Mu Yun’s shrewdness was no larger than his eyes; arguing with him was pointless. You turned to look at Mu Xishan and asked, "Professor Du, you called me here in such a hurry, is there something important?"
Mu Xishan didn’t answer directly. Instead, he gave you a once-over and said with a smile, "It’s been more than a decade since we last met, and you’re looking more and more like your father."
Hearing this, your eyes involuntarily twitched, and you immediately asked, "You knew my father?"
Mu Xishan nodded with a smile and turned to walk over to a glass cabinet, lowered his head to look at the exquisitely made Kui Dragon, Lufang Zun, and murmured wistfully, "Time is a knife that ages us all; it’s been nineteen years since the Kui Dragon, Lufang Zun was unearthed. You’re eighteen this year, aren’t you?"
You didn’t speak but strode forward, placing a hand on Mu Xishan’s shoulder. In that moment, several images flashed through your mind.
It turned out, Mu Xishan, Mu Xihai, and your parents were classmates, and they had been very close friends.
Seeing the enlightenment on your face, Mu Xishan said with a smile, "It seems that you’ve indeed inherited your father’s Eye of Knowledge."
A little startled, you immediately asked, "My dad had this ability too?"
Mu Xishan nodded and said, "Yes, that’s why I agreed to be your mentor. Your ability, once properly harnessed, will be a blessing to our field of archaeology."
Seeing you shrug, Mu Xishan laughed and said, "Compared to your father, I prefer your temperament. He was too stubborn and exacting, not exactly likable."
To be honest, you didn’t have much affection for the father you’d never met and had no interest in learning about his past. All you wanted was to change your own life and do your utmost to protect and care for the people you loved.
"Xishan, let’s end the reunion here for now. We must focus on resolving the issue at hand," interjected the middle-aged man who had been standing by.
As he spoke, Mu Xishan’s expression turned serious. He nodded, turned to the tall girl beside you, and said, "Little Yi, show Mu Yun your jade thumb ring."
Only then did you turn to gaze at the girl who stood out even among a group of boys.
She was tall, and with high heels on, she would probably loom over you as well; but unlike other tall girls, her stature was much more delicate, a standard nine-head-tall beauty.
Different from city girls, her attire was simple: a short-sleeved white blouse and jeans, with a long, long black braid.
She wore thick black-rimmed glasses that partially obscured her features. Nonetheless, her natural beauty was undeniable and memorable with just one glance. Still, her height was intimidating enough to deter most men.
Hearing Mu Xishan’s words, she took a palm-sized cloth pouch out of her small purse, an old floral handkerchief from the seventies or eighties serving as its outer layer.
Once the handkerchief was unfolded, it revealed a white jade thumb ring. You quickly realized that this was not a decorative item but a ’release’ (shè), primarily used to hook on the finger to pull a bowstring, an essential accessory for ancient archers.
However, just by looking at it, you noticed the white jade thumb ring was of a very ancient vintage and couldn’t help feeling eager. You said to the tall beauty, "May I touch it?"
The tall beauty glanced at Mu Xishan, who then addressed you, "The reason I called you here was to deal with this, but before that, I must warn you; this item is quite peculiar."
You smiled and said, "How peculiar can it be..."
Before you had finished speaking, you had already reached out to touch the White Jade thumb ring, and the moment you grasped the White Jade thumb ring, it felt as if your consciousness was sucked into a strange space-time by an extremely powerful force!
At this moment, darkness enveloped you, and you couldn’t see your own hand before your face.
A sudden breeze brushed against your cheeks, also lifting the seemingly boundless darkness.
As the surrounding darkness slowly receded, you found yourself standing on a hill, with a lake not far ahead.
A bright moon hung high in the night sky, casting shimmering reflections on the surface of the lake.
At that time, with sharp eyes, you saw a horse coming from afar. As the horse approached, you noticed that there were two people on its back, a man and a woman.
They dismounted from the horse and stood by the shore of the lake, holding hands, and walked slowly together, their silhouettes gradually merging under the rippling moonlight...
The scene suddenly changed, the sun was high in the sky, but now you were standing on the watchtower of a city wall, with the city inside brightly lit and bustling with noise.
Looking beyond the city, a grand wedding procession was approaching from the west, led by a robust and powerful man, his face alight with joy; inside the grandest red-walled courtyard of the city, a woman in festive red silk modestly awaited, her intense gaze fixed on the city gates...
The scene shifted again, and it was deep into the night.
"My king, it’s late, you should rest soon,"
A soft and gentle voice came from not far away, and at this moment, you found yourself inside a palace. The palace covered a vast area and, though simply decorated, did not lack in beauty, exhibiting the exceptional craftsmanship of a dynasty.
The voice was just up ahead, so you slowly made your way toward it.
"To the north of the Shang lies the land of the Ghost Tribe, who have invaded us from the south since the time of our ancestors. If we don’t eliminate them, I shall find neither peace nor rest!"
Just as you turned the corner, ready to come face to face with the speaking man and woman, the scene changed once more.
Standing at the peak of a tall mountain, as you looked down, you saw two massive armies engaged in battle on the plains below. The army from the south moved with steady steps and was well-equipped, gradually gaining the upper hand and methodically devouring the troops from the north.
The view gradually enlarged, and a man clad in golden armor with a robust figure came into your sight. He was brandishing a long knife, leading the charge on horseback, slashing through the enemy ranks as if he was in uninhabited territory.
As the enemy began begging for mercy, the man roared in anger, his cry piercing the heavens, echoing like thunder!
By now, you had a good idea of who this man was.
Just as you expected, he went on to personally lead his troops to conquer Mount Qi, smashing the armies of the Western Zhou, slaughtering tens of thousands, and personally capturing the Marquess of the West, Ji Chang.
Everyone knows his posthumous title; descendants of the Shang Dynasty honor him as Emperor Xin, while people from the Zhou Dynasty defamed him as Zhou King!
Emperor Xin, with the surname Zi, first name Shou, was the king of the Shang Dynasty who presided over its downfall.