The Omniscient

Chapter 66: Preferably Free

Before the results of the artifact dating tests were released, everything was just speculation.

However, the site undeniably belonged to a highly developed Pre-Shang culture.

Based on its geographical location, archaeologists named it the "Caogou Village Site."

The excavation area of just the first phase alone spanned 400,000 square meters, nearly half of which consisted of smelting furnaces and pottery-making workshops.

Without question, with so many production workshops, the artifacts unearthed—pottery, bronze, and other items—were coming out in a near-explosive fashion!

From the sheer number of bronze weapons alone, they could have equipped an army of 5,000 soldiers!

This seemed almost impossible. Adding the stone axes and spears that were also unearthed, they could easily outfit an additional servant army of 3,000 to 6,000 men.

What kind of power needed such a massive army?

On the ninth day after the Caogou Village site was discovered, the C14 dating results were finally available.

The establishment of the city was dated between 2900 BCE and 2500 BCE.

Most of the bronze artifacts were dated to around 2600 BCE, while the stone tools were notably older, ranging from 3000 BCE to 2800 BCE.

This indicated that the bronze technology developed gradually after the city was established, reaching its peak within the last hundred years before the city was submerged. The technology was clearly more advanced than that of the later Taosi site.

The testing also revealed that the city had been submerged by floods twice!

The first flood occurred around 2500 BCE, and the second around 2000 BCE.

The site, buried under layers of sediment, was precisely dated to 2000 BCE.

Thus, it was determined that this site was more advanced than Taosi from the Tang Yao period and on par with, if not more powerful than, the Erlitou site from the Xia Dynasty in terms of productivity.

Right before its destruction, the city’s bronze technology had reached its pinnacle, dated to between 2500 BCE and 2600 BCE. This was very likely the era of Zhuanxu.

The archaeological community was abuzz. With such an abundance of artifacts, and many still buried under deeper layers of sediment, archaeological teams from across the country began converging on Xinzheng.

A documentary filming team also rushed to Xinzheng, intending to capture the entire excavation process.

Archaeologists speculated that this might be the "Ruins of Zhu Rong" from Zhuanxu's era.

Due to flooding, this smelting city was destroyed and abandoned, causing a significant regression in bronze technology!

The culture underwent changes and diverged:

Some cultural elements transitioned into the Tang-Yu period culture, while others, like the Bronze Sacred Tree, flourished in the Shu region, evolving into a uniquely eerie style.

The cultures of the Central Plains and the Shu region diverged significantly until the Qin Dynasty unified them.

Of course, this was just a hypothesis.

Strictly speaking, it could only be called the "Caogou Village Culture," which, in terms of typology, belonged to the early stages of Longshan Culture and Sanxingdui Culture.

There was no evidence linking it to Zhuanxu or the so-called "Ruins of Zhu Rong."

Nevertheless, posts with titles like “Discovering the Ruins of Zhu Rong: Ancient Military Production Hub” and “An Ancient Flooded City: The Battle Between Zhu Rong and Gonggong” started popping up on forums frequented by archaeology enthusiasts.

Many history students began discussing the possibility that this was the site of the legendary battle between Gonggong and Zhu Rong.

Did the Ruins of Zhu Rong get submerged by floods—twice? The second flood coincided with the time of Yu the Great’s flood control efforts, so it might have been a natural disaster.

But what about the first flood? Could it have been caused by humans breaking a dam?

The Liangzhu Culture of 5,000 years ago already had sophisticated reservoir systems, so the waterworks of Zhuanxu’s time must have been highly advanced. Given the site’s low elevation, flooding the entire city wouldn’t have been difficult.

“Could it be that the Gonggong clan breached the dams, flooding Zhu Rong’s kingdom and turning it into the Ruins of Zhu Rong? Maybe this is the real origin of the Gonggong vs. Zhu Rong legend.”

“Strictly speaking, that’s just mythology. Historical records only state that Zhuanxu competed with the Gonggong clan for the throne, and Gonggong caused floods to harm civilians.”

“So, Zhuanxu is Zhu Rong?”

