Chapter 1: The Great Funeral
Nanchu No.1 Middle School
A heavy rain in the evening made the air particularly fresh. According to the geography teacher, Nanchu has a typical subtropical monsoon climate, with high temperatures and heavy rains in summer. The passionate and casual character of the people in Nanchu seems to be created by this.
On the tree-lined avenue, the handsome and handsome boy had slightly messy hair, a few strands of which fell on his forehead, slightly blocking his deep eyebrows. The light of the setting sun covered his body from the shade of the trees, and there seemed to be a flowing brilliance, making him even more stunning.
The students who were taking physical education class in the adjacent playground turned their heads one after another as if they were contagious, and after watching, they laughed at each other.
"Tan Xiao!"
The boy heard someone calling him, turned around, and saw a middle-aged man walking towards him quickly. He was not sure which subject this was his teacher, so he smiled politely and said, "Hello, teacher. I'm going to the vice-principal's office."
It was class time now, and he was afraid that the teacher would misunderstand and think that he was skipping class and hanging around in school, so he explained in advance.
The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, and said awkwardly: "I know, I am... the vice principal."
He felt it was ridiculous to say this. It was he who led the team when Tan Xiao went to the performance before. Why should he explain to Tan Xiao here that he was the principal?
Tan Xiao: "..."
Tan Xiao laughed dryly and said, "Principal Bai, you seem to have become whiter. I didn't recognize you."
"Okay, okay, just tell the truth. I look too ordinary, don't I?" Principal Bai was speechless because of his cold joke.
But he has always been easygoing, and many students like to joke with him, so he smiled and said, "You'd better remember my face, otherwise you won't be able to recognize me when I check your evening study sessions later."
Tan Xiao smiled politely and thought to himself, I would like to remember this.
Principal Bai waved, "Come on, we just happened to meet. Come with me."
Principal Bai took Tan Xiao back to his office. A woman in her twenties, wearing a shirt and skirt, was already sitting inside. She had her hair tied up in a very high bun. When she saw Principal Bai, she stood up and greeted him, " Principal Bai ?"
"Hello." Principal Bai shook hands with her. "The city has called me, Comrade Mu Fei, right? This is Tan Xiao from our school."
"Student Tan Xiao, I'm a staff member of the provincial 404 office. I'm on a business trip in Nanchu recently. I took the liberty to come to the school to see you. Actually, I want to ask about your mother. Do you know where she is now?" Mu Fei didn't exchange too many pleasantries and asked straight to the point.
Principal Bai was not familiar with their leader and only listened to a few explanations on the phone. He knew Tan Xiao's mother, the inheritor of Nanchu folk customs. The provincial staff wanted to find her for something but couldn't get in touch with her. After finding out that Tan Xiao was her son, they came to ask her about it.
Seeing that Tan Xiao was also confused about the 404 Office, he said, "The 404 Office is mainly responsible for coordinating and handling some religious affairs, including supervising the implementation of relevant laws and policies."
——In fact, he only found out about these few brief introductions after searching online, and he applied what he learned immediately.
Speaking of dealing with religious affairs, Tan Xiao was not surprised why he came to him, but he really didn't know: "My mother went to the southwest mountains to collect folk songs. I can't contact her at all. I don't know her exact location now."
Mu Fei asked: "Is there anyone else in your family?"
Tan Xiao didn't know what she meant specifically, he just said a little blankly: "My grandparents are both dead, I come from a single-parent family."
"Sorry." Mu Fei was a little anxious and resisted the urge to bite her nails.
Tan Xiao saw that she was in a hurry and asked, "It's okay. Are you looking for her to register some information? Then maybe I can help you find it. I know a lot about the things in my house."
Hearing that Tan Xiao had Jia Cheng, Mu Fei asked, "How well do you know him?"
Tan Xiao's home has always been filled with incense ever since he could remember. He said confidently, "I have been helping my mother fold talismans since I was three years old. What do you think?"
The handsome young man spoke calmly and persuasively.
"Yes, you are seventeen years old. In the old days, spiritual masters could go to the altar alone at the age of sixteen..." Mu Fei muttered to herself in a low voice. Considering that Principal Bai was next to her, she did not say much.
Principal Bai didn't seem to have any opinion on this. He just said, "Comrade Mu Fei, Tan Xiao is already a sophomore in high school. His studies are very intense. Would it take up too much time for you to need his help?"
"Oh, no, no." Mu Fei pulled out a document from his phone and explained seriously, "Actually, if you've been following the news, you should know that there's an ancient tomb in Nanchu that's being excavated for protection, right?"
