Wei Shengnan took the longbow from Cao Shang, wrapped a rope around an arrow, and shot it straight at the Brahma statue on the other side of the bridge.

As the arrow passed the Brahma statue, Wei Shengnan stepped on the rope beneath her feet and hooked it to the side with her toes. The flying arrow immediately changed direction and became entangled in the stone statue.

After the rope was set up, the rest of us pulled on it from behind, while Xu Hu also put the rope under his armpits and walked sideways across the bridge.

The six-meter bridge wasn't very long. Xu Hu walked across it, confirmed that there were no problems, and then hopped and skipped a few more times to test it: "This bridge is very sturdy, you can cross now!"

Seeing Xu Hu cross the bridge smoothly, I went over first, confirmed that there were no traps around the stone statue, and then walked around it to stand in front of the stone gate.

Looking at the stone door, which was made entirely of a single stone slab and wedged into the mountainside on both sides, Wei Shengnan had an ominous premonition: "Could this door be the legendary Dragon-Slaying Stone, weighing thousands of kilograms and impossible to open once it falls? We've lost most of the explosives we brought. If this really is the Dragon-Slaying Stone, we definitely won't be able to open it!"

"It doesn't seem likely. The Dragon-Slaying Stone is a fictional creation in Jin Yong's novels and has never been found in any real archaeological sites."

I shone my flashlight into the gap under the stone gate: "If this stone fell from a height, such a heavy weight hitting the ground would not be without cracks. Moreover, there are no holes left above the lintel for lifting the stone. In this kind of terrain where the mountain is built into the hill, if you want to make a dragon-breaking stone, the principle is similar to openwork jade carving. It is absolutely impossible to do it with such precision."

Wei Shengnan nodded thoughtfully: "So what's your opinion?"

I crouched down and carefully examined the edges and gaps of the stone door: "If nothing unexpected happens, this tomb door should be wider on the inside and narrower on the outside. This stone slab should have been carved from the inside and then stood up to block the entrance. The outer mold, like a door frame, wrapped it up. This explains why it fits so perfectly."

"Even if the Dragon-Slaying Stone is fake, your method still lacks theoretical support."

Qu Ruilin stomped down, but the stone door didn't budge: "When we entered the first door, we encountered a self-locking stone. There was at least a notch left on the door for the key. If this door was fixed from the inside, how did it stand up? Was there someone inside when the door was sealed, and willingly died inside?"

The question raised by Qu Ruilin is also something I can't understand.

I took out a rubber mallet from my toolbox and started tapping around the stone gate.

Hearing that the sound from the stone gate was different from others, Xu Hu asked me, "Mr. Duan, do you remember what Mr. Qu said when we were searching for the demon monk's tomb? That Luo Er Suo Po Mei was a monk, and when choosing a burial site, he didn't need to consider his descendants. Naturally, no one followed the custom of treating the dead as if they were still alive to offer sacrifices or relocate his grave. So, is it possible that his tomb was sealed off? If the tomb passage inside was sloping, and logs were placed on the ground as rollers so that the stones could slide down, then the demon monk's tomb would be completely sealed off!"

“The ancients believed that the tomb was the home of the deceased in another world, and in feng shui, it is said that dragons fear loneliness, and a tomb without an opening is a lonely dragon. Since this tomb was built according to Chinese feng shui, it means that Nara Sapo Mei must have believed in feng shui theory, and naturally would not have chosen to completely seal the tomb.”

As I pondered similar methods of sealing the door, I said, "Right now, all we have in front of us is this sealed tomb door. Guessing won't help. Everyone, search the surrounding area for any special symbols or mechanisms."

As soon as we finished speaking, the five of us grabbed our flashlights and began searching the surrounding area.

About five minutes later, as I was squatting in front of the stone sculpture inspecting it, Wei Shengnan shone a flashlight on me and said, "Duan Shenxing, look at this wall in front of me, isn't there a copper path?"

In the antique world, bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties are quite popular, but these items are generally national treasures. Once they circulate on the market and attract the attention of relevant departments, they will definitely be thoroughly investigated. That's why there are people like Song Laosan who specialize in selling these items.

Compared to tombs from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, most tomb raiders actually prefer tombs from the Ming and Qing dynasties because the antiques and paintings are just as valuable, and the risks are lower. However, some people prefer to take a risky approach and specifically raid Shang and Zhou tombs.

The so-called "copper road" is actually proof of the existence of bronze artifacts.

Due to long-term immersion in groundwater, bronze artifacts buried underground undergo varying degrees of qualitative changes. The chemical substances emitted by the bronze artifacts permeate the surrounding soil and stones, causing color changes. Tomb raiders call this the "path to finding bronze" or "the immortal's guide." Once such traces are discovered, it means that sudden wealth is not far away.

I walked over to Wei Shengnan and looked in the direction she pointed. Sure enough, I found faint ochre-red marks on the wall. They weren't the black of the copper track; they looked more like rust.

These two rust marks extend in a very regular, parallel direction, and are difficult to spot without careful observation.

The mountain wall in front of us is entirely made of bluestone, which has a very low iron content. I followed the rust and walked forward until I reached the edge of the stone door. I breathed a sigh of relief: "This tomb door is not sealed. There must be hidden holes in the wall, and there must be iron chains connecting the stone door!"

Cao Shang scratched his head: "Impossible, right? There was no modern equipment in ancient times. How could such a heavy stone door be moved?"

"Don't underestimate the wisdom of the ancients. Lu Ban, during the Spring and Autumn Period, had already invented locks and keys and bionic machines! The Book of Rites, in the chapter 'Tan Gong,' records that he wanted to use his invented mechanical seal to bury the mother of Ji Kangzi, the chief minister of the State of Lu, using mechanical methods. This would achieve the effect of a grand burial with minimal manpower. Although it was rejected by Gong Jian on the grounds that it did not conform to the rites, it is enough to illustrate the mechanical capabilities of the ancients, which are vastly different from our imagined image of slash-and-burn agriculture. It is because of the foundation laid by generations of craftsmen that we can enjoy the technology we have today! From the puppet shows of the Tang Dynasty to the robots of today, all of this is the result of accumulated experience!"

When I mentioned puppet shows, I suddenly remembered what we had experienced in the mass grave. It was like a revelation, and I turned around and ran back.

Wei Shengnan was startled by my actions: "Duan Shenxing, what's wrong with you?"

"We overlooked something very important!"

As I spoke, I quickly ran to the bridge, shone my hand down to look, and excitedly slapped my thigh: "Just as I thought!"

The others gathered around me: "Did you find anything?"

“Before entering the Demon Monk’s Tomb, we looked at the feng shui outside, but now it has been confirmed that the tomb is built underground, so we should re-examine it. Feng shui is nothing more than mountains surrounding water. This tomb is built in the mountain, so there should be a river in front of it. Look at the cliff wall under the bridge, there are obvious water stains on it, which means there used to be a river here!”

As I explained, I wrapped the rope I was carrying around to the statue next to me, then swung the other end down: "If I'm not mistaken, the mechanism of this stone door is powered by water. I need to go down and check to verify if my idea is correct!"