Knife splashing

Chapter 333 Grave Robbers

The business of tomb robbing has existed since ancient times.

It can be said that with the formation of funeral customs, tomb robbers also came into being, and they have been entangled with each other for thousands of years.

The oldest record in history is that Shang Tang’s tomb was stolen.

This kind of behavior is naturally not encouraged.

Especially those in power, who want a lavish burial but don't want their bodies to be dug up and exposed after death, have stipulated since the pre-Qin period that "thieves will be punished" and "those who dig up tombs will be executed."

The Tang Dynasty's "Tang Law Commentary" even stipulated that "if you climb the mountain tomb without reason, you will be punished the same as entering the Taimiao room."

Anyway, I’ll kill you if you even get close.

This is the purpose of the existence of the Mausoleum Guard Army. Anyone who trespasses will be killed!

However, everything is in vain.

Li Yan's good friend Zhao Luzi once told him about this method.

Tomb robbers are not divided into factions such as those who steal gold and dig mounds, or those who move mountains and remove ridges. Instead, they are divided according to the social class they belong to.

The top level is naturally the royal family.

Liu Qu, the King of Guangchuan in the Western Han Dynasty, was arrogant and extravagant. He loved to rob tombs and dug up countless ancient tombs...

Cao Cao was the most professional. He set up "General of the Grave" and "Grave-Mocking Lieutenant" in his army to dig graves everywhere to pay for military expenses...

The Golden Horde also gathered a group of scums, who robbed many of the Song Dynasty's imperial tombs and tombs of famous officials...

In troubled times, there is nothing to worry about.

Dong Zhuo entered Chang'an and looted Maoling, which had been visited by the Red Eyebrow Army. Lu Bu also dragged out the corpse of Emperor Wu of Han to dry in the sun...

When Huang Chao took action, he only liked to pick the heavyweight ones. First, he followed Xiang Yu's example and dug the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang. Second, he followed the Red Eyebrow Army and Dong Zhuo and dug the Maoling Mausoleum of Emperor Wu. Third, he dug the Qianling Mausoleum.

It's not much, but it leaves you with a bad reputation.

Wen Tao destroyed most of the Eighteen Tombs in Guanzhong, triggering the mechanism left by Fang Xiandao, causing zombies and ghosts to run rampant in Guanzhong, causing chaos.

Whether it is the royal family or the warlords who take action, they usually mobilize a large number of troops, act blatantly, and do not care about the consequences. No organization can stop them.

The second category is some underworld forces.

They usually go through the Green Forest Road and roar through the mountains, and once they find a hidden tomb, they will never let it go.

In peaceful times, those who take action will usually be more secretive, working in groups of three or five or forming organizations for fear of being caught by the imperial court.

The worst are some petty thieves who steal from the tombs of wealthy businessmen to support their families.

Of course, this business is also quite dangerous.

Not only do they have to face the laws of the court and the guardians of the tombs, but they also have to deal with various agencies and the evil spirits underground. Only a few can have a good ending.

As soon as Li Yan entered the inn, he discovered something strange.

No matter whether it was the wealthy businessman or the band of street performers, all of them had a stench of earth and corpses on them. They were veterans who frequently visited graves and were well-organized.

And judging from the situation, they are still two groups of people.

I'm afraid they have received some news and gathered here.

The most famous one nearby is naturally the Tomb of the King of Chu at Longquan Mountain, but there are tomb-guarding troops there who are very familiar with the methods of tomb robbery.

With these people, they can't get in.

If he had encountered these grave-dwelling thieves on normal days, Li Yan would not bother to pay attention to them, but the situation is different now.

There is indeed something strange around Liangzi Lake.

The county town that sank in the lake, the secret struggle of the Xuanbing at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the strange events in the Book of Jin, the corpse of an unknown foreign monk...

Li Yan inexplicably had a feeling that these things should be related.

Boom boom boom!
Just then, there was a knock on the door.

It was the waiter who brought in a plate of food and wine, and said flatteringly, "Dear guests, there is nothing good in a small country shop, please don't despise it."

As he spoke, he put the plate down.

It's just simple roast chicken, roast fish, seasonal side dishes, a big plate of buns, and a pot of old rice wine.

Li Yan nodded slightly and asked casually, "Waiter, we are going to visit a friend. Is there a village called Baihewan nearby?"

The waiter's eyes flashed with surprise, and he said with a smile: "Baihe Bay is indeed not far away. It's only about ten miles to the east. Sir... do you want to go there too?"

"Oh?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, took out some loose silver and placed it on the table, "You have some hidden meaning in your words..."

"The guests were joking."

The waiter calmly put away the plates and took the silver away, saying in a low voice, "I don't know anything, it's just that the guests at the two tables below are also asking about Baihe Bay, and they are just curious."

After saying this, he smiled and neither left nor spoke.

Li Yan laughed in silence, took out two taels of silver and threw it over, "You are quite smart, tell me what happened."