This incident is the latest big news in Nanchu City, and everyone knows about it.
It should be noted that Southern Chu has many hills and burial mounds. Several large-scale excavations of ancient tombs were organized in the last century, and there is also a saying among the people that there are "ninety-nine piles".
But when older citizens recall, none of them was as grand as this one.
Principal Bai nodded and said, "It's the large ancient tomb that was dug out during the construction of Metro Line 5. I saw in this short video that it said that they were going to dig out a princess or a prince?"
The excavation work was closed to all visitors and interviews, and the media were not clear about the real situation and said all kinds of things. Some people even went there to broadcast live, but the whole site was fenced off and nothing could be seen.
Mu Fei laughed, "Princess and Prince... it's hard to say, but I can say that they will definitely leave a mark in the archaeological history of Chu Province in the future. I can't say more."
Principal Bai probably doesn't know that the excavation request was sent directly to Beijing for approval, with experts from all walks of life gathered here, and maybe they will have to build a museum on the spot in the future. In any case, there is no chance that Line 5 will be completed on schedule.
Mu Fei further explained: "The excavation license has been urgently approved. Our 404 Office is one of the cultural relics consultants for this excavation. Now, during the excavation process, there are some questions about the folk customs of Southern Chu, and we urgently need to find scholars in this field to help with reference.
"We are in a hurry. Originally, we would have preferred Ms. Tan. But as you can see, we cannot get in touch with her for a while. The excavation work is urgent. Therefore, we hope that Ms. Tan Xiao can cooperate with us during her spare time."
According to what they vaguely revealed, the standard of this excavation is very high. For students, it is a great honor to be able to participate in such an event.
"Then I will definitely support Tan Xiao in doing this 'social practice activity', as long as he can help. But, do you really not have to wait for his mother anymore?"
Principal Bai is honored that a student from his school can help the archaeological team. However, Tan Xiao is still a minor, and Principal Bai is not sure whether he can replace his mother.
That would be great. Principal Bai has already planned that when the excavation work makes progress, he will let them mention to the media that our students from Nanchu No. 1 Middle School have contributed. That would be such an honor!
"We have tried many ways but failed to contact Ms. Tan. The excavation work is urgent, so we can only ask Tan Xiao to give it a try." Mu Fei also felt a little regretful, but who knew their difficulties.
Principal Bai hummed, "Then I wish you all the best in your work. Tan Xiao, just do what you can without affecting your studies. I will say hello to your class teacher."
Tan Xiao nodded and said, "I'll do my best."
…
Mu Fei seemed to be very anxious, and she couldn't even wait until the weekend. She asked Tan Xiao to ride with her in her car after school that day. Since she had already promised her, Tan Xiao had no objection.
Tan Xiao was sitting in the passenger seat, and heard the host on the radio saying, "Welcome to the Voice of Southern Chu. I am the host Xiaoxue. I believe everyone has seen a piece of news recently. There will be a 'supermoon' on the 18th of this month, which is the perigee full moon in astronomy.
"When the weather is good, you can see it in any city, but according to experts, the best observation point is Nanchu. The Nanchu Tourism Festival is coming soon, so tourists from inside and outside the province can feast their eyes in Nanchu. I hope the weather will be fine by then!"
"If you want the best observation point, it should be in the west or the east." Tan Xiao was quite good at geography. He thought to himself, what kind of expert is the host talking about? A tourism expert, probably a far-fetched reference to the tourism festival that Nanchu is preparing.
"That's right, it looks bigger in the west and rounder in the east, but it looks the brightest in your Nanchu." Mu Fei continued.
Tan Xiao couldn't help but laugh twice.
Mu Fei drove very fast and stepped on the accelerator to bring Tan Xiao to a temporary cabin built near the excavation site. Due to the remote location, it was impossible for them to stay in a hotel.
Outside the fence, there were two local self-media outlets broadcasting live from a distance, and they didn't dare to film - the guards here were all armed, and the standards were indeed very high.
In fact, they couldn't really film anything as the fenced-off area was very large, and after all, they still had to investigate whether there were any other tombs surrounding the burial.
At this time, the sky had turned dark blue, and the hot and humid air brewed a rain shower, which fell down with a loud noise. The two anchors did not bring umbrellas and could not take any pictures, so they quickly covered their heads and ran away.
Tan Xiao also blocked it with his schoolbag and followed Mu Fei in.
