Supporting the Pot

I took a few deep breaths, forcibly calming myself down. I responded to the glances around with a stiff smile. I knew my smile at this moment must appear rather foolish.

While lost in my thoughts, a man with a glossy and well-combed large pompadour sat across from me. Without waiting for me to speak, he extended his hand, "Young man with great prospects, friends call me Big Head."

As he claimed, his head was indeed large, and he appeared to be around thirty-five or six years old. The first impression of our handshake was the strength in his grip, with calluses on his palm, likely from frequent handling of blunt tools. Observing him from head to toe, his suit was clearly of high quality, yet it was wrinkled all over, revealing a lack of regular maintenance. Surprisingly, he wore a pair of cloth shoes. Seeing my gaze directed at his shoes, he nodded and said, "Pardon me, I find leather shoes too rigid; can't get used to that stuff."

I awkwardly chuckled; this odd character was undoubtedly a nouveau riche.

Big Head gestured towards the copper coin on the table and asked, "Would the young sir like to join for a meal?"

"Yes."

"Where shall we dine?"

Asking about the destination meant inquiring about the tomb's location, and specific details were unnecessary.

"Let's go to Xinjiang."

Big Head frowned. He took the teapot brought by the waiter, poured a cup, and while stirring the tea leaves with the lid, he commented, "Not a great choice; it's windy and dusty there. Whose home are we visiting?"

Asking "whose home" meant inquiring about the dynasty's tomb. However, as we were seeking the tomb of the Fox Barbarian State this time, I had no idea about the ruler's surname. After a moment's thought, considering the Han Dynasty's dominance in the Central Plains at that time, I casually said, "The Liu family."

He nodded understandingly, likely grasping my implication. The Han Dynasty's territory did not extend into the Western Regions, so the tomb there would likely belong to a minority ethnic group.

"Is it a feast or a simple meal, young brother?" he asked.

Feast meant determining the richness of the burial goods. In recent years, many archaeological teams had explored Western Xinjiang, and most accessible tombs had been excavated. However, those unreachable were either in the Sea of Death like Lop Nur or in the Kunlun Mountains, where people rarely ventured. Thus, his inquiry was quite sensible.

Understanding his meaning, I took out Han Sheng's photo and handed it to him without explaining its content. I wanted to test his observational skills. If he couldn't discern anything from it, there was no use in bringing him along.

He took the photo, glanced at it, revealing a surprised expression, clearly understanding. Handing the photo back, he pointed upstairs, prepared to leave. Suddenly recalling something, he bent down and said, "Young man, be cautious with those bone-swallowing bastards. I have a particular interest in your task; don't mess it up." After a meaningful glance, he went upstairs.

After Big Head left, while pouring tea, I secretly asked Han Sheng, "What do you think of him?"

Concentrating on his noodles, he picked up the tea cup and took a sip. "I think he's suitable. Did you notice the black pearl ring on his left hand? If I'm not mistaken, he was probably a corpse reviver a few years ago. In that line of work, each apprentice receives a 'coffin-knocking ring' from the master. When facing a suspicious coffin, they knock it three times. If there's a response inside, they cannot open the coffin and must quickly leave."

Surprised, I asked, "Is that really so impressive?"

He shrugged, "Who knows? There are legends that their rings can communicate with spirits. However, ever since Tong Tieshou disappeared in Jiangxi, that profession has been close to extinct."

He continued eating without elaborating further.

Shortly after Big Head's departure, a man in a floral shirt sat down. His head was covered with a green hat, and he had a slight stubble on his chin. Leaning on his chin with both hands, he playfully looked at me, "Young brother, care for some tea? Had a good walk?"

Old He had mentioned that people who hid knives behind their smiles were the trickiest. Despite his smiling face, I could feel his robust physique through the shirt. Even though he smiled at me, I felt like he was sizing me up like a leopard.

Seeing me silent, he picked up a red bean osmanthus cake, took a bite, shook his head, mumbled something too sweet, then tossed the remaining half back into the plate. He asked me, "Where exactly are we going? Give brother a location, and I'll help you plan. Moreover, brother is a bit tight on funds now; can you make a prepayment?"

I shook my head, telling him to eat first and settle the bill later.

This was the agreement Old He and I had discussed. Generally, there were two ways to handle expenses. One was if the employer had a specific target, and upon obtaining it, everyone would share the money – this was settling the bill later. The other was when the tomb location was provided, but its contents were unknown. If valuable items were discovered, everyone would rely on their own skills – this was everyone paying their own way.

My words indicated the first type. I informed him that if he wanted to go, we could discuss the price, and I would pay him after this trip. Simultaneously, I hoped he wouldn't think I was inexperienced.

He chuckled at my words, "Young brother, you've thought it through quite clearly. How about this? You transfer the location to me, and I'll propose a price. How does that sound?"

Sipping my tea, I shook my head, thinking, "How could I give you the location? I don't even know it yet!"

Seeing my refusal, he covered his forehead, pretending to be very sad. Then, like when he noticed the copper coin at my table, he reached out, "Oh, what a unique coin."

However, Han Sheng, who had been eating noodles, suddenly extended his hand like an iron clamp, grabbing the man's wrist. He looked up and said to me, "Sir, don't touch what belongs to Second Master."

The man remained silent, still trying to reach for the copper coin. In an instant, I saw his flowery shirt stretch over explosive muscles underneath. However, Han Sheng firmly held onto his wrist, preventing it from advancing.

