Chapter 0006: The Cursed Grave

Uncle Li said: "Moreover, your ancestor was no ordinary tomb raider; he was a subordinate of Cao Cao, serving as a chief tomb raider, and throughout his life, he only failed once in his tomb raiding endeavors"

I shook my head

Li Shudao: "That tomb group is very ominous. Recently, it was excavated again, and over 2,000 cultural relics were unearthed, of which 80% were purchased by a foreigner. As a result, that foreigner died suddenly before even leaving the country, and his death was quite tragic; all the soft parts of his body were gone, seemingly eaten away! Aside from that foreigner, everyone else who came into contact with those relics ended up experiencing strange occurrences. Those who took fewer items had a chance to survive, while those who took more all died, and their deaths were particularly gruesome. This is why I do not allow you to collect that hundred-edged knife; that tomb is too cursed."

I asked: "That time he made a mistake, he lost his life, right?"

It is early in the morning, and the flower wreath shop is quite deserted, with hardly any customers. Only a child, approximately eight or nine years old, is feeding chickens at the entrance.

It is only natural not to recognize it, for perhaps this is the only seal of its kind in the entire world now

I nodded: "I heard from my father that he was a tomb raider during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, but he later died in a large tomb."

As soon as this was mentioned, I could no longer afford to dwell on my father's issues. I quickly got up and began putting on my coat, for this was indeed the most important matter at hand. If it remained unresolved, I was uncertain whether I could make it through tonight. Even though I carried this talisman, I still felt a sense of uncertainty in my heart

... ...

Again with this sentence

I recognize this creature; it should be the legendary divine beast Pixiu. It seems that this gold seal is not an ancient official seal, as official seals would not be engraved with Pixiu. After all, although Pixiu is a auspicious beast, it has a fierce and violent nature, and is generally placed at the entrance of a home to ward off evil spirits. I have never heard of it being used to carve a gold seal.

Upon leaving, I realized that the place Uncle Li took me to was not far from my shop. It was located at the southern end of Antique Street, in a shop that sold wreaths and coffins. A small wooden sign hung at the entrance, inscribed with four characters—Iron Mouth Divine Calculation

Fortune teller

You are very clever, this is indeed a talisman, worn on the body to ward off all evils. You should keep it with you during this time, as it is likely that those malevolent entities will not dare to harm you.

At this moment, the sky was gradually brightening. Uncle Li glanced outside, stood up from his chair, and said: "Let's go, I will take you to meet an old friend, so he can help you see what exactly is troubling you."

Uncle Li's expression froze for a moment, and he gently sighed. After a long silence, he looked at me seriously and said, "There are some things that you really should not know at this moment; it is not beneficial for you. Xiaotian, if you trust what I say, then do not ask. When the time is right, I will definitely tell you!"

I shook my head helplessly and said with a bitter smile: "But if you ask me to identify the origin of this item, I am at a loss. I consider myself relatively knowledgeable about these things, familiar with the rare treasures of various eras, yet I have never heard of this item. It does not resemble an official seal, nor does it look like a private seal; I cannot pinpoint it.

However, before I could ask, Uncle Li suddenly raised his head and said, "Xiao Tian, do you know where the grave of your ancestor is?"

Uncle Li and I packed up our things, closed the shop door, and then left

If that is the case, how many large tombs from different eras are actually gathered in that burial site

Thinking of this, I raised my head and asked: "Uncle Li, my dad shouldn't be going to the Qinling Mountains to collect 'wild goods', right? Can you tell me what he is going there for?"

For a moment, I found myself somewhat uncertain about the origin of this seal, and I couldn't help but examine it more closely. Beneath the Pixiu, the gold seal was engraved with a series of very mysterious patterns that resembled characters, yet I could not identify what language they belonged to. It seemed that none of the ancient scripts I remembered resembled these tadpole-like characters.

The child cast a sidelong glance at Uncle Li, then focused his gaze on me, pouting as he said: "You can go, my grandfather does not give fortunes to the dead"

After listening, I fell into a long contemplation. Uncle Li could not possibly tell me these stories for no reason. I would occasionally look at the seal in my hand and then recall what Uncle Li had said. Gradually, a bold thought emerged in my mind, and I hesitantly asked Uncle Li: "Could it be that the seal in my hand is the seal of General Fa Qiu?"

I was taken aback upon hearing this, and my gaze towards Uncle Li became somewhat complicated

At the top of the golden seal sits a creature resembling a lion but with two wings, vividly lifelike

You know too vaguely

In a moment, I developed a strong interest in that tomb and was eager to understand the reasons behind the presence of so many graves in one place. Living in such a family, it is understandable how much influence these factors have had on my attraction to them.

