Mu Yun, unaware of my thoughts, simply continued speaking on his own: "There is one final, major mystery: the muscle tissue of this thing contains a small amount of a mysterious substance labeled 0017. This substance has only ever been found in trace amounts within meteorites. It's not on the periodic table, its properties are unknown, but it generates immense radiant energy."

"Substance 0017!" I exclaimed, the shock causing me to utter the number aloud. Wasn't 0017 the cryptic number carved into the tomb chamber of the Wei King? Could this 0017 refer to this unknown material?

Mu Yun paused for a moment, then asked, "Yes, why?"

I questioned him, "Why was this substance named 0017?"

Mu Yun smiled faintly and replied with confidence, "Because it was the seventeenth unconfirmed substance discovered in the world. But actually, to my knowledge, this substance was among the first meteorite materials to be studied. As early as the Han Dynasty, there are records of a 'heavenly fire' falling in the Shu region, causing a massive conflagration. Afterward, the ground where it burned remained barren, and during stormy weather, the meteorite would emit a strange humming sound and sometimes glow. So, the government sent people to excavate the meteorite and conduct research. They discovered that this object could actually generate its own heat, and the ancient officials who handled it all contracted a severe illness involving vomiting and diarrhea. All the characteristics of this meteorite were recorded in the county gazetteer."

A heavenly fire fell in Sichuan? Something else seemed to click in my mind, and I asked him, "Was it the one that fell in the Black Bamboo Gully at the end of the Sui Dynasty?"

Mu Yun’s eyes widened as he looked at me, asking in surprise, "How did you know?"

I had no time to answer him and pressed on, "What happened to that meteorite in the end? Can it still be seen now?"

Mu Yun took a sip of his now-cool tea and said, "It is rumored that the Tang Dynasty eccentric, Li Chunfeng, forged it into a sword and has worn it ever since."

Li Chunfeng, Black Bamboo Gully, the meteorite, the mysterious code—these elements were all tying together. I felt I was grasping something, yet it remained incredibly tangled. I realized I needed to organize my thoughts properly.

Mu Yun fell silent for a moment, then asked me, "Xiao Chuan, I’ve told you so much; you shouldn't keep secrets from me either. Where did you obtain this specimen?"

I looked up at him, recalling the recent troubles that had plagued me. I resolved that I absolutely could not drag this friend into any more of it. I said, "Good brother, this is something you can't handle."

Mu Yun looked at me very seriously. After a long pause, he smiled slightly, stood up, and said, "Very well then. Be careful with everything. Call me if you need anything. I won't promise to climb mountains of blades or dive into seas of fire, but I will certainly help my brother if I can."

I watched him leave the teahouse, then finally ordered a pot of tea and picked up the documents to review them.

When the tea was served, I noticed that all the waitstaff were beautiful women in traditional qipao. They weren't the flashy beauties of the old Shanghai style, but genuinely refined and ethereal.

The moment I looked at the tea menu, I froze. A standard bowl of Bamboo Leaf Green tea cost over five hundred yuan.

Just then, Little Beard and Big Bear emerged from a side room, quietly discussing something, and headed toward my table.

When they reached me, Little Beard smiled faintly and asked, "Oh, haven't ordered tea yet? Let me. The Maofeng here is famous."

He took the menu and casually ordered three bowls of tea.

My heart ached. These three bowls probably cost a white-collar worker a month’s salary. If I couldn’t finish it all, I’d have to pack the spent leaves to brew at home until they were tasteless, and I still might not break even.

Just as I worried Little Beard might expect me to pay, Big Bear patted me and laughed, "Don't worry, the owner here is a *'s friend. This tea is on the house."

I grunted, realizing I had underestimated Little Beard, and asked, "May I ask what Mr. Hu’s background is?"

Little Beard chuckled and said, "My parents were both Mojin Xiaowei (Grave Robbers of the Golden Age). I have American citizenship, which is why I have connections with those international tomb raiders, but I’m not one of them."

