Chapter 333: Grave Robbers

The trade of grave robbing has existed since ancient times.

It can be said that from the moment funeral customs were formed, grave robbers also emerged, entangled with each other for thousands of years.

The oldest historical record is the robbing of the tomb of Shang Tang.

Such behavior is naturally not advocated.

Especially for those in power, who both want thick burials and don't want to be dug up and exposed after death, so since the Pre-Qin period, it has been stipulated that "thieves shall be punished" and "grave robbers shall be executed."

During the Tang Dynasty, the *Tang Code* even stipulated: "Those who climb the mausoleum without reason shall be punished as if entering the Supreme Temple."

Anyway, even getting close will get you killed.

This is the significance of the existence of the Mausoleum Guard Army: those who trespass shall be killed!

However, everything is in vain.

Li Yan's good friend, Zhao Zhao Lu Zi, once told him about this.

Grave robbers are not divided into factions like "Mo Jin" or "Fa Qiu," "Ban Shan" or "Xie Ling," but are divided according to the class they belong to.

The highest level is naturally the royal family and nobility.

Liu Qu, Prince of Guangchuan in the Western Han Dynasty, was arrogant and extravagant, and loved robbing graves the most, digging up countless ancient tombs...

Cao Cao was the most professional, setting up "Fa Qiu Zhong Lang Jiang" and "Mo Jin Xiao Wei" in the army, digging up graves everywhere to fund military expenses...

The Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom also gathered a bunch of scoundrels from the martial world, robbing many Great Song imperial tombs and the tombs of famous ministers clean...

In times of chaos, they were even more unscrupulous.

Dong Zhuo entered Chang'an and robbed the Maoling Mausoleum, which had already been visited by the Red Eyebrows, and Lu Bu even dragged out the corpse of Emperor Wu of Han to expose it to the sun...

Huang Chao took action, only liking to pick the heavyweights. First, he followed Xiang Yu in digging the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, second, he learned from the Red Eyebrows and Dong Zhuo to dig the Maoling Mausoleum of Emperor Wu, and third, he dug the Qianling Mausoleum.

There wasn't much treasure, but he left behind a foul reputation.

Wen Tao dug up most of the eighteen mausoleums in Guanzhong, triggering the mechanisms left by the Fangxian Dao, causing zombies and ghosts to run rampant in Guanzhong, and the area was in turmoil.

Whether it was the royal family or warlords, they usually mobilized the masses, acted openly and boldly, without regard for the consequences, and no mechanism could stop them.

The second level is some martial arts forces.

They are usually from the green forest, roaring in the mountains and forests, but if they find a hidden large tomb, they will certainly not let it go.

In peaceful times, their actions are usually secretive, either in groups of three or five or organized, fearing arrest by the imperial court.

And the lowest level are some small folk thieves, robbing the tombs of wealthy merchants to support their families.

Of course, this trade is also quite dangerous.

Not only do they have to face the imperial laws and mausoleum guards, but also various mechanisms and evil ghosts underground. Few die of old age.

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

Whether it was the wealthy merchant or the troupe of martial artists, everyone had a smell of soil and corpses on them. They were old hands who often went down into graves and had an organization.

Wang Wang Laobie hurriedly shook his head and smiled: "We are all our own people. Let's follow the rules of the trade. There are many fire holes on Mount Mang, so I'll help Yi Jian Sanye when the time comes, okay?"

"Good!"

Chen Yi Jian Sanye didn't hesitate and nodded in agreement.

There are naturally rules among grave robbers, first come first served, but what can really make the two sides work together is common interests.

After the agreement, the two spoke even more straightforwardly.

"That guy surnamed Bai must have reservations. Yi Jian Sanye, let's not take action first, wait until we find the thing before turning against him."

"Brother Wang's words are reasonable. Let's look at the feng shui here."

