Lei Lao and Dong Zi sat on either side of Ye Fan with smiles.
The middle-aged man, slightly reserved, sat opposite Ye Fan.
"Thank you all, Lei is eternally grateful."
After sitting down, Lei Lao Wu respectfully cupped his fists and expressed his gratitude to Ye Fan.
Ye Fan waved his hand, "It was just a small effort, Brother Lei need not be so polite."
He gestured for him to sit down.
"However, Brother Lei, you are not an ordinary tomb raider, are you? To be able to plunder tombs from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, you must have exceptional skills. May I know who your master is?"
Tomb raiders generally have a lineage; otherwise, relying solely on brute force would inevitably lead to a grim death within the tomb.
Upon hearing Ye Fan's question, Lei Lao Wu paused.
Clearly, this question was too private for him.
Seeing Lei Lao Wu's reaction, Ye Fan smiled knowingly, waiting patiently.
In fact, from the moment he met Lei Lao Wu, Ye Fan had already considered recruiting him.
Possessing superb tomb-raiding skills and exceptional methods, it would be a waste of talent not to bring such a person into his fold.
Seeing Ye Fan's persistent gaze, Lei Lao Wu knew that Ye Fan would not give up until he got his answer.
With a sigh, he let out a few wry smiles.
"I have no master; all my skills are passed down in the family."
Lei Lao Wu sat down, a hint of bitterness on his face.
"Our family has been involved in tomb raiding for generations, so I grew up with it. I know no other trade. In my early years, I accompanied my elders on raids and gained some experience. Later, when my elders grew too old for such endeavors, I went alone. Tomb raiding is an act that harms one's yang energy, so I am reluctant to speak of it to outsiders. I hope Brother Ye will forgive me."
Lei Lao Wu's words were quite sincere.
Ye Fan was not a petty person; if not for his strong desire for wealth, he would not have pressured Lei Lao Wu so much.
Ye Fan nodded, "Where did you obtain those bronze artifacts?"
"In Baoshan, Hangzhou City."
Lei Lao Wu did not conceal this fact.
"A year ago, a friend from the tomb-raiding circle approached me, saying they had discovered a grand tomb in Baoshan, Hangzhou. The tomb was massive, and it was unlikely that a few individuals could succeed on their own, so they sought my assistance."
Lei Lao Wu spoke calmly, recounting the events.
"I have some reputation in the tomb-raiding community, but I typically work alone. Therefore, when friends in the circle encounter challenging tombs, they seek my help. This is quite common."
"I accompanied them to Baoshan in Hangzhou. It's a range of continuous mountains that encloses half of Hangzhou City, quite magnificent. Furthermore, Baoshan is very treacherous and difficult to ascend, so we spent a full month preparing before entering the mountain."
Lei Lao Wu sighed repeatedly, as if the past events stirred some emotions within him.
Ye Fan could vaguely guess what happened; there must have been an accident in the tomb, otherwise, given Lei Lao Wu's disposition, he would not be so affected.
"Baoshan, also known as Ghost Mountain, is famous in Hangzhou because many ancient royal tombs are buried there. Consequently, it is highly favored by tomb raiders. However, I've never heard of any Shang and Zhou dynasty tombs in Baoshan."
Lei Lao spoke up then. As a native of the Jiangnan City area, he was very familiar with the surroundings.
Lei Lao Wu nodded, "Indeed, Baoshan is a place we favor because one can get rich overnight there. But opportunities and dangers coexist. He who wishes to wear a crown must bear its weight. I didn't understand this principle before, but I do now."
Lei Lao Wu smiled bitterly, his eyes slightly red.
"What happened after you entered Baoshan?"
Dong Zi asked impatiently.
Shaking off his somber expression, Lei Lao Wu continued.
"After entering Baoshan, we proceeded directly to the ancient tomb. According to my friend, it was a tomb of a Zhou dynasty feudal lord. They had only found the location of the tomb but not the specific entrance."
"Shang and Zhou dynasty tombs differ from later ones, with very little historical documentation and no complete blueprints ever appearing. Therefore, we had to search slowly."
"Fortunately, I had previously entered several late Zhou dynasty tombs, so I had some knowledge. After much effort, we finally found the entrance to the underground palace half a month later. However, it was blocked by massive stones, making it extremely difficult to open. In our desperation, we had to resort to blasting."
Lei Lao Wu's words reminded Ye Fan of the chaotic period of warlords in the Republic of China and their tomb-raiding activities.
For tombs that could not be entered smoothly, blasting was the simplest method, but it also carried significant risks.
After all, if the mountain collapsed due to the explosion, it would be very dangerous.
As if to confirm Ye Fan's thoughts, Lei Lao Wu immediately added, "When we blasted open those massive stones, the danger occurred. Due to the excessive force of the explosives, the mountain began to shake, and several large rocks from the mountaintop tumbled down. Our men had no time to dodge and were crushed to death, their bodies mangled beyond recognition, leaving no intact remains."
Lei Lao Wu sighed, his face etched with bitterness.
The scene was terrifying to recall.
"After blasting open the entrance, we used our lighting equipment to enter the tomb. The tomb passage was extremely dark, with many square pillars built on both sides. Numerous corpses were chained to them. Due to the passage of time, these corpses had weathered into mummies. Their faces were ferocious, and even though we often entered tombs and had witnessed many terrifying things, these mummies still startled us. If we hadn't been mentally prepared, we might have been terrified out of our minds."
"Mummies? Chained?"
Ye Fan frowned. It was unlikely for such a situation to occur in a tomb.
A tomb was the final resting place of the deceased, generally symbolizing peace and tranquility. According to Chinese civilization, it was a place of rest after death. How could such a situation arise?
Lei Lao said gravely, "Could it be human sacrifice?"
Ye Fan shook his head, "Even if it were human sacrifice, they wouldn't be chained. This clearly indicates a method used against enemies. Although the Shang and Zhou periods were slave societies, they wouldn't sacrifice enemies."
Ye Fan was perplexed; this matter was truly strange.
Hearing Ye Fan's words, Lei Lao Wu nodded, "Indeed, I couldn't figure it out at the time, and with time pressing, I didn't think much of it. We hurried along the passage, wanting to reach the burial chamber as quickly as possible."
"Was there anything in the burial chamber?"
Ye Fan asked urgently.
However, Lei Lao Wu shook his head, "We never entered the main burial chamber."
"What? Didn't enter the main burial chamber?"
Ye Fan and Lei Lao were stunned, their eyes wide as they looked at Lei Lao Wu.