Chapter Ten: The Secret of the Tomb Raiders

  Oni no Yaiba wrapped the corpse of Orochimaru in a torn cloth that he had pulled off from a pillar and threw it into the sea at night.

  As for the corpse of the pillar, it's too easy to attract attention by carrying it out, so I can only temporarily place it in the coffin. And I finally don't have to stay in the coffin anymore, perhaps because the old corpses are extremely confident in their own skills, and quickly untied me, leaving only one thick rope tying my feet to the bed corner.

  My left-handed revolver was also taken away by Kiyotsugu.

  In the following time, we swept away the blood all over the floor. It took an hour to finish, of course, mainly by me and Oniichan, while Shiro couldn't help much because he couldn't see. The room still had a strong smell of blood.

  Everything was settled, I sat on a small stool beside the bedside table, staring blankly at the two of them.

  My mouth is a bit dry, and I reached into my pocket only to find it empty.

  "Find this." Oni no Ya smiled and tossed me a pack of beautiful brand cigarettes that was only half left, along with a box of matches.

  I mechanically grabbed one and lit it up, taking a few fierce puffs. The thick smoke of the roasted tobacco stimulated my throat, and I felt a bit more alert.

  "You underground workers, how did you end up on the sea? Isn't that a mismatch of profession?" I asked tentatively, exhaling a ring of smoke.

  Onimaru said, "We're not here to rob a grave, but there's something we need on this ship."

  "What is it?" I curiously asked back.

  Oni no Ya didn't respond. I knew that if I really understood their purpose, I would truly be unable to live.

  The old man coughed and lay on the bed, sighing to himself: "Cough, cough, I'm getting old, a little movement makes me tired. Alas, my body is not as good as it used to be. Thinking back, I took care of Emperor Xianfeng for five days and nights without sleeping, now the yellow earth is almost covering my chest, I'm old."

  "How old are you now?" I curiously asked.

  The old man thought for a moment and said: "I don't remember the specifics of how big it was, but when Li Lianying entered the palace, I was probably less than thirty years old."

  I was shocked and hastily exclaimed, "You're being too modest, this isn't even close to the yellow earth reaching your chest, it's already over three meters above your head, and the grass on top has been replaced several times!"

  "Heh heh, let me tell you a story from my past." The old man didn't wait for me to respond and continued speaking in his own peculiar tone, which was both eerie and melodious, with a hint of ancient charm. Listening to him speak was like being treated to a delightful tale.

  "After Yuan Shikai forced the Qing Emperor to abdicate, I stayed in the palace for a few years. The people who knew me almost all died, and no one remembered this old bone anymore. Later, I was so bored that I moved to live in the Eight Great Hutongs."

  "What's Xiao Feng Xian doing in the Eight Great Hutongs?" I'm all too familiar with the Eight Great Hutongs, Beijing's number one pleasure district.

  The old eunuch nodded, hearing my laughter, and hummed in discontent: "What are you laughing at? Who says a eunuch can't live in the Eight Great Hutongs? I used to have a wife and concubines too." He puffed out his chest, glared with his eyes, paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued: "Originally, I had nothing to do, just walking birds, drinking tea, listening to Huangpi dialect, time passed like this. Until one day, a soldier came to my door, I don't know where he heard it from, saying that I have the underground structure map of Qing Dongling, promising a large sum of money to invite me to Hebei... to dig up the tomb of the Qing emperor! Haha, what kind of person am I? How would I betray my lord and seek fortune by doing such an immoral thing?"

  "Did you refuse?" I asked.

  The old man shook his head and said, "No, I hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed."

  "What are you talking about? You're just spouting nonsense!" I was annoyed, thinking that this is what you meant by "won't betray the master for personal gain"?

  The old corpse didn't get angry, but instead said with a profound tone: "It's hard to say about the other tombs in the Eastern Mausoleum, but they actually dared to disturb the tomb of Emperor Qianlong. Haha, those ignorant fools have no idea what kind of great danger lies within the tomb. They're blinded by greed and would die one by one, or even in batches if not for someone pointing out the way."

  "The old man agreed just to see how these people would die in the end." The corpse of Lao Yin sneered coldly.

  Oni saw my confusion and explained, "Corpse Old Ancestor was a famous Golden Armor General in his heyday, with a prestigious background. He himself was a renowned Northern Sect senior in the Daoist world, with martial arts skills that had reached the pinnacle. People called him 'Dì Wáng Yé' (Earth King). At the same time, he was also the treasure hunter of the Qing Palace, secretly searching for treasures all over the world for the Emperor and rendering great service. Due to an accident, he lost his eyesight and retired from the world, living a quiet life in the palace. Heh heh, Corpse Old Ancestor has a big temper and is stubborn with old ideas, most of all he cannot stand those ignorant youngsters who do not follow the rules of the Daoist world and recklessly dig up graves."

