Chapter One Hundred and Seven: It could not be said to be exactly the same—it was simply identical!

On the internet.

The novel "Grave Robber's Chronicles" captured the attention of countless readers at first glance.

Whether or not they were fans of supernatural fiction, almost everyone found themselves irresistibly drawn to the story after reading the first chapter, eager to continue.

In just two short months, "Grave Robber's Chronicles" had become a sensational hit.

In this parallel world where online literature had yet to bloom, the novel instantly topped the charts on major literary websites upon its release.

For a time, readers continuously tipped the author, urging for more updates.

The pen name "Nanpai Sanjiu" became a legend overnight, widely recognized.

At the same time, in this era of rapid information dissemination, some individuals seized the opportunity to promote the book on short-video platforms like Douyin and Kuai Shou, profiting from the buzz.

Book promotion, to put it bluntly, was essentially unabashed hype.

Soon, more and more people became aware of this masterpiece.

Whenever a short video related to the novel appeared, the comment sections would buzz with heated discussions.

“Who exactly is Nanpai Sanjiu? The writing feels so authentic, you’d think he personally visited those places.”

“Exactly! I wasn’t scared at all being home alone late at night before, but after reading it, I felt like the whole room was filled with people. Damn terrifying!”

“Brothers, where’s the latest update from the author?”

“It’s at the part where the protagonist climbs down the Bronze Tree and finds a gourd vine with seven gourds. When the gourds crack open, seven dwarfs come out. Then Tang Seng passes by, and the seven dwarfs accompany him to fetch the scriptures, but they encounter Transformers who want to eat Tang Seng’s flesh, leading to a fierce battle.”

“Mate, you must be reading a pirated copy, right?”

“I actually think that idea’s pretty good. I’m thinking of writing something similar. Can anyone help me come up with a memorable pen name?”

“What hobbies do you have, upstairs?”

“When I drink porridge, I like to add sugar—always three spoonfuls. Does that count as a hobby?”

“Then why not call yourself ‘Three Spoons of Sugar’?”

“Great name!”

The evaluations of "Grave Robber's Chronicles" online were overwhelmingly positive.

Many film and publishing companies recognized the novel’s potential and reached out to the website to contact the author about publishing and adapting it into a series.

Unfortunately, these matters were all handled by the website itself, reportedly because the author refused to reveal his identity and granted authorization through proxies.

As a result, no one knew the real identity of Nanpai Sanjiu in the real world.

Some speculated that the author must be so ugly he couldn’t bear to show himself, hence the anonymity.

This notion quickly gained traction among many.

White Qingming paid no attention to these online rumors.

Whether the novel made money or not was completely irrelevant to him.

After all, he wasn’t short of money.

Recently, however, White Qingming noticed that not only did the number of viewers in his live stream count toward his popularity score, but even the number of readers of "Grave Robber's Chronicles" was factored in as well.

Although the latter generated less popularity than the former, it effectively opened a new door for him.

Live streaming could earn popularity points, and writing novels could earn popularity points. This meant he could accumulate popularity from multiple channels, not just live streaming.

The next reward required one hundred million popularity points. Viewed this way, one hundred million didn’t seem like an insurmountable goal.

With this in mind, White Qingming suddenly felt that life was looking brighter than ever.

Yet at that moment, a news report captured the attention of countless people.

News reported that in China’s northwest region, archaeologists had discovered an ancient tomb.

It was a vast and grand burial complex.

Preliminary exploration suggested the tomb likely dated back to the Xia or Shang dynasties of Chinese history.

As soon as the news broke, it shot to the top of trending searches, shocking many.

Anyone with some historical knowledge knew that among the five thousand years of Chinese civilization, records from the Xia and Shang periods were scarce.

The few remnants that remained were mere fragments, leaving historians uncertain whether the records had been lost or never existed, as if history had a gap.

If this tomb truly originated from the Xia or Shang period, its archaeological value would be immense.

Archaeologists could not only fill in the missing chapters of that era but might also uncover entirely new discoveries.

