Hearing that Da Guoguo had seen something ghostly, Young Master Liu’s heart skipped a beat again. He thought this place truly was full of strange things. First Fan Debiao found something, and now Da Guoguo had run into another anomaly. The thought sent a chill down his spine.
Da Guoguo waved his hand, signaling everyone to follow him to see what had happened. He took the lead, walking back the way they had come. Cai Qingchong glanced at Young Master Liu and Fan Debiao, then turned and followed Da Guoguo.
Seeing that Da Guoguo and Cai Qingchong had already left, Fan Debiao turned to Young Master Liu and said, “Brother, now that those two aren't around, I need to snag a couple of treasures. Wait for me, okay?”
Young Master Liu rolled his eyes at Fan Debiao, utterly speechless, and simply gestured for him to hurry up.
Fan Debiao rummaged through the pile of treasures for a long time but couldn't find anything he deemed suitable. Young Master Liu was growing impatient. “Fan Debiao, are you ever going to stop? Just grab a couple of things and let’s go. We need to see what strange thing Da Guoguo discovered.”
Fan Debiao continued sifting through the antiques, replying, “Damn it, these things are all classified as national first-grade treasures. I’m looking for a couple of slightly lesser items, otherwise, they’ll be hard to move once we get out.”
With that, Fan Debiao seemed to spot something deep within the pile of artifacts and began pushing his hand far into the recess. After a moment, he pulled out a small bronze bianzhong (a set of ancient bells). Before Young Master Liu could get a good look, Fan Debiao quickly tucked the bronze bell into his trouser waistband—thankfully, not into his crotch area…
Young Master Liu shook his head and told Fan Debiao, “Alright, let’s go! Da Guoguo will get suspicious if we wait any longer.”
Afterward, Young Master Liu pointed his flashlight back toward the path and hurried out into the light. They hadn't run far before they saw Da Guoguo and Cai Qingchong standing frozen, staring at the stone wall.
Young Master Liu rushed up to Da Guoguo and asked, “Da Guoguo, what’s wrong?”
He then turned to look at the stone wall himself. Water was continuously seeping out from cracks in the rock face, and the seepage was significantly worse than when he had seen it moments before.
Da Guoguo looked quite surprised. “The artifacts in that chamber were preserved so perfectly. The environment here should have been dry for a very long time. If the current humidity level continues, those relics will be ruined in less than ten years.”
Da Guoguo’s observation left Young Master Liu completely bewildered. He wondered if some kind of monster or spirit was causing this anomaly.
“What are you two spacing out about?” Fan Debiao jogged up. “You’re grown men, why are you just staring at a cracked stone wall?”
Young Master Liu looked at Fan Debiao. “Why did it take you so long to get here, kid?”
Fan Debiao managed a silly grin and shook his head. “Nothing, I just kicked a stone and took a nasty fall—face-planted, you know.”
The moment Fan Debiao finished speaking, Da Guoguo roared again, “What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and help me move this thing!”
Cai Qingchong’s expression shifted. He quickly bolted out of the area, abandoning his study of the wall to chase after Da Guoguo.
Young Master Liu muttered to himself, Is Da Guoguo onto something high-level? I really hope it’s not some ancient monstrous thing again.
Seeing Young Master Liu standing dazed before the wall, Fan Debiao walked over and slapped him on the shoulder. “Master Liu, what are you doing? Spacing out? Hurry up and go help!”
Young Master Liu snapped back to reality and didn't overthink it. He followed Fan Debiao, running toward the riverbank, one behind the other.
As soon as they burst out of the cave entrance, Young Master Liu illuminated Da Guoguo’s location with his flashlight. He saw something about five meters long floating on the river surface, emitting a dazzling light. Da Guoguo was clutching a wound on one hand while trying to pull the object with the other. As soon as he touched it, he snatched his hand back, cradling the injured hand with both, curling into a ball. It was clear the pain was excruciating. He tried a few more times without success. On the final attempt, as his hand brushed the object, he tumbled backward into the river, screaming in agony.
Seeing Da Guoguo fall into the water, Young Master Liu rushed toward the river. From a distance, he hadn’t realized the river took a sharp, winding S-curve. It took him over a minute of running to reach the spot where they had rested earlier. By then, Cai Qingchong and Su Yougui had already hauled Da Guoguo out of the water, and Fan Debiao was tending to his wound.
Fan Debiao muttered reprimands, “Da Guoguo, I swear, you shouldn’t be moving around with an injury. Look at you now, just punishing yourself. If that wound gets infected, you’re finished.”
From farther away, he hadn't been able to clearly identify the object, but now, up close, it was unmistakable.
Floating on the river was a boat, crudely constructed from wood, looking like an improvised craft. The boat was divided into two sections. In the rear meter or so, there was a large sack brimming with contents, with two entrenching shovels resting beside it. At the bow was a miner’s lamp—the source of the light Young Master Liu had seen. The second section was the standing area, which looked large enough to hold four to six people.
Da Guoguo and Cai Qingchong had already pushed the boat to the shore. Da Guoguo climbed out of the river, wringing out his clothes. “Look at this gear—who else uses this besides grave robbers?”
Young Master Liu’s heart tightened when he heard this. “You mean someone has come in here to rob this old bastard’s tomb? But if the boat got out, where did the people go?”
Hearing this, Da Guoguo showed a flicker of relief. “That must be their mistake. Maybe they were so excited after looting the sarcophagus that they forgot to secure the boat, letting it drift out. It looks like they’re still trying to find a way out. We need to get inside quickly before they steal the artifacts!”
Fan Debiao retorted somewhat resentfully, “Aren’t you a tomb robber yourself? Why are you trying to ruin the good work of your own peers?”
Da Guoguo exploded in anger. “You know nothing, kid! Do you have any idea why I quit the Mojin profession? The original Mojin Xiaowei only robbed to feed their families, taking one or two items and leaving. Now the profession is corrupted. These grave robbers are only after money; they’ll take anything worth even a dime they find in a tomb. They’re nothing but bandits! I refused to associate with people like that, so I went solo.”
Fan Debiao was silenced by Da Guoguo’s lecture and scurried over to Young Master Liu. “Master Liu, help me smooth things over!”
Young Master Liu felt this was hardly the time for such discussions. He said to Da Guoguo, “Da Guoguo, don’t just focus on being angry. We should first check out their equipment. It will help us deal with them if we run into them later.”
Da Guoguo grunted an agreement and gestured for Young Master Liu to help open the sack. Young Master Liu climbed onto the boat and examined the sack closely. It was made of extremely durable material. He searched for a long time trying to find an opening but gave up. He drew his dagger and began slicing at the sack, but after cutting for a good while, he had only managed to raise a few frayed threads.