Commander Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, gently placing the teacup on the table as if carefully setting down a precious treasure. He took a deep breath and slowly said, "Master, it is the truth. My commander, Liu Xiang, suffered a devastating defeat in the fierce battle between the two Lius! The saying 'When the cannons roar, gold flows like water' is now deeply etched in my mind. Currently, the military funds are almost exhausted, and the salaries of tens of thousands of soldiers feel like a heavy mountain, making it almost impossible for me to breathe."
At this point, a hint of helplessness and anxiety flashed in Commander Yu's eyes. He gently stroked his chin and continued, "I heard that last year, that fellow named Sun Dianying dared to plunder Empress Dowager Cixi's tomb. The treasures inside were truly priceless! Tens of thousands of taels of gold, their dazzling brilliance almost blinding; countless silver, jade, and jewels, each piece radiating a dazzling light, their value simply incalculable, amounting to a million silver dollars!"
At this moment, Commander Yu's greedy eyes became even more pronounced, like two hungry wolves eyeing their prey. The old Taoist priest sitting opposite him sighed inwardly, fully aware of the stakes involved. He shook his head slightly and said softly, "You may have the life to take the money from this tomb raiding, but you probably won't have the life to spend it. It's best to avoid such immoral acts." Commander Yu hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, but his inherent greed seemed to still be at play, causing him to fall into deep thought…
Master, don't underestimate your magical abilities! If you can use them properly, making gold and silver will be a piece of cake. Take this time, for example. The commander solemnly promised that every time a large tomb is found, you'll get one-tenth of the treasures inside. And, Company Commander Li is leading over a hundred men; they're specifically there to help you search for ancient tombs and treasures.
After listening, the old Taoist priest fell into deep thought. He knew that the world was currently in chaos, with war raging everywhere and almost every region having carved out its own sphere of influence. Even in Sichuan province alone, several powerful forces were entrenched. Therefore, finding a great tomb was no easy task. Even if one were fortunate enough to find it, one would absolutely not dare to excavate it openly; if those forces were to set their sights on it, it would be a serious problem.
At this moment, Commander Yu spoke up again, "Taoist priest, my commander said that the Northwest is relatively peaceful right now. Why don't we go there and explore?" The old Taoist priest thought to himself, what is there in the Northwest? It's practically a godforsaken place. Besides the howling northwest wind, what interesting things could there be? But he still said aloud, "Xi'an is definitely out of the question. The Northwest Army's power is truly immense. If we, a hundred or so people, go there to dig up graves, wouldn't that be no different from sending ourselves to our deaths?"
Commander Yu smiled and said, "Daoist, it's not that I'm sending you there, but to the far west. Our commander has already written a letter to the warlord there. Commander Jin in Dihua has a good personal relationship with our Commander Liu and has agreed to let you investigate and explore the tomb of the Loulan Queen in the Western Regions. This time, the commander has sent Company Commander Li with more than a hundred men, a dozen military trucks, and supplies to Dihua first for rest, and then head to the ancient city of Loulan together with the guide team arranged by Commander Jin."
"Master, the amount of gold and silver treasures in the ancient city of Loulan is simply astonishing! Rumor has it they amount to hundreds of millions! It's as if all the treasures accumulated by that nation over hundreds of years were deliberately buried here, yet such immense wealth has remained undiscovered by the world for centuries." Upon learning of this opportunity to discover such a precious treasure, Commander Liu was overjoyed and readily promised to give the old Taoist ten thousand taels of gold. He also pledged to help him rebuild the Taoist temple, which held countless memories and stories, and to ensure the safety of the old Taoist and his disciples in Sichuan. Hearing this, the old Taoist's heart trembled slightly. He slowly spoke to the commander before him, saying softly, "Commander, I must return to the temple to make proper arrangements and give instructions. I will meet you here in seven days."
The old Taoist priest hurried back to the temple, his heart still churning with turmoil. He eagerly summoned his remaining ten disciples, the youngest of whom, Yun Shiba, was now over ten years old. Compared to other children his age, he appeared remarkably mature and composed. As the saying goes, a poor man's child learns early. When he first encountered this child, he was only one year old, orphaned and crying pitifully by the roadside. His heart-wrenching cries pierced the old priest's heart, instantly filling him with compassion. Without hesitation, the old priest gave the despicable trafficker a silver dollar, thus buying the poor child. Time flies, almost ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and now, facing an important decision, the old priest's heart is filled with感慨 and contemplation.
The old Taoist priest spoke solemnly and earnestly, “Yun Si and Yun Wu, you two are the oldest among our fellow disciples. The other senior brothers have already eagerly embarked on their journeys down the mountain to seek their fortunes. I too will need to go down the mountain in a few days to attend to some important matters. During this time, I will have to trouble you both to take good care of us. You must take excellent care of our fellow disciples, carefully guard every blade of grass and tree in this Taoist temple, and patiently await my safe return with the rest of us.” Having said this, the old Taoist priest narrowed his eyes slightly, a barely perceptible worry flashing within them. He slowly and carefully took out an exquisite silver hairpin from his robes. The hairpin shimmered faintly in the sunlight, as if bearing the marks of time. Then, with steady steps, he approached the portrait of Yun Jizi hanging on the wall, gripped the hairpin tightly in his hand, and turned around, beckoning the other ten disciples to kneel respectfully on the ground, performing the solemn Taoist ritual.
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