  "Oh." I thought for a moment, and suddenly remembered: "The person who invited you over, wasn't it Sun Dianying?"

  "Not bad, it's him." The old corpse nodded: "He asked me to be his grave-robbing assistant."

  It was indeed the notorious tomb raider and warlord Sun Dianying. The scandalous things he did back then shook the whole world, and no one didn't know about it. Puyi and a group of old men were so angry that they almost hanged themselves to follow their ancestors.

  Later, the matter was exposed and the Kuomintang wanted to severely punish him. He was so scared that he hastily bribed many high-ranking officials with countless precious treasures he had stolen, and only then did the matter subside. The Kuomintang's severe measures ultimately came to nothing.

  It is said that Sun Dianying gave Soong Mei-ling a night pearl, which was one of the most valuable things in Cixi's treasury, hidden in her mouth when she died. This night pearl consists of two halves, and when separated, it is unremarkable, but when combined, it shines brightly, like daylight within ten meters.

  Qianlong's personal treasure, the Nine Dragon Sword, was also stolen by Sun Dianying. It changed hands several times, with Kawashima Yoshiko and Ma Han-san both owning it at some point. Its last owner was Dai Li, and when Dai Li died in a plane crash, the Nine Dragon Sword was destroyed along with him and buried in his grave. By now, it's probably already rotten.

  Note: I've kept the translation as close to the original text as possible, without any additional explanations or descriptions.

  Sun Dianying died in a Communist prison, and it can be said that he did not end well. Some people say it was retribution.

  At that time, I learned about this sensational event at home and abroad through others' oral accounts and major newspapers. I never thought that in front of me, there was an old man who had personally experienced the entire process of the event.

  I couldn't help but sigh, but then I thought about it and realized that's not right. The old eunuch said that the Mausoleum of Yu was extremely treacherous, so how did Sun Dianying manage to succeed?

  I asked the question, and Lao's face didn't look too good. He gritted his teeth and said, "Hmph! I never thought that Sun Dianying not only found me, but also invited another person to help him. It was that person who broke Qianlong's yin-yang lock corpse array!"

  "That man is really a mastermind, not only did he help Sun Dianying steal the tomb, but also controlled me and didn't let me sabotage it. I could only watch with my eyes wide open as Sun Dianying swaggered out with the things." The corpse was filled with anger and a bit of helplessness.

  I thought to myself, I've seen this dead eunuch's ferocity before, what kind of person can easily control him.

  "I only know that his surname is Liu, and he looks extremely young, not more than twenty-five years old. As for his background, I don't know anything." The old man seemed a bit lost in thought.

  She fell silent for a moment.

  The old corpse sighed, lamenting the fate of the Qing emperor after his death. I don't care, in my impression, the Qing is a representative of corruption and incompetence. Besides, the emperor had already enjoyed enough wealth and glory when he was alive, what hadn't he seen, what woman hadn't he played with? Being dragged out and flogged after death can be considered as repayment for his past extravagance and debauchery.

  What Lao Shi said was just a story to me, but Gui Ye Jie's next words changed the nature of things.

  He said: "The treasure unearthed by Sun Dianying is much more than what people know, and the ones given to Chiang Kai-shek and other high-ranking officials are only a small part. Another small portion was sold cheaply as military supplies. There were still many things that were difficult to get rid of, and he thought they would rot in his hands. At this time, several foreigners found him, who were British. The foreigners traded with him using military weapons and took away all the remaining items. Since leaking national treasures is no different from being a traitor, Sun Dianying dared to rob tombs, but after all, it was the tomb of an alien tribe. However, stealing and selling national treasures to foreigners is a traitorous act. At that time, he did not want to bear this great black pot, so there were very few people who knew this secret."

  Oni no Yaiba mysteriously smiled, his handsome face looked evil and stern, I found it strange: "What are you smiling at?"

  The ghostly figure leaned in close, his voice low and mysterious. "Do you know what happened next? It just so happened that World War II broke out, and the goods were passed around several times, but the foreigners never had a chance to take them out of China. Until now, until this moment, they've finally been secretly loaded onto a cargo ship bound for Taiwan. If all goes smoothly, it should arrive in Keelung the day after tomorrow. And who's responsible for escorting them on this mission? None other than Sherlock Pundon, former first-class martial officer of the British Embassy in China."

  I suddenly widened my eyes with an incredulous expression: "Ah, I get it now, the key point is here!"

  Jinhua Wheel unexpectedly smuggled national treasure!