After we finished digging two tunnels, it was already past 4 a.m. The two workers had been working continuously, and their arms were starting to tremble.
Seeing their condition, I knew they definitely wouldn't be able to continue working tonight. I instructed the Jiang family's bodyguards to dispose of the excavated soil, and then asked Jiang Man, "Has Xue Dong sent any message about the team he's keeping an eye on going into the mountains?"
Jiang Man gestured with the satellite phone: "Xue Dong called five minutes ago. Those people didn't go to the area where the burial pit is located. Instead, they avoided our mountains and went deep into the distant mountains. He analyzed that those people probably didn't notice our area. Instead, they were other teams searching in these mountains by chance. Didn't you say before that the feng shui here has been altered and that ordinary people wouldn't notice this place? This does provide us with some convenience, at least we can identify outside teams."
When I heard that the group wasn't the one that kidnapped the monkeys, I didn't feel happy; instead, I became somewhat worried: "The group that was digging the tunnel here all night hasn't shown up, nor have they checked the surrounding terrain. What are these people up to?"
Jiang Man looked at the first hint of dawn on the horizon and speculated, "Those people have a strong counter-surveillance awareness. When they kidnapped the monkey, they blocked our tracking route. Moreover, they dug two holes here and left directly. Do you think it's possible that their tomb-raiding team knows this area better than we do, and confirmed that these mountains are all decoy tombs? So after digging the tunnels to verify their conjecture, they abandoned this place and went to find the real entrance to the tomb?"
“I was worried about that too. If these people can conclude that the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace is not here just because of the blue clay they dug up from that mountain, then their feng shui skills are definitely superior to mine. I thought that the release of miasma from Ping'an Village had already cleared out the other teams, but now it seems that this was just a process of natural selection. The teams that are still here are all experts.”
I shared Jiang Man's concerns and waved my hand, saying, "We've all been up all night and are exhausted. Let's go back and meet up with Xue Dong first. We'll see if that team comes back after dawn. If they really give up on this place, then we'll make further plans."
When we retreated back to the valley, Xue Dong and his group were all resting in the burial pit. Upon hearing that Jiang Man had returned, Xue Dong quickly came over and said to us, "Miss, Mr. Duan, you've come back just in time. I was just about to contact you! We went to keep an eye on the group that went into the mountains before and got back a message. They said that those people entered a valley ten kilometers away, and they were very cautious, leaving people to keep watch outside the valley, so our people couldn't get close."
"More than ten kilometers?"
Jiang Man waved her hand in disappointment: "Even if the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace is large, it can't possibly cover such a large area. Since we have already discovered a suspected tomb here, it means that they are very likely digging around to test the waters."
I wasn't interested in the news either, and the exhaustion from not sleeping all night made me groggy: "Have the people keeping watch take some wide-angle photos of the scene and send them back to me so I can take a look."
"Alright, I'll give the order right away. You've been busy all night, so you must be tired. I've had some self-heating rice prepared. Eat something first, and then get some rest."
As Xue Dong spoke, he led us into the tomb-raiding pit. I didn't even wait for the midnight snack to be delivered before I leaned against the wall and drifted off to sleep.
I had only been asleep for less than twenty minutes when Xue Dong nudged my arm and woke me up: "Mr. Duan, the self-heating rice is ready, and the photos you requested have also been sent back."
I was so sleepy I could barely keep my eyes open, but I forced myself to sit up and said, "I won't eat. Just bring me the photos so I can take a look."
Seeing my sleepy look, Xue Dong dimmed the screen of the tablet in his hand before handing it to me.
When I saw the terrain in the picture, I immediately frowned: "Are you sure those people we were watching earlier went into this mountain?"
"Absolutely certain, our people are still keeping watch!"
Seeing my agitated state, Xue Dong perked up as well: "Mr. Duan, have you made some discovery?"
"The mountain range in the photo is flat and lacks any sense of power. Moreover, it is located in a low-lying area. Once a flash flood occurs, it will be the first area to be flooded. Such a place has nothing to do with feng shui. Not to mention people who understand feng shui, even ordinary people would not choose such a place to build a tomb."
I handed the tablet back to him and pressed him for details: "Were all the teams that went into the mountains carrying large backpacks, moving very slowly, and avoiding the difficult slopes, choosing instead to proceed through the easier valleys?"
"I'll check it right away."
Xue Dong climbed up the grave-robbing pit with a satellite phone, chatted for less than thirty seconds, and then jumped back down: "Mr. Duan, everything you said was correct. The team that went into the mountain was exactly as you described. What were they doing?"
"I don't know their identities, but these people definitely didn't go into the mountains to raid tombs. Instead, they were delivering supplies to a tomb raiding gang. The valley they went to should be the location where that tomb raiding gang was hiding. They deliberately chose a place with bad feng shui to rest, so as to avoid being discovered by other tomb raiding gangs while resting!"
Xue Dong realized the gravity of the situation: "Could this be the team we're looking for?"
"These people are very careful in choosing their hiding places. Sending them supplies into the mountains in the middle of the night shows that they don't want to go out. So they must have made some discovery! As of now, based on the information we have, only two teams know that there is blue clay in this mountain. One is the team that dug the tomb here before, and the other is the team that we detained and accidentally discovered the tomb."
I thought about it for a moment: "Based on this line of reasoning, those people are very likely the team that dug the tunnel here before. After all, they can even go several kilometers to dump soil, let alone rest!"
Xue Dong's face hardened: "I'll take some men and wipe them out?"
I waved my hand: "Those people are ten kilometers away from here. If we walk fast, we can get there in an hour at most. Just in case, I suggest we all go out together and ambush that team. If they are the people we are looking for, then we can rescue Monkey directly. If not, we can retreat in time."
"That's good. There are five or six people just transporting supplies. There must be even more people in the valley. The more people go, the greater our chances of winning."
Xue Dong waved his hand at the young man beside him: "Have our men assemble immediately and prepare for a forced march."
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