Quicksand has always been an effective means of deterring tomb robbers in ancient burial chambers, employing softness to overcome hardness. Once a massive surge of quicksand floods a subterranean palace, it cannot be solved with a simple grave robber’s tunnel dug into packed earth, as it is with excavated walls. Because the sand is loose and fluid, for every amount the robbers dig out, an equal amount flows in to fill the void. Unless the millions of tons of accumulated sand within are entirely emptied, the flowing fine grains act like a shifting tomb wall, ensuring the tomb raiders will never bore a passage through it.

Yet, although ancient tombs often featured quicksand traps, the sand itself did not accord with the principles of Feng Shui. In the Qing Wu Feng Shui, the five elements—"Dragon, Sand, Cave, Water, Direction"—are discussed. Here, the character for "Sand" () carries the stone radical (), referring generally to all types of soil and rock strata, not the loose sand of quicksand.

No tomb owner would wish to have their remains interred in yellow sand. However, rather than suffer the indignity of being robbed after death, they might prefer mechanisms like the quicksand-and-flame trap, opting for mutual annihilation involving the tomb chamber and any invading grave robbers.

Chen Xiazi and his crew, relying on past experience, assumed that Mount Bingshan held no quicksand. Unexpectedly, the base of Mount Bingshan was a rare stratum of packed sand, with solid bluestone forming the upper layers. They frantically destroyed the mechanisms in the enemy tower's well, only to trigger the inrush of quicksand from the rock layers. As the saying goes, wild sand dances chaotically, and while its nature seems unremarkable, once it flows violently, it proves even more formidable than volatile fire or poisonous smoke. Those driven back by the quicksand, upon being submerged past their chests—before even being completely buried—would instantly suffocate to death. Moreover, the fine sand is slick; a single misstep causes a lurch, making escape impossible.

Seeing the furious sand pouring into the city from the battlements, Chen Xiazi immediately ordered the fires suppressed. The surrounding light dimmed, leaving only the deep rumble of surging quicksand in the darkness. He was quick-witted; without hesitation, he inverted the Centipede Hanging Mountain Ladder and scrambled down the rampart, running for his life as if his feet barely touched the ground. He saw the encroaching fire and rushing sand threatening to swallow anyone left on the wall within moments. Although the enemy tower offered some space, it was mostly filled with mercury. Once the exterior was engulfed by quicksand, even if one didn't die instantly from suffocation, the accumulated mercury vapor would poison them. At that moment, only the gate archway offered a brief sanctuary.

The quicksand flooding the barbican poured down from the hollowed-out rock strata. The gate archway, sealed by the thousand-jin Dragon-Severing Sluice, was farthest from where the yellow dragon of sand descended. Although it too would eventually be buried, even ants cling to life. Driven by instinctual survival, they poured toward the city gate, if only to buy a few more moments.

The surviving robbers clinging to the bamboo ladders saw their leader sprinting toward them from the wall. While fleeing, he signaled frantically to the others. Behind him was a mountain-and-sea-like roar of surging quicksand. The robbers instantly understood, leaped off the bamboo tower formed by the Centipede Hanging Mountain Ladder, disregarded the pain of their bleeding wounds, and tumbled and scrambled after Chen Xiazi, all fleeing for their lives.

The momentum of the quicksand was like a collapsing sky and toppling mountain; the ears of almost every robber were deafened. Their eyes were fixed solely on the gate archway as they fled desperately, daring not to look back at what was behind them. Those shot in the leg who could not walk clawed desperately with both hands on the ground. Those whose footwork lacked finesse stumbled and could not rise once fallen. Any slight misstep meant they were buried by the quicksand within the city. The others could barely save themselves, let alone worry about the injured.

Chen Xiazi ran wildly, catching a glimpse of Luo Laowai crawling out of a pile of corpses. Blinded in one eye, his face and body covered in blood, he instinctively grabbed Luo Laowai’s leather belt where his rifle was slung. The suffocating pressure of the following quicksand did not allow Chen Xiazi to stop; he yanked Luo Laowai along and fled. These few steps of delay placed him behind the main group of robbers.

Suddenly, an explosive shockwave rushed out from the city gate archway, tossing the few robbers ahead of them into the air. Chen Xiazi, dragging Luo Laowai, luckily avoided the blast. In the chaos, he focused his vision and saw that the robber sappers left in the tomb passage had used a large amount of explosives to blast open the thousand-jin Sluice, aiming to rescue the Helmsman and Commander Luo. However, they had used too much explosive, collapsing a large section of the city wall as well.

A burst of ecstatic joy flooded Chen Xiazi’s heart. He thought the fortunes of the Xieling faction were not yet spent; escaping this predicament unscathed was truly a matter of supreme luck. He took a deep breath, pushed harder with his legs, and charged full speed toward the breached city gate. The tomb robbers, before the smoke of the explosion had even cleared, attempted to force their way into the inner palace to search for the Helmsman. They saw the darkness inside churning with flying sand and dust, with several men—their faces smeared with blood and sand—fighting their way out. Behind them, a wall of sand was rolling in.

