Listening to Leaks
Follow Ma Yuezhi, a seasoned archaeologist at Chu Academy who’s spent decades avoiding bronze research after a tragic past. When an oracle bone warning about subway leaks lands on his desk, he’s pulled back into a web of secrets: the sudden retirement of his mentor Zeng Benzhi amid a tomb looting scandal, a mysterious leak listener named Zeng Tingchang who communicates through ancient scripts, and a bronze square pot that unlocks both archaeological puzzles and long-buried family truths. As Ma navigates office politics, rivalries with ambitious colleagues like Zheng Xiong, and clues linking artifacts to hidden identities—including a shocking twist about his own forgotten children—he uncovers how small leaks of information, artifacts, and memories can unravel decades-old mysteries tied to the ancient Chu state. Blending archaeological detail with gripping human drama, this story explores the line between history and secrecy, and how the past always finds a way to surface.