Chapter 336: Grave Robbers

Grave robbing has existed since ancient times.

With the very formation of burial customs, grave robbers emerged in tandem, entangled with them for thousands of years.

The oldest historical record is the tomb of Shang Tang being robbed.

This practice was naturally discouraged.

Especially those in power, who demanded lavish burials yet feared their corpses being dug up and exposed after death, began from the pre-Qin era to decree: "Thieves shall be punished," and "Those who desecrate tombs shall be executed."

During the Tang dynasty, the Tang Code Commentary even stipulated: "Unauthorized ascent to imperial mounds shall be punished as if entering the ancestral temple."

In short, even approaching them could get you killed.

This is precisely the purpose of the Tomb Guard: kill intruders!

Yet all of it was in vain.

Li Yan's friend Zhao Zhao Lizi once told him about this trade.

Grave robbers are not classified as Jinmo, Faqiu, Benshan, or Xieling factions, but rather by social stratum.

The highest tier is naturally the imperial and royal families.

Liu Qu, the Prince of Guangchuan in Western Han, was arrogant, extravagant, and licentious, with a passion for grave robbing—he unearthed countless ancient tombs…

Cao Cao was the most professional: he established within his army the "General of Excavating Mounds" and the "Colonel of Gold-Seeking," roaming everywhere to plunder tombs for military funds…

The Golden Tent Wolf State also assembled a gang of rogue martial artists, completely looting numerous Song imperial tombs and the graves of renowned ministers…

In times of chaos, there were no such restraints.

Dong Zhuo entered Chang'an and plundered the Maoling tomb again, already visited by the Red Eyebrows; Lu Bu dragged out Emperor Wu's bones to expose them to the sun…

Huang Chao acted only against major targets: first, emulating Xiang Yu's excavation of Qin Shi Huang's tomb; second, following the Red Eyebrows and Dong Zhuo in plundering Emperor Wu's Maoling; third, targeting the Qianling tomb.

They gained little treasure but earned lasting infamy.

In the Guanzhong region's eighteen imperial tombs, Wen Tao unearthed more than half, triggering traps left by the Daoist Immortals, causing zombies and malevolent spirits to roam Guanzhong, plunging it into chaos.

Whether imperial families or warlords acted, they typically mobilized large forces, openly and brazenly, with no regard for consequences—no trap could stop them.

The second tier consists of certain martial arts factions.

They are usually outlaws who gather in the mountains and forests; whenever they discover a hidden grand tomb, they never let it slip away.

In times of peace, their operations are more discreet—either in small groups of three or five, or organized into bands, all fearing capture by the court.

The lowest tier are common criminals who rob the graves of wealthy gentry and merchants to feed their families.

Of course, this trade is extremely dangerous.

One must face not only imperial laws and tomb guards, but also countless traps and underground malevolent spirits—few survive to die peacefully.

As soon as Li Yan entered the inn, he sensed something odd.

Whether the merchant or the traveling performers, everyone carried the stench of earth and corpse—seasoned professionals who frequently descended into tombs, organized and experienced.

Moreover, the situation suggested two separate groups.

They likely received word and converged here.

The most famous site nearby is naturally the Chu Prince's tomb on Longquan Mountain, but that place has Tomb Guards who are deeply familiar with grave-robbing tactics.

These people couldn't possibly break in.

Normally, Li Yan would ignore such tomb raiders, but the circumstances now were different.

There was indeed something strange around Lake Liangzi Lake.

The sunken county beneath the lake, the secret battles of Tang-era mystic soldiers, the strange events recorded in the Jin Shu, the corpse of an unnamed foreign monk…

Li Yan had an inexplicable feeling these things were connected.

Thump-thump-thump!

At that moment, a knock came at the door.

It was the innkeeper's boy, entering with a tray of food and drink, smiling ingratiatingly: "Gentlemen, this rustic inn has little to offer—please don't disdain it."

As he spoke, he set the tray down.

Simple roasted chicken, roasted fish, seasonal side dishes, a large plate of buns, and a jug of old yellow wine.

Li Yan nodded slightly and asked casually: "Boy, we're visiting a friend—is there a village called Baihe Bay nearby?"

The boy's eyes flickered with surprise, then he smiled: "Baihe Bay isn't far—just another ten or so li east. Gentlemen… are you going there too?"

"Oh?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, placing some silver coins on the table: "There's more to your words than meets the ear…"

"Sir, you jest."

The boy quietly retrieved the tray, slipping the silver into his sleeve, and whispered: "I know nothing—only that the two tables below are also asking about Baihe Bay, so I was curious."

With that, he smiled, neither leaving nor speaking further.

Li Yan chuckled silently, pulling out two more taels of silver and tossing them casually: "You're sharp—tell me what's going on."

The boy quickly caught the silver and whispered: "Baihe Bay is a small village, inhabited for generations by the Bai clan—quiet, unremarkable; most villagers are peddlers traveling from town to town."

"But recently, several young men from Miao villages gathered in rebellion, calling themselves Jiangxia Savages, destroying kilns and killing people for blood sacrifices."

"They fled to Baihe Bay, but the Bai clan had many martial practitioners who drove off the demons—though many of their own clan died in the process."

"They just finished the funeral a few days ago. The two groups below arrived today. That's all I know…"

"Hmm. Don't mention us to anyone."

"Rest assured, sir, I understand."

After the questioning, the boy left, closing the door behind him.

"Baihe Bay has problems."

Lu San stated firmly.

"Of course it does."

Li Yan poured himself yellow wine and whispered: "The Bai family were clearly killed by wild beasts, yet they blame the Jiangxia Savages—something must be hidden."

"Let's not rush to Baihe Bay yet. Keep watch on these people—they know something."

Lu San said nothing, turning to Shu Da and Shu Er, who crouched on the floor, devouring buns.

The two rats were enjoying their meal, but at Lu San's gaze, they reluctantly dropped the buns and scampered up the rafters.

Of course, the inn was full of rats.

Especially this inn, old and riddled with rat holes in the walls; as Shu Da and Shu Er squeaked, rats emerged from every crevice.

Some guarded the corners of the rooms; others slipped through underground tunnels to the inn's exterior, hiding in the grass to spy.

This was why Li Yan and Lu San worked together.

With Lu San, their reconnaissance surged; in combat, Li Yan could strike head-on while Lu San assisted from the side—enough to handle most complex situations.

Strangely, the two groups in the inn's main hall finished eating but didn't leave—they each rented rooms and didn't speak to one another.

Unnoticed, night deepened.

In the room, Lu San leaned beside Wu Ba, patiently teaching him to speak human speech.

As for Li Yan, he sat at the table, pulled out a brocade scroll from his robe, and examined its patterns closely.

This was what Shen Shen Jinghong had given him.

Upon hearing Shen claimed to have studied Ghost Script and Blade Combat, Li Yan took interest—he cared little for Blade Combat, the military cipher, but Ghost Script was not to be missed.

Even the Xuanmen had Ghost Script.

It was a cryptic language resembling oracle bone script, popular among shamans since the Xia dynasty, also called Tian Wen, used for rituals to communicate with spirits, possessing inexplicable power.

Even today, many Daoist lineages still use this cipher.

But this Ghost Script before him clearly had issues.

According to Shen Shen Jinghong, its origin was also strange: during the Song Da Xuan Yuan Jia era, a man in Jingkou was struck dead by lightning; on his arm remained four characters: "Killed by Karmic Debt," called Ghost Script by calligraphers.

But Li Yan knew this explanation was flawed.

Examining the lines closely, they were clearly lightning-scarred vertical and forked marks, yet arranged into square, upright, angular characters resembling ancient seal script.

Its origin seemed unrelated to the Netherworld, but more akin to Xuanmen Thunder Art.

After all, some thunder talismans were modeled after lightning strike patterns.

Yet forming actual characters still puzzled him.

If the Netherworld and Underworld exist, then Heaven must too—could this be the influence of Heavenly power?

Unfortunately, Shen Shen Jinghong's Ghost Script contained only these four characters.

Studying them yielded nothing.

But he would remain watchful in the future.

After all, Thunder Art was his foundation.

"Squeak!"

!.

At that moment, Shu Da suddenly stood up and squeaked twice.

Lu San whispered at once: "Two people have left."

Li Yan instantly understood, chanting a spell, flicking his little finger lightly—a straw effigy flew from his waist pouch, spun midair, and slipped through the window crack into the night.

Simultaneously, Li Yan closed his eyes.

The straw effigy drifted soundlessly above the inn; Li Yan saw the two who had left.

One was the merchant,

the other an old man with a fish-drum slung on his back.

Both leapt from their room windows, gripping cracks in the wall with their hands, moving with the agility of geckos skimming the surface to the ground.

After landing, they exchanged a glance, then turned simultaneously toward Li Yan's room, saw the candlelight and shadows inside, and finally turned away, sprinting toward the nearby dense forest.

In the night sky, the straw-and-paper effigies followed closely behind.

The two entered the forest one after the other, clearly on guard, keeping several meters apart as they exchanged a few cryptic phrases.

"So you're Master Chen from Yuzhou."

The middle-aged man in merchant's attire gave a slight bow, his smile cold and hollow: "Our line of work can't be seen in the light. Since we've crossed paths, we ought to speak plainly—avoid misunderstandings. What do you say?"

The old man replied coolly: "I've heard of you, Master Wang the Shriveled, from Xiangzhou. You're quite skilled at fengshui divination and locating graves."

Every word of their conversation reached Li Yan's ears.

Zhao Lüzi once said that if tomb robbers must be divided into schools, there are generally three types.

The first, naturally, is the school of Treasure-Sealers and Cave-Seekers.

These are descendants of the Qin-era fangshi, preserving hidden traditions, entering ancient tombs to seek buried treasures and the elixir of immortality.

The other two are southern and northern schools.

The northerners mostly hail from Shanzhou and Yuzhou, skilled in using Lu Ban's ruler and Luoyang spade to judge auspiciousness and disarm traps.

The southerners excel at using fengshui to pinpoint graves and divide gold.

Though the two schools have merged to some degree, each retains its signature techniques.

Tomb robbers have their own rules.

Sometimes they don't even trust their own kind, let alone outsiders. When two groups encounter the same target, they must clarify the situation.

These two were clearly the leaders of their respective factions. After a tense standoff, the merchant-dressed Wang the Shriveled finally shook his head: "Master Chen, you're a senior of the Some Jianghu. I'll speak plainly."

"We came this time on someone's behalf."

"Small world."

The old man with the fish-drum on his back spoke up: "I was also sent by someone. I suspect our patrons are the same."

"The Bai family!"

Both spoke at once, then furrowed their brows.

Wang the Shriveled's eyes flickered with murderous intent; he sneered: "Does the Bai family not know the rules? Master Chen, shall we teach them manners?"

Master Chen mused: "If they could find us so suddenly, they're no amateurs. They likely want us to cooperate."

"Oh?"

Wang the Shriveled's interest stirred. After a moment's hesitation, he pulled something from his robe—a half-gilded bronze plaque.

Master Chen frowned and also drew out a half-gilded bronze plaque from his robe, his voice low: "Without this, I wouldn't have come. Wang, take a look."

With that, he tossed the plaque casually toward him.

Wang the Shriveled caught it, pressed the two halves together, and recited: "Tang Dynasty, Prince of Anping, Wu..."

"Wu Wu Youxu!"

The old man Master Chen mused: "During Empress Wu's reign, the Wu clan held all power. Rumor has it this man 'had ambition and virtue, serene and ungreedy,' once disguised himself as a fortune-teller in Chang'an, astonishingly accurate."

"He was deeply favored by Empress Wu, granted the title Prince of Anping, promoted to Junior Secretary of the Honglu and General of the Qianniu Guard—but he despised court politics, retreated into Mount Songshan to live in seclusion, a rarity among the Wus."

"A rarity among the Wus?"

Wang the Shriveled scoffed: "I've lived half a lifetime—I've never met a man who didn't crave power. I've broken into tombs of so-called clean officials, and they were more lavish than ordinary men!"

"So Wu Wu Youxu was probably the same. Is this his tomb?"

Master Chen frowned: "Unclear. Rumor says he was buried in Mount Songshan—he never came to Ezhou. Something's off."

Wang the Shriveled's expression turned grave: "If someone in his family died, they've probably already entered. Couldn't get what they wanted, so they hired us."

With that, he tossed the half-plaque back.

"Master Chen, this looks like a major tomb. Leaking it to outsiders is probably not well-intentioned. We must be careful—don't walk into a trap!"

The old man caught it, smiling: "Fair enough. We'll pretend we don't know each other, act like we're at odds... then..."

He didn't finish, but both understood. They bowed slightly, watched the night, and returned to the inn.

Huh~

After they left, the straw-and-paper effigies burst into flame.

Inside the inn, Li Yan opened his eyes, murmuring in surprise: "So they really are tomb robbers—and a prince's tomb at that..."

He then recounted what he'd heard.

Lu San asked: "What now?"

Li Yan smiled: "Let's hold off for now. Tomorrow, wait until they enter the village, find the tomb's location, and see what's what."

"If all goes as expected, there'll be a tomb guardian. If it's truly a 'Manyan,' we'll move to capture it!"

…………

The next day, dawn barely broke.

The two factions left the inn one after the other.

Shortly after they departed, Li Yan and his two companions also left the inn—but they avoided the mountain path, moving instead through the nearby forest and hills.

In the air, the birds Lu San had summoned circled repeatedly, keeping constant watch on the two groups.

They traveled over ten miles, arriving at a small village by the lake, where they were immediately stopped, questioned briefly, then led inside.

Li Yan and his companions didn't rush. They waited among the nearby woods.

Suddenly, Lu San spoke: "More people coming—I've seen them at the Shen family's!"

"Oh?"

Li Yan moved to the hilltop, peering down through the branches.

Two figures approached along the mountain path: an old Daoist, and a young man dressed in lavish robes.

The young man was none other than Shen Shen Jingcan of the Shen family!

(End of Chapter)