The guards checked the documents one by one. Mu Fei explained that Tan Xiao was brought by her, but even if she had a pass, she could not bring anyone in casually. She had no choice but to call one of the leaders of the excavation team.
Tan Xiao looked at Mu Fei standing under the eaves to avoid the rain and turned on the speakerphone of his phone: "Mr. Ji, I have brought a spiritual master back now, and he is stuck at the door. Can you please tell me what to do?"
An old man's voice came from the other end of the line, "I am Ji Quanqing. Master Mu has brought people here to assist in the excavation at my request. Please let them go."
The guards originally thought that Tan Xiao was too young and didn't believe Mu Fei's words, so they shouted loudly: "Okay! Master, little friend, please."
When Tan Xiao heard them calling Mu Fei Master, he couldn't help but look at her curiously.
Mu Fei slowly took out a hairpin from her bosom and inserted it into her bun. It was just a small detail, but her whole image instantly changed from a lively and daily life to a Taoist immortal. "What's wrong?"
Tan Xiao: “…………”
...Okay, Mu Fei works in the 404 Office, responsible for handling and coordinating religious affairs, so it's not surprising that she has a relevant background, and she can indeed hold a related position.
Mu Fei brought Tan Xiao to a mobile cabin where seven or eight people were standing together, with many large books piled around them. There was also a large pile of unsorted debris on the ground, including excavation tools.
Everyone looked up and saw that she brought back a young boy. They were all surprised, "So young?"
"He's just in high school," Mu Fei said softly, "He's Tan Chunying's son. He knows everything he should know. Bring him back to have a try." Mu Fei briefly introduced Tan Xiao, "These are my colleagues, and the experts of this excavation team."
"Mr. Xu from 404."
"This is Mr. Ji from the Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology..."
After Mu Fei's explanation, Tan Xiao was basically able to tell the difference between men and women. He nodded obediently as a greeting, as they were his elders according to their age.
Several people looked at Tan Xiao and greeted him reluctantly, as they still thought he was too young, even wearing a school uniform.
Isn't it too desperate for Mu Fei to bring a student here?
Tan Xiao's gaze fell on the table, where in addition to some books, there was also a stack of scattered photos, including photos of the excavation site and some photos of cultural relics.
During archaeological excavations, cultural relics must be photographed and recorded before they are taken. The top few photos in the stack are all of lacquerware, wooden tomb beasts, human-shaped wooden figurines, etc.
In ancient times, it was a common custom to bury the dead with figurines, such as the most famous Terracotta Warriors. The figurines were used to serve the tomb owner instead of the living, so in addition to the Terracotta Warriors, there were also figurines of cooks, maids, kabuki actors, and other professions.
One of the photos shows two human-shaped wooden figurines standing outside the coffin chamber. Judging from the proportions with the comparison objects, they are taller than the other figurines, with clearly defined facial features, red and black painted faces, and carvings of clothing on their bodies.
You can even see the checkered long skirts and the long gowns with phoenix patterns on the collars that they are wearing respectively. If you look more closely, you can see that the terracotta warriors wearing the checkered long skirts even have pierced ears.
The pair of figurines guarding outside the coffin chamber are of distinct , one male and one female, each holding a weapon.
When Mr. Ji from the Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology saw him staring at the photo, he couldn't help but explain, "This is currently believed to be a witch figurine, that is, a figurine responsible for performing witchcraft rituals for the tomb owner."
Tan Xiao said softly: "The great funeral..."
The others didn't react for a moment: "Huh?"
Tan Xiao said something shocking: "Their postures are in the form of a grand funeral ritual. In the Zhou Li, the only grand funerals are for the king, queen, and crown prince. Plus their attire, and the fact that they can use these figurines, even if what you dug up is not the king's tomb, it must be the tomb of a feudal lord or something like that... I think it's most likely the tomb of the King of Chu, right? What dynasty was this King of Chu from?"
That's why Mu Fei had said something like leaving his name in the history of archaeology, and there were people guarding outside with guns and live ammunition.
Faced with Tan Xiao's bold hypothesis and careful verification, everyone in the board room looked at each other and couldn't help but reveal a look of surprise.
As Tan Xiao said, the specifications of this tomb are extremely high at present. It must be a feudal lord or above, and it may be a king's tomb, which can attract great attention. However, the excavation work has just started, and all information is kept absolutely confidential.
This high school student, who came to the scene for the first time, boldly concluded that the tomb excavated this time might be the tomb of the King of Chu based on the costumes of the two terracotta warriors, the rituals performed, and his observations of them.
