In the conversation between a man and a woman, the man was named Yao Wence, and the woman, Yao Yumen.

Third Elder Sun had explained the situation to them, and King Leader had shared his own perspective.

Upon hearing this, Yao Yumen nodded and said, “King Leader, you’re right. Your thoughts align with ours. It’s improbable for someone to vanish into thin air; they must have fallen somewhere below.”

King Leader, with a serious tone, inquired, “Miss Yao, are you suggesting there’s a space beneath the West Ear Chamber? Then why didn’t the third brother notice anything on the ground before?”

Yao Yumen shook her head and said, “Not necessarily, King Leader, look.”

She took out paper and a pen, and on the blank sheet, she drew a cross shape.

Pointing at the cross on the paper, she said, “King Leader, this is a common layout for the Western Zhou Tomb. You mentioned that beyond the East West Ear Chamber, the path is blocked, and the Main Tomb Chamber was not found, right? Hence, it’s not a cross but a T-shape, correct?”

King Leader, looking at the sketch on the paper, thoughtfully said, “You mean to say... the front part has sunk? But that can’t be right. How could it not be visible?”

The woman shook her head and, with a stern face, said, “Turn your head, have you ever heard of the 'Soul Burial Under Heaven,' the 'Sheep Intestine Assemblage' burial method?”

“Sheepfold Assemblage!” I couldn’t help but exclaim in shock: “How is that possible! Wasn’t this anti-theft burial method invented during the Han Dynasty? This is a Western Zhou Tomb!”

The woman turned to glance at me, perhaps surprised by my youth and my comment.

Then, with a smile and a shake of her head, she said, “Young friend, you’re quite knowledgeable. But let me tell you today, what you said isn’t entirely correct. The 'Sheep Intestine Assemblage' was popular during the Han Dynasty—note, popular, not invented.”

“This method had its rudimentary form during the Late Shang Dynasty and was applied early in the Western Zhou period. Compared to the 'Sheep Intestine Assemblage' of the Han Dynasty, the Western Zhou’s was far more intricate…”

Her words enlightened me, filling a gap in my knowledge that no book had mentioned. I was skeptical of her claims, suspecting she might be bluffing, but this was a master brought in by King Leader himself, and I dared not underestimate them.

The man who had been silently listening in with his sunglasses finally spoke up.

He shook his head and said, "Perhaps you're looking in the wrong direction. You've only checked the sides, but you've neglected the stone wall right in front of you."

King Leader opened his mouth to say, "I trust you. In that case, shall we act tonight? You might have come in a hurry and not brought enough tools. What do you need? I'll have someone prepare it."

The man shook his head, "We don't need tools; we're prepared. We don't know what's below, so you should stock up on dry food. It's better to be safe than sorry. We'll head down into the pit when it gets dark."

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"Alright," King Leader turned to instruct me, "Cloud Peak, go prepare some fresh water and compressed biscuits. Make sure you're back before nightfall. Tonight, you and Number Three will follow these two, take their lead, and you'll be going down to find Second Brother."

"Ah, Boss, aren't you coming?" I asked him, puzzled.

He shook his head, "I can't go. I've had this feeling that someone has been watching the inn these past few days. For the team's safety, I need to stay above ground and oversee everything."

"Oh, okay," I nodded, half understanding.

King Leader was generous. He handed me a thousand bucks to buy dry food and other necessities, and he also told me to buy a few of the best waterproof flashlights and small knives. He said this mission might take a while, and in case the headlamps failed, we needed backups so we wouldn't be left fumbling in the dark.

That afternoon, I took the thousand bucks and went out to make the purchases. Two hundred meters behind the Shunde No.3 Middle School, there was a large hardware store, the biggest in Shunde.

I told the shopkeeper straight up that I wanted to buy the best high-intensity waterproof flashlights.

The middle-aged shopkeeper was surprised, "Young student, the best waterproof flashlights are German brands, military-grade goods, and they're not cheap, you know. They cost over two hundred each."

Without hesitation, I pulled out a wad of cash, "I need four."

"Four!" The shopkeeper's eyes bulged, "Boy, you sure have the money. Wait here, I'll go get them for you."

"Xiang Yunfeng!"

"How are you here!" A familiar voice suddenly came from behind me. I turned around to see Li Jing and one of her female classmates.

Seeing the thick wad of cash in my hand, Li Jing said in surprise, "Xiang Yunfeng, you're so rich... What business does your family do?" After she spoke, her classmate also looked at me curiously.

"I... I..." I stammered, my face turning red, at a loss for words. I hadn't expected to run into Li Jing here.

I waved my hand and lied, "It's nothing, my parents just have a small clothing business, heh."

"Oh, is that so?"

Li Jing burst out of the hardware store and, glancing around, beckoned to me, "Xiang Yunfeng, come out here, I need to talk to you."

"What's wrong, Li Jing?" She pulled me over to a corner.

Unexpectedly, Li Jing suddenly grabbed my hand.

The girl looked up at me with her watery eyes and said, "Xiang Yunfeng, I know your family is wealthy, could you... could you lend me fifty thousand yuan..." Her voice trailed off, growing fainter towards the end.

Before I could even respond, Li Jing bit her lip and said, "As long as you lend me the money, I... I'll be yours..."

"What?" I felt as if I had been struck by lightning.

She suddenly threw her arms around me, crying, "I'm begging you, the debt collectors came again last night, they even hit my mom, they said if we don't pay back the money, they'll throw her into the river."

This was the first time I held a girl, but I never imagined it would be under such circumstances.

Li Jing's sobs grew fiercer; she was truly frightened, after all, she was still just a girl under eighteen.

She had seen me casually pull out a thousand yuan and thought my family was in big business.

Seeing that I remained silent, Li Jing clenched her teeth and said, "If you're unwilling to help me, then I'll just sell myself, I'll become a prostitute! I'll sleep with old men!"

I was startled and quickly said to her, "Don't do anything like that! I'll help you."

Hearing that I would help, Li Jing stopped crying. She touched my hand and asked, "Then... when can you give me the fifty thousand..."

"Can you wait a week?" I thought to stall first and wait until I found Second Brother to borrow the money from the boss.

Li Jing immediately said anxiously, "That won't do! Those people only gave our family three days! Two days have already passed! I need it tonight."

After bidding farewell to Li Jing, I walked back with my heavy heart and the things I had bought, unsure how to broach the subject with the boss.

Because I had no money, not the fifty thousand yuan.

But Li Jing and her mother had once saved me.

"Back already, Cloud Peak? Did you get everything?" the boss asked me upon my return.

"Yes, I got everything," I nodded, placing the bags on the table.

The boss was sitting in a chair, leisurely sipping tea with a huffing breath.

I hesitated several times, unable to find the words to speak. (To be continued)

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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free]: https://www.readgates.com/article/7b136c