Facing the dead from two thousand years ago, I must confess, leaves me somewhat uneasy.

But the Sun Family Brothers are different. I can't say what's on their minds, but their expressions offer some clues.

Third Elder Sun, gazing upon the skeletal remains within the coffin, heaved a sigh and said, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, we mean no offense by passing through this sacred place. We apologize for any disturbance and hope the departed may reincarnate soon." He bowed his hands respectfully towards the surrounding coffins.

"Be careful not to touch these coffins. Let's move on and see," he continued, puzzled. "It's strange, why can't we see the Mustard Marquis Coffin and Outer Coffin? Could it be that the main tomb's Coffin and Outer Coffin have ascended to the heavens?" Third Elder Sun spoke and proceeded to lead the way.

The Sun Family Brothers, accustomed to the sight of death, whimsically referred to the bones as 'white chocolate.' But I am not the same; my heart still quivers with fear amidst these Rotten Coffins and the bones of the deceased.

With my head bowed, I dared not look around, nor did I dare to breathe too loudly.

We had walked only a few minutes when we came upon a small stone stele erected on the ground, its surface faintly inscribed with text.

He squatted down, shone his flashlight on it, and wiped away the thick layer of dust with his right hand.

"What does it say, Third Brother?" A Mole inquired.

Third Elder Sun shook his head, "It's Six-layered Seal Script, completely beyond my comprehension. However, I suspect it pertains to the Female Retainer Sacrifice," he said, glancing back at the coffins.

Just then, A Mole let out a piercing scream, startling everyone.

Eldest Elder Sun quickly directed the flashlight towards him, "What's with the scare, Little Red? What are you doing?"

A Mole ran over to us, his face as pale as death.

"Someone... someone just touched my butt!"

"It was a human hand! Not bones! I could feel it!" he said, his face turning even paler.

Eldest Elder Sun shielded A Mole behind him, frowning as he shone the flashlight in the direction A Mole had indicated.

"A hand... a hand... Big Brother, a human hand!" I, with sharp eyes, was the first to spot it.

Right behind where A Mole had been standing was a coffin, its lid slightly ajar, with a decaying arm hanging limply over the edge.

The arm was in an advanced state of decay, writhing with pale maggots burrowing in and out.

Third Elder Sun, covering his nose, leaned in for a closer look, and his face turned a sickly shade.

Judging by the contour and clothing, the corpse inside the coffin appeared to be a male. The style of the attire was clearly modern. Then, Third Elder Sun, still covering his nose, pulled out a Small Bronze Plaque with Buckle from the waist of the corpse.

Upon closer inspection, the small copper plate bore three characters engraved on its surface.

"Chen."

Third Elder Sun examined the copper token carefully, then turned to share a glance with Eldest Elder Sun.

With a somber nod, Eldest Elder Sun confirmed, "It's from the south..."

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From their intermittent conversation, I gleaned a bit of information.

Within the Tomb Raiding Faction, the Northern and Southern Factions each had their roles. The Northern Faction was known for its Watchers, Rice Sellers, laborers, Logistics Department, and those who dispersed the earth. In contrast, the Southern Faction's Local Laborers had a different approach. Their grave finders were called Zhiguo, known as Yuan Liang before the Qing Dynasty—a role akin to the Northern Faction's Watchers.

Below them were the Gold Tapping Specialists and the strong laborers, and they too had dedicated personnel for logistics support, not much different from the Northern Sect.

The Sun Family Brothers also shared with me some of the jargon from the olden days, passed down within the Southern Sect of tomb raiding.

"Today, I inquire of Yuan Liang (Zhiguo), 'One river's view spans two riverbanks; wood is chopped on the mountain and burnt below; in idle times, one may ascend the Hall of Three Treasures. Dare I ask, how many Mound Gates have you dismantled, and what is your yield?'"

And so, someone would reply.

"The view of the two rivers belongs to the same water; we are all one family. Crossing mountains and ridges like a partridge on watch, examining the earth and capturing dragons through eleven paths, many times I have entered the treasure hall, never to return empty-handed."

Hearing Big Brother recount this exchange, and with my own analysis, I surmised this was a way for contemporaries within the Tomb Raiding circles to probe each other's intentions and gauge the other's capabilities.

After identifying the corpse with the small copper plate, Eldest Elder Sun stroked his chin and speculated, "Third Brother, what do you think—could this be a case of infighting? Although we don't recognize this Zhiguo who might bear the surname Chen, just the title Zhiguo itself implies a high status within their group..."

"Hmm... it's hard to say... The Group from the South arrived here before us, but we don't know from where they entered, and now they've lost so many. Big Brother, we must proceed with caution."

"Of course," Eldest Elder Sun nodded in agreement.

The Underground Palace was an elongated rectangle, with a vast space ahead, its destination unknown. Our group passed through the sacrificial burial area and continued forward.

Less than two minutes later, another Stone Gate blocked our path. Unlike the previous one, this Stone Gate was smaller and flanked by two grotesquely shaped bluestone statues, one on each side.

I pondered how to describe these two stone sculptures...

Triangular Dog Heads, Green-faced Fangs, bodies of qilins with human ears, their sides adorned with a pair of wings, the rear legs firmly planted on the ground, while the left forepaw was slightly raised. The eyeballs bulged outward. Standing roughly two meters and thirty centimeters tall, the sculptures exuded a formidable presence, as if warning those who dared to enter the Underground Palace.

"What fierce tomb-guarding beasts..." Third Brother illuminated the surroundings with his flashlight.

Tomb-guarding beasts, fantastical in variety, were often conjured from the imagination of the tomb owner in life, much like the Flying Apsaras, forming part of the cultural legacy of funerary customs. These bizarre and grotesque imaginary figures, both sinister and ugly, were the least favored items in old antique shops, along with Pottery Soul Pupas.

Even without considering the national treasure-grade heavy bronze ware, just these two blue stone tomb-guarding beasts, if smuggled out and offered to a museum, I reckon the museum would be hesitant to place them on display for fear of frightening children.

"Third Brother, take a look at the eyes of these two stone sculptures!" At that moment, I suddenly noticed a detail—the eyes of the blue stone tomb-guarding beasts were mismatched in size, slightly asymmetrical, though not by much, but discernible to the naked eye.

Third Elder Sun's expression turned grave.

"Tomb-guarding beasts with strabismus, great evil, these things are very inauspicious, stop staring at them and let's hurry on."

"Go? Where do we go, Third? Isn't there a broken gate blocking the way?" A Mole frowned.

"In such a vast Underground Palace, just a second gate is no surprise. I'm confident I can open it, it'll take at most a day," Third Elder Sun was not overly concerned.

"Just one day?" A Mole exclaimed, "Third! Have you grown so accustomed to living down here that a few months feel like nothing?"

"Ah, Little Red, you can't say that. We're not Sun Wukong; we don't have the ability to walk through walls. Third Brother is right. There are legends of our predecessors who dismantled up to the eleventh Mound Gate; we're really nothing special."

A Mole rolled her eyes at the Sun Family Brothers and fell silent.

Peering through a small crack.

The Stone Gate that blocked the path also had a Door Sealing Stone, but it was significantly smaller and lighter than the previous one. According to the Sun Family Brothers' understanding, if the outer gate was the main entrance, then this gate was akin to a bedroom door.

Only by pushing open the bedroom door might one have a chance to meet the master of the abode. (To be continued)

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