Chapter 006: Tomb Robbing Taboos

Yao Jun looked up at the two of us, probably because Mu Tu's voice was a bit loud, which caught his attention: "To be honest with you two, I indeed engage in tomb raiding. This Mr. Wei is my strategist. If I don't make some extra money, how can I afford a hundred or so thousand for an off-road vehicle? Right, Lao Wei..."

Is it true that your brother-in-law is really in that line of work

Yao Junlian did not even lift his head, solely focused on eating, seemingly not taking Wei Xiao San's words seriously at all. On the contrary, Mu Tu put down his chopsticks and asked, "Do you know the ins and outs of this matter, senior?"

It was obtained from a mine at the foot of Wolf Mountain; at that time, I nearly lost my life, and it was this copper mirror that saved me

Since that is the case, I will speak frankly: Last time, Fatty Pan nearly lost his life on Mount Yao because the talisman he carried lacked sufficient power to suppress the corpse transformations in the tomb, which led to his dire predicament; since then, Fatty Pan and his group have been much more subdued. If they had this precious mirror for protection, a few minor corpse transformations would hardly be worth concerning themselves with

Yao Jun stared for a long time, repeatedly shaking his head: "My skills are too shallow, and my insight is insufficient; wait a moment, I will find a highly skilled master for you, so he can take a look for you..."

There are two sayings: one is that tomb raiders should not be overly greedy and must leave something for future tomb raiders... Of course, this brings us to another rule of tomb raiders: upon entering a tomb chamber, regardless of the circumstances, whether it has been completely looted or if one encounters zombies or ghostly matters, one must never leave empty-handed; it is essential to take at least one item out.

There is another belief that is rather superstitious: when tomb raiders first enter the tomb chamber, they do so with yang energy; however, when they leave, their yang energy will be absorbed by the coffin. If a person without protective yang energy enters the tomb chamber, they become akin to a walking corpse, indistinguishable from the deceased. The wandering spirits and malevolent energy within the tomb will then attach themselves to this individual, and on the day of the Ghost Festival in the second lunar month of the following year, they are bound to die under mysterious circumstances. From that point on, their family will face continuous disasters, leading to a decline in their fortunes until they are left with no descendants.

Mutu lit a cigarette and said to me: "Qianzi... why do I feel that they are whispering about something bad?"

I see that Mutu is hesitating; this is not a matter of whether to do it or not, but rather a matter of courage. After a moment of silence, to my surprise, Mutu actually agreed. I originally thought Mutu would say: "I dare not..."

There is no need for you to understand; as long as you are willing, you will receive your share of the money. Starting today, your salary will be calculated; the treasures that come out will be equally divided among the brothers, with no distinction between large and small shares. Will you do it?

After all, https://www.hetushu.com is a person of great talent; throughout history, extraordinary talents have always found it difficult to endure solitude

Well, I can also tell that it seems somewhat like playing tomb raiding

Dare to use someone's head as a guarantee

However, from the perspective of the Wei family, the emergence of such a disreputable person as Wei Xiaosan is indeed a misfortune for the family. From a young age, he harbored a disdain for studying, showing a particular fondness only for antiques, jade, and ceramics—essentially, he was enamored with various jars and vases. He was especially interested in items unearthed from the ground, and naturally, he possessed a remarkable talent in this area. It was only later that people discovered that all of this was due to a neighbor of theirs: the usually eccentric Xia Wenzhong, who turned out to be Cai Zhifeng, a grave robber from Pingjiang, living incognito in Weijiazhuang.

Yao Jun took the bronze mirror and said, "If it were a bronze artifact from the Western Zhou Dynasty, it would be quite interesting... As of now, only a total of fifteen Western Zhou bronze mirrors have been confirmed to have been unearthed, and they are all round plain mirrors. This hexagonal mirror, with decorative patterns on the edges and inscriptions on the back, I have never seen before. Where was it excavated?"

The old man's name is Wei Xiaosan, originally from Huaiyang, Hebei, and his family is considered to be of scholarly lineage.

Brother, do you really think so highly of me? However, I truly understand nothing at all

I must not hide from you that this may very well be the demon-subduing mirror that has been lost for nearly three thousand years; it is indeed a genuine demon-subduing mirror

Brother, there is something on Mu Tu at https://www.hetushu.com that I would like you to take a look at. Some people say that this item is an ominous object, and we do not understand it. Please take a closer look and see if there is any significance to it.

