Chapter 397: Buying Horse Bones with a Thousand Gold

Qianmen Small Courtyard.

Cui Dazhi threw a black handbag onto the kang, pulled the zipper, and three Mauser C96s were revealed.

He picked them up one by one, took them apart, and checked the barrels against the window light.

After looking, he placed the guns on the kang, tilted his chin toward Xu Damao, and said with a sarcastic tone:

"Damao, you've been fooled by a woman! Take a look, the rifling is almost worn away, it's old, toothless junk! You gave forty thousand for this? You don't usually take such a loss, what kind of act are you putting on this time?"

Xu Damao smiled and said: "Siqiang, do you still remember the story of 'buying horse bones with a thousand gold' that Siqiang told us last time?"

Cui Dazhi knitted his brows into a knot: "Stop beating around the bush, speak straight!"

Xu Damao put the gun down: "Behind that 'woman' must be a new grave-robbing gang; they probably found a big tomb somewhere. They use broken guns to trade for money; I didn't even look at them and even provided them with tools. On the surface, it's a trade; underneath, it's a favor. Once they send the goods over... the price, isn't that for us to decide? Press it down a little, and won't the principal and interest all come back?"

Cui Dazhi was stunned for a few seconds, then slapped his thigh: "Hey! Damao! You kid... you've grown!"

Xu Damao continued: "Siqiang's old connections are all getting old, and their paths are narrowing. Our shop, just relying on going to the countryside to collect junk, how much can we earn? We have to weave our own web."

Cui Dazhi nodded repeatedly, then worriedly said: "The logic is sound... but the wind is blowing hard outside, you must be careful!"

"Don't worry," Xu Damao smiled, "Rules are dead, people are alive. Everything that needs to be greased has been greased, who would turn their back on money?"

Cui Dazhi patted his shoulder heavily: "When Siqiang first let you be the manager, I wasn't quite convinced. Now looking at it... you're capable, your brain is sharp, and you see far."

Shijingshan, Earth Temple.

Mei Feng carried a bulging bundle and snuck back to the Po Miao; it was already the second half of the night.

Hu Yongan fixed his eyes on the roast chicken and braised pork knuckle in his hand and immediately ordered: "Sun Li, hurry up and heat up the things in Mei Feng's hands. We'll have an extra meal."

"Are the tools all bought?"

"All set. I sold the three guns; besides buying food, there's over eighty thousand left." Mei Feng paused, "Teacher, I didn't dare to look for Ji Zhaoxiang; according to your instructions, I went to the porcelain shop."

"How was it?"

"You predicted it accurately. The clerk in the shop has been replaced by a new face; it's the Police."

Hu Yongan slammed his fist onto the broken offering table: "So fast! If they know we are short on money, they must guess we are in the mountains. We can't wait! Tonight, we must break into the tomb! As soon as the sky brightens, we'll blend into the city! We'll give them a 'darkness under the lamp' trick!"

"Siqiang is right!" Lin Wanning immediately chimed in. She didn't think the idea was particularly brilliant; she was just freezing to the point of being unable to bear it, and the chilblains on her hands and feet were itchy and painful.

Mei Feng continued: "I made contact with a young man at 'Hutong Yi' in Liulichang, named Xu Damao. He said as long as we dig up things, he can take them."

Hu Yongan stared at him and asked: "Is that person reliable?"

Mei Feng nodded: "Not very old, but his guts are not small. As long as there is money to be made, he dares to do anything. Those three toothless Box Cannons of mine, the rifling was almost worn flat, and the person he sent didn't even look at them before taking them."

A smile finally appeared on Hu Yongan's face: "Heaven won't let me die. Eat quickly, and get to work after eating!"

The few people gathered around the campfire, grabbed the heated pancakes to wrap the pork knuckle, and devoured it greedily.

After eating, the group picked up their tools and went down the mountain.

Hu Yongan held the new Luoyang Shovel, probing the ground scoop by scoop, looking at the soil color by the moonlight.

After working for nearly two hours, his movements slowed down. Finally, he planted the shovel, sat by the dirt pile, lit a cigarette, and smoked in silence.

Lin Wanning's heart skipped a beat; she leaned over and asked in a low voice: "Siqiang, is something wrong?"

Hu Yongan exhaled a puff of smoke: "On the southeast side of the tomb passage, there are two old grave-robbing holes. Looking at the soil color, I'm afraid they are old holes from a thousand or eight hundred years ago. Inside... nine times out of ten, it's empty."

Lin Wanning's heart went cold.

Ye Guanying threw away the cigarette butt and said: "Siqiang, regardless of whether it's empty or full, the gear is bought, and the effort is spent. We've reached this point, we can only keep going!"

Hu Yongan pressed the cigarette butt into the dirt to extinguish it, stood up, drew a circle on the ground with a branch, and said: "Guanying, start digging diagonally downward from here."

