Guanzhong Tomb Robbery Notes

Cui Hao's eyes flickered.

He clenched his fists, as if ready for a fight.

"Did you notice me?"

"How about taking the initiative?"

There is competition in every industry.

The basic market of the same industry is so small. If others take a bigger bite, you will take a smaller bite.

So the old saying goes that competitors are enemies.

Later, competition in the tomb-robbing business became fierce.

It is common to secretly report colleagues and eliminate dissidents.

There are even some who have a monopoly on the antique trade in a certain area. Without going through the hands of the monopolist, the antiques in that area cannot be sold at all.

I smiled and pressed Cui Hao's fist.

"You're so brave."

"You didn't dare to fight others before, but now you want to take the initiative to attack."

Cui Hao smiled awkwardly: "People always grow up."

"I'm not the same person I used to be. I'm very brave now."

"Besides, kind people are often bullied, and kind horses are often ridden. We can't be cowardly in this line of work."

"We must always clench our fists. Kill any ghost that stands in our way, and any demon that stands in our way!"

After entering the tomb, Cui Hao became much braver and more decisive than before.

No longer a cowardly boy who dared not fight back when beaten.

I have changed a lot too.

He went from hoping that studying could change his fate to becoming a "bad guy" walking on the edge of the law.

Well, I really feel like a bad person.

A bad guy in the legal sense.

But having embarked on this path, there is no turning back.

Can only walk one way to the dark.

"Yes, you must have this kind of courage."

"But courage must be accompanied by strategy, and reckless action is unacceptable."

"We are weak and outnumbered, so we should make more friends and fewer enemies. The more friends we have, the easier it is to navigate the world. We should only resort to force when absolutely necessary."

I still want to be kind to others.

It would be best if you could make friends.

If the other party is hostile, I will not be polite either.

Cui Hao nodded, seemingly understanding: "I'll do as you say. I'll do whatever you say."

"Let's go to Weiqi Village tomorrow to check. I don't know if the stone statues have been moved."

Stone statues are usually placed on both sides of the shrine path, which leads directly to the tomb.

Even though the tomb of the fourth-rank official in Weiqi Village was flattened, as long as the stone statues were not moved, the location of the tomb could be inferred based on the stone statues.

The only fear is that the stone statue has been moved.

If you move away from the sacred path, it will take some effort to determine the location.

In fact, the more likely scenario is that the tomb was robbed by officials.

The tomb was opened by digging up the burial mound, causing it to be razed to the ground.

For tomb robbers, tombs that have been robbed by officials are worthless.

Because official thieves usually leave nothing behind.

Not only would the burial objects not be left behind, but after being stolen, the coffin would even be set on fire.

"Go to bed early, you have to be busy tomorrow."

I lay in bed with my clothes on.

He held the mountain ghost coin through his pocket.

The mountain ghost imprisoned in the money said that it could communicate with me in my dreams.

Will she come tonight?

I fell asleep in a daze while thinking about all sorts of things.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already bright daylight.

Tian Liben knocked on the door and called us to have breakfast.

I washed my face and my mind felt much clearer.

I slept so well last night.

But why didn’t the mountain ghost come into my dream to communicate with me?

I also want to ask about the news about Yu Shanqing’s tomb.

Could that mountain ghost be a figment of his imagination after his body became hypothermic?

Or maybe it can't stand the sunlight, and it was scared to death when it was hit by the sunlight through its clothes yesterday?

Forget it, if you don’t understand it, don’t think about it.

After breakfast, Cui Hao and I packed up and left Tian Liben’s house, heading for the Go Village.

Not long after leaving the town, I heard the sound of a carriage behind me.

I turned my head and saw that the person driving the car was Lao Li.

Old Li sat on the donkey cart, shaking the whip in his hand. Two strong young men sat in the back of the cart, holding a black coffin.

Well, I can’t get this ride.

Old Li squinted his eyes and stared at me for a few seconds.

As they passed each other, he twisted his lips into a scornful smile.