Wang Wang Laobie nodded, took out a compass from his arms, climbed high to look at the surroundings, frowned for a long time, and then said: "The feng shui of Lake Liangzi Lake naturally goes without saying."

"The middle is as flat as a mirror, surrounded by mountains, which is a place of excellent wind and gas collection, worthy of being called a treasure basin."

"I've already inquired before coming. The banks of Lake Liangzi Lake are winding and interlaced, known as the 'Ninety-Nine Branches,' with complex terrain, making it easiest to hide things."

"Originally I had no clue, but according to the locations marked by the guy surnamed Bai, I found some strangeness. The 'Ninety-Nine Branches' of Lake Liangzi Lake are scattered, just forming a natural Nine Palaces Formation."

"The formation eye is in the center of the lake, it is rumored that that is where the ancient county town sank, and the locations marked in the north are all in the Xun position..."

"According to the Qi Men Dun Jia, it is located in the Sima Qian Palace in the northwest, where the Open Gate is located, and the five elements belong to metal. There must be a mineral vein underground."

"Yi Jian Sanye's subordinates should all have compasses. You can order the disciples to search in the surrounding mountains. If 'turning needle' and 'tang needle' appear at the same time, send a signal to notify me immediately."

"Good! Brother Wang's methods are indeed extraordinary!"

After setting the plan, the two ordered their disciples to disperse and search along the various hills and dense forests nearby, not letting go of any place...

Their actions were all seen by Li Yan and Lu San.

But what they were more concerned about was the movement in the village of Baihewan.

The villagers, men, women, old, and young, had all come out of their houses and gathered outside the village ancestral hall.

Several big men with red scarves wrapped around their heads and bare upper bodies carried two shrines out of the cellar of the ancestral hall in the village.

One was a bald Buddha statue, kind and auspicious, smiling, with a big belly, chest and abdomen exposed, holding a string of prayer beads in his hand...

The other was wearing armor, with a gorgeous scarf on his shoulders, a treasure crown on his head, holding a treasure sword in his hand, stepping on auspicious clouds, looking handsome...

The villagers in the village all held three sticks of incense, knelt on the ground, and kept kowtowing to the two statues.

And Bai Bai Wenghai had also changed into a costume at this time, wearing a white robe and a golden headscarf.

He was solemn and kowtowed to the two statues, while shouting: "Thus have I heard, at one time the Buddha was in the Jetavana Garden of the Sravasti Kingdom, with five hundred great Bhikshu monks..."

After chanting a passage of scripture, he turned and said: "Maitreya becomes a Buddha, descends to save the world, and performs the three Dragon Flower assemblies to save all living beings. At that time, there will be no more suffering in the world."

"At that time, all living beings will be equal, and there will be no dog emperor in the world, nor corrupt officials to oppress us. The world will be the Pure Land."

"But the demons of the heavens do not want to see this prosperous age. They will confuse people's hearts and deceive all living beings..."

"Just like this Great Da Xuan Dynasty, they are afraid, they are terrified, so they destroyed the physical body of the Bright King to prevent Maitreya from descending."

"The Great Tribulation of the Red Sun has arrived, and the Pure Land will eventually come!"

"At that time, there will be no more suffering in the world..."

"Maitreya descends, the Bright King descends!"

"Maitreya descends, the Bright King descends!"

Listening to these words, the villagers below became more and more fanatical. Some kowtowed, some prayed to heaven, and the scene was chaotic.

In the sky, the birds were also frightened away.

Listening to the chirping of the birds, Lu San occasionally spoke, telling Li Yan about the situation over there.

This is the convenience of his supernatural power.

Li Yan's paper man is also a top-notch reconnaissance method, but the village is holding a sacrifice, incense is lingering, and there are people from the Mystic Sect, so it is difficult to avoid being discovered.

And Lu San uses bird and beast language to investigate.

No one will care about these ordinary birds and beasts. They have no gang-sha energy on them, and they will not be discovered by any magic formation.

"So it's the Maitreya Sect..."