I was slightly astonished and said, "Mojin Xiaowei—aren't those the authentic tomb raiders who sought dragon veins and pointed at gold in ancient times? I thought they disappeared after the Republic era. It seems most of China’s intangible heritage is now residing overseas."

Little Beard smiled. "Brother, you truly have a way with jokes. My parents were good friends with your grandfather. We caused some trouble down in the Black Bamboo Gully depths back then."

Big Bear interjected then, "Alright, alright, save the reminiscing for later. Boss Wu will be here soon; let’s put the documents away first."

"Boss Wu? Who is that?" I asked, slightly confused.

Big Bear arched his thick eyebrows and whispered conspiratorially, "Boss Wu is a big shot, a friend of Xie Yuting. He came from Hangzhou to find you this time, likely because there’s been a breakthrough regarding the Wei King's ruins."

We were chatting nonsense in the teahouse, sipping Maofeng tea worth a thousand yuan a bowl, feeling like even the American President had it no better.

About half an hour later, Little Beard—no, I should call him *—took a phone call, abruptly stood up, bade us farewell, and headed toward the stairwell entrance.

I knew the person who arrived must be that Boss Wu. I turned back and saw a young man in a white shirt leading three men ascending the stairs.

hurriedly took out a cigarette and offered it, saying, "Ah, Boss Wu, I was just about to come downstairs to meet you."

The young man smiled faintly, pushing the cigarette away, and spoke fluent Mandarin perfectly: "Boss Hu, I don't smoke. Don't you remember?"

looked somewhat awkward, but the young man patted his shoulder and said, "Old friends meeting, no need to be so formal."

After saying this, the young man glanced over in our direction, his gaze remarkably placid.

My first impression of this Boss Wu was actually quite favorable because I felt he was one of my kind—possessing a certain scholarly air. However, I soon noticed an indescribable world-weariness and steadiness in his eyes, the kind that can only come from experiencing great storms. Coupled with his casual language, I vaguely felt he was no ordinary person.

When he sat down, he skipped the pleasantries. He swept his gaze over us and stated in a low voice, "I was sent by Xie Yuting, but that doesn't mean I wish to participate in your affairs. Frankly, I'm just passing through this area to deliver some items to this... Mr. Nie."

Saying this, he patted his breast pocket and pulled out an object wrapped in transparent plastic sheeting. He quickly tore open the plastic while saying, "Apologies, I don't have a habit of carrying backpacks or clip holsters."

As he spoke, he completely unwrapped the plastic, revealing several brittle, old scraps of paper inside.

Seeing these aged, yellowed slips, I seemed to recall something, and my brow furrowed.

Young Boss Wu’s mouth twitched slightly in what passed for a smile and said, "Xie Yuting told me these were brought out from the underground ruins in Black Bamboo Gully. Xie Yuting probably went there mostly for these things anyway. Unfortunately, he only managed to snatch a small portion in the end, but it’s enough. Do you know what these are?"

Boss Wu deliberately held back the answer, but I didn't reply. Instead, I carefully picked up one of the slips to examine it.

Though very blurry, I could make out markings resembling earthworms crawling, interspersed with patterns similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs. Though I didn't recognize the script of this particular civilization, I could tell it was extremely ancient.

For some reason, I had a feeling of déjà vu regarding these writings, as if I had seen them somewhere before.

Big Bear also picked up a slip to look, and then quickly exclaimed in awe, "Is this the legendary... 'Ghost Scribbles'?"

patted him, signaling him to stop speaking carelessly.

Boss Wu ignored them, watching me very intently. After a moment, he said, "This is the script of the Wei Kingdom."

That had been my initial thought, but upon careful recollection, I hadn't seen any murals or artifacts with writing in the Wei Kingdom ruins. I had assumed the Wei Kingdom had no written language, especially since the Wei King's silk manuscripts used Han characters.

Now knowing that this was the Wei script, I asked Boss Wu, "Has Xie Yuting managed to decipher the meaning of these characters?"

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