1674 Chapter 63

**2. Continuous Excavation**

They looked down at the burial mound from a nearby high ridge, inferring the movements and changes in the topography of the hills over the past few centuries, trying to determine what the original landscape looked like. Soon, they discovered that the continuous excavation of graves and the backfilling of land had caused the burial mound to rise significantly due to the large amounts of soil being dug out.

In other words, the entire burial mound was likely a very dense ancient tomb complex, with many ancient graves on it. Initially, the mound was not as high; it may have just been a small hill on the plain, or it might have been completely unnoticeable. This implies that within a few kilometers around the mound, there should be the burial sites of the earliest ancient tombs, and they should be very deep.

Thus, the core question was: where exactly was the most crucial ancient tomb located beneath this burial mound? They knew that if they dug in the wrong place, there would be no second chance.

Among the children playing nearby, there was one with a strong analytical mind. He wondered what could have caused all the ancient tombs to cluster around a few mounds. From a feng shui perspective, the location had excellent energy, but why did it have to be on the mountain? There seemed to be no necessity for that.

After some contemplation, someone suggested, “Perhaps there was a situation where this used to be a flat burial area, and one day a massive ancient tomb needed to be constructed here, requiring a larger earthen mound that formed the original shape of the mountain.

The formation of this earthen mound caused the surrounding rocks to rise and fall. After this upheaval, many people became reluctant to bury their ancestors in locations lower than this mound; they would prefer to build graves in higher places. Over time, the owners of the oldest large graves naturally disappeared, and many began to regard the earthen mound as a burial mountain. Generally speaking, building a grave on top of another is considered very unlucky, but perhaps these owners were unaware, leading to the current situation.”

This means that at the very bottom of this burial mound should be a very large ancient tomb; the challenge was how to avoid the guards. The Zhang children measured the distance, realizing that digging a pit from the farthest point to here would be at least two kilometers long. With the strength of just the five of them, digging such a long distance would be extremely labor-intensive and costly, so they needed to find a clever way to do it.

They had to dig the entrance of this pit very close, which meant they needed to employ some sleight of hand. However, from the overall situation, this seemed unlikely because the area around the back mountain, aside from a few watchtowers, was almost barren, with nothing but yellow hills visible for miles. Anyone approaching would be easily spotted.

But these children had their own unique approach to tunneling; they noticed that the patrols were quite lax. Indeed, in such circumstances, there were likely not many who dared to steal tombs here, so there was no need to be overly anxious.

However, one of the Zhang children believed that such an ancient tomb was unlikely to have gone unnoticed. If they searched from a distance, they would surely find traces of someone having dug into this burial mound. They could find a way to locate these theft holes and assess whether they were still usable.

At that time, Zhang Haike said, “If there are theft holes, then hasn’t this tomb already been looted?”

The child from the Zhang family said, “Not necessarily. Think about it: why would the local landowners in Ma’an Village hire armed guards to protect the tomb? This suggests that they likely know there are very valuable items inside. Such an ancient tomb is certainly not something that petty thieves can easily rob; even if skilled individuals have come before, they would leave some treasures for future generations. In short, it’s worth a visit.”

So a group of five took turns working together. They found a hidden spot and started by digging a pit underground that could accommodate all five of them, with only a small hole for one person to enter and exit connecting to the surface. The entrance was covered with a dustpan and topped with soil, making it look unremarkable; only stepping on it would reveal that there was actually a pit underneath.

The place they chose to dig was very clever, located on the side of a field ridge, making it unlikely to be discovered. They regularly went into town to gather small tools and provisions, and every night, they carefully transported supplies into the pit. Soon, they had stockpiled enough living essentials to last them a month. To address the issue of waste disposal, they each dug two smaller holes on either side of the pit, about six or seven meters deep, which they sealed with straw balls to serve as temporary toilets.

“The Zhang family has a special training regimen during the initial stages that includes dieting, allowing them to eat very little while maintaining high energy levels; this also helps control bowel movements. After living underground for an extended period without seeing daylight, they can regulate the frequency and amount of their bowel movements, sometimes going five or six days without feeling the need to go, and occasionally staying underground for thirty days without any signs of needing to relieve themselves. Originally, we dug the pit in a field ridge, so even if there was some odor, it wouldn’t matter much. However, to be safe, we strictly adhered to a routine of limited food intake, just enough to maintain ordinary energy levels.”

Hearing this, I felt that the Zhang family was truly unfortunate. If they went thirty days without a bowel movement, wouldn’t that mean severe constipation? How did the older brother manage it before? Their bodily detoxification mechanisms must be in complete disarray!

With the Zhang family’s physical condition, they began executing their plan to dig underground after a month. One of the most challenging aspects of this long-term work was managing the amount of soil they excavated. Once they opened the pit, a large quantity of waste soil was generated, which had to be carefully transported outside. They could reduce a significant amount of waste by compressing the walls of the pit, but the workload was still too enormous; they couldn’t work like moles. Therefore, every night was the most painful time, as they had to think of every possible way to remove the waste soil.

They continued digging, and after nearly two weeks, they reached the bottom of the coffin. They had only seven days left to complete everything before they had to return home for the New Year, making the time extremely urgent.

For Zhang Haike, this was the first time he realized that being a tomb raider was actually very, very difficult. Throughout all his training, his elders often told him, “In many cases, luck is the fundamental factor that determines everything.” He deeply understood that no matter how strong or hardworking you are, some things could still fail; ultimately, what could lead to your success was only luck.

In the first two days of the seven-day period, they began to dig a tunnel downwards. That night, they worked tirelessly without eating or sleeping, and eventually reached the top of the tomb. When their shovels struck the blue brick slab, everyone let out a long sigh that they could no longer contain. This sigh was neither one of joy nor of frustration; it was simply a helpless expression of their long and arduous labor.

They slept for three hours on the blue stone bricks and then immediately began to pry open the blue bricks and blue stone slabs, preparing to enter the tomb chamber. At this moment, they began to make a very serious mistake.