Feng Changqing

She walked while livestreaming, following Chen Hao, but gradually realized that her brother was moving with a clear purpose. He was not wandering aimlessly; he had chosen a direction and was heading steadily toward it.

Chen Siyao hurried to catch up with Chen Hao and asked quietly, "Have you already decided where we're going?"

Chen Hao paused briefly. As he gazed at the rolling green mountains ahead, a trace of nostalgia and melancholy flickered in his eyes.

A thousand years, and I still remember this path perfectly. Now that I've returned, the mountains and rivers remain, but my old friend rests forever.

He spoke softly, his unhurried voice carrying weight. "Yes. An old friend of mine is buried nearby. I came today to offer him some incense."

"Oh? An old friend of yours?" Chen Siyao's eyes lit up, and she instantly forgot about the livestream comments. "Then let's hurry over! We shouldn't keep him waiting!"

Yang Wanqing quickly nodded too. "Yes, we'll go with you!"

The three followed the mountain trail for over ten minutes before arriving at a hollow with breathtaking scenery.

Towering ancient trees surrounded them, with a stream winding around the area. Everywhere they looked, wild grass grew thick and lush. There was not even a mound of earth in sight, let alone a gravestone.

Yang Wanqing scratched her head and could not help asking, "Chen Hao... where's the grave? There's nothing but grass and trees. I don't see any sign of one."

Chen Siyao also looked around, puzzled. "Yeah, I don't see a grave either."

Chen Hao lowered his gaze to the thick grass beneath his feet. His voice was calm. "Below."

As his words fell, he lightly waved a hand. The seemingly tangled grass parted on its own, revealing a narrow path that had been hidden beneath vegetation for years.

At the end of the path lay an underground tomb passage concealed among the rocks. Its pitch-black entrance exuded the stillness and antiquity of a thousand years.

Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing both recoiled in fright.

An underground... tomb passage? My brother's friend is buried underground? This is way too scary! And he actually knows how to open the mechanism? Could he have spent all these years in the mountains learning to be a tomb raider?

But he doesn't look scared at all. If anything, he looks very serious...

The moment the tomb passage appeared, a dense flood of comments raced across the livestream!

[AdventureFanZhou]: Holy crap! An underground tomb passage? Did they just discover an ancient tomb?!

[StuffedWithGossip]: It's scripted, right? It has to be! Will influencers even fake ancient tombs for views now?

[AcademicFailure]: It doesn't look staged! Those stones in the passage look seriously old!

[ProfessionalYaoHater]: Drop the act! Aren't you planning to rob a tomb? Bringing a streamer to dig up an ancient tomb in broad daylight? You know that's illegal, right?

[CulturalHeritageAmbassador]: Wait! They've been streaming the whole time, and they haven't brought any tools or touched anything. This doesn't look like tomb robbing!

[AllTalk666]: Pretty convincing acting! I bet they'll pull out a fake antique next, claim they dug it up, and trick their fans into sending donations!

Chen Siyao looked at the exploding livestream comments, then at the dark tomb passage before her, and clutched Chen Hao's sleeve.

A hint of fear entered her voice. "Who... whose tomb is this, exactly? Are... are we going in?"

Chen Hao raised his hand and gently patted the back of hers. His tone was warm and reassuring. "Don't be afraid. This is the tomb of Feng Changqing, a renowned general of the Tang dynasty."

Chen Hao said the name Feng Changqing casually, yet it landed like a massive stone in Chen Siyao's and Yang Wanqing's hearts.

"A-a famous Tang dynasty general?" Yang Wanqing covered her mouth, her eyes widening in shock. "Feng Changqing... I think I've seen him in a history textbook! He was a great general who defended the frontier!"

Chen Siyao also froze, her mind going blank.

My brother's friend... was a famous Tang dynasty general? Wouldn't that make him someone from over a thousand years ago? How could my brother know a general from over a thousand years ago?! Surely he hasn't brought us here to rob a tomb?

But he knows I'm livestreaming, doesn't he? Chen Siyao shook her head. Surely he would not do that.

She instinctively looked at the livestream camera. The comments had gone completely wild, filling the screen with mockery, suspicion, and abuse, branding her with the labels "scripted," "fake," and "attention seeker."