“Obviously. Zhu Rong and Gonggong were clan titles. Before Zhuanxu became emperor, he wouldn’t have been a commoner. He must have held a significant position. The title of Zhu Rong, second only to the emperor, fits perfectly. The only equal rank would have been Gonggong. When Zhuanxu was essentially the ‘Minister of Defense,’ he fought the Gonggong clan and ultimately triumphed, becoming the emperor!”

“That’s badass! Zhu Rong was frantically making weapons, and Gonggong just opened the floodgates, drowning his armies. How did Zhu Rong even win under those conditions?”

“He lost public support! Gonggong might’ve won a small victory, but Zhu Rong didn’t lose much overall. The Gonggong clan, responsible for water management, flooded the city and killed civilians. Sure, they could do it once, but could they do it repeatedly? A failed snake strike only invites retaliation. In the end, Gonggong’s actions must’ve earned him a reputation for cruelty!”

“Exactly. Zhuanxu may have lost his weapons and armies, but he still had the people. Gonggong could flood one city, but could he flood ten? Zhuanxu seized the opportunity to rally public opinion and launched a moral crusade. Weapons and manpower would naturally follow. History shows that whoever wins the people’s hearts wins the world!”

The forum discussions were lively. To many, this seemed like yet another ancient legend being validated through archaeology.

Still, there was no concrete evidence. No written records had been found—barely a trace. It was impossible to confirm Zhuanxu’s existence.

The ruins, heavily eroded by water, left only their terrifying scale and countless mysteries for posterity.

Nine days had passed since the ancient city was first excavated.

Two days ago, Huang Ji had completely cured his grandfather, fulfilling a long-cherished wish.

Now free of burdens, Huang Ji could fully focus on his plans involving aliens and pursue his development wholeheartedly.

At this moment, he had arrived in Luoyang. But not just Luoyang—the entire Henan Province’s archaeologists had converged on the Ruins of Zhu Rong.

The Luoyang Archaeological Research Institute was left with only a few young staff members.

Even so, Huang Ji didn’t head straight to the institute. Instead, he wandered through Luoyang’s antique street.

With his sharp eye, he could instantly tell which items were genuine and which were fake.

He visited several stores. The salespeople enthusiastically promoted their treasures, but after making his assessments, Huang Ji left without buying anything.

After finishing with the stores, he browsed the street stalls. When sellers recommended antiques, Huang Ji gave his critiques but still didn’t buy anything.

One person even tried to sell him a counterfeit, but Huang Ji immediately exposed its flaws on the spot.

Two hours passed like this, yet Huang Ji didn’t buy a single item.

“Big Bro, what kind of antique are you even looking for?” Lin Li asked.

“Cheap ones,” Huang Ji replied.

Lin Li was moved. “Big Bro, you’ve finally learned to save money!”

To support Huang Ji’s plans, Lin Li had purchased 12.5 kilograms of gold, and their cash reserves were now running low.

Huang Ji chuckled, “Preferably free…”

Lin Li was dumbfounded. What could he possibly mean? How could there be free antiques?

As they continued browsing, Huang Ji suddenly spoke a little louder, “Hey, what happened to that five million of ours?”

Lin Li was startled. “Didn’t we use it to buy gold?”

Huang Ji nodded and said, "Oh no, why did you buy gold? Gold holds its value, sure, but antiques appreciate even more these days!"

"..." Lin Li remained silent. Having cooperated with Huang Ji many times, he could tell that Huang Ji was deliberately lying.

The purchase of gold had been agreed upon in advance, so the sudden questioning was obviously not genuine.

"You’re absolutely right, brother!" A man on the street, clearly overhearing the conversation, suddenly stepped forward to join in.

Lin Li glanced at him expressionlessly and thought to himself, Here we go.

Huang Ji, however, didn’t hold back and said bluntly, "Who are you?"

"Haha, just call me Bai Hu," the man replied with a chubby frame and a wide smile. "I admire your insight, brother. Are you planning to buy antiques?"

"No s***. You think I’m here just wandering around?" Huang Ji responded aggressively.

But Bai Hu didn’t mind in the slightest and continued smiling, "Why don’t you come to my place? My old man was a collector, and our house is full of antiques—bottles, jars, and the like. They’re all old items. Want to come and take a look?"

Huang Ji scrutinized him and then smirked. "Sure."

"It’s just in the courtyard ahead. Follow me!" Bai Hu led Huang Ji and Lin Li down a narrow alley.