Li Yan shook his head slightly, not feeling surprised.

This Maitreya Sect is different from the Ghost Sect.

The Ghost Sect borrows the corruption of human desire to pull people into the water, and kills people to sacrifice to ghosts, with cruel means, and will eventually be extinguished.

And the Maitreya Sect exists by borrowing the dissatisfaction of the common people.

This sect is rooted in the common people. As long as there is suffering in the world, it will exist. When times are difficult, it will rise with the wind and turn into a raging fire spreading everywhere.

Dozens of miles further north is Longquan Mountain, where the tomb of Chen Chen Youliang is located. He was originally the leader of the Maitreya Sect, claiming to be the reincarnation of the Bright King.

The people in this village might be the descendants of the remnants of that time.

And there are many factions within the Maitreya Sect, fighting for orthodoxy among themselves. Not all Maitreya Sect members would participate in that chaos in Guanzhong.

Thinking of this, Li Yan said: "Notify Daoist Wang about this matter and let them be careful."

Lu San nodded and immediately pinched the magic formula and chanted.

In the Shen mansion, the falcon immediately sensed it and soared into the sky under Sha Sha Li Fei's puzzled gaze. "Could it be that something happened?"

Sha Sha Li Fei felt inexplicably uneasy in his heart.

The falcon flew fast, and in less than half a stick of incense, it returned with a secret letter, and also brought a package.

It was exactly the secret letter and Thangka found on the foreign monk.

When Sha Sha Li Fei saw it, his pupils shrank, and he hurriedly ran to Wang Wang Daoxuan, who was busy, and whispered: "Daoist, follow me."

After saying that, he took Wang Wang Daoxuan to a quiet corner and handed the secret letter to him.

"Maitreya Sect?"

After reading it, Wang Wang Daoxuan felt a headache: "Why did we run into these guys here too."

Saying that, he sighed: "By rights, this matter should be reported to the Law Enforcement Hall, but there are old and young in a whole village, many of whom are deceived. According to the imperial court's rules, I'm afraid not a single one will survive..."

He had seen too many such things.

During the chaos of the Maitreya Sect in Guanzhong, many villagers joined the sect, and the imperial court killed them all, creating countless ghost villages.

!.

If they report it, it will be countless human lives.

Wang Wang Daoxuan would naturally hesitate.

Seeing this, Sha Sha Li Fei shook his head: "Daoist thinks too much. The Maitreya Sect is lurking here, maybe they have already developed many followers in secret."

"You know their temperament. If they take advantage of the chaos, more people will die."

"Daoist is kind-hearted, don't worry about this matter. I will set off now to send a letter to Near Wuchang City and will return tomorrow."

"Daoist, protect yourself, don't talk too much, lest there be spies from the other side in the residence, alerting the enemy."

"Hmm, I understand. Be careful on the road."

After some instructions, Sha Sha Li Fei immediately packed his luggage and left the Shen mansion without saying hello to anyone.

"Daoist Wang."

Before Wang Wang Daoxuan could catch his breath, the old steward of the Shen mansion ran over to discuss the items needed for the funeral.

And in the main hall on the other side, Shen Shen Jinghong was entertaining guests.

When Master Shen was alive, he left behind many connections. Some people heard the news and sent their nephews to pay respects, or came to the door in person.

Although they left after one visit, it represented an attitude.

With the support of these people, Shen Shen Jinghong finally felt relieved.

Just then, a servant walked over hurriedly and whispered in his ear: "Second Young Master, the people of the Second and Third Houses have all left, took all the horses, and took some silver notes and land deeds, saying that they will never see each other again."

"Hmm."

Shen Shen Jinghong sighed and didn't bother with them anymore.

He naturally knew what those people wanted to do. They had been arguing since last night, wanting the map manuscript left by his father, and signed the family separation contract.

This thing was the bait he threw out on a whim at the time.

