Found the Grave Robbery Hole

The next day, they got up early and began digging a grave robbery hole.

After surveying the area, Hu Bayi chose a spot with relatively soft soil.

It had actually been dug up and filled in by grave robbers before, which explained why the soil was soft. After a little over an hour of work, Fatty Wang had dug a hole about half a person deep.

Old Hu directed from above while Fatty did the hard work.

Hu Ming found a fallen tree to sit on. He took out some gasoline and filled several empty bottles, then handed them to Hu Bayi and the others.

Yingzi had taken the hunting dogs to find food. Hu Ming had also asked her to catch a few live rabbits, in case they came in handy once they entered the tomb.

After finishing up, Hu Ming went over to check on his fatty brother's progress.

"Clang! Clang-clang!"

Fatty was hard at work inside the hole when his engineer shovel struck something solid.

Hearing the noise, Hu Bayi asked, "What was that?!"

Fatty Wang looked completely baffled. "I have no idea!"

Fatty Wang thought about it, then decided to ignore it and bent down to get back to work. Just then, Hu Ming jumped into the hole.

"All right, Fatty. Get up here and let me take a look!"

Hu Ming hurriedly stopped Fatty from digging any further. Grave robbing was no joke; one careless move could cost them their lives.

Hu Bayi also jumped into the hole and gently scraped away some soil with his engineer shovel. They soon saw a large, green stone, like jade, beginning to emerge.

Fatty was completely stunned. They really had dug up a treasure!

Hu Bayi swallowed nervously, then hurriedly scooped some soil over it. Only after covering it up did he jump out of the hole, still shaken.

Seeing Hu Bayi looking so alarmed, Fatty Wang asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Old Hu? What happened?!"

Before Hu Bayi could answer, Hu Ming, who had also climbed out, explained, "Those grave robbers dug into a Heavenly Treasure Dragon Fire Glazed Top!"

Fatty Wang's pupils suddenly widened. He had no idea what to make of that. "A Heavenly Treasure Dragon Fire Glazed Top? What is that?!"

Hu Bayi explained, "It was a common anti-theft measure in some aristocratic tombs during the Northern Song dynasty. The tomb chamber was hollow, with a layer of glazed tiles laid across the very top. On top of the tiles were bag after bag of Western Regions Fire Dragon Oil, followed by another layer of glazed tiles, and then the mound was covered with soil.

"But the tiles were extremely thin. The slightest external force would shatter them. The moment the Western Regions Fire Dragon Oil came into contact with air, it would ignite, burning all the bones and grave goods inside the tomb to ashes. The grave robbers would die right along with them!"

After hearing Hu Ming's explanation, Fatty Wang was even more shocked. They'd all die together? That was vicious!

Hu Bayi continued, "Good thing Mingzi noticed something was wrong and stopped you. If you'd put a little more force into it and broken through that glazed top, we'd have been reduced to a pile of bones."

Fatty was now breaking out in a cold sweat. They hadn't even entered the tomb yet, and they'd nearly lost their lives right outside it.

"Woof! Woof-woof!"

Just as the three of them were about to look for a side tunnel, several barks suddenly rang out from the woods, followed by Yingzi's cries!

"Something's wrong! Yingzi's in trouble!" The sound wasn't far away, and the three immediately ran toward her.

"Yingzi!" Fatty and Hu Bayi shouted, looking around for her.

"Xiao Ming, Big Brother Hu, Brother Fatty! I'm over here!"

Yingzi's voice carried over to them, and the three followed it to a large tree.

Beside the tree, they spotted a big hole.

Hu Ming called down into it, "Yingzi, are you all right?!"

Hu Bayi frowned and looked around, then said to Hu Ming and Fatty, "If I'm not mistaken, this is the grave robbery hole dug by that group of grave robbers!"

The three exchanged glances. They couldn't believe their luck. They'd only just started looking for a side tunnel, and Yingzi had already stumbled across one. At least she was all right.

Hu Ming immediately said, "Fatty, hurry back and get the gear. Don't forget the rope and my gasoline!"

"Got it!" The moment Fatty heard they'd found the grave robbery hole, his excitement surged. He immediately ran back to get the equipment.

"Old Hu, wait here. I'll check on Yingzi first." With that, Hu Ming hugged his backpack and jumped into the hole.

As soon as Hu Ming landed, Hu Bayi called down from above. "Mingzi, how is it? Is the hole deep?"

"I'm fine, but it's pretty deep. We'd better get a rope down here!" After calling back, Hu Ming turned toward Yingzi, who was sitting beside the entrance.

Hu Ming walked over and asked, "Are you all right, Yingzi?"

Yingzi replied, "I'm fine. I just twisted my ankle! It's nothing. I checked it myself, and I didn't break anything."

Hu Ming nodded. "All right. I've got some Safflower Oil here. Rub some on it yourself." He took a small bottle of Safflower Oil from his backpack and handed it to Yingzi.

Yingzi rubbed it on herself. Then Hu Ming helped her walk around to make sure nothing was seriously wrong. Once they were satisfied, they found a spot to sit and waited for Hu Bayi and Fatty Wang to come down before continuing.