At the end of the alley was a courtyard gate. Bai Hu knocked on it, and a voice from inside asked, "Who is it?"

"It’s me, Bai Hu. Open the door," he replied.

With a creak, the door opened, and Bai Hu ushered Huang Ji inside.

Lin Li hesitated for a moment before following. Inside, he saw a tall, skinny man who looked like a bamboo pole.

Huang Ji looked around as they entered the main hall. The floor was covered with various antiques—painted pottery, porcelain, and even bronze artifacts.

Some items had a simple, ancient style, while others were exquisitely crafted.

Huang Ji squatted down and examined each item carefully, touching and inspecting them one by one. He even spent an extra minute looking at a bronze mirror.

Afterward, he stood up and said with a dismissive tone, "Is this all?"

Bai Hu chuckled, "Alright, looks like I can’t fool you. To be honest, I don’t really know much about these. They were all collected by my old man. After he passed away, I figured they should be worth something, but I’m not into this stuff, so I just want to sell them all off."

"Have you had them appraised?" Huang Ji asked.

Bai Hu shook his head and said, "I once brought a porcelain item for appraisal. It cost me forty thousand yuan for the appraisal fee, and they told me it was just a common kiln piece from the Song Dynasty, worth at most a hundred thousand. After selling it and paying taxes, I realized the appraiser earned more than I did. Where’s the justice in that?"

Huang Ji tilted his head and said, "Huh? Appraisal fees are that expensive? You sure you weren’t scammed?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The tall, skinny man, Mao Hou, chimed in, "Exactly! That’s why I said we should just sell them all in bulk without appraising them."

"Ten thousand per piece, total of four million. If you like them, take them all!" Bai Hu offered.

Huang Ji chuckled, "There are some fakes mixed in here, aren’t there?"

Bai Hu shook his head. "I wouldn’t know. I don’t understand this stuff. If you can tell the real ones, then buy them all. If you don’t trust your own judgment, forget it. I’ll wait for someone else who knows what they’re doing."

Huang Ji scanned the items and said, "This, this, this... and that one over there—these are all fakes. You dare to charge ten thousand for them?"

He arrogantly pointed out over a dozen fakes, all modern reproductions.

Mao Hou’s eyes lit up as he watched Huang Ji easily identify the counterfeits, but he stayed silent.

Bai Hu, on the other hand, looked bewildered and said, "Huh? You’re not lying to me, are you?"

"Why would I lie? I’m not taking these fakes," Huang Ji replied.

"What about the rest?" Bai Hu asked.

"Let me take another look..." Huang Ji pretended to carefully examine the items again. Then he said disdainfully, "This porcelain vase? Fake. This teapot? Fake too..."

After he called out several more fakes, Bai Hu interrupted him in frustration, "Enough! Are you just going to say all of them are fakes?"

"There are still some genuine ones..." Huang Ji said with a smile.

Bai Hu remained skeptical. "Every time I’ve randomly picked a piece of porcelain for appraisal, it’s been valued at ten thousand. How can there be so many fakes here? Do you even know what you’re talking about?"

From the back, Mao Hou shouted, "It’s ten thousand per piece! We’re selling them in bulk—take it or leave it!"

Huang Ji hesitated for a moment and then glanced at the bronze mirror. Reluctantly, he said, "Alright, but I don’t have cash. Will gold work?"

"My buddy here converted all our money into gold bars," he added.

Of course, Bai Hu had overheard earlier that Huang Ji had gold bars worth five million yuan. Since gold was easy to convert into cash, he nodded and said, "Gold works."

"Alright then. My buddy and I will go get the gold from the car," Huang Ji said as he led Lin Li out.

After they left, Mao Hou leaned against the wall, peeking outside. Once he confirmed that Huang Ji had gone far, he returned and said to Bai Hu, "Brother Hu, are you really going to sell the Flying Immortal Inscription Mirror for just four million?"

Bai Hu knocked Mao Hou on the head and said, "What else do you want? Don’t get too greedy. You’re not planning to sell it at a shop, are you? It’s a no-cost business for us. Mixing it with these fakes and selling it for four million is plenty."

"We’ve finally come across someone who knows their stuff and has money. Luck’s on our side this time."

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