That smile clearly showed that he looked down on us.

The two strong young men who were holding the coffin sneered with disdain on their faces.

"I thought I had run into a master trying to steal my food, but I didn't expect it to be a thing with barely grown hair."

"Hahaha, I guess his parents didn't put their pants on properly, so their little things were exposed."

Cui Hao was so angry that his face turned red and his neck became thick.

He bent down to the side of the road, picked up a stone and threw it over.

Unfortunately, the aim was not good enough and the stone missed the target.

Instead, it attracted even greater laughter.

"You two little thieves, go home and feed yourself!"

"We have taken over Weiqi Village. If you dare to follow us, expect to be beaten!"

"Fuck!" Cui Hao's eyes turned red with anger.

When he bent down to continue picking up stones, I stopped him.

I put my arm around his shoulders and said with a smile, "A blessing in disguise. Those who leave early may not get the meat. Let them act arrogantly first."

"hope so."

It was already noon when we strolled to the Go village.

Looking out from the farmland outside the village, I didn't see any stone sheep, stone horses or stone lions at all.

Stone statues are usually very large.

It should be visible at a glance from the flat farmland.

"Strange, could it be that the stone statue was born in the village?"

I walked towards the village while speculating.

It is not uncommon for stone statues to be born in villages.

Later I went to Linfen, Shanxi, where there was a village called Jinwangfen, also known as Fenshang Village.

The village is built on an ancient tomb.

There are stone statues such as stone horses, stone sheep and stone tigers standing on both sides of the road. It would be creepy to go there at night.

When I entered the village, I saw Lao Li's donkey cart parked at the entrance of the village.

Elderly men and women were gathered in front of the donkey cart asking how to order a coffin.

The two strong young men answered the questions with smiles on their faces.

Only Lao Li was missing.

I guess Lao Li went to scout the place.

The two strong young men saw us through the crowd and there was a fierce look in their eyes.

I smiled and waved to them.

Their eyes became even more ferocious.

If those old men and women weren't around, they would probably have started fighting.

I ignored their angry looks and walked into the village with a smile.

After a stroll around the village, I didn't even see the shadow of the stone statue.

Just as I was about to find someone to ask, I caught a glimpse of Lao Li.

He walked towards the end of the village arm in arm with a middle-aged man, talking and laughing.

We both hurriedly followed.

I didn't follow too close, just the right distance to hear the voices.

"Lao Li, since my uncle introduced you, I won't be shy with you."

"Those stone sheep and stone horses are all in this yard."

"The yard used to be a church. During the Republic of China era, many foreign priests came to preach and built a church in our village. But it was completely demolished more than a decade ago."

"The bricks and wood from the church were all taken back by the villagers to build houses. The remaining stones were too big, so they were just thrown here."

Old Li was stunned for a moment, then asked hurriedly, "Where were these stone sheep and stone horses originally?"

"It's hard to explain. Foreign priests thought these things were beautiful, saying they had artistic value, and so they bought them and put them outside the church."

The answer was beyond Lao Li's expectations.

It was beyond my expectation as well.

It seems that the stone statues in the yard have not only been moved, but also moved a considerable distance.

It is very likely not something from the Go Village!

Old Li sighed sadly like a deflated ball.

"Your uncle lied to me. He said there was a tomb of a fourth-rank official in your village, and there were stone sheep and stone horses in front of the tomb."

"I came here specifically to broaden my horizons, but ended up making a wasted trip."

The middle-aged man said with a smile: "My uncle likes to brag. Our village has never produced a fourth-rank official, let alone a tomb."

"If you want to see the stone sheep and stone horses, hurry up. I need to return the key later."

The middle-aged man opened the lock and led Lao Li into the yard.

I stopped at the gate of the yard.

When I peeked inside, someone patted my back.

I thought it was Cui Hao taking the photo, so I brushed away the hand patting my back without even turning my head: "Stop messing around, you little rat, take a good look at the stone carvings inside."

Cui Hao pulled my sleeve and said, "Brother, look back."