am-books Chapter Vol. 1 Ch. 4
Chapter Vol. 1 Ch. 4
"Heh, young man, you’re so young. What could possibly be so unbearable?"
I wiped my tears and turned around, stunned. It was the same old man who had given me directions at Panjiayuan yesterday.
He was the one who told me that the stalls at Baoguo Temple didn’t charge any fees.
"Young man, I noticed you yesterday when you came to Panjiayuan to sell your goods. If my guess is correct, your money was stolen, wasn’t it?"
The old man was dressed in casual clothes, with a bit of white hair at his temples. He looked sharp and composed.
Without thinking too much, I nodded with red eyes and told him my money from selling goods had been stolen. I said I didn’t want to live anymore.
He shook his head and chuckled softly. "Young man, how much did you lose?"
I told him I lost over 4,000 yuan.
"Heh," he laughed and held up one finger.
"4,000 yuan is money to you? If you follow me, in the same amount of time, I can help you earn 20,000 yuan."
Staring blankly at his raised finger, I asked, "How long? A year?"
The old man shook his head.
"A month?"
He shook his head again.
"A week??"
"Haha, stop guessing. One minute! If you’re quick, making a few thousand yuan is a matter of minutes!"
I thought it was absurd. I even suspected that this man might be a human trafficker trying to trick me into selling a kidney.
I wasn’t going to sell a kidney. If I died, that was one thing, but living without a kidney? I’d heard that you’d never have kids again, and your wife would end up cheating on you.
Before leaving, he dropped one final statement and walked away.
"Young man, if you want to make a name for yourself, return home in style in a Mercedes-Benz, then follow me. But if you’re ready to die over a bit of pocket change, don’t bother coming. That would just prove I misjudged you."
Indeed, 4,000 yuan was astronomical for my poor family, but to him, it was nothing—just pocket change.
That man eventually became my mentor, the one who brought me into this line of work.
His "lucrative path" was tomb raiding.
"To locate a dragon’s lair, observe the coiled mountains. Each coil hides another barrier. If the gate is locked with a thousand seals, it surely marks the dwelling of nobility."
The moment I followed him down the footbridge, I officially entered the trade.
Not long after joining, I came to understand that the old man wasn’t lying. To him, a few thousand yuan was indeed nothing but pocket change—money that could be made in mere minutes.
You’ve probably heard about the legendary four schools of tomb raiders:
Mojin Xiaowei (摸金校尉)
Mountain Movers (搬山道人)
Xieling Strongmen (卸岭力士)
Faqiu Generals (发丘将军)
But in reality, these schools have long disappeared into the river of history. Nowadays, tomb raiding is typically divided into two factions:
The Northern Faction
Who would suspect a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old kid, casually walking a dog or taking a stroll, of scattering tomb dirt down their pant legs?
But if you’re too handsome or too ugly, you won’t qualify for the job. You’d stand out too much, and someone might notice the dirt before you’ve had a chance to spread it.
The process is simple: carry a small amount of dirt at a time, pretend to take a leisurely walk, and discreetly scatter the dirt along the way. No traces are left behind.
Afterward, the crew quietly splits the money, and no one ever notices us.
The old man who brought me into this business was named Wang Xiansheng, though everyone in the trade called him Wang Eye Leader .
It’s said that over his lifetime, Wang Eye Leader raided thousands of tombs. From the Warring States and the Qin and Han dynasties to the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing, he had touched them all.
In the trade, there are two types of tombs that everyone loves the most: Han Dynasty tombs and Western Zhou tombs.
The reason is simple—bronze artifacts and ancient jade are incredibly valuable. As they say, “Ten out of ten Han tombs are already emptied,” and that’s no exaggeration.
Western Zhou tombs are even more significant.
Think about the story of King You of Zhou lighting beacons to fool the feudal lords—it was a time when feudal lords roamed the land, and the custom of extravagant burials flourished. If you’re lucky enough to find a massive Western Zhou tomb belonging to a feudal lord—one packed with bronze artifacts—then congratulations, your family won’t need to work for the next three generations.
But there’s a catch.
Western Zhou tombs are buried the deepest of all throughout history. After Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the six states and constructed his mausoleum, the trend of using soil mounds over tombs became popular.
However, the Western Zhou era was far earlier than that.
Due to the shifting of mountains and rivers over time, Western Zhou tombs are usually buried more than 15 meters underground and lack the soil mounds that would make them easier to locate. They’re not only difficult to find but even harder to excavate.
Officially, the sale of bronze artifacts is prohibited, but everyone knows the truth. Where do all those bronze items featured on TV appraisal shows come from?
The "Legacy" (inherited through generations) bronze artifacts account for less than 1% of the total number. So where do the rest come from? Do they just magically appear?
The answer is clear—they all come from our line of work.
When Wang Eye Leader took me away from Beijing, he told me not to contact anyone for the time being. My first job was in Shunde.
It was a Western Zhou tomb. Due to a severe shortage of manpower, Wang Eye Leader selected me to join the team and handle the dirt-spreading task. At the time, I was the youngest member of the crew.
When we arrived in Shunde, Wang Eye Leader handed me 1,000 yuan and said, "This is tradition. It’s your initiation red packet. Spend it however you like. Go find a girl if you want."
I was still just a kid back then—how could I dare to go find a girl? I barely spent anything, just a bit on food.
I tasted Shunde’s famous water snake soup, four-cup chicken, fried fish cakes, Jun’an steamed pork, and other local delicacies. Everything was delicious.
After wandering around Shunde for two days, Wang Eye Leader called me over and said, "Yunfeng, tonight’s the night. It’s time to get to work. So, how about it? Are you ready? Have you memorized everything I taught you?"
I nodded and recited, "Don’t spread dirt at dawn. Don’t spread dirt near vehicles. Don’t spread dirt in parks. Don’t spread dirt where there are crowds."
Wang Eye Leader nodded in satisfaction. He then asked me, "Alright, then tell me, where are you planning to scatter the dirt?"
I thought for a moment and replied, "By construction sites, demolition areas, forests, or in gardens."
"Haha, not bad! I didn’t even teach you that yet. Excellent! You’re sharp."
He patted me on the shoulder and said, "Stay sharp and follow us closely. Within two years, I’ll make you the richest man in your village. Got it?"
Excited, I immediately nodded and agreed with a smile.
[--------------------------------------------]
Enjoyed the chapter?
If you want early access to new chapters and to support the continuation of this story, consider subscribing to my Patreon. Your support means a lot and helps me bring more great content to you!
Join me on Patreon: /flokixy