"Mr. Xiang, what kind of tomb is this?" Fatty nudged me with his shoulder, asking.
The entrance to the ancient tomb was semi-circular, flanked by towering stone pillars adorned with mysterious symbols and carvings, exuding an ancient and chilling aura.
Standing at the entrance, I could feel an unfathomable power spreading, as if something was hidden behind this door.
Looking at the symbols and script on the stone door, I frowned slightly. "This looks like a tomb from the Yuan Dynasty?"
"Yuan Dynasty?" Fatty was taken aback. "Mr. Xiang, are you saying this is Genghis Khan's tomb?"
"Whose tomb it is, I'm not sure yet, but judging from the script and symbols, it should be a tomb from the Yuan Dynasty."
As we were talking, Guan Zhenwan approached. "Indeed, this is a tomb from the Yuan Dynasty. As for whose it is, it's hard to say, but judging by its scale, it's very likely a royal tomb."
"A royal tomb?"
The Yuan Dynasty existed for ninety-eight years in history, with fifteen emperors, most of whom reigned for only a few short years, either dying prematurely or being assassinated.
If this were truly a Yuan Dynasty royal tomb, which emperor's would it be?
"Do you see that pattern on the door?" Guan Zhenwan said. "That is the Ten Auspicious Symbols of Tibetan Buddhism."
"Ten Auspicious Symbols?" I didn't know much about Tibetan Buddhism, so I didn't understand what she meant by "Ten Auspicious Symbols."
Guan Zhenwan explained, "The Ten Auspicious Symbols can be understood as symbols representing Mount Meru and various parts of the human body. They are: Longevity Auspiciousness, Mind Auspiciousness, Vow Auspiciousness, Karma Auspiciousness, Rebirth Auspiciousness, Provision Auspiciousness, Liberation Auspiciousness, Divine Power Auspiciousness, Dharma Auspiciousness, and Wisdom Auspiciousness."
"In the Yuan Dynasty, people believed in Tibetan Buddhism, and royal tombs often featured Tibetan Buddhist symbols. Carving the pattern of the Ten Auspicious Symbols on the stone door of a mausoleum was usually done for royalty."
I was surprised Guan Zhenwan knew so much and asked, "Then whose tomb do you think it is?"
She smiled and said, "It's too early to tell. We'll know once we get inside."
"When do we go in?" I asked.
"Let's wait for the archaeological team to arrive. Otherwise, if we barge in now, won't we become grave robbers?"
She added, "The relevant documents for the archaeological team have been approved. With them present, we can enter legally."
Suddenly, something occurred to me, and I couldn't help but ask, "You told Manager Wu earlier that the Kanto Army treasure was likely hidden in a royal tomb. But this tomb looks untouched. Doesn't that mean..."
She smiled. "We won't know until we get inside. No one can be sure if it's there or not."
Seeing her confident demeanor, I couldn't say much more.
I had explored several tombs before, but this was my first time in a royal tomb, especially one from the Yuan Dynasty.
To this day, no Yuan Dynasty royal tombs have ever been discovered.
This was because, during the Yuan Dynasty, secret burials were largely practiced.
What is a secret burial?
It is said that before the burial, a site would be chosen, and then the tomb would be constructed. Yuan Dynasty tombs were generally simpler and took less time to build.
Tombs in other dynasties were built from the emperor's enthronement onwards, taking a long time and consuming vast resources, thus resulting in very large structures.
But the Yuan Dynasty was different; they began construction after the emperor's death, usually completing it in just one or two months.
During the burial, a special funeral escort team would be dispatched, a team with mysterious identities and decisive ruthlessness.
After they interred the emperor, they would kill all the workers who built the tomb. They would then remain at the site for a year or a year and a half, until they observed that the location was indistinguishable from any other, before withdrawing.
Before leaving, they would also kill a newborn camel at the site.
The reason for this was that if future generations wished to pay respects, they only needed to bring the mother camel to find the place.
This was because the mother camel would search for her offspring.
Of course, this is all hearsay, and I'm not entirely sure of the truth.
However, if this place is indeed a Yuan Dynasty royal tomb, it would explain why so many heads appeared at Shiziling before.
Those heads were most likely the workers who built the royal tomb. After being collectively murdered, their bodies were dismembered and buried there.
I shared my speculation with Guan Zhenwan, who strongly agreed. "Indeed, I searched for a long time when I was there before, but I couldn't find any ancient tombs underground. Generally, sacrificial pits are located near ancient tombs, but there was nothing else there except heads."
She then smiled at me. "Mr. Xiang, I must thank you this time. Otherwise, I would have had no way of finding this tomb."
I still had some doubts and said, "Actually, I still don't think this ancient tomb has anything to do with the Kanto Army treasure you're looking for."
"Oh?" She looked at me with confusion.
I said, "This Taoist temple has been here for more than a century. If the Kanto Army had come here, do you think they would have left such a Taoist temple behind?"
Upon hearing this, Guan Zhenwan smiled. "It seems Xiao Wu didn't tell you everything clearly."
She continued, "The information I obtained from the Japanese was that after the Kanto Army arrived here, they found a cave at Shiziling, and through the cave, they discovered an ancient tomb."
I immediately realized, "You mean they didn't dig through the tomb directly, but entered from underground?"
She nodded. "Precisely."
"In that case, it makes sense," I said.
"Mr. Xiang, it is my honor that you can stay and help me," she complimented me.
I smiled. "Miss Guan, are we considered acquaintances now?"
"Friends," she emphasized.
"Good, since we're friends, I have a question I'd like to ask."
"Go ahead."
"Why are you so determined to find the Kanto Army treasure? You don't seem to be short of money."
Her gaze showed some hesitation. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Do you really want to know?"
"Yes," I replied frankly.
She pondered for a moment, took out a ladies' cigarette, lit it, and said, "My ancestors were from Harbin. During the Manchukuo period, the Japanese invaded my ancestors' home and took away their most beloved painting... Although my ancestors' family escaped disaster and left their homeland, they could never let go of the matter. My maternal grandfather returned to China to search for a long time but never found it. So, he passed this task on to me. My purpose in coming here this time is to find that painting."
"What painting is worth so much trouble and expense?" I asked, puzzled.
Her eyes blinked twice, and she looked at me, slowly saying, "Along the River During the Qingming Festival."