Jin Suanpan was thoroughly convinced and secretly admired Zhang Sanye for seeing through the ways of the world and physics. That very day, he, along with Tie Motou and Liaochen, bid farewell to their master and left the mountain to begin their trade as grave robbers.

That era was a chaotic time of dynastic change, plagued by natural disasters and man-made calamities, causing immense suffering to the common people. The trio first set up shop in Mount Mang in Henan, successfully raiding several ancient tombs in succession. They took the most valuable ritual objects, traded them for money and grain, and dispensed aid to the disaster victims. These initial ventures went smoothly, and thereafter, their tracks led them across the provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, and Shandong, robbing countless large mausoleums without counting the number.

As the saying goes, "Earthly affairs are orchestrated in Heaven." Thus, in this mortal life, regardless of how desperately one toils through water and fire, success or failure often rests in the hands of fate. When one catches a great streak of luck, everything encountered turns into profit, and tomb raiding flourishes like wildfire; but if fortune wanes, one retreats like the ebbing tide, and everything encountered results in loss, often costing one's wealth and life.

Financial fortunes must rise and fall; they cannot always be smooth sailing. One year, misfortune befell Jin Suanpan and his two partners. They had their sights set on an ancient tomb near Luoyang, packed their provisions, and headed into the mountains. Unexpectedly, they ran into a massive military rout. Defeated soldiers streamed down from the battlefield, driving countless refugees before them, swarming into the mountains like a tidal wave, scattering the three Jin Suanpan brothers amongst the peaks.

Liaochen and Tie Motou managed to rescue a group of refugees and hid themselves in the ancient tomb forest on the mountainside. Among these refugees was a pregnant woman about to give birth. In the chaos, her labor was agitated, and she was facing a difficult delivery with a breech presentation; she was on the verge of dying, along with her unborn child, in the desolate wilderness.

Liaochen had always possessed a kind heart and could not bear to watch others perish on the spot. He observed that in this ancient tomb forest, one particular grave mound had an exceptionally thriving tree covering it. Liaochen scrutinized the lay of the land, surveyed the mountain shape, and confidently deduced that there must be a Guancai Quan inside the tomb—that is, a spring within the underground palace. According to a folk belief, boiling the coffin could induce a successful delivery.

Thus, Liaochen and Tie Motou conferred. Saving the woman was paramount. They dragged out their Xuanfeng Chan (Whirlwind Shovels) and dug furiously into the grave soil. A mere earthen mound could not withstand the excavation of two master grave robbers; in an instant, they exposed the coffin lid. Who knew that hidden within the soil and the coffin panel were sophisticated mechanisms (xiaoji or 'concealed weapons')? Though they had weathered countless storms, they capsized in a shallow ditch. Tie Motou was struck squarely on his vital spot by a mechanism and died instantly.

Only then did Liaochen recall their master’s repeated, earnest warnings upon their departure: "Together, life; separated, death." Now, Zhang Sanye’s words had truly come to pass. If Jin Suanpan had been there, he, being the most skilled in the arts of the Five Elements and Bagua numerology, would surely have discerned the mechanisms within the coffin. But a single moment's lapse in judgment led to catastrophe. Regret was now futile.

Later, when Jin Suanpan searched for his partners, he found Tie Motou dead where he fell. His vision momentarily darkened, and he nearly fainted. One could only say that man cannot contend with fate. He and Liaochen sighed over the matter, and with tears, they cremated Tie Motou’s body, placing the ashes into an earthenware jar.

Liaochen and Jin Suanpan agreed that following their master’s instruction—"Together, life; separated, death"—any further tomb raiding as a pair would likely end badly. It seemed they could no longer continue the practice of mojin (grave robbing).

Liaochen, having witnessed the suffering of the common folk over the years, felt that no matter how great his skills, he could not save the countless masses. The sea of suffering was boundless; turning back was the only path to shore. He planned to hang up his talismans and scales, take Tie Motou’s ashes, and become a monk in a temple in Jiangnan, spending his days in contemplation before the ancient Buddha, repenting for his past deeds.

Jin Suanpan had no desire to become a monk or renounce his symbols. Since tomb raiding was out, he could return to his original trade, continuing as a merchant to seek profit. He could still help the poor and needy with the money he earned. He told Liaochen, "A single duckweed returning to the great sea; where in life shall we not meet again? Today we part, but surely there will be a time when we meet again. If you encounter trouble and need assistance, just seek me out at the Yellow River Shipping Guild."

After their separation in the ancient tomb forest, Jin Suanpan indeed confined his business dealings to the Yellow River basin. He came from a merchant family, and the trade of buying and selling goods was second nature to him. However, natural disasters did not cease, making business rather difficult. Moreover, anyone accustomed to robbing tombs developed an addiction, and what other occupation earned money as quickly as daodou (grave robbing)? Relying on his exceptional intelligence, Jin Suanpan saw the devastating Yellow River floods and the widespread famine. Therefore, he secretly continued some tomb-raiding activities. He knew this was a deadly pursuit, knowingly doing what he shouldn't, which left him uneasy. Thus, every venture was meticulously planned, and he never acted without complete certainty.