Immediately thereafter, Wei Xiaosan shared some little-known insider information: First, not everyone is suited for tomb raiding. Physical strength and courage are of utmost importance. Sometimes, one must dig through several meters or even tens of meters deep into the ground in desolate mountains and wilderness under the cover of night; ordinary people do not possess such physical strength and bravery. Secondly, tomb raiders should not have an overly utilitarian mindset; there may be instances where one searches for months without finding a single tomb. Even if a tomb is found, it is often already plundered by previous tomb raiders—this is what people commonly refer to as 'nine out of ten rooms are empty.' One must maintain a calm mindset and be able to endure continuous feelings of defeat. Thirdly, during the process of tomb raiding, one may encounter various dangers at any moment. The primary dangers include the collapse of the digging tunnel and the tomb passage, as well as toxic gases and strange mechanisms within the tomb chamber. The higher the specifications of a grand tomb, the more treasures buried within, and the greater the difficulty of excavation. In simple terms, a careless tomb raider may become a companion to the tomb owner in death. Fourthly, the older the ancient tomb, the longer it has been buried underground, the more bizarre incidents it may contain. Many perplexing and strange events cannot be explained by human knowledge and are beyond the capabilities of tomb raiders. In the face of strange occurrences in ancient tombs, the only viable option is to flee desperately and escape the tomb passage.

Can you be certain

Wei Xiaosan held the bronze mirror and examined it for a while. With a slight lift of his eyebrow, he said to Yao Jun: "Do not sell this item; keep it, as it will be of great use"

It was only during lunch at the Lao Qin Ren Restaurant that I had the opportunity to interject.

Yao Jun lowered his head and said, "Uh, what is it? Just speak plainly, say as much as you want, they are not outsiders." Yao Jun continued to lower his head and eat voraciously.

Yao Jun put down his chopsticks: "Hmm? Speak up, don't beat around the bush. Just say what you need to say. Do you know who this is? This is my brother-in-law, my own sister's husband!"

Cai Zhifeng once hailed from a prestigious lineage, possessing unparalleled skills in treasure hunting that left his peers in awe. Wei Xiaosan nearly acquired all of Cai Zhifeng's true teachings, entering the antique world at the age of nineteen, and by his twenties, he had become a prominent figure in the circle. Unfortunately, during the Cultural Revolution, he was schemed against by petty individuals within the industry, suffering for a full decade and remaining in obscurity for another ten years. Just as he was on the verge of being forgotten, people once again spotted Wei Xiaosan's figure in Panjiayuan.

I did not expect Yao Jun to openly incite Mu Tu to join him in tomb raiding

Upon hearing this, Mu Tu quickly took out a hexagonal bronze mirror from his bag: "It is said to be from the Western Zhou period..."

Hehe, that depends on who keeps the picture book; if it remains in your hands, it might just be an ordinary bronze mirror; but if it stays with us, then it could be a priceless treasure

As tomb raiders, there is one most important taboo: after emerging from the burial chamber, one must never return to the tomb... This is a taboo that tomb raiders have adhered to for the past two thousand years

... ...

The expert that Yao Jun called over turned out to be a gaunt, unremarkable, and somewhat unsightly old man. His small eyes, squinting behind his glasses, indeed gave off an air of inscrutability

Wei Xiaoxiao glanced at Yao Jun, who was eating with his head down, and said nothing

If the previous items can be successfully passed, then wealth is not far away

Just now, the senior said that keeping it has great use. What does that mean? As an ordinary person, what great use can we have? Can we still hope to get rich from it?

Yao Jun waved his hand and said: "Old Wei, there's no need for that; we are all family, no need to be secretive. Brother Mu Tu, I have nothing to hide from you. The moment I saw you, I took a liking to you. You have served in the military, worked in the mines, you have a good physique and a bold spirit. Do you want to work with me? I guarantee that I won't treat you poorly, even if I treat myself poorly!"

If it weren't for Yao Jun being drunk, I am certain he would never have so readily revealed the secrets of tomb raiding. Wei Xiao San awkwardly nodded and said, "You two young brothers, please don't take offense. Let's drink, bottoms up..."