[AcademicFailure]: Feng Changqing's tomb? Historical records don't even specify its exact location, and we're supposed to believe it's here just because you say so? Do you think we're three-year-olds?

[KeyboardWarrior]: I'm dying! Now they're dragging a famous Tang general into this? What's next, claiming your brother's an immortal who's lived for a thousand years?

[VoiceOfReason]: What a terrible script! Couldn't you pick a more plausible historical figure? Feng Changqing died unjustly, and you still dare use him for views?

[ProfessionalYaoHater]: This woman has lost her mind! She'll even fake historical relics to get famous. Just wait for the authorities to shut her down!

[GossipWithoutTheSeeds]: Unfollowing! I used to think she was innocent and sweet, but now she's just another influencer who'll do anything for views!

[CulturalHeritageAmbassador]: Even if this isn't tomb robbing, making up a script about a historical figure is going too far! Report her!

The few comments that found something odd about the situation were instantly drowned beneath the flood of abuse.

[SweetLittleStrawberry]: Stop insulting her! Yaoyao hasn't touched anything this whole time, and she hasn't faked anything either!

[YaoDoesntEatGrapes]: What if... what if this is real?

Chen Hao stood at the entrance to the tomb passage, gazing into its dark depths as memories from a thousand years ago surged over him like a tide.

Little Chang, you always used to say that you had to fight through blood-soaked battlefields and narrowly escape death just to earn a little renown, while poets could achieve everlasting fame with a few strokes of a brush.

You said your poetry was excellent, but with the country in peril, it needed generals, not scholars. Once peace returned, you would lay down your armor, retire to the countryside, and write poems and books, leaving behind a lasting name for your talent.

Yet you never lived to see that day. The poems you wrote were buried in your tomb, unknown to anyone for a thousand years.

Today, through Siyao's livestream, I'll let the world see that you were not only a battle-hardened general, but also a poet brimming with talent.

He paid no attention to the abuse in the livestream and offered no explanation. He simply stepped into the tomb passage, his voice quiet but firm. "Come in. With me here, you'll be safe."

Chen Siyao bit her lip. Looking at her brother's straight-backed figure, then at the screen full of mocking comments, she suddenly felt a surge of defiance.

No matter what anyone says, I trust my brother! If he says this is General Feng Changqing's tomb, then it is! I can't let them insult him like this!

Gripping her phone tightly, she followed Chen Hao into the tomb passage. Yang Wanqing gritted her teeth and followed them too.

The passage was not cold and gloomy. Instead, it carried a faint air of antiquity. Faded markings were barely visible on the walls, all traces left by a thousand years of time.

Chen Hao led the way. He could see the path ahead without a light, as though he knew every inch of this place.

As the livestream viewers watched the genuine tomb walls, their doubts eased slightly, but claims that it was "scripted" still dominated the comments.

Chen Siyao looked at the comments, knowing that no amount of explaining would help. Then something suddenly occurred to her.

She spoke earnestly to the camera. "Everyone, I'm going to contact the local cultural heritage department right now and report what we've found! We absolutely haven't robbed a tomb or faked anything. We just happened to discover this place!"

Then she looked at her brother. Seeing that he had no objection, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She immediately took out her phone and called the local cultural heritage bureau, clearly explaining their location and the situation.

Even so, the mockery in the livestream continued.

[AllTalk666]: Going all out with the act, huh? Even staging a phone call? I bet you're calling an accomplice!

[KeyboardWarrior]: Just wait! Once the authorities investigate, they'll expose your fake script!

Chen Siyao hung up. Her eyes were slightly red, but she still held her head up stubbornly.

Chen Hao glanced sideways at her, a trace of sympathy and approval passing through his eyes.

Yaoyao has grown up. She knows how to protect herself, and she knows right from wrong. Soon, all these insults will come back to slap them in the face.

After ending the call with the cultural heritage bureau, Chen Siyao's knuckles were still slightly pale from tension. She raised her head and met Chen Hao's calm, unruffled gaze.

The livestream had been overflowing with mockery moments earlier, but her decision to report the discovery to the authorities had silenced more than half the doubters. Still, a scattering of comments stubbornly insisted that she was "going all out with the scripted act."