Volume 1 Chapter 1: Bronze and Blood
Sichuan · Sanxingdui Museum Restoration Room
**March 21, 2023, 18:47**
"Professor Lu, are you sure this is from the newly unearthed sacrificial pit?" Lin Shuyue pushed the microscope towards the man beside her, her fingertips brushing against the back of his hand unintentionally.
Lu Mingyuan leaned closer to the eyepiece, his white lab coat still stained with mud from the excavation site. His breath brushed past her ear, carrying a faint hint of sandalwood: "When Yan Daocheng discovered the jade artifact pit in 1934, he also reported similar spiral patterns. But this piece..."
An alarm suddenly tore through the dusk.
The restoration hall plunged into darkness, emergency lights stretching human shadows into twisted monsters. Lu Mingyuan pulled Lin Shuyue under the workbench just as a Western Zhou dynasty wine cup shattered at her feet from the tremors.
"It's not an earthquake," he pulled out his phone, the screen illuminating his tense jawline, "The security system is offline."
The sound of metal dragging echoed from the corridor. Lin Shuyue suddenly grabbed his wrist: "Listen! It's the frequency of bronze rubbing against packed earth—'The Artificers' Record' mentions 'bells ringing and cauldrons feasting.' These tomb raiders are using the sonic resonance of Warring States chime bells to crack the bulletproof glass!"
Before she could finish, the sound of exploding display cases thundered through the air. Lu Mingyuan shielded her as they rolled behind an instrument cabinet, shards of jade zhang embedding themselves into the walls like pale cracks.
"Take the fragments and go through the ventilation duct," he shoved a USB drive into her palm, his eyes reflecting the approaching flashlight beams, "There are three rubbings inside. Find Cheng Xiao. He knows what to do."
"I'm not leaving!" Lin Shuyue grabbed his sleeve, her fingertips trembling slightly.
"Listen to me," he took off the sandalwood bracelet from his wrist and slipped it onto hers, "I'll come find you."
---
**Museum Underground Passage**
**19:03**
Lin Shuyue crawled through the ventilation duct, her knees aching from the friction against the metal. Below, chaotic footsteps and the sound of shattering glass echoed as the tomb raiders wreaked havoc in the exhibition hall.
Suddenly, a warm drop of liquid fell from above, landing on the back of her hand. She looked down—it was blood. Bright red droplets seeped through the gaps in the ventilation duct, staining her navy-blue cheongsam with a glaring crimson flower.
"Lu Mingyuan..." She covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound, but his final image flashed in her mind: he stood in front of the workbench, his white lab coat dyed dark red by the alarm lights, the sandalwood bracelet faintly glowing on his wrist.
When she crawled out of the ventilation shaft, she tumbled into a bush. In the distance, police sirens wailed, but the direction of the exhibition hall was eerily silent. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number with trembling hands.
"Cheng Xiao," she whispered, "It's Lin Shuyue. Something's happened to Lu Mingyuan. I need your help."
There was a second of silence on the other end before a deep male voice responded: "Where are you?"
"East side of the Sanxingdui Museum, near the bamboo grove parking lot," she glanced around, her heart still racing.
"Stay where you are. Don't move," Cheng Xiao's voice carried a sense of urgency, "I'll be there in ten minutes."
---
**Parking Lot**
**19:15**
A black SUV pulled up silently in front of Lin Shuyue. The window rolled down, revealing a sharp, angular face—Cheng Xiao. He wore a tactical jacket, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
"Get in," he said curtly.
Lin Shuyue opened the door and barely had time to sit before Cheng Xiao hit the gas, speeding away. Once they were out of the museum grounds, he finally spoke: "Where's Lu Mingyuan?"
"He told me to go first, he stayed in the exhibition hall..." Lin Shuyue's voice choked up, "There was blood dripping from the ventilation duct. I don't know if he's..."
Cheng Xiao gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white: "He's not that easy to kill."
"How do you know?" She turned to him, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"Last month, at the Nanhai No. 1 shipwreck, he saved my life," Cheng Xiao's voice was low but firm, "He told me that if anything happened to him, I should protect you."
Lin Shuyue was stunned. Lu Mingyuan had never mentioned this to her, but now, Cheng Xiao's words brought her a sliver of comfort.
---
**Chengdu Suburbs · Safe House**
**22:30**
Lin Shuyue sat on the couch, holding a cup of hot tea but feeling no warmth. Cheng Xiao paced the room, checking his phone intermittently.
Suddenly, there was a faint noise outside the door. Cheng Xiao instantly went on alert, his hand resting on the holster at his waist.
"It's me," a familiar voice called out.
Lin Shuyue shot to her feet, the teacup crashing to the floor. The door opened, and Lu Mingyuan stood at the threshold, his white lab coat stained with blood, but his gaze as calm as ever.
"You..." She rushed over, grabbing his arm, "Are you hurt?"
"Just a scratch," he said lightly, his eyes falling on the sandalwood bracelet on her wrist, "I'm glad you're safe."
Cheng Xiao snorted: "Next time, don't pull this disappearing act."
Lu Mingyuan walked to the table and spread out a map: "We're running out of time. The tomb raiders aren't after the bronzeware—they're after this."
He pointed to a coordinate on the map—the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang.