Many years ago

  The most sorrowful is the late autumn sky, the worn-out person can't bear to speak.

  Three cups of wine make me drunk and destroy my guts, searching for fragrance startles my dream in the cold fifth watch.

  The phoenix hairpin is askew, and you have tears; the flowers are scattered, and I have no fate.

  The quiet moon is newly lit by rain, yet it's hard for it to be full and round like a hook.

  A poem sets the scene, and so begins a new legendary adventure story.

  In 1937, the devils entered Central Plains, first opening Lugou Bridge, then Shanhai Pass. The railway was opened to Jinan. The devils fired cannons, and the Eighth Route Army pulled the big bolt, took aim, and bang! Killed a Japanese soldier, two eyes stared and went to the Western Heaven.

  The first part of the text reveals that this historical event took place during the Anti-Japanese War. Although it didn't show how fierce the Japanese soldiers were, it did show a large number of them entering Xingxiang City. However, they didn't carry out the "Three Alls Policy" as previously rumored, but instead showed some consideration for the civilians. Not only did they open up granaries to distribute food, but they also went from door to door inquiring about people's recent living conditions and occasionally picked up the bowls of local villagers' meals and drinks to examine them carefully.

  It's not that these Japanese soldiers have changed their ways, but rather they are hiding an even bigger conspiracy. Everything is being concealed very deeply by them, and those rumors spread by the common people are just considered as nonsense from outsiders. There's no such thing as demons who kill without blinking an eye. These soldiers are actually quite friendly, as long as they don't pose a threat to one's life safety, and can even eat their fill. Who cares what kind of evil deeds they're doing here?

  Everything was often ruined by carelessness. This kind of thing had only been going on for a month, and those Japanese soldiers showed their true face.

  The commander-in-chief, Major General Matsui, who is stationed in Xiangcheng, has been in a good mood for the past few days because he got the answer he wanted here. Although Xiangcheng is not a big place, it is adjacent to Shijiazhuang, an extremely important railway hub. What attracts Matsui to Xiangcheng is not its military significance, but its long history and the deeply buried tomb culture.

  Matsui's merits were not outstanding, but he was given the title of Taisho. Outsiders did not know what methods he used to achieve this, while those familiar with him understood that the "ghostly" unit led by Matsui was not for combat, but for another special mission.

  Tomb raiding, since entering China, Matsuno's most important military work has been to forcibly plunder this fertile land. A civilized ancient country with a history of 5,000 years left behind countless treasures and gold, all of which were unimaginable to Matsuno's country.

  The war brought Japan into economic crisis, and the war also gave Matsui an opportunity to devote himself to the country. Batch after batch of ancient tombs were dug up, and piece by piece of national treasures were secretly transported back to Japan. The truly heart-wrenching ones were only those powerless common people who could only watch with their eyes wide open.

  Long before the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Matsui had already infiltrated China. He was deeply fascinated by Chinese Feng Shui theory and used this knowledge to excavate many undeveloped ancient tombs, stealing many of our national treasures.

  On this day, it was a sunny day with plenty of sunshine. Matsui took a group of people to start capturing others in the city. After a commotion, three people were tied up with ropes and taken out of the city. The surrounding villagers were angry but didn't dare speak out. For several days, Matsui would capture some strong and healthy individuals and take them away, only to return the next day without those who had been captured. As a result, whenever Matsui went out on the streets, everyone hid in their own homes.

  Hiding is no solution, in the past month, everything in Xingxiang City has been figured out by Song Ye's populist policy, so every action is a sure catch, and no one can escape.

  The three people caught today are not ordinary people. The one walking in the front, with his head held high and chest out, seems to have a sense of determination, as if he's going to his death. His name is Ji Yaozu, and he's the young master of a wealthy family in town. Just hearing this name already tells you that his family has high hopes for him to bring honor and glory to their ancestors. But with today's arrest, it's likely that their lineage will be cut off.

  The two men walking side by side behind Ji Yaozu were called Gou Sheng and Er Dang, both of whom were laborers from the city. This time they were caught, their hearts were racing with anxiety, not knowing what kind of trick these Japanese soldiers wanted to play, it couldn't be that they would use them as targets for shooting practice.

  "Zuge, what did you say these Japanese soldiers are going to do with us?" Er Dang couldn't hold back any longer and quickly ran over to ask Ji Yaozu.

  "How would I know? They didn't discuss it with me." Ji Yaozu wasn't afraid at all, instead he revealed a smile.

  "I heard people from neighboring counties say that these devils use live people to practice stabbing, they won't use us for practice?" Dog Remnant also chimed in.

