, let alone bring him to this remote corner of Qingluan Mountain. For a moment, everyone couldn’t help but speculate—was there an ancient tomb here? Did Dong Xuebing guess correctly? Was it just a lucky guess, a coincidence?
Professor Mu Zhengzhong and his group were also tired. They had rushed to the airport in the afternoon, taken a flight to Jiao Lin County, and immediately climbed up the mountain without a break. The three of them weren’t young either, and the physical exertion was evident—their foreheads were drenched in sweat and weariness. However, it was surprising to see that despite their fatigue, their eyes seemed to sparkle with energy, looking quite spirited.
“Xuebing, let me introduce you first,” Professor Mu pointed to two others beside him. “This is Lao Chu from the archaeological team, and this is Lao Meng, a researcher from the Palace Museum.”
“Hello, Professor Chu and Professor Meng.” Dong Xuebing went up to shake hands with them. Thank you for coming; I really appreciate it.” After that, he also introduced Zhang Dongfang. “This is County Mayor Zhang Dongfang.”
Zhang Dongfang also exchanged a few courteous words with them.
Professor Chu from the archaeological team was the most eager of the group. He didn’t care to introduce himself or make polite greetings; he immediately asked, “Where is it?”
Director Liu also heard the introductions and, realizing they were from the archaeological team, showed a respectful demeanor. Per Dong Xuebing’s instructions, he quickly brought up the box containing the copper mirror.
Professor Chu opened the box, and Mu Zhengzhong and the other researcher, Mr. Meng, gathered around, putting on gloves to carefully examine the items under the light. After a thorough inspection, the three exchanged knowing glances and nodded vigorously at each other.