After another two hours or so, a dark hole was dug open on the ground, barely enough for one person to crawl in.

A foul, turbid air mixed with the smell of earth and decay surged out from within.

Hu Yongan turned on his flashlight to shine inside, the beam of light swallowed by the darkness for the most part.

"Guanying, your body is the most agile, take the lead and go in to scout the path."

Public Security Bureau, First Division office.

Tian Dan was just dozing off in her chair when the door was knocked.

She got up to open the door, and Lao Sun squeezed in carrying the chill, his face full of excitement: "Section Chief Tian, Ji Zhaoxiang has confessed!"

"Great!" Tian Dan immediately became spirited.

"Confirmed, he is a spy for the Bald Party, serial number 0409. His younger sister's real name is Ji Cainan, and Ji Ailin is an alias... The head of the 'Jingzhe' operation is Hu Yongan, and his subordinates include Lin Wanning, Tang Heng, Mei Feng, Sun Li, and Ye Guanying, six in total."

The corners of Tian Dan's mouth curled up; she took a sip of cold boiled water and said: "Did you ask anything else?"

"Yes. They basically don't use radios to contact their superiors; they rely on listening to specific frequencies on the radio and then use code words in the newspapers. Also, their funds are very tight right now, they are almost at the end of their rope..."

Tian Dan put down her mug, thought for a moment, and said: "Send the Ji siblings home and keep them under close surveillance. Cast a long line, maybe we can catch the contact."

"Understood, I'll go arrange it now." Lao Sun turned and left.

Tian Dan grabbed the phone and called He Yuzhu.

"Who is it?" He Yuzhu's voice carried heavy fatigue—he had been studying with a microscope at night and had only just fallen asleep.

"Zhuzi, it's me, Tian Dan. Through checking bank remittances, we tracked down a spy from Tianjin, Ji Zhaoxiang, and took him down. He confessed..." She spoke very quickly and explained the situation.

On the other end of the phone, He Yuzhu was silent for a moment: "This group has run out of food; they are very likely to drill into the mountains. Next step, you need to focus on moving toward the suburbs."

"That's what I was thinking," Tian Dan rubbed her temples, "But the suburbs are vast and sparsely populated; searching is... no different from looking for a needle in a haystack."

The 'Hutong Yi' antique shop had just opened when Xu Damao saw the "rural woman" from yesterday carrying a tattered sack, sidling into the door.

He piled a warm, enthusiastic smile on his face, greeted her, and whispered: "Yo, sister-in-law! Is this... bringing me 'mountain goods'?" As he spoke, he gestured toward the inner room with his eyes.

Mei Feng nodded, didn't say much, and followed him quickly into the secret room in the back.

Xu Damao pulled the curtains, the room darkened, and he turned on the desk lamp.

"Got it so quickly?"

Mei Feng untied the mouth of the sack and took them out one by one.

First were a few pieces of jade—a jade belt hook with patina, a jade bi that was chipped but warm and moist, and a small, exquisite Panchilong knob jade seal; then came a few small pieces of lacquerware.

"That's all there is," Mei Feng said, laying the items out and looking up to stare at Xu Damao. "You take a look and judge—how much are they worth?"

Xu Damao leaned in close, picking them up one by one to examine them carefully under the lamp. After a long while, he said, "Sister-in-law, looking at these items, they should be from a Western Han dynasty tomb of a prince or noble. If I'm not mistaken, this 'great tomb' had already been looted by someone, right?"

Mei Feng nodded. "I heard my husband say there were several holes on the top! These things were all what the others left behind."

Xu Damao looked at these items, calculating rapidly in his heart.

Finally, he stopped, turned around, and held up his right index finger. "For these things, I'll give you this amount—one hundred million. Tell me, are you selling or not?"

Mei Feng's heart gave a sudden jump. He didn't know the trade, but he hadn't expected to earn so much money. However, he didn't show it on his face; instead, he feigned a look of great difficulty. "Brother, to tell you the truth, there were six people who went down into the tomb this time. When it's divided up for my family, there won't be much money left. Could you... add a little more?"

Xu Damao shook his head. "Sister-in-law, let's speak plainly. Yesterday, those three guns of yours had their rifling worn smooth, and I accepted them without even looking. What was I after? Wasn't it just to make a friend? If you don't believe me, take these things elsewhere and try. Never mind one hundred million; getting half that would be good enough!"

Mei Feng lowered his eyes, remained silent for over half a minute, then gritted his teeth and said, "I'm just a woman, and I can't be bothered to go find another place to haggle. I'll give them to you!"

A smile appeared on Xu Damao's face. "Alright! You're straightforward, sister-in-law!" He turned and left the room, returning a moment later carrying a worn leather suitcase, which he placed on the table and opened. Inside were neatly stacked banknotes. "The money is all here. You count it."