"Master, don’t forget, the old men in Anmin Alley have said that those pottery jars were dug out of the riverbed. This suggests that somewhere upstream, there should be the burial site for these pottery burial items. If we find this burial pit, we’ve found the breakthrough. Just by following the trail, we can figure out the whole structure of the ancient tomb. It’s not that difficult."

Zhou Shitao was stunned upon hearing this. He suddenly realized he had overlooked this major clue. Those jars could not only prove the existence of the ancient tomb, but also help locate it based on their discovery site.

"Right, right, I almost forgot about this. Xiao Ji, you must go back to Anmin Alley and ask those old men clearly. Make sure to get all the details about the river’s condition at the time, including its depth, and the main areas where those pottery shards were found. Also, see if anyone knows where exactly those jars floated down from. The more detailed, the better."

With Zhou Shitao’s orders, Ji Kun didn’t dare delay for a moment and hurried out. Wu Jun saw this and volunteered to follow along.

After organizing all the clues, Zhou Shitao sent a package over to the Imperial Capital Cultural Relics Bureau. Soon, a call came in, and it was none other than Zhuang Xiangyang.

"Old Zhou, causing trouble again? It’s almost New Year, can’t you settle down a bit? I was hoping to get some good rest, and here you come, dumping such a big load on me." Zhuang Xiangyang started complaining as soon as he spoke.

Zhuang Xiangyang was with the Cultural Relics Bureau, so once Zhou Shitao reported the news, everybody there was informed.

Zhou Shitao chuckled, not really intending to claim any credit: "You’ve got it wrong. This isn’t my discovery. It’s my little apprentice. That girl stirred things up in America and was feeling down about it, so she’s looking for something to do. You know my apprentice all too well; she’s never settled."

This sounded like criticism of Huo Sining, but anyone with insight could tell that Zhou Shitao was not criticizing. He was blatantly showing off!

At least, on the other end of the line, Zhuang Xiangyang couldn’t help but twitch his lips.

Knowing Zhou Shitao’s temperament, ever since he accepted a remarkably talented Closed-door Disciple, he’s been irreversibly high-profile in flaunting his apprentice. It’s not just him; even people like Huang Zhenlong and Shi Qingyun are quite annoyed with Zhou Shitao but helpless against him.

You can’t really blame Zhou Shitao; the blame lies with his extraordinarily talented little apprentice. Compared to Huo Sining, the apprentices under these experts are overshadowed and can’t hold their own at all.

Zhuang Xiangyang felt somewhat frustrated, yet there’s nothing he could do about Zhou Shitao, aware that having an apprentice like Huo Sining was a rare stroke of luck, one he might never have even in his lifetime.

Zhuang Xiangyang felt envy, jealousy, and hatred towards Zhou Shitao. If possible, he’d love to snatch that old guy’s apprentice away, but nowadays, he can only wish for it in his heart.

"So it was Huo the girl who figured it out. That girl sure has keen eyes. You as her master, being overshadowed by your disciple, really is embarrassing."

Zhuang Xiangyang couldn’t help but sarcastically jab at Zhou Shitao.

Instead of getting angry, Zhou Shitao jokingly replied, "What’s embarrassing about that? No matter how skilled she is, she’s still my disciple. Nobody can change that. I’d be more than happy if she surpasses me. It would be a real disgrace to the school if she didn’t excel, making me lose face as her master."

Zhuang Xiangyang, often at a loss for words against Zhou Shitao, decided to get straight to the point: "Did you coordinate this matter with the Fucheng side yet?"

At the mention of the Fucheng Cultural Relics Bureau, Zhou Shitao’s expression darkened: "Don’t even mention it. Can a place like Fucheng have a legitimate archaeological team? They’re a bunch of amateurs who don’t know relics, just seeing them gets me pissed off. A case this big, I ain’t comfortable handing it to them not wanting it to become a mess that lands back on us."

Zhuang Xiangyang heard this and realized Zhou Shitao was speaking with reason. After a moment of silence, he nodded: "Alright, I’ll try to coordinate more manpower down there. We’ll take over the case directly, bypassing Fucheng, although Fucheng might have some opinions."

Zhou Shitao sneered: "They wouldn’t dare! With us veterans backing this, even if they have issues, they can only keep mum!"

Zhuang Xiangyang knew from Zhou Shitao’s tone he was resolute, so he said no more, telling Zhou Shitao to wait in Fucheng as they’d soon send reinforcements.

After the call, Zhou Shitao prepared to inform Huang Zhenlong, but right then, Huang Zhenlong’s call came through. Apparently, he’d also heard about the discovery of the Han Princess Tomb in Fucheng.

Zhou Shitao answered, and Huang Zhenlong asked in a serious tone:

"Old Zhou, are you in Fucheng? Is the Han tomb real or fake? How confident are you?"

Huang Zhenlong’s questions came rapid-fire, pounding urgently upon Zhou Shitao. Zhou Shitao paused briefly before replying: 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"This Han tomb was discovered by Huo the girl. Her abilities, you know very well. During the day, I accompanied her and retrieved three authentic Han Dynasty pottery jars, which, nine out of ten, were flushed out from the burial pit of the ancient tomb."

Huang Zhenlong frowned: "So, you’re certain then?"

As Huang Zhenlong pressed on about their confidence, Zhou Shitao sensed something amiss, asking, "What’s wrong? Is there a problem?"

Huang Zhenlong gave a wry smile: "There’s a major issue. Your timing is impeccable. I just got a call from Chief Lu, saying that in Fucheng, they’re currently undergoing full city makeover, and the urban planning’s already filed for months, almost through the process. In about a week, it’ll be approved. With you stirring things up now, Fucheng City Government would likely be in uproar!"

Stunned at the mention of urban planning, Zhou Shitao asked, "Urban planning? How does that conflict with our discovery of the Han tomb?"