Chapter 5: Downshovel

That night at the inn, four more people arrived one after another—a total of three men and one woman. The woman was responsible for our logistics; in her thirties, she had a slightly provocative smile and a noticeable black mole on her face. Within our circle, she was nicknamed "One Mole." Later, I heard others say that One Mole's goal was to sleep with a hundred men before she turned forty.

"Oh, oh, oh—more newcomers! You're so young, I wonder if you're even well-endowed…" One Mole said with a smile, looking at me.

"Alright, alright, Xiao Hong, don't scare him. This kid is young and full of potential—if we nurture him for two years, he might become something," said Wang, the experienced leader, as he helped me out of trouble.

The three men were biological brothers, all surnamed Sun. In order of age they were known as Sun the Eldest, Sun the Second, and Sun the Third. Wang mentioned that Sun the Second and Sun the Third were well known on the underground circuit—they could work wonders with a Luoyang shovel and even had a unique skill with "flying needles" for probing the soil. They were especially experienced in probing deep pits. Sun the Eldest, on the other hand, handled both ventilation and sales. My first impression of him was that he was steady and honest; later I learned that those who seem honest on the surface are often quite shrewd—always alert and capable of taking charge in emergencies.

At the southwest edge of Shunde Shunfeng Park in Luoyang, there was a small valley known locally as Moth Mountain. Old Boss Wang explained that the deep pit was located halfway up Moth Mountain. I asked him at the time, "Boss, how do you know there's a deep pit halfway up the mountain?"

Old Boss Wang blew a smoke ring and, squinting, told me, "Yunfeng, Guansuo, Jiehenglan—these are clearly divided on both sides; on the high mountain, on the flat land, the pit is buried in the middle." I was completely confused, feeling as though Boss Wang were speaking in tongue-twisters that made no sense at all.

Later, after I memorized the burial scripture, Boss Wang passed on his experience in seeking dragons and locating tombs to me. Only then did I understand that his short four-line verse truly encapsulated the feng shui advantages of Moth Mountain.

That night, just after one in the morning, we, carrying large packs, arrived halfway up Moth Mountain. Standing before an ancient fir tree, Old Boss Wang stamped his foot excitedly and said, "Second and Third, here's the spot—first, take a sample to test the saltiness. If there are any stones, then insert the needle!"

Sun the Second nodded. He pressed the button on the small walkie-talkie on his shoulder and said, "Old Boss, time to eat. There aren't any guests around, right?"

When the walkie-talkie's red light flashed, Sun the Eldest's deep voice came through, "Calm seas, fire up the cook!"

Once he was sure no one was around, excitement flashed in Sun the Second's eyes. He took off his backpack, pulled out a short stick, and finally revealed a curved, half-moon shovel.

Boss Wang said to me, "Yunfeng, this is our tool for dinner. Times are progressing, and we must keep up with the times. The Luoyang shovel has been modified into a segmented casing; if you put it in your pack, no one will notice."

Clack, clack, clack—the Sun brothers skillfully assembled the Luoyang shovel; when properly assembled, one section of the shovel was very long—over eight meters.

"Second Brother, this is a deep pit. Is this length enough? If not, I have more in my pack," asked Sun the Third.

"Don't worry, Old Three. If it's any longer, it'll be hard to handle. We'll first examine the structure of the soil layers below and test the salinity," replied Sun the Second.

"Yunfeng, come over here and help steady it," Sun the Second beckoned me.

I hurried over to help him hold the Luoyang shovel in place. Then, in front of my eyes, Sun the Second unfastened his pants and pulled out his little brother—his manhood—and began to let water flow out.

After he finished "flushing," he shivered and pulled his pants back up. Squatting down, Sun the Second stared at the spot where the water had come out for a while, then frowned, "No good—there are stones below. We need to change our digging point."

"Xiao Yunfeng, you stand at your spot and let the water bubble," he ordered.

Though I didn't fully understand, I obeyed and began to let water flow. "Heh, this young fellow is full of firepower, full of energy! Look, your urine is all yellow and foamy," Sun the Second laughed, watching the ground for two minutes. Then he nodded, "This is the spot—few stones below, let's get to work!"

He exerted tremendous force; one shovel could dig down about ten centimeters, and the Luoyang shovel continuously brought out soil. After digging more than half the depth, I noticed the color of the excavated soil had changed—turning somewhat dark.

"Second Brother, look—the soil's turning black. Does that mean we've reached the bedrock?" I asked.

"Long ago. This black soil is not what we want; it's the decayed, root-enriched layer—useless," he replied.

The small hole grew deeper and deeper.

"Damn, that's amazing! The rod isn't long enough, Old Three! Extend it!" Sun the Second shouted.

As the rod was lengthened, the Luoyang shovel continued to probe downward. An hour later, the shovel brought up a layer of white soil, with a bit of greenish soil underneath.

Sun the Second sniffed the soil with his nose and suddenly grew excited. "Damn! Boss Wang, Yunfeng, this kid is our lucky star! I haven't seen such a big pit in two years!"

"One shovel struck the rammed earth layer—white, paste-like soil connected with green paste soil!"

"Either it belonged to a noble from the Western Zhou or a minor feudal lord!"

"We're gonna strike it rich!"

"Shh! Second Brother, keep your voice down," cautioned Sun the Third with a frown.

Sun the Second, however, was unperturbed, waving his hand dismissively, "It's been years since I've seen white mixed with green. Hopefully, it's a new tomb."

By "new tomb," he meant that the grave hadn't been looted before—it was fresh. Only then could we make a fortune from one excavation.

At that moment, Old Boss Wang quietly said, "It's all luck. Even if it's an old tomb, as long as there are two pieces of meat inside, this trip won't be in vain."

"What if it's a Western Zhou tomb? What if we unearth a Four-Sheep Fang Zun or a Bronze Blood Fang Lei?"

"Ha, only you, Boss, would dare to think that way. If something like that appears, we wouldn't dare to sell it—we'd be busted," Sun the Second replied. Then, he pressed the walkie-talkie and said, "Old Boss, Boss Yan just said there's a Four-Sheep Fang Zun in this tomb. Do you have a way to get it?"

This was a top national treasure!

The walkie-talkie's red light flashed, and a burst of static and an electronic voice came through, "Fang Zun, my ass! I don't want to get shot. Get to work already!"

The Sun brothers were well known on the underground circuit for their genuine skills. From the structure of the soil layer they dug with the Luoyang shovel, they could roughly sketch the situation of the pit below. Because the tomb was so ancient, such tombs often had collapsed sections. To excavate in a straight line down to the main chamber with one go was virtually a fantasy—it was likely that the further you dug, the more you'd stray from the correct path and narrowly miss the burial treasures.

Therefore, the safest method was to follow the tomb's original passage downward, and then choose either the ear chamber or the main chamber.

Old Two and Old Three went on together. With a whirlwind of shoveling, it was time for me to do my part. My job was to scatter the soil—but not just any soil. Otherwise, if the tunnel was more than ten meters deep, how could I possibly carry all that soil?

I had to scatter the soil that matched the color of the surrounding earth—in place, it would be unnoticeable. I was responsible for dispersing the soil dug from the rammed earth layer, namely the white and green soil. Because the green paste soil and white paste soil were so distinctly colored compared to the rest, I needed to scatter this portion around so that no trace was left behind.

In these mountains, people cultivated crops everywhere. The white and green soil brought up by the whirlwind Luoyang shovel couldn't be tossed around carelessly; it had to be piled aside and disposed of when dawn broke.