Watching this, I couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. Thank goodness for Han Sheng; this was three million we were talking about – enough for a down payment on a house outside the Third Ring Road in Beijing.

The man's smile gradually faded from his face. I even saw sweat beads on his forehead. They stood there for about five or six seconds, and then he sighed in relief. Han Sheng also released his grip, and the man shook his wrist without showing anger, looking at me, "Is this the Second Master? Cao Cao turned into Liu Adou?"

Han Sheng gently placed the chopsticks by the bowl,

 stared at the man across from us, and said to me, "Second Master, say the word, and I'll let him keep his arm."

The man's gaze instantly turned fierce. He sneered, "Quite bold; is it just based on you?"

Initially timid, I found a sudden surge of confidence upon witnessing the indifferent gaze from Han Sheng beside me. It seemed that, regardless of what he uttered, the next moment, he would accomplish it.

I exhaled deeply, leaned forward, met the eyes of the man in the floral shirt, and questioned, "Why don't you give it a try?"

This person's control over his temperament was excellent, as he quickly returned to his usual state. He spoke softly, "Alright, the autumn grasshoppers can stretch their legs well. I see how long Longshan Pavilion can hold on, and how long Second Master's banner can stay raised. Let's wait and see."

Having said that, the man was about to leave, but to everyone's surprise, Han Sheng intercepted him. "Can you leave? Your words don't count."

"You!"

The man was furious, suppressing his anger forcefully. He squinted at me and said, "Do you dare to make a move in the teahouse?"

My heart pounded. I certainly didn't want to resort to violence. Judging from his tone, he seemed to have a significant background, possibly a rival of our Longshan Pavilion. However, in the end, there are no eternal enemies in this profession. Even if they are adversaries, privately, there is continuous cooperation. Some treasures are meant to be shared among several parties, not something a single entity can handle.

I pretended to look at him meaningfully and said, "Witness the performance of Longshan Pavilion attentively."

The man didn't utter another word and left with a disdainful snort.

I picked up the teacup, sipping tea casually. I glanced at Han Sheng, who was engrossed in examining some osmanthus cakes, completely devoid of the aggressive demeanor he had displayed moments ago.

After this incident, my reservations were cast aside. I had no initial panic left, and I had completely opened up. I no longer worried about anything; after all, I had offended someone, and there was no fear of attracting more enemies to Longshan Pavilion.

However, since that man left, no one else came looking for trouble. A few people sat down, but their conversations were brief. I noticed that their gazes would eventually land on the copper coin. It seemed that, in their eyes, Second Master held a considerable position.

Until evening, we went upstairs. Apart from the big pompadour who called himself Lei and another guy, who followed us, showed interest in the colorful clues I showed him. According to Han Sheng, he was also a knowledgeable individual.

After introductions, Lei was currently working alone, while Lao Wan came from Changsha and had around a dozen people under him.

I asked Lao Wan how he recognized the yellow sausage stone wall. He shared that when he was young, he coincidentally encountered a large tomb. After digging through several layers of soil, they encountered the yellow sausage stone at the top. However, they didn't open it at that time. When they went back, he checked relevant information and learned about the significance of the yellow sausage stone. However, when he returned with people, something strange happened – the tomb was gone.

Both Lei and I found it hard to believe. Lei even thought Lao Wan was bragging. However, Lao Wan shrugged, saying, "Whether you believe it or not, I've been back to that place more than once, but the tomb just vanished into thin air. We dug down seven or eight meters in the same spot and still didn't see the yellow sausage seal."

After these discussions, we arranged a dinner and talked about some details afterward. In the end, it was agreed that Lao Wan would be responsible for recruiting people, but he didn't want money. Instead, he wanted a thirty percent share of the treasures dug out. Initially, I wanted to negotiate, but considering the potential treasures inside the royal tomb, which Han Sheng and I couldn't carry away alone, I agreed to his terms.

Another agreement was with Lei. Although I originally thought of excluding him, Han Sheng suggested keeping him. He said that corpse revivers were becoming rare, and we might need them when opening coffins. So, I reluctantly allowed him to join under the condition of a ten percent share.

On the way back, I told Han Sheng that Lao Wan was no ordinary person, and there's a significant difference between the northern and southern factions in our profession. The southern faction, specializing in tomb robbery, centered around Changsha, had several influential families. They were the most challenging to deal with due to their experience.

He asked how I knew Lao Wan was from Changsha. I explained that he let it slip at the end, mentioning "mi mi," which is a term in the Changsha dialect meaning money.

We took a taxi directly to the shop in Liuli Factory. Lao He hadn't rested yet. I briefed him on today's encounter, and regarding Lei, he didn't say much. However, about the threatening man, he mentioned that without seeing the person, he couldn't confirm but speculated it might be from Baoguo Temple; there have been intense conflicts recently.

Lastly, when it came to Lao Wan, Lao He said he couldn't figure out such people. The Changsha faction was both loyal and treacherous, ready to sacrifice themselves for you but also willing to stab you in the back. In the end, we discussed some arrangements for the Xinjiang trip. Lao He would handle the itinerary and equipment. Initially, Xiao He was supposed to accompany me, but considering the recent unrest in the shop, I decided to leave him behind for management.

That night we chatted until past two in the morning. Before leaving, Lao He reminded me repeatedly to prioritize safety. I hummed in agreement, and with Han Sheng, we returned to Second Master's house. Once inside, I tossed my clothes aside and went to the fridge for a beer. However, Han Sheng gestured a shush at me. Confused, I asked him what's wrong. He wrote on a piece of paper, "There's someone else in the house."