The group of robbers realized the situation was dire; they quickly caught the few men who had escaped, shouted, and turned to retreat. The quicksand rushed in behind them, sealing the tomb passage tight.

Chen Xiazi was profoundly shaken, having skirted the gates of hell several times in succession, leaving his mind extremely agitated. Knowing he could achieve little by staying, he quickly instructed his subordinates to withdraw to the Old Bear Ridge Yizhuang (Mourning Hall) that very night. The robbers and the sapper battalion, under the command of Hong Guniang, gathered their forces. Morale was scattered; they retreated silently from the mountains, temporarily bivouacking on Old Bear Ridge.

It was only after reaching the "Dead Man's Hotel," which served as their temporary command post, that Chen Xiazi finally regained his composure. He examined Luo Laowai’s injuries: the left eye was gone, and the shoulder wound penetrated to the bone. However, Luo Laowai was a seasoned veteran, having sustained countless injuries. Despite the severity of this one, after being treated by the attached medical officer, he miraculously revived, spewing vulgar curses without pause at the tomb owner of Mount Bingshan. He swore that if he didn't drag the tomb owner out of his grave and chop him into pieces, his surname wouldn't be Luo but Diao (penis). He immediately demanded to send men back for reinforcements—to bring his entire division—vowing they wouldn't believe the tomb couldn't be dug open.

Chen Xiazi knew Luo Laowai was speaking out of anger. Let alone ten thousand men, even a hundred thousand would not be able to excavate an ancient tomb inside such a massive stone mountain within ten or half a month. He personally led his subordinates to enter Mount Bingshan from both the summit and the base, only to return empty-handed both times. Counting the losses, they had needlessly sacrificed over a hundred men, most of whom were elite members of the Xieling faction. The greatest regret was the loss of Hua Makeng and the mute Kunlun Mole, both his right and left hands. Chen Xiazi mused inwardly that if he returned without success this time, not only would his position as Helmsman be unstable, but the very foundation of Changsheng Mountain might crumble. Chen Xiazi was ambitious, constantly striving to build a great regional power. The years of painstaking effort were immense. Furthermore, he was proud and unwilling to admit defeat. In addition to his superior skill and insight, he was adept at winning loyalty through chivalry, born to be a leader. Yet, his only failing was an inability to accept failure or defeat; in this aspect, his magnanimity was somewhat lacking.

Having made up his mind, Chen Xiazi summoned everyone and declared: "Victory and defeat in war cannot be predicted; enduring shame and humiliation makes a true man. The talented sons of Jiangdong, when returning, may yet turn the tide... Brothers, do not fret. Rest here for a few days. Soon, I, Chen, will return to Mount Bingshan. Unless I dig that ancient tomb inside this mountain to its very bottom, I will have failed the brothers who perished!" With that, he ordered blood wine to be drunk and solemn oaths sworn, establishing new rules. He then set up memorial tablets in the Yizhuang for the tragically deceased robbers, burning incense and paper money. Following the local customs of the Xie family in Western Hunan, they fashioned many paper effigies, writing the deceased masters' names and birth dates on them, burning them before the tablets so that they might serve their masters below. Such trifles need not be detailed further.

For several days, Chen Xiazi let Luo Laowai recuperate from his injuries. He himself remained seated alone behind closed doors in the Yizhuang, pondering a strategy for robbing the Mount Bingshan tomb. The (wonder/strangeness) of the Mount Bingshan tomb was unmatched anywhere else in the world. Although entering from the summit could cut straight to the central palace, hidden toxins were impossible to defend against; a single bite could doom even an immortal or Arhat. If they dug in from the front or side halls, who knew if they might accidentally enter another decoy or false tomb? Moreover, the mountain was solid stone, the doors sealed with lead and mercury, and the interior was densely packed with mechanisms. It was rumored that during the Song Dynasty, Mount Bingshan possessed a comprehensive schematic map of its mechanisms, which later fell into Yuan hands. After the tomb was sealed and interred, that map was destroyed. Now, deciphering all its traps seemed harder than ascending to heaven.

After deep consideration, Chen realized that relying solely on the strength of the Xieling faction could never succeed in this endeavor. Their only hope lay in the timely arrival of the Banshan Daoists to join forces. The Banshan Fen Jia technique had been passed down as legendary since antiquity. Chen Xiazi knew their skills were profound, incomprehensible even to gods and ghosts, but he did not know the specifics. If the Banshan Daoists could not help them plunder the treasures of Mount Bingshan, then truly all hope would be lost.

It was not until the fourth day that Chen Xiazi finally saw the three Banshan Daoists, led by Zheguzhao, arrive. It turned out the Banshan Daoists’ journey had also been fraught with difficulty. They had come up empty in the Qian borderlands; the ancient tomb of the Yelang King had been looted centuries, perhaps millennia, ago. Not even a single tomb brick bearing a mural remained; only a desolate, great burial mound was left, causing considerable frustration.