You know, there are less than three tombs of this level excavated in Chu State, let alone one on the palm of your hand, and all of them have been robbed.
At present, this tomb has never been discovered and has never been visited by tomb robbers, so it has extremely high archaeological value. If this news spreads, the attention will at least increase tenfold, and all kinds of media will flock to it.
Mu Fei breathed a sigh of relief, looked at everyone and said, "I think this guy is right, right? We are in Nanchu, so we still have to find some local bosses!"
Since ancient times, people in Chu have believed in ghosts and enjoyed worshipping them, and the culture of witchcraft is strong.
Nuo ritual is a large-scale ritual for worshiping gods and exorcising ghosts in China, and the Great Funeral Nuo is a funeral ritual for kings in the Nuo ritual.
Wu and Nuo were different originally, but over a long period of time, they separated and combined, and sometimes blended together, so today, people collectively call them "Wu and Nuo culture."
The "ling" in the name of the spiritual master Tan is actually another name for witches in ancient Chu. The so-called witches in ancient times were called "ling" by the Chu people.
Therefore, like the well-known folk religious professions such as "Duangong", "Xianniang" and "Tongzi", they are also a kind of wizard.
Tan Xiao doesn't understand archaeology, but he is the descendant of a spiritual master and has inherited the tradition of Chu witches, so he can be said to be a professional match. These few sentences indirectly show that although he is young, he is really proficient in business knowledge.
This made those who had previously complained about the young student shut up in amazement.
"Haha, you are quite knowledgeable and can make bold guesses." Mr. Ji looked at the young man with admiration and said gently, "Student Tan Xiao, your guess is 90% accurate. This should be the tomb of a king of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
"It's just that the content of our excavation work needs to be kept confidential at the moment, so I hope you won't reveal what happened here to the outside world. I will also give you a confidentiality contract later, okay?"
"Is it really the tomb of the King of Chu?" Tan Xiao speculated confidently, but when an expert really confirmed it, he was still surprised and agreed readily, "No problem!"
"Then let's get started." Mu Fei said, relaxing a little.
Tan Xiao: "Uh-huh, what else?"
Both of them felt that there was something a little strange about what the other said.
One feels like it has already begun, doesn’t it?
The other one wondered what "there is more" meant.
But Mu Fei was in no mood to dwell on the details. She pulled out a bag from the debris on the ground and opened it, revealing the yellow paper, incense sticks and other items inside. She said, "Everything is here. If you need anything else, I can send someone to prepare it, or go to your house to get it."
She looked a little serious. "Tan Xiao, the situation is very difficult now. An old expert in the excavation team was bewitched in the tomb. The situation is not optimistic now. We have tried many methods but none of them worked. Please give it a try."
She finished speaking in a solemn tone, still immersed in her own emotions, but she found that Tan Xiao, who was talking so eloquently just now, had a strange expression on his face.
It's hard to tell what this means. It seems like surprise or embarrassment. Anyway, it's hard to put into words .
"...What's wrong?" Mu Fei's intuition told her that something was wrong.
Others were also puzzled. Tan Xiaoke had just amazed everyone with his excellent professional knowledge, so why was he hesitating now?
"Are you...really an official excavation team? Didn't you ask me to identify the folk elements of Southern Chu? Just like this funeral figurine." Tan Xiao asked in confusion, "What kind of evil magic is in the tomb? If you are sick, go to the hospital."
Tan Xiao found it unbelievable. If they hadn't found him through official channels and actually brought him to the excavation site, he would have thought it was a scam and would have turned around and left.
After Tan Xiao finished speaking, everyone present was stunned.
...Why, it seems like everyone hasn't reached some kind of consensus?
Mu Fei realized that she had been talking nonsense before, and said in a daze: "You clearly said that you inherited the spiritual master's legacy, and you also said that you helped your mother break the talisman."
Tan Xiao: “Yes!”
Mu Fei scratched her hair, her bun was almost falling apart. The more anxious she was, the more trouble she was causing. "So you still don't want to participate in 'superstitious activities'? What do you think a spiritualist is?"
The others also stared at Tan Xiao in unison, and the scene looked a little funny.
When Tan Xiao heard the key words, he almost sang reflexively: "It is the ancient Wu Nuo culture that has a profound influence on the Chu Ci, it is a splendid folk art, it is a national intangible cultural heritage that is cared for and protected by relevant departments, and it is the shining folk culture business card of Nanchu City!"