Under the arrangement of relevant authorities, a large group of top archaeologists and industry experts rushed to the site, while media outlets scrambled to report, and countless netizens followed the latest updates.

Because of the strong public interest and the tomb’s significance, the authorities made an unprecedented decision.

This excavation would be conducted entirely in the open.

It would be live-streamed directly from the excavation site.

Archaeological live streaming!

This approach not only satisfied the curiosity of netizens but also allowed them to experience history firsthand and participate virtually.

Three days before the excavation began, the live-streaming announcement was made, sparking strong interest among viewers.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

On that day, after three to four thousand years, the ancient tomb was about to be revealed to the world.

Inside the live stream room.

Nearly ten million viewers joined this archaeological event.

Though watching from behind screens, everyone felt an overwhelming sense of awe.

The initial excavation outside took two full hours.

After two hours, countless burial artifacts were laid out before the audience.

An archaeologist carefully lifted a bronze sword among the burial goods for inspection.

Even after thousands of years, the sword remained sharp and remarkably resilient.

Looking up, they saw vivid murals on the walls.

The colors were bright, depicting two opposing armies clashing.

Perhaps due to the age, the faces of the figures looked somewhat strange.

At that moment, the archaeologist spoke.

“Most of these burial items are bronze vessels, indicating the tomb’s occupant lived during the Xia dynasty. The murals largely depict scenes of war, and combined with the tomb’s luxurious arrangement, we can deduce the occupant held a high status in life, likely a general.”

As the archaeologist spoke, the live chat rolled with comments.

“This tomb looks great, there’s some serious stuff here, especially those murals—they look familiar.”

“Yeah, I also feel like I’ve seen those scenes somewhere.”

“Familiar? You guys are joking. Honestly, I’m the one who painted them.”

“Expert, quick question: is that sword for sale? I want one to hang by my bed for protection.”

“For sale? Hanging by your bed? Brother, that’s not allowed! Ten years in jail, got it?”

“I have an ancestral sword called the Rainbow Sword. It’s said to have been used by the hero Rainbow Cat. Anyone interested? Cheap sale, order now and get a manual on Rainbow Sword Techniques. Genuine or tenfold compensation, fair to all, seven swords united, unbeatable in the world!”

The viewers flooded the chat with lively messages.

Meanwhile,

The camera followed the archaeologists into the main burial chamber.

Turning a corner, a stone door appeared before the viewers.

At the sight of the door, the archaeologists were stunned.

“This…”

The leader was speechless.

Carved onto the stone door were several dragon motifs.

At that moment, the archaeologists became excited.

“This tomb doesn’t belong to a general but to... an emperor!”

It was well known that dragon totems were exclusive to emperors. No general would dare use them—unless he was courting death.

“Open the door!”

At the command, staff members opened the stone door.

Light poured inside.

In the next instant,

“Hiss!”

Both the archaeologists on-site and the viewers at home gasped in unison.

Everyone clearly saw a massive coffin inside, three tiers tall.

Below the coffin were nine carved animals.

Although these animals were unknown in reality, everyone recognized them.

They were dragons!

Nine vivid dragons were depicted, but their tails were bound by enormous chains, the other ends linked to the coffin above.

At this moment, a timid message appeared in the chat.

“Has anyone here read the novel ‘Grave Robber’s Chronicles’?”

Suddenly, viewers reacted.

The chat exploded.

“Holy shit, the Nine Dragons Carrying the Coffin!”

“I remember now—the ancient tomb described in Nanpai Sanjiu’s book is the imperial palace from the Xia dynasty!”

“So this must be the one they’re excavating now?”

“No wonder those murals looked familiar—I read about them in the novel.”

“I always wondered why it felt so real when I read it. Turns out Nanpai Sanjiu wrote it based on this exact place.”

“Not just similar—it’s exactly the same!”

“But how could Nanpai Sanjiu have known about this site?”

The chat suddenly fell silent, struck by this question.

After a long pause, someone proposed a bold hypothesis, breaking the tension.

“Is it possible that Nanpai Sanjiu is actually a tomb raider who’s been here before?”

...