  "Anyway, we've already been caught, and there's no use trying to hide. Might as well just go with the flow." Wasn't Ji Yaozu afraid at all? Actually, he was a bit nervous, but he also had confidence in escaping because the Ji family wasn't exactly running a legitimate business on the surface.

  This family has been a tomb raider for generations, in plain language, they are thieves. They inherited the skills of grave robbing from their ancestors, who were said to have served as grave robbers for Cao Cao. This skill has been passed down through generations, and apart from observing mountains and rivers, Ji Ziyao's ancestor was also skilled at shooting a crossbow. The iron pellets in his hand could hit targets within 100 meters with almost 100% accuracy. Moreover, the frame of his crossbow was not made of ordinary wood, but was cut down by his father from an ancient tree that hid coffins. It is said that when it was cut down, the tree was bleeding profusely.

  With such a skeleton, plus their family's special rubber bands, the lethality at close range is more than twice that of a handgun. Moreover, they have been practicing this skill since childhood and are almost able to hit whatever they aim for.

  The slingshot was now tucked into Ji Yaoyu's lower back, and when the Japanese soldiers caught him, they didn't search him but instead directly put a rope around his neck to take him away. At this time, Ji Yaoyu had also made up his mind that as soon as his hands were untied, he would take the initiative to kill the leading Matsumoto, snatch his gun and then see what happens next.

  After walking for most of the day, the sun beating down on their heads made them sweat profusely. They had walked from the city to the outskirts, and now they were in a desolate area. Under the sunlight, Ji Yaozu vaguely saw some colorful lights flickering in the distance.

  As the old saying goes, "the land above is colorful and the underground is rich", although the time spent upside down was not long, but from a young age following his father to walk in the mountains and observe the water, he had seen many strange landscapes. Now, however, for the first time, he discovered that near Xiangyang City, there was also an ancient tomb, which was indeed "dark under the lamp".

  At this point, Ji Yaozu actually hoped that the group of Japanese people could walk a little further and bypass the location of the ancient tomb, but he didn't expect that Matsui Nao would stop on the ground emitting colorful light.

  A few words in Japanese were spoken, and the Japanese soldiers with guns untied their ropes. They didn't seem to be going to kill them, but instead stuffed a spade into their hands.

  "Fellow villagers, don't be afraid, things aren't as they say. This time I called you out just to have you help with some physical labor. You see, it's just here, help me dig a hole and bring everything found in the hole up, that's all. If you're lucky, you might even survive, and I'll send you all back home." Matsuno said with a friendly tone, but with a hint of menace.

  "With so many of you, why do you need us to dig?" Ji Yaozu asked.

  "Good question, the Emperor's soldiers wouldn't do such a thing, but if you've found something, we'll lend a hand to carry it." Matsui nodded slightly, and the three men were prodded forward by Japanese bayonets from behind.

  "Are you asking us to rob a grave?" Ji Yaoyu said coldly in front of Song Jie.

  "Oh?" Matsui was somewhat surprised, he didn't think an ordinary person could see through his intentions. At the same time, he saw the golden amulet hanging on Jiyaozu's neck and burst out laughing, grabbing the pangolin's claw and pulling it off.

  "Give it back!" Ji Yaoyu furiously pounced on Matsuiye, but at the same time, Matsuiye's gun was pointed under his chin.

  "Looks like a fellow practitioner, I can leave some things behind. This Dou I've been searching for a long time, and it was only discovered using the method of hitting the earth hole. You're really good at spotting it with one glance, the Moken school is indeed not simple." Matsuiye said, hanging the Moken symbol around his neck.

  Ji Yaozu glared at Matsuiye with a mixture of anger and frustration, his fists clenched tightly as if he was about to strike him with the iron shovel in his hand. The Mochin symbol was a treasured family heirloom passed down through generations of the Ji family, something they would rather die than lose. But now, it had been carelessly snatched away from him, how could he not be furious?

  Matsuiye however looked at him without fear because four Japanese soldiers had already raised their guns at him and cocked them.

  "Dig it up, and I'll let you go home. If you can't dig it up, then this golden symbol is useless to you. Since you're the successor of the Golden Touch, I won't say anything more. With your judgment, you should know where to start digging." Matsui Noyoru seemed to see right through Jiyōso.

  "Brother, stop messing around, let's hurry up and get to work, let's go home quickly." Er Dang and Gou Sheng both came to his side and forcibly pulled him away from Song Jieye.

  Ji's family reputation is well-known to the people of Xingyang City, so both of them want Ji Yaozu to bring them back safely, at least to keep their lives. In this war-torn era, that's the most practical idea. As for the so-called Golden Token, as long as one is still alive, it's only a matter of time before they go get it.