The practice of tomb raiding has existed since antiquity; tracing its roots back to the time when Xiang Yu plundered the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, through twenty-three subsequent dynasties, not a single mound in the realm remained unplundered.
As ages turned and dynasties succeeded one another, those who bored into the earth to excavate tombs were as numerous as gnats, yet based on their motivations, methods, and lineage, they could be categorized into four main factions: Faqiu, Mojin, Banshan, and Xieling.
The Faqiu and Mojin practitioners originated in the late Han Dynasty, fundamentally belonging to the same lineage.
The secret art of Mojin begins with the character for "Change" (Yi), where constant flux constitutes change, mirroring the great virtue of heaven and earth, which is life (Sheng).
Since the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, the term "Faqiu" fell out of use, and they were collectively known as the "Mojin Captains." They employed the principles of the Five Elements from the Yijing to delineate the energies and pinpoint the grave's location.
Most harbored an intention to establish themselves and aid the world.
They formed parties of three or five, or sometimes just two or three individuals, without formal master-disciple designations.
They relied instead on tokens like the Faqiu Seal, the Mojin Tally, and the Dragon-Seeking Formula for authority.
Their movements were regimented, their attacks and defenses strictly codified.
They were thieves who followed a code—never raiding from cockcrow until the lamps were extinguished, never abandoning propriety, respecting the spirits while keeping a distance from them.
The lineage of the Banshan Daoists began in the region between the Shuangheishans and the Kongque River in the Western Regions.
These practitioners were all of the same clan and kin.
They usually traveled the world disguised as itinerant Daoist priests or wandering scholars, avoiding contact or association with outsiders.
They were fiercely independent, and exceptional talents frequently emerged among them, leading them to plunder the great hoards of the world.
Some, unable to comprehend their purpose, speculated: "The Banshan Daoists excavate ancient tombs in a quest for the elixir of immortality." The Banshan Daoists were masters of the exclusive "Banshan Jia Splitting Technique," which itself divided into the "Banshan Sea-Filling Art" and the "Mountain-Dividing Sub-Jia Technique," collectively termed the "Banshan Arts," which have always been fiercely guarded secrets.
When searching for and raiding tombs, the Banshan lineage always used their "Banshan Esoteric Arts" as their foundation.
Though Banshan methods were considered heterodox occult arts, the various techniques, methods, and incantations they encompassed were not fundamentally governed by the Yi classic, setting their origins starkly apart from the geomantic secrets of the Mojin Captains.
The Xieling adherents were the most numerous, originating from the peasant armies of the late Han Dynasty who looted imperial mausoleums en masse, driven by greed and the desire to divide the spoils.
Their numbers ranged from hundreds to thousands.
In ordinary times, they scattered, operating independently as bandits, robbers, or even government soldiers.
Roughly half of the active tomb robbers belonged to this faction, maintaining secret communication among themselves.
Certain leaders commanded absolute obedience; when a significant ancient mound was discovered, they would quickly gather their forces to plunder it.
Their methods were utterly reckless, employing massive shovels, oxen and horses for dragging, explosives, chemicals, and primitive artillery—no means was too extreme.
Even those tombs carved into mountainsides, sealed within stone chambers, or protected by walls of iron-hard earth reinforced with bronze and gold bands, were all breached by sheer external force.
Faqiu, Mojin, Banshan, and Xieling thus encompassed the three major systems of tomb raiding in the world: those based on "Feng Shui, esoteric arts, and brute force." Simply put, these systems represent "Principles, Techniques, and Materials," and they perfectly cover the three primary motivations for grave robbing: "aiding the world, seeking immortality, or accumulating wealth." All others were common or scattered thieves, many little better than petty criminals, forming a muddy mix incapable of establishing a significant legacy worth noting.
Ghost Blows Out the Light II specifically recounts the legendary past of the Mojin Captains and the Banshan Daoists.