He thought about forcing these people away after the funeral, but he didn't expect them to be so impatient.

He didn't take that treasure to heart at all.

He had seen the events in Near Wuchang City.

Let alone whether it could be found, even if the Black Cloud Long Sword secret technique was regained, his Shen family couldn't withstand this storm.

Stabilizing the family situation as soon as possible, reopening the kiln site, and following the Chamber of Commerce to sell porcelain overseas was the right path!

Thinking of this, Shen Shen Jinghong was too lazy to bother with those people.

On the mountain road near Shenjiaba, a large group of people rode horses.

It was the people of the Second and Third Houses of the Shen family. Because there were not enough small boats, they rode horses and took a detour from the official road.

"You are simply messing around!"

The fat Third Master of the Shen family had anger in his eyes, cursing at Shen Shen Jingcan: "You traitorous thing, you dare to talk about such an important thing to others."

Shen Shen Jingcan had just returned and recounted the matter.

Even though he had a silver tongue, the Third Master of the Shen family was still furious. If it weren't for this, why would they be in such a hurry to leave.

Shen Shen Jingcan hurriedly defended: "Third Uncle, don't be angry. That is my master, proficient in feng shui, and knows some magic."

"The map given by the eldest uncle is not effective at all. If the treasure were easy to find, would it be our turn?"

"My master is different. He already has clues. Besides, it's just two old men. With so many of us, are we afraid of him playing tricks?"

"Shen Jingcan is right."

The Second Master of the Shen family said coldly: "No matter how good the treasure is, we have to find it first. That little bastard Shen Shen Jinghong is definitely waiting to see our jokes. Once we get the treasure, we must make him look good!"

Although he was also annoyed, at this time, he had to stand on his son's side, otherwise the Third Master would make a scene.

As for the danger...

There were more than twenty people in their group, all proficient in martial arts and carrying sharp weapons. Even if they encountered mountain bandits, they could fight, so why would they be afraid of two old men.

"Good!"

The Third Master of the Shen family also held his breath and cursed at Shen Shen Jingcan: "Don't make your own decisions later. Listen to me. After we get the treasure, we'll send some to the county yamen and frame your master for using witchcraft to harm people, and throw him into death row."

"If you are not ruthless, it will be trouble sooner or later."

Shen Shen Jingcan nodded hurriedly, "Third Uncle is right."

He was respectful on the surface, but cursed inwardly.

If he had known, he shouldn't have told this bunch of people. They hadn't even found the thing yet, and they were already thinking about how to divide the money and how to kill people to silence them.

Bringing this bunch of stupid relatives, they would be in big trouble sooner or later...

*Rumble! *

The sound of horse hooves rang out, and everyone urged their horses to run hard.

*Rumble! *

This time, the roar came from the sky.

It was because the sky was already covered with dark clouds, and the wind was whistling, blowing the surrounding woods to rustle.

It was already summer, and the weather was becoming more and more changeable.

"Found it!"

On the shore, one of Chen Yi Jian Sanye's subordinates shouted.

The signal was sent, and the people around gathered one after another.

"Move aside, let me see!"

Wang Wang Laobie carried the compass and walked over quickly.

Their location was a small hill by the lake, which looked inconspicuous, but when standing on it to check the compass, the needle not only spun wildly but also kept sinking.

"Dig!"

Wang Wang Laobie flashed a trace of joy in his eyes and hurriedly ordered.

Several disciples hurriedly stepped forward, picked up the Luoyang shovel, and inserted it into the ground section by section, but soon, the Luoyang shovel remained motionless.

"Master, there is something below!"

"Pull it out!"

After pulling it out, Wang Wang Laobie first looked at the soil on it, and then picked a little from the front and put it in his mouth.

After tasting it twice, he spat out a mouthful of saliva, his face gloomy: "It's an iron vein, the rock is too hard, change the place."

However, after changing several places in a row, it was the same.

"It's an iron dome!"