"Heh, young man, you’re so young. What could possibly be so unbearable?"
I wiped my tears and turned around, stunned. It was the sa old man who had given directions at Panjiayuan yesterday.
He was the one who told that the stalls at Baoguo Temple didn’t charge any fees.
"Young man, I noticed you yesterday when you ca 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 , in the sa amount of ti, 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 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 statent and walked away.
"Young man, if you want to make a na for yourself, return ho in style in a rcedes-Benz, then follow . 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 beca my ntor, the one who brought 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 mont I followed him down the footbridge, I officially entered the trade.
Not long after joining, I ca 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 re 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 Strongn (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
The Southern Faction
So jokingly refer to them as the Bold Faction and the Cautious Faction.
The Northern Faction is known for their boldness and wild thods. Ard with their trusty Luoyang shovels, they’ll dig up anything without hesitation. However, they aren’t skilled at dealing with water burial chambers, especially those found in the southern regions like Hunan, Guizhou, and Zhejiang.
There’s an old saying:
“Dry for a thousand years, wet for ten thousand years, and those in between last only half a year.”
Water burial chambers are notoriously difficult to raid. These tombs often require soone with the water skills of a shuimonkey (a term for extrely skilled swimrs). For the deeper water chambers, specialized diving equipnt and oxygen tanks are a must.
No offense to the Northern Faction, but most of them are like landlubbers—fearless on land but utterly useless in water.
The Southern Faction, on the other hand, operates more like a family business. Fathers teach sons, grandfathers teach grandsons, and they rarely bring in outsiders. This has earned them the nickna the Cautious Faction, as these tightly-knit groups are highly insular and don’t risk betrayal or being double-crossed.
The tomb-raiding trade is a mixed bag of characters. The field is full of all kinds of people—so incredibly skilled, others utterly incompetent.
The masters? They are truly extraordinary. They’ve morized ancient burial texts and can locate a treasure site with just one look—no exaggeration.
The amateurs? They’re the ones who grab a random hoe and think they can dig up a tomb. These types are the ones who die the quickest and are most likely to get caught.
The professionals, however, are rarely apprehended.
Now, let break it down for you:
In a six-person tomb-raiding crew, everyone has a specific role:
1. The “Eye Leader”
This person is the expert in scouting tombs and identifying burial sites. It’s a highly technical job, and the best eye leaders are always in high demand. They make the most money in the crew.
2. The “Grain Seller”
This is a code na in the trade. "Grain" refers to money or goods. So regions also call them “Goods Seller” (卖货郎). This person is responsible for selling the raided treasures and converting them into cash. They need an extensive network of connections to ensure the goods are sold without being traced back to the crew.
3. The Soil Worker
These are the ones who dig the tunnels. Their job is highly dependent on experience. By examining the soil layers brought up by a Luoyang shovel, they can accurately determine the era of a tomb.
4. The Lookout
The lookout’s job is self-explanatory—they keep watch. They must have sharp eyes and ears and be extrely cautious. A good lookout can make or break a mission. So lookouts even start preparing a year in advance, blending into the community under the guise of running a shop or other harmless activity to gain the locals’ trust.
5. The Logistics Officer
The logistics officer doesn’t enter the tomb. Their sole responsibility is to procure and prepare all the necessary equipnt:
Protective gear (rat clothing)
Luoyang shovels
Anti-poison masks
Portable stoves, dishes, pots, and even toothpaste
All these items are centrally managed to reduce exposure and avoid attracting attention.
6. The Dirt Spreader
This was my first job in the trade.
The dirt spreader makes the least money in the crew, but even they earn far more than an ordinary laborer.
The job of a dirt spreader is to blend in and dispose of the soil from the tomb. This is why they often choose soone with an unremarkable, average face—soone who won’t draw attention. That’s why I was chosen.
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 handso or too ugly, you won’t qualify for the job. You’d stand out too much, and soone 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 ti, 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 into this business was nad Wang Xiansheng, though everyone in the trade called him Wang Eye Leader .
It’s said that over his lifeti, 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 ti when feudal lords road 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 beca popular.
However, the Western Zhou era was far earlier than that.
Due to the shifting of mountains and rivers over ti, Western Zhou tombs are usually buried more than 15 ters 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 co from?
The "Legacy" (inherited through generations) bronze artifacts account for less than 1% of the total number. So where do the rest co from? Do they just magically appear?
The answer is clear—they all co from our line of work.
When Wang Eye Leader took away from Beijing, he told not to contact anyone for the ti being. My first job was in Shunde.
It was a Western Zhou tomb. Due to a severe shortage of manpower, Wang Eye Leader selected to join the team and handle the dirt-spreading task. At the ti, I was the youngest mber of the crew.
When we arrived in Shunde, Wang Eye Leader handed 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 stead pork, and other local delicacies. Everything was delicious.
After wandering around Shunde for two days, Wang Eye Leader called over and said, "Yunfeng, tonight’s the night. It’s ti to get to work. So, how about it? Are you ready? Have you morized 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 , "Alright, then tell , where are you planning to scatter the dirt?"
I thought for a mont 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 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 imdiately nodded and agreed with a smile.
[--------------------------------------------]
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