One year, Jin Suanpan was transporting a shipment of goods downriver by boat. Coincidentally, the Yellow River was swollen, its torrents surging downward. Jin Suanpan was chatting with several fellow merchants on deck when the heavens and earth suddenly changed color. The sun in the sky seemed to lose its soul, turning a ghastly white with only a faint shadow remaining. Soon after, even that shadow vanished. Dark clouds gathered, shrouding the world, and a murky fog permeated the river surface, mixed with hailstones the size of beans falling from above.

The boat captain cried out that things were ill; the change in heaven and earth signaled that an old dragon in the water palace was alarmed—a harbinger of the Yellow River’s severe swelling. He immediately steered the boat toward the nearest dock. Just as the cargo ship docked amidst the downpour, the massive floodwaters arrived from behind. The upper reaches of the Yellow River churned with muddy waves reaching almost to the sky; one could no longer distinguish where the flood ended and where heaven and earth began. Fierce winds, torrential rain, and hail, laden with silt and sand from the riverbed, poured down indiscriminately. The entire world descended into a near-dark, yellowish gloom—truly, "The Yellow River overflows, obscuring heaven and earth; surging waves roll endlessly."

Seeing the rain pouring down relentlessly and the surroundings growing darker, Jin Suanpan knew they had encountered an earth-shattering disaster. At this moment, even the greatest skill was useless against the might of the enraged Yellow River. Forgetting the cargo laden on the boat, he leaped off with the others and fled toward higher ground. Among the fleeing crowds, those who were slow on their feet were immediately swept away by the murky currents, their bodies lost forever in the water.

Zhang Sanye had once commented that Jin Suanpan’s skills were lacking, but that was relative to whom he was compared. He was certainly inferior to Liaochen and Tie Motou, but after years of mojin, his agility was still far superior to that of ordinary people. Forced by the flood, he ran wildly through the storm and finally managed to scramble to a high ridge, sacrificing his life to reach it.

When Jin Suanpan reached the high ground and looked down, he saw that the black clouds were slowly receding. The distant horizon looked like a mass of murky, yellowish mud, within which floated a dark red glow. The flooding Yellow River, with unstoppable force, swallowed the villages and boats along the banks. People caught in the great flood struggled along with the livestock, carried downstream to feed the crab and shrimp soldiers and generals in the water palace. The lucky ones who reached higher ground stood pale-faced, crying out ceaselessly for their children, but the sound of the roaring water drowned out all earthly noises. The scene was one of utter desolation.

The floodwaters arrived with extreme speed, and the murky river took a full two shichen (four hours) to recede completely. Jin Suanpan had narrowly escaped with his life. Once his shock subsided, he patted himself down and realized the Jingang San (Diamond Umbrella) he carried on his back was gone.

Zhang Sanye had left them two Diamond Umbrellas. One was an ancient artifact passed down by the Mojin Xiaowei (Grave Robbing Colonels), which Liaochen possessed. The one Jin Suanpan carried was made in the Ming Dynasty, identical in material and craftsmanship to the ancient umbrella—also an exceedingly rare defensive implement. He must have lost it during his desperate flight. By now, it was likely washed away by the floodwaters, impossible to recover. He would have to find a skilled craftsman to make another one.

Jin Suanpan resolved to walk down the slope to buy some food from the local villagers. But after such a catastrophe, the land was filled with starving people; most of the fields and villages were ruined. Even with money, food was impossible to purchase. His hunger gnawed at him, his chest pressing against his back, when he saw many people heading toward the riverbank, saying they were going to see the Dragon King. Feeling curious, he followed the crowd.

When he reached the riverbank, even the well-traveled Jin Suanpan was secretly astonished. On a slope near a river bend, a gigantic fish lay stranded, still breathing faintly. Its head was larger than an ordinary house, and its massive scales resembled sheets of iron. Where not covered in mud, they shone with a dark greenish luster. Its eyes were wide open, and it thrashed its tail and head, its dark mouth opening and closing, emitting a foul, fishy stench. Judging by the size of its mouth, even a large Yellow River Carp weighing a thousand jin wouldn't be enough for one bite.

The local villagers were terrified, kneeling before the fish, burning incense and bowing repeatedly, begging the Dragon King to calm his anger and return to his water palace. Many immediately stepped forward to push, attempting to return the Dragon King to the Yellow River, but it was like a dragonfly trying to shake an oak tree—they couldn't move it even a fraction of an inch, nor could they find oxen or horses to drag it. They could only watch as the Dragon King grew weaker, gasping for air, his fish eyes staring blankly until he died on the shore.

Jin Suanpan watched for a long time, then inquired among the people worshipping the Dragon King. He found a path into the county seat to rest and eat. The locals informed him this was a flood unseen in a century. Though it came fast and receded quickly, the damage was extensive. Moreover, the death of the Yellow River Dragon King on the shore was certainly not a good omen; greater disasters would surely follow. Now, with the Yellow River flooded, countless people and livestock had drowned. This area was already poor and sparsely populated; it would take ten years to recover its vitality, and no one knew how many more poor souls would starve.