Upon turning over the golden seal, there are eight large characters inscribed below: "Heavenly Officials Grant Blessings, All is Permitted"

Find my grandfather to tell fortunes

These things my father has never told me, so how does Uncle Li know about them

I fell into silence, and several questions arose in my mind

The golden seal is not large, only about the size of a child's fist, but it is quite heavy, weighing at least eight or nine hundred grams. The gold alone is worth a considerable amount. Judging by the wear marks on its surface, this seal has likely been in circulation for at least a thousand years. The intricate and varied depth of the wear patterns indicates that it has been handled repeatedly, resulting in a very smooth texture. It is undoubtedly an authentic item; the smooth wear marks are naturally formed, while those created by external forces appear too rigid. Such fakes might deceive someone who knows nothing, but for seasoned professionals in our field, it is essentially a trick that can be seen through at a glance. The wear marks on the surface suggest that this seal has been in circulation for at least a thousand years. The intricate and varied depth of the wear patterns indicates that it has been handled repeatedly, resulting in a very smooth texture. It is undoubtedly an authentic item; the smooth wear marks are naturally formed, while those created by external forces appear too rigid. Such fakes might deceive someone who knows nothing, but for seasoned professionals in our field, it is essentially a trick that can be seen through at a glance.

Uncle Li approached with a smile and asked the child: "Is Zhou the fortune teller here?"

Unable to recognize, one can only roughly infer from the craftsmanship of this Pixiu carving that this square gold seal was likely cast during the Eastern Han period, characterized by a large mouth without an anus and backward-curving tusks, which aligns with the features of that era

Uncle Li nodded heavily and slowly said: "At that time, it was precisely when Cao Cao suffered defeat at Chibi. In order to regain his strength and prepare for battle again, he was frantically gathering wealth everywhere. Therefore, he ordered your ancestor to rob a large tomb, threatening to exterminate your entire family if he did not comply. With no other choice, your ancestor had to go. However, shortly after entering the main tomb and lighting a candle, he encountered the ominous sign of a ghostly presence. Generally speaking, when faced with such a situation, they would retreat immediately. Yet, fearing Cao Cao's decree of extermination, your ancestor proceeded to disturb the tomb and ultimately never returned.

Based on the timeline, the burial site should have existed before the era of Cao Cao, while this hundred-edged knife is indeed Cao Cao's possession, which was lost only after his death, and now it has been excavated from the ancient tombs of the Qinling region

I found a place to sit down, and after a long while, my fluctuating thoughts finally calmed down a bit. Only then did I begin to carefully observe the golden seal that Uncle Li had given me.

However, these thoughts only flashed through my mind, and soon I pondered another question—since Uncle Li knew about the Qinling cursed tomb and my ancestor's affairs, my father must also be aware of it. He could not possibly be ignorant of the dangers of that tomb, a cursed place where even someone like my ancestor could lose their life. What was he thinking by going there?

It is the largest tomb in the burial site of the Qinling.

Uncle Li said lightly: "In that era, tomb raiding was quite elaborate, distinguishing between official and private raiders. At that time, there were no legal sanctions against tomb raiding, making it rampant, even evolving into various schools, numbering no less than a hundred. Among them, four schools were the most famous—Fa Qiu General, Mo Jin Cavalry, Shan Daoist, and Xie Ling Warrior! Among these, Fa Qiu General and Mo Jin Cavalry were considered official raiders. In those chaotic times of rising smoke and turmoil, various rebel leaders, in order to gather military funds, began to set their sights on the dead, establishing the positions of Fa Qiu Zhonglang and Mo Jin Cavalry, excavating large tombs everywhere to extract burial goods from the deceased. Meanwhile, the Shan Daoist and Xie Ling Warrior schools were classified as private raiders. They were mostly the local heroes of that time, raiding tombs when there were tombs, and becoming bandits when there were none. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, these two schools had become the mainstream of tomb raiding. In a certain sense, the practitioners of these four schools had perfected this craft to an extreme. Not only could they accurately locate tombs, but they could also deal with any malevolent entities encountered within. Each even developed their own treasures to guard against disturbances from such entities after entering the tomb, leading to the saying among the people—Fa Qiu has seals, Mo Jin has charms, Shan has techniques, and Xie Ling has armor!"

Uncle Li was smiling as he watched me fumble with this golden seal, turning it over and over. It was only when I finally put the seal down in frustration that he asked me: "Xiao Tian, do you recognize this item?"

Uncle Li propped up his leg and leisurely lit a cigarette for himself, saying: "Xiao Tian, do you know what your Ge family's ancestor did?"

I feel somewhat apprehensive; I am aware that the fortune tellers on this antique street are mostly charlatans and frauds. I did not expect that the expert Uncle Li brought me to would also be a fortune teller. Could he also be a complete fraud? However, since Uncle Li has brought me here, I cannot say much; I can only take it one step at a time.

Could it be that in later generations, people continued to be buried in that place, and the hundred-edged sword was buried there at that time

I feel somewhat agitated and powerless. After this series of events, I suddenly find my father and Uncle Li before me to be so unfamiliar, no longer the people I once knew. Yet, I want to understand everything, but I find myself lacking the strength to do so. This feeling... is truly unbearable