Chen Xiazi had his men clear out a quiet room, where he and Zheguzhao and his companions held a secret consultation. Speaking of their two attempts to rob Mount Bingshan, both sides had suffered terrible losses, suggesting that sheer force would not suffice. However, Chen Xiazi did not forget to embellish his own tale, describing his near-death escape in particularly sensational terms, though he discreetly omitted how many brothers had perished.

Among the tomb robbers of the world who possess millennia-old secret arts, the main groups are the Mojin Xiaowei, the Xieling Lishi, and the Banshan Daoren. In reality, not all of them possess true "Art." Chen Xiazi knew that Xieling robbers relied on "Force," employing long hoes, large shovels, earth cannons, explosives, and large contingents of men, along with the Centipede Hanging Mountain Ladder, which was called the Xieling Jia (Equipment). The methods of Xieling always depended on these implements; using "machinery" for assistance is why Xieling is called "Xie" (to unload/rely on tools).

Furthermore, Chen Xiazi knew that Mojin and Faqiu robbers relied on "Spirit" (Shen). But there were barely two or three Mojin Xiaowei left in the world, and their movements were even more secretive. He did not know how they used "Spirit" to rob tombs. Did they invite deities or beseech Bodhisattvas to help them dig? Wouldn't that be a form of shamanism, divination to locate the tomb’s position? He only heard that Mojin Xiaowei were skilled at observing the contours of Feng Shui, adept at Fen Jin Ding Xue (dividing gold to fix the position) and locating the dragon veins. How could they dare claim the title of "Spirit"?

Zheguzhao, the leader of Banshan and a well-known figure in the criminal underworld whose fame echoed across the land, shared a bond of camaraderie with Chen Xiazi, and they spoke frankly about everything. Regarding how Mojin used "Spirit," however, Zheguzhao possessed some knowledge. Although the Banshan Daoists were pseudo-Daoists who did not cultivate true immortality, having posed as Daoists for hundreds of years, they had inevitably learned something of metaphysics and Daoist arts. He confided directly to Chen Xiazi.

The Mojin Xiaowei originated in the late Han Dynasty; they specialized in the Dragon Seeking Formula and Fen Jin Ding Xue. When it came to the "Observing" formula’s higher arts, no one in the world could surpass the Mojin Xiaowei. These people had a strict rule: "Do not touch the gold from rooster crowing until the lamp is extinguished" (Ji Ming Deng Mie Bu Mo Jin). They were masters of deducing the eight gate orientations. These skills were all derived from the I Ching. The Way of Feng Shui is a branch of the Yi (I Ching). It is popularly said that "Mojin uses Spirit"; this "Spirit" refers to the Yi. The ancients said, "Spirit has no fixed place, Yi has no fixed form; it exists only between Yin and Yang." "Rooster crowing and lamp extinguishing" precisely signifies the division of Yin and Yang changes within the Yi. Therefore, in other words, the Mojin Xiaowei relied on the principles of the Yi to rob tombs.

However, even though the Banshan Daoist Zheguzhao understood this much, he had never truly met a Mojin Xiaowei. He had only heard that Elder Liaochen, the abbot of Wuku Temple, was a Mojin Xiaowei who had retired and officially hung up his talisman. Zheguzhao had long intended to seek him out, but lacking an introduction and being constantly busy with matters, he had never found the opportunity, sighing over it repeatedly.

Chen Xiazi suddenly realized that there were indeed always people better than oneself, mountains beyond mountains, and stronger hands beyond the strong. One should not boast carelessly before others. He and Zheguzhao had known each other for a long time, but due to their numerous commitments, they rarely had the chance to meet and converse deeply. He was also uncertain if the rumor that Banshan used "Art" was accurate. Since those who knew the Banshan Daoists kept their secret techniques extremely guarded, outsiders found it difficult to make definitive judgments. He asked now to ascertain their true capabilities; otherwise, if the Banshan Daoists were famous but lacked true skill, entering Mount Bingshan again would just be sending men to die alongside him.

Zheguzhao smiled upon hearing this. The Banshan Daoists earned the character "Ban" (to move/transport), and the world often assumed this meant they moved mountains with brute force, similar to the Xieling Lishi. But who could truly move a mountain by force? If they lacked technique, how could they move it? "Fen Shan Jue Zi Jia" and the "Banshan Tian Hai Shu" (Mountain-Moving Ocean-Filling Technique) had not been practiced in a long time; his skills were itching to be used. Now, Mount Bingshan was the perfect stage to display the Banshan Fen Jia technique. Zheguzhao, having heard Chen Xiazi speak, had already devised a plan: to break through Mount Bingshan, one must do "this and that... precisely like this and that..." This explanation led to the joint endeavor of Banshan and Xieling in robbing the Mount Bingshan tomb.