The waiter quickly took it and whispered, "Baihewan Village is not big. The Bai family has lived there for generations. They usually keep a low profile. Most of the villagers are peddlers who walk the streets."

"But a while ago, young people from several Miao villages gathered together to riot, calling themselves Jiangxia barbarians. They destroyed kilns and killed people for blood sacrifices."

"They fled to Baihe Bay. Unexpectedly, the Bai family actually had many martial artists. They beat the monster away, but many of their members died."

"The funeral was just held a few days ago, and the next two groups just arrived today. That's all I know..."

"Well, don't tell anyone about us."

"Don't worry, I know it well."

After some inquiries, the waiter went out and closed the door.

“There’s a problem with White River Bay.”

Lu San said with certainty.

"Of course there is a problem."

Li Yan picked up the yellow wine and poured it, whispering: "Those Bai family members were clearly killed by wild beasts, but they pushed the blame on Jiang Xiaman. They must have done something shameful."

"Let's not rush to Baihewan yet. Keep an eye on these people. They must know something."

Lu San didn't waste any words and looked at the rat Lao Shuer who was squatting on the ground and eating a bun.

The two mice were eating happily, but when they saw Lu San's gaze, they reluctantly put down their buns and quickly jumped onto the beam.

Of course, there are rats in the inn.

Especially since this inn is quite old, there are rat holes in the cracks in the wall that extend in all directions. As the rats squeaked, all their heads popped out.

Some of them stayed in the corners of the guest rooms, while others ran out of the inn through the underground holes and hid in the bushes to monitor.

This is why Li Yan and Lu San cooperated.

With Lu San, the reconnaissance capability suddenly exploded. During a fight, Li Yan could attack head-on, with Lu San assisting from the side, which was enough to handle most complex situations.

Strangely, after the two groups of people in the lobby of the inn finished their meal, they did not rush to leave. Instead, they each asked for a room to stay in without even talking to each other.

Unconsciously, the night is getting darker.

In the room, Lu San leaned close to Wu Ba, whispering something, and patiently taught him to speak human language.

As for Li Yan, he sat at the table, took out a piece of brocade from his arms, and carefully looked at the patterns on it.

This is what Shen Jinghong wrote to him.

When Li Yan heard the other party say that he had learned the ghost book and sword fighting, he became interested. He was not very interested in sword fighting, a secret military text, but he could not miss the ghost book.

There are also ghost books in the Xuanmen sect.

It is a secret language similar to oracle bone script, which has been popular among wizards since the Xia Dynasty. It is also called tiǎn (tiǎn) script and is often used in sacrifices to communicate with ghosts and gods. It has incredible magical effects.

To this day, many lineages still use this secret code.

But there is obviously something wrong with this ghost book in front of me.

According to Shen Jinghong, the origin of this book is also very strange. During the Yuanjia period of the Song Dynasty, a man was struck to death by lightning in Jingkou. After his death, four words were left on his arm: "Killed by karma", which was called a ghost book by calligraphers.

But Li Yan knew that this statement was a little wrong.

Looking closely at these lines, they are obviously vertical fork lines caused by lightning, but they also form large square characters, a bit like ancient seal characters.

It seems that this calendar has nothing to do with the underworld, but is more like the thunder magic of the Taoist sect.

After all, some thunder magic talismans are also made by observing the traces of lightning strikes.

But the fact that it could form fonts still puzzled him.

Since there is the underworld in this world, there must also be heaven. Could it be that the power of heaven has an influence?
Unfortunately, the ghost book that Shen Jinghong mentioned only consists of these four words.

I wanted to study it, but I couldn't figure out anything.

But I can definitely pay more attention in the future.

After all, thunder magic is the foundation of his existence.

"Squeak!"

At this moment, Shu Da suddenly stood up and barked twice.

Lu San immediately whispered: "Two people went out."

Li Yan understood immediately, and he used some magic formula and lightly flicked his little finger. A paper figurine of Chu Ling flew out from the leather bag on his waist, spun in the air, and flew into the night sky through the crack of the window and door.

At the same time, Li Yan also closed his eyes.

The Chu Ling paper man floated silently over the inn, and Li Yan also saw the two people leaving.

One is the merchant.

The other is an old man carrying a fishing drum on his back.

The two men jumped out of the windows of their respective rooms, grabbed hold of the cracks in the wall with their hands, and jumped to the ground nimbly like a gecko climbing a wall.

After they landed, they first looked at each other, then looked towards the room where Li Yan was at the same time. When they saw the candlelight and the figure, they turned and left, running towards the nearby dense forest.

And in the night sky, the Chu Ling paper man followed closely behind.

The two men entered the dense forest one after another, obviously on guard. They stood several meters apart and exchanged some spring rituals with each other.

"It turned out to be Mr. Chen San from Yuzhou."

The middle-aged man who looked like a merchant bowed slightly and said with a fake smile: "Our business is not open to the public. Since we have met, we must make things clear to avoid misunderstandings. What do you think?"

