Tomb raiding has existed since ancient times.
It can be said that with the formation of funeral customs, tomb robbers also emerged, entangled in a relationship that spanned thousands of years.
The oldest historical record is the raiding of Shang Tangâs tomb.
Such acts, naturally, are not condoned.
Especially those in power, who want lavish burials without being dug up and exposed after death, decreed from the Pre-Qin period, "Thieves shall be punished," and "grave robbers shall be executed."
By Tang Dynasty times, the "Tang Code of Administrative Laws" even stipulated, "Those who climb mausoleums without cause shall also be punished as if they had entered the Grand Temple."
In short, even getting close would mean death.
Thatâs the purpose of the Tomb Guardian Army, unauthorized entrants killed!
However, it was all in vain.
Li Yanâs good friend, Zhao Lvzi, had once told him about this line of work.
People who rob tombs are not just Tomb Raiders from the Moving Mountains and Unloading Ridges faction, but are divided according to the class they belong to.
At the top naturally are the Imperial Family and Royal Family.
During Western Han, Prince of Guangchuan, Liu Qi, indulged in luxury and was passionate about tomb raiding, having dug up countless ancient tombs...
Cao Cao was the most professional, with the military setting up positions like "General of the Mounds" and "Tomb Raider Colonel," digging up tombs to fund military campaigns...
The Golden Tent Wolf Country also tangled up a bunch of riffraff from the pugilistic world, pilfering numerous Great Song Imperial Mausoleums and famous officialsâ tombs clean...
In times of chaos, there were no scruples.
Dong Zhuo entered Changâan, ransacked the Mao Ling that the Red Eyebrow Army had visited once more, and Lu Bu even dragged out Emperor Wu of Hanâs bones to expose them to the sun...
Huang Chao started by preferring heavyweight targets: first emulating Xiang Yu by excavating the Emperorâs Mausoleum, then like the Red Eyebrow Army and Dong Zhuo, digging up Emperor Wuâs Mao Ling, and thirdly, robbing Qianling.
Although he got little, he earned a notorious reputation.
Of the eighteen tombs in Guanzhong, Wen Tao plundered the majority, triggering mechanisms left by Fang Xian Dao, causing zombies and evil spirits to roam Guanzhong, creating chaos.
Whether itâs the Royal Family and warlords or military figures who take action, they do so with grand gestures, blatantly and without regard for consequences, as no mechanism could stop them.
The second rank is made up of certain pugilistic world forces.
Often from the Green Forest Road, roaming through mountains and forests, whenever they find a hidden grand tomb, they will surely not let it go.
If it was a time of peace, their actions are usually more secretive, either in groups of three to five or as part of an organization, for fear of being caught by the court.
And the lowest are the petty thieves among the common folk, stealing from the tombs of rich gentry and wealthy merchants, just to make ends meet.
Of course, this occupation is quite dangerous.
One not only has to face the court laws and Tomb Guardians but also various mechanisms and underground sinister ghosts and demons, lucky are those who meet a good end.
As soon as Li Yan entered the inn, he noticed something strange.
Whether it was the wealthy merchant or the troupe of pugilistic world performers, everyone had a scent of earth and corpse stench about them, the mark of those who frequently enter tombs and are part of an organized group of seasoned hands.
Furthermore, according to the situation, there were two groups of people.
They must have received some message, gathering here.
And the most famous nearby, naturally, is King of Chuâs tomb on Longquan Mountain, but there the Tomb Guardian Army is very familiar with methods of tomb robbing.
With these peopleâs capabilities, they couldnât get in.
On any normal day, encountering these grave robbers, Li Yan could not be bothered to pay them any heed, but the situation was different now.
There indeed was something peculiar near Liangzi Lake.
The sunken county town in the lake, secret battles of mysterious troops at the end of the Tang Dynasty, bizarre incidents in the Jin records, the corpse of an unidentified Tibetan Monk...
Li Yan had an inexplicable feeling that these things should be connected.
Thump, thump, thump!
Just then, a knocking on the door sounded.
It was the waiter bringing in a plate of food and drink, with a face full of eagerness saying, "Gentlemen, there isnât much to offer in this rustic inn, I hope you wonât mind."
As he spoke, he put down the plate.
It was just simple roasted chicken, roasted fish, seasonal vegetables, a large plate of buns, and a pot of old rice wine.
Li Yan nodded slightly and casually inquired, "Waiter, we want to visit a friend; is there a village nearby called Baihe Bay?"
A glint of surprise flashed in the waiterâs eyes as he smiled and said, "Baihe Bay is indeed not far, just another ten miles or so to the east. Gentlemen... also heading there?"
"Oh?"
Li Yanâs eyes narrowed slightly as he took out some small change and placed it on the table, "You seem to have a hidden meaning in your words..."
"No offense intended by the guest."
The waiter collected the dishes without a hint of disturbance, having already taken the silver, and whispered, "I donât know anything, itâs just that the two tables of guests below were also asking about Baihe Bay, and I was just curious."
Having said that, he maintained a grin, neither leaving nor speaking further.
Li Yan chuckled to himself, then tossed another two taels of silver his way, "Youâre quite shrewd, tell me whatâs going on."
The waiter quickly caught the silver and whispered, "Baihe Bay is small, inhabited by the Bai Family for generations, usually keeping a low profile with most villagers being peddlers who roam the streets."
"But some time ago, a number of young men from the Miao Villages banded together causing trouble, claiming to be savages from Jiangxia, destroying kiln fields and committing murders for blood sacrifices."
"They ran to Baihe Bay, only to find that the Bai Family had quite a few practitioners, who drove off the demons but also suffered many casualties among their clan."
"The funeral was just held a few days ago, and those two groups arrived today. Thatâs all I know..."
"Donât mention us to anyone."
"Rest assured, I understand."
After the questioning, the waiter left the room, making sure to close the door behind him.
"Baihe Bay has problems."
Lv San was certain.
"Of course, it has problems."
Li Yan poured out some rice wine and spoke in a low voice, "Those Bai Family people, clearly killed by beasts, but blamed on the savages from Jiangxia, there must be something unsavory afoot."
"Letâs not rush to Baihe Bay, keep a close eye on this group of people, surely they know something."
Lv San didnât waste words and looked at the two rats, Big Rat and Little Rat, who were squatting on the floor, gnawing on their buns.
The two rats were eating with gusto, but seeing Lv Sanâs gaze, they reluctantly set down the buns and scampered onto the roof beams in a few nimble movements.