Upon hearing Ma Zhenhong's shout, Shark said to me, "Mr. Duan, now that we've found the tomb passage, let's go in and take a look."

I knew the Wei family must have some secrets they weren't telling me, so I said to Monkey, "Shark and I will go down, you stay up here."

"Young Master Duan, please don't! Take me with you to see it too!"

The monkey looked at me pleadingly: "We're partners, after all. If word gets out that we found an ancient tomb but I didn't even go in, how embarrassing would that be!"

Seeing my hesitation, Shark said, "Mr. Duan, if this young man insists on coming along, it's not impossible. This is a privately contracted plot of land, and I've already given instructions that construction workers are strictly prohibited from approaching this area. Even without lookouts, there won't be any danger."

Shark, as the branch manager of Changwei Group, holds a very high position. Moreover, I work for the Wei family. Seeing that he insisted on going in personally, I didn't insist anymore: "Dragon-seeking requires observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. The four-word mantra for entering the tomb is calmness, stability, thought, and lightness. You can come along if you want, but once you're inside, you must listen to me! No matter what happens, don't move or touch anything randomly, and don't make a fuss!"

The four-character mantra for entering the tomb was summarized by the Duan family ancestors: be quiet, be calm, think things through, and be gentle.

The Judge's Records contain an account of an incident during the Republic of China era where a group of bandits discovered an ancient tomb and planned to go inside to make a fortune.

They didn't know what strange things they encountered in the tomb, so they opened fire, which angered the tomb's owner, and they were all buried in the tomb.

After analyzing the incident, I felt that they had entered a quicksand tomb.

Because the tomb was very old, its structure had decayed and loosened. In addition, the enclosed space caused the walls to collapse due to the vibrations, and sand collapsed like an avalanche.

The traditional explanation for the four-character mantra is that it's to avoid disturbing the spirits of the deceased in the tomb, but I think it's more like a warning to future generations to avoid triggering certain mechanisms.

When the monkey saw that I had agreed to let him go into the tomb, he grinned so hard you could see his back teeth: "Don't worry, Young Master Duan, as long as you let me come along, I guarantee I won't utter a single fart inside!"

At four in the morning, the long night is about to end, and it is the darkest time of the day.

After changing into one-piece rat suits made of special fabric, everyone, led by Ma Zhenhong, used ropes to lower themselves to the edge of the robber's hole on the cliff.

His tunnel was less than half a meter in diameter, and the shovel marks were like fish scales, one on top of the other, showing that he had dug it very carefully.

From a young age, the monkey loved things related to tomb raiding and antiques. He was more excited about tomb raiding tunnels than his own father: "Young Master Duan, let me go in first!"

“Let me do it! I’ve been in this business for half my life, I have more experience than you! Mr. Duan’s feng shui skills are strong, but his practical experience may not be as good as mine!”

As Ma Zhenhong spoke, he curled his fingers close to the cave entrance and whistled.

A short while later, I heard a rustling sound coming from the tunnel.

Before I could ask anything, I saw a big black rat run to the entrance of the hole, climb up Ma Zhenhong's outstretched arm, and crawl into a leather bag at his waist.

Ma Zhenhong smiled at me: "The art of taming rats is a unique skill of our Earth-Entering Tigers. These creatures live underground, are spiritual, and can help us explore the underworld! The fact that it came back alive means there's no problem here!"

I don't believe in any supernatural theories, but the fact that this rat could come back alive at least shows that the air under the tomb is circulating and that it's not poisonous: "Then I'll trouble Mr. Ma to lead the way!"

"Before you crawl into the tunnel, make sure to stretch your hands out in front of you. It's narrow inside, and it's not easy to change positions!"

After speaking, Ma Zhenhong put on his headlamp and was the first to crawl inside.

When I was going down the cliff, I was careful and deliberately lined up behind the shark so that it could go in first.

Tomb raiding has always been a path of constant fighting for profit, and even though I was hired by the Wei family, I still had to be careful.

The shark didn't think much of it and was the second one to dive into the hole.

I was the third person to enter the tomb. I don't know if it was psychological, but as soon as I entered the tomb, I felt goosebumps all over my body. I silently recited the Taoist "Soothing Earth God Mantra" in my mind and followed the shark as I crawled forward.

These horizontal tunnels are much simpler than vertical ones, but climbing down more than ten meters still made my joints ache.

The end of this tomb robber's tunnel connects to the courtyard of the tomb passage. The whole structure is shaped like the Chinese character "土" (earth). The vertical part is the courtyard, the horizontal part above is the tomb robber's tunnel, and the part below is the tomb passage. The extra section that was dug out was left by Ma Zhenhong for us to adjust our posture when going down into the tomb passage.

With the help of Shark and Ma Zhenhong, I also jumped into the tomb passage.

This is a brick chamber tomb with flat sides, a domed ceiling with simple patterns above, and flat stone bricks underfoot. The tomb passage slopes downwards and ends in complete darkness.

We were located near the first courtyard at the entrance to the tomb passage, but the entrance had collapsed and was filled with yellow earth.

Ma Zhenhong shone his flashlight into the niche in the tomb passage and saw the dark statues and lampstands inside. His eyes lit up as he said, "We're lucky, this is a fire pit!"

The monkey, who had just landed, was startled: "A fire cave? Young Master Duan, is it the kind of ancient tomb you're talking about that catches fire?"

I shook my head: "Fire caves refer to tombs that have not been visited by grave robbers. Generally, the artifacts unearthed from these caves are well-preserved and of excellent quality! However, some people also call these tombs 'hidden fire caves,' and in these caves, it is best to use as little open flame as possible!"

The monkey was relieved and looked at the dark metal in the niche: "Mr. Ma, how can you be sure this is a fire cave based on these things?"

I explained, "Because these things are made of gold, and the black rust on the surface is a layer of oxide! The tomb raiders who found this place couldn't possibly not recognize the value of these things!"

"Gold?"

The monkey's eyes lit up, and it instinctively prepared to pick it up and take a look.

"Don't move! Have you forgotten what I just told you?"

I whispered a warning: "The tomb passage is where the most densely packed security measures are located. Absolutely do not touch anything here! Everyone, move forward and find the main burial chamber first to determine the identity of the tomb's occupant. The things inside are much more valuable than what's here!"

"Mr. Duan is right. We should have a sense of awe in the tomb and not underestimate the wisdom of the ancients."

Ma Zhenhong interjected, "In ancient times, those who could build such tombs were no ordinary people. Over the years, I don't know how many brothers have perished in these tombs because of their carelessness."

The monkey glanced longingly at the golden statue in the niche before looking away.

The tomb passage had been buried underground for so long that, although there was air inside, it still smelled musty.

After advancing about thirty meters, the road came to an abrupt end.

The dome here has collapsed, the ground is covered with scattered rubble, and the tomb passage ahead is completely blocked by yellow sand.

Ma Zhenhong shone his flashlight on the top of the tomb passage, sweat beading on his forehead: "Damn it! We've entered a trap tomb!"