The old man also said calmly: "Wang Lao Bie from Xiangzhou, I have also heard of you, you are very good at dividing gold and locating acupuncture points..."

Li Yan heard everything the two of them talked about.

Zhao Luzi once said that if tomb robbers in the world must be divided into factions, there are generally three categories.

The first one is naturally the one who is looking for treasures and exploring the unknown.

These people are descendants of pre-Qin alchemists. They inherited the secret and entered various ancient tombs, one to hide the treasure, the other to search for the elixir of life.

The remaining two are from the south and the north.

Most of the people of the Northern School came from Shanzhou and Yuzhou. They were good at using Lu Ban ruler and Luoyang shovel to judge good and bad luck and crack mechanisms.

People from the southern school are better at using the art of Feng Shui to divide gold and determine the location of the burial site.

The two factions merged with each other, but each basically had its own unique skills.

Tomb robbers also have their own rules.

Sometimes people don’t even trust their own people, let alone outsiders. When two gangs encounter the same target, they must clarify the situation.

These two were obviously the leaders of both sides. After a stalemate for a while, Wang Lao Bie, who was pretending to be a merchant, shook his head and said, "Mr. Chen San, you are a senior in the martial arts world, so I will tell you the truth."

"Are we here this time on someone's behalf?"

"What a coincidence."

The old man carrying a fishing drum on his back also spoke up: "I was also entrusted by someone. I guess our customers are the same."

"Bai Family!"

The two spoke at the same time, and then frowned.

A trace of murderous intent flashed in Wang Laobi's eyes, and he snorted coldly: "Does the Bai family not know the rules? Master Chen San, how about you teach them a lesson?"

Mr. Chen San said thoughtfully: "Since they found us suddenly, they are not evil. I am afraid they want us to cooperate."

"Oh?"

Wang Laobi's eyes sparked with interest, and after a little hesitation he took out something from his arms, which turned out to be half a gilded bronze plate.

Master Chen frowned, took out half a gilded bronze plate from his arms, and said in a deep voice: "If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have come. Brother Wang, take a look!"

As he said this, he threw the bronze medal over.

Wang Lao Bie took it, put the two bronze medals together, and began to recite: "Great Tang Anping Wang Wu..."

"It's Wu Youxu!"

The old man, Mr. Chen San, said thoughtfully, "When Empress Wu was in power, the Wu family was powerful throughout the world. It is said that this man was 'ambitious and indifferent'. He once disguised himself and sold divination in Chang'an, and his divination was extremely accurate."

"This man was highly regarded by Empress Wu and was named Prince of Anping. He was promoted to the position of Junior Minister of Imperial Households and General of the Thousand Cattle Guards. However, he did not like fighting in the court and retreated to Mount Song to live in seclusion. He was considered an outlier in the Wu family."

"Wu family is different?"

Wang Laobi sneered and said, "I have lived for half my life, and I have never seen anyone who doesn't love power. I have also visited a few tombs of so-called honest officials. They are more luxurious than those of ordinary people!"

"This Wu Youxu is probably the same. Could this be his tomb?"

The old man, Master Chen San, frowned and said, "I don't know. It is said that he was buried in Songshan Mountain and has never been to Ezhou. I am afraid there is something wrong."

Wang Laobi's expression also became serious. "Someone died in his family. I guess he's been in there before, but couldn't get anything. That's why he asked us to come."

After saying that, he threw the half bronze medal back.

"Third Master, this seems to be a big fire hole. If we reveal it to outsiders, it may be with bad intentions. We have to be careful and don't let anyone set a trap for us!"

The old man took it and said with a smile: "Okay, just pretend you don't know me and pretend you don't like me, then..."

The words were not explained, but the two knew what they meant. They bowed to each other, looked at the night, and returned to the inn.

Call ~
After they left, the Chu Ling paper figurine suddenly caught fire.

Li Yan in the inn also opened his eyes and said in surprise: "So they are going to rob a tomb, and it's a royal tomb..."

After that, he recounted what he had seen.

Lu San asked: "What should we do?"

Li Yan smiled and said, "Let's not move yet. Let's wait for them to enter the village tomorrow, find the tomb and see what's going on."

"If nothing unexpected happens, there is a tomb guardian beast inside. If it is really a 'centipede', we will capture it!"

…………

The next day, it was just dawn.

The two gangs left the inn one after another.

Not long after they left, Li Yan and the other two also left the inn, but they stayed away from the mountain path and walked through the dense forests and hills nearby.

In the air, a few birds that Lu San temporarily recruited were circling back and forth, always monitoring the whereabouts of the two gangs.

They walked for more than ten miles and came to a small village by the lake. They were stopped and questioned a few words before being led in.

Li Yan and the other two were not in a hurry and just waited in the nearby mountains and forests.

Suddenly, Lu San said, "There's someone coming again. I saw him at the Shen family!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan went to the top of the hill and looked down through the branches.

I saw two people coming up the mountain path, an old Taoist and a young man in gorgeous clothes.

This person is Shen Jingcan from the Shen family!
(End of this chapter)