These words struck a chord of compassion in Jin Suanpan. Seeing the pitiless cruelty of nature afflicting the common people on both banks, he thought, "After such a great disaster, the land will surely be covered with starving people. In this decadent age, the officials are powerless. Besides me, who will care?" He immediately considered procuring grain for relief. However, his cargo was lost in the river, wiping out his capital. Though he still had some money, it was a mere drop in the bucket compared to thousands upon thousands of disaster victims. This spurred him to contemplate grave robbing again, planning to pull off a major haul.

Jin Suanpan recalled an incident from a few years prior. He had learned from a merchant that in Dragon Ridge, not far from there, lay an Imperial Mausoleum of the Great Tang Dynasty, hidden within the rugged, winding Serpent Coil Slope. If he could steal one or two royal treasures, he wouldn't have to worry about raising funds. However, although he was familiar with the lineage of mausoleums, he could not calculate which Tang Imperial Tomb was built in this location.

At the inn, he managed to pick up a few snippets of conversation, uncovering some clues. He confirmed the route to Dragon Ridge and then headed into the mountains to search for the ancient tomb. Indeed, the terrain was impressive; despite the fractured nature of the mountain body, it could not conceal the majestic aura of a dragon flying and a phoenix dancing—it should be the site of an imperial mausoleum. However, there were several scattered villages nearby, and shepherds often lingered in the vicinity. Digging a shaft into the ancient tomb's underground palace would be easy, but concealing it from prying eyes was difficult.

Jin Suanpan devised a plan and returned to the Yellow River bank. Seeing the giant fish corpse still lying there, he announced to the local people that he was willing to fund the construction of a Dragon King Temple to house the fish bones, praying for the River God's blessing for favorable weather. He fabricated excuses, convincing everyone that the location of the fish bone temple must be built in the mountains, or else floods would strike again.

Concealing the excavation of an ancient tomb by pretending to build a temple, houses, and plant crops was a common tactic used by the Mojin Xiaowei. The villagers, unaware of the true situation, naturally believed him. Thus, Jin Suanpan provided the funds, and the villagers provided the labor, moving the great fish's skeleton into the mountains to construct a Dragon King Temple.

Jin Suanpan used the time spent building the temple to prepare for the raid. Based on his experience, he judged that the Dragon Ridge tomb would be substantial. Local legends surrounding that tomb were intensely mysterious and bizarre, suggesting it would not be a peaceful place. Without the protection of the Diamond Umbrella, he felt deeply uneasy. But the other Diamond Umbrella was with Liaochen; years had passed since their separation, and he had received no news of his old companion. He had no choice but to take a boat to Baoding, Hebei, to find the master of hidden weapons, Xiaoqi Li, to commission the creation of a new one.

Xiaoqi Li, the head of Fengwo Mountain, possessed outstanding craftsmanship and could forge various mechanisms. However, upon examining Jin Suanpan's diagrams and formulas, he found the task extremely difficult, as the Diamond Umbrella was no ordinary item. Some materials were hard to procure, and the required craftsmanship and firing process were exceptionally complex; it would take at least a year to complete.

Jin Suanpan was eager to raid the Dragon Ridge tomb and could not wait half a year or more. Furthermore, years had passed, and he had grown lax in recalling Zhang Sanye’s warnings. He reasoned that since Tie Motou’s death, he had robbed many large tombs alone without any mishaps. As long as he was careful during the raid, his knowledge should be enough to handle any mechanisms or hidden weapons without major errors. How could fate be so unlucky as to strike him down there?

But at this moment, his inseparable pure gold abacus, which had been perfectly fine, suddenly cracked and shattered. The golden beads scattered across the floor. This abacus was his ancestral treasure, and its needless destruction pained him deeply. He vaguely sensed that this was hardly a good omen, and he foresaw that Yama, the King of Hell, was coming to claim his life.

Jin Suanpan was always astute and meticulous in handling matters, but this time it truly felt like the arrival of a death messenger, with a dark star hanging overhead. It was as if he were bewitched; even if the Bodhisattva Guanyin manifested, she could not persuade him to turn back. He hardened his resolve, reasoning that what is destined to happen will happen, whether for good or ill. If he was truly meant to die, he would pass away peacefully even sitting at home; if fate decreed otherwise, he could walk through mountains of knives and seas of fire and emerge unscathed. Rather than anxiously praying to the Bodhisattva, he might as well continue with what he planned. He further thought, "If I can steal treasures from the Dragon Ridge tomb to relieve the famine and save the people, the accumulated virtue will be immense. If I can complete this great act of charity, unseen spirits must surely protect me, perhaps even extending my lifespan by another twelve years."

He felt that although the Tang tomb was vast, he could map out its internal structure and was confident he could rob it alone. Yet, he also considered the possibility of meeting misfortune within the ancient tomb. If something went wrong, wouldn't his death be silent and unremarked? In traditional thought, reputation often mattered more than life—as the saying goes, "Geese leave a sound as they fly; men leave a name as they pass." Therefore, he wrote down all his experiences in his business ledger, sealed it in a box along with the broken pure gold abacus, and temporarily left it in Xiaoqi Li's care, agreeing to retrieve both items when he collected his Diamond Umbrella.