That evening, the inn welcomed a trickle of four new arrivals—three men and one woman.

The woman, in charge of our logistical support, was in her thirties. She had a flirtatious laugh and a black mole beneath her eye, which earned her the nickname "A Mole." I later heard that A Mole had set herself a goal to bed a hundred men before she turned forty.

"Well, well, well, a new face—aren't you a bit too young?" A Mole teased me with a sly grin. "The question is, are you just as young... down there?"

"Enough, Xiao Hong, don't scare him," King Leader came to my defense. "The kid's young, but he's got spirit. Give him a couple of years, and he might just make something of himself."

The three men were actual brothers, all bearing the surname Sun. In order of age, they were Eldest Elder Sun, Second Elder Sun, and Third Elder Sun.

King Leader mentioned that Second Elder Sun and Third Elder Sun were well-known figures in the underworld. They could perform wonders with a Luoyang spade and were masters of a unique skill known as Flying Needle Ground Exploration, particularly adept at probing deep pits, with ample experience to boot.

Eldest Elder Sun, on the other hand, juggled dual roles—lookout and sales. My first impression of him was that of a steady and honest man. It was only later that I discovered that these seemingly straightforward types were often the most astute, with eyes and ears open in all directions, ready to shoulder any crisis that might arise.

At the southwest edge of Shunde's Shunfengshan Park lay a small ravine, locally known as Moth Mountain. Old Master had told us that the Large Pit was situated halfway up Moth Mountain.

I once asked him, "Boss, how do you know there's a Large Pit halfway up the mountain?"

Old Master blew a ring of smoke and squinted at me as he explained, "Cloud Peak, ah, with the Lock and Cut Crossbar clearly flanking both sides, and the High Mountain Flat Land Cave, the Large Pit lies buried in the midst."

At the time, his words seemed to me like a tongue-twister, utterly incomprehensible.

It wasn't until I had memorized the Burial Scripture and King Leader had passed on his expertise in dragon-seeking and spot-choosing that I finally grasped the profound truth in his brief four lines, which revealed the Feng Shui advantages of Moth Mountain.

That night, just past one in the morning, we shouldered our heavy packs and made our way to the mid-slope of Moth Mountain.

Standing before an old cedar tree, Old Master stomped his foot excitedly and declared, "Second, Third, this is the spot. Let's take a sample and taste its saltiness. If we hit stone, it's time to Drop Needle!"

Second Elder Sun nodded, pressing the small walkie-talkie on his shoulder, "Eldest Brother, time for dinner. No guests around, right?"

The walkie-talkie's red light flickered on, and Eldest Elder Sun's deep voice came through, "All's calm, let's start a fire and cook."

With the assurance that no one was around, a flicker of excitement passed through Second Elder Sun's eyes.

He slipped off his backpack, pulling out a short stick and, finally, a bent half-moon shovel.

King Leader said to me, "Cloud Peak, these are our dining tools. Times are changing, and we must keep pace. The Luoyang Spade, fashioned into a Segmented Sleeve, slips into the pack unnoticed."

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Click, click, click—Second Elder Sun deftly assembled the Luoyang Spade. Once connected, it stretched an impressive eight meters.

"Second Brother, this pit's deep. Is that length sufficient? I've got more if needed," Third Elder Sun inquired.

"No rush, Third Brother. Any longer and it'd be unwieldy. Let's first examine the soil strata below, get a taste of its salinity," he replied.

"Cloud Peak, come here, help me steady it," Second Elder Sun beckoned.

I hurried over to support the Luoyang Spade. Then, Second Elder Sun unbuckled his pants, revealing his Little Brother to me, and began to urinate.

After finishing, he shivered and pulled up his trousers.

Crouching down, Second Elder Sun scrutinized the spot where he had urinated. Frowning, he muttered, "No good, there's stone beneath. We need to dig at another spot."

"Little Cloud Peak, right where you're standing, let loose a stream."

Though puzzled, I complied, and my stream flowed forth.

"Heh," chuckled Second Elder Sun, "The vigor of youth! Look how rich and yellow that is."

He watched the ground where I urinated for a couple of minutes, then nodded, "Here's our spot—less stone below. Let's get to work!"

His strength was formidable; each shovel could penetrate ten centimeters deep, the Luoyang Spade ceaselessly scooping out earth.

As we dug, the soil began to darken.

"Second Brother, look, the soil's turning black. Have we reached the bottom?" I asked.

"Not yet. This black soil isn't what we're after—it's just a layer of decomposed tree roots, useless."

The hole grew deeper.

"Damn, impressive! We need more length, Third Brother! Extend it!"

With the pole extended, the Luoyang Spade probed further.

An hour later, the shovel unearthed a layer of white soil, beneath which was a hint of blue soil.

Second Elder Sun sniffed the earth and suddenly became wildly excited.

"Damn! King Leader! Cloud Peak is a Fortune Star! It's been two years since we've come across a Large Pit like this!"

"One shovel strike to the rammed earth layer, White Clay connected to Green Ointment Clay!"

"It's either a Western Zhou aristocrat or a minor vassal king!"

"We're going to strike it rich!"

"Shh! Keep it down, Second Brother," Third Elder Sun frowned in warning.

But Second Elder Sun appeared unconcerned, waving his hand dismissively, "It's just that we haven't come across any blue and white for a few years. I'm hoping it's a fresh tomb."

A "fresh tomb" meant one that had not been looted before, untouched and ripe for a lucrative haul.

Old Master Sun spoke in a hushed tone, "It's all a matter of luck. Even if it's a picked-over tomb, if there's still a scrap of meat left inside, this trip won't be in vain."

"What if we find a Square Vessel with Four Sheep or a Bronze Blood Square Vase in this Western Zhou grave?"

"Ha, Eye Leader, you've got the guts to dream! If we really find something like that, we wouldn't dare sell it. We'd be investigated to death," Second Elder Sun chuckled, then pressed his walkie-talkie, "Boss, Eye Leader thinks there might be a Square Vessel with Four Sheep in this tomb. Do you have a way to deal with it?"

The walkie-talkie's red light flashed, followed by a burst of radio wave sounds.

"Square Vessel my foot! I don't want to get shot. Get to work!"

The Sun Family Brothers were well-known figures in the underworld, revered for their genuine expertise. Just by examining the stratification of the soil, they could roughly visualize the conditions of the large pit below.

Due to the passage of time, these ancient tombs often suffered collapses. To attempt a straight-line excavation to the main tomb chamber with eyes closed was sheer fantasy. One wrong move could lead to missing the burial artifacts altogether.

Thus, the safest method was to follow the tomb passage downwards, then choose whether to head towards the ear chamber or the main chamber.

Second and Third Elder Sun joined forces, their tornado shovels digging in earnest. Now it was my turn to step in.

My job was to scatter the soil, but not just any soil. With the thief's hole over ten meters deep, I couldn't possibly transport all that earth.

Soil that matched the surrounding color was simply dispersed on the spot, virtually undetectable. My task was to scatter the compacted layers of earth brought up from the excavation—those patches of white and blue soil.

Because the green ointment clay and white clay stood out starkly against the soil, I had to distribute this material around the area, leaving no trace behind.

Here in the mountains, people farmed the land everywhere. The greenish-white earth churned up by the tornado shovel couldn't just be discarded anywhere; it had to be piled to one side, to be dealt with as dawn approached. (To be continued)

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